Mn State Fair 2008

Had a great time at Mn State Fair! FF groups(Midwest FF, Trouts Unlimited, MN FF, St. Paul Fly Tying, and WMFFMN) had tables setup next to 'The Pond' by the DNR Building. As a new member of the FF Wm of Mn, it was great to meet other anglers from the various groups. Veteran anglers partnered with the DNR by 'The Pond' to demonstrate FF, comment on the different species of fish, and awareness of the conservation program available.

I also took advantage of chatting with one the veteran tiers. He shared a book 'Basic Stream Flies' by Schollmeyer & Peterson a must have for novice tiers; but also used by veterans. Also, for someone new to FF, Sue is a veteran member of FF Wm of Mn suggested 'Basic Fly Fishing' by Rounds is a good one to add to your reference library. I ordered these right away on Amazon.

We all took turns to demonstrate fly casting and invited the audience to participate. Young and old took the time to try it and we enjoyed teaching as much as the participants enjoyed learning.

Keep those fly lines wet!

FF WM of Mn meeting at W. Bush Lake was very informative. David Hall was our presenter. He spoke on the life cycle of Tricos and how fish responds during this cycle depending on weather conditions. The male tricos, black bodies, usually hatch at night; and the female tricos, green bodies with dun colored wings, usually hatch in the morning, around daybreak. During the mating ritual, the male and female will mate in a cluster over a riffle(try fishing the spinner pattern in in riffles-need to make a wiggle cast and make sure no drag). As the males completes the process, will land or fall on the water(spinner fall can be the hardest part to fish); and the female will lay their eggs shortly and die as well(before they hit the water try fishing emerger pattern across and downstream). Hook sizes #20,22,24.

David recommended 'Mayflies: An Angler's Study of Trout Water Ephemeroptera; by Knopp and Cormier. Also a plug for their website www.troutnut.com.


_______________________________________________________________________
Fishing Reports for Kinni/RR at the website for Lunds Fly Shop in RF, WI. The list below have been reported successful as of 08/13/08 posting:

(K) Kinni
(RR) Rush River
....................................

BH Pheasant Tail-(K)
Black Ant-(K)
Pink Squirrels –(K,RR)
Allison's Two-Tone Scud-(K)
Prince Nymph-(K)
Bread & Butter Black Caddis – (K,RR)
Gray Midge-(K)
Trico Spinners-(K)
Blue Wing Olives-(K)
Black Crickets – (K,RR)
Some Hoppers – (K,RR)
Black Beetles-(RR)
Flying Ants-(RR)
Pheasant Tail Nymph-(RR)
BWO Struggling Dun-(RR)
Rob's Gray Scud-(RR)


Being new to FF, I still need visuals to associate the name.

So for the FF novice like me, I added the Fly Slide Show

Keep those fly lines wet!

Trout Fish Regulations for The Kinni and Rush River
Info from the web:

Tricos (Tricorythodes) Mayfiles

Being new to FF, I must confess when Tricos are mentioned I am a little clueless. So for the other Women FF and Men FF for that matter, read on. I googled and pasted this info from one of the website (http://business.virgin.net/english.flyfishingshop/dry-trico.html) that helped me know a little about Tricos!

............'These tiny white winged, dark bodied Trico mayflies can trigger aggressive trout feeding. The males normally emerge as duns in great clouds in the evening and overnight on bankside vegetation where they transform into spinners by the following morning. The larger white bodied female duns emerge in the very early morning and change into spinners within minutes. They then enter the mating swarm of male Trico spinners. The males fall back to the water after mating where they are eagerly sucked up by lurking hungry trout. The females collapse into the water after laying eggs. The massive hatches and spinner falls turn the trout into surface feeders'...................

........'The Trico duns of this mayfly normally emerge after dark, and are not as important to the flyfishing angler as the spinners. If you are out fishing on a cool early morning you may see a few Trico duns take off from the top off the water, but not usually in enough numbers to bring lots of trout to the surface. If you are night fishing a small hook black gnat parachute is a great Trico Dun imitation may be found successful. Knowledge of local air temperature conditions on the river you intend to fish is very important in judging when to expect Trico spinner falls. They normally occur in the summer months when the air temperature ranges from 68-70F during a relatively brief hour to hour-and-a half time period. Try to check the local weather forecast prediction overnight low temperature the day before you go fishing and try to estimate when the sun will warm the air to the correct level'.........

............'Trico hatch fishing needs good drag-free presentation. Use a long leader of about 10 feet that turns over efficiently with light supple tippets at least two and a half feet long 6X, 7X or 8X, depending on water conditions. The natural Trico spinners are dead-drifting in the water surface film and flow with the current. Therefore dead drift my trico flies without any movement to mimic the natural tricos as any drag will result in rejection by the hungry trout. When the Trico fall has finished do not pack up and go home. Open your fly box and tie on some terrestrial fly patterns like a hopper, ant or beetle. The Trico feeding trout have been focusing on the water surface. Have found that terrestrials, work well on trout that are still looking for more food from the top'..................

