Henry’s Fork Rainbow

Henry’s Fork Rainbow

Dave Beall is still busy out West.  Couple of days ago he caught a Henry’s Fork rainbow on the Ranch Section, in Harriman State Park. It measured out at 21 inches, a decent “bow”.

Dave tells me the fly was a size 16# Mahogany dry. Yeah he tied it himself. Proud of that. Looks like Dave is on a roll.

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False Albacore Showing up!

False Albacore Showing up!

False albacore are showing up in my area. That’s great news. My buddy Phil was into them big time yesterday. And he said they were fair size as well. Glad he had his 10-weight to wrestle with those dudes. The bait was bay anchovies as is typical for this time of year.

 

What fly was he using? His Farnsworth silver slider, a fly he developed many, many years ago. Small, light-weight and easy to cast, they’re effective for striped bass, bluefish, bonito and false albacore, producing exciting surface strikes. You got to love that.

 

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Dave & Pete are Back in Montana

Dave & Pete are Back in Montana

Got a text message from my friend Dave Beall. He and his buddy Pete are back out in Montana trout fishing the Upper Big Hole River. Below you’ll see a 22″ beauty that Dave caught on a White Zonker. Nice going Dave. They also caught a some small browns and grayling on dries.

22″ Brown Trout

The Big Hole River has been in the news of late, and not for good reasons. Trout numbers are way down over previous years. Way, way down. The juror is still out on the root cause of the problem, but climate change might be one of many factors, along with fungal disease and PFAS  contamination, often called forever chemicals. The Upper Big Hole River is fairing a bit better, with the Middle Section of the river hit the hardest. Lets hope the biologist find some answers soon to protect this legendary river.

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False Albacore in Rhode Island

False Albacore in Rhode Island

Wednesday I got a text from my buddy Phil Farnsworth saying he was hooking false albacore in Rhode Island. Accompanying him on this angling mission was Captain Pete Farrell and Peter Jenkins of Saltwater Edge fame.

Pete Farrell photo credit Phil Farnsworth

Together they sailed out of Newport in Jenkin’s Jones Brothers, eventually finding fish to the west. The “albies’ were feeding on bay anchovies. And as so often happens small flies were the right medicine. Granted, these hardtails may not be the biggest you have ever seen, but you can be sure they were a freaking blast on a fly rod. Always are!

Peter Jenkins photo credit Phil Farnsworth

Phil Farnworth

 

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September Cape Cod Trip

September Cape Cod Trip

Nauset Light    credit Ed J. Mitchell

My Son Hooked Up     credit Phil Farnsworth

Had a fun time on the Cape Cod, despite shitty conditions. Man, it was sticky and humid with rain on all but one day. Water temperatures were high for this time of year too. And not surprisingly the fishing was thin and spread out. As always, fishing is wishing.

On our last day, however, things improved. The rain stopped, blue skies appeared. Hallelujah. And a quick ride in Phil’s new boat put Captain Pete Farrell, Phil Farnsworth, and my son into bass and blues.  Nice going guys. We pulled it out at the last moment.

They found fish stacked up in a back cove. Loads of birds announced the action where tons of bait was being pushed against the bank by striped bass. What a wonderful sight for hungry anglers. And a upbeat ending to our September Cape Cod trip.

Credit Phil Farnsworth

 

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