Sweet Drakes

 

All year long, these are the dream.  They've been popping for 6 straight days.

The trout are looking for them and start eating the minute the first bug emerges. That minute is pretty close to 9:20 every morning around Vernon. They go until around noon, give or take. After the hatch, there are still fish looking for 'em.  When I can muster enough energy for a few blind casts, the fish still eat. These bugs must be more filling and taste great. I don't ever recall a drake hatch where afterwards I say, "There were bugs but the fish weren't on 'em." And to top it off, these bugs bring the biggest fish in the river to the surface.

All season long I come across my box of drakes and think how fun it was, or will be.  There doesn't need to be a dedicated box, but I have one.  The hooks are strong and tippets are heavy, so just a few bugs do it.  The box has green drakes in different, mostly unnecessary styles, plus itentical forms of it's smaller relative, the Flav. I'm still not sure if the fish can tell each species apart, they're both so big. I can relate. It can be hard to tell the difference between a medium and large DQ Blizzard too.  And I'm always on 'em.

This one is the standout.

This one is a close second.

This one is special, it was taken as I was learning to cast . . . Left-handed! I've been forcing myself to cast left-handed for at least 30 minutes every day. It doesn't look pretty, but it's getting a little better. I'm not Ranch-ready lefty, but catching any fish helps confidence and keeps me motivated to continue trying.  I never could do it in the past, but my recent right-eye issue for some reason is making it easier.  Even possible.  The eyes and brain struggling together doing mysterious things.

I usually don't get too sentimental about single flies, but last fall I had a leech that I used for weeks. Now on this trip it's this corn-fed caddis. This is day four with the same fly, an Umpqua commercial tie no less.  I've put fish in the net every day with it, lots of fish.  Somehow I haven't broke it off, lost it in a bush, tore it up, or bent the hook. 

And the third and last pattern I needed, or wanted.  Never used or tried the floating nymph

Another left handed one!

The gulls are sure working above me

Way up river, sitting log.

Ora evening.  Just me.

Caddis in the air, but this is what they wanted in the evening at Ora.  

Home sweet home on my favorite rock

The last rainbow on the Drake in Ashton.
Today's hatch was as good as any of the days, but a south breeze pretty much ended it just before noon.

A little Drake carnage, but they hold up pretty well, especially using the Ketchum release.

This one ate on a shallow flat mid-river and headed for St Anthony. "How much backing you got on that thing?"  I ran like Forrest to make the play on river right way downtown. The last fish of this round of drake's, maybe even until next year here. The calendar is already marked for June 5th, 2026, assuming I'm still around and able.  But if the Ranch sucks, . . . I won't be far.

So it's been a warmer than average early June. Yesterday the river down here hit 70° in the afternoon. Daytime temperatures have been in the low 80s everyday, and fires are already breaking out across the West.  The hatches are a little early.  Water is being released early up river.

It's hard to leave this 2 mi stretch of water that's been so good to me for a week, but there's a certain hallowed section that opens in the morning, so it's off to the Ranch to see if there's a Santa Claus this year.  I've only been anticipating this opening day for 364 days.