Too Warm, Welcome to February — February 4, 2009
Weather wise it has been a great winter. Trout wise it has been a great winter for numbers. Trophy wise we are still way too warm. We are catching a few really good trout in the upper 20’s but only a few have broken into the over 30 crowd. However, relief may be on the way the get the water out of the sixties and more into a conducive temperature range in the mid to upper 50’s. Old Pawxatauney Phil crawled out of his warm little burrow on Tuesday and darted back in when he saw his shadow thus issuing in, if you believe in superstitions and as a fishermen we know the answer to that one, six more weeks of winter. So keep you fingers crossed for a few more stacked fronts that will get the water down in the trophy ranges.
Now for those little speckled devils, red and white head Zara Super Spook Jr.s are the way to go if you like to watch your fish eat. But if you are like dad and teddy and like the subtle underwater grab, green or red and white Catch 2000’s worked slowly over the tops of the grass are the way to go. If you are still working out the kinks on how to employ a Catch 2000 properly, here is a tip. You can adjust the depth of buoyancy by changing the weight of your hooks on the lure. Use a treble with a thicker shank, or go with large or small hooks. Trust us, it will not affect the fish attracting skills negatively as far as altering the appearance and motion of the bait. However, the positive affects based on the depth of the lure in the water column will be felt exponentially.
The reds. Ahhh…the reds. Once more, it is a cliché at this point, the reds are simply stupid. They must arrive in the bays on a short bus because it does not matter what you place in front of them they are going to eat. There are size in those there waters too. (Yes, the incorrect grammar was intentional). Don’t look for schools or too many tailing look for big gluttonous individuals or loosely packed schools. Look for them near drops and near deep water escapes. They are still sensitive to the barometer right now and wary of quick environmental changes or water drops.
The trophy trout peak is right around the corner so book now. We have a few weekdays open and a limited amount of weekends. Give pop’s a call for availability. And, as we look forward to another trophy trout season, we say goodbye to an excellent duck season. The new duck boat works like a charm and Top Dog has his retrieving legs under him. We are accepting early bookings for next year’s season and we look forward to having you join us for a Bills and Gills trip. Until then tight lines and hug your kids.
