Dry fly fishing is way cool.

 Slept until 8:00 this morning, had breakfast and went out to do some yard work.  In less than an hour I was as wet as I was after my muskrat encounter. It was an easy decision to forego what has been a somewhat futile search for the afternoon sulfurs. Up graded the flies in the olive box, tied a couple emergers, a spinner and three stenos. Fell asleep doing the crossword puzzle. Awoke in time to put together part of the barn, finish the male cardinal and insert the female cardinal into the 1,000 piece jig saw puzzle that Jean brought down last weekend.

By five o'clock I was antsy, but there were severe thunderstorm warnings until six, so I waited until almost six-thirty to depart. Saw three adult deer, two with single fawns on Lordville Road. Also saw two turtles both smaller than a saucer making their way across the road.  Usually I encounter turkeys crossing the road but have yet to see one this year.

Is he ever going to get to the part about the fishing?  Well, yes he is, and what he says may surprise you.  Waded into the WB sulfur zone about 7:15. The sun was still on the water but there were sulfurs hatching.  Saw a rise and made a cast, the fish came up, recognized his mistake at the last instant and made a splashy refusal. Perhaps an omen of things to come.  Twelve refusals later I hooked a fish - that promptly came unstuck. I had counted over twenty refusals before I landed a fish.  For the better part of two hours, standing crotch deep in a good run, I threw at fish, most of which were within forty feet of me and they were eating on top!  Heads were coming out of the water and there were many open mouths.  Lost count of the refusals along the way (well into the thrities), hooked five more fish, landing three. Finally, with lightning flashing in the sky, fog on the water  (and my glasses) so thick I had to blow my fog horn to keep two boats from running me over, the fish were unable to see the defects in my casting and my flies and I caught three more fish.  No there were no 20 inchers. There was an 11 incher and five three year old's 14 to 16 inches.

It was fly fishing at its best. Fish eating on top that have seen every fly ever tied and you have to fool them.  People returning from the Missouri out in Montana say the fish there are ALMOST as tough as the fish in the Delaware. Believe me when I say, if you can catch fish on dry flies here, you can catch fish anywhere. Tonight I fished as well as I can, refusals out numbered takes by a wide margin, but I wouldn't trade a night like tonight for anything.  

Put on the second shirt before leaving the car.  Took my temp when I got back to the car - it was 95.  Had the heat on all the way to the LVE.  Crazy isn't always a bad thing. 

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