Ultralight spin vs. Fly Fishing for NJ trout....

[AndyS]

Very few bug hatches in NJ compared with NY and Pa.

[bigfishy]

Originally Posted by AndyS

Very few bug hatches in NJ compared with NY and Pa.

True statement!! This is one of the reasons that i rarely fly fish Jersey

[Broad Bill]

The Brodhead, Cherry Creek, Lehigh, Musky and Flat Brook are just a few of the tributaries flowing into the Delaware in NJ / Pa. in our area. They all have brown trout, with significant amounts of sizeable natural browns. I completely agree there's substantially more hatches the further north you go but the big browns in the Delaware in our area are primarily nocturnal feeders and the larger fish are focused on larger presentations.

[bulletbob]

Even when there are hatches, bait or the right lure will take trout in streams, unless the hatch is one of those events where there is just so much food available that all the fish in the stream are keying on it and nothing else

Very few trout when hungry will pass up a live worm or minnow, crayfish,Hellgramite, etcz, unless they are 100% keyed on one food source alone to the exclusion of everything else.. I have seen this a few times over the years, but in my particular experience, its not all the common.. Natural bait, or good convincing artificials are at least as effective as a good fly presentation in most eastern streams most of the time... bob

[drjjpdc]

Lou,
Here is the operative phrase and use.

"While if you work lures and bait properly you can elicit reactionary strikes! Also the fly guy usually works less water on a given day than a good lure fishermen!"

The key word is works. When I am fishing with my fly rod it's never work.

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Even when there are hatches, bait or the right lure will take trout in streams, unless the hatch is one of those events where there is just so much food available that all the fish in the stream are keying on it and nothing else

Very few trout when hungry will pass up a live worm or minnow, crayfish,Hellgramite, etcz, unless they are 100% keyed on one food source alone to the exclusion of everything else.. I have seen this a few times over the years, but in my particular experience, its not all the common.. Natural bait, or good convincing artificials are at least as effective as a good fly presentation in most eastern streams most of the time... bob

A good bait fisherman will outfish flies and lures pretty much every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Drossi

A good bait fisherman will outfish flies and lures pretty much every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

agreed.. For a long time, I used lures most of the time.. As I get a lot older, with LESS patience, i use bait more and more depending on what I'm fishing for.. plain old worm and bobber works as well as it ever did... bob