4/6/06 report

[DEADhead]

got out this afternoon/evening on the Straight and got blanked. Managed to catch a few creek chubs, but the browns were not cooperating. Only saw about 6 trout. Fished prince nymphs, orange scuds, pink squirrels, during the afternoon, and dark EHC and BWO at dusk. Creek chubs like the scuds. Got bored at one point and threw out some powerbait to see what would happen; creek chub city. Got too hard to see my fly so I headed home. No major hatches to report. Hopefully I'll have better days on the river when the temps pickup and there are hatches to speak of.

[AQUAJOE]

I casted my new fly rod around at dusk and picked up 3 gills and a rockbass. I have alot to learn yet.

[mitch]

I hit a stream in WI for a half hour today and got an 11 in. brown and a chub. I got it on a pheasant tail. There were a lot of trout rising to some really small flies but I don't know what they were. Any ideas as to what they were?

[DEADhead]

mitch, I think they were midges. There was a similar hatch on the Straight last night, they were real light colored and about a size 32.

[thistlekicker]

those size 64 cream midges drive me crazy

I pretty much pack up and go home if there's a lot coming off and fish are rising to them

the DNR stocks a few ponds in Duluth (for kids to fish) and some nights it's like popcorn as these 4" trout launch themselves completely out of the water attacking the micro midges

maybe someday I'll figure out how to fish that kind of emergence event - at least I know where to go for practice

[Abrams]

Same thing for me Saturday night . . . .the midge hatch was insane in Western Wisconsin. And so were the trout rising to them. At one point I saw a trout come totally out of the water and land on the margin! They were rising without regard for me or the first timer to fly casting I had with me. He was whipping the water like Devo in that "wip-it good" video. Despite the poor casting I pulled up 3 browns and had another break-off my 6x tippet. Was it a 20" brown, I will never know but it was big!

I was switching flies: Adams, black humpy, light hendrickson and #18 BWO. The BWO's seemed to work best, maybe they were close enough to those little midges.

[DEADhead]

I was throwing out size 22 light cahills with 6x to see if they would hit it. The creek chubs were hitting it but it was getting dark and I couldn't really see my fly anymore so I gaveup.

[mitch]

I tried a BWO but they wouldn't take it.

[Abrams]

I tried just about everything I could think of, the BWO was the only thing they would sniff at. Not a true representation but maybe close enough. I've experienced that midge hatch before, it's always a good sign. Trout will look for them exclusively.