Thursday, April 30, 2009

Misterious brook

Suckers are spawning and the salmons and rainbows are out of that spot. Last time I was there I snagged at least 10 suckers before hooking one in the mouth.










Then I moved on a nearby brook, hoping in some native brookies. Nice pools, some of them really deep. I only had a couple of hits, in the same pool. First rainbow was able to take off before the picture, but second one was not that lucky and he had to say "cheese".










Than nothing but the beauty of nature. And some more suckers, spooked by my shadow from shallow water.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Deschidere de sezon

Deschidere de sezon pe lacurile populate cu pastrav in NH. Desi am lucrat azi, am iesit mai repede cu gandul sa incerc doua dintre baltile de care auzeam lucruri bune in trecut si care stiam ca sunt populate masiv inainte de deschidere: Clough Pond si Hot Hole Pond, ambele la 20-25 de minute distantza. Am ajuns la Hot Hole Pond si era cum ma asteptam: destul de multa lume, nimeni cu muste, toti cu rame. Un "pescar" se plimba cu niste pesti prinsi recent insirati pe o atza trecuta prin branhii si prin gura. Unul dintre pesti era inca viu si se zbatea. Mi-au trecut ganduri negre prin suflet, il vedeam pe tipul ala suspendat de plamani pe o funie si eu la capatul celalalt tragand de ea. Nu ma deranjeaza cei care retin pesti, in limitele legale. La urma urmei de aia sun baltile alea populate ca sa aiba toata lumea o sansa de a prinde un peste. Ma deranjeaza idiotii care chinuie pestii inutil dupa ce i-au prins. Daca il retii, scurteaza-i suferintza. Nici nu mi-am scos batzul si am plecat spre cealalta balta: Clough Pond, sperand in alte circumstantze. Acolo era mai putina lumea, dar pestii nu s-au prea aratat. Am stat vreo 40 de minute, pescuind de pe mal, am incercat niste streamere si ude, pentru ca nu am vazut nici un peste la suprafatza, dar nimic. Nimeni nu prindea de altfel si mi-a fost lene sa scot barca.

Am plecat cam dezamagit si de acolo, iar in drum spre casa am decis sa ma opresc putin la Silver Lake, care a fost teatrul precedentelor mele capturi. Apa vine dintr-un alt lac si pentru vreo 200 de metri, inainte de varsarea in Silver Lake, se formeaza un rauletz care e locul de depunere a icrelor pentru mai multe specii de pesti. Numai bun pentru ospatzul curcubeilor si al somonilor. Fac o paranteza aici sa vorbesc putin despre somonii numiti "landlocked", pentru ca i-am tot pomenit in poastarile mele. Acestia se trag din somonul de atlantic, dar spre deosebire de acesta, traiesc in lacuri si rauri, fara sa ajunga la ocean ca ruda lor anadroma. Aici au fost initial blocati de construirea barajelor pe rauri, dar ulterior au fost populati. De obicei sunt introdusi in stadiul de "fingerling", adica "cat degetul" si cresc destul de repede, ajungand in al doilea an de viatza pana in jur de 45 de cm. Abia anul trecut am inceput sa ii prind, pana acum doar auzind de ei.

Pe la 6 am ajuns acolo si spre bucuria mea nu era nimeni in locul meu preferat. Lumea prefera sa pescuiasca in lac, pentru ca acolo pot sa arunce o pluta si sa stea la o bere linistiti, sau sa ii supravegheze mai bine pe copii. Works for me!





Apa era mai scazuta ca pana acum dar inca destul de rece. Lacul de deasupra e foarte mare si se incalzeste mai greu. M-am infipt intre valuri si nu cred ca au trecut 5 minute pana la primul atac. N-a trebui sa ma ingrijesc de poze, si asa Diana trebuie sa invete sa se joace cu "al nou". Asa ca daca nu va plac pozele nu-i vina mea.:D Pozele sunt in succesiune cronologica asa ca le las pe ele sa spuna povestea.






















