Warm Bay

What do they say, "It was just nice to get out there?"  It was, for the most part.  Spent 8 days fishing with my amigo Juan.  Learned a couple new tricks.  Caught a couple of tarpon.  Well, a few more than that but not many.  Enjoyed the 80's and 90's.  No rain.

We did have two closed harbor days due to wind.  I caught one of those bacterial things that put me down for the count for 2 1/2 days before the antibiotic kicked in, but one of those was a windy day anyway.  Champoton was very so-so, with too much wind to fish the mouth, and some baby babies up the river if you got your fly deep enough.  Ughh. 

Long runs to the fish most days.  There were some schools of fish close to La Jaina, but fast moving and it was always breezy there.  Same for north of Piedra.  Saw Alejandro's boats up there daily as well.  Offshore of Isla Lote there were some schools of juveniles, but again they were truckin' along and shots were hard to come by.  It was windy out there every time.  Just never did find the magic spot at the right time.

I think I jumped more fish each single day back in February that I jumped this whole trip, but Bryan and I both knew we would never match that week, and only occasionally even have a day like the 7 in a row we had last trip.  I tried to set myself up for reality, but this week seemed especially tough compared to most, and we never even got one or two of those magic days where it's like Disneyland for a few hours.  I should know this happens better than anybody, and I do, but I don't have to like it.  Dues paid though.  That's what I tell everybody when the fishing is shitty on my boat.

Had to fish a lot of lead-eyes

Flip Flop Gurgler did get a few

I got an eat or two on all of these, but nothing stood out.

Cold Creek

From Beaverhead clear to Silver Creek clear.  A clear water contrast.  Dad's old saying, "If you can see them, they can see you" rings true.  Hell, they can see you before you ever think of seeing them.  Sometimes they just tolerate it.  You see their wake or their body fly past you.

Let me first say that fishing in the cold rain/snow mix is not all what it's hyped up to be.  Sure, it keeps crowds down a little, makes the fish a bit more approachable, and keeps the bugs on the water longer.  However, those things don't offset having to powder your fly every three or four casts to maybe keep it floating, doing so with numb fingers, and fighting the extra layers just to move and cast.  That's how day one went.

The mahoganies led things off about 11am, and were followed by the little olives a couple hours later.  Both lasted into late afternoon.  There were just enough mahoganies to get the fish eatin' 'em.  The baetis brought up the steady risers.  There were a lot of 13-15 inch fish to be had, but the bigger ones stayed in the near-impossible lies and deeper holes in the weedy muck.  I did get a couple, and broke off/weeded a couple of dandies.  6X gets some really great drifts and eats.  5X passes, and gives you a punchers chance.  

Day two dawned bright and sunny, and the air seemed much warmer, though in fact was only in the low 40's all day.  The hatches were nearly identical to day one, though the bugs had a little more spunk to them and they could dry their wings.  Both bugs were on schedule, and didn't really slow down until mid afternoon.  Some wind made its presence, so only certain bends remained fishable though the afternoon.  There was always a target or three to cast to.  I could feel my fingers and keep my flies up and visible. Made for a more enjoyable day.  I lost or missed the 3 or 4 big fish eats today.  A couple of heartbreakers.  No break offs though.

Day three had all kinds of promise with light cloud cover and no wind.  Well, for a while anyway.  I walked in to the confluence where I had it all to myself.  There were no mahoganies though, and just as the baetis started and a few fish began to rise, the wind came up and put the fish back down.  I did manage a nice brown before the wind.  Lots of walking downstream and back out.  I fished just downstream of point of rocks after my afternoon BLT at Picabo Angler, and got some regular sized ones in the wind.  Just a tough day overall.

Day four?  The pattern continues.  Fishing the middle section below the visitor center, mahoganies started, a few baetis, and then the wind just when things looked like they were going to happen.  Biggest winds of the last four days.  Made it a short day, and was out of there by 1pm.  It was 35 degrees on the truck thermometer driving back to camp.  The weekend is coming.  Just not quite enough bugs to bring the bigger fish up.  

Not quite a long enough window to head to the Owyhee.  Not really feeling the crowds on the Boise.  It's cold as ice up on the Fork.  (Tempting though, really tempting)  Time to call it a trip.  End of fall.  Rest the back and shoulder for a few days.  See a chiropractor.  Tarpon are calling.  7 and 8 weights.  I think I can . . . 

Creek was just below snow level

My foul weather day of the fall.  All day.  Won't make a habit out of it!

I could make a habit out of these though.

Mahoganies in the house at 11am.

Rainbows eating them too

One of the few I could keep floating for a few casts in the rain

Building a new visitor's center, but parking has been added below it

Ate my mahogany softie, dry for a few casts

This one

And to think, they don't want the browns in here.

Gray and rainy all day 

More new "habitat improvements."  There are now official access points to enter the stream to minimize bank erosion.  Probably a good thing given the pressure.  

Sometimes its not worth getting the hands wet again.

This one floated a little longer with more to hold the powder

Another access point.  There are 26 of these now on the Conservancy stretch.

There are new walkways to many of the access points. I've never fished the British chalk streams, but I can imagine they're a bit like this, although you can't even wade in a lot of their creeks.  Will that day ever come to the states?  Probably not for a while, but one has to wonder if we're trampling our hatches to death.

This one got some eats too

Drying everything out in the trailer after the wet day.

Let their be sunshine

The baetis still hatched

The big mole worked great for the mahoganies, the #20 for the baetis.

