Getting Out: Fishing Journal

August 10

No pictures but hoppers are still on the menu. I actually had a frustrating day, landing only three fish. I missed so many takes though that it was getting a little ridiculous. Finally as the sun went down I started hooking them for keeps. I did come away with a pretty cool fish story though.

I was fishing down a long narrow channel with my hopper, flipping it in under the brush along the far bank and letting it drift as long as I could. Then when it reached the end of my line I would let the hopper skate out from the bank into the middle of the river. I had many, many takes as the fly skated across the surface. It was pretty exciting. As I was approaching a submerged rock about 6 feet off the bank I knew it looked like a good spot for a fish. I got a good drift along the bank then at just the right moment let my hopper skate out and it crossed the boil made by the submerged rock. As soon as it skated into that area my fly was attacked. I set the hook and it was solid but as soon as the tension came it released and my rod and line flew back over my head. I examined my fly and found it had broke off on the hookset. I took the time to tie on a new pattern, exactly the same as the one that fish had just taken and when I was done I decided I should maybe make another cast to that rock. This time I let the fly dead drift instead of skating it and as soon as it drifted over the top of the rock the water exploded as a fish smacked my fly. This time I missed the hook set though. I was pretty sure it must be a different fish as the last fish that blew up on my fly in that spot would still have a pretty sore lip. I was sure that little pocket was toast but decided to drift my fly through there one more time. This time the fly did not even make it to the rock. Right before it drifted over it the hopper pattern was sucked down. I set the hook and it found a home this time in the corner of the fish's jaw. Finally I landed it thinking there must have been three different hungry fish in that small little pocket, but as it turned over in my net I saw firmly lodged in the other corner of it's mouth my other fly. Now I am convinced that all three takes were the same fish, and evidently it was hungry.

August 13

Friday the 13th was a good day. I headed up in the morning and decided today I would see if hoppers work this early in the day as well. Even though there were no hoppers out yet as I made my way down the trail to the river and the fish were up sipping small midges and trico's, they still responded nicely to a well presented hopper pattern. It sure was more fun fishing a big foam pattern to these fish than straining to see a #24 trico spinner.

I ended up with 7 fish on the morning all on hoppers. On average I would say it was my best day for the size of fish I caught as well. All but one was over 18 inches and I finally taped a lunker that was a legitimate 20+ incher.