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Spinners save the day

Posted on May 12 2016

Tied spinners and march browns to prepare for what I was sure would be another all day fishing bonanza. If you had sent me to an arroyo I would have gone willingly, sure in the knowledge that I could float a fly and catch fish. The feeling was enhanced at my first stop on the big east when a nice bow ate my march brown.

And then - The frosty morning turned into a hot sunny day.  I never saw a march brown hatch, the Hendrickson's never showed and even the sun loving caddis failed to make an appearance. I never cast at a rising fish and at 6:30 I had caught just the one fish.

The boat traffic on the WB was heavy.  I pulled into one launch site for a look at the river and couldn't get near the stream.  There were four boats in the water loading fishermen and another on the ramp waiting to put in. Every vista of the river showed a row of wade fishermen with an endless string of boats weaving though them.

By 6:00 many of the anglers were off the river or standing along the shore in small groups.  I drove up river to get behind the boats and found an empty spot where a riff dumped into a pool.  There were caddis egg layers in the air but no risers. Put on a spinner and looked for risers. It wasn't long before the fish started feeding and
they obviously hadn't been hooked on many spinners because they ate mine without hesitation.

The spinner fall lasted about an hour and a half and was a  modest one with a mix of caddis and Hendricksons.  I have not seen or heard of a massive spinner fall of all the bugs we saw last week, be prepared, today might be the day.

If you are going today be patient, bring your spinners and stay 'til dark.

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