Fly Fishing BS thread

Hope you had fun. In the 'hood.

 

We did... although it was MFing cold. I've fished the Deerfield a few times, but never floated it. Looking forward to heading back out with my boat.

Only thing I'm a bit worried about is that they release water that ends up being a little to much for my raft (Stealthcraft hooligan) to handle. I bookmarked a waterline site for the Fife Brook Dam, but I've heard it is a bit of a crapshoot whether they keep to it or not. I guess worse case is I just pull my raft up a bank before some sketchy rapids.

 

It is. Some days are more on time than others.

 

What about the predicted flows though? I've never really paid any attention to what the increase will be to, because I've waded it and just new when it started to rise, to get off the river and head down stream for about another hours worth of fishing before that water arrived.

I do know that it increased to about 1000 cfs on Sunday, which I surmise was quite a bit lower than what the whitewater companies like. I don't want to get caught in conditions like that in my raft that isn't designed for that kind of water.

 

I don't know the actually amounts. I will research it a bit and get back to you. It is swift enough in the wider spots to knock you over and will create rapids in the tight spots. It pretty much makes a good fishing spot pretty useless until it dissipates.

 

No worries... I was more asking about general flows and not necessarily the exact ones. I can take a look at the historical USGS gauge(s). I'd just hate to get out there after a 3 hour drive from NH, shuttle truck, launch and then see a floatilla of whitewater rafts and kayakers in helmets and then realize how screwed I am. ha.

 

Yes, exactly. I will tell you, the earlier the better. Not only for fish but the flow.
I want to say that by fife the flow increases around 11am. I could be wrong. I didn't fish much there last year. Went to another place that was pretty sweet.

edit: not fife - zoar gap/zoar picnic area.

 

I think that's the exact place I want to steer clear of with my boat. ha.

 

The zoar picnic area is where they will pick up the rafters and then from there the tubers will launch and float down to a rest area called shunpike. Around shunpike it gets really wide.

 

@Hextall Who did you hire to guide? Did they tell you of other places?

 

That is a 10wt TFO TiCrX paired with an Allen Kraken and lined with a Rio tarpon-short line. But it only comes out of the closet once or twice a year for trips like that to chase big fish south of the border. Salt setups back home for searun cutthroats and salmon are more like stout 6-8wt rigs.

 

Harrison Brothers. I used them last year in March and we went to another river in NW Mass. I was interested in getting a hooligan raft, and have never fished out of a raft, so I hired them last year to see if I like it relative to fishing out of a drift boat or my pontoon... and I did, so I bought the hooligan.

 

Cool.

 

River launches are inherently sketchy to begin with, add snow and they are a disaster. I'll see if I can find some of my pics/vids of getting stuck or having to drag the boat up the launch.

There is nothing wrong with getting out and scouting a rapid or lining the boat through something you are unsure about. Everyone who has ever swamped a drift boat or turned over a fishing raft wishes they had scouted the mofo before sending it.

 

Boy caught 2 this morning, one on the fly rod, his first..

 

Awesome & thanks for sharing!

 

Managed to get out for about an hour yesterday with little or no expectation of catching anything....just needed to "get out". After returning I was putting my gear away and I was missing my license.

After some investigation, I soon realized I hadn't even purchased my 2018 fresh water license. Oops!

I immediately ordered online....good to go now.

 

Was thinking of doing that today.....the getting out part. Have my license already.