Uratul asta e un "sucker" mascul gata de bataie. Cum se incalzeste apa putin baietii astia fac un scandal monstru in portiunea asta de apa, la depunerea icrelor. Unii sunt chiar maricei, pe la vreo 2-3 kg dar nimeni nu-i pescuieste pentru ca sunt "bottom feeders". Norocul lor. Probabil ca s-a agatzat accidental, dar nu exclud posibilitatea sa fi gustat putin din nimfa si sa se fi ales cu piercingul in timp ce o scuipa.















In total 3 somoni, un rainbow si un sucker, destul de bine pentru o ora jumate. Am mai avut un peste in carlig pentru cateva secunde si sunt convins ca ala a fost cel mai mare dintre toti :D, dar ce sa-i faci, ghinion, a scapat! (sa-i fie de bine).



Maine merg la hiking, asa ca nu va asteptati la poze cu pesti.

Friday, April 24, 2009

One hour, one chance, one fish




This Thursday I was able to squeeze one hour of fishing in my daily schedule. That's it: 60 minutes. Conditions: cold, windy, high water, even a few drops of rain. Perfect to test my breathable rain jacket that didn't have a chance to show what it can before.
I got a net with me this time, to reduce the risk of loosing fish before taking some pictures. Last time I was there a beautiful rainbow showed me the tail premature, leaving me without any picture taken.


High water meant strong current. In order to get on the bottom I had to fish a huge nymph, tied on a #8 hook, with the biggest tungsten bead I could find, together with the real "candy", on a #12 hook. Orange has worked for me this year just beautiful, and decided to try some pink too.
In a half an hour I combed half the stretch already, with no strikes. Suddenly, after a few hard knocks on the bottom, caused by the heavy nymph rolling on the rocks, I feel a soft take. Before realizing what's going on, the fish was already pulling line off my reel. The rainbows are extremely strong fighters and this one was using the current as much as possible to try to escape. I had to move out of the current to be able to land it. A beauty of 17 inches (43+ cm). A few pictures and back in the water.









That was it, no more strikes until the inevitable 6 o 'clock came.....

**********



Finally some good news from fish and game. The section bellow Eastman Falls dam in Franklin is starting this year a "fly-fishing only, catch and release" area. Thanks guys!


Wednesday, April 15, 2009

SPRING FLY FISHING

The flurries we had on Sunday were only to remind us that winter is not far gone yet in NH. April 13 was the day of ice out on Lake Winnipesaukee and everybody knows that best landlocked salmon fishing in the spring occurs immediately after ice-out.



I was able to leave work just in time to catch a couple of hours of fishing before sunset. I knew a place where the day before I saw somebody hooking on a good size salmon, and I took the chance. I even dragged Diana with me hoping to see my face in some of the fishing pictures I post on my blog.


As I was getting into the water, the guy that fished the spot for the past three hours was coming out with one salmon, caught on live bait, I think. He said he tried some traditional streamer patterns, with no luck. I started with a flashy BH caddis and an a lighter but still BH olive emerger on top of it. The water was ranging from 3 to maybe 10 feet and it was getting deeper as the current advanced into the lake.
Action started faster than I expected. Maybe less than one minute after stepping into the water my nymphs stopped sharply and after a few seconds I realized it was not a rock!













Awesome fight, awesome fish!

I moved a little lower into the current and kept casting. After a few false alarms, bang, fish on! This was smaller but still a strong, beautiful fish.









Same place, 5 minutes later. My 5 weight mod-fast was bending all the way down to the handle.






This time I saw a pink reflection as the fish was making my reel scream. It was a superb male rainbow:








Back to the spot, still not ready to quit, although my legs were getting numb. Just before deciding it's enough, the third salmon of the day raised my adrenalin level to the top. A few pictures and he returned back to its world. Hopefully a little smarter so it won't take every bug that's passing around.










I left with a big smile on my face and promissing I will be back in a few days. After the salmon is gone, the chub is coming up to spawn and I've seen some nice ones caught there a couple of years ago. Then the bass season it's gonna be on, so you guys may see this spot a few more times in my pictures this year. Darn! WHO invented work?????