The Real Opener!

Here we go sports fans.  She dropped some more and cleared some more.  The cooler, cloudy weather brought out a sparse, yet effective pmd hatch from 10:00-1:00.  (No spinner fall before that though)  The fish were chompin.'  Upstream, downstream, across stream, it didn't matter.  They were eating the Mole, coming after it, eating it again right after a miss, turning to get it.  I couldn't take it off.  I don't know what happened to my Henry's Fork.  I mean, its tough, right?  Dead Drift U.  Its fish are selective, especially on the slowest, flattest stretches where I fished in front of the ranch houses.  Right?  Well, that's why "the opener" is special.  Except for the brief window yesterday, today was the real opening day of favorable flows and weather.  It showed.  One to remember.  And a big fish.

NOW WE'RE TALKIN'

Just your garden-variety Millionaires 18-incher

They could not, and would not, leave it alone.  It never got refused.  So simple, so effective.

OUCH!  Mother . . . They're tougher than we think.  In good shape otherwise, feeding away.

This could be the fish of the month, or trip. A two-foot-long Millionaires signature fish.  Hooked right here, on the bank.  It's the reason why.

 

New companion

He's making the trip and keeping me going so far.  Not much to say except it would be pretty empty without him, and we're only into this for less than a week so far.  The training from 8 weeks to now is showing its progress beyond my expectations.  I have to remember he's just a puppy, but man, what a perfect traveler.  Bed hog too.  I love it.  

Same spot I first waded into the Henry's Fork exactly 40 years ago

He's been on the platform now.

Sat to see a fly cast

Stayed while I cast and cast

Our new Island Park digs

He sat there while I fished for a good 20 minutes

Puppy has to see why I'm in the water, and he's not.

Hope I can selectively take him along as things progress

Bed hog.  Sleeps all night perfectly.

She's cleared!

I pulled into gravel pits a couple minutes before midnight, so I'm saying I made it to opening day, and that's my story.  I woke up here on the morning of the 15th.   I took the walk through Millionaires.  Dirty water.  Not promising, not happening, and very windy.  No bugs the first morning, so I moved around and made myself at home. The pits look like New York City.  Ranch lots full.  Everybody just talking.

Too windy the second day, and still dirty water.  Lots of Norman training time.  A very rough night, and woke feeling extremely crappy the third.  To the Falls for a quick covid test (negative, but I felt that bad), and then I made use of the time with Norman, training and getting him into a road life routine.  So far, so good on that!

Today I walked into Millionaires, and low and behold, I could see my wading shoes two feet down!  I finally got a calm morning with light overcast, pmd spinners on the water when I arrived (late) at 9am, and some fish on 'em.  Good fishing for two hours until the wind came up.  Four for four!  That was all I had in me anyway.  Not bad for a guy who hardly fly fishes any more, with blurry vision, and barely upright.  I'll have to pace myself in short stints.  Choose time and places wisely.  

Now I feel for all the other old crippled fuckers limping around the parking lots and hobbling down the trails.  I are one, as they say.  

Dirty and empty on opening morning.

I made it!  Perfect evening, but nothing doing.

This dummy was eating in the Osborne scum hole on day one, while the water was murky.  

Finally, after the long, tiresome, debilitating  winter and spring.  Finally.  Home.

Only fly I tied on.

Same run all morning

Even an evening fish.

Ready . . . or Not

Not sure if either Norman or I are ready for this, but what the hell . . . we're going . . . somewhere . . . somehow.  In a year of turmoil, he has been the ray of light.  Five months old now.  We haven't been fishing yet, but did swim and ride in the boat a little.  He hasn't spent more than a few hours in the camper yet.  Longest road trip has been 2 1/2 hours.  He owns the backseat of the truck.   I'll abbreviate fishing for sure, so I can train and entertain him.  Socialization.  River etiquette.  About all my body is going to do this year is abbreviated fishing anyway, at best.  Our time will do us both good.  We'll do a lot of observing.  I'll try and catch a few, time it right, explore some new country again.  Maybe someday I'll tear 'em up again for a day here and there.  

