What I Learned This Week on the River - Episode #1

This post can also be found on my blog at www.jumpcreekflies.com.


Most weeks I get out fishing at least once. And every time I go I learn or in some cases relearn something. So I hope to pass on these little items on a somewhat weekly basis. These tips can be about pretty much anything related to fly fishing and some may help you, some may not. Take them for what they are worth.

So on to this weeks items.  Two things happened that were "light bulb" moments when I was on the water this week. Lets start with an, "oh duh" moment to establish that I can be pretty blockheaded at times.

 #1)For a long time I have fished with fly patterns that use CDC and thus my favorite floatant to carry on the water is of the powdered desiccant variety, such as Frogs Fanny or Doc's Dry dust. These types of floatants do a great job with CDC, but  when you open the bottle and apply it to the fly, the fine powder tends to stay airborne a long time. To avoid inadvertently breathing any of this stuff in, which I can't imagine would be good for you, I have always turned my back to any wind or breeze, and applied the powder to the fly, thinking the breeze would carry the powder away from me. However, I still managed on occasion to somehow breath a little in and it was getting old. Finally I realized the swirling current coming around my back was not always carrying the powder away from me but in fact sucking it right back into me. I was creating an eddy and we fishermen know what eddies do.  Well ***ding*** the light bulb went on yesterday, and I figured out that the best way to make sure the excess powder gets blown away from me is to turn sideways to the wind when applying this product to a fly. It works much better.

Well now I feel silly as that was probably pretty obvious, but my lungs thank me today for finally thinking of this.

#2)Now on to an a actual fly fishing item. Fish can be feeding in a spot, but it's good to ask yourself, where is the food they are eating coming from?  Another pretty obvious tip, but one that is good to remember on the water, so I don't feel bad bringing it up. Here is what I mean by that.

Exhibit A

Refer to the above rudimentary drawing to visualize this scenario.  This week I was fishing  to a lonely riser that was feeding in the very center of a 2 foot by 2 foot area in the midst of three boulders in the stream. My only real approach to the fish was from the rear right of the fish, just because of the way the rocks were situated. Because I had this defined area that the fish was in, between these rocks, I just assumed that any fly that flowed through this area would be on the fish's radar. The way the rocks were situated, and the way I had to approach the lie, the easiest way to fish this was going to be to cast just to the right of Rock 1 in the picture, and let the current push the fly through the middle of the area. It seemed logical that if the fly floated right through the center of the area the fish was rising there was a good chance it would see my fly and hopefully rise to it. After making several fruitless casts I wondered about my fly selection, but as is usually the case, it is often more about our presentation than it is about the fly we are using, so I stuck with it.

Then I noticed that while the fish was in fact feeding in the middle of this area, where my fly had been floating directly over, there were two currents coming together here, and it occurred to me the fish may be positioned to feed on bugs coming from the current pushing off of the left shoulder of Rock 2 (again see above picture). I had cast to the current flowing off the lead rock because it was easier to get my fly drifting from there, to where the fish was feeding, and this current coming from the right was a much tougher cast. The window of where my fly could land without spooking the fish on one side, and getting caught up on Rock 2 on the other side, was much smaller. It was worth a shot though.  I loaded the rod and some how managed to drop the fly in that little window on the first cast, and sure enough the fish was all over it. Lesson learned, or relearned, and I will probably have to be reminded of it again one of these days.

It was a rewarding week on the river and with these reminders I hope we all can keep our lungs clear of "Frogs Fanny" and our flies in the correct feeding lane of hungry fish.

Tight Lines.

Still got it and, I (heart) dual purpose flies

I went a whole month without fishing. Yes it's true. I didn't like it either. Actually the drought stretched almost two months. The last time I was on the water was around my Birthday in early December. So for the first month in almost three years, I did not catch a fish in the month of January this year. That's my sob story, but there is only one way to fix this problem. It was time to take action.

This winter has been fairly busy, but still there is no excuse. My fly tying has taken off and really kept me busy but that is definitely not an excuse. Honestly I do enjoy tying a good fly almost as much as fishing, so the time spent at the vise these last couple months has been very enjoyable. Maybe that's one reason I haven't fished as much. Keeping busy tying scratched that itch just enough. But still there comes a time when a person just has had enough and needs to hold the cork,waive the stick, and put some of those creations from the vise in front of some fish.

