Posted on May 18 2021
The key to giving good reliable information as to when to come and fish is to tell the fishermen the day before it's going to be good, not the day after. Monday is a dead cert for "The day I caught the most fish in 2021," and Sunday will probably finish second. Today I didn't come down a peg or two, I fell into a deep abyss.
Why? The water level has come from unwadeable to one where boaters are spooking fish that anglers are trying to fish to. The waders came out in numbers I haven't seen this year and made the river a slalom course for the boaters. The clouds, which have magically appeared mid-day for the last week, took the day off. The Hendricksons appear to be waning and put in but a token appearance. Only the caddis showed up today in numbers. The fish are tired of eating caddis, didn't like the sun in their eyes, were busy dodging oars, anchors and wade fishermen's feet. In short, the fish didn't rise much at all during the afternoon hatch.
Drove back to "The Lordville Estate" licked my wounds and decided to forgo the WB caddis spinner fall (another of A-119's sure things) and check out the BE. Saw not one boat, one other angler, who said (without me asking) that I could use his stairs to get down to the river anytime I wanted, two March Browns, a meager assortment of small nondescript bugs and one 13 inch brown that rose once and was then willing to eat my fly.
My old gray haired friend is down fishing and if he reports, I'll let you know how easy it was to catch fish on tonight's caddis spinner fall up above Hale Eddy on the WB.
Note to Mike C. - I fish 'til dark, then drive back to camp. If the porch light is on, stop by.
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