Enough is enough

[salmo]

I’ve never in 42 years fishing had anything close to a 100 fish day. My personal best was probably in the high 30’s. That being said I usually let darkness or time constraints chase me off the water. Occasionally if fishing on a slow day I may stop fishing after a particularly nice fish to end the day on a high note.

 

[wbranch]

In June of 2013 there was a ton of rain up in the western Catskills. The West Branch and main were blown out. The first two days I was driving east to fish the Beaverkill and Willowemoc. On the 3rd morning, I think it was a Sunday, I was about to go over to fish the upper EB as the levels had come down. As I was about to get into the car I looked out at my home pool on the WB and there were fish boiling on the surface all over the pool. Obviously alewives had been swept over the top of Cannonsville reservoir and had some that had not been eaten had gotten down to my end of the river.

I started fishing at 8:00 a.m. and quit at noon because it was just too easy and I was hooking up on almost every cast. I was throwing a 3" gray over white Clouser (barbless) if a fish ate it and got unbuttoned before I could pick it up for another cast a fish grabbed it. It was pretty sick and easily the best day I ever had on the river. I landed 23 browns the first day and all were 16" - 20".

I quit at noon because I was already so fulfilled that I wanted to go back to my place and have a nice hot lunch and make a nice big rum and coke and sit down along the river and reflect upon the morning. I didn't fish any more that day. The next day I was out again at 8:00 and fished until noon but only caught 20 browns. They were a little harder to catch but a couple were 21". I went home earlier than normal but had never caught 43 large browns in just two days in over thirty years of fishing the WB.

 

[wildtrout2]

If I'm experiencing a great numbers day, I'll usually continue to fish until my stomach tells me I must go. :lol: I like to enjoy these types of days though, to make up for the slower ones.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

I fish until I can't see typically and usually will keep fishing as long as they are biting.

Once I quit when fishing a local stocked stream (Ridley Creek) because it was too easy. They were stacked up below the waterfall and though I couldn't see them they were hitting every good drift of a dark gray bead head soft hackle during a EB Stonefly hatch. A couple short twitches in the fish zone and bang! after25 or 30 I packed it in.

That said, those days are few and far between. Did have a night on the Bushkill last year when it was ALMOST too easy during a Sulpher hatch. did I quit? At my age, you must be kidding!

 

[rrt]

WB,

Those are just lovely trout, ones any fly-fisherman would be proud to catch and release. I've had good days in my time, but mine haven't been quite like your two mornings. Wow!

(Instead of a rum and coke, I'd have settled for a couple beers or a snort of my son's homemade wine, if I had any. I'd have been one happy fisherman at any rate.)

 

[JohnPowers]

I’ve fished over 50 years and as much as I love it it hasn’t loved me back. I’m just not that good. I really try. I suck. So when fish are rising and I’m catching, I never leave unless I have to. I had 99 fish season many years ago when the Monocacy had legendary trico hatches.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

A rainy, snowy, sleeting, misting, driving rain, foggy, or cloudy day I'll be out all day sunny most likely won't see me on the water

 

[Char_Master]

It’s situational for me. Last year I had a few 100+ fish days but I still fished hard every time from when I got on the water until it was too dark to see. However, on days where they’re eating that aggressively, I’ll usually only fish better holes and runs for a few minutes to avoid hooking nearly every fish present in the same day. I’ll also progress upstream slower, take in the surroundings more. It’s not just about catching them, it’s about being out there.

 

[mcneishm]

Depends, usually on how far I've gone to fish, especially if there's an overnight involved. If I go to the Salmon River, I'll fish from before sunup to after sundown, or, as my Dad used to say, until the last dog is dead. If I go to Maine to fish with my brother for landlocks, it's an all day thing too. In either case, all day regardless if I'm catching fish. Locally, it's maybe just a couple of hours. Sometimes, when the sulphurs are really on, I'll time my arrival for the start of nymph activity and my departure for maybe mid-spinner fall. I've had a couple of evenings locally when I've nailed several big fish in a short period of time and just packed it in because it really couldn't get any better than that.

 

If I am fishing out of state its an all day affair. always like that. Local fishing , I almost always fish a new pattern I tied for a few hours of field testing, see how that works out then go to the proven patterns if the new stuff needs tweeking. Figuring it out is always a big part of this game for me. I am just not into the numbers when here at home, its How I caught them that that matters most.

 

[dsmith1427]

I like fishing remote areas. If I'm catching a lot of fish in one area, I'll move on looking for a new challenge and enjoy the walk/hike to the next place. Luckily, my wife and I fish together a lot. She gets it and sometimes I think she enjoys fly fishing more then I do. Usually, I am back to the car before her.