Stripers, Housatonic River Mouth 4/25/11

Hi All, Fished the mouth of the Housatonic last night with friends Drew Farrel and Jeff Purcell.  The fish were there and Drew had a very hot hand.  We were later joined by Glen Elia.  A great night to be out there.  Lots of "near the surface" action.   Tight lines.   Paul

A Rainy Hous-Stock Again !

Hi All......despite some very trying conditions a group of fly fishermen from CT and RI gathered and fished at the mouth of the Hous.......it just had to rain at an event called Hous-Stock......third year in a row we held this event and third year in a row it rained.........Fire Marshall Tim Smith won the rod with a 22" striper.........I just want to thank everyone for their support and help today .......its very much appreciated....special thanks to Robert Montori and Bruce Pomeroy for helping with the raffle.....Gary Tyler for his flies and trucking the grill and tables down to Short Beach........thanks to Mike Sivek and  "Internet Fishing Star" Bear Cochrane for donating flies......Mike Harrington for his donation of a really great fly wallet, and Jeff Purcell for an awesome tying bench which he made, nicest one I've ever seen..............I didn't have much time to talk to many of you today, but hope to fish with as many of you as I can in the coming season.......it's the reason why I started this event......to get people together, meet new friends, and enjoy the great resource that the river is.......again, I just wish mother nature had co-operated with us ........tight lines......... Paul

Paul's May 2011 Fly of the Month

Phil’s Early Black Stone (Taeniopterux)

Hook:  Tiemco 100 or 102 Y – or equivalent dry fly hook, size #12, 14, 18   

Thread:  Black  

Body:  Black poly yarn.

Wing:  Grey poly yarn.   (you might also want to add some gray CDC to the wing.  The movement and  bubbles give it a life like effect)                                                                                            
Hackle:  Black or gray hen, one wrap.

I’ve seen a lot of “Early Black Stone Fly” patterns but I really like the one that my friend Phil Sheffield ties.  Most others are more complex and take a lot longer to tie than this one.  It’s an easy tie and it’s just as productive.  These little stone flies start hatching sometimes as early as January.  I’ve witnessed fantastic hatches in March here in Connecticut.   Perhaps one of the best of Early Black Stone hatches in CT occurs on the Mianus River.  I know that Phil has had great success with this pattern on the Yantic River. 

These bugs skidder, flutter, and dart around the water.  That’s exactly what you want to do when fishing it.  Give it a strip or two while its floating, and don’t be afraid at the end of your drift to pull it under water.  Many times trout will hit it as it goes subsurface.   These bugs come off around mid-day as the water heats up.  Before that you want to fish a little black stone fly nymph imitation. 

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a pattern of the month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or e-mail me at pdinice@frontier.com .

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