Back from the Bow River

Flight made it in on time late Wednesday and we were able to hold the call on Thursday.  Three of our program vols spent 3 days on the Bow River in Alberta Canada. 

Fishing was primarily hopper/dropper with most of the hits on the dropper, about a size 8 foam tan hopper with a copper John, Prince nymph, or soft hackle caddis sitting about 16” below.

The vicious takes were fun and a good number of 20+” fish were brought to the net.  We did try some streamer fishing, but all switched back to the hoppers and the thrill of dry fly fishing.

If you look closely at the picture, you will see a hatch chart for the Bow, (the front bumper of our rental car).

17 on the coffee hour call this week.  Once again, Antoine kept our attention as he talked about his new and improved, super-secret, all-purpose fly, just deer hair on a hook with enough thread on the hoor to keep the deer hair from sliding off the hook.  Antoine will show some samples and discuss them a bit more at the tying session. We talked about fishing the Farmington and the fact, we are now starting to see some action again.  Still no real bugs rising though.

Don’t forget, CFFA is starting their monthly meetings again, this Monday 9/15, 6:30 PM at the Wethersfield Community center.  30 Greenfield Street, Room F-3.

Buzzards Bay Charters

We are extremely lucky to have hooked up with  https://fishingforthemission22.org/ who have arranged for a 5-man charter on 9/21, and a 4-man charter on 9/21 out of Buzzards Bay.  Fishing for the Mission is providing the charter, all equipment and a hearty meal at the end.  This is great support from a fellow vet organization.

We don’t have all the details yet, but, once we have a lock on the weather, I will share them with the group.  As has been told to me, the cost of the charter and a meal at the end are all provided at no cost.  They do suggest a customary $20 tip for the captain, and I would suggest you might want to share a piece of your military history, e.g., a patch, a challenge coin, you guys know better than me.  The last group that I took on a national trip all provided me with patches or pins from their time in.  It was kind of nice. 

Limestone Outing 10/9/25

We have 3 slots for vets and 2 slots for vols.  I would like to open this up to all, but priority will be given to those that have not attended this event before.  Limestone is a private trout club located in North Cannan, CT.  The quarries and ponds provide challenges for the most avid angler with areas that allow novices to learn and improve their skills. Leave your waders home and those with limited mobility have easy access to great fishing. Trails around the property provide access to more challenging areas.

A note on wildlife. Canaan is a rural community, and wild animals are in the area and on the property. These may be owls, herons, eagles, deer, skunk, fox etc., including bears. The population of bears in CT has grown over time and you may encounter them at Limestone. See Living with Black Bears .

CDC ELK HAIR CADDIS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siubcX93zjQ

The CDC Elk Hair Caddis pattern was designed by Hans Weilenmann of the Netherlands in the early 90’s. The fly has world-wide acceptance and has become a go-to pattern for many fly anglers, especially during times when trout become picky. The effectiveness is due to the CDC which traps small air bubbles that help it to float and allow it to look very realistic. 

I personally tie and fish them in sizes 14 & 16, in tan, olive, black and gray.

Materials:

Hook: Dry fly, Size 14-18.

Thread: UTC 70 Denier, brown.

Abdomen: CDC feather, brown, tan.

Wing: Natural colored elk or deer hair.

Legs: CDC feather, brown, tan

1.       Secure the hook in the vice and start the thread just behind the hook eye, and wind all the way back to the hook bend. Take the CDC feather and hold it in your left hand, pull the fibers forward to the tip with your right hand and then with your left place the feather tip on top of the hook shank and take two wraps around the feather and the shank then lift the feather tip slightly and take one wrap between it and the hook shank, take another wrap around the feather and the hook shank. The slippery CDC is locked in place.

2.       Next wind your tying thread forward to just behind the eye.  With hackle pliers grab the stem butt and begin making adjacent wraps up the shank. Keep the feather straight, do not allow it to twist. Stop at the halfway point. Now use your thumb and index finger of your left hand to pull the fibers back as you wrap. Continue making wraps with the CDC to just behind the eye and then tie off the stem with secure wraps remember CDC can be a little slippery snip the stem butt off close to the wraps and then take another nice firm wrap for insurance.

3.       Select a small clump of elk or deer hair in the and snip it free from the hide. Use your fingers, or a fine-tooth comb to remove the under fur from the base of the hair. Then using a hair stacker stack the bundle to align the tips.  Next measure the hair on the hook making sure the tips extend only to the outside of the bend.    Keeping that measurement pass the bundle to the thumb and index finger of your left hand and snip the butts off right at your fingertips.  

4.       Place the bundle on top of the hook so that the snipped butt ends are aligned with the very front of the eye.  Make one and a half turns of tying thread around the bundle and the hook.  Pull the thread straight up with good tension at the end then bring the thread around to complete the second wrap.

Next bring the thread through the butt ends at a 45-degree angle working it down and it helps to lock the bundle in place.  Now lift the butt end slightly and make a couple of tight wraps between them and the hook shank.

5.       Whip finish with 3-4 turns and cut the thread. Add a small drop of head cement on the underside of the wraps.  

River Tips 

If trout are not rising, be prepared to go subsurface and fish the faster water. Small nymphs, and at moments Junk Flies have both been effective of late. If you don’t want to nymph, try Dry/Dropper or fish 2-3 wet flies/soft hackles. All effective summertime strategies. You can also blind fish dry flies (attractors like Stimulators/smaller Chubby Chernobyls, bigger dries like Isonychia, or terrestrials like ants & beetles) in broken water, it’s surprisingly effective this time of year. You can do Dry/Dropper and attach a small lightly weighted nymph 18-24” below your dry to really increase your odds of success.

Hatches continue to overall be light this year, but the cooler weather is improving that a bit. Bugs have been very hard to predict this year. Check different river sections out when the fishing & hatches are slow. Fish in the shade whenever possible, trout will often move into those areas. When bug activity is light to non-existent (not uncommon, especially midday), the high percentage techniques are nymphing, dry-dropper, wet flies/soft hackles, or blind fishing attractors/bigger dries & terrestrials. Beetles & Ants are great during non-hatch times, very effective. Don’t waste your time trying to force feed hatch-matching mayflies when they are not on the water and/or the trout are not rising. Isonychia is an exception, you can blind fish #10-14 Iso patterns in riffly water and do well. Blue Winged Olives (Olives/BWO’s) can run as big as #18, but I’d expect to see more smaller ones in the #22-26 range. Match the size closely. Overcast days are best for BWO hatches.