sweetandsalt
Well-known member
Not that the daily fishing reports were stellar but when out to dinner with our wives early last week my friend said, "Why don't we go up to the river Wednesday through Friday? Much of our bailiwick in the Delaware headwaters are too low and warm to fish; the Willowemoc, Beaverkill, most of the East Branch and the Main Stem are pushing or over 70° with the Beomoc being skeletal with gavel bars and rocks exposed soaking up the sun's heat. But with 500+ CFS being released from the West Branch's Connonsville Reservoir, the upper few miles are a chill mid 50°'s. So, I packed up three 4-weights and the next morning off we went.
The reports from the DRC's web site were honest and accurate. Flows and temps were as stated and we did indeed have an emergence of E. dorothea, little Sulphur's, whenever the cloud cover kept the sun off the water and especially in the evening until near dark. A handful of handsome big Isonychia were mixed in too but not eaten. Eaten, hmmm, herein lay the issue for this match-the-hatch dry fly man. We've enjoyed fairly high water seasons two years in a row and spawning recruitment has been very successful. That is great news but also means that the river is full of juvenile trout in the 5 - 10" size and it is my policy not to harass these youngsters by using them for target practice. So wading around in the chill flows striving to discern a bulging adult fish from aggressively feeding babies was a challenge. We were in agreement though that the magnificence of the River, its wildlife and environs was such a joy to be among that we were far better off being there than home indoors. Furthermore, I had the pleasure of fishing my Douglas SKY 9'/#4 for three days even if "catching" was not a significant part of my experience.
I have been fishing these Douglas SKY rods for several seasons now and have written about a few of them. Fred Contaoi, their taper designer, has really outdone his talented self with this series. This is a modern example of a small company with passion combining the expertise of an experienced western designer, advanced material science...in this case a multi-modulus lay-up with a Nano silica infused resin matrix..and the top-flight Korean fabricator to produce a terrific rod. Finished in muted gun metal paint and anodized metal work with quality componentry including Torzite strippers and single foot Recoil nickel titanium guides, this rod is handsome and very light in weight. SKY's taper is medium fast progressive with a crisp but not stiff tip and ample lower taper power reserves, even in this 4-weight end of the spectrum...you should try my newest, the 6-weight if you want to experience power! The West Branch though was running cool, clear and slick with a light breeze and a 9'/#4 with medium to larger water capabilities was the optimal choice.
When I began fishing SKY#4 I tried a few different lines on it settling on RIO Gold. One of the other rods I'd packed for potential use on this trip favors SA Trout and just for my further edification, after coffee and before any possibility of a hatch I ventured onto the DRC's teaching lawn and tried both lines again, Trout first. It felt fine, light in touch and more or less smooth with no undue artifacts but I noted that leader turnover of my Delaware appropriate 15+ foot leader was a little weak and lacking in precise control. Mounting the reel with Gold illustrated a clear difference, loops were tighter and casting sensations sharper plus the leader turned over with great authority enhancing the manipulation control water of this technical type demands. Yes, Gold is some 6 grains heavier in its first 30' than Trout but such a small weight differential can not explain this. It has to be the taper proportions and weight distribution variation between the two lines that changes the song this rod sings.
A handful of times I was fooled; the rise I was expecting to be a glump turned out to be a splat. I tried not to strike but if the little fella impaled itself I gave slack and a shake to free it. I brought to net zero trout in three days fishing. But fish I did and enjoyed every minuet of it. Sure there was the traditional whisky before the late night bar burger with the companionship of an old friend following de-wadering and warming my cold toes. We hunted from head to tailout along several beautiful runs and eddys. Bald eagle soared and great blue heron silently flew. I do wish I could provide an image of a wild, plus sized brown but in its stead here is Douglas SKY 9'/#4. This light, smooth and precise fly rod was optimally suited to the habitat and conditions and a joy to cast and present with for three fine days in August.
The reports from the DRC's web site were honest and accurate. Flows and temps were as stated and we did indeed have an emergence of E. dorothea, little Sulphur's, whenever the cloud cover kept the sun off the water and especially in the evening until near dark. A handful of handsome big Isonychia were mixed in too but not eaten. Eaten, hmmm, herein lay the issue for this match-the-hatch dry fly man. We've enjoyed fairly high water seasons two years in a row and spawning recruitment has been very successful. That is great news but also means that the river is full of juvenile trout in the 5 - 10" size and it is my policy not to harass these youngsters by using them for target practice. So wading around in the chill flows striving to discern a bulging adult fish from aggressively feeding babies was a challenge. We were in agreement though that the magnificence of the River, its wildlife and environs was such a joy to be among that we were far better off being there than home indoors. Furthermore, I had the pleasure of fishing my Douglas SKY 9'/#4 for three days even if "catching" was not a significant part of my experience.
I have been fishing these Douglas SKY rods for several seasons now and have written about a few of them. Fred Contaoi, their taper designer, has really outdone his talented self with this series. This is a modern example of a small company with passion combining the expertise of an experienced western designer, advanced material science...in this case a multi-modulus lay-up with a Nano silica infused resin matrix..and the top-flight Korean fabricator to produce a terrific rod. Finished in muted gun metal paint and anodized metal work with quality componentry including Torzite strippers and single foot Recoil nickel titanium guides, this rod is handsome and very light in weight. SKY's taper is medium fast progressive with a crisp but not stiff tip and ample lower taper power reserves, even in this 4-weight end of the spectrum...you should try my newest, the 6-weight if you want to experience power! The West Branch though was running cool, clear and slick with a light breeze and a 9'/#4 with medium to larger water capabilities was the optimal choice.
When I began fishing SKY#4 I tried a few different lines on it settling on RIO Gold. One of the other rods I'd packed for potential use on this trip favors SA Trout and just for my further edification, after coffee and before any possibility of a hatch I ventured onto the DRC's teaching lawn and tried both lines again, Trout first. It felt fine, light in touch and more or less smooth with no undue artifacts but I noted that leader turnover of my Delaware appropriate 15+ foot leader was a little weak and lacking in precise control. Mounting the reel with Gold illustrated a clear difference, loops were tighter and casting sensations sharper plus the leader turned over with great authority enhancing the manipulation control water of this technical type demands. Yes, Gold is some 6 grains heavier in its first 30' than Trout but such a small weight differential can not explain this. It has to be the taper proportions and weight distribution variation between the two lines that changes the song this rod sings.
A handful of times I was fooled; the rise I was expecting to be a glump turned out to be a splat. I tried not to strike but if the little fella impaled itself I gave slack and a shake to free it. I brought to net zero trout in three days fishing. But fish I did and enjoyed every minuet of it. Sure there was the traditional whisky before the late night bar burger with the companionship of an old friend following de-wadering and warming my cold toes. We hunted from head to tailout along several beautiful runs and eddys. Bald eagle soared and great blue heron silently flew. I do wish I could provide an image of a wild, plus sized brown but in its stead here is Douglas SKY 9'/#4. This light, smooth and precise fly rod was optimally suited to the habitat and conditions and a joy to cast and present with for three fine days in August.
