Sometimes A Simple Change Of Perspective Can Change The Kind Of Day You're Having.

 Yesterday's "drive by" did nothing to boost my enthusiasm for the fishing, neither did the absence of bugs under the porch light, and the thunderstorms that passed through during the night. Awoke this morning to see muddy water flowing by on the BR, checked the USGS gages and where I was going to fish was not an issue, (above Oquaga or back home in my trout pond). Walked out on the back porch to turn off the light and got my first pleasant surprise, there were over thirty isos on the screens along with several october caddis, (aka pumpkin caddis), two stone flies and a miscellaneous assortment of other bugs. With the rivers up and muddy, (BR at 5,000 cfs), there was nothing I could do about the isos except tie some, but my spirits were clearly lifted.

Drove up to Deposit and had my pick of the pools, there was a greater danger of running into JimF or Mike the Cop, (all of us driving around looking for a rising fish), than there was of finding someone in the pool you wanted to fish. Picked an "A" pool where I've done very well this summer, fished for half an hour without seeing a sulfur, an olive, or a rising fish. Kept the waders on but was ready to go back to Lordville and call it quits. Stopped at the Troutfitter and talked with Dave who didn't even complain about me walking around in waders. He said it has been the most abrupt shutdown of the fishing he's seen since the shop opened.

 Clearly the paltry amount of bugs now hatching on the WB is not enough to interest the big fish that reside there, ( they are probably now decimating the current year's fingerlings). With the BR,BK, EB, and Willow all high and muddy there only was one choice. Headed over to the UEB, which at 500 cfs is very fishable, but was going to be muddy. It was really only a question of how far up stream I had to go to get clear enough water to fish. From Shinhopple up it was OK. Was surprised by the lack of boats throwing streamers and by the number of fishermen fishing the "stained" water down river. 

The fishing - In July you would have laughed at this report, but you're probably reading it now. Found a slow water pool with a few rising fish, put on the vest and waded in. Never saw a single body part above the surface. There were fish rising in the middle of the stream, (easy casts), that never once acknowledged that I had a fly on the end of the line. There were fish, (some were good ones), sucking in duns in the slow water along the far bank. Started out sloppy and somewhat disinterested, lost three fish in a row by hooking too hard or by not dropping the rod tip after setting the hook. Called time out, gave myself a talking to and then proceeded to have a really nice, two plus hours of fishing to rising fish. Got three or four of the larger fish to come up and say no, hooked four counters, (fish over 10 inches), landing three and saying "shit" when the other 11.5 incher came off two feet from the net. Probably hooked a dozen and a half fish and landed something close to a dozen. Made a lot of good casts to fish sipping in the slow water tight along the bank, was much more careful with the hooking and playing of the small fish and just plane had fun, (exciting? no, but fun).