Posted on June 07 2020
Because the Covid-19 virus has eliminated a couple of the things I do when I'm home in Syracuse, (Saturday morning gatherings at the Troutfitter and Monday lunch with old friends) I have spent additional time social distancing here in Lordville. It has resulted in me trying to find places to fish on Sundays. Time was when almost everybody fished Sunday morning then headed home leaving the rivers empty on Sunday night. Not this year. Once again there was no place for me to fish.
Left camp about 3:00 and drove around looking at bugless water from Lordville to Downsville to Deposit to Hale Eddy and back up to Corbett. Finally found an empty pool about 6:00 that had a few sulfurs hatching. Had no sooner gotten into the water when a car with three fishermen in it pulled up right next to mine. They had apparently reserved the pool as they all waded right in and watched me wade right out.
Driving down RTE 30 about 7:00 there was a blip, blip, blip noise on the windshield (green drake coffin flies), found a near by pool with only one angler and waded in. Saw two green drake duns right away. Within two minutes down the river came two fishermen rowing pontoon boats. They rowed right over one of the three rises I saw. Got a refusal from one of the others and left. There ARE green drakes still hatching on the UEB (and perhaps on the lower WB), but I won't be there trying to fish.
In a last ditch effort to avoid a shutout, I stopped at a pool that has fish and amazingly had no fishermen. There were lots of black caddis spinners and the trout were eating them as soon as they hit the water. Had recently tied half dozen of the black caddis that look so good I couldn't tell them apart from the real thing - until the CDC wings wrapped around the hook when they got the least little bit wet. The fish ate the new offerings with relish as long as the wing stayed where it was supposed to. Got disdainful refusals when it didn't.
The river system is transitioning from "big bug season" to summer fishing, it's not easy to be in the right place at the right time. If it's not happening where you are - try someplace else.
Left camp about 3:00 and drove around looking at bugless water from Lordville to Downsville to Deposit to Hale Eddy and back up to Corbett. Finally found an empty pool about 6:00 that had a few sulfurs hatching. Had no sooner gotten into the water when a car with three fishermen in it pulled up right next to mine. They had apparently reserved the pool as they all waded right in and watched me wade right out.
Driving down RTE 30 about 7:00 there was a blip, blip, blip noise on the windshield (green drake coffin flies), found a near by pool with only one angler and waded in. Saw two green drake duns right away. Within two minutes down the river came two fishermen rowing pontoon boats. They rowed right over one of the three rises I saw. Got a refusal from one of the others and left. There ARE green drakes still hatching on the UEB (and perhaps on the lower WB), but I won't be there trying to fish.
In a last ditch effort to avoid a shutout, I stopped at a pool that has fish and amazingly had no fishermen. There were lots of black caddis spinners and the trout were eating them as soon as they hit the water. Had recently tied half dozen of the black caddis that look so good I couldn't tell them apart from the real thing - until the CDC wings wrapped around the hook when they got the least little bit wet. The fish ate the new offerings with relish as long as the wing stayed where it was supposed to. Got disdainful refusals when it didn't.
The river system is transitioning from "big bug season" to summer fishing, it's not easy to be in the right place at the right time. If it's not happening where you are - try someplace else.
Excellent comment regarding the guys who must have reserved the pool wading right in . Happens all the time. Happened to me on WB last week. One even had the balls to wade over to me and ask what the fish I caught were taking…. when I told him he said no way… I asked how many he saw me catch , he answered 4 which was correct, I asked how many he had caught, he said none.. I told him there was a lesson there for him and continued to fish with the fly he said the fish weren’t taking…