Dry Flies, Rivers, Trout & Tarpon.

Sep 23, 2017

More MO (3640 cfs)

So yesterday it snowed all day with very little accumulation, and the temperature was in the mid-30's all day, with a slight breeze. I didn't need to catch one that bad, especially after the day before. I went to the water a few times and saw all the bugs and rising fish, but didn't want to try to keep my fly dry and my hands from freezing in that. Good day for a shower and DQ!

Today started out bright sunny. Hit the water about noon, and there were enough bugs, but not many rising fish. As the afternoon went on, a cloud bank moved in, and the fish ate more. I didn't really notice more bugs after the clouds, just more noses. Had to hunt and work for 'em, but that was a nice change from "just chuck it out there." Stayed busy casting and looking all afternoon. Landed the fish of the trip so far too.

To Get There

Arrival

#20's and #18's. Why on earth? FOD

2nd side channel fished

Didn't even cast to this pod

This bank was where it was at . . . again.

A few hard-to-spot brute noses here

22 inches as measured on my net and wading stick

Worth a second look. Fat too!

For a different fly to stare at every cast

And it worked on a few. The water is full of weeds, worst I've seen in a while. Need to use the "Missouri River Slap" nearly every cast.

Sep 21, 2017

Rising Fish, Falling Water! (4,000 to 3,640)

Ok, I left the Fork Monday and B-lined to the sure thing. Not many folks here. Tuesday and Wednesday were windy, as forecasted, but there were still BWO's and a few fish to be found when I got out and looked hard enough. All in the afternoon. Mornings are dead.

Today was one of those afternoons that we visitors (tourists) wait around for days to happen. Clear start, warmer, clouds covering the sky in the afternoon, NO wind, lots of bugs, and fish up everywhere. Singles, pods, banks lined with noses. Just enough bugs to bring 'em all up, but not carpeted, so they could easily find the larger-than-natural #18's I fished all day. It started about 1:00, and was still going strong when I "limited out" at 6:30. Pretty much non-stop action. Fly didn't matter. I indulged in the madness. Oh, and the water dropped a little too!

Now I have my rhythm. In the groove. Like that's hard here! Just what I needed though. And I ain't done yet, but the storm is blowing in, and its supposed to be windy and shitty tomorrow. That's ok. There's more good ones coming. Maybe. Hopefully.

Just me, free camping.

First pod, first afternoon

A few fish working the bank here

Early afternoon magic all in this channel

Pod working here non-stop

It worked. Over dressed, shitty hook, poorly tied Sri Lanka. Deadly here.

Some dandies along this whole bank

Lots of soft hackle love. Hours.

Whole bank with noses

Stuck a few pigs on the bank here

Its a caddis, but a #18, and they took it for a BWO over and over.

You know you're on the MO when you see a riffle (upper left), but its really not!

All heads, no riffle!

Even a Sri Lanka soft hackle worked.

Bank below the bridge had a pod

From the bridge

Sep 18, 2017

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!