Week of May 17th: Trailing Sulphurs, Trout Fests, and Heat Waves

As a human being, I try to practice what I preach.  To that end, I went out every night, minus Wednesday, in an effort to witness and fish the sulphur mayfly hatch. In my non-scientific, personal experience this is the last great hatch in our part of NJ.  Other mayflies don’t show up in the numbers or with the consistency of these little and big yellow mayflies.  

With that said, I did not catch as many fish with a sulphur pattern as I did with BWO and midge patterns in sizes #20 and below.  I know other anglers present on the river when the fish were taking the sulphur duns, but I cannot say that was my week.  Monday and Tuesday, a few trout went for my “Found Link” pattern, one of Kelly Gallup’s tied to resemble a sulphur.  The small comparadun sulphurs available from Rio we have in the shop caught, too  

Overwhelmingly BWO and dark miniscule midges, trailed behind the sulphur, did the trick.  In fact, the takes were well below the surface, so by the end of the week a #20 or smaller pheasant tail flashbacks with the bead were the ticket.  Despite my affinity for dries and the desire to catch fish “on top,” trout will eat what is easy and widely available. Who knows why the fish ignore the obvious fly on the water? A familiar face from the Musky, Steve, let it be known that he threw a pheasant tail blowtorch pattern after some frustration trying to find the right fly for the surface feeders and quickly caught a brace of fish even in the late evening!  Time has shown, once again, midges rule the banquet table and even this late in May and a Blowtorch Euro pattern can change your night.  

Kudos to shop owners, Lindsey and Abraham Beates, for a wildly successful Trout Fest this year.  The music, the vendors, the food, and the weather were absolutely wonderful.  General estimates put between 800 to 1,000 people enjoying Califon and Memorial Park, many of whom didn’t want the festivities to end!  Everyone at SBO appreciates our customers who came out and we are grateful for the new friends we made!  We are also grateful for our sponsors and vendors, many also friends and customers of the shop, for their support and time dedicated to the best Trout Fest yet!  A lot of work went into the event and the results speak for themselves.

Looking ahead…don’t. It doesn’t look good. We have a heat wave early this week.  I checked out a new spot (for me) on the Musky on Sunday morning and was pleased to find a nice brownie feeding on top, however, the trailing BHFBPT, #20, was what the fish wanted.  I returned around 7:30 PM to see how much the heat of the day had raised the temperature.  My thermometer read 74 degrees.  The family swimming in the river could have told me how warm the water had become. The heat is likely to remain until, being generous, Wednesday. 

That’s right, ethical and conservation minded anglers, take a break, fish ponds, or head out to find cool water.  I’ll use the time to tie flies and plan future trips. Maybe a gonzo dash up to the Catskills Thursday night… 

See you out there,

Roy B.