May Showers Bring June Flowers?

 My thoughts go out to our Yates County neighbors down in Penn Yan devastated by flooding rains a few weeks ago.  Roadways, homes, and businesses all succumbed to the torrential downpour with some structures reported as total losses.  In addition to the donations normally accepted by the Red Cross for disaster relief, to make a donation that will be directed specifically to the Penn Yan area relief effort, you can call the Development office of the American Red Cross.  The numbers there are 585-241-4421 or 585-241-4420.  More relief effort information can be found at this Leader article.

I got to partake in some spring fed creek action a week ago where I got my first dry fly action of the year and my largest trout ever on that particular stretch.  The couple trout on the surface came courtesy of a size 16 BWO and the 16 incher came on a size 16 BH PT as a dropper off a Hendrickson nymph.  Enjoy the pictures and the holiday weekend!

May Steel?!

Got out to the Genny earlier this evening for some late spring steel.  It was the highest I've ever fished it successfully at a gauge reading of ~2,800 CFS.  I'm not sure I'd visit at much higher flows for swinging as much of the bank disappears and the change in depth of the (now underwater) banks varies too much for my liking.

Turbidity was perfect considering the higher flow at 20 and water temperature was downright balmy at 55F!  Perfect swinging conditions and those chromers responded!  3 hooked and one half landed in the couple hours I had available.  I say half landed because as I went to handle him and remove the hook, he squirmed away and popped the hook on me.  Darn it!

That fish was my first ever Lake Ontario steelie and what battle it had in it!  A quick jolt out of my swinging cadence, 3 runs, and 5 butterfingers later makes me yearn for the next time I get to catch one of these beautiful fish.

A snag in the rocks ended my day but it was one of those days, like that first fish on the fly, that I'll never forget.