Encore

I just had to do one more on Depuy's.  Daryl said not many rods today, and that was right.  I had the whole re-entry pool to myself from 9:30-3:30.  Fish rising the whole time, like yesterday.  7X will pull some hooks!  And break.   I fished it all day though, with few problems.  Creek game.

 

The highlight of the day though was the discovery of a fly I had in my box that I hadn't ever tried.  I thought I got them at Anderson's last fall.   I only had two, but never lost the one I fished, and caught a bunch of fish on it.  Durable as hell, and it ain't done yet. (first indication of a Harrop fly.) When I was leaving Livingston, I stopped in to see if I could find more, since they looked like a bitch to tie in a #20 and down.  I had a hunch it was going to hurt. Sure enough, it was a $3.95 Harrop fly!  Anderson's had a whole shit load of 'em.

 

Since I had fish turning around, moving from their lane, looking it over, and then eating this CDC midge emerger, dropping 50 bucks on some bugs wasn't even a question.  This was not the transitional midge I usually fish, but looks more like a mayfly nymph.  It floats great, is visible in a size 20, and I'm guessing was taken for a baetis emerger.  Or maybe just a midge like Harrop suggests, since the baetis weren't that heavy.  Whatever they thought it was, they loved it!  Shoulda tried it on those fish I couldn't catch over at Armstrong's a couple days ago.  I have over a dozen now, armed for a return.  (I forgot to look in the reel case to see if they had one more of those Ross Colorado LT reels I am liking so much.)

 

Oh, fishing was damn good in that run today.  I had eats regularly for 6 hours.  Besides that midge emerger, or whatever it is, they ate the #24 Griffith's early, and the same flies I used yesterday here and there.  But that emerger . . . it was a game changer.  Old dog learns new trick.

All to Myself

 

Rising pretty much everywhere, all day.

 

Can you see it?  #24

 

This is the magic one.  I used a #20.  Smaller would be deadlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 And now I'm off to dirtier waters.  Hopefully not too dirty.

Movin' Down

I'm here.  Gettin' in the spring creek groove.  Why not?  I called at 7:30, and Theresa answered with a sore throat from surgery.  There was room for only 3 more rods today, and I was one.  Met Darrell at the mansion at 8:15.  (Betty's bedridden, not well)  Strange not to be greeted by such a cheery person.  She's always answered the door--for the last 30 years anyway.

 

Got to Eva's section to find Mr. Wonderful and two clients already staking claim to the rising-fish water.  I went below, but few fish up there.  After catching one and a few misses on a #24 Griffith, I headed downstream to the re-entry section.  They were doin' it all up and down both sides.  After asking the only other guy there if I could get in 100 feet below him, he said sure, and we fished the whole run from 10:30-3:00.  

 

7X is good.  Fished four feet of it all day.  Can't pull hooks with it.  Not a single wind knot all day.  No break-offs.  It stretches really well, good stretch. Way better drifts than 6X.  Caught several fish casting upstream to 'em.  And across.  It piles up nicely.  Small flies caught the fish.  Baetis on the lower section.  Hatch sparse.  Good day under bright sunny skies, no wind, and mid-sixties!  It felt good. Fished good. Won't last.

 

 

Trail to Re-Entry

 

 

Top

 

 

Middle

 

 

Bottom

 

 

# 20 not-a-Sri Lanka emerger FOD

 

Fish of the Day!

 

ABC Traditional Blue Dun #20

 

 

 

'Strong

Needed a creek fix.  3-weight.  Light and stealthy.  My big brown trout place was fishless other than a couple 13 inchers.  This place is always full of fish, testing fish.  A-game.  I get a better drift with 7X, and I get more eats with 7X.  I know, I tried it.  6X works though, and makes more sense.  I think.  I can pull more hooks with it!  Sure did plenty of that with these small flies.  Hooked some dandies.  Formed some relationships with a few others.

 

Day one was sunny turning cloudy.  Day two was cloudy turning mostly sunny.  Both were about the same, maybe more bugs and risers on the sunny to cloudy day.  I saw multiple fish eat adult PMD's both days.  Had a couple eat a #16 I tossed their way too!  But it was mainly midges in the morning, and baetis through the afternoon.  I fished #20's.  Smaller would have worked better, maybe.  How the hell would one tie a #24 Sri Lanka, anyway?  Didn't get any love on a #24 Griffiths.  Everything else small got ate at least once or twice.  Some a lot more. 

 

Judy wasn't answering the phone, so I just drove in, signed in, paid my $80, and fished.  I was the only car in the lower lot the whole two days!  Having the whole run there to myself made life easy.

 

Iconic

 

 

CDC on a hook worked good

 

Big Fish Place

 

Fat boy on 6X

 

That one ate this

 

 

Love this drift.  On the flat, and edge of the weeds

 

Really

 

 

Trout Flats.  About a foot deep.

 

Extraordinary sight fishing

 

Day two FOD.  Yes, its a thread-tail, nice and frayed.  Hackle on a hook.

 

 

Traditional worked good at the top of the run

 

No love here this time

These are four attempts to get that above/below shot I've been attempting from time to time all season.  I need flat, super-slow moving water, and was reluctant to move and spook the run just for a shot.  These are closer though.  Weather window is closing for underwater shots.

 

 

 

 

More MO (3640 cfs)

So yesterday it snowed all day with very little accumulation, and the temperature was in the mid-30's all day, with a slight breeze.  I didn't need to catch one that bad, especially after the day before.  I went to the water a few times and saw all the bugs and rising fish, but didn't want to try to keep my fly dry and my hands from freezing in that.  Good day for a shower and DQ!

 

Today started out bright sunny.  Hit the water about noon, and there were enough bugs, but not many rising fish.  As the afternoon went on, a cloud bank moved in, and the fish ate more.  I didn't really notice more bugs after the clouds, just more noses.  Had to hunt and work for 'em, but that was a nice change from "just chuck it out there."  Stayed busy casting and looking all afternoon.  Landed the fish of the trip so far too.

To Get There

Arrival

#20's and #18's.  Why on earth?  FOD

2nd side channel fished

Didn't even cast to this pod

This bank was where it was at . . . again.

A few hard-to-spot brute noses here

22 inches as measured on my net and wading stick

Worth a second look.  Fat too!

For a different fly to stare at every cast

And it worked on a few.  The water is full of weeds, worst I've seen in a while.  Need to use the "Missouri  River Slap" nearly every cast.