The recent exit of Syracuse University in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament put me in a funk that only fishing could cure.  My sympathetic wife, an SU grad, understood my grief.  It was a magical hoops season that ended short of the Final Four.  I’m proud of the SU crew and all the obstacles they overcame.  Still, the sting of just missing the Big Dance in New Orleans hurt.  Spending a quality day fishing was a sure remedy for March Madness Blues.

My plan was to target steelhead in the morning and fish the hendrickson hatch in the afternoon.  With all the warm weather we’ve experienced, Spring was popping along at a remarkable clip.  During the previous warm spell I’d heard reports of stellar steelhead fishing, as well as the start of our seasonal mayflies.  My only steelheading dilemma was which tributary to fish.  Ultimately, I opted to fish a local tributary East of Monroe County.  My spin fishing friend fished this same stretch less than two days before.  He talked about over a dozen hook ups, acrobatic, line breaking steelhead and the difficulty of landing these torpeedos.  I laughed at his inability to land the majority of fish hooked and chalked it up to angling error .  Little did I know that my turn would come and there were factors for those lost fish.

I arrived at a local tributary at dawn and was glad to see no cars.  Immediately, I noticed waking fish moving up and down a long run that ended in a logjam.  Whatever fish were in this 40 yard stretch of creek appeared active.  I roll cast a hot bead black soft hackle steamer and solicited my first response on the third cast.  It was tough not to notice the take, as my line quickly tightened and the rod jumped forward in my hand.  I managed to beach this 22″ steelhead as it shook my hook.  Next, I moved 20 yards upstream and cast again.  As my streamer swung mid current, it was smashed.  I pulled tight and promptly popped my 8 lb flourcarbon tippet.  Over the next fifteen minutes, I either lost or broke off several more fish.  It was my turn to reflect on my lousy landing percentage of fish.  These fish were so hot and aggressive, I now empathized with my friend’s misfortune of lost fish. I also reflected that it was time to make some adjustments.

I clipped my leader, tied on new 12 lb flourocarbon and opted for a hot bead, white soft hackle streamer.  Within a few casts, I landed another mid-sized steelhead.  Over the course of two plus hours, I hooked 10 steelhead on streamers and landed five of them.  One bright fish was landed fishing upstream, while the rest were on the swing across the creek channel, or against structure/brush.  There was a pod of suckers spawning in the middle of the run and I think that it made these fish even more aggressive.  My best fish was an elegant 31″ drop back female hen, post spawn.  She was long and thin, clearly lacking eggs and looking to feed.  To hook ten fish in slightly over two hours is stellar.   I was sated with steelhead.  It was not even 9 am and I turned my thoughts to dry fly fishing.

Minutes later, I was winding my way below Route 104 to connect to the NYS Thruway.  I’d heard that there were hendricksons on the Lower West Branch of the Delaware River, as well as the Main Stem of the Delaware River.  What’s  a three hour drive when you can fish a nice mayfly hatch on the surface?  I stopped by West Branch Anglers Resort and chatted with Sam B.  I also dropped off a few nice gourmet cookies, intended as a small measure of gratitude to the WBAR crew.  Over the course of a season, they put up with my inquisitive phone calls about angling conditions.  Truth be told, I wouldn’t have made the drive if Sam hadn’t provided his candid appraisal of how things were fishing.  I trust the WBAR crew to be fair and measured about conditions, not inflating the fish catching.  Some chunky molasses and peanut butter cookies were the least I could offer.  Besides, I needed to pick up some new flotant.  West Branch Anglers Resort  is a shop that sells Tiempco Dry Magic Fly Flotant, truly super stuff.

Since it wasn’t yet April 1st, I couldn’t legally fish in NYS.  I opted to fish the PA Gamelands.  There were only two other cars in the parking lot.  I arrived to the River before 1pm, it was still sunny and there was a slight breeze.  I hiked down the trail and soon beheld this crown jewel of a fishery.  Not to my surprise, there was a 18″ plus feeding brown with a few feet of the foot path, tucked behind the slack water of a boulder.  That feeding brown made the drive worthwhile.   I enjoyed sitting down, watching it feed as I rigged my 5 weight.  Eventually, I tired of watching it and was ready to time and place my cast.  The fish appeared to be feeding in an oval pattern, rising 2-3 times every 30 seconds.  I crept into position, timed my cast and dropped a nice hendrickson emerger into the feeding lane.  That darn fish few on another natural, within inches of my pattern.  My fly/presentation was scorned several times.  Eventually, I lined the fish and it bolted out of the shallow water.  Not the ending I imagined, but it sure was nice to see a surface feeding fish.