There is a moment of self doubt when I pick up an activity again after a little time off. Each winter the first time I hit the ski slopes, I always wonder on the lift ride up the mountain for that first run if I have completely forgotten how to ski. In the case of skiing my fear is often very legitimate though as I take my first run of the year tumbling down the mountain. So as I drove up the road to the river yesterday I wondered if in two months off from fishing I had forgotten how to properly present a #22 midge to a wily brown trout.

However as I pulled up to the first run I wanted to check out and looked down into a stretch of water filled with rising trout, instinct took over and I became a flurry of activity. Waders on, Boots, Fly rod rigged, off to the water without even a second thought of how well I would be able to present a fly to these fish. Then as I reached the edge of the water it hit me. This is real. The frantic pace at which I had gotten ready quickly shifted to a much slower gear, and every step in the calm section of river was made with extreme caution not to make any sudden movements that throw ripples over these fish, and tip them off to my presence. Getting my wading legs under me proved interesting. In my eagerness I placed a boot on the side of a hidden rock and slipped a bit. Careful. Pausing to give a chance for the slight disturbance this caused to subside I saw the fish were still slurping away. No harm no foul. But now the doubts were back.

These fish were not going to just come to the net. They were feeding in a calm slow moving section of river on midges, and from my experience, more likely half emerged midges, not the fully hatched adults that littered the surface. I tied on a Harrops Transitional Midge, one of my favorite midge patterns and took aim at the closest snout.

First cast, you guessed it, the back cast got caught up in a bank side willow I had misjudged my proximity to. After slipping a few times getting in, and not wanting to wade back to the shore if I could help it, I took the lazy route and tugged on the fly a few times and was pleasantly surprised when it popped free still attached to the tippet. Without examining the fly I loaded the rod and dropped a fair cast in the feeding zone of the nearest trout. Sure enough, my fly selection had been spot on, as if on cue the trout rose and grapped the bug. I set the hook, but it popped free. Oh well I had got a take, my confidence was improving. But it quickly turned to frustration.

The next three fish all had the same story. I would finally get a good drift, have them take, and have the hook come free on the set. I am just rusty I thought. But I decided to take a look at the fly. Well it seems the fly I was using was missing a key ingredient. The hook point. Apparently popping the small fly out of the willow, had broken the hook at the bend, so I was practicing the ultimate in catch and release techniques. As I examined my fly box for a replacement I realized that this had been the only transitional midge pattern in my box. So much for all that time at the vise, apparently tying every pattern but the Harrops Transitional midge.

So I resorted to trying out several patterns over the next 15 minutes, mostly they all were meant to mimic the adult midge, but I tried to modify and fish them as much like the transitional as possible. It wasn't working. The fish ignored every other fly. Then I had an idea. I have a mayfly emerger pattern I tie that uses a similar CDC bubble on the back of the fly that really works well during the appropriate mayfly hatch. The Bubbleback Emerger.

This picture is of the PMD version of the fly, but I tie a BWO version that is darker and on the whole I tie it in smaller sizes. So I wondered, even though there were no BWO's to be seen, if this pattern would pass well enough for a transitional midge. I tied on the smallest one I had, and made my approach to a big snout rising regularly just off the bank along a partly visible boulder jutting from the water. It didn't take long to find out if the fish would take this fly as a midge. The fly landed and wasn't on the water for more than a couple seconds when that fish rose and engulfed it. And with the help of an actual hook point on this fly, I was connected to my first fish of 2012.

As the fish took to the air, then ripped up river, then back down, I simply put my head back and breathed a huge breath of fresh air, relishing the moment. The fish was a healthy 18 incher that didn't come in without a fight. Finally a fish to hand.

As the hour wore on I hooked and landed 5 more fish on the BWO Bubble Emerger in the midst of a blanket midge hatch, and discovered a new use for one of my favorite mayfly emerger patterns. Life is good, and I can still catch fish. Ahhhh.

