A Chance

Its just a trickle now at 150 cfs.  As low as I've ever seen it, and that's what all the other old timers are saying too.  I don't know what the hell they're thinking, "saving water" in the lake for winter releases, or later, or whenever.  Nobody's here 'cept a few regulars and I have to clear the waterfowl so I can see any disturbance on the water that signals a pig Millionaire rainbow.  I take the riverside grassy trail up, occasionally ticking the lava rock with my wading staff to make a little noise.  The sun pops from behind a thin cloud and I see little mayflies in the air as I stare into the glare.  Tricos, likely the last.  No wind yet, and its 9:30 sharp.  I even see a couple of hoppers, a sign I might still throw one of those, even though its the end of September.

The current here barely moves now.  The pace is slower, easy to see and feel.  Its what this pool is about anyway.  There's no sign of life other than two remaining mergansers on river right as I approach the sweet spot just below the little island in front of the ranch houses.  The rest of the 200 or so birds are center river in all the weeds and moss.  No trout life.

A little after 10, little blue wings start to hatch.  I tip toe down the run.  She's low, low.  My knees never get wet.  Neither does my net.  I catch a couple of small fish down at the cliff, and nothing down below on the deeper bank.  This is still my favorite place to not catch a trout.

I transfer the late afternoon shift up to the log jam.  After a walk down to the lower foot bridge and back, seeing nothing, its time to call it a day.  6:30.  I'm here though, and its sunny and just right.  I enter upstream a hundred yards from the jam and work down through all the tiny rising fish.  Three good ones, and I turn a couple more.  One just up from the log jam, one dead even with it, and one just below it.  Is this where all the big fish that want to play are hanging out, in plain sight of the platform?  7:30 and its getting pretty dark.  Fun final hour.

I'm trying that again this morning.  Five casts into the slick right in front of the platform, and I have one on.  A little later in the riffle just below, a good one.  One more, and that's all she wrote.  Nothing but babies rise to a mostly-nothing hatch of mostly-nothing.  Midges with the occasional olive?  I really don't want to keep fishing this spot anyway, but it was fun for a few.  

Normally too fast, now holding fish.

I've caught so many where there is no water now.

Transfer to Ashton.  Vernon specifically.  That run I fished in June is full of blue wings this evening just before sunset.  Heaviest hatch I've seen all trip, but only a few fish rise, and none steady.  The bugs are thick in the air, with a few on the water.  Maybe tomorrow morning?  I'm staying to see.