A slow Caney Fork

[Rainbow Warrior]

Got back from a weekend of fishing the caney fork. Started out both mornings at the dam wading untill the generation. After generation we launched and started out with hoppers. We caught a few fish quick and figured that it would be a great day. We had caught fish on midges in the dam pool. We continued drifting and picked up a fish here and there. My dad managed to hook a nice brown briefly right in front of the cliff. After that the catching stopped. Overall it was a slow day. The biggest was a 14" rainbow. We all caught more fish wading by the dam than on the drift. I don't want to say i have lost faith in this river because i have caught several big fish here. It's just it has been so slow the last few times up, which does not make the 3.5 hour drive worth it.

[DBKSTONE2]

It has been tough but let me throw out a bug to try. I was experiencing similar trouble and then I found some success with a variation of a prototype fly from fly tier magazine. It was a pattern from a "new generation" tier. It was several issues back and had several "new" tiers and creations. Anyway, the fly was tied on a 2xl size 18 nymph hook. The Head/thorax is peacock herl and just below that is two small glass beads pearl or iridescent the body below that is opalescent tinsel and can be wrapped with few twists of x-small silver wire. It looks kinda like a slimmed down brassie only with the addition of 2 glass beads and some flashy tinsel. I picked up some nice fish with this.

[psnapp]

DBK -- tried that pattern on the Caney last Tue. Caught some little "wigglers"on it. The Caney has a ways to come back to its former status as a premier trout tailwater. Hope that it returns to its former status soon ... it was sad to fish it this week and experience the big down turn in fishing quality from days ago.

Phil

[DBKSTONE2]

Originally Posted by psnapp

DBK -- tried that pattern on the Caney last Tue. Caught some little "wigglers"on it. The Caney has a ways to come back to its former status as a premier trout tailwater. Hope that it returns to its former status soon ... it was sad to fish it this week and experience the big down turn in fishing quality from days ago.

Phil

Psnapp I agree with you. I lament ever trip I go now. The reason I keep going back to Caney is the memory I have of a trip 3 years ago when I had walked down to the "cow pasture" and a storm front blew in. The sky turned black and the winds picked up and put a chop on the water. I was standing on a bar that split the river and I was fishing the small cut side that dumped into deeper water. The browns decided it was time to eat and started moving up out of the deep water and through the small funnel. I stood in a pouring rain and laid waste to some very nice browns. I caught fish one after the other. It will live in memory as the best fishing that I have ever had. There is something to be said about being at the right place at the right time.

Because of that trip I will continue to go back to the Caney. I guess I will hang on until river recovers.

[Stonefly]

DBKStone2 -

I think I see the fly you're referring to, called the Virus Midge, right?
Looks like it would work for the cream midges I saw yesterday at the Caney.

sb

[BlueRaiderFan]

I think part of the problem on the Caney is that people are midge crazy. Sometimes you have to go with a scud or sowbug. I tie midges, but buy my scuds/sowbugs in many different colors. Not knocking midges. I definitely need to add some variety to my patterns, but get yourself a dozen scuds, two in each color. JMHO.

[psnapp]

BlueRaider -- I'll second that! We checked the grasses and turned over some rocks when we fished there last week, and sowbugs were the dominant insect we found. Unfortunately, I didn't have any sowbugs, and my fishing buddy only had 1. He caught 3 fish to my 1 on it as I only fished midges.

[BlueRaiderFan]

I saw some red and dark brown/black midges today. Lots of rises. Fish are picky though. Tried everything in the box and didn't catch much. Need to work on my mend a bit.

[DBKSTONE2]

Originally Posted by Stonefly

DBKStone2 -

I think I see the fly you're referring to, called the Virus Midge, right?
Looks like it would work for the cream midges I saw yesterday at the Caney.

sb

Sorry stone I would have gotten back to you sooner but I went to look at a drifter for sale that should have been shot and scuttled verses ever put back on the water.

I have been tying some of these but still have trouble with the **** Peacock herl. Relatively new tyer and still have trouble with proportions and normal complications with herl breaking or not "laying" right. usually 1 out of 3 looks the way I want it to for that pattern. Its really simple but I don't know why its giving me issues.

I may need to give some of the sow/scuds a try for the Caney. Any recommendations for color and size?

[DBKSTONE2]

Stonefly,

I just had a mental flash for that pattern. I have been tying the herl last. maybe I should reverse the process and do that first and work backwards. The magazine just gives a recipe and no tying instructions. I do know that you have to break your thread and reattach to complete the fly. I may have been doing it from the wrong end.

Just A thought.