Is Bengay a performance enhancing drug?

Woke up with a bit of a sore shoulder this morning. No, not from fighting fish. It came from patting myself on the back for putting myself in two places yesterday, both with rising fish willing to eat my flies.

 Buoyed by yesterday's  success I opted to fish the BR this morning. Maybe the water is a little warm in the BR for fall bugs but the water temp is coolest in the morning and almost no one has been below Buckingham. At 9:30 I stopped on the Lordville bridge to watch an angler in a drift boat fishing the riff (no one arrives at the Lordville riff before noon). Drove up river and there was another drift boat in the lower section of the Buckingham water. Didn't know if I should abort the BR venture or be encouraged with my selection because guides (who always know when and where to be) were already on the water long before the designated noon starting time.

 Decided to get above the drift boats and take advantage of the fact that I was in sync with the guides. Made a moderately long walk to the river. Clambered down the rocky slope, crossed over to the NY side and spent an hour without seeing a bug, a rising fish or any hint whatsoever that I ever would. Back tracked to the car (my shoulder starting to ache)  and  headed upstream to Deposit where the trout were no doubt at 11:00 o'clock brunching (no not munching) on the tiny little morsels that they so enjoyed yesterday. Stopped to chat with Lloyd Hornbeck, the king of reservoir fishermen, put on my waders and walked out to do battle with the fish. Except that they refused to play. The bugs were there (you know the ones you need bifocals to see) but in almost two hours of fishing I saw one fish rise (twice) and one fish flash while turning to eat something. Both ate my fly. They were the only ones that I saw.

The plan was to cut the grass as soon as it dried out from last night's heavy dew. Got back to the Camp at about 1:00  and started mowing only to be rained off two times before completing the job at 5:00. It was then time to head out for the evening fishing (it's dark at 7:30 you know).  With the boats long gone I fished close to home and was surprised both by the number of bugs (Isos (a few), brown caddis, hebes, ephorons and pseudos and by the dearth of risers. Never saw a fish rise more than twice (and that one never gave me a look). Fortunately half a dozen rainbows rose and ate (or were impaled by) my fly. One of which was a very fat, heavy nineteen inch rainbow.

No matter how good it feels to end a tough day on a high note, I'm not patting myself on the back tonight.

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