Quick Pic

A Morning on the River

Here is just a little sample of one of my usual morning jaunts up the river. I am still learning a lot when it comes to video but here it is:

The Fish Are Getting A Little Tight Lipped

Early Morning Hopper Muncher

 Fishing has slowed just a bit here in the last month or so, but there are still fish out there willing to take an artificial fly.  When fishing highly pressured trout streams in the late summer I have found that you just need to poke your fly into those little nooks and crannies that are overlooked by the bulk of fishermen.

The tailwater river I fish on a regular basis gets a lot of traffic, and it was about a week and a half ago I really noticed a shift in the way the fish were eating my grasshopper immitations.  They still take a look, they will still eat, they are just a lot more cautious in this act.  And they don't mash the hopper like they did a few weeks ago.  Many fish I was taking two weeks ago I was hooking deep in the corner of their jaw, or even in the back of their throat as they really committed to eating the big bug.    As they have been stung by the hook a few too many times these last couple weeks I have noticed many more false rises, false takes, fish that come loose after a couple headshakes, and even the fish I do bring to the net seem to be hooked just in the edge of the lips.  Never the less the fish are there and they are eating, just much more cautiously, so a bit more patience is required on the anglers part. 

At times like this you still should been able to go out and have some good success but the willing fish are not going to be in the same places you were catching them before.  Don't get me wrong, the fish are still in those obvious places everyone and their dog throws a fly into, but the fish there are going to be extremely careful right now. 

As an example I have a favorite run that three weeks ago yielded one of my best mornings fishing hoppers ever.  It is an obvious spot that gets a lot of pressure for several reasons.  One, it is right off the road.  Two the near bank is relatively shallow and easy to wade, and three, there are always fish rising here.  I picked off six big fish on six casts, in the span of about 10 minutes on an amazing Friday morning at the beginning of this month.  All six fish were spotted rising along the roadside bank before I casted to them.  All six fish took the fly hard and deep making it easy to bring them in without fear of losing the fish.  It was a great little span and a morning I won't soon forget.

But just a couple weeks later I fished that same run with no luck.  Every little lie I had seen and caught a fish out of last time still had a fish visibly rising in it, but they were not going to fall for the hopper trick.  As I moved fishless up the run this week having multiple looks, but no takes I was wondering if the whole river had become educated on foam hoppers and I was going to have to shift my strategy a bit.  While I welcome the challenge, I was a little disappointed.  Then on a whim I decided to cross the river and fish the other bank.  Now this is what I am talking about when I say be willing to look in the not so obvious spots when the fish get lockjaw.  Their was a fairly deep channel I had to cross to get to that side that would have kept slightly more cautious waders from fishing that side much, and quite frankly the water did not look that fishy.  It was shallow, 5-10 inches in most spots, and slow moving.  However as you looked at this bank carefully you could pick a few spots that could hold a fish or two.

The first of these was a simple little slick where the water flowed off the edge of a small brushpile.  Here the water was more on the 5 inch deep side than 10.  Not much water, but I could see that the way the current flowed there was the opportunity for food to be caught in the little eddy behind the brush pile, then as it got pushed out it would funnel right off the edge of the currents seam flowing off the brush.  I made the cast, and watched the fly pick up speed as it hit the faster current in the seam and drop into the "hole" where I hoped a fish would lie.  Sure enough a big snout rose up and engulfed the fly as if on cue.  And this was not a soft take.   A few moments later a nice 20 inch fish slid into the net.  Don't be afraid of shallow water.  Big fish can lie in some surprisingly shallow lies. 



I continued down the run and found another little nook that I thought would possibly hold a fish.  It was a tough lie, but the current cut back into the bank a bit here and the depth of the river changed a few inches while overhead willows hung over the water offering great protection, and just down stream there were dead willow branches in the water.  These dead branches caused the current to slow just enough that I could see any drifting food getting hung up here a bit, and an opportunistic trout lying in wait.  The problem with the lie is that it is basically a one and done deal.  It was a shoe box sized area, and if you let it drift any further than that little window your fly would surely become one with the dead willow branches in the water.  So in such a small area I would be forced to rip my fly out of there while still in an area that any fish that was there would surely be spooked.

