Riffle Stop

Flows are down to 1160, water is clear, so dry fly time on the Maddy.  However, it is also Salmonfly time, and that means Salmonfly Saturday, and the hordes coming.  I fished early, before they came.  I left when there were few places that weren't walked on or cast on.  But it was a nice change, fishing the caddis in fast water to risers.

Nobody when I started.

Epeorus bank had some rising fish!

This one landed on me.  They're coming . . . 

Green Ones and Brown Ones.

Drakes, that is.  You know, here one day, gone the next.  The Drake saga.  The green ones made an appearance this afternoon up high.  The brown ones flew around a little,  but never really showed up at Millionaires.  The regulars say the browns are over, but they all showed up tonight just to make sure.  Me, I'm outta here.  Its been a tough ride, with a few peaks and mostly valleys.  But I'm already counting down to June 15, 2019,  I just can't help myself.  350 days.

An afternoon shower brought out the bugs and some rising fish

Tons of PMD's sprinked with a few green drakes

A few fish finally took care of this bug

I was really ready for one more night shift

Clouds were close

They flew for a few minutes

Then it was just a fisherman hatch.  Word got out on last night!

Never happened

Pure Magic

Tonight was the tomorrow night I hoped for last night after seeing the forecast for increasing clouds this afternoon.  The clouds rolled in, and as soon as they did, like clockwork, every brown drake in the river decided to hatch, or so it seemed.  5:30 pm, and I was late!  Both bugs and fish stayed active till dark.

Sometimes everything lines up.  The wind blew, but not enough to stop the hatch or fishing near the high bank where I was positioned.  Enough rain drops fell to make me get the rain jacket, but not long enough to drown the flying bugs or discourage the trout from rising.  Distant thunder was heard, but no lightning was close enough to be a threat.  The parking lot was nearly full, but nobody was near me.  The sun even popped out before finally setting, but didn't affect the swarming hatch at all.

This was, without a doubt, the biggest brown drake hatch I've ever seen.  The kind I've heard rumors about, and read stories about.  Fish were on 'em, big and small.  And they all seemed super charged.  Maybe brown drakes are like an energy drink?  The Ross does need a little more backing.  A couple took it down close!

The star at the center of the trout fishing universe shined brightly this perfect evening.  Cool and cloudy/rainy tomorrow, the computers say . . .

Early afternoon below the log jam, down the trail with a #12 Green Drake Cripple

It fooled this toad, and missed another

Early evening clouds.  There were drakes in the air on the drive into the park!

The only bug I tied on.  Size 10!  No midge/baetis shit here.  Went through a lot of angel dust keeping it dry.

Typical of the ones I hunted

These are bugs, not birds!  Big honkers.

This is one of thousands.

Cool cloud formation while I was waiting to get some line back

When the rain stopped, it was like a postcard.  Breathtaking.

Dodged a bullet.

No prettier river.  No interstate traffic.

My only company in the next pool up.  Had a ton of water to myself.

Damn Bugs

Tonight was the tomorrow night I worried about last night.  Let down.  Never trust the drakes, especially the brown ones.  The didn't even show until 9 pm.  Pretty sparse.  There were a few fish moving around taking them, but nothing like last night.  No gulls.  Did catch a big one, and lost another one pretty quick, but that was about it.  Fish were still rising when darkness came, but still sporadic and moving.

Before 9, not a drake in sight, unlike last night.  Non-existent, except for an instant.

Needed this last night.  Tied some for tonight.  It worked.

Those Tetons pop up everywhere around here.

Big one, but the only one.

Old timers used to say its the moon, but that ain't it.

Blurp and Burp!

Chowing down, no sipping here.  No sirree!  Brown drake madness from 7:30 to 9:15.  Fish were hunting, swirling, and gulping.  Not the high floating adults, but just as they would pop out of the shucks, apparently.  Caught fish on the Harrop Cripple, the PHD, and the down-wing "emerger," but that one had to be floating pretty low with the wing down.  The floating nymph (PHD) was the one early on.  Never got around to fishing the spinner.  It was hard to even get the camera out with all the ruckus going on around me.  Fish were on the move, and on the hunt.  Had to cast quickly to the boils, and lead them a little.  The difficulty was guessing which way they were going since it was in every direction.  This was one of the best drake evenings I've ever had.  Maybe THE best.  Easy wading at this flow too (760).  I haven't had this much fun with a fly rod since a tarpon was chasing my Seaducer.

The largest western mayfly.  #10 long shank!  Hell yes.

The gulls love 'em too

Not much company in my neighborhood

One of four I touched. There were more untouched. 

The big aftermaths

Sailboats isn't an overstatement.  They just pop up out of nowhere.

Last touch, 8:58 it says, both ways.

Until tomorrow night . . . 

The Magnet

So during the endless rainy spell, they raised the Fork to over 1500.  Now its super low at around 700.  Water clearing.  PMD's and a few Drakes int he morning.  A dash of Brown Drakes one evening at Osborne.  But fishing SUCKS.  Aside from a straggler here and there, and not many of those, the fish are not up.  Speculation abounds.  Water too low.  Water too cold.  Too sunny.  Too many people.  etc. etc.  It really hasn't been much good since the opener.  I walked from town to the islands on the west side yesterday, and the same on the east bank today.  I must be stupid or something.  There's bugs after about 10-10:30 am, but the bigger fish don't seem to care.  Two days of sunny, comfortable, and little wind.

However, just this evening, a glimmer of hope.  One lone, thin cloud moved in over the bright sun in the early evening, and zillions of the tiny "micro" caddis along with some regular larger ones and a sprinkle of dead and dying pmd's brought some fish up.  I fucked up all my eats, but I had nice fish to cast to and nice fish that occasionally ate a fly!  Rumor has it the Brown Drakes were prominent at Wood Road tonight too.  I was going to go to Millionaires, but got in the water at the log jam when the cloud blocked the sun, and never got out till sunset. 

I was ready to leave, go fish the Madison in the park tomorrow, and check below Quake tomorrow evening as those flows slowly come down.  Now what coach?  Once again, the magnetic pull from the "star at the center of the universe" has its grip on me.  And fishing today was absolutely horrible all morning and into the afternoon.  I cast to one fish this morning, and had no chance as he moved feet up and down the flat, rising every minute or so.  But tomorrow, maybe they'll be more in the mood?  Stay closer to town, or fish the town stretch exclusively?  Its midnight, I have about 8 hours to think about it.  I probably ain't goin' to the park.  Yet.

That great Osborne view at Brown Drake hour.

Love a size 10!

It always ends way too quickly, though brilliantly

Nobody home

Lonely here too

This RV burning up near the Mesa Falls turnoff provided something to watch!

Got a couple eats on this, of course

First one to the first bend

View from Islands

Fishless

Really fishless

Maybe next time

Someday

Me and the heron puttin' on the stalk.

Evening eats

Back in the morning.