JWTrout Fly Fishing

06/21/2019

jwtrout blog 2 - Every once in a blue moon, someone will ask, "what was your best day on the Delaware River?". Good question - 'cause we all know that the Delaware River and it's east and west branches can be very difficult. Plus or due to the fact that the majority of the trout in those blessed waters are Native Trout. So it just so happens that an odd good day is in my mental bank of good days. It was a clear bright day in mid September, the West Branch was low and extremely clear. I tied on a Quebec Trude size 14 dry fly and started blind casting the lower section of a fine wide riffle. The casts were more across current, with line mends to keep the fly drag minimal. I did not think much was going to happen based on the several cast that I made. I would put out several casts and do the mend thing, move down stream five steps and start over, etc. One of my casts I noticed a wink from a trout refusing the fly. I started to concentrate more on each cast and sure enough, started taking trout. The afternoon fishing was wonderful - caught and released nineteen - my best day on the Delaware River system. Check out my book "Fly Fishing - An Affair with Mother Nature". by JWTrout. Book is available at Barns and Nobles and Amazon. jwtrout.

06/18/2019

JWTrout Blog – Bridge Pool

It’s a fine spring day, the sun is shining, been poured on for two plus days, and the wet spring keeps on coming at us. In addition, my fishing has been very minimal since my wading a stream is becoming a swimming event. Dr. Ma identified a few Yoga exercises to build up my balance. With this all in mind I ventured out to my local spot to cast a few flies at the Bridge Pool. (The bridge pool featured in my recent book – “Fly Fishing – An Affair with Mother Nature”).
I ventured out with renewed confidence that I would not fall in the river. It was a mid morning event with reasonable water level slightly on the high side with an uncommon sun shining day. My stream approach was usual, start at the upper portion of the bridge pool and the wall run. I settled in by sitting on the grassy bank to tie on a fly – a #14 Quebec Trude pattern. The tying on a fly has become a challenge – takes twice as long for me due to hand tremors and poor vision. But a day on the river is always a pleasure. In the process of getting ready, the sound of a rising trout or two signified that the fish were ready before I was.
The wall run produced several small trout some of which were wild trout and a few were stockers. The trout fewer than ten inches were wild trout and the ones over ten inches were stocker.
The approach to the bridge pool will in most cases get a fly fisher’s adrenalin going – and sure enough there were several surface feeding trout. The trout were moving and feeding and not sticking to a feeding lane. The best approach is to try to get a drift of the fly ahead of the moving trout. And hopefully a trout will take the fly. The dark shadowy setting under the bridge does not allow you to see the fly at times. Sometimes a take of the fly is not seen or a take was not a take but just a refusal. So you watch for awhile. Then you look over the back cast area for tree limbs. You pick out an area that has the most feeding commotion. And you realize a side are cast is need to place the fly about ten to twenty feet under the bridge
It takes many casts to get the fly in the right place, but every so often you hook up on a bigger trout - something in the seventeen to eighteen inch range. They put up a difficult fight from under the bridge. In many cases they may have rejected the fly before you even realized that the fly was taken. Or you realize that the line is tightening up as the trout moves away. A set of the hook sometimes is not in a solid location and as the trout swims away you can feel the hook pull out as you set the hook. The feeling of a slack line lets you know you lost a trout.
Always appreciate the time you spend on the river – JWTrout.

12/10/2018

Looking for feedback review on a book "Casting a Spell" by George Black. If you read the book, let me know what you thought about it.

10/31/2017

I have several books in stock, message me if you want one.

New fly fishing book on the market, by JWTrout.

Titled - "An Affair with Mother Nature - Fly Fishing".

An enjoyable read.

Message me if interested in a book - I can provide PayPal invoicing - free postage.

$20.00 - signed.

08/15/2017

Not a major work on fly fishing - but an interesting read, try it you will enjoy it.

New fly fishing book on the market, by JWTrout.

Titled - "An Affair with Mother Nature - Fly Fishing".

"An Affair with Mother Nature - Fly Fishing" by JWTrout

An interesting read of on the stream situations with some ideas to make your river visits more enjoyable and productive. JWTrout has been a trout fisherman for over 60 years. Visits to trout rivers have been a learning experience and still is a learning experience. One of the items that keep people involved with trout fishing is the continuous learning that goes on and on. Fly fishers learning is never complete.

The first chapter explains the title well. The remaining chapters are tails of experiences on the river fly fishing for trout.

Buy a copy, you will be pleased. Free postage.

Send me a message if interested.

All copies are signed.

$20.00 a copy.

07/25/2017

New fly fishing book on the market, by JWTrout.