Over the course of the next five hours I landed two browns and one rainbow.  My best trout was a 19″ brown that slurped down a rusty spinner imitation.  All fish came on dry flies.  Honestly, I expected to do better.  There was minimal angling pressure and I had hundreds of yards of river to myself.  There were a few # 14 hendricksons, several early black stoneflies #14-#16, the odd caddis and a healthy hatch of mahogany duns # 16 to # 18.  I suppose they are more accurately called blue quills, but the body sure looked mahogany to me.  There seemed to be enough bugs.  The problem was that the fish wouldn’t rise with any consistency and the wind picked up throughout the afternoon.  If the wind stopped, a fish might rise once, then not again for several minutes or more.  The water was barely at 300 cfs and they were also super spooky.  Even wading cautiously, I put fish down.  It was a surprise to witness  WBD trout this selective this early on, as well as easily spooked.  Still, I’ll take 3 decent WBA trout on a dry fly in March!  Overall, it’s tough to complain with the bountiful angling that NYS afforded me this fine Spring day.  Steelhead in the morning and surface feeding trout to mayflies in the afternoon.  My guess is that few states boast the same combination.  Get on the water, enjoy Spring and may you dream of mayflies!

It’s fair to say that anytime is the right time to fish for steelhead.  These aggressive, acrobatic and colorful fish are fun to catch, period.  Steelhead are worth chasing whenever you have time.  They are in our tributaries from late September through early May.  On the Salmon River (Pulaski, NY) they even be caught in the warmer summer months (Skamania strain).  In most of our Lake Ontario tributaries, steelhead numbers are greater late Fall through early Spring.  Once the warming days of March arrive, steelhead numbers substantially pick up.  In fact, March may be the easiest month of the year to catch a steelhead.  If you haven’t yet cleared your calendar for some early Spring fishing, get to it!  March and steelhead go hand in hand.

During March more fresh fish leave Lake Ontario daily to enter tributaries.  This coincides with the slight warming of water temperature, increased daylight and the need for steelhead to spawn/reproduce.   A heavy, warm rain has the potential to trigger a substantial run of fish.  The more fresh the fish, the more likely it is aggressive and willing to move for a fly.  Also, the lower in the tributary you locate a fresh fish, the more connected they are with their habits from Lake Ontario.  This may especially be a factor in a fresh steelheads’ willingness to chase down a large streamer/bait fish pattern.  I’ll always opt for the chance to hook a fresh, explosive silver bullet recently departed from Lake Ontario, over a winter fish ten miles upstream.  Experienced anglers understand that there is a difference in behavior between a  bright chrome steelie that inhabits a lower tributary for less than a day, compared to a darker steelie upstream that’s been in the system for several weeks.  Fresh fish are more cooperative regarding fly choice, as well as striking harder and fighting better.

This season I’ve been surprised by the low water conditions on our smaller creeks.  While the Genny is presently flowing well over 4,000 cfs and Oak Orchard is moving along nicely, our smaller creeks keep trickling along.  The solid downpour we experienced on Thursday barely elevated creek levels.  In March I’m used to seeing these small creeks another six inches to a foot of water higher.  That said, this has been a unique season.  Some steelhead spawned as early as January.  Early black stoneflies started emerging two weeks ago and I’ve already seen a # 14 tan caddis emerge on two different water systems.  Most of the anglers I’m talking with think that fishing conditions are nearly a month early this season.  Any guesses when we’ll see our first hendricksons this year?  Anyway, water level and water temperature play a critical role in determining how long steelhead stay in a system, when/where they eventually spawn and how long they remain in the tributary after spawning.  The ten day forecast looks unseasonably warm.  This could be the type of season when the greatest number of fish enter in March, produce a quick spawn and retreat due to lower water level/higher water temperatures.  Or, low and  warmer water may just force these fish to spawn sooner and lower down in the tributary.  My best advice is to pay attention to weather patterns, rainfall and plan accordingly.  This advice is more small creek specific.  Larger systems (Oak Orchard, Genny. Oswego, Salmon) are likely to fish well into early May.

I managed to fish twice this week.  The first trip was on the heels of an 18 degree overnight low temperature and there was limited shelf ice on the creek.  It was cold and I suspect the fish lethargic.  We swung flies and each of us managed a bite.  I assured my friend that he would stick at least one fish around a particular “honey hole”.  I was so confident in my assertion of the fishiness of that hole, that I wagered a drink at the local watering hole if he couldn’t entice at least one fish.  It was Norm’s first time at this particular stretch of river.  Within a few casts of the best part of the hole, a nice 26″ female steelie smacked his cone-head streamer as it was twitched around a logjam.   That hen gave up a nice fight, possessed nice clean lines and helped shake off the chill.  She also earned me a nice draft from a local establishment.  I think that Norm immediately became a believer in that hole.  He enjoyed even better success when he returned to fish that same spot three days later, this time fooling two chunky drop back browns.

My second trip was late Friday after work.  I visited two small creeks within 30 minutes of Rochester.  The first tributary was super low and clear.  I managed a 6″ rainbow/steelhead in a plunge pool, fishing a mottled Oregon Cheese egg pattern.  It’s always nice to see wild fish, regardless of size.   In that same plunge pool, I also lost a small steelhead on the same fly.  I then drove to another creek and scouted several hundred yards of creek.  Nowhere could I visually see any concentration of fish or fish on gravel.  Towards dusk, I hiked to a massive bridge hole within a mile of Lake Ontario.  Previously, there were two float fisherman plying the waters.  Now that it was free, I tied on a large black soft hackle bugger w/ a chartreuse trout bead head.  On my fifth swing into the slack water, my streamer was hammered by a fresh 24″ hen.  She cartwheeled, tugged, then leaped like a tarpon.  It was a beautiful fight from a beautiful fish.  It was a great way to close out a Friday.

