Dry Flies, Rivers, Trout & Tarpon.: Last Two Days of "Summer"

Oct 10, 2023

Last Two Days of "Summer"

Eighty-degree afternoon highs in early October mean something is coming, and summer is ending. That sunny heat sure does feel good on the achy body though, and makes the cool river that much more comfortable. Its been a few days since the start of this visit, and they have all been fishy ones. Cool calm mornings and warm buggy evenings. I've never been in love with midge fishing, but at least its reliable every evening and most mornings. Very early mornings and evenings after sunset are lots of fun with the leech, and big soft hackles like the Sparrow and Carey Special bring speedy attacks in skinny water that keeps the heart pounding. The drop from 4100 cfs to 3100 cfs is a welcome surprise this week too.

The last morning brings six perfect hours. Overcast skies with a warm steady temperature and not a breath of wind. The fish quickly get on the midges and indulge for hours. The black hackled softy rules the morning, highly visible when cast onto the bright glare. All of the other midges I try are eaten too. As the sun comes out for the final time, the old brown number 16 organza soft hackle gets lots of eats all the way back to the trail up the hill. Fish moving for it! The whole day, from 8 to 2, is non-stop eats. No witnesses or distractions. Fewest boats I've seen all year. One of those silly-good days.

Clouds, rain, cooler temperatures, and the big blue wing hatches are knocking, coming in as I leave. My time this fall is short, basically over now, and I'm not feeling up to the challenge those conditions will bring. So I've savored the last two days of summer and a final morning of fantasy fishing. A fitting way to say goodbye to the state of mind known as the MO. Dreaming of friendly flows in June or July.