Sunday, December 28, 2008

sfarsit de sezon...inceput de sezon


Ultima iesire de anul asta....sezonul 2008 e gata in cateva zile, dar doar pentru a face loc sezonului 2009. Aici perioada inchisa e din 15 oct pana la 1 ianuarie pe toate raurile de pastrav, cu exceptia unor zone deschise tot timpul anului, cum e si portiunea pe care am pescuit in ultimele doua luni jumate.
Frigul nu e cel mai bun prieten al meu, sunt un tip comod, caruia ii place sa-i fie caldutz si bine. dar ardeam de nerabdare sa incerc ultima piesa de echipament pe care moshul mi-a adaugat-o la arsenal. mai multe detalii intr-un post viitor...:)




Raul arata binishor, mult mai scazut decat la ultima iesire acum 2 saptamani, dar inca deasupra mediei. 2008 a fost cel mai ploios an din istorie pentru statul New Hampshire. Dupa vreo jumate de ora de nimfarit, timp in care nu am avut nici o piscatura, mi se pare ca am vazut o urma de atac la suprafatza apei, intr-un loc cu apa mai linistita. era prea departe sa lansez nimfele, asa ca am schimbat rapid pe un streamer. in adancul sufletului ma gandeam ca-s nebun, apa e super rece, cu sloiuri de gheatza pe alocuri, asa ca nu imi inchipuiam pestii prea dornici sa urmareasca o naluca. dar surpriza, la a treia lansare simt atacul si batzul incepe sa isi faca datoria. rezultatul, o frumusetze de indigen. Putin cam amortit, dar in forma excelenta.







O scurta sedintza foto si e la loc in elementul sau.


Mai incerc, si dupa scurt timp insistentele imi sunt rasplatite cu un curcubeu dolofan. sunt surprins ca stremerul merge mai bine decat nimfele, ma gandeam ca pestii sunt acuma pe fund, asteptad sa le treaca ceva pe la maxim un centimetru distantza de gura. dar nu, uite ca se avanta dupa streamere pescuite intre ape, cu un fir floating si fara o o tona de lest pe carlig.














O ultima privire catre raul care a fost atat de darnic cu mine anul asta si sper sa continue pe acelasi ton si in 2009. Si inapoi acasa la caldurica. E timpul sa incep sa fac planuri pentru anul care vine....

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Step by step: Davy's knot

No fishing action lately due to the what else but New Hampshire weather. I was very busy lately, with only Sundays off and the weather just didn't let me get out of the house. So I had a little time to take a set of pictures and a little clip about how I tie the Davy's knot. I 've learned this knot from Jed (WS Hunter shop in Concord) this fall and it's the only one I've been using since. It's a very simple and small knot, and yet very effective. Easy to tie and preserves almost all the strength of the line. Just give it a try and you'll see that attaching a fly to the tippet will seem like a breeze from now on.
This is the original link.
















And a little movie clip:

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Tightloops

http://www.tightloopgeorge.blogspot.com/ George Minculete iese la atac cu blogul personal! Alaturi de Paul Sas, e unul dintre cei mai buni rodbuilderi din Ro. E de urmarit, mai ales daca va intereseaza rod-buildingul. Ii urez multe postari, in special o gramada de sfaturi pentru cei care se gandesc sa se apuce de contruit batzul mult visat! Nu de alta dar ma gandesc si eu serios la number 2! E super interesant sa iti faci propriul batz si mandria e dubla cand prinzi peshte cu el.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Blestemul somonului

Dupa aproape doua saptamani de vreme extrem de rece, urmata de ploi, am beneficiat si eu de Thanksgiving Day, care e o sarbatoare foarte mare aici la americani, una dintre cele 2 zile pe an (+ Craciunul) in care majoritatea oamenilor nu lucreaza (ma rog, sunt exceptii si aici). temperatura a urcat azi pana pe la 5-6 grade si cum ardeam de nerabdare sa ma merg la un peste, am considerat ca merita o incercare.