And a daily leaf hatch

Had to do it a few times

When the air was calm, bit fish ate in the weeds

They ate this little baetis well.

Most of the big fish were in these tough lies between the weeds and the bank, or in between weed mats.  They know.

The approach to the junction pool

Cloudy and calm, looking perfect.

One of the junction residents

Just when the baetis are about to start

Decent 'bow.

Then the westerly started, and never stopped.

But what a beautiful face they have

This was the mahogany winner.  Dubbed, ribbed, dubbed some more, and flared.

What I've floated the past few weeks.

Another great face.

These scared the shit out of me!  I was watching the bank on the right, heard a loud splash to my left, and looked over to see mama, two calves, and a young bull all entering the stream a medium cast below me.  OH FUCK!  I never saw any of 'em until she was in the water.  Mom turned toward me and looked right at me for several seconds that seemed like an hour.  Fortunately, they see people here daily, and she didn't pay too much more attention to me once she got about halfway across the creek.  But still, I stayed facing her, backed upstream away without falling on my face, and grabbed the camera as they all went to exit the creek.  I never saw another fish rise, and the adrenalin rush kinda took me out of the zone.  I took it as a signal. 

30 cfs and the Livin' is Easy

It's been quite a few years since the flow has been down this low, and I now realize how much I've missed it.  Sure, they've been turning it way down every October, but not since 2016 or so has it hit 30.  The spring creek is back!  Got on the water day-one as soon as the light rain stopped around 10 am.  BWO breakfast was already well in progress.  Shoulda known, but it lasted strong until the sun popped out and the breeze came up around 3.  Even after that, there were rising fish to be had.  Besides the monsters I got pictures of, there were several well over the 20 inch mark that weeded me, broke off (4X), or I couldn't hold long enough for a shot.  15-16 inchers were a dime a dozen.   A nice change to fish 30 cfs instead of 3,000.  Never saw another fisherman.

Day two was the warm before the real storm day.  Ya, winter coming they say.  The wind was blowing straight down Clark Canyon most of the morning, so I had to try a little streamer/leech duty since I was already committed.  That worked for some regulars and a couple of big 'bows.  About noon, the wind subsided as the mix of clouds and sun turned to more clouds.  The baetis followed, and up came the fish again just like yesterday morning.  When the sun would pop through, the big fish would quit.  Five minutes of clouds, and they were right back up.  Not spooky either, as some I could cast and drift to with little more than my 18 feet of leader and 10 feet of fly line.  They were eating duns right in my face, and I scored a few wins and near-misses from some pig rainbows and nice browns.  There were three other pairs of fishermen today, but everybody stayed clear of each other.  (wow, that's a nice change too!)

By mid-afternoon, it turned to more sun than clouds, and the breeze tried to return, depending on the bend of the river.  The updated forecast is for 3-7 inches tomorrow, damn cold, and a few more inches tomorrow night.  I'm sure the fishing will be epic if it doesn't blow.  However, my original plan was to fish these two days and get off the plateau before the storm.  I stuck to it, driving right past a bunch of rising fish just below the bridge on the way out.  My back and shoulder were thankful at least.  These were the best two days I've had here in recent memory.  I've just loaded 35 captioned pictures, half of them big fish.  Really?  I've lost my mind, but it was that good.  Low water baby.  And another little video of low-water risers for the memory bank.

As I post this, I've finished the 3 hour drive to the campground at Silver Creek.  Though only 750 feet lower in elevation, it's usually milder than the Redrock plateau, where snow already encompasses the surrounding peaks.  The forecast here on the edge of the Snake River valley is for cold rain by morning, and the hope is for that epic BWO hatch I've experienced here before in such conditions.  Mahoganies?  That would be fun.  It's blowing now, so we'll see.

The really deep pools were still deep

The flats were knee high and narrow

The rainbows in here aren't narrow, even the little average ones.

The browns look ok.

Prime classic feeding lane on the far bank.  I could walk right over to 'em.

Some net shots, but they still don't do 'em justice.

Knee deep flat just below the spring creek.

Here we go.  It's full of these 20-23 inch fish.

Fly of the weekend.  

They're eating just fine

Big bow city.  I got a bunch of 'em out of this run, from the riffle up top to the tailout below

Brown ones too.

This thing's been catching me fish all season, and here was no exception.  

There were a bunch of these kinds of endings, especially with the hands I have.

The moving water at the top of that killer run.

Both kinds, but outnumbered by the 'bows for sure.

For a few of the pickier fish, of which there weren't many.  It worked after I missed a fish.  Follow-up fly.

Those MO 'bows got nothing on these size-wise.  These are easier to land though.  Less water.

When the sun broke out, the rises became very intermittent.  One and done.  Cover the water.

Did I say the place was full of these?

Longest brown

The windy day two morning.  Hardly a bug and only small fish rising, once in a while.

That worked in the wind!

Calm fly shop run.  I never even made it to the "glory hole" at the bottom in two days!

Another one who didn't want any fame.

A face anyone could love.

This one was a close second to the Adams.  

It even kept working with the hackle gone and the body coming apart.  Hmmm, sounds like me.

This one slipped free, but swam just slow enough to get a parting shot.

Ya, there's still browns here.

Loaded with 'em.

Not to be left out.  This worked this morning in the wind, all wet and on the slow swing just a few inches under.  A wake and a take.  

All bridge pools . . . right?

When the sun is bright, fish in the shade of the bridge where they keep rising.  OK!

30 cfs.  Thirty!  I love drought years.  Hope to see it again next October.  

Here's what a BWO hatch is supposed to look like at 30 cfs