Sometime A change Of Scenery Isn't A Bad Thing.

As most who follow the reports know, I've been fishing the east side of the system. Why? Better water levels for wading, next to no boats, very few fishermen, decent bugs, and enough 'bows and browns to keep me happy. So today I went west. Why? Because the BK, if not blown out, was too high to fish comfortably, (900 cfs this morning, 1,000 cfs now, and still climbing). Both reservoirs have stopped spilling and today's flows are probably designed to create the flood prevention void called for in the FFMP.

Spent the morning tying and repairing flies, (always a good sign), and waiting for the grass to dry.  At 2:00 pm after some periods where the sun almost came out from behind the clouds, I checked the weather radar and saw green and yellow heading our way. Went out, (at 82 you don't run), started up the mower, made a big rectangle in the backyard and was two passes short of getting it done when the rain came. Finished the two cuts and headed for the garage. I thought Deere ran fast, but I was wet before getting to the house.    

By 3:30 the rain had stopped and I, (after first girding my loins), headed for the WB to dodge boats and try to find a place to squeeze in between anglers. To my surprise, no one was there. No boats, no fishermen,and at that time, no bugs or rising fish. Chatted with Dave at the Troutfitter, (be sure to tell him about all the big fish you caught, he loves to hear fish stories from happy anglers), and at 4:00 I set out to fish.

The fishing - Saw bugs on the water below the town bridge but no risers. Fished a place in the No Kill after seeing a rise from the road. There was a surprisingly good Dorothea hatch, (they are at least three weeks early), but little feeding activity for an hour. When the fish started to rise they did so with gusto and weren't terribly fussy about what they ate. It probably lasted less than hour but it was fun, hooked some really nice fish, got applause from the guide in a boat rowing by, (one of two that I saw all day), and by 6:00 had had a really nice day. Drove back to the Lordville Estate, had a celebratory Perfect Manhattan, a nice dinner, and went to bed. No, no, no, that's what I meant to do, but something stopped me down on the lower WB, made me wade out in a riff full of eel holes, and watch the water go by for two full hours without as much as a rise. Then, with fog on the water, (maybe it was just a dream), at 8:30, fish started to rise. They ate my olive, then when I saw black caddis hatching and changed flies, they ate my black caddis, and then when I couldn't see it, and changed to a cahill, they ate that. The battery died in my flashlight and I stumbled back upstream stepping in eel holes left and right. Was in the car by 9:14, it's 11:07 now and I'm going to bed with a sore back, and big smile on my face.