I lined up the cast and dropped it just ahead of the target, and watched it drift into the sweet spot and just as I suspected, because of the current the hopper slowed up and swirled just a bit before continuing tight to the bank.  Precious inches passed in slow motion as I watched the bug near the end of its narrow window of opportunity and I was preparing for the quick rip that was going to be necessary to haul my fly out of danger as it approached the dead willows.  I bravely watched as the fly curled just around the first branch, and figured it was over, no fish.  But just as I started to take up the line the skinny water exploded and a fat 21 inch buttery Brown attacked the hapless hopper. 

As I continued down the bank each small potential lie held similar fish who were far less shy about taking the big fly than their comrades across the current, and what had started out as a morning of frustration ended up being one of my better mornings on the water.

So when fish get tight lipped, do a little thinking outside the box.  It pays.

Looks like the fish aren't the only ones getting fat off the abundance of bank side hoppers

Lights, Camera, Action

It's been a while since I actually posted a fishing report around here. My waterproof camera went on the fritz in Maui back in June and any fishing trips I have taken since have been lacking in pixels.

It looks like for the time being though, I am back in business. I purchased a new camera and took it for a spin this week.

The fishing may have been a bit slow for the most part, and I really didn't get many pictures, but we still had a great time. I find that when I go on a trip in the drift boat it is hard to get pictures because I am either rowing, or fishing. But we did land a few fish, and they were really healthy. So hopefully you will see a few more posts coming from my in the near future.

Kelly with a colorful Rainbow

The Big Fish of the Trip

Rowing Practice

As you know if you have been reading here, the river is blown out.  That much I think has been made abundantly clear.  But when life hands you lemons, go make lemonade I guess.  So having not touched a fly rod in a couple weeks we decided it was time to check the river out from the inside, and dusted off the Alumaweld and launched her into the great wide current.  We floated a little over 8 miles of the river and threw streamers at the banks, and half exposed willows the entire way.  We received nothing to show for our efforts other than a little exercise.  Not a single follow.  Here are just a few observations and tidbits from the day.

• First, it took about three hours to float the approximate 8 miles.  We swung around a couple eddies but really we didn't dilly dally at all.  
• There are no riffles on the river.  the river is deep, deep, deep.  Part of the reason I don't think we caught anything.  These fish have a lot of water and with the curve ball they have been thrown I wouldn't be surprised if they have found a rock deep in the river and tied themselves to it for the time being. 
• It was a nice day for a float.  A bit windy for throwing streamers, but it was a nice little outing none the less.  
• Didn't spot any bugs in any significant numbers. 
• Saw two fish rise in the three hours on the river.  One soon after we put in in a big eddy, and one towards the end of the float, again, in a big eddy.  Both were single rises with no follow up.  We watched the area for quite a while after each one.  They never reappeared.  
• I had anticipated a tougher float, but it was fairly simple to navigate the river.  Most of the rapids have been smoothed out, and the river is high enough most rocks are safely under water.  Only a couple spots required a little thought about how to attack them and there was plenty of room to maneuver around any potential hazards.  

Here are a couple photos of the day:

After the float we checked out the glory hole and the dam so here are a few of those shots as well:

 

 

(Click for larger image)

Meat Eating Browns are on the Prowl!

One of my favorite streamers to fish for big browns.

 This is a report I had written up from a trip to the river this week but am just getting around to posting.  It's just a small look into the excitement that is fishing big meaty streamers.  It's an indulgence I don't often partake in, but one that I always wonder why not after an outing like this.  

The river I fish often is about to blow. Rumors of a big release from the Dam starting this afternoon and then doubling again by the end of the week prompted me to take advantage yesterday of one of the few remaining days this spring I may get to fish it. Although if it goes much higher we may be able to break the Drift boat out a little early and get some of the rust off my rowing shoulders.

With the river already having bumped up from 30 cfs to 222 cfs in the last week and the water running a little off color I decided to fling some streamers and see what happened. I certainly wasn't disappointed.

I fished a bank I have come to affectionately call "The Butcher Shop." It is a great Streamer bank with a shallow gravel bar along most one side making it easy to wade along that side and throw big streamers to the protected far bank that drops off quickly into a nice trough with a lot of overhanging brush, exposed rocks, as well as other cover. And to top it off the current flows through there at just about the perfect speed.