So, Henry's by midnight on the 14th to be "there" for the opener?  (First one on Millionaires at daybreak!) Brown Drakes on Silver? (Still haven't ever done that) Straight to the MO to float with Norman? (Low and fishin' hot)  Off those beaten paths? (Not quite yet)  Got 48 hours to decide.  The Fork always wins though.😎  And it'll be cooler for Norman. (Snow in the forecast the day before the opener)

He's got a seat

On with it

 

Here we go sports fans

Norman

 

Meat and midges

My old Clacka, still in the hands of Dutch John full-timer Trevor Mattinson.  

Bluebird days trying to break the fish out of their winter slump, but not helping the BWO's too much.  Just a light showing on A, none on B.  Afternoon streamers better than mornings.

Getting back to normal, enjoying the few days of warm before the storm, following the coldest airmass of the season.  Streamers turned some nice fish.  Tim couldn't keep 'em off the midge larvae.  Just one-timers on dries for the most part.

Been a rough stretch.  Three brushes with death in the last 12 years.  Cancer in '09. Two seconds from certain death from a reckless boater in '20. Now a heart attack while on the lake Jan. 26.  Air-lifted out, but not reaching the hospital for over 3 hours.  How many more lives can I have left?😕

Worst part was that doctors advised against foreign air travel and tarpon fishing in remote areas within two weeks of the event.  Fucked up a perfectly planned repeat of last Feb. with  perfect tides.  I coulda done it.  Shoulda?  Hindsight.  Death is one thing, but missing 8 days in Campeche will haunt for months.

Now I'm fishing local a little, working a treadmill and bike over an hour at a whack, and counting down to June.  Just had a shot in the shoulder to hopefully buy some time for the nagging torn rotator cuff that cut into my casting hours last season.  I'll be bringing home a new fishing buddy this weekend too.  

Norman

Live every day.  Don't put off 'till tomorrow what you can do today.  The best quote I ever got from a client: "Jimmy, you aren't going to be laying there on your death bed saying, 'boy, I sure wish I would have worked that week instead of taking off and going fishing.' "  Covid got him 13 months ago.

100 percent blocked for over 3 hours.

Modern medicine in about 45 minutes.  (And people say the costs are too high!🙄)

Pedal to the metal . . . 

Warm Bay

What do they say, "It was just nice to get out there?"  It was, for the most part.  Spent 8 days fishing with my amigo Juan.  Learned a couple new tricks.  Caught a couple of tarpon.  Well, a few more than that but not many.  Enjoyed the 80's and 90's.  No rain.

We did have two closed harbor days due to wind.  I caught one of those bacterial things that put me down for the count for 2 1/2 days before the antibiotic kicked in, but one of those was a windy day anyway.  Champoton was very so-so, with too much wind to fish the mouth, and some baby babies up the river if you got your fly deep enough.  Ughh. 

Long runs to the fish most days.  There were some schools of fish close to La Jaina, but fast moving and it was always breezy there.  Same for north of Piedra.  Saw Alejandro's boats up there daily as well.  Offshore of Isla Lote there were some schools of juveniles, but again they were truckin' along and shots were hard to come by.  It was windy out there every time.  Just never did find the magic spot at the right time.

I think I jumped more fish each single day back in February that I jumped this whole trip, but Bryan and I both knew we would never match that week, and only occasionally even have a day like the 7 in a row we had last trip.  I tried to set myself up for reality, but this week seemed especially tough compared to most, and we never even got one or two of those magic days where it's like Disneyland for a few hours.  I should know this happens better than anybody, and I do, but I don't have to like it.  Dues paid though.  That's what I tell everybody when the fishing is shitty on my boat.

Had to fish a lot of lead-eyes

Flip Flop Gurgler did get a few

I got an eat or two on all of these, but nothing stood out.