WNY Fly Fishing Private Lessons

I offer private lessons for fly casting, the cost in $60.00 per student for two hours for casting, equipment, knots and general fly fishing. E mail me at jimguida@hotmail.com











I work with Project Healing Waters as well as Women In The Outdoors

Flies For Sale

My Patterns are as follows: Guida's Mirrored Minnows $2.50 ea, Guida's White Lighting/Black Thunder $2.00 ea, Guida's Emerald Shiners $2.00 ea, Hairballs, sucker spawn, single eggs $1.00 ea all orders must be in Qty's of 5's or 10's per style
e-mail orders to jimguida@hotmail.com

WNY Fly Fishing Trout Camps

Trout Camps are in the spring for inland trout. The classes are six hours and cover casting, fly selection, and reading the water. We provide lunch, guides, flies/leaders/tippet, rods and reels if needed, you must bring waders and wading boots, sunglasses. This is the best way to start out fly fishing and learn from some of the best instructors in WNY.

Cost is $250.00 per person $350.00 per two
Please call Brian Slavinski
716-834-4331















Monday, February 23, 2009

Dry Flies at Gander Mountian

This friday we will have Bruce barrclaugh for dry flies, the class starts at 7 and goes until 9. Bruce is a great tyer and loves to fish spring creek, so come in and see him at work.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Special Thanks

I want to give a special thanks to Brian Woods for coming to Gander Mountian and tying up some of his fav stonefly patterns. Brian is a very talented tyer and i am hoping to bring him back to do some dries.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Stoneflies at Gander Mountian

This Friday we will have a Brian Woods on hand at gander mountian to tie stoneflies. The class will start at 7 and go to 9. Brian s a very good fly tyer and you can learn some new flies. Hope to see you at 7.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Our Thoughts and Prayers

One cannot put into words about the tragic event that happened last night; my heart goes out to all the families of this terrible accident.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Nymphing Tactics

NYMPHING
by Gary Borger

Nymphing has been called the most difficult form of fly fishing. There is a mystique about it, an aura of almost magical quality, a mistaken notion that the nymph fisher is somehow more sophisticated, more in tune with the fish and its food organisms than mere mortals. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Nymph fishing is just another form of fly fishing and no more nor no less difficult to learn or practice than any other form of fly fishing.
The tackle used to fish nymphs is not any different than the tackle used to fish other fly style. True, some rods are better for certain nymphing tactics, but those same rods would also be better for some dry fly tactics or streamer tactics, too. True, there are a few minor variations in leader design and ancillary equipment items (such as indicators), but minor variations also exist in the fishing of other fly forms and require little in the way of learning. To become a good nymph fisher, all the angler has to do is learn a few new tactics. These tactics are not hard to learn nor hard to practice.

Big browns, like most big trout, collect most of their food under the surface.
Photo: GARY BORGER
Nymph fishing really begins with a firm understanding of the fish's food organisms. Not necessarily their scientific names and the terminology that describes even their most intimate parts, but a knowledge of how the food organisms behave, what waters they occupy, and when and how fish eat them. For example, fishing a scud imitation along the bottom 12 feet down is not usually productive in most waters because the majority of scuds live in water less than 6 feet deep. On the other hand, fishing a scud with action in 3 feet of water will often bring more strikes than fishing the same fly dead drift because scuds are highly mobile creatures. It's information like this that can mean the difference between an OK day and a sterling one.
Fly tying (or fly selection for the non-tier) is so intimately linked to an understanding of the food organisms that the two areas should be learned as one. It is impossible to design highly effective flies unless the tier knows how the food organism behaves and how the fly will be fished. For example, a fly to be dead-drifted just under the film and representing a molting insect will be designed with different materials than a fly designed to swim during an active retrieve.
The thorough nymph fisher should also be highly conversant with current flow. Not the simple two-dimensional flow that would affect the drift of a dry fly, but three-dimensional flow that affects both the vertical and horizontal position of the nymph in the water column. Of all the areas of misunderstanding in nymph fishing, this is certainly the most problematic. It's an area with which the ardent nymphing student should become completely familiar.
Selecting the correct angling tactic (casting, line handling, drift method, and so forth) is also an area that causes difficulty for many anglers. However, once the fly fisher is familiar with the other aspects of nymphing, tactic selection almost seems to fall into place.
One way to rapidly acquire nymphing skills is not to look for the tactics and tackle that make it different, but rather to look for the similarities between nymphing and other forms of fly fishing. For example, anglers like to fish the dry fly because the fish's take is so easily seen; there's definitely a deep-seated thrill in seeing the snout of a ten-pound brown poke out and delicately sip a tiny dry from the film! Well, fishing a nymph just under the surface is precisely the same as fishing a dry fly, except the nymphal imitation is not visible and so the fly fisher must rely on other clues to "see" the fish's take.

