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Happy Holidays-December Trout



I hope that all of you are enjoying the beginning of our holiday season. Friday, the Bubba Trout made their return appearance in our area. We've been stocking Bubba annually since 2005 and it is one of our most popular shop events. A special thanks to Tim Flagler and his son Drew for once again expertly handling the video duties. Friday December 10th with a lot of help from a few close friends and Jeff Mancini of the Musky Hatchery, we stocked over 500 Rainbow, Brown and Tiger Trout into the South Branch ranging in size from 12-25 inches. Next week, anglers are in for a pleasant surprise at Point Mountain thanks to a collaboration Shannon's has put together with four local TU chapters, Hacklebarney, Central, North Jersey and Ridge and Valley.


In the coming days and weeks as we end what can only be described as a tumultuous and difficult year, we want to thank our customers for your support and hope to see you on the water.


The trout have a number of food items to choose from now. Midges are the most common. It is tough to beat a #18-22 Zebra Midge in either Black or Red fished behind a beadhead nymph such as a Hare's Ear or Prince. Generally speaking it is a good idea to downsize your patterns based on water clarity and the winter months can make for some clear conditions. Rainbow Warriors, RS2's and WD40's are also excellent choices as is Lenny's Hotbead Midge or a Pheasant Tail Flashback. Another common winter trout food are scuds. Grey, Tan or Olive will all prove effective. I prefer sizes 16-18. Many of you know that dry fly fishing is my favorite way to fool a trout. On a warm day, midges will often hatch and the trout will sip them on, or just below the surface. One of my favorite midge dry patterns is the Griffith's Gnat. My friend, Rich Fernandez swears by another excellent pattern, the Smoke Jumper. I plan on giving that a try as well. Many anglers are nymphing Euro style. We have the rods and reels, the lines and the flies as well as the leader system components. As for euro rods it is hard to beat these choices the T&T Contact II 10' 9" 3wt, The Cortland Nymph 10'6" 2 or 3wt and the Douglas DXF 10-11 3 or 4 wt. They are all in stock in the shop. We are also stocking a variety of heavy tungsten flies for this type of fishing including a variety of Perdigons and Frenchies. New materials keep coming in and I'll keep you updated on this and all of our products. We are stocking tying vises from Peak, Renzetti and Regal.


Our guide business has been popular and we continue to run trips as long as weather permits. We welcome new anglers and will help you in every way to quickly become successful fly anglers. Stop by to pick up a gift or maybe just some materials to tie your favorite patterns. Gift certificates are available. Stop by to cast rods or try on waders and boots, or check out that new Fishpond pack. We are proud to serve area anglers since 1973. Happy Holidays from all of us at Shannon's!




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