Calm Before the Storm

Warmer.  Not a breath of wind.  Some clouds.  Up and at 'em!  Forecast not good.  But there were bugs, more than on recent early mornings.  Right up the trail to the fish I started with two mornings ago.  That one.  He was up eating tricos again, it appeared.  Great.  Back to that same mile of 6X from yesterday.  Only this time, he wasn't going to eat my trico(s) from yesterday, or a Sri Lanka, or any other tiny bugs I put over him just right.  But he finally succumbed.  By the time I hooked him, untangled my leader from the grass a few times, and got him tangled enough to net, the gale was seconds away.  Right after the second or third press of the shutter, I nearly got bowled over by the first gust.  But he and I, we had a fine little hour or so fucking with each other, and I won in the end.

There were definitely more bugs this morning.  Tricos, lots of 'em.  Mahoganies.  As many as I've seen all week, though still not heavy by any means.  And then, there were a bunch of other little #18ish bugs that had two tails and the perfect size to be baetis.  But the wings were mottled, and even the body to some extent.  I know there's a ton of little "BWO" bugs of varying taxonomy, but there were adults and spinners on the water for an hour.  When the gale started blowing, the water was pretty loaded with tricos and these other little mayflies.  It blew 'em all to the water all at once, but nary a rise.  Again, fun while it lasted.

Light clouds and dead calm

Warm.  That was a sign.

Right in the crosshairs.  That black nose in front of the little weed patch.  That's him all right.  

10 minutes later of stalking like a heron.  I'm ready.

It wasn't that easy!  Took an hour.

And this ain't quite cheating, but it's starting to feel like it.  There were just starting to be enough mahoganies around.  Never saw him eat one, until he ate this one!

It's definitely a PMD version, but who's watching color?

A bunch of these fellers showed up.

Looks like a baby Callibaetis or something.

NO BUENO!

Somebody's going to have a windy Ranch wedding, but at least they won't have to hear my screaming drag right before "I do" like last time.

Hold everything!  Is that flat water I see, protected by the cliff and the trees?

I can fish that.  And there's fish doin' it to all those windblown bugs.

And now the trailer shakes and wobbles as the storm approaches.  Good afternoon for shower, fly sorting, cleaning, napping, computering,  . . .