Don't be afraid to try new places.

 The new weather pattern continues to bring thunderstorms almost every afternoon/evening and today was no exception. If Jim N. had given the GPS coordinates for his 10 to 2 sulfur bonanza I might have had my fill of catching fish and missed todays rain.  With no one giving me any useful tips I left the fishing camp (bet you wonder what I did from 6:00 am until 2:00) at about two, stopped at the Troutfitter for more tippet and then began the search for sulfurs.  If they were hatching at the Red Barn or up in Stilesville, I missed them. They sure weren't going in Deposit, Hale Eddy or any of my viewing vistas in between.

A little discouraged by the fickle flies unwillingness to provide anything reliable but a late night hatch, I decided to fish a piece of water I haven't visited in probably ten years. It was about four o'clock and I thought that maybe I would be in it for the long haul, put on the second shirt and stuffed the raincoat in the back of my vest. Was I ever glad I did. Headed upstream on what was once a good footpath, between knotweed, multiflora roses, giant rag weed and fallen trees there was no path. By the time I got to where I wanted to fish I was in a lather from the hot sun, second shirt and the raincoat.

The fishing - Hooked a fish on my third cast and lost it. Hooked another and landed it, then lost the third, visions of yesterdays fiasco flashed through my mind.  Then I heard the thunder and looked up at very dark clouds coming over the hill.  Found a little patch of grass where I could take off the vest, get out the raincoat, put the vest back on and then get into the raincoat. Just as I finished pulling the hood over my broad brimmed hat the rain came, hunkered down in the knotweed and watched the water.  Usually the trout don't feed until the rain is almost over. Today there were fish feeding during all but the heaviest rain. When the western sky started to brighten I got up and started fishing.  The fish were eating iso nymphs but if you put an iso over the rise, most of them ate it.  Sometime during the melee the rise forms became more gentle and I noticed that there were sulfurs all over the water. Everything quieted down when the sun poked through the clouds.  About five minutes later it went behind the hill and the action resumed unabated until dark.

When you find the bugs, the number of feeding fish is astounding. Wade quietly, fish to the closest fish, try to make accurate casts.  If you are getting refusals you are in the game. Sooner or later one that is either dumb or hungry will try your fly.


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