Titled - "An Affair with Mother Nature - Fly Fishing".

"An Affair with Mother Nature - Fly Fishing" by JWTrout

An interesting read of on the stream situations with some ideas to make your river visits more enjoyable and productive. JWTrout has been a trout fisherman for over 60 years. Visits to trout rivers have been a learning experience and still is a learning experience. One of the items that keep people involved with trout fishing is the continuous learning that goes on and on. Fly fishers learning is never complete.

The first chapter explains the title well. The remaining chapters are tails of experiences on the river fly fishing for trout.

Buy a copy, you will be pleased. Free postage.

Send me a message if interested.

All copies are signed.

$20.00 a copy.

08/25/2016

01/02/2016

JWTrout Custom Fly Rods:
Custom Fly Rods on Thomas and Thomas Blanks.

Available T&T Blanks:

All currant production blanks.
Horizon II all Models.
SSS Series.
Switch Rod Series.
Double Handed Rods.
Whisper-Lite Series.
Heirloom Series.
Helix Series.
Horizon II Series.
TNT Series.
Check out the Custom Rod you are intersted in and email me for a proposal. We will need to talk blank, guides, cork grip, thread color, etc. I will be able to present the buyer with a reasonable cost proposal. Warranty same as T&T.

06/14/2015

A Fly-Fisher’s Snack
For hungry fly-fishers when on the rivers;
“As soon as I stepped into the river, a mayfly disengaged itself from the surface film and flew waveringly by me. I snatched it from the air, saw that it was a green drake, and ate it. Mayflies taste a little like grass stems, and have a similar crunch. Once, I was fishing the Sturgeon River, in Michigan, with my friend Don when the drakes began to hatch, and the trout fed so eagerly, chasing insects five feet across the surface and coming clear out of the water and slapping logs with their tails and gulping and splashing, that we got hungry, too. We began to grab insects from the water and the air. They were like hors d’oeuvres, little winged shrimp. They left a bitter aftertaste and a dryness, but no other ill effects.
The Fish’s Eye by Ian Frazier

01/03/2015

A December Day on the Oak
JWTrout

With the cold weather setting in, any day above freezing is a good day for fishing. Any day with temperatures above 40 degrees - you have to find a place to fish. I did say find, some rivers may be too high for fishing.
Well along comes a day with 40 plus degree temperatures - Sunday 12/28/14 - Oak Orchard water levels were low but overall good fishing conditions - got to be there.
So off I went to Oak Orchard River. The section below the Junction Pool - junction of the overflow section and the turbine section, fished slowly. This section down to the cliff pool was thin water. The Cliff Pool looked go, but no hook ups swinging spey flies.
The bend pool water was not bad looking - decent depth but slow current. I fished this are down to the log jam with no results swing spey flies. It is always good to watch other fishermen, especially if there were hooking up.
The fish were there, but they would swim for cover if they were disturbed. Two fishermen below me had a few hookups in the straight run from the end of the bend down to the log jam section. Once that section was rested, the fish would be back in there - it took about 30 to 45 minutes for this to happen.
I needed some food so I rested and eat by my backpack just straight across from the bend in the river. As I ate, I observed a trout chase a small fish to the surface and disturb the river surface a few times. The other observation I made was that the other two fishermen were using black wooly buggers - weighted. The splash that the fly made hitting the river surface indicated a heavy fly. Now with the slow current, the only way to fish a heavy fly was to start stripping it in about mid water column location. If you drifted the fly or stripped too slow - you would be snagged on the bottom.
I tied on a black bunny with a black bear head - the fly was about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. As I was getting ready, two fly fishers were walking into the area I wanted to fish. There are still fly fishers that know stream etiquette. They asked, “Are you fishing the water in front of you?” And my response was "yes." They moved down below me - never expected that.
I moved out to where I saw the trout chasing the bait fish. I made a short cast to get my line set up for a cast to the shore line. My second cast hit the water just short of the other side. I quickly set up to strip in the fly. I was moving the fly well, not hitting bottom and swimming it at mid water column depth. There is normally a log located in this area, been there for years. I did not see it today. But, I did see some big logs on the beach; I thought somebody dragged the logs out.
As my fly reached mid distance of the river width, I stuck my fly into something - thinking the log snag. But as I lifted my fly rod to pull on the snag, it started to move. Hook-up. A heavy trout was on and quite aggressive. It took awhile, but I was able to beach the beauty - 30" magnificent hen brown trout.
The sun had set - everyone was on their way out. I moved into the straight section from the bend to the log jam - three more hookups. Another brown in the 30 inch size.
A pleasant day on the Oak.
JWTrout0115