The river finally managed to drop to an acceptable level for the kayak, so I figured with the spring we have had it was time to get out while the getting was good.  The day was warm, in the 70’s and partly sunny.  I launched around mid-day and was surprised the find the launch ramps were still buried in mud from the previous high water events that we have had this spring. 

Once I was done dragging the kayak and my gear over the slippery mud that was ankle to calf deep in spots I was off on the first kayak fishing trip this year due to the river levels and unfavorable weather.

Anglers need to be careful around the river during these conditions because even though the levels were down, the flow rate was not and the banks are extremely slippery and the water is still very cold.  An angler falling into the river would be swept downstream fairly quickly in the colder water and would have a hard time getting back up the slippery bank, so caution needs to be taken when fishing the Susquehanna or any river in these conditions.

I quickly made it downstream to a feeder stream that was swollen; I set myself in the small eddie at the mouth so that I could easily swing the lure across the merging currents and the small seams that they were creating.  First cast with a 6” Storm swimshad and I had a 30” Musky hit it just as it broke the current seam at the edge of the eddie pocket running tight to the bottom on a slow retrieve.  Not  a bad first fish for the first kayak trip this season.  Several casts later I lost another musky at the side of the kayak and decided to move up into the feeder.

This ended up being my only fish for the afternoon, but not for a lack of trying.  Musky are known as the fish of 10,000 casts, some days are just better than others.

I was targeting musky, so I wasn’t looking for or even fishing for smallmouth, which are in their  spawn time currently  and are only a catch & immediate release  fishery from mid-April through to father’s day.  I like to give them a break this time of year and concentrate on the musky or walleye while they are still very active with the colder water temps.

The river was a work out to get back upstream with the increased flow rate and would have been a tough paddle, but this season I’m using a Hobie Outback and I have to say that the Mirage Drive System on the Hobie made heading back upstream against the current in that particular area much easier than it would have been by paddle.

The river is forecast to rise again to a level that I prefer not to kayakfish on, so as soon as I can I will get out there and catch up another report.

Capt.  Daniel Hubbard
Anthracite Outfitters Owner/Operator

Pa Licensed & Insured Fishing Guide
www.antoutfitters.com

Tactical Anglers Pro-Staff
www.TacticalAnglers.com

The almost seemingly winter like weather temperatures and elevated flow rate are seeing outstanding conditions for musky. The water temps are relatively cool for this time of year, and with the high flow rate of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, these toothy fish are ripe for the catching. As well the small mouth bass are making a showing and the walleye being landed are fat, and healthy. Walleye are closed for the spawn and they are not being targeted, but when caught as by catch should be handled carefully and released quickly as they are heavily egg laden.

First and foremost for those who may be making an angling foray to the North Branch of the Susquehanna River’s edge, safety during these elevated flowrates with cool water temperatures should be paramount. I carry a spade shovel and dig healthy footholds into the shoreline sediment to create footholds as well create a landing area for the trophy fish likely to be caught.

The musky in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River are falling to primarily larger profiled jigs, 3/4oz or better, as well, large profiled swimming plugs, commonly used by surf casters, who target striped bass.

The musky I have been landing on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, are tipping the bogas to between 12# and 15#+. Fish weighing in at 20#’s or more are not uncommon, but so far my biggest musky this season weighed a little better than 16#’s.

By far the most productive areas to target these toothy fish are eddy pockets and current breaks, not to mention areas where feeder creeks adjoin the main flow of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. These are prime areas where these big opportunistic fish may sit comfortably and be in a prime position to target hapless forage as it drifts by on the swollen flow of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The most productive technique thus far has been getting the jig down close, preferably right on, the bottom, and to keep it moving steadily while
imparting slight “hops” to the jig when it contacts the bottom. For the larger swimming lures, the trick has been a steady retrieve, with intermittent acceleration during the retrieve. On one outing a couple weeks ago I saw more than 4 musky follow with out committing to hit the lure. Often it’s necessary to trigger these fish to attack, as they will follow the lure for some distance. So contacting the bottom with a jig with a subsequent snap of the rod tip, or an acceleration during retrieve with the large swimming plugs are getting these fickle fish to commit to the take.

The small mouth bass are also becoming quite a bit more aggressive as they too are getting more into a pre-spawn mode. The smallies I have landed of late have all been hugging sticky structure, that being submerged brush and large boulders. They have been hitting larger jigs intended for the musky. They seem to want the jig paused on the bottom, in the smoothest pocket water, where they are inhaling the jig.

I’d like to note that as of yet I have not had the kayak in the river due to extremely dangerous shoreline conditions in the form of strainers, as well the high fast flow of the river. Anthracite Outfitters is however taking bookings for the start of our kayak fishing season which is scheduled for May 1st, 2011, flow rate permitting.

In closing, if you are intent on setting out after that trophy musky, now is the time to do it. Please be careful and always put safety first, and I wish you tight lines and screaming reels!!!