On my way back to the car, I picked up an assortment of monofilament, hooks, cans, bottles and other trash left stream side.  I’ll never understand why fellow fisherman leave long stretches of fishing line in trees, on rocks, bushes, etc.  March is not only steelhead time it’s also a great time to pick up any trash that might be left around our water.  Foliage is not yet out and the trash stands out.  It’s easy to spot and easy to pick up.  My tip is to keep a plastic bag in my chest pack.  That way,  I have something convenient to put the trash into.  Let’s all take a little time to pick up and to help keep trash out of our wonderful fisheries.

This past week streamer fishing improved.  I managed to fish three times and each trip exclusively swung flies.  Every trip I hooked several fish.  The takes were neither subtle nor casual.  They were aggressive, rod jolting, wake you up and hold on to your rod strikes!  It was the best period of swinging flies that I’ve enjoyed since November.  Nothing shakes of the chill of winter like the tug of a steelhead or brown attached to the end of your line.  Of course, our mild winter has been another blessing, as we’ve mostly avoided cold and wintry conditions.  Still, it’s far more pleasant to not deal with block ice and sub-freezing temperatures.  Best of all, fish are more active and willing to move for a swinging fly with warmer winter temperatures.

This year I’ve seen steelhead on gravel as early as January.  I have witnessed empty redds from steelhead that finished their spawn.  Yesterday, I spotted a pair of spawning fish in a bed.  I also saw plenty of early black stoneflies and several tan caddis on the water.  Our daytime temperatures have been warmer, evening temperature less severe and many creeks have enough water for spawning fish.  The ten day forecast going into the first week of March depicts a warming trend.  It’s a good bet that most steelhead will be spawning early this year.  All signs point towards an early Spring and get on the water if you have a chance.

If you are tired of drifting egg flies and stonefly nymphs, now might be the perfect time to experiment with swinging flies.  Here are a few tips to help get you started:

• Use a 7 weight or 8 weight, fast rod that provides butt strength and speed to  comfortably cast streamers.  Consider a 10′ rod or longer.  The longer rod allows for improved distance, reach and mending when fishing.  Readers of this blog know that I’m a big fan of the JP Ross Switch Rod.
• The leader system doesn’t need to be fancy.  I utilize two simple leader systems.  For fast and heavy water, I loop to loop connect a custom built 5′/7′/9/11′ Tungsten T-14 sink tip, looped to a 3′ stretch of 8 lb or 12 lb flourcarbon leader.  The T-14 sink tip is loop to loop connected to my floating fly line.  The 3′ flourocarbon leader is loop to loop connected to the T-14.  I then connect my streamer with a Lefty Kreh/Non-Slip Loop Knot.  For slower, shallow water I employ a simple 9′ flourocarbon leader.  I loop to loop 5′ of 25 lb flourocarbon butt material to my fly line.  I then blood knot 4′ of 8lb or 10lb fluorocarbon to the butt of 20 lb flourocarbon.  Finally, I connect my streamer to the tippet with the Lefty Kreh/Non-Slip Loop Knot.  These are simple, no-nonsense leaders that manage to turn a streamer over and require minimal formulas and only two diameters of flourocarbon.
• I tend to incorporate weight into all my streamer patterns.  Cone heads, hot beads, tungsten beads and wrapped weight all help get the fly down into the water column.  Another option is to place a split shot directly above the eye of the hook, or to place split shot 10″ or 12″ above your streamer.
  

  Hot Bead Fly Tying Kit – Click Here

• Fancy flies are great and show
  beautiful craftsmanship.  That said, I catch more fish on basic white, black and olive patterns than anything else.  My standard 3″ white soft hackle streamer,  or 3″ black/olive bugger style are producers day in and day out.  My go to fly this week has been the Hot bead, white soft hackle chenille streamer.  If the water is discolored, you might want to fish larger, brighter streamer patterns that push water.  If the water is low and clear, you might be benefited by fishing smaller, more realistic, natural patterns.  Many anglers observe that drop back browns seem to prefer white patterns.  White may best represent forage fish that these browns feed upon.  Steelhead appear less picky, but chartreuse can be a real trigger color for fresh fish.
• Vary your presentation and constantly make adjustments.  Sometimes a fish will hit as the steamer sinks, sometimes it will hit on the swing, other times you may solicit a strike actively retrieving.  This past week, several fish lunged upon my streamer as it sank.  Other fish tugged on it as it swung upwards through the water column. Other fish ate while I twitched it upstream in 4″ mini-strips.
• Cover plenty of water.  Nearly all my strikes this week came from deeper, slower pools.  Also, most hits came on my first few casts through undisturbed water.  I’m looking for more aggressive, territorial fish that are willing to move to smack a fly.  In several cases, my first cast produced a  fish.  You may fish several pools with no luck, then find 2-3 cooperative fish in the next hole.
• Continue to pay attention to stumps, roots, logjams and other creek structure.  These lake run fish are comfortable around trees and there is a strong correlation between fishing this zone and your hook up ratio.  Let’s remember to treat our steelhead and browns as the precious resource that they are.  Take your time releasing these fish, leave them in the water and smash down the barb on all flies.  Finally, we need protect those redds, especially for small, high quality water creeks that possess natural reproduction of steelhead.

