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River Report - January 15, 2016

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report.
Winter has officially arrived in the North woods. There’s a good many inches of snow settled into every swamp an swale and in the snow belt areas the accumulation is about to be measured in feet.  Trucks with plows are buzzing about and over-bundled shovelers and snow-blowers are battling old man winter around every mailbox and on every sidewalk in the county.

And best of all, a bunch of area lakes have enough hard water to make ice anglers rejoice. As always, you should check with your local bait shop for the most up to date conditions before venturing onto any icy body of water and, once there, you should proceed with caution. Personally, I like to go with fishing partners that are faster in foot but slower in mind than myself—they can be difficult to find and even harder to keep, but they’re great to have for early ice fishing expeditions.  Anyway, if you do a little homework and use a heavy dose of common sense, you should be able to find some space and good fishing on the frozen fishing grounds.

For me, it’s going to be a little too cold to harass the trout this week. Winter trout fishing, for the fish’s sake, is best done sparingly and so, you can wait for the warmest and most comfortable days.  A cold spell is a great time to give the trout a break.

This will be a good week to tie flies and do a little ice fishing.

All winter we, at the Old Au Sable, are offering free beginner fly tying classes from 10 AM until 11:30 AM. Supplies will be provided but may be limited depending on how many folks attend, so please bring your gear if you have it.  Children are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. I hope to see lots of new faces.

We have a special treat on January 23rd and 24th.  Charles Chlysta, known around the fly shops as “Picket Pin”, will be demonstrating some special techniques and innovations on nymph patterns.  Nymphs make up nearly eighty percent of a trout’s diet and Pin is one of the finest fly tyers I know—don’t miss this free event that begins at Noon on both Saturday and Sunday.

Picket Pin is a retired Biology teacher and expert production fly tyer with an unparalleled knack for creating innovative flies that simply catch fish. His demonstration and tie along should not be missed.

Nymphs: Variations and Innovations

The focus of this tying session will be to look at nymph patterns and explore how they may be modified to become even more effective or fit specific needs and situations.

The patterns will range from variations on standard favorites like the Hares Ear and Pheasant Tail to some new ideas like the Yum Bug and The Medusa to lesser known patterns like the Killer Bug.

The nymphs will be useful for a range of fish from Trout and Steelhead to Panfish and Bass.

Sunday afternoon will focus on micro-nymphs and midges.

Stop in and see what you can learn or share your ideas and innovations.

Thanks for checking in and we’ll see you soon,

Andy