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Greetings!
Welcome Back. There are many trout still in Pine from the spring stockings - click on this link below to see a video of some of the Tackle Shop trout entering Pine last spring. http://youtu.be/G6BOMGD9pvk It appears our incredible year will last for months to come - we've already heard talk of nymphing in Pine at Christmas...look forward to it! Add the trout already in Pine to The Shop's fall trout stocking and with the Fish Commission's stocking the beginning of October, and the scene is set for a very special September all the way through Christmas. Fishing has been productive on Slate and Cedar although stealth has been the rule as the fish have been particularly wary. Trout were caught on Pine this week in deeper runs on the surface and well away from the mouths of tributaries and spring seeps - it looks like they have redistributed! On this page check out the rainbow caught last night on a Psycho Ant #10 and a hefty smallmouth (also pictured on this page) caught and released two nights ago. Pine has so many opportunities right now, and they are only getting better! Two guys came into The Shop this morning to complain to Tom that they were not giving anymore money to the Brown Trout Club because they were bass fishing just after dawn and all they caught were big German browns. Isn't that a great problem! |
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Tips
 Keep in contact with the shop website and watch for the newsletter. We will be updating stream conditions and articles often so you are aware of conditions and how the fall season is stacking up. If late summer and autumn pan out as it now appears, we hope our communication allows you time to plan and schedule Pine into your fall schedule. It was a spectacular spring, we want you to be able to take advantage of a possible equally great September, October, and November. (Notice the Psycho Ant in the mouth of the rainbow above). |
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Hatches and Methods
Major hatches, those with larger numbers of flies that the trout are feeding on include: Slate Drake in a size 10-12, the Shop has them tied on a 3x shank hook to better imitate the body on the drake; sulphurs; Light Cahills (cream, yellow, and orange variations) in size 12-16; BWO's, which will increase into the fall in sizes 16-18; Brown Caddis in a 14-16; Yellow Caddis (Neophylax) in 14-16; dark moddled stone fly in a 12-14; Tricos in 18 (16 if you're lucky) and down to a 22; a very prolific white midge in 20-28; the brown-mottled October Caddis in 10-14; the Yellow Crane Fly in a 12; and corresponding nymphs, wets, and emergers to go with the dries. Add to these the ever needed Stimulator in 8-10, occasional grasshopper, cricket, green weenie, and a few buggers, muddlers, and sculpins and you are just about set. Just about, because I wouldn't go for trout anymore without a good supply of Psycho Ants, Chernobyl Ants, and the various two or three additional huge patterns in The Shop's "Bass Drawyer" - they are even better for trout!
To fish these big terrestrials from "The Drawyer," whether on the runs or Pine, a nine foot leader would be a minimum length tapered down to a 3x or 4x tippet. Stay away from where you believe the trout will have its feeding station and make a longer cast up current of the fish...and, believe it or not, let the big offering plop right down on the surface...That is what happens in nature, and without other sounds or sights to scare the trout, the fish will scramble for the offering. (The smallmouth in the picture was caught on a size 8 Psycho Ant in Pine Creek a half a mile above the mouth of Cedar Run.)
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Trout, Smallies, and Red-Eyes
The evening was a little cooler, the crickets had already started their song, and Pine meandered lazily in its late summer slumber. I stayed away from spring seeps and the mouths of tributaries to respect the trout making a valliant effort to survive summer. There were many in the cold water entering Pine and many had seen them. Line was played out as I knelt on an exposed rock bar and cast to a deep gliding channel between two small broken-water riffles - good spot for a smallmouth. The size 10 Psycho Ant drifted easily, then, from below, a slab-sided brown trout rolled over the fly. I hooked, amazed, but either I was too slow or the fish didn't actually take. I didn't see him again.
After a while, I continued down the hole, letting the "ant" drift downstream at the edge of the current. This time the fish sipped, the rod tip came up, and the first hooked fish of the evening ran, jumped, and fought - to my surprise, when it got closer, I saw it was a rainbow trout (the one pictured under "tips" above). The trout danced on the surface, fought - twisting and turning directions as if were spring. It measured 14 inches and swam quickly into the depth after the picture. After releasing the trout there were Red-Eyed Rock Bass (one is pictured above), and a real nice smallmouth bass of 14 inches (pictured with Hatches & Methods) until about 8:00. Then, the screech owl began its eerie calls and, lower in the next pool the edge of another deeper-water current called. The same Ant with the visible white wings dropped to the water with a not-so-soft presentation, coasted three feet and disappeared in a resounding sip - even in the grey light you couldn't have missed the take. My Superfine dipped toward the surface at the hookup and the fish took off. The reel drag was set on the lighter side so a 14 inch Smallie could just take line with effort. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ, the reel sang, the rod bounced, and I still thought it was a bass, but maybe bigger. The fish reversed directions with the current then rose to the air in several spectacular leaps - it almost seemed like he wanted me to know who I was dealing with. By then I knew it wasn't another bass - it was another rainbow, deep and colored along its side like a sunset. I reached out in the shallows to twist the hook, the trout flipped one last time, freeing itself, and with a great splash... disappeared.
Spring, summer, fall, winter, experiences like these are what fly fishing is all about. And, it is happening right now, it can't get much better! (Red-Eye pictured above was taken on a size 8 Chernobyl Ant.)
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Thank you for being with us again; we'll be back to you soon about fall trout, hatches, stocking, and prospects. In the meanwhile, if you have any questions about the creek, runs, hatches, equipment, check out the news and stream conditions on our website slaterun.com or if you just have a comment, drop us an email or give us a call, we want to hear from you... Thanks again for your time!
Sincerely,
The Tackle Shop Team
Tom & Deb Finkbiner - Propriators, etc.
Jed Grove - Sales Manager, etc.
Dave Wonderlich - Website, Newsletter, etc.
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Sale
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This is a time of equipment changes at Orvis which allows us to pass along severe cuts and close-out prices on certain items. Some of the waders with Close Out Pricing include: Silver Label 3 Convertible Stockingfoot Wader reg. $295, now $195; Pro Guide Stockingfoot Wader reg. $395, now $225; Silver Label Bootfoot Wader with Eco Trax soles reg. $475, now $299; Sonic Weld Pack & Travel Wader Pant (x-large), now $198. Wading boots with Close Out deals include: River Guard Ultralight Boot with Eco Trax soles reg. $198, now $148; River Guard Easy-On Brogue Boot with Eco Trax soles reg. $198, now $148. Also on sale are Orvis Trout Bum Shirts in burnt red, light blue, and olive reg. $65, now $43; very limited numbers of the Under Wader Fleece Suit
reg. $129, now $99.
Fly Line close out Wonder Line fly Line & Orvis Silver Label - floating, sinking, sink-tip, various tapers and weights reg. $69, now $29.95.
Helios
25% off
all Helios
fly rods
Helios, the power presentation taper
and the most decorated rod in history.
August-September free shipping
Take advantage while supplies last!
Bring your fly reel into the shop and we will inspect the line and clean and lube the reel free of charge.
Take advantage keep your reel in top shape
Look in future Slate Run Tackle Shop Newsletters for more links to videos of fishing Pine, Slate, Cedar, and videos of the flies we fish with.
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