Well I took a drive up to the Musconetcong River to wet a line and shake off the fly fishing rust. It was another beautiful day, just like yesterday.
I hit a familiar stretch of water and headed upstream to get away from the commonly pressured area.
I wish I could say my fly fishing prowess reigned supreme, but I honestly whiffed at least 2 dozen hooksets on fish somehow, while the rocks and submerged debris claimed at least 5 or 6 nymphs in the process.
I did manage to land a medley of fish today included a sucker (on a worm/egg pattern!), two sunfish, and about half a dozen trout.
Most came in the stretch where I ended my evening determined to land the rising trout on a dry (barely what I'd consider successful given the number of rises and misses I had haha)...going through just about every one in my box.
Still not sure what they were sipping on, best I could tell it looked like a brown winged, green bodied caddis around size 16...but I didn't get a look when I floated a similar elk hair caddis down the river.
They toyed with me for the better half of 2+ hours, coming up and nosing my flies, surging at them but whiffing, checking them out and diving back down!
I was up and down sizing flies, down sizing tippet, trying everything I could think...it was maddening but very fun, and just great to break out the fly rod again!
Here's a few shots from today!
The stretch where I started...
And a few of the fish I caught along the way...
Well that's it for today's pictures. I'll be headed down to North Carolina this week to meet up with some friends and do a little golfing and fly fishing down there...can't wait!
Alright, well it's that time of year again when I head on down to Florida to spend some time with my parents and do a little fishing with Dad!
We all returned together from a trip to California for my nephew's wedding, so it was time to go from partying and poker to relaxation!
Let's check out a few pics from the trip! This is my first attempts with some iMac based editing, and it's a mix of shots from a simple Sony DSC-TX7 point and shoot, and my Nikon D700 DSLR...I'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference in the quality :)
Dad and I started things off right away by hitting the local canal's near their place.
Here's my first sea trout of the trip!
Dad workin it in the canals!
A little while later I landed my first summer flounder of 2013!
Amazing how they blend in...right where I released him, he just sat on the bottom
Dad, having fun and landing a few sea trout!
First time I think I caught a spotless sea trout...pretty cool!
Awesome colors and detail...little DOA shrimp fooled em again!
Dad with another nice sea trout before we finished the day
So the next day, my parents had to run a few errands in the morning, so I headed out to do a little photography.
Here's a few shots of some pelicans hanging out on the dock...
Another solo penguin doing a one legged wing spread balancing act!
I moved off to a new spot and got some in flight pics...
And some bait diving!
This was a cool sequence!
And the same bird circling around a second time!
A little change in location to get this shot sequence...
And a few more randoms mixed in...
This turned out to be a pretty good sequence, many they fly by fast!
One of my favorite shots of the day...
If you look closely, you'll see the bird from above standing on that same rock in this shot! Really nice spot!
A few random shots around the location...
I moved off to another spot, looking for a few osprey and came across these two nesting. These were the only two keeper shots I liked.
Well Dad swung on by after running errands and we got a little fishing in during the afternoon, but it was pretty slow.
Here's one I caught...
Dig the detail...
So the next day, Dad and I headed for a bit of a drive to try out the same area we did well last year when I visited. This year proved quite different with the conditions, it was straight up FREEZING. This time last year I was wet wading in shorts and a t-shirt. This year, I was wearing 2-3 layers and waders...temps were in the 40s at night and just plain cold even during the day! And oddly enough, Dad and I were the only ones fishing there that day...usually it's hard to even find parking!
Needless to say, the fishing was a bust! But no matter what, dad is still having fun!
So with the slow fishing, I decided to take some more photos! I know, hard to believe! haha
Meanwhile dad ponders the fishing dilemma!
And I continue to snap a few more photos...
And given the wind, it's no suprise to see some kite surfers around! Note the full wet suit! Yes, we are in Florida! haha
Back to some more scenery...
Alright, Dad's had enough of this location...time to go!
So we opt to head back to the canals for the evening...and find a few fish! Dad landing another nice sea trout!
And he's really proud of his redneck de-hooker! Yeah that a stick! haha
Another nice one...
And another...
Nice closeup...great colors!
And another!
So I'm doing a little fishing and this guy comes to check things out!
I decide to mess around with him a little bit and got this cool video!
Then I hustle back to grab my DSLR for some better shots!
Here's a few from that session...
The raccoon cross the water to actually get downwind, and climbed the tree to my level and started sniffing things out...apparently I don't smell that bad because it hung around for a bit...weaving in and out of the mangroves trying to get in a better position to investigate me and my bait!
The "Hey, what ya doin over there?" look
And back down to investigate some more!
And back up to sniff things out again!
A little unsure?
OK time to move on...
And likewise, I decide to take a nice shot of the sky before moving on to meet up with Dad
He's a few shots of Dad fishing and asking me if all I'm gonna do is monkey around with a camera all day haha
A couple more shots as the day comes to an end...
Dad and I as the sun is setting...shot off a tripod, obviously not the best of light, but nice to get a shot of us together!
And a bit of a heavy edited photo that came out kinda cool, taken before heading home.
I had some dinner with my parents, and decided to take a nice shot of them and then one of us together.
Well the next day, Dad and I headed out for a little fishing but it was windy and cold again...not the most ideal conditions.
We did manage a few...here's one of mine...
Dad with one of his...
Even these guys came around looking for an easy meal...
I got a little video of them as well...
Dad fished hard until the end...
And this is how I ended my day...not a bad way to do it! ;)
Well that's all I have for this trip boys and girls...until next time, and hopefully with it, better weather and more fish! Regardless, it's always great to get down to Florida and spend time with the folks! Can't wait until next year!
