Monkey Bum

Not well known here in the States, the Monkey Bum is a highly effective fly.  Created by an Australian guide, the Monkey Bum is an easy to tie emerger.  I have been using it lately with great success.  When I've worked a pool to the point of shutting it down, I switch to this fly and the fish begin to start biting again.  My version is slightly different from the original since I those were the materials I had on hand but the original material is listed below in parenthesis.  Just dab good glob of floatant on the post only when your ready to fish and good luck.

Recipe:
Hook: TMC2487 (Kamasan B100) size 10-14
Post:  Hi-Vis Pink (Neer Hair)
Thorax:  Peacock
Abdomen:  Black floss (Dark Brown Uni-flex)
Tail:  3-4 strands of pheasant tail fibers
Thread:  Black thread 6/0

Please Fill Out Those Angler Survey

Angler surveys may not be present at all our local waters but are located at several.  In the past I would just walk past them without a second thought.  It was not until Chul, who volunteers frequently with the DFG and was told by them, told me that the DFG takes these surveys very seriously.  The more info they have on the water the better they can manage it.  For instance if the DFG deems the water needs assistance or is significant, they can impose more stringent policies such as fly fishing only, catch and release sections, barbless hooks, etc.  At a minimum they will know where to station wardens in case of poachers or increase efforts for volunteer clean ups and the like.    To fill one out just lift the lid of the box answer a few simple questions and place in the side slot when finished.  You needn't bring along writing tools as pencils are generally provided.  It only takes a couple minute.  Do your part and hopefully we can preserve our local trout populations.

East Fork San Gabriel River Fly Fishing

Because I've been busy with work, I haven't done much other than that. I was supposed to do some dog work today at Prado but I decided to fish with Ed instead. I'll save the dog training til Friday.

The last time I fished the East Fork, the river was running high and fishing was beyond tough. Although we managed a few, it certainly was probably one of my worst outings there until today. This time the river was low, making wading a breeze. Unfortunately the water was milky and once I waded through it, I noticed that the floor was completely covered in silt. Looking at that water I commented to Ed that we ought to be fishing for lake trout. It honestly looked like glacial river water. I figured the fishing was going to be poor. I managed several dinks on my first several casts. Perhaps it was not going to be that bad after all. The first hour fishing was not difficult, the river fished as I always remember it. Fish were where they were supposed to be and they came up to take a perfectly placed dry. One thing though is holes, pockets or any "fishy" water would only produce a trout or two at most before that hole died. Normally these areas would produce at least a dozen rises.

About an hour fishing, the fishing essentially stopped. Trout would rarely rise to a dry. In fact I managed only a few after that. Ed commented how warm the water was, I had a hard time differentiating as its been some time since I've been on the water. This most have been the culprit. Ed managed more than me during this time as he fished wet and subsurface. I refuse to do so on this piece of water.


All in all I caught somewhere in the teens mostly all within the first hour. All were dinks. None had any vibrant coloration as the ones I've caught in the past. All were faded. I asked Ed and he said the same was true with his fish.

Although I enjoy anytime on the water, today was a bit of a joke. I have never worked so hard to get fish at the San Gab before, I was a bit discouraged. I eventually quit really fishing after a while and mostly watched Ed fish and threw my line only once in a while. Disappointing. Too bad, I guess that's fishing.

Found this at the parking lot. What the hell?

San Gabriel Fly Fishing Report- East and North Fork

Ed and I hit the East Fork of the San Gabriel River today. With all the rain we had this year, we were hoping the river would be fishable by now. Flows are still high making wading extremely difficult. Fishing is also a challenge. The flows are just too great to present a fly. Our intention was to hike in a couple miles before fishing. We quickly realized that wasn't going to happen. I managed a few before we started to head back to campground where its flatter and therefore slower water. It was here at the the campground that Ed and I a caught the majority of our fish.

