I know where there's a big striped bass.

 After yesterday I was afraid to go out today and find that it had all been a dream. Didn't want to go back to the tough days of the past two weeks.  So I found things that I needed to do.  Finished painting the garage and razor bladed the paint off the last two windows.  The only things left to paint are the storm windows.  It rained enough that the grass needed cutting so I mowed again and before I knew it it was 3:45.  Bit the bullet and headed out.

Found a riff on the lower WB that had no cars parked and walked down to the river only to find a boat anchored in the hot spot. Was tempted to fish up past him and say "Watch your back cast." But I stayed below him and hooked a nice rainbow.  When he left two more boats came through.  Caught two more nice fish after they rowed by, with another boat bearing down on me, I remembered it was Friday night. Reeled in and got out of there. 

It was 5:00 and time to head someplace where both the boat traffic and wade fishing pressure would be minimal. In this I succeeded. Never saw a boat or another angler.  Blind casted a quarter mile of stream without seeing a fish either for that matter. Was ready to reel it in and head back to camp thinking there just weren't fish there yet when a big rainbow ate my olive. After landing the fish and cleaning off the fly I made a 25 foot cast just to see if the fly would float upright.  You guessed it, an even bigger rainbow engulfed the fly and headed downstream with me in pursuit. Don't know how much backing I have but I had waded at least 150 feet downstream and was looking at the black spool between the remaining wraps of backing on the reel when the fish stopped. When I got the fish up close to me I saw he was being followed closely by a striped bass a good 10 to 12 inches bigger than he was.  The fish was a 19 inch rainbow and I don't think the bass was big enough to eat him but I waded back upstream to where he was hooked holding the bow facing up stream in the water. Before I let him go. 

The fall fishing has started.  There are olives hatching midday in the coldest parts of the WB and presumably the UE. If you want to catch fish DO NOT stand in line with other anglers trying to catch fish in pools where they have been pummeled for the last two months.  Fish where a riff dumps into a pool on the BR, BK or the BE. You may not catch anything but at least you have a chance of hooking a good one. Leave your sulfurs at home, bring your olives, isos, white flies and ants, stay 'til dark and maybe you'll catch the fish of a lifetime.

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