Shiner/Holmes

[bobfly]

Greatly encouraged by Fishboy's exploits on his secret brookie lake, I decided to venture out on my 60th birthday for a bit of flyfishing on Holmes Lake. I've yet to land a brook trout here in Ont. and discouraged by earlier attempts, I've avoided trying.

I had to work in the morning (7th) and was a little late getting away and thought I would try Shiner first as this time last year I got a 16" bow there. I only managed a few hits on a black wooley bugger tied behind a Despair nympth. Don't know which was the favorite.

Holmes is right behind Shiner and I had heard from anther fisher on Sunday that he had caught a few there earlier that day. Its a great little lake. A bit shallow but there must be a deep spot. I got a bit of action on Bob Sheedy's "Bloody Butcher". With a name like that, its got to worth a try. This fly is supposed to enrage brookies about to spawn so it is a fall fly. Its sort of like a Doc Spratley only red with gold ribbing. As I was rapidly winding in my wet line to get my dry rod to go after a rise, and just as the fly was leaving the water, a brookie jumped out of the water after it. This has happened to me before over the years. Most frustrating and laughable at the same time. There is something about a wound in line action. Didn't manage to land any but had a few hits. ]

I don't recommend Holmes at this time as the surface water is way too warm. Maybe it is just at the surface and it is much colder below. I'll have to get a thermometer rigged up. It can't be that the lake is already finished for the season or maybe that is just normal for these really small lakes.

bobfly

[Fishboy]

Hey Bob,

I fished Centre & Holmes last year about this time and had about a dozen small brookies. The most successful flies were #12 beadhead prince and small (#16) adams. You might try emergers as well (brassie, seredipity, etc) because often the action is just below the surface.

If surface temps are too high, fish deeper with sink-tip or full sink lines and use weighted flies. Most of the area lakes are relatively shallow so you might only need to get the fly down a 2 to 6 feet in order to get a strike.

Brookies can be worse than unionized labour in terms of cooperating - they stop for no particular reason and don't respond to repeated attempts to play until they've made their point.

By they way, I'm often told to think like a trout in order to be successful. I don't agree with that perspective. I think it's far better to think like fish food - after all, presentation of the meal is often what whets the appetite.

[Fishboy]

Hey Bob,

I fished Centre & Holmes last year about this time and had about a dozen small brookies. The most successful flies were #12 beadhead prince and small (#16) adams. You might try emergers as well (brassie, seredipity, etc) because often the action is just below the surface.

If surface temps are too high, fish deeper with sink-tip or full sink lines and use weighted flies. Most of the area lakes are relatively shallow so you might only need to get the fly down a 2 to 6 feet in order to get a strike.

Brookies can be worse than unionized labour in terms of cooperating - they stop for no particular reason and don't respond to repeated attempts to play until they've made their point.

By they way, I'm often told to think like a trout in order to be successful. I don't agree with that perspective. I think it's far better to think like fish food - after all, presentation of the meal is often what whets the appetite.