Apa era mai mare decat am vazut-o pana acuma anul asta, asa ca locul de pescuit nu a fost greu de ales: era singurul in care ma puteam apropia de apa cat de cat.


Dupa vreo 15 minute de tatonare, pescuind mai mult printre tufe scufundate, bazandu-ma pe amintiri cam pe unde ar fi portiuni fara agatzari, am primul atac. de fapt a fost o oprire subtila a firului, fara sa simt nici macar o piscatura. am fost aproape convins ca nimfa mi s-a agatzat pe fund de ceva. spre mirarea mea, acel ceva a prins viatza. si inca ce viatza!


Am impartit filmuletzul in trei:
LUPTA


CAPITULAREA

ELIBERAREA


Daca vreti calitate mai buna dati dublu click pe filmuletz, asta va va transfera pe site la youtube si acolo puteti incerca "watch in high quality" inca nu am reusit sa imi dau seama cum pot sa "ingrop" in postul asta varianta "high quality".

Apa era extrem de rece, pe unele lacuri din apropiere e pojghitza de gheatza deja, azi a fost probabil cea mai calda zi din ultimele 10 (in majoritate temeperatura maxima a fost negativa). La 5 minute dupa ce am intrat in apa imi erau deja amortite picioarele.


A fost cea mai scurta partida de pescuit de anul asta, pentru ca la vreo 10 minute dupa ce am eliberat pestele am tras o baitza de toata frumusetzea, la un metru de mal, in apa pana in gat. toate hainele de pe mine s-au grabit sa absoarba cat mai multa apa, asa ca o continuare a partidei era exclusa. noroc ca motorul masinii nici nu apucase sa se raceasca si ca stau la doar 12 minute de locul de pescuit. asa ca restul pestilor care asteptau nerabdatori sa isi masoare fortzele cu mustele mele au ramas cu o mare dezamagire. poate data viitoare. visul meu e sa pescuiesc pe o ninsoare "torentiala" si sa prind peste. sa speram ca anul asta o sa se indeplineasca.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Little salmon

It gets colder and colder and I know the end of the season is near. I am just curios when is going to be cold enough for the fish so they stop feeding. Probably I'll give up first when the winter is gonna show its full strength.

I'm still trying to trick the fish, no matter how high the water is. and I can tell you the rain and the guys from the Eastman Falls Dam can make it reeeaaally high So far every weekend was productive, however. It takes a bit to find the fish but they are still there. AndI'm talking both about trout and salmon.

First scaled critter I stumbled upon was not a fish. I'm surprised the snakes are still out, despite the cold. I think that Saturday's warm weather made them come out for a last chance to capture a frog, but on Sunday the temperatures dropped, catching them exposed. This one seemed really numb, moving slowly toward its hole in the ground.



I moved up and down on the shore for a half an hour to find a good spot and I finally got the first hit, on a nymph. A brown, followed by a few rainbows and more browns.











Nymphs ruled that afternoon, green and pink being the main catchers. I ended with a little salmon on what else but a pink nymph. I think it's the forth this season on that fly.

Same problem as last week, when you are trying to reel in a salmon and to record it in the same time, it doesn't look too pretty, a third hand would be really helpful. Enjoy!

For a better quality you can check the youtube version here and click on "watch on high quality"

Sunday, November 9, 2008

drill




15 grade!!!!! asta se anuntza a fi maxima de azi, asa ca nici nu am stat pe ganduri. mai ales ca abia asteptam sa imi testez ultima achizitie: Lamson Velocity. M-am saturat de vechea okuma de plastic. m-a servit cu credintza in ultimii 4 ani dar era momentul pentru ceva mai bun. iar velocity e preferata mea in materie de look. vine cu garantie pe viatza si am prins o oferta destul de buna, asa ca m-am cadorisit cu una.

Aseara am legat niste nimfe, ma asteptam ca apa sa fie rece oricum si pestii sa se hraneasca pe fund.


