February 28th, 2008

Spring is here and the fishing season is in full swing. With the warming days the insect activity in the local streams is really beginning to take off. The dry fly action will warm up and continue through June. This month marks the beginning of the major hatches in our area. Look for fish to begin rising to small black and tan stoneflies, baetis, and march browns, which will cover the many different types of heptageniid mayflies that hatch in early spring.


The weather plays a large role in determining what will be hatching on any given day. If the weather is cold and snow is in the air look for small capniid stoneflies and midges. If the weather is warmer and slightly overcast look for the mayflies to begin hatching. Since this is the beginning of a new fishing season, we want to start it off on the right foot with a quick refresher on catch and release techniques. Some simple ways that we can ensure the continued good fishing in our streams is to use safe fish handling practices.



Here are some pointers to help with survivability. Remember fishing in Howard’s Creek throughout the property is fly-fishing only.


1. Use only barbless hooks. They do far less damage to the fish.
2. Use a net with a rubber bag. The knots in a net made with a nylon or cotton bag will scar fish and remove their protective slime.
3. DO NOT SQUEEZE FISH! They are slippery and hard to hold on to but if you hold them upside down, they quit moving so much. This is where a net with a rubber bag is fantastic. You can keep that fish in the water and remove the hook without the net closing around everything.
4. DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS IN THE GILLS OR GILLPLATES!! How about I poke you in the lungs?
5. DO NOT HOLD THE FISH OVER THE ROCKS!
If you need to take the fish out of the water to remove the hook or take a photo, do so over water that is at least six inches deep. That way if you drop
the fish it will not be harmed.



Coming up right around the corner April 18-20 is our seventh annual SAGE Fly-fishing School. We have the same great cast of characters and instructors returning this year to help us teach the next and current generation of fly fishers. If you have ever wanted to learn to fly fish, this school is a great jump-start. We go though everything you need to know to get started, from picking out a setup to assembly and rigging through casting and reading water. It is a fun filled weekend of fishing, great for everyone to come enjoy. This year we will be running concurrently with the Spa Weekend so those of us who do not want to fish can have a relaxing weekend in the spa.


Jacob Ott
Director of Outdoor Pursuits

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