When you're ahead in the game sometimes it's good to see what the subs can do.

As I often do after a really good day, I set out to fish places I haven't fished all year.  I do it for a number of reasons.  First of all I just don't like fishing the same places over and over (the sulfur zone for example).  By checking out places you haven't fished this year you get a chance to evaluate the success of  the 2016 year class that is now about a year and a half old (10 inches).  If you find lots of youngsters it's going to be a go to place next year.  It's also interesting to see what changes ice and high water have made in the river since  the last time you fished it. It keeps me up to date on the status of this years "C and D places" which often times become "A" places next year or the year after.

Today I concentrated on the Big East which is too warm to fish most of the summer and which has been in a downward cycle for the past two or three years. I fished three places one downstream and the other two in the "upper middle" part of the river.  I won't go back to any of them this year for sure.

 The day was one fishermen dream about, heavy clouds, drizzle and no wind.  Iso's hatched all day.  By five thirty I hadn't caught a fish over 11 inches and not many of those.  There were some of the 2016 year class to be seen on each stop but not enough to significantly increase the trout population in the Big East next year. Big fish did not seem to be present in any of the places I fished.  Perhaps a substantial rise in the water will change this, but I'm not going back to find out.

At 5:30 I said enough is enough and headed to the big river.  Wanted to try a place I hadn't fished since spring (and didn't do well there then).  Got there at 5:45 and to my surprise there were still a few isos hatching along with tiny olives and hebes.  Saw an occasional rise but most were one and doners. On my last cast of the night (I know when to quit) a nice 17 inch rainbow ate a spinner and became fish of the day.

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