The water's droppin, the bugs are poppin and the fish are - - -

Got on the river at 3:00. There were Hendricksons on the water and feeding fish.  There was also a boat anchored over every pod of feeding fish.  I'm guessing that the hatch has been starting well ahead of my arrival, as the last two times I fished above Deposit it was over within an hour of my arrival.

Drove down the back side of the river to Hale Eddy and was amazed at how many boats and how few wade fishermen there were.  Couldn't begin to count the trailers at both barking dog and Balls Eddy. The bugs (Hendricksons and caddis) are heaviest between those two take outs and that's where everyone is.

Despite the very good fishing I've had on the WB this week, I crossed over the river at Hale Eddy and headed east on 17.  Stopped on the lower BK where I saw a March Brown and a Gray Fox  hatch and float down the river unmolested.  At about 5:00 the sun was hot and bright and no fish were rising. 

Took the road up the UEB and found a run that was shaded by the hills. There were MBs on the water and an occasional rise. There was enough action to keep me occupied until abou 7:30 when I started to see spinners on the water.  Without any caddis hatching the trout got on the spinners big time. There were trout rising everywhere and they were all eating on top!

The outlook?  If we can avoid a gully washer, this weekend should be great.  The Hendrickson hatch and spinner fall is still a happening on the upper reaches of both the UEB and WB.  Right behind (downstream) them are the caddis hatches and spinner falls. Where both of these hatches are over the March Browns and Gray Foxes have started up. Sulfurs probably have started on the lower big river.  It'll only be a matter of a few days before the  drakes hatch on the BK, BR and BE.




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