Shake, Rattle and Roll.

 Woke early, got the chores out of the way and was in Deposit by 11:45. There were already bugs and fishermen. Found an empty pool in which I've seen little and done little this year and decided to give it another try. Bugs got going by 12:15 and the fish shortly thereafter. Much to my surprise there were a good number of rainbows on display eating nymphs in the water column. Fished for three and a half hours with every cast aimed at a boil, never saw a bug eaten off the surface. Mostly my flies were ignored, hooked four fish each on a different fly, had a few refusals and two fish that I felt but didn't hook up. None of the fish ate my sulfurs or sulfur emergers for that matter. It was a genuine beatdown.

Drove back to the fishing camp to lick my wounds and rest up. At 6:30 I walked out of the door and came to an abrupt halt. Laying on the pavement between me and the car, soaking up the warmth was a three and a half foot thick bodied rattlesnake. He was apparently quite comfortable and felt no need to move. My concern is that he takes up residence in the bluestone wall where I park my car. Got my walking stick and encouraged him to leave. He moved slowly over to the side of the road in front of the wall and curled up into his defensive/offensive strike position. I lifted him up with the stick, (they are big bodied and quite heavy),  and set him down to the side of the wall hoping he would head up the hill, nope he again curled up. When I tried to get him moving up the hill he finally lost patience and struck at the stick.  The strike was fast, I could see the two fangs, his head didn't move more than a foot, didn't feel a hit on the stick. The snake recoiled, I got in the car and headed for the WB. 

 Was not going to give those sob's up in Deposit another chance to do a number on me. Headed for the lower WB and stopped at the first place I saw with no fishermen. Alas by the time I geared up, there was a boat anchored right where I wanted to fish.  On the way back to the car to get my clear glasses, I asked if they were going to fish there and the guide said no he was just rerigging and when I got back he was on his way. Walked into the river and in not more than three minutes, had two refusals and hooked a fish in the water that was just rowed over, (there might be a lesson there). In no more than five minutes a second boat arrived and proceeded to row behind me, (I was no more than 30 feet offshore), when he didn't appear downstream I turned around to see if it was ok to cast and saw that he was anchored right behind me, not 20 feet away and his sports were getting out of the boat. Mindful of Paul's very well written comments of a week ago I took the highroad and waded further downstream so I could make a backcast. The two sports went up stream. I have often praised the guides for their courteous behavior, most all are great. I have on occasion snarled at what I thought were rude and or thoughtless waders and boaters and I'm sure both have snarled at me. I try to be courteous and help guides get through the maze of waders and to not interfere with wade fishermen, but everyone sees things through their eyes not yours. Paul's comments serve as a reminder that the river is crowded and that most everyone is trying to do the right thing.   

The evening fishing - There were very few bugs hatching, a few fish were rising when I got there but there was almost no rising in the magic half hour before dark. When I turned on the flashlight to walk out there were lots of what looked like sulfur spinners but no fish on them. Hooked six fish, landing four, it's nice when you see a rise, make a cast and get a reaction.