Posted on September 11 2017
A week ago I fished all day with ants on the water. I went to great lengths to tell how seldom that happens. Well, today it happened again! It wasn't really all day today as I didn't leave Rustin's Dinner (The Cholesterol Capital of the World) until 12:30.
At about 2:00 I was drooling out of both sides of my mouth ( a Pavlovian response to the little smears covering my windshield). Got in the water about 2:30 and sure enough, there were ants in the film (also on my neck, nose, waders and one in a fly box for a sample).
The big problem was that I couldn't catch the fish that were rising. There were a good number of ants but also lots of olives and big may flies of assorted varieties. There were plenty of fish to cast to but they just paid me no attention. When the sun finally went behind the hill I had hooked three and landed one.
I don't know much about ant flights but when the sun disappeared the water became covered with them and the fish really turned on. I'm sure I would have done better than I did if it weren't for two things.
First: I got cold. Both the water and air temps are much lower than they were a few weeks ago. Two shirts just wasn't enough tonight. My hands were shaking so bad I could hardly tie on a new fly.
Second, about half an hour before dark, when every fish in the river was up and feeding two fishermen rowed a pontoon boat down through the pool. The water level is below 200 CFS. You can wade fish anywhere. If you try to float the UEB you ruin the fishing for anyone you float past. As their wake pushed across the river every rising fish quit. My last sight of the night was of them rowing out of the pool with not a fish rising behind them.
I have little use for fishermen (or guides) who pleasure themselves at the expense of their fellow anglers.
At about 2:00 I was drooling out of both sides of my mouth ( a Pavlovian response to the little smears covering my windshield). Got in the water about 2:30 and sure enough, there were ants in the film (also on my neck, nose, waders and one in a fly box for a sample).
The big problem was that I couldn't catch the fish that were rising. There were a good number of ants but also lots of olives and big may flies of assorted varieties. There were plenty of fish to cast to but they just paid me no attention. When the sun finally went behind the hill I had hooked three and landed one.
I don't know much about ant flights but when the sun disappeared the water became covered with them and the fish really turned on. I'm sure I would have done better than I did if it weren't for two things.
First: I got cold. Both the water and air temps are much lower than they were a few weeks ago. Two shirts just wasn't enough tonight. My hands were shaking so bad I could hardly tie on a new fly.
Second, about half an hour before dark, when every fish in the river was up and feeding two fishermen rowed a pontoon boat down through the pool. The water level is below 200 CFS. You can wade fish anywhere. If you try to float the UEB you ruin the fishing for anyone you float past. As their wake pushed across the river every rising fish quit. My last sight of the night was of them rowing out of the pool with not a fish rising behind them.
I have little use for fishermen (or guides) who pleasure themselves at the expense of their fellow anglers.
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