Our streams barely received a burp of water between the latest snow run off and light rain.  I was hoping for an invigorating push of water  to bring in fresh fish.  I recently scouted several small creeks East of Rochester.  They appeared pitifully low for mid-February.  After driving some distance, I eventually located a larger creek with slightly more water.  There weren’t any cars in the parking lot, so I decided to make a go of it.  There were however, plenty of angling tracks in the snow pointing to popular holes.  Based on the plentiful tracks and beaten path through the snow, I wasn’t the only one recently fishing that stretch of creek.  I ventured in the opposite direction of the tracks and began walking the bank, looking for visible fish.  If you have decent light and some elevation from the bank, it’s not uncommon to spot fish.  No such luck.  After covering 1/4 mile of stream, I decided to venture back upstream, past all the tracks into an unfamiliar stretch of the creek.

My decision to probe new water was fortuitous.  There were less angling tracks and I liked the looks of the deep, slow moving creek.  A massive log jam stretched across the creek.  This was a series of stumps, root clumps and trees creating structure in the water.  There was also a massive scum line for fish to hide under/feel more secure.  All that wooden structure seemed super fishy.  I nipped off  my estaz stonefly pattern and tied on a chartreuse bead-head, olive bugger around 3′ in length.   I couldn’t back cast due to heavy tree cover and resorted to long roll casts.  That’s when my JP Ross Switch Rod  comes in handy.  Roll casting a good distance, slinging big flies, mending across a current and twitching the desired presentation of a streamer.  To my surprise, I struck out at the massive logjam.  It sure looked fishy and still can’t fathom why a fish didn’t at least flash upon my streamer.  Doesn’t it frustrate you when you fish really productive water that doesn’t reward you?

Moving 40′ upstream, I casually rolled a cast against a root stump.  Within seconds, a moving wake sucked in the olive streamer and I strip set on a hefty, long brown or steelhead.  It was an awesome bite that feeds the spirit of the winter angler.  The take was visually awesome, my strip set fine, but my darn tippet weak.  That fish shook its head, rolled twice and snapped my 8 lb tippet above my fly knot.  There must have been a nick in that fluorocarbon, because I typically land plenty of quality fish on 8 lb fluorocarbon in the winter.  At least I knew that there were fish in the vicinity and that I was doing something right.

I decided to rest that slow stretch of water.  It doesn’t hurt to let things settle down.  I hiked upstream and scouted out new water, keeping eyes scanning for signs of fish.  I didn’t see any fish, but made mental notes of holes that I intended to fish in the future.  After 30 minutes, I returned to the slow stretch of water where I broke off that nice fish against the root stump.  This time, I lengthened my leader with fresh tippet material and knotted on a chartreuse hot bead, white soft-hackle chenille streamer.  In this slack water stretch, 100′ above the spot where I lost the first fish, there was a upturned root clump.  I roll cast my fly 30′ downstream towards the far bank, threw a downstream mend in the line and let the current pull my weighted fly towards the center, into the root clump.  As my white streamer started to swing into the middle of the current, an assertive 24″ steelhead hen smacked my fly.  She put up a nice little fight and was soon brought to net.  It was nice to admire her prominent black spots and striking rose colors.

In a little over an hour of fishing, I lost a hefty fish and landed a nice steelhead.  I needed to get home and was satisfied with that winter outing.  Driving home, I reflected upon the experience.  Both fish were on streamers and both were against fallen logs/stumps.  These tributary fish return to the comfort of tree structure when they leave the lake.  Over the years, some of my most memorable streamer hits have been around logjams, roots or against fallen trees.  The risk of getting snagged or losing your fly are outnumbered by the fishy benefits that these wood zones offer.  Losing a fly is  a risk you take when you fish here.  The bottom line is that tree structures are fish havens.  They merit our attention both as conservationists and anglers.  If you’re looking to target those drop back browns or steelhead from Lake Ontario, it won”t hurt to made additional casts to logjams and root stumps. I’m already looking forward to my next trip and know that I’ll pay a little more attention to these fallen trees over the next two months.

After my last bumbling episode for steelhead, I figured that I needed angling redemption.  Problem was, I didn’t have much time to fish.  Between teaching, coaching, parenting, fishing presentations and Angler’s Workshop, I just couldn’t finagle time to fish.  Don’t you hate it when other commitments get in the way of fishing!  After several attempts at creative scheduling, I developed a plan that allowed an hour to spend on the water.  It wasn’t ideal, but some time on the water is better than no time on the water.  Since I didn’t have time to drive to my preferred location, I drove to a nearby small creek.

