The "Last Day".
Back when the world was young, the trout season closed everywhere on September 30th. Today if you put the proper additives in your bloodstream you can trout fish year 'round. It was, however, the last day for the UE above Shinhopple and the WB above Monument. The intent of the closures is to protect the spawning browns.
Not sure what is going on with the River Master but the minimum flow requirement at Montague has been pretty much ignored this week. The Cannonsville release has been cut back to 300 CFS in anticipation of the 2.11 inch rain that was forecast just this morning. As of tonight it has been cut back to under two. We badly need the rain. It's spawning time for the browns and there is no way they can get up the tribs at current levels. Let it rain!
The fishing - Stopped my camp closedown program at 12;30, had lunch and set out to fish. The WB at 300 CFS is tempting but it is still a silt laden mess. Drove to the UE intending to fish above Shinhopple for the last time this year. There were cars parked at three of the first four pools and I got nervous and stopped at the next empty pool. It was a good choice - sorta - there were bugs and rising fish when I got there at 1:30 and there were still bugs and rising fish when I left at 4:30. By that time I had hooked an even dozen fish and landed but three, including one nine incher and one 10. To be honest I think at least two and maybe more of the fish were hooked when they refused the fly. The fly never came back with a scale on it but it felt like just maybe they weren't hooked in the moth. The rest of the fish just came unstuck.
On the way back to camp I stopped at a pool on the BE that I haven't fished since last May. After but 15 minutes it was apparent that that has been a good choice. From there I went to Junction Pool where there were three cars but no one fishing the tailout. Saw a couple of risers and headed down to offer them something to eat. Turned out there were half a dozen fish cruising around eating tiny olives. Made what I thought were good casts to all of them but they were moving side to side looking for things to eat and never saw my fly. In about half an hour of casting at risers I got the fly in front of but two. The twelve incher ate and stayed hooked. The better fish came unstuck after two trips into the backing. I know, I know, it's better to have hooked and lost than never hooked at all.
The forecast is for wind and heavy rain tomorrow, if the weather follows the prediction, I'll finish closing up the camp. If the wind isn't too bad and the rain doesn't come as hard as predicted there'll be another report tomorrow night.
Not sure what is going on with the River Master but the minimum flow requirement at Montague has been pretty much ignored this week. The Cannonsville release has been cut back to 300 CFS in anticipation of the 2.11 inch rain that was forecast just this morning. As of tonight it has been cut back to under two. We badly need the rain. It's spawning time for the browns and there is no way they can get up the tribs at current levels. Let it rain!
The fishing - Stopped my camp closedown program at 12;30, had lunch and set out to fish. The WB at 300 CFS is tempting but it is still a silt laden mess. Drove to the UE intending to fish above Shinhopple for the last time this year. There were cars parked at three of the first four pools and I got nervous and stopped at the next empty pool. It was a good choice - sorta - there were bugs and rising fish when I got there at 1:30 and there were still bugs and rising fish when I left at 4:30. By that time I had hooked an even dozen fish and landed but three, including one nine incher and one 10. To be honest I think at least two and maybe more of the fish were hooked when they refused the fly. The fly never came back with a scale on it but it felt like just maybe they weren't hooked in the moth. The rest of the fish just came unstuck.
On the way back to camp I stopped at a pool on the BE that I haven't fished since last May. After but 15 minutes it was apparent that that has been a good choice. From there I went to Junction Pool where there were three cars but no one fishing the tailout. Saw a couple of risers and headed down to offer them something to eat. Turned out there were half a dozen fish cruising around eating tiny olives. Made what I thought were good casts to all of them but they were moving side to side looking for things to eat and never saw my fly. In about half an hour of casting at risers I got the fly in front of but two. The twelve incher ate and stayed hooked. The better fish came unstuck after two trips into the backing. I know, I know, it's better to have hooked and lost than never hooked at all.
The forecast is for wind and heavy rain tomorrow, if the weather follows the prediction, I'll finish closing up the camp. If the wind isn't too bad and the rain doesn't come as hard as predicted there'll be another report tomorrow night.
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