Ajuns la locul faptei descoper ca din nou curentii s-au schimbat. Apa e mai mica decat saptamana trecuta iar locurile in care atunci apa avea 3-4 m, acum abia ajungea la 2-2,5. asa ca din nou problema se pune in a gasi pestii.

Spre surprinderea mea temperaturile crescute din ultimele zile chiar au avut o oarecare influentza asupra temperaturii apei. nu mai imi ingheatza picioarele in apa in ciuda neoprenului. incerc la nimfa fara nici un rezultat, desi abordez suvoaiele, spatele bolovanilor, locurile cu apa mai linistita, mare, mica. pana la urma ma decid sa imi exersez castingul si sa incerc sa ating peretele barajului. apa nu mai curgea peste zid si apa practic baltea in locul respectiv. schimb vreo doua streamere si pana la urma am un atac, din pacate fara rezultat. 5 minute mai tarziu reusesc sa prin un pastrav curcubeu, la "pamatuful" din angel hair. dupa aia pauza si schimb din nou streamerul pe un model mai nou, tot cu angel hair, dar care are si ceva roz in componentza. rozul respectiv, in apa are o lucire albastruie, electrica. e super strident, ar uneori e exact ce trebuie sa trezeasca putin pestii amortiti. la nici a doua lansare am atac si reusesc sa agatz un peste. ghinion, dupa cateva secunde dus a fost. apoi nimic.


Ma intorc din nou la nimfe si la locul in care am prins duminica trecuta. dupa doua lansari simt clar atacul si intep sec. un brownie se zbatea la capatul firului. a intrat pe o nimfa olive cu tungsten in cap. il eliberez si chestia se repeta in mai putin de un minut. de data asta e un curcubeu intrat la aceeasi nimfa, la cateva fractiuni de secunda dupa ce am simtit musca zgariind fundul apei.



Apoi din nou tacere. se facea tarziu si din ce in ce mai cetzos, ba mai s-a mai pornit si ploaia. haina de ploaie mi-era in masina asa ca am hotarat sa impachetez si sa incerc si partea cealalta a raului. de partea cealalta a curentului era o zona destul de intinsa in care apa "baltea" si printre spuma de la suprafatza mi s-a parut ca la un moment dat am vazut un atac. mai prinsesem curcubei pe portiunea aia la streamer ca pt nimfa nu prea se preta, trebuiau lansee lungi.

Zis si facut, ma mut pe malul opus si cum tot aveam montura de nimfa am tatonat putin pe langa mal. spre surpriza mea, un brown a luat musca exact de langa mine, la nici jumate de metru de mal. toti pestii prinsi la nimfa au intrat pe aceeasi musca, desi era legata in paralel cu o portocalie stridenta care a fost nr 1 pentru mine anul acesta. Am observat chestia asta in ultima vreme, pestii tind sa ia o culoare naturala. nu stiu daca e pentru ca s-au obisnuit cu culorile stridente, zona fiind pescuita intens sau pentru ca prefera culorile mai naturale pe masura ce apa se raceste.




In fine am pus si streamerul. primele doua lansari am avut doua atacuri, la ambele am intepat in gol. am pus esecul pe seama burtei pe care o facea firul peste curent si a lungimii lanseului, care m-au facut sa simt su intarziere atacul. dar am continuat sa lansez, incercand sa tzin firul cat mai intins. dupa cateva minute BINGO! atacul e clar, raspunsul meu promt si dupa greutatea de la capatul firului imi dau seama ca e somon. si eu care ma gandeam ca azi plec fara sa prind somon.

Dupa cateva sarituri m-am gandit sa scot aparatul si sa vad daca pot filma putin. calitatea lasa de dorit, dar tineam camera cu aceeasi mana cu care tineam si batzul. nu am indraznit sa o tarasc si pe Diana cu mine pe vremea asta. oricum asa e mai real, aveti o idee despre forta incredibila pe care o au pestii astia.

