Fallfish are always fun

flyfish1998

flyfish1998

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Oct 19, 2013
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Took a walk down to the Connie to fish for some fallfish this morning. I got a couple and also caught a bluegill. I wanted to take a break from catching small trout and go catch some big fallfish. They always put up a nice fight and there's so many of them! Anyways I put together a short video from all the fish I caught today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcjDUuTLu30

Tight Lines,
Zach
 
That there is just plain old fun. Your technique is remarkably similar to mine...dead drift across the current and let it swing just a tiny little bit when it starts to get downstream of you. They'll pick it up a lot of times when the current just starts to grab it and it starts to swing.
 
They hit the fly hard right when it starts to swing. It's always an excitement when they take it!
 
I can't stand the sound they make...
 
Ah, the mighty chub - they sure put a bend in the rod! I've caught several in the 3-4lb range this year on everything from deer hair poppers, mice, streamers, and pheasant tail cdc emergers.
 
Whats the difference between the fall fish and the creek chub? How do you identify?
 
Nice job! You got me all cranked up to go out there and stick some big fallfish. Good footage ...... You can tell they were smashing it when the takes were as evident as they were on your video. Chub or BIG minnow (call them what you want). I can get past the sounds that they make. They are just a whole lot of fun on the fly rod. Thanks, Zach for sharing your video with us.
 
How do you tell them apart? A chub poops on you once while you unhook it and a fallfish poops on you twice.
 
By their latin names?
Semotilus atromaculatus (creek chub)
Semotilus corporalis (fallfish)

Since they're both chubs, I usually just stick with that.
 
Zach, nice video but do yourself a favor and carry your rod backwards. It'll save you a broken tip !
 
Got Chub
Thanks Zach for posting the vid. That is great practice for trout as well. They made sport of carp fishing. Why not chubs. I can see it catching on. Shirts and hats
Chub poop...lol
 
Stenonema - To get fly fisherman to start fishing for fallfish, we can just say that they are a new found species called "silver trout"! EVERYONE would join the chub(Silver Trout) extravaganza!
 
Nice vid, looks like a good day.
 
I can feel it coming...... The 20" +/- 3" fallfish thread. All catches are to be ocularly estimated to the best of the angler's ability. Of course to be positively critiqued by the forum members. ;-) All kidding aside, if you never tangled with a decent size fallfish, get out there to your local WW stream or river .... find a good looking piece of water with decent depth .... throw a big old ugly wooly bugger or Clouser or something that will gain attention and hang on! Be careful, you may become converted to a chub junkie in short order. Oh yeah, if you happen into a good one don't forget to start that new thread! Have fun!
 
I"m so doing it. I got the camera and the rod in the Jeep. Silver trout or freshwater tarpon Chubasaurus look out.
Seriously though, I fish for them just like I would for trout. They knock the crap out of rubber legs. You know, the wooley bugger that isn't wooley, it's rubber. Which leads me to think, why not call the pattern Rubber Bugger.
 
Obviously, there is still time to catch them despite the cold water temps. They were out in the open and not "holed up" on the Cocalico Ck between Akron and Rothsville this week and dwelling in fairly fast water at the riffle-pool interfaces. Very nice size there too.
 
Fall Fish are definitely a fun fish. If I'm not at school, I'll be out on the connie searching for a monster Chubasaurus this winter! It's actually kind of funny. Back about 8 or so years ago when I was around 7, I would catch fall fish and I would think they were relatives to trout. I legitimately called them "Silver Trout". But one day, my old fishing buddy's dad told me it was just a chub. Ruined my life. lol anyways, this so called Rubber-Bugger, is it not made with a saddle hackle and just has rubber legs or both?
 
I totally disagree with all of this chub loving, when I have a fish on the line and then find out it's a chub, I'm really bummed out. I'm expecting a beautiful trout and what I bring to hand is a ugly horney headed croaking pathetic fish. I then proceed to curse at it while I release it.
 
I would have to agree with laszlo on this one. While fall fish can be fun, they are really disappointing when fishing for trout. Case in point: I was fishing the Little Juniata during the sulphur hatch this spring and spotted a steady riser on the far bank. I was fishing the long slow pool right at the gorge parking lot (the fish in the lower end of this pool never come easy to me). After airing out a nice, long cast and getting a good drift, the fish eats. I was thoroughly disappointed when what was one of nicest dry fly presentations of my fly fishing career resulted in not a nice brown but the lowly fall fish instead.

None the less they can be an entertaining warm water target. Nice video and thanks for sharing.
 
There is a fly called the Holschlag hackle fly that is basically a wooly bugger with rubber legs and dumbbell eyes (tied Clouser style). Google it and you can get some images of it. Fishidiot brought it to my attention a year or so ago. I tied some up and have caught trout, LMB, SMB, carp, redbreast sunfish and probably some other species. I don't ever remember actually catching a fallfish on one but I know they would work on the "mighty chub". Here is how I tie them.

Hook - #8 2 or 3 XL nymph hook
Thread - brown 6/0
Eyes - small red dumbell eyes (Clouser style)
Tail - brown marabou (I use pheasant marabou)
Body - brown chenille
Hackle - brown saddle hackle
Legs - yellow rubber legs tied in segments through body

You can add lead wire behind eyes for additional weight if desired.

It's a pretty good all around pattern for a number of situations.
 
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