A return to the West Branch.

With a tornado watch in effect and thunder storms predicted for two-thirty, I opted to fish the upper WB at a spot close to the car. I had avoided the algae plagued  West Branch all week, first because of the algae, second because of the rain induced muddy water.  Found the river at an ideal level,  running clear and with a reduced amount
of algae.

Arrived about two-forty five to find a mix of bugs on the water with very few fish up. The summer sulfurs got going about 3:30 and the fish  started feeding with some vigor. There were dark clouds overhead, thunder and lightning in the air and when it started to rain hard I headed for the car.  It was 4:00 and I had landed five
of seven fish hooked,  losing a big rainbow and a two year old brown to large clumps of algae.

Returned after about half an hour to find lots of bugs and very few feeding fish. You had to find risers, mark them, get close enough to cast and wait for them to feed again. There were good fish feeding and I hooked three more nice ones.  One got into a clump of algae and broke the tippet, one came unstuck as it dropped into the net and was able to jump/swim out and one I landed (an eighteen and a half inch rainbow which ended up fish of the day).

Left when the bugs quit at six-thirty and headed downstream. Got decoyed into the game lands by the lack of cars and fished to rising fish until dark.  Got half a dozen refusals and hooked two nice fish, both of which broke my  six-x tippet.

Fishing the most popular places is a sure way to "limit your catch".

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