On Monday, January 18th a group of men including Kenny Klimes, Jim Craig, Sid Aslin, Scott Payne, Bob Beckett, Vernon Preston, Vernon’s friend Ron, Glenn Haake, and a guest appearance by Charlie Trankler, made a trip to Montauk. In the spirit of ‘Quarantining’, everyone met at the conservation shack around 8:30ish in the morning. The day started off cloudy and chilly but warmed up in the upper 40’s after lunch. It was a pleasant day to be on the chase for trout.
The morning started slow but warmed up with Kenny putting several in the net on small black zebra midges. Seeing this a few others “went small” and started to have some luck, putting a few in their nets. The morning action was mixed, where some had a decent morning, while others struggled. There were plenty of fish in the river, you just had to find what they wanted.
The group met for lunch, (running into Charlie) at noon and swapped stories and strategies. After lunch, Kenny and Glenn headed to the bridge by the campground and the others picked up where they left off. Kenny and Glenn had a decent afternoon fishing from the bridge to the handicapped area. Glenn focused on a small soft hackle and crackleback, putting several tiny to small fish in his net. Kenny continued having a decent afternoon with his small flies and even caught one on his “Ozzie” fly, made from the hair of his daughter’s dog. As they were working their way down river, Kenny must have been hot, because he decided to take a cool off with a bit of a bath in the middle of the river. When he was finished cleaning up, he continued working down the river.
This is Kenny and let us talk about “my bath”. First, when fishing be cognizant of your surroundings. Sometimes I get concentrating so hard that I think the river bottom is all the same as I move swiftly downstream. Then you meet a 3-inch rock that decides to thwart your movement. Of course, it is not the first time this has happened to me, but I learn for a few months and then I forget. BUT HERE IS THE REAL LESSON that I want you to learn. Winter fishing can be dangerous – if not ready it can lead to serious consequences, like hypothermia. With temperatures in the 30’s and falling in the water it does not take long if improperly dressed to get hypothermia and, well, die! You read above that Glenn said, “and he continued working down the river”. I was able to not miss a beat because I was “properly clothed”. NO COTTON – in other words no jeans under my waders, no cotton hoodie to keep me warm, no cotton socks, etc. Do you get the picture? Wool or the new wicking material, wool socks (always), wading belt, etc. Check this website for several blogs that I have written about winter fishing and the clothing to wear.
The group that remained in the fly area had a mixed afternoon, but most found that small was the answer. Midges, small stonefly, and soft hackles seemed to be the ticket. Why small in the winter? Well, with few hatches and the trout slightly lethargic from the cold-water temperatures the few bugs that are around in the winter are small – like midges. And you may have to hit the trout on the head since they may not want to chase your fly, so yes, presentation, presentation, presentation!!
After a good day fishing (is there really ever a bad day) a couple of guys headed home while the rest of the group headed to the Tater Patch in Rolla. Rumor has it that this place may become a regular stop on the FATC circuit.
If you plan a day at Montauk in the near future, leave your big stuff at home and “keep it small”.