Hank Hewitt
Anthracite Outfitters kayak and fly fishing guide
www.antoutfitters.com
Tactical Anglers Pro-staff
www.tacticalanglers.com

Recently, given the extreme cold temperatures of this particularly cold winter, I have found myself catching up at the fly tying vice. It’s one of the few “healthy” refuges I may seek to take the edge off the fact I can’t effectively be in the water pursuing my finned quarry. For me, winter fly tying is not just a list of patterns that I need to have in my various fly boxes so I’m ready for the season. Winter tying sessions for me always start with reflections of various days of my early fly casting formation, spent in the Lackawanna River, with a fly rod and flies, where the fish have bested my every attempt to engage them in battle. These reflections often highlight a situation where the fish took the upper hand and forced me to seek a creative solution to the fact I didn’t have the fly they wanted. I wish to share with you one of many such situations, as well, the solution to the problem.

Background
I started upon my fly casting path at the ripe ole’ age of 12 years old. The first fly rod I received as a birthday present was an 8’6”, 8wt. Ugly Stick fly rod, complete with a simple reel with no backing, and a double tapered 7wt. floating fly line. I come from humble means, and while my parents couldn’t afford to get me what I wanted they always saw to it that I had what I needed. In hindsight, I wouldn’t be nearly as effective an angler today had I not taught myself the art with such an ungainly outfit. Also, when I received this fly outfit I had no knowledge of what “the best one” was. So as blissful as ignorance was, to me, that fly outfit was “the best”.

I grew up less than 1 mile from the Lackawanna River where it flows through Scranton PA. Back then, this river was a relatively undiscovered trophy fishery, and was seen by the local population as an open sewer. I started studying stream entomology in 4th grade and when I found mayflies, stoneflies, and caddis flies abundant in these waters, I knew very well that this river had reclaimed itself.

Starting in 1989 I would leave my house around sunrise and cover anywhere between 10 to 15 miles of river on foot and be back home after sunset. Keep in mind that this river flows through a population center so much of my route was on roads and sidewalks. I would walk about 3 miles to my first haunt, fish upstream a few hundred yards, get out walk a mile or two and repeat. By the time I was about 5 to 7 miles out I had a good knowledge of where fish were that I may have missed, or passed up, knowing I was going to turn around and fish back to my starting point.

I spent every day off from school or the weekend job, in the river.

Lessons of the Fish
As I spent more and more time in the river I started seeing behavioral patterns. For this article, the first and most important pattern I learned was that from late April through the end of the insect hatches in late fall, big trout do eat from the surface, but only in a select current formation. This select current formation is what I refer to as glass water. Glass water, which there is no deficit of in the Lackawanna River, is smooth, moderately flowing, unbroken water.

This glass water is rife with shoreline micro-currents and seams. The largest brown trout, that being 18” up to 20”+, will sit on a far seem throughout the day long tan caddis hatch, or sulphur may fly hatch on overcast misty days, and subtly, without wasting energy poke their beaks out of the water to lightly intercept hapless emergers and stillborns as they drift through the feed lane. This is a truth I’ve seen played out time and time again on other trout waters as well.

For the most part I enjoyed great success in the late 80’s using the standard elk hair caddis, with and without palmered hackle, and comparaduns when the trout were keyed in on mayflies. On one particular day however I was met by a trout that not only bested my every attempt with my standard fly arsenal, but also drove me to the greatest depths of frustration. At the time I felt cursed, however, looking back now I see it as my greatest blessing.

It was an early afternoon in mid-May. The tan caddis started emerging in moderate but steady numbers around 10am. I was on the upstream leg of my typical angling foray. On the far bank were 2 or 3 micro-currents that flowed under an overhanging rhododendron branch. It only took me a year or two to develop the discipline and patience to scrutinize a drift for no less than a half hour to find the positions of feeding trout. Back then the trout would be lined up 3 to 5 deep, spaced apart by 10 to 15 yards, holding on their own little slice of current.

On this particular day there was a good fish holding just upriver of the overhang. Every 15 to 20 seconds or so it would create the softest of surface disturbance as it gently intercepted a caddis. Now, between my casting position and the feed lane was a big boulder that broke the current and caused a backflow of water such that casting directly across stream was futile. The fly after the cast would land in the seem but be ripped out of it when the fly line caught the backflow. This particular situation forced me to stealthily take an upstream position as close to the fish as possible, once in position remain motionless for about 5 minutes, and drop 1 ½ times the amount of line necessary above the fish, to reach the lie, about 10 feet in front of the position. This required aerializing much of the line and checking the rod instantly after the line turned over. Accuracy was a nightmare with that soft ugly stick. The excess line was necessary because if the fish didn’t take on the cast I had to let the fly drift past it and swing the fly out and away, well below the fish’s lie. Given the boulder backflow, and the overhang there was no other foreseeable alternative to getting a drift over my seemingly spiteful, finned nemesis.

This same situation occurred a few days earlier and it only took about 10 casts with an un-hackled elk hair caddis, to hook and release a solid 18” brown. Well on this day the fish in that lie refused perfect dead drifts, cast after cast, with the same caddis. I even tried skating it out which sometimes triggered them. That too failed. I knew it was feeding on caddis, because there were no mayflies anywhere. Growing ever more angered and having exhausted all other options, I said, “bleep this!!!” I reeled in the line, secured the fly, and proceeded to walk right into the fish’s lie. I watched as he turned into the current and eased back, down river, until he disappeared into the shadow of the undercut bank. For about 2 hours I stood there and watched emerging caddis after emerging caddis. What I witnessed, forever changed how I look through “the trout’s eyes”.

