Sometimes it isn't easy being me.

If anyone wants to fish the Upper East in total solitude the time is now. Except for the two cars parked in the Thayer Hollow pull off (perhaps a tryst) there was no one on the river. You can also rest assured that you won't be bothered by bugs (there weren't any). Fished there in three different pools, two of which required long walks, and caught one 14 inch hatchery brown for my efforts. My log books say there should be afternoon sulfurs and olives in the cold water section up river from Shinhopple. They lie, there are none. All of the anglers that filled every pool during 4th of July week have fled for good reason.

After a bug and rise less (but productive) evening on the WB yesterday, I headed back there tonight. For some unknown reason even I don't understand I, decided to fish a series of three pools and riffs below Balls Eddy which require a long and arduous journey through woods, over fences, down (and back up) steep slopes and about a mile of wading. It was just plain stupid. I'll have leg cramps for sure tonight and I could have seen just as many bugs and rises if I sat on my back porch sipping a "perfect manhattan".

If you have an ounce of sense and are going fishing on the Delaware tomorrow, fish the WB somewhere from Hale Eddy up to Stilesville, hate to say it, but you'll probably see me there..

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