First NEPA stud of the year

[Nymph-wristed]

The hot dude proudly representing the hoodie is actually a SEPA stud 😉

The kicker to an awesome outing on Friday. Many trouts in the 14-15 inch range too, most up in the riffles in the bright sun eating tan caddis emergers.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Great looking fish. How long was it

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Great looking fish. How long was it

Thanks, rustbeltwilds. I am confident it was a bit over 20, maybe 21 if my hands have not shrunk over time.

I did not tape or anything as it was not a pb on this crick or anything that dramatic, just a really great fish. More impressive girth wise, this one.

 

[Tigereye]

YIKES!

 

[Nymph-wristed]

YIKES!

Haha, thanks Joe. That was also my reaction when I first saw the thing run by in a foot of water!

 

[steliejim]

Thanks, rustbeltwilds. I am confident it was a bit over 20, maybe 21 if my hands have not shrunk over time.

I did not tape or anything as it was not a pb on this crick or anything that dramatic, just a really great fish. More impressive girth wise, this one.

21 all day long! 👍

 

[Millsertime]

Great brown. Did that beast take a nymph, dry, or streamer?

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Great brown. Did that beast take a nymph, dry, or streamer?

21 all day long! 👍

Thanks, fellas! I do trust my hand measurements so I am pretty confident of that 21 mark too.

The fish took a lighter colored size 18 frenchie on the dropper tag in shallow pocket water. Thank goodness I was also confident in my triple surgeons knot (at least this one)....

 

[jifigz]

Thanks, fellas! I do trust my hand measurements so I am pretty confident of that 21 mark too.

The fish took a lighter colored size 18 frenchie on the dropper tag in shallow pocket water. Thank goodness I was also confident in my triple surgeons knot (at least this one)....

When I first started utilizing the surgeon's knot, I had quite a few failures. Not anymore. I'm not sure what I used to do wrong tying it but....

Frenchie is generally dependable.

 

[Clams]

Now that's a Sick Days-worthy fish! Well done bud.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Now that's a Sick Days-worthy fish! Well done bud.

Thanks, Dave! It should be an interesting blog post for sure. I started my morning caught in gridlock behind that tractor trailer fire on the Northeast extension.

I hope you were up at 6 to hit a crick....

 

[Nymph-wristed]

When I first started utilizing the surgeon's knot, I had quite a few failures. Not anymore. I'm not sure what I used to do wrong tying it but....

Frenchie is generally dependable.

You know, Josh, that is not really a knot I worry too much about either, unless I get lazy and/or am using it as a connection point for more tippet, something I typically don't do if I know there's even a chance of tangling with something big.

Biggest fear in this situation: the smart old thing with the dropper tag in his mouth successfully drags the anchor fly long enough for it to find purchase in some woody debris or a nice rocky crevice, and then it's all over but the cursing and adrenaline dry heaves 😢

That is one of a few reasons why a single bug in riffles and pocket water is preferable if conditions and bug size allow for it. I was kind of doing June fishing in April, so I needed the weight of the anchor to get a small bug in the zone with spring(ish) flows and I hate split shot 🙂

 

[hooker-of-men]

I get lazy and/or am using it as a connection point for more tippet, something I typically don't do if I know there's even a chance of tangling with something big.

Can you explain the difference between this and how you were using the surgeon's for a dropper tag? Just curious. I'm not following how the knot is not connecting more tippet in your rig.

Biggest fear in this situation: the smart old thing with the dropper tag in his mouth successfully drags the anchor fly long enough for it to find purchase in some woody debris or a nice rocky crevice, and then it's all over but the cursing and adrenaline dry heaves 😢

This is how I lost what certainly would have been my pb trout. A big lake run brown on the Madison took an egg that was under a Pat's. It ran me all over, then found a root sticking out of an undercut bank to get the Pat's stuck on. For a couple minutes the fish was still on, tired out and just hanging below the root. 3 of us were surrounding it in waist deep water trying to find a way to net it and save the situation, and then it just turned quick and broke it off. Was over 24 and basically right in my damn hands. I'm sick just typing this.

 

[wgmiller]

Thank goodness I was also confident in my triple surgeons knot (at least this one)....

No lie, I always about that dropper knot... No matter how well I tie it, I always feel it's the weakest part of my system. I haven't had a break-off yet, but I'm not tangling with dinosaurs like that either! 😂

Ditto on the split shot. I carry it, but it never sees the light of day. I'd much rather work with weighted flies to get to where I need to be.

 

[jifigz]

If you guys are worried about the surgeon's knot for your droppers, why aren't you using blood knots?

Or just have your droppers come off of a tippet ring.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I never got the surgeon's knot down. Seems so simple but mine break constantly. I use blood knots.

 

[jifigz]

I never got the surgeon's knot down. Seems so simple but mine break constantly. I use blood knots.

It's all about how you snug the knot up. For a simple knot, there is a learning curve.

 

[dudemanspecial]

It's all about how you snug the knot up. For a simple knot, there is a learning curve.

Maybe someone can show me at the jam what I do wrong.

Ive become so engrained with blood knots its kind of a moot point anymore. I like them because when the tag gets short I just put a new tag over it with a clinch knot.

 

[wgmiller]

If you guys are worried about the surgeon's knot for your droppers, why aren't you using blood knots?

Or just have your droppers come off of a tippet ring.

To be fair, I've never had one fail. It just *seems* to be the weakest part of the system. The problem with using a tippet ring is that my dropper is usually well below my tippet ring. I tie a length of tippet off the tippet ring, then use a double surgeon's knot a distance away, cut the section, then attach the point fly. I only use blood knots in my leader system for joining sections, as I haven't spent the time to perfect it in the field. Heck, I still use the blood knot jig for building leaders, which does a fine job! 🙂

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Can you explain the difference between this and how you were using the surgeon's for a dropper tag? Just curious. I'm not following how the knot is not connecting more tippet in your rig.



This is how I lost what certainly would have been my pb trout. A big lake run brown on the Madison took an egg that was under a Pat's. It ran me all over, then found a root sticking out of an undercut bank to get the Pat's stuck on. For a couple minutes the fish was still on, tired out and just hanging below the root. 3 of us were surrounding it in waist deep water trying to find a way to net it and save the situation, and then it just turned quick and broke it off. Was over 24 and basically right in my damn hands. I'm sick just typing this.

I am in the same camp as wgmiller's comments above. I am not afraid of a well tied surgeons knot and don't think it's weaker than a blood knot. It is also such a quick tie that I can re-rig in no time.

I would use a blood knot to add length to a section of tippet after snags, for example. That has diminishing returns in my opinion. If I am on my A game, I tend to start over and salvage some of the short remaining section for a dropper tag.

As for the dropper tag questions. My point or anchor fly is always tied to the main line, and I tie the anchor on first. I use the triple surgeons to add the dropper tag to the main line if that makes sense. Heck, I even pull the anchor fly through the loops as I tie it.

It is adding more tippet but it treats the dropper like an add on to the main line instead of the other way around.

I don't ponder all the situations like George Daniel, but I guess if fish were hitting the dropper all day, it might make sense to make the dropper part of the main line and the anchor the add on.... I don't like to think that hard!