Prospector
Well-known member
Time Fished: 745am - 1045sm
Weather Conditions: 50 degrees, sunny
Water Conditions: 58 degrees, great flow for this time of year, clear
Insects: stoneflies, light Cahill, white midges, Caddis
I went to my favorite late season hole in the Neshannock. It is in the open water downstream from the DHALO. I got there a little later than I would have liked but no one was there. Many times this late in the year the trout have moved into the riffles from the long pool below. I started there but no fish were in the riffle since I later learned the water temp was 58 degrees. I like this hole late in the year since It remains shaded for a long time. It used to last until 930am but I noticed today it remained in shade until after 1030am presumably since the trees have grown taller. A great thing.
I decided to keep the 2 fly rig I’ve been using most of the season (sz 10 woolly bugger and dark wet fly). Up until now the breakdown has been 50-50 split on which fly the trout took. Today they pounded the bugger for a couple hours before any fish were landed on the wet fly.
I landed 7 trout on the first pass. On the second pass I switched out the sz 10 bugger for a sz 6 bugger. That’s been my second pass strategy for a few weeks now and it seems to be interesting to the trout. Today the 17” palomino, that had no interest in a sz 10 bugger, inhaled the sz 6 version when it passed through his vision. A woolly bugger is easily my #1 palomino fly.
This stretch of water has always had a lot of minnows. Historically when I swing wets here, I will have times where minnows go airborne in the vicinity of my fly before I feel a strike. I always set the hook when this occurs and I have a fish. Today that happened 3 different times. Makes me wonder how many fish I never feel when I fish where the minnows don’t react that way and clue me in to set the hook.
I caught a few more rainbows on this second pass and decided to switch sides on the creek since I was limiting my cast to 2/3 of the way across (due to wind and to have better contact with my fly to help detect strikes).
After I switched sides I was on the darker side of the creek. It is where all of the bugs were flying into the stream-side grass. There were stoneflies everywhere mating in the grasses and on the leaves. I also saw light Cahill, white midges and Caddis. There 10-20 times the stoneflies than any other insect.
I caught a few more trout and a couple smallmouth on that far side by the time I worked it down. I came back to the near side to open up the 4 trout I caught and kept. Two were headed to my dad’s house as part of his Father’s Day gift and my wife gets the other two (she loves rainbows). It seemed like a good day to keep a few since temps in New Castle for 3 days next week are being forecasted at 89, 92 and 96.
The aforementioned stoneflies were clearly the main course of the trout I kept. Anyone fishing Neshannock in the coming days should do well with some sz 12 or 14 stonefly nymphs.
I included some streamside insect photos. One is of a small moth that looks a lot like a Caddis flying in and along the streamside brush. I see them on Oil Creek about this time of year. When it finally lands you can see it is not a Caddis. Just take closer note in mid June.
I landed 10 Rainbow, 1 brown, 1 palomino, 3 smallmouth.
It was a fun day but between casts I got to thinking about a very good friend that I’ve known for 44 yrs that passed away in mid April who lived a few miles from where I was fishing. Played major college football at Miami (FL), 4 yr starter, met him through fly fishing (picture an offensive guard as a dainty midge fisherman) and he became my turkey hunting mentor when I wanted to take up the sport when I was in college. Spent many hours on the phone with him for years. We’ve all had it happen. Going to be a tough Father’s Day at their house. Don’t forget to keep in touch with people. Someday it will be too late.
Weather Conditions: 50 degrees, sunny
Water Conditions: 58 degrees, great flow for this time of year, clear
Insects: stoneflies, light Cahill, white midges, Caddis
I went to my favorite late season hole in the Neshannock. It is in the open water downstream from the DHALO. I got there a little later than I would have liked but no one was there. Many times this late in the year the trout have moved into the riffles from the long pool below. I started there but no fish were in the riffle since I later learned the water temp was 58 degrees. I like this hole late in the year since It remains shaded for a long time. It used to last until 930am but I noticed today it remained in shade until after 1030am presumably since the trees have grown taller. A great thing.
I decided to keep the 2 fly rig I’ve been using most of the season (sz 10 woolly bugger and dark wet fly). Up until now the breakdown has been 50-50 split on which fly the trout took. Today they pounded the bugger for a couple hours before any fish were landed on the wet fly.
I landed 7 trout on the first pass. On the second pass I switched out the sz 10 bugger for a sz 6 bugger. That’s been my second pass strategy for a few weeks now and it seems to be interesting to the trout. Today the 17” palomino, that had no interest in a sz 10 bugger, inhaled the sz 6 version when it passed through his vision. A woolly bugger is easily my #1 palomino fly.
This stretch of water has always had a lot of minnows. Historically when I swing wets here, I will have times where minnows go airborne in the vicinity of my fly before I feel a strike. I always set the hook when this occurs and I have a fish. Today that happened 3 different times. Makes me wonder how many fish I never feel when I fish where the minnows don’t react that way and clue me in to set the hook.
I caught a few more rainbows on this second pass and decided to switch sides on the creek since I was limiting my cast to 2/3 of the way across (due to wind and to have better contact with my fly to help detect strikes).
After I switched sides I was on the darker side of the creek. It is where all of the bugs were flying into the stream-side grass. There were stoneflies everywhere mating in the grasses and on the leaves. I also saw light Cahill, white midges and Caddis. There 10-20 times the stoneflies than any other insect.
I caught a few more trout and a couple smallmouth on that far side by the time I worked it down. I came back to the near side to open up the 4 trout I caught and kept. Two were headed to my dad’s house as part of his Father’s Day gift and my wife gets the other two (she loves rainbows). It seemed like a good day to keep a few since temps in New Castle for 3 days next week are being forecasted at 89, 92 and 96.
The aforementioned stoneflies were clearly the main course of the trout I kept. Anyone fishing Neshannock in the coming days should do well with some sz 12 or 14 stonefly nymphs.
I included some streamside insect photos. One is of a small moth that looks a lot like a Caddis flying in and along the streamside brush. I see them on Oil Creek about this time of year. When it finally lands you can see it is not a Caddis. Just take closer note in mid June.
I landed 10 Rainbow, 1 brown, 1 palomino, 3 smallmouth.
It was a fun day but between casts I got to thinking about a very good friend that I’ve known for 44 yrs that passed away in mid April who lived a few miles from where I was fishing. Played major college football at Miami (FL), 4 yr starter, met him through fly fishing (picture an offensive guard as a dainty midge fisherman) and he became my turkey hunting mentor when I wanted to take up the sport when I was in college. Spent many hours on the phone with him for years. We’ve all had it happen. Going to be a tough Father’s Day at their house. Don’t forget to keep in touch with people. Someday it will be too late.
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