A Good Day s Fishing Oct. 2003

Yesterday the creator decided to shut off the great wind machine

that s been turned on in MT all week and I had a chance to get

out. Temps have been record highs all week, most day s hitting 80

but with gale force winds blowing it hasn t done me much good.

Yesterday was warm brite sunny and not a breeze blowing.

I headed to my favorite nymphing spot ( The Braids ) in the morning and fished

till one. Had the whole place to myself until a two boats came

down. Got a little ego swell when one of them said to me, " Aren t

you Mark." I replied yes, and he said he thought he remembered me

as I was catching fish every 5 seconds in late July, last time he

was here. He had his wife with him who was struggling. I had gone

over and gave her my secret nymph and she started catching fish

too. He was greatful and offered to take me to lunch. I deftly

replied " I have bigger fish to fry.... ". This is part of my

general program to encourage women to enjoy flyfishing in hopes that

one day I ll catch one <G>

Anyway I wasn t catching them every 5 seconds this day but still

enough to keep it interesting. Having to use very small nymphs I was

having trouble keeping fish on. Just as the boat crew was leaving I

had a nice brown on for a bit at the top of the riffle in shallow

water. He was a very vivid dark gold with lot s of red . I was

able to see him due to the shallow water.

I seemed to get lucky after that and hooked and landed a 19 "

rainbow as well as an 18. As there was no one else there I was

all over the place and eventually would up at the top of the

riffle again and hooked a fish just where I had lost the brown.

Wouldn t you know it, it was the same fish! This time I did land

him . I severely castigated him for his stupidity and told him

he was truly misguided for being in the river in the first place,

as all the rest of his bretheren are in the small streams having

one large reproductive party, which he was missing. Sometimes you

begin to wonder about your own social situation when you start making

conversation with fish.... Anyway he didn t have much to say and swam

off like he hadn t a care in the world.

At 1, I left the Braids and headed down river, gulping a peanut

butter and jelly sandwhich, looking for rising fish which

usually coincide with the Blue WIng Olive hatch. I didn t spot any

for the first 5 miles and decided to stop at the Craig fly shop

pick up some hooks and BS awhile and give the flies a chance to get

going. A fly shop is very much like a pipe store. A chance to hang

out, swap stories and discuss techniques.

Not seeing any heads in the immediate area below Craig I went to

Rhoda s Island. There were fish rising in a slow channel. WHoo

eee I thought. Here comes fun. I , walked well up the

river before wading across :resisiting the temtation to cast upstream. I worked my way down

thru the very slow water and of course spooked every fish in the

pool. I must have put 50 fish down. After figuring out I was the

culprit who had caused this I resorted to making very long casts into

the bank and was surprised when a large rainbow took my offering.

As luck would have it he got off. But in a section that generally

has only small fish I was happy to have run into him if only

fleetingly....

I decided to work my way back up the river. Nothing happening around

the Dearborn river and before I knew it I was by the Freeway

bridge. I fished there all summer to a pod of fish that worked

under the bridge thru the whole trico hatch. Hundred of chomping

fish. But sadly they had dispersed. Fortunately there were still

plenty working along the banks and down a small side channel and I

eagerly went after them.

I started with a size 18 baetis and got a couple of small

over eager fish. They hadn t yet learned the cardinal rule of life,

If something seems to be to good to be true, it isnt. As all their

buddies were eating tiny psuedos. As I went smaller and smaller

with each fly change I caught bigger fish; the last on a size 24

psuedo tied by Mike Cherba. A bank feeding rainbow sucked it down

just off a small weed bed. He was tough to bring in , even in the

quiet water. I was pleasantly surprised to find he measured 20" ,

the largest fish I ve caught on such a small fly ! Happily I headed

car , threw a stick a couple of times for the resident black

lab and golden retriever who live near by and went home. A good

day fishing.