Great Days Seldom Come Two In A Row.

 

Had no trouble sleeping last night after the morning, afternoon , and evening fishing sessions. Didn't get out of bed until 7:45, and with the prediction of bright sunshine, decided to do a split day. Walked out in the yard after breakfast to pick some peaches and my neighbor asked me when we were going to do the fence repair job he had volunteered to help on. I said how about today, and the morning fishing was cancelled. Been making excuses for not doing the job all summer and now I wonder why. It took less than two hours, spent time with a nice young man, and I think we both walked away feeling like we had accomplished something.

I never mind driving along the river looking for rising fish, but when I left the fishing camp at 2:30 in the bright afternoon sun, I didn't really expect to see any, and I didn't. Stopped at the Troutfitter and chatted with David, Anthony and a Troutfitter regular who told to us about his most recent Atlantic Salmon fishing trip up in Canada. He is also a mushroom hunter and left the shop to wander around the yard and see what mushrooms David had mowed down since his last visit.  

The fishing - Flyfishing is what it is. I always hesitate to give come or don't come recommendations. Yesterdays clouds let some olives hatch in the afternoon and I had the good fortune to find fish looking for them. In the evening I was in the right place at the right time, (even if I made a mess of it), and had a really good day. Today, the fence got repaired, and I saw no feeding fish in the the bright sun this afternoon. About 5:30 I decided to drive east on route 17, and try a place on the EB. Since my last visit in June, things had changed. Did a Fred Astaire worthy dance coming down a steep mud coated bank, (remember the flood just a few days ago), in my felt bottomed wading booties, and waded out into a riff that I had never seen before. The flood waters had moved tons of gravel and rocks to form new bars and channels. With no bugs, I was blind casting, and the old spots held no fish, but the new ones did. It wasn't sensational but it was good. There were fish looking for something to eat and they weren't fussy, until I got within casting distance of the far bank and four fish in a row refused my fly. Why? Someone had recently fished it. Got looks, but not "tooks" from fish I presume had been recently hooked by another angler. Caught four good solid 15 inchers and lost two of the same ilk in what was a pleasant two hours of fishing. 

Note - To Dennis and others, check real time water temps before you go, (DRC and WBA have links to the relevant sites and you should have them in a folder on your PC, iPad or phone. Bring a thermometer with you. If the water temp is under 70, it's OK to fish. With high water and no rocks showing the streams don't heat up fast. When the stream levels drop and the sun hits the rocks, temps can zoom up. In the bright sunshine today the BK shot up 8 degrees. The sun is lower in the sky now and the nights are longer, but it's still August. Early in the morning the temps are lowest, just before dark, the fishing is best. The fish have started to return to their home pools but it will be a while before the fish are all where they were last May. Don't be in too much of a rush, the best olive hatches are in the cold WB water, you just have to be there when they happen.  

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