It's time to sharpen your game.
Things are almost back to "summer" normal. By that I mean the rivers are almost at early summer flow levels, all are reasonably clear with levels safe for experienced waders. The predicted temps should keep the freestones below 70 degrees and thus fishable this weekend.
The weekend outlook - Don't get your hopes up. The fish are still between the banks, there will be bugs hatching and fish rising but almost every rising fish in the river system has been caught at least once (some many more times). So? For sure they don't enjoy the experience and will do all they can to avoid having it happen again.
Can you catch fish? Yes but things need to be kept in perspective. In 2018 (the latest figures I have seen) it took the average angler 4 hours to catch one fish. The hatches that get every fish in the river feeding on top are done for the year. You will mostly be fishing to one and two year old fish but remember, every time you cast at a rise it could be "the big one".
Bring your "A" game, use six x tippet, make short accurate casts, enjoy the experience of being on (or in) the river. Check out the wildlife both in the river (watch out for eel holes) and along the shore and keep your head in the game, almost every day you will have a shot at one or more big fish.
The fishing? Bit the bullet this morning and fished the WB. There were Cornutas, small caddis and sulfur spinners. There were also a few rising fish. Fooling them was no easy task and I wasn't disappointed with my catch of 4 two year old browns. About 6:00 this evening I got in the car with the intention of heading back to fish somewhere on the WB. As I drove along the PA side of the big river, however, I saw fish rising in a flat water pool. Stopped for a look at Buckingham. The water was tea colored and low enough to wade. There were an assortment of mayflies and caddis hatching in the rain freshened water. There were also fish rising.
How'd I do. Not as well as the morning where I made the most of my few opportunities. Threw at many more rising fish, put fish down, got refused (a lot) and managed to fool six fish, two of which I lost. Did catch a genuine 20 inch rainbow that I got a picture of. Will try to attach it tomorrow when I'm not as tired.
The weekend outlook - Don't get your hopes up. The fish are still between the banks, there will be bugs hatching and fish rising but almost every rising fish in the river system has been caught at least once (some many more times). So? For sure they don't enjoy the experience and will do all they can to avoid having it happen again.
Can you catch fish? Yes but things need to be kept in perspective. In 2018 (the latest figures I have seen) it took the average angler 4 hours to catch one fish. The hatches that get every fish in the river feeding on top are done for the year. You will mostly be fishing to one and two year old fish but remember, every time you cast at a rise it could be "the big one".
Bring your "A" game, use six x tippet, make short accurate casts, enjoy the experience of being on (or in) the river. Check out the wildlife both in the river (watch out for eel holes) and along the shore and keep your head in the game, almost every day you will have a shot at one or more big fish.
The fishing? Bit the bullet this morning and fished the WB. There were Cornutas, small caddis and sulfur spinners. There were also a few rising fish. Fooling them was no easy task and I wasn't disappointed with my catch of 4 two year old browns. About 6:00 this evening I got in the car with the intention of heading back to fish somewhere on the WB. As I drove along the PA side of the big river, however, I saw fish rising in a flat water pool. Stopped for a look at Buckingham. The water was tea colored and low enough to wade. There were an assortment of mayflies and caddis hatching in the rain freshened water. There were also fish rising.
How'd I do. Not as well as the morning where I made the most of my few opportunities. Threw at many more rising fish, put fish down, got refused (a lot) and managed to fool six fish, two of which I lost. Did catch a genuine 20 inch rainbow that I got a picture of. Will try to attach it tomorrow when I'm not as tired.
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