February 12
Got to my favorite run at about 1:00 pm and was rewarded with fish rising in the slack water between two riffles. I tied on a CDC wing midge and a Zebra midge dropper. Fish were really working the midges. I caught a very nice fish right off the bat. A 20" healthy looking Brown. I worked up the run but after about 20 minutes the wind really picked up and made fishing difficult. The fish would quit rising every time the wind brought any chop to the surface. Finally I moved up to a nice rock garden above the riffles and a few fish where rising in there. I caught one fish but it got free before I got it to the net. It was a smaller fish than the first one I caught. I got into a nice pod of fish right before I left but as I began to work up my strategy the wind came up again and things shut down. It was another good day on the river but I learned just how much these fish do not like the wind.
February 15
Only fished a little less than 25 minutes. Found plenty of feeding fish low on the river. I snuck up on some slack water and found fish cruising a big flat slurping midges and gulping some emerging pupa. I stuck with a zebra midge dropper off the end of a Skwala pattern that I used mostly because of it's size and flotation. I wasn't expecting anything to even take a second look at the big fly but wanted it as a good strike indicator for my zebra midge. I was quite surprised when a fish rising directly across the river to midges responded when I flipped my set up over into it's feeding lane not by immediately gulping my midge pattern but by coming up and giving the Skwala pattern a good look. It did not take it but it really gave the fly the once over. A couple seconds later it did grab the zebra midge and as I set the hook I felt solid contact but it ended quickly as the fish popped off.
I continued to work my way upstream toward a rockgarden of large boulders the I knew held fish. Still in the open water of the slow moving pool I had another fish closely examine the Skwala pattern before it decided not to fall for it. I think these fish have been seeing the skwala nymphs get a little more active lately and they are anticipating the day that the big bugs start hatching.
Finally I arrived at the rock garden where the fish were more concentrated in some more defined feeding lanes as the current swirled around several large boulders. I immediately had a fish take the midge but come undone on the hookset. Then close to the same spot on my next cast I finally hooked up with a nice 15 inch fish. A couple casts after that another fish came from the same area. This one went a little larger but still a little below average for this river.
At this time I noticed this zebra midge that has landed 10 fish over the last week and a half was coming unraveled. I had not brought my flybox today so this was my only fly. I gave a couple more casts into the run wondering if this fly could still fool a fish. I didn't have any luck and it was getting time to get back to work. All in all a good Presidents day outing.
February 17
Arrived on the river and fish where rising. They were feeding mostly in the calm water and the river was even clearer than on Monday. Because of this those fish feeding here were extremely leader shy. I had a couple take my Zebra Midge but the bite was so soft I had no chance to even set the hook on them. A couple fish again made googly eyes at the Skwala but still weren't up for taking a bite.
Finally I moved above the slow water into a pocket below some riffles. There was a little more chop and some foam on the water so the fish could not get quite as good a look at the flies. I spotted a fish feeding on the far edge of a little eddy. I got a good cast on the first try and sure enough he took it. He put up a great fight going airborne three times in the battle. Finally landed it after a bit. As I held it in the current he opened his mouth and a big black cloud came out of his mouth. At first I was thinking how could this guy get so much dirt in his mouth. I thought I had kept him pretty clean as I landed him. Then I saw it wasn't dirt but he had belched up a cloud of midge pupa he had been munching on in the eddy. It was by far the fattest fish I have landed this year on the river. He was pushing 21" and had some real girth to him. Great fish.
February 18
It was a relatively slow day as the sun was bright and the water was very clear. The water has been clearing all week. I fished my way up the run fishing to some risers that were taking midges in the tailout below the bottom riffle in the run. I just hit the end of the action though and soon after I started fishing the rises shut off all up and down the river from me. The wind was blowing pretty hard during the first half of my outing. This always seems to put the fish down on this river. Finally I headed up to the long slow pool that I caught a nice fish in last week that is between the rock garden and the riffles.
I have been fishing with a Skwala pattern and a zebra midge dropper for a couple days now. I was using the Skwala mostly as an indicator for my zebra midge as it is easy to see on the water. I was just about ready to accept my first skunking in a while and pack it up to head back to the office when I threw one last cast up into the foam line that comes down this nice pool, not expecting what happened next. I was staring at the Skwala waiting for it to dip below the surface when a big snout pokes up out of the water and inhales the big fly! I brought a nice 21" fish to hand a few minutes later. What a thrill seeing a big fish inhale a big dry fly with 10 days left in February.
It's Skwala time!
