# Fishing Paint Creek



## The Downstream Drift (Feb 27, 2010)

Well guys, I've been on the Paint every day for the last week so here is a quick report.

The creek is fishing well and the flow is down but at a decent level for wading. I have hit a couple of trout but nothing large enough to warrant taking pictures. There are a done of creek chubs to keep you busy between the trout.

I've temped the creek every time I've been out in various places and habitats. For the most part the creek is running between 67-69 degrees. This is a survival temp for the trout but they simply do not want to readily feed at this temp. I would recommend fishing the creek in the very early hours of the morning when the temps are at its lowest. These hot summer days seem to shut down the fish by 11:00AM. 

Remember that once the water temp is 70 degrees it is very difficult for trout to survive the stress of being hooked. I recommend carrying a thermometer and taking the time to temp the water before you fish. Saving a few younger fish just allows them to grow into older, bigger fish.

I've been from Adams down to Tienken in the last week. Lots of new woody debris in the creek to make it difficult to wade. Take your time and respect the land owners rights on the stream banks. Every land owner I've talked to this week has been very nice once they seen the bag of trash that I was carrying out with me.

Anyways... there is a short report. Sorry there are no pics but like I said, there were simply no fish caught worth taking bragging photos of.


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## Logan the Destructor (Nov 20, 2009)

Question for you DD, are you fishing specific bugs/matching hatch or standard nymphs/caddis patterns now? 
I'm trying to get a read on any hatches other than caddis, on the Paint. I used to fish w/a guy who said he fished a sulpher hatch/spinner fall. I tried the other night, and was swarmed by some small bugs, green body, maybe BWO but tiny 22's.

Just picking your thoughts, I've had success in daylight w/hopper dropper, but I'd like to try and target something more specific.

Tight Lines,


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## Troutlord1 (Jun 6, 2007)

Logan
Those more than likely were tiny B.W.O's! Paint has a alot of em! Also,there are sulphers too but since the crazy warm early weather they are probably done.Basically the Paint hatches are,March Browns ,Tons of Caddis,a few lt cahills (not a ton) Sulphers, B.W.O's,midges and some crane flies (but I havent seen the trout key in on those). Lots of flying ants in the early fall (tecnically not a hatch:lol.I may have forgotten a bug ot 2 but those are the best hatches on Paint!! Hope this helps!


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## The Downstream Drift (Feb 27, 2010)

Troutlord pretty much nailed it. His account of the bugs on the Paint is accurate.

When fishing the Paint I never go there expecting a hatch of any sort. I usually carry a few dries that cover the basic hatches that Troutlord mentioned and hope to get lucky by running into a hatch. For the most part I am either running small (size 8) streamers or floating a nymph under an indicator. I will be sure to have plenty of Muddlers and Mickey Finn's in my stream selection. It seems these flies get destroyed pretty quickly with all of the creek chubs that hit them.

As for nympbhs I carry alot of beadhead mayfly nymphs (pheasant tails, hare's ears) and beadhead caddis patterns. The little bit of flash from the bead seems to help alot. I also like to carry a couple of scud patterns with me. The Paint is full of them and the fish really key in on them at times.

You can match a hatch when one is out there but they are fairly unpredictable. Troutlord is right on the sulphers. I haven't seen one in a week or so. There are some cahills hatching now but not enough to fish the hatch. As always there are plenty of caddis and BWO's in the air but they are usually very small.

Oh, and a quick side note for everyone. Believe it or not there was a hex hatch on the creek this year. One of the guys I work with was at the bar next to the creek in Rochester (you guys probably know which one I'm talking about) and he had two hexes land on the deck railing next to him. If he wasn't an entomologist I wouldn't have believed him. This is good news for the creek. More mayflies equals a cleaner stream.


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## Troutlord1 (Jun 6, 2007)

DD is also right about the Bead Head Nymphs. They seem to work extremely well on the Paint.Bead Heads with soft hackle work very well!!
Also DD is right on about hitting it in the mornings when its this hot or wait until the last couple of hours in the evening to hit it. When I worked in the fly shop in dtown Rochester , I could only hit it in the evenings (I live in st clair shores and I was not about to leave for work 3 hrs early to fish it in the morning before work:lol and it fished well.


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## Logan the Destructor (Nov 20, 2009)

Thanks a lot guys I appreciate the help. Like most of us I'm hitting it after work or late after the kids go down.
I've had very good success w/nymphing a bead head hares ear trailed by a pheasant tail w/a little floatant rubbed in it to simulate a rising bug.
Dries have been lame for me of late, we need this rain to mix it up a bit.

Tight lines,


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