Merry Christmas!

 

Raised yesterday, but still easy wading.

I have a good feeling as I'm the first one in the parking lot, I even beat Steve!  That never happens. 8:30 and things are quiet. Uh oh.  Here they come, pmds.  Quickly its one of the best spinner falls I've seen in a long time, almost MO-like.  Duns, cripples, spinners, emergers, they're all here.  I'm actually surprised there aren't a lot of fish up.  The place should be boiling.  I have to move and hunt for 'em, and they're moving big time. Sometimes 50 ft in a minute or two, but I serve and get ate.  They're all pretty spooky, moving all over the pool, left and right, up and down, constantly on the run.  Some I'm literally chasing.  Others I can wait on to move my way, or just show up in range if I stand here long enough.  I'm casting 50 feet down and across, any closer and they move further away. When I cover, they eat the spinner early, and then the hanger like no tomorrow. By early afternoon it dawns upon me that I have my "A" game today!  I've only missed one eat, and that was the first one! (Of course, right after I thought that, I got ate and missed another one) I've only had one fish come unbuttoned, the rest (7 or 8) make it to the net with some downstream following, being damn careful, and lucky.  A week of practice in the fast water at Vernon helps too. The wind stays down until noon, and after that it blows in just the right direction for protection in the usual protected spot.  Oh, did I mention it's sunny and 75?  There is a Santa Claus, I don't care what anybody says.

Not many birds just after sunrise.  Strange.

Some gulls and a few ducks

First Ranch fish of 2025

Soft hackle with a spent wing 

Curve shanked organza shuttlecock/mole/hanger in dark chocolate.  Fly of the day by a landslide. They had to have it.

A few of these friends made an appearance again this morning. At midday after the PMD hatch, there were lots of gulls working just below the footbridge.  I was way too out of gas to go up and check on it, but the water was full of empty Green Drake nymphal shucks.  Maybe tomorrow.

21" quick on the wading stick.

Well look who made an appearance tonight about 8:00!  They were on the water and in the air easily visible.  Again, I'm surprised there weren't more fish rising.  They were there for the taking. A few fish are eating them, but It's not really going gangbusters. 

This brought three eats tonight.  I missed two and got the last one.