Got to my favorite run at about 1:00 pm and was rewarded with fish rising in the slack water between two riffles. I tied on a CDC wing midge and a Zebra midge dropper. Fish were really working the midges. I caught a very nice fish right off the bat. A 20" healthy looking Brown. I worked up the run but after about 20 minutes the wind really picked up and made fishing difficult. The fish would quit rising every time the wind brought any chop to the surface. Finally I moved up to a nice rock garden above the riffles and a few fish where rising in there. I caught one fish but it got free before I got it to the net. It was a smaller fish than the first one I caught. I got into a nice pod of fish right before I left but as I began to work up my strategy the wind came up again and things shut down. It was another good day on the river but I learned just how much these fish do not like the wind.
February 15
Only fished a little less than 25 minutes. Found plenty of feeding fish low on the river. I snuck up on some slack water and found fish cruising a big flat slurping midges and gulping some emerging pupa. I stuck with a zebra midge dropper off the end of a Skwala pattern that I used mostly because of it's size and flotation. I wasn't expecting anything to even take a second look at the big fly but wanted it as a good strike indicator for my zebra midge. I was quite surprised when a fish rising directly across the river to midges responded when I flipped my set up over into it's feeding lane not by immediately gulping my midge pattern but by coming up and giving the Skwala pattern a good look. It did not take it but it really gave the fly the once over. A couple seconds later it did grab the zebra midge and as I set the hook I felt solid contact but it ended quickly as the fish popped off.
I continued to work my way upstream toward a rockgarden of large boulders the I knew held fish. Still in the open water of the slow moving pool I had another fish closely examine the Skwala pattern before it decided not to fall for it. I think these fish have been seeing the skwala nymphs get a little more active lately and they are anticipating the day that the big bugs start hatching.
Finally I arrived at the rock garden where the fish were more concentrated in some more defined feeding lanes as the current swirled around several large boulders. I immediately had a fish take the midge but come undone on the hookset. Then close to the same spot on my next cast I finally hooked up with a nice 15 inch fish. A couple casts after that another fish came from the same area. This one went a little larger but still a little below average for this river.
At this time I noticed this zebra midge that has landed 10 fish over the last week and a half was coming unraveled. I had not brought my flybox today so this was my only fly. I gave a couple more casts into the run wondering if this fly could still fool a fish. I didn't have any luck and it was getting time to get back to work. All in all a good Presidents day outing.
February 17
Arrived on the river and fish where rising. They were feeding mostly in the calm water and the river was even clearer than on Monday. Because of this those fish feeding here were extremely leader shy. I had a couple take my Zebra Midge but the bite was so soft I had no chance to even set the hook on them. A couple fish again made googly eyes at the Skwala but still weren't up for taking a bite.
Finally I moved above the slow water into a pocket below some riffles. There was a little more chop and some foam on the water so the fish could not get quite as good a look at the flies. I spotted a fish feeding on the far edge of a little eddy. I got a good cast on the first try and sure enough he took it. He put up a great fight going airborne three times in the battle. Finally landed it after a bit. As I held it in the current he opened his mouth and a big black cloud came out of his mouth. At first I was thinking how could this guy get so much dirt in his mouth. I thought I had kept him pretty clean as I landed him. Then I saw it wasn't dirt but he had belched up a cloud of midge pupa he had been munching on in the eddy. It was by far the fattest fish I have landed this year on the river. He was pushing 21" and had some real girth to him. Great fish.
February 18
It was a relatively slow day as the sun was bright and the water was very clear. The water has been clearing all week. I fished my way up the run fishing to some risers that were taking midges in the tailout below the bottom riffle in the run. I just hit the end of the action though and soon after I started fishing the rises shut off all up and down the river from me. The wind was blowing pretty hard during the first half of my outing. This always seems to put the fish down on this river. Finally I headed up to the long slow pool that I caught a nice fish in last week that is between the rock garden and the riffles.
I have been fishing with a Skwala pattern and a zebra midge dropper for a couple days now. I was using the Skwala mostly as an indicator for my zebra midge as it is easy to see on the water. I was just about ready to accept my first skunking in a while and pack it up to head back to the office when I threw one last cast up into the foam line that comes down this nice pool, not expecting what happened next. I was staring at the Skwala waiting for it to dip below the surface when a big snout pokes up out of the water and inhales the big fly! I brought a nice 21" fish to hand a few minutes later. What a thrill seeing a big fish inhale a big dry fly with 10 days left in February.
It's Skwala time!
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