Creek Week

Depuy's, that is.  

Mornings at Betty’s, evenings at Eva’s.  It’s mostly been a good combo.  Spinners, soft hackles, loop wings, and the hanger. (Buzzer, Mole, whatever you want to call it)  That’s all I really need other than an occasional floating nymph, Galloup cripple (spinner), or some other specialty thing.  The good morning hatch starts 10:30-11ish, and wind or thunderstorms kill it early afternoon.  Short-lived.  The evening spinnerfall starts 4-5ish, and is over around 8.  Evenints were the best fishing of the week along with the first two magic mornings.  The hatch seemed to fade as the week went on.

Day one I went back to Eva’s to just rip some lips.  Man, these creeks.  They ate the #18 pmd spinner like it was the last supper.  And it ain’t got no shuck on it!  Silly-good.  There were spinners from the start, all morning, and the regular hatch starting around 10:30.  Nearly every fish ate the spinner on the first drift, but only once.  Once I missed ‘em, they would refuse it over and over.  About 11:30 with the hatch in full swing, they did become more selective, but still took the spinner at times.  At 12:15, a little breeze came up, and then lightning at 12:30.  I went up and fished the middle a little. There were a few fish up, but none in that stretch Les speaks highly of.  A few fish above and below the culvert, but not down lower toward the pond.

Fly of the Week--They love it

Day two, I went up to Betty’s and planted below the power line.  Again, fish were up on spinners before 9am, and I proceeded to fuck up every chance I had for nearly two hours.  Some days it just doesn’t work out I guess. I was getting eaten alive on the same little spinner as yesterday.  I couldn’t hook a fish to save my life.  Maybe I need to go back to nymphs and bobbers or something.  I had dozens of eats.  The fish are a little bigger in this run too!  A few caught themselves, I guess, because the rod bent a half dozen times or so and there was a fish on the end.  But maybe I need to re-evaluate the pattern, or the hook, or something.  It was pitiful.  Maybe I ain’t as good as I once was, or thought I was.

I couldn’t have missed that many fish by accident.  Tried early, late, on time, everything I know, or thought I knew.  I rose nearly every fish in the run!  Did get some later eats on the shucked soft hackle from a couple days ago too.  Only hooked one of those.  I suck.  The hackle on the spinner is clipped flush underneath so there is nothing blocking the hook point.  I’ve used this fly for years, though more in a #16.  Maybe I’ll fish a 16 in the morning, ‘cause I’m going right back in there if I have my way.

Ha ha, can't eat me this time

Morning number three, I got to Betty’s before 8.  Wasn’t really much going on, and the hatch was much lighter than yesterday all morning.  I started with the #16 spinner, and they ate it pretty good.  Some bigger fish too.  I stuck a pig very early on, and had another run me well into the backing and say bye.

 

I had the place to myself for all but an hour or so mid-morning when a couple of Boulderites with the dreaded green “MP” plates low-holed me.  They were OK, and didn’t stay long.  I fished until early afternoon, when some wind and thunder came in.  I stayed fairly busy with a couple rounds up and down the full run, despite the weak hatch and spinnerfall.  Not a lot of either.

After lunch and a thunderstorm, I went down to Eva’s about 5:30 for the evening spinnerfall.  There were more bugs than up top this morning, and fish working them.  They were a bit selective, as each fish seemed to want a different variation.  Beside the spinner in both sizes, I had some love on a soft hackle and the Harrop.  Smaller was better.  Quit at 8, fish still rising.

Garden variety, and it worked well

Day 4 was one more return to Betty’s.  The hatch, or lack thereof, was even lighter today.  Non-existent until about 10:30, and then sparse until 11:00 right on cue.  But it was very light, with no spinners all morning.  Then the wind came up a little before noon, and that was that.  A few fish and a few takes, but nothing to write home about.   Stopped in the middle for a while, and not much there either.  Ended up at Eva’s and there was activity there.  (Surprise!)  Not sure why there is always rising fish there when there’s next to none anywhere else on the creek.  It was full of guides and clients except for the lower bend, and I didn’t do much.  Went back at 5:00, and there were fish up and the best fishing of the day from 5:30 to about 7:30.  Then, as the sun went behind the hill, it was over.  No more risers.  Strange but true.  “Typical,” said the other guy in the run with me. 

I awoke this morning to the sound of thunder, how far off I sat and wondered. Started hummin’ a song from 19. . . well, not exactly.   With no urgency though, it was Betty’s or bust one last time. I had already caught ‘em all in Eva’s, or at least most of ‘em.  I only educated the big educated ones on river right above the log, or sent 'em to the dentist.  Betty's has a bunch of 'em, and fewer people. I was first-in about 8:45, and moved up and down the run, waiting and wondering on a partly cloudy morning.  A scant few duns appeared around 10:00, and I managed to hook two very nice fish for about 5 seconds and a jump each.  Sometimes this shit lately has reminded me of that February morning in Campeche when Juan put me on tarpon every way but Sunday and I figured out a way to fuck up just about every one of ‘em.  I still carry a little bruise from that morning, but these are just trout, so it’s more like red marks. But I can still see those big heads, mouth wide open, eating the fly.  I can still feel the prick of the hook at it touches and goes, out and away.  Such is life with downstream slack-line presentations, I guess.  So I digress.

By 11:00, again right on the minute damn near, there was a little hatch.  At noon, there were as many spinners as duns, the best bug count in a couple days.  I even saw fish eat duns early on.  I got some on the #16 spinner, #18 soft hackle (shucked version), a couple on a loop wing, and a whole lot of eats on the little #18 spinner towards the end.  There were just enough bugs for a little selectivity.  Fun couple of hours though.  At 1:10, a hot south wind ripped down the valley at +25mph, and that’s all I have to say about that. 

Pay attention to what's important in the following two photos.  They say a whole lot. (Note to self!)

Curved.  Just under.  Can't see it from above.  It's what's for breakfast.

Think he wanted to eat it while I was holding him?

The end of the morning

EPILOGUE
I did go down to Eva's after the rain about 5:30, and they were up and doin' it on both duns and spinners.  In the final act, I hooked a few on the spinner, broke one off, missed the two I really wanted, tied on some 5X just to see, and got ate some more.  It really slowed down about 7:00 this time, before the sun went behind the hill.  There were strays up, but not like when I got there.