I started in at the bottom of the run in a shorter run before it drops off into a minor riffle and then dumps into another long run that lasts about 100 yards. My first cast the Conehead Zonker I was fishing pulled across the current untouched, but as it swung below me and came into view I clearly saw the dark form of a large fish on it's tail. I gave the fly a few twitches, but the big fish was not enticed and I watched the shadow dissipate back toward the center of the run. My heart was officially beating now.  Streamer fishing is not for the faint of heart, as I have had more heart stopping moments tugging big flies than any other type of fishing. I had several on this day and this was just the first.

A few moments later I learned, or should I say, relearned, a lesson I should have known...well okay...I knew better, but I failed to heed my better judgment. Never just assume that the 4x tippet that is already attached to your fly line is an OK choice, and for the sake of convenience ignore the nagging voice in the back of your head telling you to change that or you are going to regret it. Well that's exactly what I did. Anxious to hit the river I had decided to just tie the #4 Zonker on what was left of the leader already attached to my fly line, and soon I got the wake up call I needed. Off the bank came a hard crashing fish, he grabbed the fly and turned back to his lair in a flash, and I hardly even felt it. It was that quick, the separation of fly from the leader was swift and clean. Large fish smacking a moving fly on a tight line can make quick work of too light tippets. I humbly stood in the stream and did what I should have done 15 minutes before.

Back at it after re rigging a much stouter and shorter leader, I hit the short riffle between the long banks. Casting into eddies and pockets behind boulders along the far edge I was coming up empty for the first half, as I casted, and stepped downstream, working the bank thoroughly. At the bottom of the riffle there was a bigger eddy with a nice foam line that looked like a good place for a nice trout to lay in ambush. The streamer landed perfectly at the head of the little pocket and I began the strip. The fly had just entered the faster water when the surface exploded and I clearly saw a beautiful buttery brown roll above the water and come down on top of my streamer. I have had this happen a couple times when fishing streamers, and every time I can hardly believe my eyes. I think if I had a video camera and could slow it down and zoom in on the fishes eyes, you could see they would be glowing red. Sometimes these fish just get crazy mad. He grabbed the fly on the way down and I felt the heaviness for a couple seconds, but just like the other times I have had fish attack the fly like this, it was short lived. It seemed to be an attack out of anger rather than hunger, and that happens in fishing these meaty flies, but it didn't help the thumping in my chest any.

It was only a few casts later when my fly swung across the bottom of the riffle that I felt the hard strike and the heavy weight of a nice fish that played a little too close with that fine line and managed to hook himself. One thing I will say, I have never had a fish that hit a streamer, just roll over and come to the net easily. These fish were mad before, and the sting of the hook takes that rage to a whole new level. I finally landed this fish and it was a very fat 20 inch Brown that was as healthy as I have seen this year on the river.

Big fish like this are the reason I will occasionally fish streamers even in the midst of a heavy hatch, like the BWO's that were popping on this day.

As I continued up the run several more big shadows ghost up behind my fly as I bring it across the river, but none that are willing to take the plunge and grab a bite. Finally I came to a section with a lot of old dead branches hanging over and into the water, and in amongst them was a big nose rising methodically, probably to midges as I see them congregating along the current seam that feeds his little haven. It's a tough lie, and he's sipping dries, so I wonder how willing he would be to grab a streamer. It's worth a try though. My cast hit just above the brambles, and I let my heavy fly sink and tumble with the current into the big fishes feeding lane. As it arrived in the zone I could no longer see the fish, or the fly in the murky water but I figured it was time to start stripping it out of there. As I began the strip I immediately met resistance and felt the heavy shake of a big Brown's head. I managed to sneak him out of the bramble patch he was in without him wrapping me around a branch, and slugged it out with him in the middle of the current where fewer hazards existed. Finally a few moments later I was able to raise the big head and slip another nice trout into the mesh.

The day continued with this theme and by the end of a couple hours 7 big heavy fish had found their way into my net, all on streamers, right in the midst of a massive Blue Wing Olive hatch that I simply ignored.  What a day. Nothing like the heart pounding action when the fish are mashing streamers.

This nice fish put the finishing touches on a great day on the river.

A Great Day on the River

Not a lot of big fish but the day was perfect for a BWO hatch. Fifty degrees, overcast, drizzling on and off. A sure recipe for hatching bugs and the fish were eating. Midges also made it onto the menu.

