Good Flies for Coffee Colored Water

[jskowron]

What do you guys find successfully in early season, coffee-colored water? I've had success with wooly buggers/marabou buggers, in black and bright colors. Anything else?

I'm finally going to get out tomorrow, probably to the upper stretches of the East Branch of the Westfield, along Rt 9. the water was relatively high (but not too high), and coffee stained when I stopped to check it out on Tuesday along rt 9 in Cummington. The Headwaters up in Windsor were high, but much clearer. If anybody's out driving around late Friday afternoon and sees a white Subaru Wagon on the side of the road, stop and say hello (or stop and wet a line! It's supposed to be a nice day)

[Mark Patenaude]

Yup,"big uglies" are the ticket. Stay with the darker patterns or pattern with alot of flash in them in coffee colored water.

The fish's metabolism is starting to pick up with the warming of the water and they are very hungry coming out of Winter.

Swing streamers and try to target the seam water between current and slack eddy's or slicks along the banks.

Also, don't pass up what I call "Frog Water", which is that dead looking water with barely any current. The biggest browns will drop back to this water and hold there over the Winter and will usually stick around until the water starts warming closer to the optimal temp of 64-66 degrees. Cast your streamer and strip to give it alot of action. The big Browns will move a fair distance to chase it down.

Mark

[yashuone]

don't forget rattles! i'll be trying to tie some rattles into my sculpin patterns for this spring. never messed with those before but have heard they are effective.