I never gear up at the car.  Instead, I walk to the stream, sit down and quietly observe  conditions.  Spending time monitoring the water, listening, glancing over fishy areas with my polarized glasses and slowing down my approach tends to pay dividends.  The water was flowing nicely and slightly high.  There are great gravel beds, pools, logjams and structure in this small creek that attract steelhead.  The water clarity was fine, there was some overhead sun and I was afforded good visibility for spotting fish.  I didn’t spot any fish below the bridge hole, but opted to tie on a white chenille, soft hackle w/ hot bead streamer.  The combination of white, maribou, soft hackle, sparkle, and chartreuse hot bead is a tasty morsel for winter steelhead.  You can dead drift this, deeply mining the darkest portion of  a hole.  Or, this streamer can be actively retrieved or presented on the swing.  All ways catch fish.

I tried a dozen different casts and retrieves at the bridge hole with no success.  There weren’t visible signs of a steelhead.  Next, I took advantage of the overhead sun.  Sunlight provided me with clear water visibility and  I scouted downstream.  Below a series of logs, I promptly spied several dark shapes.  The fish were in a foot of water on a gravel stretch, jockeying and chasing each other.  They also detected my movement and darted for cover.  I thought to myself that it sure seemed early for those steelhead to be on gravel.  I sat back down on a hillside that afforded me a clear view of 30 yards of water.  Within a few minutes, the fish were at the top of the run.  They positioned just above a logjam, below a gravel bank drop off.  I let them settle down and didn’t want to spook them again.  I crept way below downstream, crossed the creek, then carefully positioned myself 20′ above the fish, kneeling and staying low.  That initial approach and presentation is so important.  I didn’t want to stir up the water and send a discolored batch of water into these fish.  I also wanted to stay low, so that I didn’t spook them any more.

Casting from my knees, I lobbed my white streamer out to tease a fish.  I swung, dead drifted, changed streamers three times and couldn’t spark any interest in those fish.  I could see them chasing each other, siding up and interacting in their territorial/pre-spawn way.  They repeatedly ignored my streamer.  With the clock ticking, I decided to lengthen my leader and tie on a # 14, light mottled pink egg sack.  I high stick drifted the fly down steam, towards a pair of fish and the steelhead rushed my fly.  I was so surprised by the aggression and sudden movement, that I didn’t set the hook/tighten up.  My second cast was off, but the same fish showed interest.  My third cast was drifting a foot above her in the water column, when the nice hen quickly rose and sucked it in.  She darted downstream, under a log and it took several minutes to catch up with this fresh female steelhead.  She wasn’t huge, perhaps 23″ or 24″, but had a nice silver and rose glow to her cheeks.  She looked chunky and well-fed, evidence that she eaten well in Lake Ontario.  I would have preferred to catch that special fish on a streamer, but the egg pattern immediately worked.  I’ll take those results in an hour of fishing.   Now that we’re entering mid-February, look for more fresh fish each day.  Covering plenty of water, mining your fly in different pools and observing behavior of these fish will contribute to your success.  If you see fish that won’t feed, don’t be afraid to experiment with different fly patterns.  Finally, as we enter spawning season, let’s stay off nests and make sure we continue to release these beautiful steelhead.

Craig and I decided we were going to take a couple hours and do some New Years Steelhead fishing.  We went to one of our favorite Lake Ontario tributaries and was greeted with bright and shiny Posted signs. We found what we believed to be a public section of the tributary and gained access through that point. A bit further downstream of this unposted area, we ran into an angry land owner who told us to leave or he was going to call the cops.

Of course we left immediately and it started a conversation between Craig and me about what New York State actually says about fishing rights in the rivers, and creeks we fish so often. There are two things to know when fishing private land. One is the “navigable in law” rule and the other is Public Fishing Rights. This is what we found out.

• New York allows the right to navigate on freshwater waterways that are non-tidal even if that waterway is private property. This is how the DEC defines this New York State Law:

Q.
May a person travel in a boat or canoe on a waterway which is posted?

A.
The answer to this question depends in part on whether the waterway is subject to the tides. Waterways that are affected by the tides are considered to be “navigable in law” and the public automatically has a right to navigate on these waters, regardless of who owns the bed or if the waterway is posted.  The issue of whether the public has a right to navigate on freshwater waterways not affected by the tides is more complex. The public has a right to navigate on freshwater waterways that are publicly owned, but has a right to navigate on freshwater waterways crossing private property only if the waterway is “navigable in fact.”  The courts have held that a waterway is navigable in fact if, in its natural state and ordinary volume of water, it has practical utility to the public as a highway for trade, travel or transport. Both utility for commercial use and capacity for recreational use can be considered in determining whether a waterway has such practical utility. If a waterway satisfies this test, it is navigable in fact regardless of whether a court has ever made a finding on the issue, and regardless of whether the property owner posts no trespassing signs on the waterway.