Average size of the catch was down today, but the numbers were on the rise. Maybe spring is making a comeback after all.

Early Skwala Eater

I have a tendency to start fishing Skwala Dry patterns earlier than I probably should be able to get away with.  This time of year my most productive patterns are usually small midge pupa patterns and my preferred method of fishing them is in a hopper dropper type set up.  I will use a parachute adams or some other adult midge or mayfly pattern on occasion but I usually look for any excuse to use a bigger fly when using this set up.  The last couple weeks I have noticed a lot of Skwala nymphs as I turn over a few rocks on the river and although it is a little early for them to be hatching in any significant numbers I went ahead today and started fishing a bullethead skwala pattern followed my the old reliable Zebra Midge. 

Last year the first fish I managed to catch on a Skwala dry fly was on February 17th, so we are right in that time frame this year.  However I was not real hopeful that I would be able to fool a trout any earlier than that date, so I was content to use the skwala as my indicator for the midge pupa dropper.  As I prospected a nice little trough between two rocks I was not surprised when my indicator fly dipped and I set the hook on a nice little brown that had taken the dropper.  I quickly landed it and set up to get another drift in that same slick.  On my next cast I did get a little surprise.  I flipped up in the center of the narrow chute again and an eager little 10 inch fish mashed the Skwala.  Not a big fish by any means but the first sign of a fish looking up and willing to go for the bigger meal.  This may be my indication that the Skwala hatch may hit a little early this year.  We will see.

Not a monster by any means but he is the first Skwala muncher I have come across this year

It's been slow

I have not gotten out and done much fishing lately.  Things are busy, but today I managed to sneak away for a bit. 

It was not the hottest action I have ever had but the fish were there.  I found a nice run with fish rising all over to midges easy enough.  I waded in and proceeded to flog the water for nearly an hour with very little of what I would call, results.  Just a couple fish that nosed the tiny midge pattern I was using but no full on slurps, and with the number of natural insects on the water it was a bit overwhelming to imagine my little pattern getting picked out of all those choices.  To top things off the fish were not setting up in a feeding lane but feeding on the move making it a game of anticipation and timing.  Both of which I apparently lacked today.  Finally I decided I was tired of that game and I went with a set up that hardly ever fails me when fish are snacking on midges.  I tied on a nice sized parachute adams with a easily visible white post and dropped a #18 zebra midge off the back of it with about 18 inches of tippet.  Sure enough a few casts later I was hooked up on the midge pattern.  It capped what had been a bit of a frustrating outing but let me finish things off on a positive note.  So for the first time in a few weeks here is an actual fish picture.

Ice, Ice, Baby

This weeks report is full of it.  Ice has taken over the river and very few stretches are open.  Thankfully we have had a day or two where the temps have actually gotten above freezing so there are a couple stretches that are fishable.  I took a drive up the river this week not expecting to do any fishing.  Last time I was out there were no fish rising and I didn't find enough fishable water for me to even break out the rod.  I expected this weeks drive to be much the same.

About halfway up the canyon, still looking for any sign of rising fish and coming up empty I spotted something interesting standing on an ice shelf in the middle of the river.  By the time I got the truck stopped, backed up, and the camera out it had taken off but I managed to get this picture of a nice big bald eagle.

Continuing up the canyon I stopped at one of my favorite spots.  In my last report just before Christmas I had caught a couple fish here but as I broke through the brush I could see it wasn't going to happen this day.  The picture below shows the ice over the top of a run that held at least 7 feeding fish last time I was here. 

Another Shot of an Icy River

Finally I stopped at a run that I have had good luck with finding rising fish but I thought for sure it would be iced over as it is a fairly calm bend.  Even the riffles were frozen solid in some places so I figured there would be no way this place would be ice free.  I could see though, as I approached, several Ducks swimming in the run, so I knew that was a good sign.  When I pulled the truck up and hopped out I was greeted by a welcome sight.  One hundred yards of very accessible water.   The only thing I needed now were the fish to cooperate.  The surface was pretty calm and so I decided to walk slowly down the bank and see if anything showed up.  I had just turned my back on the river to duck under some brush when I heard a slurp.  Quickly I turned back to see the dissipating ripples left by a rise.  Then the white mouth of a nice fish appeared again and took another midge from the waters surface.  That's all it took to get me in gear.  I slowly backed away from the bank then sprinted to my pickup, jumped into my waders, and grabbed my fly rod.  A couple minutes later I was hooked up with my first fish of 2011. 

