Cloudy and buggy. (9-22,23)

These two days lived up to the hype.  My own hype.  The clouds, the rain, and oh the bugs.   Baetis were on the water from start to finish, morning and afternoon.  Thankfully, the Mahoganies did their mid- to late-morning thing just enough, and really got busy in the afternoon.  Great hatch right up until 5:30 pm Friday.  The bigger fish ate the cripple from even before the hatch, and got on the dun in the middle of the afternoon.  Two days of great hatches, fish rising nearly all day, and just a few other friendly anglers.  About as good as it gets.

 

After 6 days  of this, I should move on.  I haven't though.  More sun returning tomorrow.  Might be nice to be not-so-cold.  Gotta see.  This could be the last of the bigger bugs this season.  But the MO, the Beav., and the creeks are calling.  And what about Silver Creek?  I have some water to cover.  But I could fish here another week if fishing stayed like this.  It probably won't.

That "good morning" grove of trees

 

 

 

 

 

Nice one feeding there

 

 

Who says I'm a "fair weather?"

 

 

 

 

 

I just never get tired of that backdrop

 

Mahogany post-orgy (where'd that stonefly come from?)

 

 

 

 

Finished here with a few good ones

 

 

Hey, I'm Ambidextrous!

 

Equinox One-Fly

 . . . No wind until late, lightly cloudy, really good mahogany hatch, decent Baetis following the mahoganies.  It happened.  The day I've been hoping for here all season.  Best day I've had on the Fork since last year, at least.  This is the river that kicks people's asses?  Its a little easier when everything lines up. Seven hours straight standing in the river waving a stick.  I never do that.  It even worked in the wind for part of the afternoon.  I finally just got wore out, even though there were still some big heads up close to the parking lot.  All the regulars showed up today too.  Those in the know, knew. 

 

I told myself I was going to fish different water than the "creek run" I've parked in the past few days.  I got in the river and crossed to the other side below the log jam.  Low flow makes for easy wading.  I fished downstream right past the creek.  One fly pattern/size worked all day!  Lots of eats.  Fish/flies lost in the weeds.  More misses that I get takes on a lot of days.  Pretty much non-stop ability to find good sized risers.  Not "too good," because its the Fork, and I still had to do it right, from the right position.  I had the right fly locked in.  Rain tomorrow and Friday?  Calm wind?  90%

 

Tonight

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, then showers after 1am. Low around 42. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday

Showers. High near 57. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday Night

Showers. Low around 41. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday

Showers. High near 49. North northeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

This is what all the fuss is about

 

The Rock Run

 

 

 

 

Mahagonies

 

 

 

One fly all day

 

Calm cloudy mid-day

 

 

Got Baetis

 

 

The Fork-Part 1. (9-18, 19, 20) (175 cfs and weedy)

Began Sunday morning in my favorite fall run and was met by Mahoganies, Baetis, partly cloudy skies, and south winds almost from the moment I started.  Tough drifts, but I managed a couple nice fish.  A good start, or so I thought.

 

Monday had less wind for the first couple hours, bright sunny skies, and I fished hard into early afternoon.  I got my ass handed to me.  No fish on the Harrop cripples.  No fish on the emergers.  No fish on the Captive Duns.  No fish on the down winged duns.  Oh, I had a couple of charitable takes, but mostly was just repeatedly rejected.  It was time for action.  The fish were up. 

 

That afternoon, I tied some cripples that would hang underneath, where I saw most of the larger fish feeding, on both straight shanks and curve shanks.  Some cdc soft hackles that just seem to work and are sparse and "buggy."  And finally, a Mahogany version of the Harrop PHD.  Four bugs, all in size 16. 

 

This morning I was the only car in the lot at the log jam at 9am!  Fish were up on Mahoganies upon arrival.  First cast with the new curved cripple got a take.  The rest, as they say, is history.  I caught good fish on all four bugs.  The ever-present south wind kicked up about 11 and put the good fishing to an end, but I feel redeemed and revitalized for the next few days.  There's a storm coming, and the winds are forecast to lighten up as well.  A pre-storm day followed by two rainy days.  I've got the bugs.  This could get really good.

 

My place to be in mid-September

 

Right out here.

 

 

 

 

 

Only car in the lot at 9am!

 

 

 

Perfect light overcast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued . . .