Tully Treasures

[dc410]

I've spent a fair amount of time over the past 25 years fishing the Tully. The past two weeks the caddisflies have really started to show up again and the stocked fish are becoming very active. Every year there seems to be a period in late April - Early May that I have a whole lot of fun catching stocked fish in this fishery. Over the years I've kind of adopted it as my "caddis classroom" and have learned through trial and error a lot about fishing various stages of the caddisfly life cycle.

One afternoon this past week I stopped to fish, skies were overcast with a steady drizzle/light rain falling. The water temperature was at 54 degrees. The surface was literally boiling in some areas with feeding fish. I ended up catching quite a few fish using my normal dry/dropper set up. I brought fish to hand using dries, emergers, nymphs and soft hackle wets. The number of classic "Tully refusals" I endured led me to believe it may be time to downsize in fly and/or tippet size already. I didn't really expect to see many fishermen (although the Tully does see some heavy pressure) on this rainy, weekday afternoon. However, I did see one, and the nerve of him as he swooped in on me and set up directly across the stream from me in the same hole that I was fishing. There certainly is no shortage of our big, blue feathered friends on the Tully.

Later on in the early summer I may swing in for an early morning or two to try to catch a Trico spinnerfall. As the water really starts to warm up I usually swap out the 5 wt for the 8 wt and try my luck with stalking and sticking some of those big Tully carp.

The caddisflies are not the only thing "popping" at the Tully. I wandered into a real nice patch of Virginia Bluebells while walking along the streambank, definitely another benefit of the early Spring flyfishing season. This time on the Tully will pass all too quickly but I feel very fortunate to have spent some time this Spring exploring some of these treasures of the Tully.

 

[geebee]

nice write up and pics DC. its good methinks that a river so close to a major urban area can produce such good hatches still.

its a nice easy river to fish too for all ages.

 

[McSneek]

dc410 - nice post. The Tully certainly is flawed but it's been my refuge on more than one occasion and produced many enjoyable outings for me. I work near by and a 10 minute drive to get in a few hours of fishing in the evening after work is really nice. I thought the amount of caddis had dropped off the last few years but my one experience there a little over a week ago has me thinking they're on the upswing. Looking forward to some sulphurs.

Wish there were fewer herons in the neighborhood.

 

[GenCon]

Very nicely done John. Can't wait to fish with you and Jack at the Jam.

GenCon

 

[dc410]

Thanks, guys.

McSneek - I agree and have watched the herons take a lot of fish over the years. However, I do enjoy just stepping back and watching their movements as they stealthfully move in and out of the vegetation along the streambank. As fly fishermen there is much to learn by studying the heron's techniques and stealth.

Mike, thanks and likewise, I'm very much looking forward to hooking up with you guys at the Jam in a few weeks.

 

[acesedgley]

John, nice to see that others appreciate the "extras" we get from being out fishing, especially in the Tully.
The day I was out, as well as many other times there, I got a kick out of watching the red winged blackbirds as well as other species that I can't identify creeping along the water's edge picking up whatever food they can find, including, I assume caddis.
That day when I got out of my car I thought I heard a Baltimore Oriole up in the treetops, but could not get an eye on him...That's one of my favorite rites of spring...trying to spy those beauties in the treetops. There was also quite a swarm of swallows over the stream which told me there were plenty of bugs around before I even got my waders on. Life is good!

 

[Dave_W]

What a nice thread (and a nice contrast to much of the griping we read about here) - this is what it's all about.

Certain streams really do seem to ground our lives over many years and we really learn to appreciate them.
It doesn't take some remote trout stream in some far off, pristine land to set our minds where they need to be. Our good, old, reliable, local stream will always take care of us.

 

[geebee]

I agree with Dave's sentiments - sometimes I think I'm actually more attracted to the river than the fish, any time I see an otter it pretty much makes my day even if it kills the fishing.

Last month I was out in the PNW and despite skunking one day, I saw an otter, a bald eagle and some kind of big cat and that was still a pretty good day in my book.

