Posted on October 28 2023
Today was just so beautiful, it made me nervous. Why? I'm down at the Lordville Estate for perhaps the last time this season and it's sunny, warm (75 degrees) and I'm going out to fish with knowledge that the bugs probably won't show.
Called Jean at about 2:00 to tell her that I've decided to stay overnight and come home in the morning, unless the pseudos don't show up, in which case I'll head home tonight. Called her at 5:55 just east of Deposit to tell her that I had the contents of the fridge (including her beer and a thawed out hamburger) in the car and that my ETA was 7:15. Arrived at 7:11 to find Jean frying up some onions and peppers to put on the hamburger. Sometimes it's more important to be lucky than good.
It's a sad time of year for me. Drove past the homes of several river friends who are no longer with us, walked past Nate's house on the way down to the river, his refrigerator door is wide open (hopefully turned off) and he and his bride are down in Florida enjoying an endless summer, the WB and upper BR are a silt laden mess, and only the hardiest of anglers are still on the water. This is when I become a year older, no it's not my birthday but it's when I put another notch in the tree of life.
The fishing - If this turns out to be my last trip, at least I wasn't skunked. Fished the EB and saw no bugs. Rose three fish, the first two ate and the third refused. Saw a fourth fish rise twice in the seam just downstream from a rock, made a good cast and never got a look. The second fish I landed was a fat 17 inch rainbow that went straight into the backing on his first run. The memory may have to last me until next April. From the EB I drove over to the BR and fished a pool a couple down from where I was last night. Dead doesn't begin to describe the action. Saw nothing except a guy in a pontoon boat (he fished across from me last night) rowing out. We both acknowledged that it was just too nice for pseudos. Drove back to the fishing camp loaded up my gear and headed home.
If you have an urge for a last trip make sure it's cold, pseudos are no pansy's, the colder the better for them. When I return on the 5th, my rod, waders, and vest will be in the car, if I use them, I'll let you know..
Angler119-Thank You for your advice that I return my smashed flyrod to Winston( left it on the roof of my car.Not very smart) . Winston called me yesterday and they are building me a new rod for the $150 repair fee. The original blanks no longer exist-it was an early IM6. I bought the rod in 1990 with the serial # 14256 . They are using a blank very similar in action. Great news. Again Thank You . Ed
Gave it one more shot on Saturday. Cloudy, 53 degrees. Water temp peaked at 46.Hit spots on the BK and Willow looking for rising fish. Dead until around 3,then a sparse pseudo hatch brought fish up. Landed 6,lost 2. On a #22 cdc dun. Best two fish were a 14” brown and a 16” brown. Great fun. Angler119- Chatted with a river friend of yours from Syracuse-Jim F. We had a very pleasant conversation. As the saying goes- There is more to fishing than the actual fishing. Ed
First of all, thank you for your wonderful reports and great prose. . I do have a problem, however, because now that I have been reading you steadily for the last year, I am lost when you go deer hunting. I also fished last week on a day that I thought would be perfect And I had the same experience as you, very very few bugs and no rising fish. Have a great winter and look forward to hearing from you and your reports next spring.
A119,
It was a great pleasure to finally meet you at the Associate Editors Board Meeting. I wish you, Dennis and Ed happy hunting, creative tying and a peaceful winter season. Please stay in touch (you have our emails). Thanks for another great year of tips and helpful hints on fishing the system.
Be well everyone!
Jim
Angler119 and Dennis- P.S. Very cool Stones references. Thanks
Angler119-If it is the end of your 2023 season I’m glad you ended it with a hard fighting 17” rainbow. And it is sad to think of friends we’ve fished with and people like Dave Whitlock we may have only met in print that are no longer with us. I hope to get one more day in before I put the rod away. I second Dennis’s thoughts.Angler119 Thanks for all your help and keeping us entertained. To the associate editors-Have a great winter and let’s meet up again next season. Angler119 Hope you get out again . If not , wishing You and your Family a happy and healthy winter. And please let us know how the the bonefishing is in Florida. Ed
To the rolling stone reference I had a 19th nervous breakdown last night. I was on the upper east and nothing. I went to the beaver kill and nothing. I got no satisfaction on the river last night. Today I am putting all fly fishing gear away and sticking to the bow.
I landed 40 fish less this year than last. Still a pretty good year. I Will rationalize the reasons as I sit in my tree stand.To Al the associate editors I wish you a great rest of the year and look forward to seeing you all next April!!
A119 thank you for sharing your knowledge of the rivers and and the techniques you use to catch these challenging fish. Good luck deer hunting.
See you all in the spring of 2024