A waterway may be navigable in fact even if it is not capable of being navigated against its current and even if the capacity of the waterway for supporting navigation is not continuous over time, as long as the capacity necessary to support navigation continues for a sufficient length of time to make the waterway useful as a highway for trade, travel or transport. A waterway may also be navigable in fact even where it contains occasional rapids, falls, dams or other natural or manmade obstructions so long as it nonetheless is useful as a highway for trade, travel or transport. If a waterway is navigable in fact, the right to public navigation authorizes a boater to get out of the boat to pull it around obstacles or to get around obstacles by portaging over private property, so long as the portage is by the most direct and least intrusive safe route possible. The right to navigation does not authorize the public to go on private land for purposes not directly related to navigation, such as camping, hunting, or hiking. Also, the public may not cross private property for the purpose of accessing or leaving a navigable waterway.

Q.
If I have a right to navigate on a waterway, do I also have the right to fish from my boat on that waterway?

A. It is clear that the public has a right to fish in tidal waterways and publicly owned non-tidal waterways.  However, the fact that a particular freshwater waterway on private property is navigable in fact does not by itself mean that the public has a right to fish in the waterway. The right to fish on a privately owned, navigable in fact waterway depends on several factors, including: deeded rights of the property owner; whether the State has acquired public fishing rights from the land owner; and whether the public has acquired the right to fish as a result of a history of fishing without landowner permission. A 1997 New York Court of Appeals ruling found that the public did not have a right to wade in the water to fish, or anchor a vessel to fish, in thenavigable in fact freshwater Salmon River where it crossed property owned by Douglaston Manor.  Wherever fishing is permitted, you must remember to acquire any necessary permit and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Conclusion:
The issues of whether particular freshwater waterways are navigable in fact and whether the public has a right to fish in privately-owned waterways that are navigable in fact can be complex. When in doubt, the prudent paddler or angler will consult with the landowner and, if that does not result in a satisfactory resolution, Department of Environmental Conservation personnel.

• New York State Public Fishing Rights

I know that most of my fly fishing friends know these laws but as we travel around the country and sometimes other countries sometimes the laws get a bit muddled and we tend to forget the laws of our home state. I for one will be quite a bit more cautious when fishing private land.

Like many Americans, our family recently received boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.  I purchased mine through a Girl Scout in my classroom.  My wife bought some through a local Brownie Troop.  Enjoying these cookies is an annual Fall tradition.  Another Fall tradition is chasing lake run brownies.  Have you ever noticed that really good tributary fishing for brown trout, coincides with Brownies dropping off Girl Scout Cookies?  It’s what I call “Brownie Time”.  When Brownies start delivering cookies,  count on plenty of lake run browns in our tributaries.

Recently, two friends and I enjoyed a stellar day of brownie fishing.  We arrived at dawn to a mid-sized tributary that was reported to hold large numbers of browns.  We chose a lower stretch of the creek, within 1/2 mile of Lake Ontario.  We knew that water levels continued to stay low and that this would encourage lake run fish to remain in the lower stretches.   On smaller creeks, low water forces fish into limited, deeper holes.   We were not disappointed.  Over the course of the day we saw hundreds of fish.  We each landed over a dozen and tangled with plenty more.  It was an epic day of catching browns.   We enjoyed several double hook ups.  While there were a few fish on gravel, the majority were holed up in deeper water.  If you could avoid spooking the pod of fish, you stood a better chance of hooking up.

I can’t say that it was terribly technical nor challenging fly fishing.  It was more about getting outside, leaving work behind and spending quality time on the water.  It was also about the pure, unadulterated fun of pulling on quality fish with friends.  We caught browns on all types of egg imitations and managed a few on streamers.  Over the course of a day fishing, we noticed several trends and/or observations that might help fellow tributary anglers.  These include:

Small, realistic, muted color egg patterns were most effective.  Some of our best patterns were the size of a pea, on a #10 or #12 hook.  There was a particular stretch in the afternoon when diminutive egg patterns out fished egg sacks.  A spin fishing friend and I fished one stretch together, fishing side by side.  It’s rare for my flies to out fish his scented skein.  When I fish near my egg sack fishing friends, they have a tendency to hammer fish.  In this case, the large, scented chunk of egg sack was too much for these fish.

In slow water stretches, I used an indicator, no weight and lightened my tippet.  Fishing 6lb or 7lb tippet allows the fly to get down faster and I didn’t need to add any weight to the fly.  FYI, I tie some of my egg patterns on a heavy wire live bait hook (Mustad #9174).  The pure weight of the hook is enough to get the fly down near the bottom.