Takes just under the film are sometimes confused with surface feeding.
Photo: GARY BORGER
Nymphing just under the film uses precisely the same tackle and tactics as dry fly fishing. The same rod, the same floating line, the same Harvey-style leader (thin butt section, long tippet). The casting and line handling tactics are the same ones that offer the surface dead drift so ardently sought by the dry fly angler. The nymph is after all "on the surface," it's just on the under side of the surface not on the top side like a dry fly.
When fishing downstream, the nymphing caster would employ the Parachute Mend to provide controllable slack that is fed into the currents to run the fly downstream without drag. Fishing across, the caster could choose a Reach Mend, a Curve Mend, a Curve Cast, a Hump Mend, or various on-the-water mends to defeat drag. Fishing up, or up and across, the angler would choose a Reach Mend, a Puddle Cast, or a Pile Cast to eliminate the onus of drag. Dry fly tactics one and all.
So, you see, the tackle and casting and line handling tactics are no different. Nothing new to learn there. It's the seeing of the take that is different. Thus, by learning one small variable (how to see the take), the fly fisher can immediately acquire the film-nymphing skills.
To see the take in smooth-flowing water, use the Greased Leader Tactic. Coat the leader with a paste-type fly floatant to within six inches of the fly. The leader will ride on top and hold the fly just under the film. Additionally, it will serve as the strike indicator. When the leader draws or pulls under sharply, set the hook. In fast water use a yarn, foam, or line-segment indicator or hang the nymph under a hard-to-sink dry such as a Goddard Caddis, Bivisible, etc.
Like all types of fly fishing, nymphing requires a good dose of common sense, careful observation, and a little attention to detail. Beyond that, the nymph fisher is the same as any other fly fisher, except that under the right conditions, the nymph fisher will be much more successful. And since much success in fly fishing is far more fun than little or no success, and since relaxation and enjoyment are the end goals of our sport, it stands to reason that all fly fishers should know and polish the skills of nymph fishing.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Tips for Catching Early Spring Trout

John Geirach's Tips for Catching Early-Spring Trout
It may still seem like winter, but hungry trout are ready for action.
Article by John Gierach. Uploaded on February 18, 2005

