Love those caddis spinners.

With the flow being cut back at Downsville I headed to the upper reaches of the UEB hoping to find the Hendricksons making their last stand. Found a few Hendricksons and a few apple caddis and almost no risers.  In two hours I rose two fish neither of which found my fly to their liking.

Bailed on the UEB and headed for the bug soup that is currently the WB.  Of course the pot is overflowing at 2000 CFS and I didn't see another wade fisherman and the wind was blowing about 15 and the sun was shining brightly and not a fish was seen rising - - -  until - - - there was a little shade along the bank and the wind layed down and the caddis egg layers did their thing. You know how I feel about caddis pupa (they were still hatching and some of the trout were still eating them and I still couldn't catch them) BUT today there were caddis spinners!  I love caddis spinners!!! The fish do too. 

How'd I do?  Three fish tied for fish of the day at 19 inches, 'nuf  said.

And now, as promised:  Learn why the fish "aren't on March Browns yet":  All my fishing life I have eagerly awaited the March Brown hatch.  They are one of the two (isonicias are the other) great attractor flies for dry fly fishermen.  Trout love them.  They are a full course meal.  They have trouble getting off the water.  Trout (use to) attack them with abandon. Today, they float down river unmolested.  Guides say "the trout aren't keyed in on 'em yet", I say bullshit.  Put in the simplest terms, the trout have learned not to eat them.  Why?  Every section of the river sees between 5 and 30 boats every day during this time of year.  Everyone knows fish love March Browns and when they are hatching everyone in a drift boat is throwing a March Brown in hopes of attracting a fish. The fish in todays catch and release society have been caught many, many times and probably more than once on a March Brown. Trout remember.  They look carefully at every dry fly they eat. They have learned to give a pass to the fluttering March Brown (it's a survival thing).

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