The indicator was essential in detecting the strike.  In some holes, there were thirty or more fish.  If your indicator twitched and you tightened up your line, you might foul hook a fish.  There were that many browns, that they were constantly swimming into the leader/fly.  You had to rely upon the indicator to plunge/stop/abruptly move, discerning it from the casual movement caused by a fish swimming into the line.  After practice, you can distinguish an indicator that’s moving because of unintentional contact with the fish, versus a fish that has actively bitten your fly.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different color streamers.  With such a dense concentration of fish, target opportunistic fish that might chase down a streamer.  On this particular day, my white chenille soft hackle streamer and an olive bead chain bugger were most effective.  All you need is one aggressive,  rogue fish to make it worth streamer fishing.  Curiously, browns preferred the white chenille soft hackle streamer and steelhead preferred the olive chain bugger w/ a chartreuse head

Be on the lookout for greedy steelhead.  One run may have forty browns and two steelhead.  Odds are that the steelhead will be the most aggressive fish in the group.  You want a steelhead willing to track down a moving streamer.  I sight fished two particular steelhead with streamers, amongst a pod of browns.  It’s awesome to watch them weave in and out of fellow brownies, tracking down a twitching streamer.  My best steelhead of the day, a well-colored 28″ male took on my 3rd presentation.  It lazily followed the first two times, then lunged as I teasingly stripped it out of reach.  It might have helped, that my two steelhead streamer fish, both came on an olive beach chain bugger with a chartreuse head.  It’s not always true, but chartreuse can be a hot trigger color for these guys.  I like to think that one streamer caught fish is worthy several caught on egg patterns.

As we move closer to Thanksgiving, support your local Brownie Troop and enjoy some cookies.  As important, give thanks to the wonderful fisheries that we enjoy in Upstate New York.  We are richly blessed with abundant angling opportunities in the Empire State.  Let’s continue to protect our water quality, give thanks for our great fishing and remember to take a kid fishing!

April  delivered a record 5.8 inches of rain.  So much rain, that larger tributaries were rendered not fishable for days at a time.  Cool springtime air temperatures also held tributary temperatures below 50 degrees.  All this rain, coupled with cooler temperatures, work to keep steelhead in tributaries later through the season.  While the bulk of the spawn is over, there are always late spawners, holdover fish, slower drop back fish and even the odd fresh fish to target.   Our early May weather continues to support cool tributaries with plenty of water.  This may be one of the best years of recent to target steelhead later in the season!

To celebrate the start of May, a friend and I fished a well regarded tributary West of Rochester.  To our surprise, there were no cars at the access area.  The creek had a decent 2′ plus of visibility and was still running high.  We like these conditions for swinging flies.  We hiked downstream and proceeded to prospect each hole.

I fished my JP Ross Switch Rod and attached a 6′ custom tip of T-14 to my Rio 8 weight line.  For a leader, I employed a short 2′ stretch of 20 lb fluorocarbon, blood knotted to a 2′ of 12 fluorocarbon tippet.  When swinging flies or actively fishing streamers, my leader is almost always under 4′ or 5′.  When a large predator decides to inhale a bait fish, leader shyness is not a factor.  I want something that I can fish close to bottom or structure.  It also needs to get down quickly and provide me with solid control.  Water discoloration eases any concern about leader shyness, or having to drop down to a lower pound test.  With 12 lb test, you can pull on fish and keep them from structure, or taking off downstream.

Each of us  fished a different fly pattern.  I tried darker browns and olives, while my friend opted with a standard white zonker.  Over the course of the morning, we only hooked two steelhead (not counting chubs/fingerlings).  Both fish were bright, solid and acrobatic.  The female hen that I landed, smashed my fly as it swept across  the head of a pool.  One steelhead on the swing is worth five fish nymphed.  On the aggressive strike she became self hooked and instantly cartwheeled across the surface.  Thrashing about and darting around the pool, it was a rush to fight this fresh female.  She was valiant,  bright and fresh from the lake.  To our surprise, she was also loaded with eggs.  This goes to show you that not all of the spawn is over by May.  Your odds of landing plenty of steelhead in May are typically diminished.  At the same time, the probability of having less crowded water, aggressive fish and catching one on the swing is greater.  Those are angling odds that I like.   A bright streamer caught fish during May is a bonus.  Finally, it’s awesome that we can catch steelhead in Upstate NY from September through May.  Nine months of targeting steelhead in tributaries sure wets the angling appetite!

Daffodils are blooming in front of the house and birdsong welcomes each day.  It must be springtime!  The soaking rain we enjoyed last night gave a nice boost of water to our tributaries.  Before the rainfall, small tributaries were especially  low and clear.  We’re now into mid-April and by now, many of our small creeks  experienced an active spawn of steelhead over the past six weeks.  Steelhead spawn sooner in small creeks.  Water temperature warms quicker and they tend to do their business before their brethren in  large tributaries.  While larger systems such as the Cat, Oak Orchard, Sandy, Genny, Oswego and Salmon River all fish well through the month and into May, small creeks can be more fickle.   Low water, quickly warming temperatures and bright sun, convince steelhead to linger less in small creeks.  While there are always stragglers and exceptions, fellow anglers shouldn’t be surprised if the see fewer fish from now until the end of the month.

