Defeated

I don't think I've ever fished the Fork for three days and not gotten fish slime on me somewhere.  So, break out the clichés.  There's a first time for everything. Can't always land 'em.  That's why they call it fishing . . . blah blah.  Fuck that, I just didn't have my game.  And, without any bad luck, I had no luck at all.

 

Arrived early Friday afternoon to light rain, no wind, and baetis on the water.  Woo hoo!  After a couple hours of physically and mentally acclimating to the 40 degree temperatures again, watching the little guys rise from the viewing platform, I decided to layer up and go find some risers.  I found 3 at the roadside "billboard" run.  They all ate a #20 Sri Lanka baetis.  I missed all three.  Omen.

Saturday morning was the pure definition of perfect.  The air rose above freezing, it was full on cloudy, no precip., and not a breath of wind.  Not much of a breath of mahoganies either.  The baetis did finally come in the afternoon.  I found a few nice fish up during the morning, had a couple eats and refusals as usual, but that was all.  Later in the afternoon, I found a couple of nice fish above the logjam.  After failing with aquatic flies, I went to the beetle, hooked two brutes, and proceeded to lose them both to weeds and destiny.  Guess that’s what I get.

Sunday dawned bright and cold, but warmed by 10 am.  More mahoganies, but not a lot.  Fish were eating them occasionally.  More refusals, more misses, and a few hours spent on two particular fish that I also missed, was rejected by, and eventually spooked from their “impossible drift” lanes.  But I was busy for 6 hours or so, enough that I forego the late afternoon baetis fishing in the upstream wind that made a good presentation with tiny flies all but impossible.  My ass is hurting now.

Monday morning had some light overcast and no wind.  Perfect again.  There were more mahoganies, but still not lots.  Enough to get some fish eating them, though still mostly smaller fish up.  I did find two of the biggest fish I'd seen on this visit.  It took an hour or so on each one, but I got both of them to eat and got hooks in both of them.  Too bad they were size 20 hooks on 6X.  One just cleaned my clock and parted ways with fly number one.  The second was assisted by a large weed bed followed by a jump, and that was over.  But I did hear my clicker and see line run out!

I had fish to cast to every day.  My flies got ate every day.  I stayed busy every time I was on the water, every morning.  This place can do this I guess.  So I've heard!

Arrival

 

That's mid-afternoon steam

 

Three ate it, then none for the rest of the time.

 

Yep, Summer's over now.

 

Just below snow line

 

 

Still plenty of weeds

 

Just following the first miss of the day (Les Kish photo)  Good meeting you Les!

 

The trail, in honor of Bob.

 

 

Where the big ones live

 

Lots of this

 

 

Large bank feeders here

 

They ate it and refused it.  Mahogany winner though.

 

Really liked the thread tail.  It hooked up.

 

Uh huh.

 

Fork Calling (550cfs)

I just needed to go.  I haven't done squat since mid-July except for a few one-day's on the 'Stone and Green.  Eclipse weekend screwed me out of one summer weekend, the one I usually spend in Jackson fishing Flat Creek.  (Right on the dreaded line of totality)  Labor Day is upcoming and messes up another one.  This might be the last real summer weekend.  Summer just got here for Christ's sake.  Oh ya, I live in the arctic.  June, July, August, and Winter.  It was 39 Friday morning on the Fork.

But, I know its still summer when I can get off the lake, hook up the trailer, and drive to the Fork before dark.  Mission accomplished.  It felt like a summer afternoon drive, complete with a few thunderstorms, and it was.  I saw light yellow leaves.  The grass is brown in many areas.  The air is smokey.  Its hot.  Dog days, but soon to end.  And besides, I haven't even fished a trico hatch this summer.  Oh, the shame of it.

