It's August and a few big browns are still feeding on top.
Drove to the UEB early this afternoon. While it's not like Green Drake time, the UEB is being fished. There are a number of fishermen who fish only the UEB. They find the WB's crowds of wade fishermen, boats and algae 3 good reasons to stay on the UEB. Enough of them have been fishing this week that planning where to fish is impossible. You just have to go and look for an empty pool.
Tried two pools above Corbett and found sulfurs but no risers. Maybe if I learned a little patience the fish would have gotten up and come to the table but the days are getting shorter and I want to cast to rising fish. The third stop, which received at least two shifts of fishermen last time I fished the UEB, was empty and I stopped there. There were a very few sulfurs and small olives and a lot of stuff too small to see (tsts). There were little sippy rises, tight to the bank under an overhanging tree. Left two flies in the tree. One around a branch. The other hooked a lead headed jig hanging from a branch on what looked to be about 30 lb. test mono. The casts that found their way under the trees found enough fish willing to try something different that I had an hour and a half of really good fishing.
When stop three shut down I tried a place further downstream. It has been one of the very best pools on the UEB, until this year. Perhaps the low flows and over 70 water temps did something but I've stopped there several times and it's the same old story, no bugs and no risers.
It was just past seven when I got back to the car and drove over to the upper WB. There was fog on the water, several boats went by rowing out, some sulfur duns and olives were trying to get off the water and a few fish were rising. Cast at about ten of them and was ignored by all but two. The last one turned out to be fish of the day, a 20 incher that beat an UEB 19 incher that ate a size 20 olive.
If you're thinking about coming down - watch the weather. There are flood watches again for the next two days. The rivers a fine now but who knows. The bugs are best on the WB above Hale Eddy. There are lots of rising fish but if you are fishing dries you won't catch many (at least I haven't). The UEB offers solitude, some bugs above Shinhopple and a fair number of fish that are just as hard to catch as their brothers and sisters over in the WB.
Tried two pools above Corbett and found sulfurs but no risers. Maybe if I learned a little patience the fish would have gotten up and come to the table but the days are getting shorter and I want to cast to rising fish. The third stop, which received at least two shifts of fishermen last time I fished the UEB, was empty and I stopped there. There were a very few sulfurs and small olives and a lot of stuff too small to see (tsts). There were little sippy rises, tight to the bank under an overhanging tree. Left two flies in the tree. One around a branch. The other hooked a lead headed jig hanging from a branch on what looked to be about 30 lb. test mono. The casts that found their way under the trees found enough fish willing to try something different that I had an hour and a half of really good fishing.
When stop three shut down I tried a place further downstream. It has been one of the very best pools on the UEB, until this year. Perhaps the low flows and over 70 water temps did something but I've stopped there several times and it's the same old story, no bugs and no risers.
It was just past seven when I got back to the car and drove over to the upper WB. There was fog on the water, several boats went by rowing out, some sulfur duns and olives were trying to get off the water and a few fish were rising. Cast at about ten of them and was ignored by all but two. The last one turned out to be fish of the day, a 20 incher that beat an UEB 19 incher that ate a size 20 olive.
If you're thinking about coming down - watch the weather. There are flood watches again for the next two days. The rivers a fine now but who knows. The bugs are best on the WB above Hale Eddy. There are lots of rising fish but if you are fishing dries you won't catch many (at least I haven't). The UEB offers solitude, some bugs above Shinhopple and a fair number of fish that are just as hard to catch as their brothers and sisters over in the WB.
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