It's all in how you say it.



If I was doing this report for a lodge or fly shop along the river that was trying to promote the river and get people to come and fish - - -

I would say: Couldn't get on the river until after six due to prior commitments. With the cool day, the water temps were down and I headed for the big river. Saw hebes, yellow sallies, and isonichia hatching and spinners over the water late. Trout were seen rising for the spinners. I rose six trout in the two hours that I fished and landed three rainbows and a brown. The recent rains and cool temperature have invigorated the river system and it looks like the fall season is upon us.

Those of you who read my reports regularly know that I am not a huckster.

That said - - - Here is my report: Based on last weeks fishing, I was in no particular hurry to rush down to the river. Took care of some loose ends in Syracuse, lunched with old friends at Ruston's Diner (the cholesterol capital of the world) and left for the fishing camp at one pm. Unloaded the car, did some work around the camp in bright sun but cool temp (68 degrees), and headed for the river at a little after six. With the bright sun, it was still too early but with the cool water temp I wanted to see if there was any day time bug activity. There wasn't.

With the sun well off the water but still shining on the hills I saw my first yellow sallie (one of about a dozen I saw), a little later the hebes started to hatch. I spotted over half a dozen of them. Neither the fish nor I am impressed with hebie's. They look good sized in the air but when you catch them they are all wing. I use to call them lemon olives for the color of their body. I don't think trout like them and neither do I.

As the hebie hatch subsided the isos heated up, I saw three of them ride past me unmolested. There were some huge spinners in the air and I saw one eaten by a trout not ten feet from me. The trout ate the big red spinner I floated by it on the first cast. I rose five other fish blind casting. One refused the fly and the other four ate. The biggest fish was a 14 inch rainbow. A thin 12 inch brown ate a dry as did two juvenile rainbows, both under 9 inches. The best fish I hooked took off downstream and was but a few feet short of the backing when it came unstuck.

There was almost no bug activity and I saw but two fish rise that didn't come to my fly. Don't waste your gas, stay home til something starts to happen.

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