I also wanted to see if Frontier Anglers' fishing report of big fish in Poindexters and clear water in the Beaverhead was true, even though I knew that was unlikely.  It was pure bullshit.  "Best fishing in 25 years."  Right.  Beav. is "Beaverhead clear", and Poindexters is full of 4" browns.  But it was a nice air conditioned drive to kill a hot afternoon.

Tricos dominated the Fork mornings.  Nice fish up and on them for about two hours.  Some caddis fish at dark too.  Not much in between.  But its waters are clear and cool.  The weeds are up, but not as thick as last year.  Perfect flows.  A good primer for fishing 20's and 6X coming up, and I even saw a couple of the first Mahoganies!  It looks very Baetis-ready too.  No break-offs.  No wind knots. Lots of misses.  Some killer eats.  Even touched a few.  Not bad after fishing mostly PMD's and Drakes since June.

Brown replacing green

Tricos in the House

FOD #20

This #20 worked too!

Smokey moon rise

This sums up the Slough

But maybe again someday, here?

Or Here

Maybe

Hopefully

Greened Up (2750 cfs)

I needed a break.  Fly time.  Wader time.  Just a few hours. Been a while.  Still taking for granted that I have dry fly fishing 365 days a year just 45 minutes from home, water teeming with 'em, nice ones.  I usually avoid it in summer because its a congregation of idiots most days.  There's current, and a few rapids, so they don't just "splash and giggle."  They "paddle and scream!"  People walk past you, right next to the fish you're casting to on the bank, and point in the water with their poles, "Hey, look at that one right there!"   Some of the fish are used to it though.  Water is higher than ideal, but that helps them to hide easier.

So I went, I saw fish, I got fish to rise, and it was just what I needed.  Pretty easy, just like it was supposed to be.  I thought I would be hopper fishing, and there were indeed hoppers hopping all over the place, but the fish either ignored or refused.  They ate damsels, ants, a little dry soft hackle, and a 16 Triple Double (FOD).  Took a change or two for most, but they took it. Upstream, with 5x.   Shallower riffles, a few seams, and an inch from the banks. Like I said, easy.  Nice break.

The "paddle and scream" crews started floating by at 12:45.  Bumper to bumper.  This place makes a hot July day on the MO seem like a wildnerness fly-out river.  Its narrow, fast, and they line up for 7 miles in an endless parade.  Soon school will start, the leaves will change, and there will be more fishermen than screaming idiots.   The morning was pleasant though.  (Note to self: go a little earlier)

I forgot to grab a camera or two out of the boat before I left, so I did what I did.  Friends don't let friends take pictures with telephones, but I guess they really are more than just telephones these days. Still don't like the idea, and I never use my phone over water, but it went in the waterproof wader pouch as I left the truck, and stayed dry for a few shitty pictures to remind myself about August on the Green.  It could be a lot worse though. My home lets-go-catch-a-few water could be the South Platte at Deckers, a little creek pounded by Denver and the entire Front Range just an hour away.   Or the 'Pan, with such colorful pools as the "toilet bowl."  Or a little freestoner full of 10 inchers.  But no, I can float, or wade, and catch 20 inchers on dries anytime I want!  Hell, I still only fish a tiny part of it.  There's 20+ miles of killer water.  Overlooked and taken for granted.  I should fish closer to home more.

 A little greener than February

Nice riffle to spot fish

Been a while since this has been tied on

Oh ya, there's a macro setting.

Atmosphere going to hell

Yellowstone in the Park (5400cfs)

Hadn't fished the 'Stone in the park since the early 90's.  Before the lakers wiped out the Cutts.  Had the chance to drive in and give it a look.  There still aren't many fish in there, but there are some damn nice ones.  I managed to get a few, even though I was a couple hours late to the Drake party.  Water was very high, and no fish in the side channel above Buffalo (Nez Perce) Ford.  I need to return for a few days next year with hopefully a little lower water, and more preparedness.

23 inches of Yellowstone Cutt.

This and a Flav cripple got ate.

I couldn't get this pig to rise, but it would let me wade close and put my camera under water!