May 18th, Hendricksons still going strong.

After yesterday's day off, I was anxious to get back in the water and throw a fly. Headed to the upper reaches of the WB to fish the Hendrickson hatch. Drove up the WB at about two o'clock and saw very few anglers and boats on the water.  Had a pool to myself for about an hour and a half and threw at rising fish the whole time. When I had fooled all the fish I was going to fool there I waded upstream past the only boat anchored in the area and looked for more rising fish. The hatch was slowing down and as is usually the case, the rising fish started taking duns. Located some risers that were willing to eat my fly (strangely several of them were right where that boat had been anchored). Was back in the car trying to warm up at 5:00.  During the three hours I was on the river fishing a total of two boats floated by (without hurting my fishing one bit).

Drove around looking for the missing boats (found them) and missing fishermen (for a Friday there weren't that many to be found).  At about 6:30 I got in the middle section of the WB hoping to find spinners and rising trout. Also expected to find dozens of anglers and a plethora of boats.  There was an unrelenting breeze (more rain coming) but there were spinners in the air and on the water (along with caddis and a few Hendrickson duns).  There were rising fish but they were mostly eating sub surface (I hate that). Fishing maybe a half mile above a major takeout not a single boat passed me from 6:30 until I quit at 9:00!!!

So what about the missing boats and fishermen?  Well, the water in the BK, BEB and the BR has cleared and dropped to fishable levels and apparently neither the drifters nor the waders liked the conditions on Wed. or Thurs. anymore than I did. Everybody spread out and things got back to normal for May. 

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