Early one spring, the head guide at a fishing lodge on Colorado's West Slope asked a friend and me to help him scout some area lakes. He wanted to see how the fish had held up before his first clients arrived, and he needed a couple of extra rods to cover the water. There was a set of large ponds strung up a narrow valley that didn't get much sun. They were still half frozen, but the trout were lying along the ice shelf as if it were an undercut bank. The trick was to drop a weighted Woolly Bugger within an inch of the lip, let it sink for a count of five, and begin a slow retrieve. These rainbows were between 18 and 22 inches, they were hungry, and they hadn't been pestered for six months. It was almost too easy.
Of course, the fishing isn't always that hot when winter is melting into spring, but spending some time doing early-season scouting gives you a head start. The more fishing you do in less than ideal conditions, the more you'll learn about trout and about your own region, and that will make you a better fisherman. In every area where trout live, there are a few good early-season bets. Spring creeks have more uniform water temperatures, so they'll probably be open and fishable sooner than the surrounding freestone streams. The same goes for tailwaters, since streams fed by bottom-draw dams function as artificial spring creeks. Early fishing in spring creeks and tailwaters can involve a lot of nymphing, but hatches sometimes come off ahead of schedule in the warmer water, especially those of small aquatic insects like midges and the miniature, drab mayflies that flyfishermen call bluewing olives.
One advantage spring creeks have over tailwaters is that, although their flows do change, they usually fluctuate gradually. Water levels below dams can increase suddenly and drastically, and I'm convinced that it can take several days for trout to adjust to the higher water and start feeding again. Check the stream flows before you head out, and try to go when water levels have been stable for a few days. In the coldest weather, spring creeks and tailwaters will probably fish better close to their sources than they will miles downstream.
Watch the MercuryThe water in spring-fed ponds and lakes also tends to stay warmer than in those without springs (which is why the ice on them is seldom safe to walk on, even in the dead of winter), and they'll usually be the first bodies of still water to thaw. It's not always clear which lakes are spring-fed and which aren't, but one that has a slushy end or a corner of open water when every other lake in the neighborhood is frozen solid is a good bet. Of course, spring-fed lakes share the same advantage as spring creeks and tailwaters: Their stable temperatures and rich water chemistry increase both their growing season and their biomass, so they're capable of growing some very large trout.
Because weather conditions change rapidly with the seasons, you should always pay close attention and react quickly to weather-related opportunities. For instance, here in northern Colorado we get periodic late-winter thaws that can warm the water in streams just enough to get the trout biting. (If the water is already in the high 30s, a few degrees will do it.) These warm spells are sometimes accompanied by strong, warm chinook winds that can push the already thinning ice off of lakes that might otherwise have stayed frozen for another few weeks.
Naturally, a lake in a meadow in full sun will probably thaw sooner than one in a deep, shady forest; a stream on the south slope of a mountain will have more active fish sooner than one on the north side. It's true that a lot of early-season fishing will be marginal, and that's probably the best way to anticipate it: You'll get out, have a look around, and maybe catch a fish or two that you wouldn't have caught if you'd stayed home. But now and then, the fishing will be at its bestt at the ragged edge of the season. Maybe it's because the fish are excited by the first real hatch of the year, or they haven't been pounded into wariness by the mobs of fishermen that will arrive in another month. Or maybe it's that the water you're working wasn't fished by someone else just an hour before.
The great early days are impossible to predict, but one thing is sure: You'll miss them if you don't go fishing.
Test the WatersExperts contend that if the water is colder than 44 degrees, trout metabolisms are too slow and they won't feed. It's a good rule of thumb, but if you've gone somewhere only to find the water still a little too chilly, fish for an hour anyway. I've caught too many trout from 39-degree water to take that 44-degree mark as gospel.

Total Pageviews

Search My Blog

WNY Hatch Chart

Name Size Dates
Stoneflies 10-18 April - September
B.W.O 18-22 April - September
Hendrickson 12-14 April - May
Black Caddis 16-18 March - May
Caddis 14-18 April - September
March Brown 10-12 May - June
Grey Fox 12-14 May - June
Sulpher 14-18 May - June
P.M.D. 16-20 May - June
Lt. Cahill 14-16 June - July
Green Drake 8-10 May - June
Isonchia 12-14 June - August
Yellow Stonefly 12-14 June - September
Hexagina 6-8 June - July
Trico 20-24 July - September

Ants 16-22 June - September
Beetles 12-16 June - September
Flying Ants 16-18 June - September
Hoppers 10-12 August
Crickets 10-12 August

USGS Height Gage

USGS Height Gage

Flow Rate Guide

Oatka Creek
2.60 – 2.80 low water flows·
2.80 – 3.00 moderate flows·
3.00 – 3.20 good fishing flow·
3.20 – 3.40 starting to rise·
3.40 – 3.60 High Water


Genesee River near Wellsville
100 – 200cfs Summer Flows Low water
200 – 300cfs Summer Flows Good Water
300 – 400cfs Spring Flows Fishable·
400 – 500cfs Spring Flows High Water·
650cfs + Stay Home


Cattaraugus Creek

Cattaraugus in Fall
100 – 250cfs Low Water Flow·
250 – 400cfs Good Fishing Flow·
400 – 650cfs Fishable Flow·
650 – 800cfs High Water Flow·
800 – 1000cfs Very High Water Flow·
1000 – 1200cfs Stay Home Tie Flies


Cattaraugus in Spring

100 – 250cfs Low Water Flow·
250 – 400cfs Good Fishing Flow·
400 – 650cfs Normal Fishing Flow·
650 – 800cfs High Water Flow·
800 – 1000cfs Very High Water Flow·
1000 – 1200cfs + Stay Home Tie Flies

Followers

Mirrored Minnow

Mirrored Minnow

Rainbow Runner

Rainbow Runner

Emilee's Spey

Emilee's Spey

Thunder Creek Minnow

Thunder Creek Minnow

Simple Sculpin

Simple Sculpin

Hairball

Hairball

Rabbit Leech

Rabbit Leech

Hare's Ear Wet

Hare's Ear Wet

Peacock Emerger

Peacock Emerger

Sulpher Emerger

Sulpher Emerger

Blog Archive

Powered By Blogger