Just Wishin' And Hoping - - -

 Hopefully today will turn out to be the nadir of this years fly fishing season. Was amazed at how much work I could get done by just not driving around hoping to find rising fish. Worked in the yard, paid some bills, made an appointment to get my trigger finger a shot of prednisone, had a couple nice chats with fishermen who live in the greater Lordville metropolitan area, (if your in the front yard working everyone stops), watched the deer coming and going to check for fallen apples and peaches, did today's crosswords and sudoku, and presto it was 5:30. 

Having gotten word that there was a good evening hatch of sulfurs up in Deposit, headed up with a plan to fish an "A" spot that has been occupied by boats and or wade fishermen for the past few weeks. Needn't have worried. From the Town Bridge down to the bend at Danagher's there was not a fisherman in sight. Put on the waders, tucked the raincoat in the back of my vest and at 6:00 went fishing. While walking to the stream, (without my hearing aids), there was a loud noise on the other side of the river. Turned out to be a commercial lawn care technician riding a lawn mower. Thankfully as I arrived at the place I wanted to fish he drove the mower up the driveway and onto his trailer. Breathed a sigh of relief and waded into the water which, to my eyes, had more than enough sulfurs to get the fish up and feeding. There was not a single rise to be seen. 

The fishing - Stood for fifteen minutes before seeing a rise against the far bank, during which time a new noise emanated from the far shore. The CLCT, had returned with his weed wacker and was trimming along the bank about 100 feet upstream, there were now two fish gulping sulfurs along the bank. I unknowingly made a cast into a three foot wide swath of streamside clippings that were floating down river in an unending line. Reeled it in and waded farther up stream where I did hook and land a hard fighting 16" rainbow. There were still plenty of sulfurs on the water but after another half hour of listening to the weedwacker and not seeing a rising fish, I headed for the car. Drove down stream with about an hour and fifteen minutes of daylight left. Stopped at a bridge with not a fisherman in sight and waded in. At least it was quiet. There were a few olives hatching but almost no fish feeding. Hooked a decent rainbow that came unstuck. Then hooked a second fish, looked in the water not three feet downstream from me  at a huge striper that had eaten a small rainbow I had hooked a month ago, and broke off the fish that was still well out in the river.

Plan on stopping at Hornbeck's up in Deposit for a big Rapala and maybe do a little spin fishing some night just about dark.