Brookies & Bows

I fished Starbuckville Dam again this morning.  23 trout in 2 hours.  Finally!  The water is super low but plenty cold enough to keep these fish going. 

Don Lehman with the Post Star writes that the gates will be closed sometime this week.  A good move.  this will make more water over the dam & ladder and less pumping through the spillways.  That should help the fish spread out and get them finding more food.  Here's a link to his article http://poststar.com/blogs/adirondack_outdoors/starbuckville-dam/article_dead753c-8aef-11e1-b646-001a4bcf887a.html

I caught plenty of rainbows this morning.  I think they just needed a couple more days to acclimate to the new surroundings.  After 90 minutes of fishing the nymph with good success, I changed over to a dry fly (Uncas Emerger) when I saw a trout swirl on the surface.  No hatch but, no matter.  The rainbows were taking/ trying to take the dry.  It is funny to watch trout feed on the surface when they are not used to eating that way.  I had bows jumping over my fly trying to take it but miss it by a couple inches only to come back and try again.  I think I landed 6 or 7 on the Uncas Emerger this morning. Fun-Fun-Fun!

Kuddos to the Warren County Fish Hatchery for producing some very nice health fat trout for this years stocking.  Well done.

IT IS ON

I fished Starbuckville Dam this afternoon and found some very nice brookies have been stocked.  I also have knowledge of 2 landlocked salmon in the three pound class that were caught there today as well.  I can only assume that the Warren County Fish Hatchery made a stop at the Schroon River this week. Hurray!
My best flies of the afternoon were the ADK Ugly Bugger, Trout Retriever and Woven Lace Nymph.  I have tied up a supply of those flies for the Crossroads Country Store http://www.crossroadsoutdoors.com/index.asp .  I will be tying up more to keep their supply full.  So if you are looking for the right fly, stop there before you hit the dam.


I don't keep fish from the Schroon River.  It would be like burning your golf balls after playing 18 holes.  It just doesn't make sense.


Here are some pictures of the trout I threw back today.

Best get here before the worm dunkers kill them all

Chris

Productive Pond Fishing

Another good day on the pond.  I got to use my new eskimo 949i shelter.  AWESOME!

Alec Iced this nice 26' Northern Pike

And he jigged up this over sized smallie.

I managed one decent pike and a smallie on the jig rod.  You will have to check back to see the picture.  Alec should be sending it to me soon.  It will be worth another visit to the blog.

Good Ice- 4"-5" solid under-foot and hard.  Best ice I have been on so far this year. 

UPDATE:  This guy was fun to land with the ultra light jig rod

Ice Is Nice

Icing- Slowly

Don't get all excited and race here expecting all kinds of ice.  We have ice but it is building very slowly.  Most of the ice I saw today was new over the past 36 hours.  Brant Lake stitched up about 40 acres from when I checked it Saturday.  Some ice I did try walking on, some I wouldn't try.  Most of the ice I walked on cracked and broke.  Alec & I did find some good ice (of about 4" thick) so we are going to try fishing tomorrow.

The word at The Crossroads today was there were some fisherman on Loon Lake.  I have not encountered safe ice this year for me to be out there today.

Stay tuned for a report Tuesday night.

Brant Lake looking NNE.  Open water in the distance

Brant Lake again looking SSW tight but still a bit too thin

If you do venture onto the ice, Have a rescue plan.  Bring your picks, some rope and most importantly- COMMON SENSE

The time in between.......

Well, I started typing up some sad excuse post but the fact of the matter is this week just sucks for fishing.
The GOOD News: Alec is home and we spent a good share of the day fishing and the weather was perfect for Christmas eve day.
The BAD News is ice is just getting started and the good open water is either closed or super slow on the bite.
here are some pix from the day:

Christmas Shopping

Yes, In my house we do Christmas Shopping, NOT HOLIDAY SHOPPING.  If you live in a house hold of another denomination and do another type of shopping- YOU DO IT.  I will never ask, require, nor think lesser of you and your traditions if you do.

             Political correctness makes me sick. 

You do your thing, I'll do my thing and we are both OK.

Now on to the report:
DEAR SANTA:  GIFT CARDS WOULD BE GOOD

Nuff Said

Saw a sticker(s) on a truck in the mall parking lot I liked:

John Deere, Thomas Jefferson & ADK- a combination hard to beat

Getting Hungry...........................................................................

6 with the works

- You can call it New Way Lunch -

***But, It's always going to be DIRTY JOHNS'***

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT!!