Getting it done in the dark.

Had the best of intentions when planning the day. With the morning temp at 50 degrees, I would work on seperating my pile of gravel and topsoil, mow the grass and water the newly seeded areas before lunch. After lunch, I would to try to hook up with the UE sulfur hatch which had the fish up and feeding last week. When the sulfurs quieted down I'd head for the BR iso hatch.

Well, everything went as planned until I came in for lunch and it was already 1:45. Then things seemed to get in the way. Forgot I had to replace chewed up isos, olives, spinners and sulfurs. By the time I had redampened the newly seeded part of the lawn the sulfur hatch trip had been rescheduled for Tuesday. Did a crossword and a sudoku and yes, maybe dozed off for a bit and low it was 5:15.

Headed up the PA side of the BR with the intention of fishing Stockport. Five cars and a boat trailer parked there changed my mind. Stopped at Junction Pool (three cars) and looked downstream at the tailout riff, no one was there. Donned waders, vest and headed down. Isos were hatching, the fish were eating the iso nymphs and in the first 45 minutes I had 7 refusals and but one eat (a 12 inch brown). Clearly the fish there have learned not to eat iso duns. When the isos stopped hatching everything went dead. Walked from the head of the riff down to the top of the Second Heaven pool and back without seeing a rise.

Headed back up river right past the parking lot and into the upper part of Junction Pool. There were fish rising in the bubble line that were easy casts and in the gathering gloom they were more than willing to eat. Hooked and landed four nice rainbows (15 to 17 inches). When I say landed it's not the whole story. When it's too dark to see into the water and you are trying to land fish, it becomes an "event". Keep your legs close together to eliminate one of the more interesting situations that can arise. Hook came out of one in the net and I had to cut the leader to release the fish, the fly of course vanished, ended up with one arm soaked and glasses splashed so badly I could not see. Fishing 'til dark beats the hell out of fishing noon to six in the bright sun without seeing a rise.

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