I am back...more or less

[Ken Tidy]

Hey Jay Welcome back Nice that you’re back in the area. I like to get together and do some fishing but…
I retire on the 27 of July and on August 3rd we head west for 3-4 months or until the snow chase us out of Montana.

[CaptMikeStarrett]

Jay B welcome back.. Need something to really get your heart pumping.

TWO WORDS........Potomac Pike...

Not an easy catch on the fly.

Capt Mike

[JayB]

Waterboy, I guess "lots of weeds" depends on your frame of reference. I did see clumps of floating stuff, but it didn't interfer with the fishing and I only had to clear the hook a couple of times. I have fished in places where the weeds were so thick you would think you could walk across them and the only reason you could tell there was water flowing was the weeds were all layed over in the same direction.

Joe, Good to hear all is well. The new flies looked good. While I am not completely fanatical, I have developed a strong preference for staying on the surface of the water. There is just something about not having to deal with a weighted fly. I am up for whenever you want to meet. I also have a pontoon boat that I have to give a good once over to make sure it is ready for use. My collection of Ryalls is still in use also with the addition of a couple of galvins.

Ken, I am so jealous. While I haven't been paying attention to the exact timing this year, right about now I would probably be banging the banks with something like a Madame X on the Madison, or alternating with the precision fishing of the PMD hatches on the Fork. Add in a side trip among the willows on the beaverhead, or the big water on the Snake or Missouri, or the little water on the Ruby or %&$$%# Creek, or the Gallitan and it sounds like summer to me. Another friend of mine is also planning a September trip and I really don't know what is going on during that time, except the fish are sure to be in the river and eating something.

Capt Mike,

All the pike I have caught have been sight fishing. If I see it, I can throw to it, andIi am sure I have at least a couple of flies in the collection they would like to eat.

Friday, I left home just late enough to miss the beltway traffic with a carload of fishing and camping gear, fully intending to do the Savage and NBPR this weekend. I was somewhere in between Hagerstown and Hancock when I got a call to work a concert Saturday in Annapolis. so I ended up turning around. I stopped by the Potomac again, in between Point of Rocks and Dickerson. I don't know if it was the different location or the more overcast skies but the fish were definitely motivated to the surface. In the slew I landed, two were in the 17 inch range and I had two others hooked up that felt the same size. I also had another hit that was in about 8 inches of water along the bank. It was great to see the fish pushing the water in that shallow water for about 4 feet to go get the fly.

[Ken Tidy]

Jay,

The biggest reason for spending 3 month out there is because there is so much fishable water. This is our 10th year going west next year maybe the whole summer now that I am retired.
Last year we fish the South Fork Of The Snake River; it was by far our best trip solar. We went on a 25-mile float and all fish were on top water fly’s. Here are some photos of our float http://kentidy.com/gallerys/Montana%...0Idaho%20Trip/

The Beaverhead and Ruby are on our must fish list along with some smaller river local friends have told us about. We also want to spend more time in Idaho and explore more of the waters there ….so little time.

[Salmo trutta]

Welcome back Jay. You put me on my first big Chesapeake Bay striped bass on light tackle. Even though I did bring a fly rod that morning, March 1, 2001 I believe, but I didn't have the proper sinking line. Since then I bought Paxfish's boat, used it for 7 years and sold it last year for about what I bought it for, +1000 hours.

I'm Back to fishing more out of a kayak and a 14' john boat. I've finally kind of figured out Potomac true strain muskellunge but nothing yet on the fly. It's way too hot to target them this time of year which would mean almost certain death to a northern variety fish like that. But they are common enough that 10 months out of the year on any given trip we can at least get a follow, a hookup or a sighting.


I'm dying to go out on the bay and chase breakers but don't have the boat right now. Might meet up with Shawn K. tonight. Not sure though.

There are a few spring creeks not too far away that fish well this time of year for trout, like Beaver Creek in MD, or Mossy Creek in Va. I even had a fish that took me into my backing last summer on one of those two streams. It was enormous, but wrapped me in a log jam to never to to be seen again. It's also almost always a sight fishing thing on those streams.


Snakehead are Potomac Pike and they are just about everywhere, particularly Mattawoman Creek and just about any other tidal tributary to the Potomac. They like shallow, hot water this time of year and occupy the same water a lunker LMbass likes. They will readily take top water all day long and they grow larger in the Potomac then they do in their native waters. A potential world record northern snakehead was caught in the Occoquan not too long ago near 20 pounds .Capt Mike has them zeroed in pretty well.

[shoot-straight]

A little eye candy.

that place looks familar- went there last year. went back again last week. (see other post)