Posted on July 31 2017
Judging by the absence of fishermen on the river today, the weekend fishing left something to be desired. Could have fished almost any pool in the sulfur zone today with little or no company. Chose to fish down river from Deposit. There were some sulfurs and the ubiquitous little olives that seem to be on the water rain or shine.
The fish? They had nothing to do with either fly. There were risers (if you kept a good lookout for them) mostly to cahill duns and iso nymphs. Could not get a fish to even look at my iso or iso emerger but the same fish ate an iso "flomph" with relish. The bank sippers ate cahills. Fish that rose in faster water would come up and kiss as many as three different flies without eating any of them.
From 1:00 until 5:00 I rose eight big fish, hooked five and landed two. I felt good about the number of big fish that came to the fly, not so good about my landing percentage.
What I don't feel at all good about is the continued absence of two and three year old fish. During the sulfur hatch in the upper WB I have caught more hatchery fish (Oquaga Creek drop backs and reservoir washovers) than I have wild trout in the two and three year old classes. A flock of between 25 and 30 mergansers fishing the area probably has nothing to do with this.
In the evening I went where the 'bows are big and eat cornutas like kids eat cotton candy at the state fair. It starts late and doesn't last long but boy is it an adrenaline rush! You cast, the fish eats, the reel sings, the jumping fish is silhouetted against the western sky and you are trying to get him in without breaking the 6x so you can cast at one of the other fish rising in front of you.
Perhaps, when I get older, I'll learn to relax and enjoy the moment.
The fish? They had nothing to do with either fly. There were risers (if you kept a good lookout for them) mostly to cahill duns and iso nymphs. Could not get a fish to even look at my iso or iso emerger but the same fish ate an iso "flomph" with relish. The bank sippers ate cahills. Fish that rose in faster water would come up and kiss as many as three different flies without eating any of them.
From 1:00 until 5:00 I rose eight big fish, hooked five and landed two. I felt good about the number of big fish that came to the fly, not so good about my landing percentage.
What I don't feel at all good about is the continued absence of two and three year old fish. During the sulfur hatch in the upper WB I have caught more hatchery fish (Oquaga Creek drop backs and reservoir washovers) than I have wild trout in the two and three year old classes. A flock of between 25 and 30 mergansers fishing the area probably has nothing to do with this.
In the evening I went where the 'bows are big and eat cornutas like kids eat cotton candy at the state fair. It starts late and doesn't last long but boy is it an adrenaline rush! You cast, the fish eats, the reel sings, the jumping fish is silhouetted against the western sky and you are trying to get him in without breaking the 6x so you can cast at one of the other fish rising in front of you.
Perhaps, when I get older, I'll learn to relax and enjoy the moment.
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