Moonlighting on the West Branch.

Got so caught up in my rant about drift boaters violating my space that I forgot about last nights moonlight fishing experience. Once or twice a year things fall into place. You need a bright enough waxing moon (over half) but not so full that it isn't over the hills at dark. You need a good spinner fall that has the fish up and gulping. You need to be on a part of the river facing the western sky. The wind can't be blowing and you need to have an insanity pass to give to your wife when you get home an hour or two late..

Last night everything fell in place. I had waded back to the trail that led up the hill to the car and was zipping up my vest pockets when I heard gulping sounds (lots of 'em). Waded quietly out from shore facing the western sky and saw eight to ten fish chowing down on spinners . Hooked the two closest fish but the hook pulled out of both right away. When I checked I found I had tied a knot around the bend of the hook (I had pulled the hook out of the mouth of both fish). Undaunted I cut off the fly and tied on a new one. When I tried to make a cast, the downstream loop of line had picked up some debris and things didn't go as planned (the fly ended up hooked into the mesh on my landing net. With the sound of the fish gulping spinners doing nothing to calm my nerves I again re rigged. This time I was careful and got the fly in the air and in the direction of a rising fish. When the fish boiled, I hooked and back came my fly with a glob a green algae on it. The fly stuck in my hat brim and I was able to clean the algae off my glasses well enough to reel in, climb the hill to the car and drive back to camp. Hopefully the planets won't align again anytime soon.

The fishing today? If it was any good, would I have spent two whole paragraphs (long ones at that) relating my most recent experience moonlighting?

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