 

[McSneek]

Dave_W wrote:
It doesn't take some remote trout stream in some far off, pristine land to set our minds where they need to be. Our good, old, reliable, local stream will always take care of us.

Amen!

 

[Mike]

Let's not forget the Tully's resident bald eagles, visiting ospreys, and families of wood ducks.

 

[timmyt]

I saw a bald eagle when i was fiahing up there last Saturday, i was quite surprised! Pretty neat to see

 

[outsider]

This morning, a friend and I saw a Great Blue Heron catch and devour a brown trout that was 13-14" long.

 

[wbranch]

I agree the Tully is really a treasure. I've had some great days up there in the early spring, usually to mid May, and again in early July during Trico time. The stream has been fishing very well for the past 2-3 weeks and I've been making two week day trips each week. Every time I arrive whether it is at 7:00 a.m. or noon I have found plenty of targets and depending on the weather good, to very good, caddis emergences. I prefer to fish the flatter water and have been using 6X, and even 7X, for all of my recent fishing. I don't know much about the stocking regimen for the Tully and whether a particular fish is the result of a fall stocking, a prior year hold over, or a 2016 stocking. I will say though I have been catching some very respectable, thick bodied, rainbows. Seems like they are mostly females with tiny heads and thick bodies. I've been saying to myself "drive one hour to the Tully or drive 3 1/2 hours to the Delaware? It's been an easy answer for me.

 

[FCP]

Nice Bows. They look like the small headed fat bodied rainbows we saw in the past when the fish commission stocked only fingerlings. They could be the product of the rainbow fingerlings stockings done the last couple of Octobers. But we can not be sure. A suggestion was made to the fish commission that if they feel compelled to stock adult hatchery trout that they stock only browns. Then we would have a better idea of what the rainbow fingerlings stockings are producing.

FCP

 

[outsider]

Those bows are P I G pigs! Does remind me too of when the Fish Commission stocked fingerlings.

 

[outsider]

I caught a 20" rainbow (quickly measured by a friend) about 2 weeks ago. Not as heavy as the bottom fish, but a nice holdover.

 

[Mike]

That is also what the fall stocked adult RT look like by sometime the following spring. In recognition of this opportunity the fall RT stocking rate was nearly doubled from Rebers Bridge to the covered bridge starting in 2010. The fish were growing rapidly from fall to spring and getting very plump in the process. Given the moderate temps last fall and early winter growth was probably even better than normal.

 

[Opie610]

Fished the Waterworks this morning before the rain. The smell of honeysuckle was thick in the air. Great morning.

 

[McSneek]

Mike wrote:
That is also what the fall stocked adult RT look like by sometime the following spring. In recognition of this opportunity the fall RT stocking rate was nearly doubled from Rebers Bridge to the covered bridge starting in 2010. The fish were growing rapidly from fall to spring and getting very plump in the process. Given the moderate temps last fall and early winter growth was probably even better than normal.

Only two outings on the Tully this spring so small sample size. Outing #1 in the stretch above the Palisades but below the Water Works - Probably caught 90% RT many of which appeared to be fall fingerlings, now of good size. All the RT were well proportioned, nice fins, small heads and fat like those in the pictures. Just really nice fish IMO.

Outing #2 below Reber's Bridge. Closer to a 50/50 mix of RT and ST. All of these fish had the typical deformed fins of stocked fish and lacked the proportions and overall nice appearance of the trout in the stretch upstream. Good size to them but just not the same quality.

The fish from outing #1 were reminiscent of the typical fish in the Tully in the days when it was all fingerling stocked. Would love to see those again be the standard for trout you can catch throughout the DHALO.

 

[outsider]

I fished the lower end of the DH for about 1 1/2 hours this morning. Did pretty good, all browns except the fish of the day: a holdover rainbow that easily went 18". He ripped about 2/3 of my line off on his first run. I also saw a pair of Orioles. A good, short trip.