Docsflies - Archives (May 2007)

12May07 - Guide Greg Boyd and I drifted the Lehigh River approximately 6 miles from Bowmanstown to Walnutport. I landed 4 trout (3 rainbows. 1 brookie) and 2 smallmouths. The trout ranged up to 12 inches, the bass up to 9 inches. I unfortunately missed roughly 10 more trout. Of those, 1 rainbow estimated to 18 inches and 2 brown trout in the 3 - 5 pound class of which the last brown straightened my size 10 hook. I began fishing large size 4 heavily weighted olive woolly buggers but finished using a size 10 olive wooly bugger with a trailing emerging caddis. After several fish were seen chasing the woolly bugger but not taking, the emerging caddis was added. The addition of the caddis was the ticket and increased catch rates. Brachycentridae caddis were emerging in low to moderate levels and had slate grey wings over a green abdomen. Caddis emergers used alone were less successful than the woolly bugger/caddis combination. My explanation on this is the trout were drawn to the movement of the large bugger. When they passed on the bugger they saw the emerger and were more confident in taking this fly.

Lehigh River brook trout

11May07 - I took advantage of Friday's good weather and headed to Lake Nockamixon for a few hours. The water was slightly off-color and a little lower than what I had seen on the 5th. No one was catching including the handful of minnow fishermen. I saw several carp massing together as well as rolling on the surface. I believe water temperatures have finally risen over the past weeks to the point where carp are beginning to spawn. If you spend a few minutes surfing the net, you'll find that carp spawn between 22-28 degrees Celsius depending on species, length of daylight, dissolved oxygen, etc. If you check the USGS river temperature site for the Delaware below Tohickon Creek (which enters/exists Lake Nockamixon) you'll find it's just started hitting 22 degrees Celsius. Lake Nockmixon is warmer than this so I'd expect the Delaware River spawn to occur anytime within the next two weeks. This will be 3-5 weeks behind last year. Carp flies that work well during this time are crayfish and large nymph patterns.

05May07 - I fished Lake Nockamixon for approximately four hours from late morning to early afternoon. Water level was normal and clarity was ok. I lost an estimated 5 pound pickerel after it broke my 12 pound tippet. The fish took a 6" pink and white deceiver. I landed a 3 to 5 pound swiper (hybrid bass) on a 3" bunny fly and a 5 to 8 pound walleye on a Hellgramaniac. I also lost another fish in the 3 to 5 pound class, probable a swiper. All fish were released. Bait ranged from 1 to 6 inches.

Lake Nockamixon Walleye

04May07 - I fished the Delaware River and a feeder stream in the afternoon and came up with only 1 hit. I saw 3 carp and a couple of shad braking the water. Water level is back to normal and clarity was ok.

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