Goin' Searchin', Gonna Find 'Em.

 

Got another good night's sleep, (may be ready to play before Caitlin Clark), and tackled the lawn before the heat got serious. That onerous task out of the way, I tied the days quota of flies and wondered what to do next. Fortunately the phone rang and I had to deal with an air conditioner that decided not to work on one of the hottest days of the year. (WE NOW GO LIVE), It's 10:20pm and the phone rings, my first thought, somebody died, but no, it was my long suffering bonefishing partner Mark, who somehow knew that I was just sitting down with my PM getting ready to write the days fishing report, said, he was checking to see if I'd found the Coq De Leon tailing material I'd asked him about, told me he called my GHOF to see how he did on the Missouri and apparently now he doesn't feel as bad about the ass kicking he got, (misery loves company). He also mentioned that I should have Dave forward the picture I allegedly took of one of the fish he caught while up here in early May. Being a young whippersnapper he also wondered why none of the commenters didn't call me out for the obvious mistake of referring to an August night when it's still July. Told him it wasn't a mistake, late August nights are supposed to be cold and the two nights I referred to were in the 40's. (My grandfather always had a fire going in the pot belly stove at the camp on August mornings).

At 2:30, when there was no danger of being lured up to the sulfur zone, I got in the car and drove east to look for Coq De Leon tailing feathers, and check out the BK and Willow, (both low and hot). Visited three fly shops on streams that haven't been fishable for over a month. I know the Troutfitter and other shops on the Delaware suffered during the high water of May and June, but to follow that up with 75 degree water temps makes it hard for any shop owner to pay the bills.

The fishing - Let me be clear about something, it's damn hard to write a fishing report this time of year. Everyone knows when and where the sulfurs are hatching. If it's a good hatch there should be risers and you will at least have targets, on a sparse hatch day, you have to keep telling yourself that it's better than a day in the air conditioned office, (a hard sell). Because of the Lordville Estate, I have a huge advantage over day trippers. I can fish the magic hour before dark almost anywhere on the two tailwaters and be home in less than half an hour, and I did it again tonight. For reasons unknown, (probably the heat), the bugs were no shows during the hour before dark, but the fish were hungry and looking up. There were almost no risers before 8:45. When the fish started to rise I turned on my flashlight to look, and the water was covered with spinners of every size shape and color. The fish were hungry and ate my flies from the time I arrived, (7:00), until I quit a little after (9:00). Landed seven of eleven and a 13 inch rainbow was the only fish that wasn't within the 16 to 18 inch slot. 

May just have to try finding some bugs and rising fish tomorrow morning or afternoon.