Lenore Report

[mediger]

I spent three hours on the south end of Lenore on Saturday. This is the first time I have fished Lenore in the fall. The fish were generally much thicker than I have seen them in the spring (which is pretty obvious I guess). I just can't get over how big those fish are. I am a trout fisherman at heart who has never caught a steelhead or salmon, and I get goofy excited about a hard-fighting 16" rainbows or 14" cutts on dries, so to consistently catch such big fish just amazes me.
While I was only on the lake for a short time in the afternoon and evening, there was a lot of bug activity and the fish were feeding consistently, though somewhat scattered or spread out. There were a ton of both gray mayflies (or big midges, not sure) and rust colored caddis. While you could tell the fish were feeding just under the surface as their dorsal fins were out of the water while they ate, I couldn't get anything interested in emergers or deeper on chironomids. I caught all my fish on either a maroon or black bugger. I fished up in the water column with an intermediate line and a little deeper with a type 3 but neither seemed to out produce the other. The weather was beautiful, not much wind to speak of, just a beautiful evening on the water.
My only regret is not having a fighting butt on my fly rod! Sure could have used it.
Mike

[Tony Mull]

those bugger hatches are amazing aren't they? i guess they are just feeding on anything or are taking those buggers for smaller fish? who cares as long as they are hitting...

[Dipsnort]

Wow, I hope to hit Lenore on a day like that. In my experience, the wind is normally atrocious there!:rofl:

[2 Much Fishin]

The fish are huge. I didn't land many, but all of them were over 20". The biggest was probably 8 lbs! The tail was almost the size of my hand!

The fishing seemed like it was a little slow on Saturday. I didnt see many fish being caught which surprised me since normally this time of year you can get into the double digits pretty easily. I guess their size made up for it though!

[Flyn'dutchman]

When you consider the number of fish being taken home each day by the local Ukranian(sp) community, this might account for the lack in numbers and the increase in size of fish. There is a definite poaching problem there. Just the same the fishing has been great. I got in the middle of the may fly emergence last Thursday. Fish went nuts over nymphs and emergers. It was great to have 20'+ fish take on the surface or just under. Straightened out some of my smaller hooks. These fish aren't leader shy so you can fish 3x with out any problem. A 7 or 8 wt rod aren't too much. Beautiful fish. I haven't figured out what those fish that are crusing with their dorsal fins out are taking either. Wish I could. Any help would be appreciated.

[shgrier]

... While you could tell the fish were feeding just under the surface as their dorsal fins were out of the water while they ate, I couldn't get anything interested in emergers or deeper on chironomids. I caught all my fish on either a maroon or black bugger. I fished up in the water column with an intermediate line and a little deeper with a type 3 but neither seemed to out produce the other....
Mike

Mike,

I've found that Fall fishing on Lenore is different from the classic combat-chironomid fishing you see on the north end in March/April. Less deep fishing, and more shallow stuff. A size 16-14 GRHE under a bobber, or retrieved slooooooow on a floating line is killer. Not sure if the nymph looks like an emerger or like one of the billions of scuds in the lake, but either way, it works. Key here is shallow, not deeper like the chronie fishing in the spring.

Good report - yeah, a fighting butt sure helps!:p

Sean
Sultan

[mediger]

"A size 16-14 GRHE under a bobber, or retrieved slooooooow on a floating line is killer. Not sure if the nymph looks like an emerger or like one of the billions of scuds in the lake, but either way, it works. " shgrier

I should have done this but I didn't think of it. I have had some great success on the North end with a 16 GRHE even in the spring. Also as I was loading my pontoon I noticed hundreds of the little gray scuds on the seams and straps around my pontoon. I did try a gray calibetis nymph and a grap AP Emerger on an intermediate line. I should have suspended one on a floating line or indicator. It irritates me that I see what the fish are doing, and then don't adjust accordingly. :beathead:
Mike

[Old Man]

Hey guys,get your wording correct. It is not called a bobber,it is called an indicator. A bobber is something you use when one is fishing with BAIT. Ugh.bawling:

Jim

[shgrier]

Hey guys,get your wording correct. It is not called a bobber,it is called an indicator. A bobber is something you use when one is fishing with BAIT. Ugh.bawling:

Jim

Sorry, Jim, but when the water ain't movin', it's a bobber!:rofl:

Besides, it's easier to say "I was bobber-staring" rather than "I was indicator-staring"...

Sean
Sultan

[Old Man]

Well, that is one kind of fishing I have never tried. No patience. It would drive me farther over the edge that I am right now. bawling:

Jim

[Bob Ellis]

Sorry, Jim, but when the water ain't movin', it's a bobber!:rofl:
Sean
Sultan

Well then, in Tuesday morning's wind the water was moving so much I guess I can safely claim not to have been bobber fishing. I'd guess that the rod tip was moving up and down two feet with each wave, so imagine what was happening to the fly. It calmed down in the afternoon, but by then several of us had retreated to Rocky Ford.

Bob

[Chromer]

Oct 15 update. Fished from daybreak till 10am. Brought only 5 to hand, and they all came in a 20 minute window, just before sun hitting the water. I think there was a Capmblade hatch in late morning.

[Chromer]

Oct 15 update. Fished from daybreak till 10am. Brought only 5 to hand, and they all came in a 20 minute window, just before sun hitting the water. I think there was a Capmblade hatch in late morning.

[capmblade]

Oct 15 update. Fished from daybreak till 10am. Brought only 5 to hand, and they all came in a 20 minute window, just before sun hitting the water. I think there was a Capmblade hatch in late morning.

Indeed there was!

Were you the guy in the green pontoon who was fishing BH prince nymphs under and indicator? Man you looked like you were putting on a clinic.

Me? I caught only one that morning and was off the water when the wind picked up.