Nu am reusit sa postez filmuletzul pe blogspot dar este disponibil aici.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Fishing the seam




I was hesitating about going fishing on Sunday. The maximum air temperature of 43 degrees Fahrenheit (approx. 6 Celsius) that the weather channel was forecasting for this area was not stimulating me to stay waist-deep into water for hours. But passion is passion and I took the chance. I was thinking at the Daylight Saving that just had happened last night and about the fact that I won't be able to go fishing after I finish working, because at 4:30 pm it's already getting dark out. So I have to stick with the week-ends from now on.

The day before I was looking for a spot to fish but the water was still incredible high after the rain we got a week ago. I assume they were releasing water from the upstream dams because the water was actually flowing over the dam.

Anyway, on Saturday night I managed to scoop 2 rainbows and a brown from the bottom in a spot a little more downstream that the place I used to fish last month. So I decided to return to exact the same spot and try some more. The weather, although crisp, was to beautiful to keep me inside.
Water still high, although the lines of current changed a little. There was more water on the other side of the river, which made the strength of the current on my side a little milder. That created a few interesting spots that might have held fish.

Moving around on the shore to look for the best spot I stumbled upon this interesting nature's creation:


It made me think about Brancusi and his Endless Column. Yeah, probably I miss home...
Finally I found the perfect spot and I attacked immediately with a couple of my favorite nymphs. It didn't take too long before I got the first fish. It took the bottom fly as it was scratching the rocks. At around 10 feet deep. Then another one, in the same spot. Than nothing.




I thought: "OK, they are on the bottom. Maybe it's the time to get a little more involved". That meant to search a little deeper. My feet were already frozen, despite the neopren wader and the pair of pants underneath. And I was only knee-deep in the water. Here I go another few steps and the wather is above waist. But I was able to get in reach of the seam between the two lines of current. It didn't look very impressive at a first look, but I kneew that is the only spot my flies get a chance to reach the bottom. The water was probably over 15 feet and the speed of the current around it made the 2 tungsten BH nymph seem like unweighted flies.


But inside that seam, the flies were dropping fast and I was actually able to feel them knocking on the bottom.

Second cast and my line pulled tight. I set the hook and I felt the strong fish starting to shake its head. Despite the freezing water it fought like crazy. First salmon of the day, on a #12 BH nymph:




Immediatelly followed by a rainbow and salmon number two:










In between I had some more strikes but the line was pretty long and I wasn't always able to keep it straight so I missed some fish like this. But that seam was an endless source of fish. I got a couple of browns and some more rainbows, but the "numero uno" of the day was the third salmon, an incredible strong fish, one of the biggest I've caught this fall. My forearm muscles were burning and I had to switch the rod in my left hand a couple of times just to give it some rest. At a point I almost reached the end of my fly line and I was pulling hard on the fish. My tippet was made of 8 pounds fluorocarbon and I knew it's not going to break. I was also trying to make the fight as short as possible to make sure I don't exhaust the fish. The fish instead was not willing to make it short at all.





The net proved itself too small to accommodate the salmon. But that's OK because it didn't stay there for long. A few pictures and it went back into the depth, not before splashing me with the tail in sign of revenge. The good part about cold water is that it holds more oxigen dissolved, so the fish recover quicker after the drill.
This was also a way to test the effect of adrenalin on my metabolism, because I was suddenly sweating and my feet were not cold anymore....




The cold came back though and after a cople more fish and a few other strikes I said it was enough for the day. It was one of the best trips of the season, despite the cold and difficult fishing conditions. I heard the weather is going to get warmer by next week-end and I hope I will have some more action.
At the end I want to introduce one of the new members of my fly box. Same style, I know, but different colors. I got most of the trouts on it, but the salmons preferred the pinkies. Thank God I've found more beads at WS Hunter because I was running really low. Last time I bought some from Cabelas but their holes were too big to accomodate the hooks I use. The body is ice dubbing, another exceptional fly tying material I've discovered this year while tying flies with Jed and Jimmy, ribbed with vinil tubbing. By the way, guys, I couldn't find the ice dubbing on your website.

See you next time!