Posted on July 13 2020
It turned out to be an interesting day for me. Went out in our wood lot to harvest some Chanterelle mushrooms that had come up after the Friday/ Saturday rain. Was stung by a bee while walking on a two plank wide foot bridge. One of our granddaughters was stung while walking on the same bridge 12 years ago. Both times the bees had built a hive on the underside of the planking.
Went to the Dentist where the last rights were performed on old #14 a molar on the upper left hand side of my mouth that has never complained about chewing on bubble gum or steak. 14 has been drilled, filled, had a root canal and a crown. He is currently circling the drain with extraction predicted within 6 to 12 months.
Next stop was the Dermatologist. When you get to my age you become a little like a mulch pile where things decompose and other things start to grow. The Doctor said "Everything looks good I just need to hit a couple of spots". Seemingly half a tank of liquid nitrogen later he sent me on my way.
By 7:00 I was driving along the WB above Hale Eddy looking for bugs. Found them and rising fish in the No Kill. Not a word of a lie, the first 8 fish that came to the fly refused it. Tried an olive and three other sulfurs, they ignored them. With fading light, went back to the refused fly and they crushed it. In a very short span of time seven fish ate the fly and six were landed. The "one that got away " did so while I was trying to pull him up to the net in heavy current and might well have been fish of the day.
There was only one incident of note while in the river. After landing what turned out to be the last fish, I reached into the net to get him out. He was thrashing and in the dark the button on my shirt sleeve became tangled into the landing net mesh. The thrashing fish dislodged the hook which also became lodged in the net (with the leader still running through his mouth). Called a time out to stop the clock but by the time I untangled and regrouped, the fish were sipping after dinner drinks instead of spinners.
On the way back to the car in the dark, I failed to step quite high enough to clear one of the many logs on the trail. The tall grass cushioned the fall. My left wrist is a little sore and the "hot fly" broke off on impact. It's not always easy being me.
Went to the Dentist where the last rights were performed on old #14 a molar on the upper left hand side of my mouth that has never complained about chewing on bubble gum or steak. 14 has been drilled, filled, had a root canal and a crown. He is currently circling the drain with extraction predicted within 6 to 12 months.
Next stop was the Dermatologist. When you get to my age you become a little like a mulch pile where things decompose and other things start to grow. The Doctor said "Everything looks good I just need to hit a couple of spots". Seemingly half a tank of liquid nitrogen later he sent me on my way.
By 7:00 I was driving along the WB above Hale Eddy looking for bugs. Found them and rising fish in the No Kill. Not a word of a lie, the first 8 fish that came to the fly refused it. Tried an olive and three other sulfurs, they ignored them. With fading light, went back to the refused fly and they crushed it. In a very short span of time seven fish ate the fly and six were landed. The "one that got away " did so while I was trying to pull him up to the net in heavy current and might well have been fish of the day.
There was only one incident of note while in the river. After landing what turned out to be the last fish, I reached into the net to get him out. He was thrashing and in the dark the button on my shirt sleeve became tangled into the landing net mesh. The thrashing fish dislodged the hook which also became lodged in the net (with the leader still running through his mouth). Called a time out to stop the clock but by the time I untangled and regrouped, the fish were sipping after dinner drinks instead of spinners.
On the way back to the car in the dark, I failed to step quite high enough to clear one of the many logs on the trail. The tall grass cushioned the fall. My left wrist is a little sore and the "hot fly" broke off on impact. It's not always easy being me.
I second Dennis’s question…..I wanted to ask it but he beat me to it. I am curious as to your leader length and tippet length/size. i started using a 20 foot leader – leader is mono but includes 7 feet of 6x fluoro for the tippet….i am hesitant to consider 7x as I am not sure a nice fish can be landed (by me anyway).
Hope the wrist is ok. What size tippet are you using 6x or7x for these fussy trout. How long is your leader. I e been using 5x but was told time to change and use at least 6×.
Thanks for all the great advice