Fish pitch a shutout in second game to salvage split.

Most who read this blog know I try to avoid boats at all costs.  After a bang up night Friday on the UEB, I went back for more on Saturday and had 18 boats wend there way by me in JUST TWO HOURS!!!   Now, some of those who rowed by were old river friends who I was glad to see.  Others were fishermen who stopped and shared information as fishermen do, most were polite and tried to stay out of my way. As I mentioned in an earlier post I landed one fish and had 12 fish come to the fly and refuse it.  Ya think the boats might have been a factor?

Since then I may have gone a little overboard in my attempts to avoid boat traffic.  Sunday, with almost no one floating, I fished the then still high WB and had a bang up good time.  Two or three boats slid by way away from where I was fishing and I hardly noticed.  On Monday I again disdained the UEB drake hatch for fear of being rowed over by an inattentive oarsman.  Instead I fished the BE in a place where I had seen lots of fish at hendrickson time.  I saw no boats, fishermen, bugs or fish.  This evening with Saturday's disaster still fresh in my mind, I headed to the UEB above Shinhopple,  again passing up a shot at a coffin fly spinner fall.  Sat on an island from six until 8:30 without seeing a bug hatch or a fish rise. Solitude is nice but - - -

How did I manage to split the double header?  Well the WB level is now down to where I can cross it in several places and I spent the morning there.  There were enough spinners to get fish up and if you could mark them and get a cast over them you usually got a response (not always a take).   Rose about a dozen and a half fish, half of those ate and six of those landed in my net. The fish were all good sized with a 19 incher taking fish of the day.  The only boat I saw was rowed by a guide friend who was rowing one of the 18 boats on Saturday.

The releases were cut back today as both reservoirs are now under "the lip".  This opens the entire system to wade fishing.  The drakes are waning on the UEB.  The WB still has some hatching.  I have yet  to see isos on either branch.  If it's hot fish early and late, what you choose to do mid day will never leave Hancock.

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