Splish splash I was takin' a bath - - -


Despite yesterday mornings success I passed on another morning of fishing. Had several items on the to-do list and I just might have been a little tired from yesterday's double header. Had to do the end of season dump run, fill the wood stacker, shoot the bow and reorganize my two spinner boxes. This entailed sorting out the ones no longer able to pass muster, steaming the hackles on the ones I put away in a hurry and inserting the half dozen newly tied ones into the boxes. Also had to stop at Marino's to get my archery license on the way out fishing. 

Left the fishing camp about 3:00 and by the time I got to Buckingham (a dozen trailers in the lot) it was evident that my fishing plan had to be changed. Headed east only to find that the guy with the white pickup truck was already fishing my fall back location (he's there often). Did another route recalculation, as my GPS likes to say, and went to a place I haven't fished since before Covid. It use to be a regular stop which included a nice chat with a river friend who granted me access. He moved away. The new owner was very gracious when I asked him for permission about four or five years ago but I haven't seen him since. Fished it twice the first year and haven't been back. No one was home when I knocked so I parked, waded across the river, and fished. 

The fishing - Once again there were almost no bugs, but the fish seemed to just love my new spinners. Had four fish eat my fly in the first ten minutes. Caught an 11 incher then ripped the fly out of the mouth of  two about the same size. Adrenalin is to me, what auto correct is to Ed Smith (a pain in the arse). I seem to have an unlimited supply, especially when drawing the bow on a good sized buck. What about the fourth fish you asked? It was the fish of the day, a nice 18 inch rainbow and I did good, hooked gently, let him run and netted him when he was done. In the next hour I hooked and landed  five more fish, all between 11 and 13 inches. Was walking back towards where I cross to get out, when a fished refused my fly. Decided to change flies and in the process dropped a brand spanking new olive into the water. The water was maybe 18 inches deep and moving slowly, I saw the fly, I reached for the landing net (flies always get caught in the net don't they), while walking downstream after the fly, doubled the net over the frame to be sure to catch the fly, reached for the fly, tripped over a rock and fell in. Stood up and looked in the net - no fly. I hate losing a new fly.

Walked back up stream, crossed the river and drove back to the camp (it was now 5:30), changed clothes (socks were dry as was, thankfully, my wallet) and finished out the night in the Lordville riff. Hooked and landed a nice 15 inch 'bow before hooking and losing another rainbow of about the same size on a G.D. spinout. Started a fire when I got back to the camp, spread out the fly boxes and made a Perfect Manhattan, it just doesn't get any better than this.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All my life's a circle.

  Headed down to the Lordville Estate about nine this morning after watching a nice buck decide  not to tend the scrape I was perched above. Drove through Deposit where the Troutfitter Shop was dark and closed for the season. My fishing equipment did not make the trip. Had far too many things to do in the few hours of daylight we are currently being allotted. The doe with two fawns was in the backyard when I arrived and was joined by the orphaned button buck who spends his time either bedded down in my flower garden or walking around under the peach trees looking for the peaches he grew so fond of in September. Arrived with a trailer full of wood hitched to Jean's car (it has the trailer hitch) and spent the first hour replenishing the wood I burned this season. As if by magic both wood piles topped out just below the garage windows. Was interrupted by the button buck who walked up between the house and the garage and stood watching the wood stacking operation. A river friend and f
Read more

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN!

 It's Wednesday night, a fire is going in the fire place, an empty Perfect Manhattan glass is washed and back up on the shelf, 30 shrimp netted from Zane Gray Creek ((did you know that Zane Gray (famous fly fisherman and writer of westerns) was a dentist and that his office is now a museum that you can visit on the Delaware River?)), have been consumed by Jean and me, prior to the three pieces of venison backstrap that traveled from home to Florida and back, an early spring snowstorm is raging outside and most importantly, we're glad to be back home again! With that season opening sentence, Mrs. Haskins has no doubt thrown in the towel and disavowed all responsibility for my literary malfunctions. Run on sentences she could handle, but my never before attempted "double aside" was apparently beyond the pall. I sent her a "Go Duke" banner with apologies and hopefully she will cool off before the fishing heats up. Our trip back home was uneventful. Started at 2
Read more

A rational explanation escapes me.

 Yesterday after driving up and down the "Sulfur Zone" in the afternoon without seeing bugs or rising fish, I headed back to Lordville without even putting my waders on. Headed out again at 6:00, got into the river around 6:30 and had two hours of delightful dry fly fishing to medium sized fish eating duns in a good sulfur hatch. Today, I made the trip up to deposit at about 1:30 figuring the cloud cover would delay the hatch (if any), it did, but by 2:30 the afternoon sulfurs were going and the fish were up and on them. Enjoyed about two hours of good fishing with four decent fish hooked and landed, two yearlings landed and a passel of refusals. About 4:30 the rise forms changed to boils and my fly was ignored. Tried half a dozen flies without so much as a look from the still feeding fish. Was happy with the afternoon fishing, (a big step up from Sunday), and at 5:00 it was too late to drive all the way back to Lordville. Decided to get something at Wendy's (calorie capi
Read more