Here’s what I saw. The caddis appeared to be on a conveyor belt. Their exoskeletons were firmly locked into the surface tension of the water that created a dimpling effect in the surface tension. As they were coming out of their pupal exoskeletons, they glimmered brightly and the slightest of rings were emitted around them as they struggled to free themselves of their shuck. Once their wings were full they flitted once or twice and took to the air leaving their newly shed exoskeleton on the water’s surface. Keep in mind that the whole transition happened over the course of a good distance. So I pieced together the glimpses of this process I witnessed. There was also a great deal of caddis drifting by that never made it. Their wings spread butterfly like locked in the surface tension of the water, while their hapless adult body became stuck due to the fact that they couldn’t break the bonds of their partially shed exoskeleton. Having witnessed this event and seeing what are oft referred to as “still born” or “stuck in the shuck” emergers endlessly drifting by, forever changed my perspective and approach to surface feeding trout in the “glass water”.

Over the course of the few hours I spent mesmerized by this phenomena my mind was racing, doing an inventory of tying materials I had at my disposal that would adequately replicate the still born caddis. Keep in mind that this event transpired in 1990. I was an old 15 years of age at the time. Z-lon trailing shucks were just becoming mainstream, well, insofar as my knowledge base at the time was concerned, but it was clearly evident that the spun polypropylene yarn I had at home was going to get used.

As my eyes watched the conveyor belt of emergers drifting by, I was visualizing a tied version that would depress the film and fully accentuate all the parts of the bug that caused the film to depress in such a fashion. The fly I created in my mind, standing in the river that day had a trailing z-lon shuck. Palmered hackle over a dubbed hares mask fur, clipped flush on the bottom, complete with three wraps of soft hackle that I took from the underside of a pheasant. Today I use Hungarian partridge or India hen hackle. The hackle served not only to represent the legs, but also the light translucent under wing, and the soft hackle served to represent the opaque heavier outer wing. Once my mental image was fully whipped off in my mind’s tying vice I bee lined it home at a forced march pace that was just short of a full on sprint.

Here’s the first pattern I developed to meet a very real need in my river:

Note: The trailing shuck has no more than 3-4 strands of pearl crystal flash embedded in it. Crystal flash didn’t exist when I was younger however I find it makes seeing the pattern a bit easier. The poly yarn is then folded back on itself and rolled between the fingers before being tied in. It’s better to be too sparse than too full with the trailing shuck. I do not burn the poly yarn because I have found the burnt end to pull the fly underneath the water. This pattern should never be dressed with any liquid floatant as it will mat down the soft hackle. To dry the pattern or remove fish slime from it simply apply a desilicate akin to frog’s fanny powder or similar product.

While I was at the vice I also followed suit with a mayfly still born that represented the various colors and size of the “clinger type” mayfly, that being the ephemerellidae. In my waters they manifest as the Blue winged olive, the Hendrickson, and the sulphur. It’s the same pattern, just tied to different sizes and colors to achieve the look of the “fly du jour”.

Outside the “window”
Before leaving you to your thoughts and to your tying bench, I’d like to leave you with one other observation I have made that goes hand and hand with the glass water. That being, “what the fish see” in, on, and on top of the water. Light, by virtue of the way it is bent creates what is referred to as a “window” on the surface. It’s a cone of view where by what is outside of the water, is able to be seen. Outside this circular window, the bottom of the river is reflected. As the distance of the fish to the water’s surface gets closer to the surface this window decreases in diameter. What ever is on the surface, outside of this window, appears to be just an undefined depression in the surface tension of the water. Based on years of observation, the trout that take up feeding positions in the glass water often hold inches below the surface. Given their holding position, and close proximity to the surface, there is no way they may be able to discern what the insect looks like on the outside of the water. Essentially, they are feeding on nothing more than light refracting depressions in the water’s surface. Often times with caddis and mayflies, when they are hatching from the film, the only thing that is below the surface is their empty, air filled, glistening, exoskeleton. Both patterns shown above, and the caddis in particular are designed to create a relatively heavy depression in the film with the poly-pro shuck present beneath the surface to give the impression of an insect that is not able to flee the surface before the trout may eat it. It’s imperative to note that fish are not like us and do not exercise. They will not waste time chasing food that does not merit a greater intake of calories than are spent taking calories in. The biggest surface caught browns I have ever tangled with have all come to flies that are designed to look immobilized in the surface tension of the “glass water”.

I hope what I have shared here offers you some insight and inspiration. I hope the time it took to read this was worth it and finds you nearer to a new season. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me through:

www.antoutfitters.com
Hank Hewitt on Facebook
Anthracite Outfitters Facebook page
or as Fish Tank Hank on the forums of www.kayakfishingstuff.com

Tight Lines and Screaming Reels

Hank Hewitt
Kayak fishing and fly fishing guide
Anthracite Outfitters