MOctober Pt. 5

Sunny, 66 for a high, and light to calm winds most of the day.  There's a couple more of these left apparently.  Yes, it's getting to be a bit of a re-run now, but I'll repeat this knowing the end of it is really near.  As I'm driving down the river this morning, that ending is in my mind and I'm pulled back to the ladders for a second time this week. This area is fishing the best right now with all of its little sweet spots, and there is a ton of good water I can easily wade to around some of the islands, spots that I still haven't made it to.

It isn't until this evening that I leave the first two channels.  There are rising fish to cast at from start to finish today.  I think the late morning fish are midging.  Maybe I'll throw the actual midge box in the pack tomorrow and see how that does.  I do wonder about a little griffith gnat or Harrop midge this morning.  Very sparse baetis patterns are adequate enough.  The late afternoon and evening bite is still the best.  Little groups of rising fish. Lots of eats with good drifts and a bit of stealth in the low, bright conditions.  Pleasant, uncrowded, and a friend even answered the invitation and paid a visit today.

Since I sent out the invitation, I really had to follow through and be at the ladders just in case.  I guess it takes a formal invitation to get close-by friends to drop in.  It worked!

My favorite color tree getting a little thinner.  This is a sign.

It really was this beautiful blue when I rounded the corner to the lower channel. Oh so low.

Probably hooked a dozen or so today fishing pretty relaxed, paced, and low key. We had some fish under 18 inches crash the party, but they're all still pretty good fish.

More beautiful oh so low.  This is a big riffle in June.

There he is, with a fish on no less.

We fished the riffle here until dark.

Pretty close to perfection.

The best bugs were little sparse #20 and 22's.  Little thread-bodied cdc floaties, and the black Adams for casting into the glare.

I know, I can't believe it either.

What an evening.

MOctober Pt. 4

The beat goes on . . . It's blowing pretty hard this morning so there is no rush.  I slide up to the pasture mid morning where I can find a favorable casting angle and a little protection.  I start down the trail with the five weight in hand to punch through some wind, but after looking down at the smooth water around the island, I turn back for the three weight.  Come to find out, it's favorable right in the sweet spot at the bottom of the big island.  I park where the fast meets the slow, and most of the fish are in the slow.  After a few on the leech, it's midging time through the early afternoon.  They're eating.

After a late lunch, I move back down to high bridge where I got schooled last night. Redemption time with a #20 sparse cdc cluster and a #22 rs2.  That fixes 'em! Not much wind this evening. It goes calm around sunset, and the baetis make a thick, quick showing from 5:00 to dark around 6:45.  Another great day, even at a slower cadence.  Sunny and 60.  I'm soaking up every last ray of light and every btu of warmth that I can.

Looking great, as it usually does.

2600 cfs. Fish are loaded right below.

Doin' it along this bank again from late afternoon to dark.

No, this ain't Silver Creek!  They were crawling all over me.

This fly was tied for silver creek, but they liked it in the slower skinny water of the MO tonight.  It floats high and is visible despite the small hook and single layer thread body.

MOctober Pt. 3

A little different today.  The windiest one so far and cooler temps despite the bright sun.  I get a few on the leech early, fishing the shooting range channel.  No real hatch to speak of, but fish are eating something in ankle deep water early this afternoon.  Fish also rise this evening in a regular slick below the high bridge.  Those school me a bit, as they wont eat the dun.  So still a decent day, but in spurts. 

Shooting range channel

Those shallow water eaters loved this little Organza and hare bug floating behind a dun.

Fish ate in this slick water that was shielded from the wind.  I stood here for over a couple hours casting to fish 

Monster

Got some eats

Low water below high bridge.

I even pulled out a Sri Lanka trying to fool those evening fish.  It got just two eats 

Fish up all along this bank this evening.

MOctober Pt.2

Today's forecast was for fiercely high winds to 45 miles per hour and maybe some precip.  I hear it blowing overnight and it shakes the trailer a little before dawn.  But as it gets light, I notice it's pretty hot inside. I have my furnace on its lowest setting, but I'm throwing off the blankets.  I open the trailer door to warm, cloudy, and still.  Believing the window is short due to the incoming cold front, I grab a very quick snack and hop in the truck headed down river.  I park where I can fish close to the truck and make a quick retreat when the weather goes to hell.  

Ha!  It blows at times, but never quite unfishable.  When there's a five or 10 minute calm stretch, a few fish rise.  When it gets really gusty, I have the wind blowing off of my casting shoulder just right. Sometimes I just punch it through.  I've been fishing my three-weight, but I rigged up the five this morning.  It launches the leech and still turns over a dry.  What begins as an intended short stint at 9:00 a.m. ends with a late lunch break/nap at 3:00 p.m.  I never leave the water at Lone Tree in that time.  Theres chasers and eaters.

I re-arm with the three weight for the evening bite up river, feeding those subtle rises in and below caddis channel.  It's mostly calm, and the clouds finally give way to bright sunshine warming my back and illuminating my little mole fly for the last 90 minutes.  On a day that was highly improbable, I get in a full one.  A few days ago I told someone there was going to be a weekend party on the MO, and the fish were invited. We partied again today.  I think we'll just keep it going for the week ahead.  Me, the healthiest looking rainbows in the west, and a few little mayflies.  Who else is coming?

Sure looks like it's coming this morning.  

I've been seeing pheasants all over the place. These two were at the tip of the big island with two more right around the corner that flew as I approached.  No wonder the trout like pheasant tails!

The water is barely moving in caddis channel, but there's fish in the thing when can approach them.

It's like a spring creek with pigs.

My god, it's late October and this looks perfect!  Party on!  I'm home!

MOctober Pt.1

The fog is just breaking, and I'm driving past rings of the rise from camp at the bridge all the way to Craig.  The truck thermometer fluctuates between 29 and 33. I carefully climb over the ladder and down the frosty trail to the maze of little islands and side channels below. Wading is easy at this great, remarkable low flow of 2,600 cfs. The fog burns off to a warm bright sunny sky. The sun already feels like a heat lamp. There's not a hint of a breeze.

The first channel is super low, most of the weeds are gone, and it's smooth as glass except for a couple of rings down low. There's fish making wakes at the top where the river comes in. I just know its going to be right.

I don't make it out of that first run until early afternoon.  There's fish all over it, dozens of them, all pigs.  The mouth of this channel has a pod of about 20, near as I can count.  Loaded.

I finally make my way down to the next little side channel.  At the top where the riffle curves into the slick, a pod of 10 or so fish boil and slurp the afternoon baetis. 125 ft. down the slick, another pod of 10 make the slick look like a riffle. It eventually becomes one of those "know when to say when" days.  Classic.  Epic.  October dreamy.

Loaded and ready

I saw this one waking around in ankle deep water

This skinny water holds fish this time of year.

Montana steelhead

From below

The black Adams is a clear winner in the glare.  

A pod at the top, and a pod at the bottom.

The Almost Dun, always a winner here in the fall.  Suprisingly visible as the sun lights up the packing foam wing even in a bright glare.

Heads in a pod.  Shooting fish in a barrel.

My October tree, shot from across the river.

The age-old iconic view I'll never get tired of.  Goose bumps.

So many advantages to the low water.  It could be years before I see it this low again.

Water temp in the 50's, on a steady decline.  This is likely the peak of perfection, not too warm, not too cold.  Active fish all day.  Just right.