NY Enhances Artificial Reef Network

Any of you who read the recent comments...so Fred cast a size 3 Mepp's on his way home from trying for white perch down the shore. He also caught a pickerel.

DEC

 

Winter Trout Trifecta

Fished with Mark Licht this morning and early afternoon, using my two-weight TFO. I have caught wild trout out of New Jersey streams with it, even a stocker rainbow once, when I expected sunfish and maybe a smallmouth bass late in June. I keep trying to catch more when I get the chance. Mostly, I find I improve my casting, but I did hook a seven-inch brookie during fall 2020. Tried a size 16 or 18 pheasant tail for the browns, that and a red dart for the brookies. I figured a brookie might get turned on by the red, but it never happened. I never used an indicator in the little creeks. I'm not saying I think I got hit and just don't know  None of the trout I've hooked in little creeks have involved use of an indicator; I always see my line twitch, if I don't see the trout hit. Mark caught two other browns, nice stream browns of about 9 or 10 inches, though smaller than the one photographed, which was at least a foot, more like 13 inches. About as long as the rainbow he caught, and the state says they don't stock them in the fall smaller than 14 inches.

In the river, Mark used Blue Goo from the Pulaski/Altmar region. It sure works on stocker rainbows. He fishes it under a float on a center-pin outfit, steelhead style. We probably didn't even fish a half hour, but he caught two. I put an indicator on my line and continued to fish that size 14 dart. Nothing happened, but I felt I fished pretty effectively. I was surprised at how shallow, both fish caught. Actually, when I began fishing where Mark caught his first, before he finished getting into waders, I did feel strongly there could be a trout there, even though the water was two-and-a-half or three feet deep. On down the river we walked a bit before quitting. Mark pulled one from quickly moving water that didn't look deeper than two feet.

 

First "Overview" in a While

The first really cold weather of the coming winter season--if you call upper teens cold--might be with us overnight in the Bedminster region. I gave the forecast a quick scan, so as to judge whether or not marginally safe ice may form on ponds. Doesn't look like it, but I'm not about to pass judgment on points further north.

Clicked on the blog's "Round Valley" label and read "Fortune or Misfortune" from not really all that long ago. Though I'm not disvaluing the followers who help make what the blog is now by being there for it, we used to have many more, and you can see that reflected by the number of share bar clicks at the bottom of each page. (If you access the blog by mobile device, Microsoft Edge, and likely ohter browsers besides Google, the share bar might not appear for you.) Actually, 2020 was the banner year for number of followers and clicks shortly after posting, as COVID got so many interested in fishing, as well as in slowing down to read more at length.

You may have noticed my posts are much shorter these days, and stick tight to the fishing, rather than going deep into ideas. Before I began blogging, I used to write in notebooks nobody read. For the most part, I didn't even read them myself. And yet, for decades, I wrote passionately, and even as I grow older, and wiser about what's possible and what isn't, I still wonder if my journals--big stacks of them--have posthumous value. Imagine, people reading Bruce Litton a hundred years from now. No, I don't think it's likely. But history offers any reader so many examples of writers--and other artists--who were totally ignored during their lifetime and later became icons. At least I have you for readers. William Blake literally made no more than pocket change for a day or two from his poems and paintings. Same for Vincent Van Gogh. He was a nobody. Now, just one of his paintings is worth about $100 million.

It was even worse for poor Blake. Everybody thought he was mad. At least Van Gogh proved he was mad at least some of the time by spending time in mental institutions. 

It's not as if I've forgotten you by no longer writing long and in-depth. Everybody seems to say nobody reads any more, but that's not true. I know it isn't, because many of my long and in-depth posts--even ones without photo support--have lots of share bar clicks. I'm not saying there are people who wish no one would read any more, people who hope our entire civilization goes up in flames, perhaps; people who might feel triumphant as nuclear missiles descend upon us, their hatred of humankind vanquished, but I believe we not only will see no such end, but that people will go right on reading, no matter what those who wish people would be illiterate say.  

Nice Rainbow Round Valley

Wife went to Manhattan. I decided against going because rainy, cold, and I can do without the risk of getting COVID. Wait until summer. I've seen enough of Andy Warhol, anyway. Got bored working on my book. Lonely, really. So I took Sadie and headed over to Round Valley, where Dave DeLucca showed after 10 minutes. He shot me with the trout.

Orange Power Bait. Left the bail open. Good thing, because both of us were surprised at the rush and big loop of line going out.

Released. 

RV Trout on Big Rat-L-Trap

Got home from visiting my dad in time to ride over to Round Valley with my black Lab Sadie, and dunk Power Bait, hoping to duplicate Dave DeLucca's success on same last week. Never happened. 

But as dusk came on, a young guy walked down and began throwing a plug. After five minutes, I suddenly heard splashes, looked, and saw a rainbow of about 16 or 17 inches in the air. It was hooked well out & away from shore, too. Later on, I watched the guy and he didn't seem to be letting the plug sink. A big Rat-L-Trap.

I congratulated him on his fish. He certainly was happy. And I told him it's good to see one get caught on a Rat-L-Trap, instead of the Power Bait I was using.

Tried a Little Midge North Branch

Took my two-weight to the North Branch before sundown, and I managed to roll cast well enough to drift my zebra midge under an indicator back underneath the 202/206 bridge where I wanted it to go. I wanted it to drift back under even farther, but it did get further in than where I hooked a 16-inch rainbow late in November some years ago. 

Mild late afternoon.

I also tried the exit bridge at the Zoo, and for some reason, there I couldn't roll out my line as far as I felt I needed to. I almost think I need heavier grain than whatever two-weight line I have on my reel.

Ran into one of the guys I saw fishing there in October. He caught one last week. 

Some Trout at Round Valley

DeLucca releasing his rainbow

Got a jolt today, over at Round Valley. Came with my wife and black Lab Sadie, shooting photos. I was just walking over to my wife when Dave DeLucca drove down, window opening, "Bruce, how's it's going?

"I haven't seen you in years!" I said.

I used to run into him when I fished here. Realized as we spoke for half an hour, that the last I did fish here was about two years ago. After I crossed the gravel to meet up with my wife, before we made headway back to the car, I saw Dave set the hook, so I hurried over and watched him catch a rainbow. Another guy had just driven down and come over to watch. He led me back to the catch of his wife and him, asked me to photograph him with it, two of them 15-inch lakers.

I've been over there at least twice a month all year, and almost always, I see no one fishing, although more often than not, I park over at Lot 2, through the main gate. I believe last I was at the main ramp, no one was fishing then, either, so today felt surprising.