Once we had our fill we headed out. On our way out I decided to check out the West and North Forks to see if they were fishable. Both look much better than the East Fork. We drove along the North Fork and decided to throw our lines out. The flows were much more ideal for fly fishing than the East Fork. Since it was around 3 when we started we only fished for just over an hour managing a few fish. This was my first time fishing the North Fork. I really like fishing this river unforetunately since much of the river runs along the road its largely littered with trash from idiots who don't know better or who just don't give a damn. With all the trash, it really detracts from the whole outdoor experience lessening the pleasure. I really can't stand these bottom feeders who destroy our wilderness areas. Although Ed who has fished these waters before told me up the road more where one must hike to the river less of this occurs and its much more pristine. I hope that's the case and next time I'll have to check it out.




At the North Fork:

My first North Fork Trout:

San Gabriel Rivers with my new 4'9" 3 weight

Early this month I fished the San Gabriel rivers both the the East and West Forks to try out my new rod I bought in Japan. It is a NAC Microfy49 #2/3 6 piece rod. According to the salesman at Sansui, it is made in Japan. It cost ¥22,000 or $230US or thereabouts. Once I saw it on the rack I knew I had to have it. This rod is very unique and quite a niche product. Slow actioned and tiny, I doubt it would ever catch on here in the states. Although I think it would do well here in SoCal or in the small streams of the northeast. Backpackers would also like this rod.

Well back to the fishing, I fished the East Fork the Saturday of the memorial day weekend. Talk about a circus. Luckily we missed the "diaper hatch" near the campgrounds. Although I wanted to hike deep before we started fishing, my fishing partner was getting a bit impatient and we fished alittle closer than I really wanted to. I can't blame him though the water always looks so good. But I know the better fish are further up stream. It didn't really matter this day, as Ed had to be home for a BBQ anyways, so going in too deep wasn't much of an option anyways.

The river was high and fast. I've fished these waters hundreds of times and never had I seen it with so much water. Wading was not difficult but challenging at some places, especially since I'm used to just raging through this place without a second thought.

The fishing was great. Ed was trying Czech nymphing and I was dry fly fishing. Why anyone would ever doing anything but dry fly fishing here is a mystery to me. So very few waters allow you to dry fly fish and consistently catch fish. Usually you need to wait for a hatch. or me I get plenty of subsurface fishing in the seirras and so whenever I get a chance to dry fly I will. Ed caught several. I'm not sure how many but I got at least 100 strikes on the dry fly. That is a very conservative estimate. At some holes I was getting bit on every cast on my first 20 casts. Amazing. All on the surface. We left so Ed could meet his timeline.

Amped, I decided to return the following Thursday (June 3rd). But once I came to the road that leads to the EF, I decided I wanted to try the West Fork and Bear Creek instead. I hiked up to Bear Creek and decided to fish that first. I headed up the creek and hiked in. Still using the same fly from the last outing, the result was much the same as the last. Another 100+ fish day. On some holes a fish rose on every cast. I did not derig from the last outing, I wanted to see how long I could make this setup last. Kind of like a deranged version of the famous one fly contest. Eventually I lost my fly, so I switched and tried others. They were not so effective but still good. I fished to the San Gabriel Wilderness boundary until deciding to head back. The trail was hard to follow and I was tried of bushwacking.

Once out I decide to head up the West Fork. I fished several holes that produced over 20 fish each. Some holes trout were coming up taking flies. After a few hours I had enough and decided to head home.

Some observations from the two outings:

The EF has alot of water on it and moving pretty quick. Some areas were challenging to wade- not hard but challenging. I not used to having the EF move so fast.

Bear creek is a lot easier although the deeper you go in the bushwacking is out of control and obviously the WF is simple because of the controled flows.

There were a ton of bugs on the WF. I was bit all over and even snorted a few through the nose. I never noticed any bugs on the EF.

The fish at Bear creek seem to fight the hardest. The EF had the largest average size.