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Last one of the day was the best one. |
Still targeting
bigger creeks and rivers as a way to maximize the opportunity lower water this
time of year affords, I hit the river this morning at sunrise. I had a bit of a walk to a favorite stretch
where I was hoping to find grannom caddis in the numbers I encountered them a
bit south a week ago. Instead, it appeared
to be small, like size 18, brown caddis hatching in the highest numbers. Only a couple fish seemed to care, including
one pig way across the river, low for April but still flowing over 700 CFS. This fish was so big and splashy that I began
to think he was targeting chubs rising to the caddis or midges, not the flies
themselves. Despite being at a good
level, wading was relatively easy for a creek notoriously hard to wade, and the
visibility was good. Still, I was not
going to reach this fish. There were
plenty of others, including a couple very nice wild browns. In three feet of pocket water, I could see my
manly hookset turn a few of the fish, which was an advantage—it is nice to know
you have good fish early in the game sometimes.
One 16+ inch fish was sitting in a pocket on the other side of the river
over a fast riffle, so seeing him turn helped me formulate an endgame very early
in the game. I had to do a good downstream
stumble, but I was able to do so proactively!
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Another beauty. And another. |

I had a few average
fish in the first hour, mostly in a deeper eddy adjacent to the main run, but
fish eventually moved up into the faster water to eat. A couple of them were definitely holdover
stocked browns, but the majority appeared wild or too long in the river to show
definitive stocker traits during a quick net, photograph, and release
examination. No bows or brookies, so the
stocking brigade whizzed on by this spot or the fish have not moved much
yet. I was glad to leave this eddy, a notorious
bug eater, since it appears some wood that was deposited a couple years ago is still
there. I like to fish this spot more
when they are up off the bottom and will come out of the nonsense to eat a
swinging bug or bugger. Not today, so
more of my tungsten deposited down there than I like. It’s easier to deal with when catching fish,
however. The trout did move up as the
morning progressed, but they were not spread out in the current. Instead, they were using depressions and slicker,
protected spots to avoid working too hard.
That probably explains why the risers were next to none, and I saw no
emerger-chasing or porpoising fish either.
I don’t think these little caddis swim quite as well as grannoms. I tried to make the most of all the bug life,
even swinging soft hackles through the hole and down into the tailout. I had even carried a dry fly rod, which
stayed stashed in the bushes all morning.
The two best trout actually took a sulfur nymph on the dropper tag, so
maybe those nymphs are moving around on the bottom fixing for their debut in
the coming weeks.
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Crick pics and net pics |

I encountered
no other anglers on a warm Saturday, so I had chosen my spot or my timing well. The liveries are not in full operation yet,
either. I saw a pair of buses loaded
with bicycles on my way home, and I was greeted by one flotilla of kayaks
accompanied by a guide in a raft. It was
warm. The water was cold, so I was
dressed for early spring, but I could feel the hot breath coming up the river
once in a while. Folks were on the rail
trail in shorts when I decided to quit around noon. I debated hitting one more spot, but my last
fish at this first hole was just about a daymaker, pushing past 18 inches, and
I don’t like to get greedy. Had noses started
breaking the surface hitting caddis or some Henricksons or something, I may
have indulged them for a couple more hours.
In full sun at the parking lot, it was clear that 80 degrees was on its
way, so that helped make my decision final.
I was due for a good day, and I was lucky enough to get one. It feels like it’s about to get going in
earnest at any minute. I may have to
burn a “sickday” this week, or at least a morning.
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Some bonus wild and a stocked trout, all pretty fish. |
Nice - proof positive there are some big fishes out there!
ReplyDeleteThe really big ones tend to get away on this here crick! Keeps me coming back though.
DeleteThat stream is getting lower and warmer as we text. Should you get the 24 hour trutta bug, give me a yell.
ReplyDeleteTigereye Joe
Will do, Joe. I am not sure this week, but maybe....
DeleteBeautiful fish today capt! Dad always said the big ones that get away is why we come back!
ReplyDeleteRR
Thanks, RR. You know I have had my arse handed to me on this river a few times, so I always appreciate the good days even more. Big water offers big challenges sometimes, but the fish have plenty of bugs and forage to grow big on...
Delete