Remember hook sizes #20, #22, or #24

Hope this helps Gals!

don't forget the meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, Aug 19th,..........subject matter on Tricos!

Tidbit when fishing Kinni late in the summer!

FF.........

Sharing comment from an email FF_PP, FF expert..........

my#18 hook, too big, go smaller.........#22 or #24.

............Now the 'it depends' be careful they likely were rising to tricos but after 10 AM or so they can switch over and continue to rise but might be taking something entirely different. As the morning wanes make sure they are still taking what would likely be spent wings from the end of the hatch if you don't see spent wings floating on the water and they are still rising then they've moved on and this time of the year after the trico hatch into mid day and afternoon start thinking terrestials ... ants, beetles and hoppers. If fish are rising in close to the banks near bushy areas etc then they aren't tricos they are likely beetles and ants ...............from KB

Thanks KB......

FF Women of MN - monthly meeting

HI Gals,

Meeting this Tuesday, Aug 19th, at W. Bush Lake Park.......6:00 pm
Subject 'Trico Hatch'
time to learn, cast, fish and share stories............

Also, check out Trout Unlimited (link) for the Hay Creek Project in Red Wing. This will be a great time to learn about the river, meet new people, and 'lend a helping hand'

Keep those fly lines wet!

FF on the Root River from a State Bike Trail Angle!

This past weekend was a (Weekend On The Farm) a trek to the southeastern part of the state. The river bluffs and the lush green fields made biking fun. To combine biking and FF would be a BIG plus because of the access to various parts of the river. I put in over 100 miles and saw some wonderful river edges along the Iowa River in Decorah, IA and the South Branch of the Root River along the Harmony and Preston route. The Camp Creek that meets up to the Root River in Preston winds around the farm fields that are dotted with milking and beef cows along the way. The stretch between Lanesboro, Whalen, and Rushford is also an inviting FF paradise. Anyone who has fished the Root River, please comment! Anyone interested in combining the biking and fishing approach? The bike trail gives access to areas you would never see from the road. The 51 mile stretch gives you a lot of option to fish. I am up for it...........Are YOU??

Women Fly Fishers want to make a Fashion Statement!

Whenever I find a new passion, I would gather as much information as I can. As I OD through this process, I have bookmarked, cutout, accumulated books and mags to last me a few years on a deserted island. One of the sites I visited happens to be equipment with color options for rod and reel. Red (raspberry-would work) would make a bold statement, Although Pink, will generate the interest to help out cancer patients, but SAGE rod and reel has captured that market. I guess it is a woman's thing to make a fashion statement; within a reasonable budget. I came across a website, Elkhorn Fly Rod and Reel, you can link to it from my blog. I emailed Brian Chavet, the owner, for more information. A quick response from him indicated to me the kind of service they practice.

I have attached a picture of their rods, which looks quite fashionable and of good quality. He suggested the purple (new) color rod with the gray reel would make a great combo. I am putting a plug for that fly shop located in Loveland,CO. Take the time to check it out, see my links, and be sure to mention my name and blog. Ladies, the fly fishing gear, such as waders and boots, have a long way to go for all body types. So I welcome your comments when you come across some great places to shop for quality and price. In the meantime, keep those fishing lines wet!

First morning on the Kinni

Early start before the temperature starts rising. Our trek to the Kinni across the St. Croix River towards River Falls, WI was less then an hour's drive. My new waders and wading boots were packed in the trunk; but my Keen water sneakers would do fine along the river on the lower side of the dam. We parked our car along Glenn Park side of the street across from the residential area. Got our gears ready before starting a slow hike down along the steep trail to the river's edge. There were two other cars; two men just finished suiting up their waders and grabbing their gears and a father and son team just getting out of their car. We carefully found our own spot along the edge.

While witnessing trouts smacking the surface, I was pretty confident that I would be able to exercise the 'catch and release' practice for today. The day before I bought some flies based on the information noted on the website of a local website. Casting was not the problem of the day. I tried all my different flies; but they just wouldn't bite. What frustration! Presentation................I tried. I looked to see what was on the water and tried to find one to mimic. Size of the hook was a big factor because I did not have anything smaller than an 18. I had dry flies.......I did everything to put 'in their face' approach. They would jump and roll right in front of my eyes. Nothing!!

It seems like only a few minutes; but it was a few hours. It was getting warm; and was glad that waders were left in the car and water up to my knees made it comfortable and close enough to the 'subject matter'. I was skunked; but I know that I will be back to do this again and again.

As we called it a day, we started to wind toward the bottom of the trail that will ascend towards the park. We were met by 4 kayakers getting ready to start their voyage downstream. This made it easier to leave since there will be tubers later that will add to the recreational activity along the river. Before leaving River Falls, we made a stop to the local bait shop to check their message board to see what was biting. It was Tricos and much smaller.............size 22. Bought a few for next time and knowing that the next time it will be some other flies that will be successful. I am not discouraged, maybe a little disappointed. I will return to land one next time.

In the meantime, keep those fly lines wet!