At the same time, April steelheading offers some of the finest action of the year.  I’m particularly attracted to sight fishing and swinging large streamers for these chromers.  Catch numbers may be down, but the ferocity of strikes, aggressive nature of drop back fish and improved fight make April steelheading a wonderful option.  Here are a few  strategies that you might consider adding to your bag of angling tricks:

• Look for the shadow, not the fish.  Darker fish blend in well and a shadow can give away a non-moving steelehead.  Bright, overhead sun can be your friend.  Use it to your advantage to look for shadows and strive to keep your shadow off the water.  The picture shows a 28″ female that is easily detected by her shadow.
• Look for that crimson slash around the gill plate, the white of a mouth, a quivering tail, or the gentle sway of a holding fish.  Unless they are actively on gravel, most larger tributary fish will prefer deeper holes during bright sun, or gravitate towards logs/boulders/undercut banks.
• Find spawning suckers and you will likely find a few opportunistic post spawn browns or steelhead.  Look for the darker shapes, larger figures or nervousness of suckers as telltale signs that larger tributary salmonids are present.  It’s tough to beat a sucker spawn fly w/ a dash of chartreuse to entice that greedy steelhead!
• Spooky steelhead require different, lighter tactics.  Drop down your tippet size (4lb to 6lb), lengthen your leader (10′ to 12′), minimize the flash and color on your fly, and deliver your cast with as much stealth as possible.  I prefer to use a white yarn or black yarn indicator that barely makes any splash.  These are less likely to cause alarm with a wary, shallow water steelhead.
• My best streamer success with low, clear water steelhead comes with sparse, realistic minnow imitations.  I sometimes fish lightly dressed, translucent saltwater bait fish patterns.  These are more realistic in profile than a typical rabbit zonker and offer a more subtle approach.
• Target the most aggressive steelhead in the bunch.  Also, there is no need to make dozens and dozens of casts to a fish that sees your fly, yet doesn’t respond.  Switch flies, vary your patterns and make each cast count.  When a fish actively moves away from your fly, then your presence is likely detected.  If I don’t dupe a fish within my first ten casts and I know that my fly has been in the zone, I switch patterns or techniques.  Or, I continue to scout other areas of the creek that might present more cooperative fish.
• Lastly, leave those wonderful reproducing females alone!  It’s a magnificent sight to witness steelhead spawning.  If a female is on gravel and in shallow water, let her be.  It’s a treat of nature to enjoy this spectacle.  She merits protection.  We have several waterways that actually have a degree to natural reproduction, well worth preserving.  Besides, she’ll be a fine target as a drop back fish in another few days.

Steelhead fishing has improved the last two weeks.  The betterment of conditions is most evident in small tributaries.  These clear quicker after snow melt or a heavy rain.  They warm sooner than large systems.  Based on our weather conditions, I’ve focused my attention on two tiny Western New York tributaries that flow into Lake Ontario.  It’s easier to locate fish in smaller, more shallow water.  I also find that these conditions coincide nicely with improved streamer fishing for salmonids.  Perhaps it is the mildly warmer water temperature, but these fish are more likely to aggressively pursue a streamer.  After a winter of primarily dead-drifting flies, swinging beefy steamers sure sounds appealing.

I’ve managed to fish twice within the past few days and fooled fish each trip.  While more fish came on a size #14 mottled pale egg pattern, I duped one each trip on a swung streamer.  An aggressive fish hammering a streamer, is worth several dead drifted caught fish in my book!

Today’s streamer caught steelhead was memorable.  Over the last two years I’ve fished a large bridge pool with considerable success.  All fish were caught from a downstream position.  On multiple occasions I’ve fished nymphs, egg patterns and streamers from above the bridge with no luck.  As a confident angler, it never made sense to me that I couldn’t entice a fish from an upstream position at this particular hole.  I love the current sweep, drop off, shelter and general ambush points, especially  underneath the bridge structure.  Until today, I couldn’t find a fish to agree with me.

I roll cast a chartreuse bead head, white rabbit zonker underneath the bridge.  On the third cast,  my streamer was intercepted as it swept across the current.  The forceful attack jolted the fly rod and I was tight to a leaping steelhead.  She cleared the water with acrobatic jumps, then tail walked downstream using the strong current.  I wasn’t certain that I could bring her back upstream, positioned directly above her and fighting the current.  After a tug of war, I succeeded in winching her upstream and levering her away from the current.  She was a beautiful 26″ colored hen.  Sometimes a fresh fish has moxy and this wonderful gal has it in spades!  My persistence fishing that particular location finally paid off with a smashing take and and special steelhead.

In previous blogs, I’ve chronicled an increase in Posted/No Trespassing Signs on our tributaries.  Today, I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with a landowner who posts his property.  He politely denied my request to fish his posted property.  I showed him a large handful of monofilament that I picked up, as well as a trash bag that I use to pick up stream side trash.  To no avail, he wouldn’t grant access.  He cited recent DEC/angler incidents next to his property, as well as a drinking angler altercation below his property requiring police involvement.  The visible angler trash near his yard didn’t help matters.

I don’t intend to get too preachy here, but let’s all continue to be vigilant regarding our precious waterways.  I picked up yards of discarded monofilament, egg containers, beer bottles, soda cans and general refuse.   I carry a plastic bag in my waist pack.  My simple strategy is to pick up trash on my way back to the car.  I’d like to think that this act of stewardship helps model responsibility for fellow anglers.  At very least, it removes some pollution from the banks of our waterways.  Even better, I feel good about the contribution that I’m making.  If we aren’t vigilant in safeguarding our waters, who else is going to do it?