Happy New Year!

 The fish kept rising but I went through a dry spell after that fish was landed.  Then just as I was about to leave, and call it a day, another fish took my fly and fish number 2 came to hand.  This fish was nearly a carbon copy of the first.  In fact I had to compare the pictures to be sure they weren't the same fish, but it turns out it's pretty obvious they are not. 

Fish Number 2

There is something very satisfying about fooling fish in the dead of winter on a dry fly.  It is one of the most rewarding things I have done as far as fishing goes.  I am beginning to really enjoy the winter fishing season.  As long as there is open water.

One Fish, Two Fish...

...Brown Fish...

...RAINBOW!

My last outing on the river was another quicky.  I spied two fish feeding less than 5 feet apart in a tiny current seam and figured there was no way I could pull both out of there.  Once I hooked one it's fight was sure to spook the other, but I went to work on the downstream fish just on the off chance it would not bolt upstream and spook that fish if I hooked it.  It took about 5 minutes of casting over this fish before I got everything right and it picked my tiny transitional midge out of the buffet line of naturals floating through the seam.  As it took the fly and I put pressure on it the fish just happened to turn and bolt straight downstream practically swimming straight into my net.  The fight lasted all of 5 seconds, if that.  It was a very nice 20" brown.

As I revived that fish and watched it swim away I stole a glance up to the seam, and sure enough that other fish was still feeding away as if nothing had happened.  This one only took two casts.  As soon as the hook dug into the fish's lip it took me on a ride.  This fish had 10 times the fight of the previous one, but I couldn't really tell if it was actually that big, or if it just was feeling spunky.  It bolted downstream spooking a pod of three feeding fish below me, then headed upstream threatening to wrap my tippet around an exposed boulder.  Finally it settled into a pocket behind a large rock and slugged it out.  As I brought the fish in close I saw why this fish had so much more fight than the previous fish.  It wasn't larger, not by a long shot, but it was one of the few rainbows that inhabit this stream.  And there is no comparison in how they fight.  The browns in this river are sluggish and slow.  Especially the large ones.  The rainbows, apparently are not.  It was only the second rainbow I have ever landed on this river this year, and I have fished here quite a bit.

I was quite happy with the days results as I watched the 15" football shaped bow slide from my net back into the lazy current.

The Midge Wins Again

I really like those winter time dry fly opportunities.  The hatches are sparse, and short lived but when you have the right fly at the right time it is very rewarding.

Fishing Journal - Week 31

September 29

First cast back from vacation

 

Love the early morning sun bouncing off the hills and reflecting on the river.

September 30

Another fish eating hoppers before it was light enough to really even see the hopper

Here is Old Snaggle Tooth again. 

 

Mahogany Spinner

Fishing Journal - Week 30

September 13
Only two fish today but one was a very nice one.

23" fish on one of the first casts of the morning

September 15

Another great morning but the hoppers are fading fast.  I don't expect them to be effective much longer but I milked it another day despite a prolific trico hatch which I ignored this morning.  Caught four fish, and they were all on the bigger side.

Trico

First fish of the morning.  A nice fat 20 incher.

The last fish of the morning.

Fishing Journal-Week 29

September 9

I only got out once this week but it was a great outing.  Thursday morning was an overcast day with a slight breeze blowing and last time I was here on a similar type day I had my best morning landing 12 fish in the two hours before I headed off to work.  This morning was looking promising if the weather had anything to do with that morning.  And it turns out it was another great one.  Twelve more fish found there way to the net once again in the same stretch of river.  Three of them were very large fish in the 21-23 inch range.  Here are some pictures:

One of the fattest and healthiest fish I have caught here.

This fish surprised me.  I thought it was a good inch or two smaller than the fish in the top pic but it measured a half inch longer and was the longest of the morning.

In the net

This is the final fish of the morning.  A nice 20 incher that slammed my hopper twice.  The first time I jumped the gun on the hook set.  Then I gave it another drift and sure enough the fish took again.

Close up.

A great end to a great morning.