Rednecks On The River

TIME: 1:15 PM to 2:45 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, low 40s,
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Top of Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud, #20 Black Zebra Midge, Brown Wayne’s Fly
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. Generation stopped at 11 AM today, and we decided to fish downstream of our usual fishing locations. I fished at the top of the island above Ackerman/Handicap Access and Wayne fished at the bottom; he caught lots of fish. I managed a half dozen, and worked hard for each one, catching one or two on a fly, then having to change flies. The river was crowded downstream and upstream, with a couple boatloads of fishers working their way downstream. The first boat, filled with rednecks, fished all of our usual holes. It was pretty comical watching them come downstream; all had on brown neoprene waders, the motor operator had a beer in one hand and the throttle handle in the other, and the fisher in front stood trying to direct their path, but would fall every time they hit a rock, then giggle with an incestuous laugh, like in the movie Deliverance. They banged their way down the entire river, sending fly fishers to the bank the entire stretch. On a more serious note, this may be a sign of things to come with minimum flow; there will be many more boats, and wading will be more difficult because of the boats and the higher flows. We've observed more and more boats maneuvering through the "catch and release" area since the beginning of the year when regulations changed and treble hooks became legal. Be careful what you ask for.

A One Fly Day

TIME: 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, low 40s,
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, McClellan’s, i.e. Otter Creek downstream to bottom of island
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. Generation stopped at 11 AM today, and we entered the river while it was still falling from 2 full generators. The lake is finally down to pool level. Wayne went upstream while I fished the bottom left side of the island below McClellan’s where I caught 9 fish. At the top of the island to the first riffle upstream, I caught one fish, and missed 7; I finally inspected the fly and discovered that the hook gap was bent too open—dah! After bending it back into place, I caught one in the first riffle above the island, then fished the drop-off, and finally arrived at Ed’s Hole. Wayne caught a dozen there before moving further upstream, and I managed another dozen, including an 18-inch rainbow. I fished upstream, but caught only a couple of fish. I caught a couple more on the way downstream, ending with just short of two dozen for the afternoon. With all the wading, we got our exercise for the day and are finally beginning to fish ourselves back into shape after a sedentary winter. Of note, I used only one fly today, and it’s still in pretty good shape after being flung hither and yon and catching a few fish.

Another Beautiful Day in Paradise

TIME: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, mid 40s, windy
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, above Island above Ackerman-Handicap Access to near Otter Creek at McClelland’s
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #20 Olive Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. We quickly fished the Pool, and with few takers, moved upstream.  The riffle below the island below McClelland’s only produced one fish, as did the run below the first overhanging tree beside the island.  The tail out just above the island was not generous today, as I only caught 2 fish there.  I walked to just below Otter Creek to fish the usually dependable run on the right descending bank (river right), and was disappointed with only one fish.  This area has changed dramatically, with significant bank caving and only one tree left standing; the old leaning sycamore under which I caught thousands of fish is gone!  Also, the run has widened considerably, forming a pool at the lower end before the river changes course towards the center.  Wayne was catching fish like crazy in Ed’s Hole, including an 18-inch brown, and was kind enough to let me fish there while he watched.  It was almost a fish every cast.   We began our trek downstream and noticed water rising along the island, forcing us to hurry downstream and exit the river, making it just in time with release from 2 full generators rising about us.  With lots of exercise and a dozen and a half fish, it was a good day, indeed.

All's Well

TIME:  3:15 PM to 5:15 PM
WEATHER:  Cloudy, mid 50s,
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, above Ackerman-Handicap Access
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: Wayne’s Fly, #14 gray Norfork Scud
HATCHES: Midges, Caddis
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. Generation stopped late again today, giving us only a couple hours of fishing. I was still recovering from the difficulties in catching fish yesterday. Though the water was still falling when we entered the river, it was already crowded with people downstream. Wayne and I both managed to catch a few fish, but it was a bit slower than yesterday for him; my success came on the gray scud. We worked our way partially upstream, then back downstream, and by that time, all but one of the fishers below us had left since none were catching many fish. It’s the first time I had fished downstream in many months, and the heavy flows from fall and winter had significantly changed the river. The lower island near Ole Charlie Cook’s had joined the upstream island, forming one large island with the result being a deeper left channel. We both managed several fish in this area, with Wayne catching fish on both sides of the island. In total, we each caught about 2 dozen fish, and had a great late afternoon.  For the first time in many months, it felt really good to be on the water and fish a lot of different runs.

Outfished, Again

 TIME: 2:15 PM to 3:45 PM
WEATHER: Cloudy, mid 40s,
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, above 2^nd Island above Ackerman-Handicap Access
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud, Wayne’s Fly
HATCHES: Midges, Caddis
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. Generation stopped late today, allowing us on the water about shortly after 2 pm. We both were excited to get to fish. Wayne began catching fish immediately, while I struggled to take only a couple; all said, Wayne caught 3 dozen fish to my paltry 1 dozen, and I worked really hard for those.  Enough said.

Of note, I pulled a size 14 tan caddis off the water, and saw a few others, though fish were not taking any bugs off the surface. It won’t be long now, though.

Throw Us A Bone

TIME: 1:35 PM to 2:35 PM
WEATHER: Snow, Mid 20s, Winds 25-30 mph
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units, white-capping upstream
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, above 2^nd Island above Ackerman-Handicap Access
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud
HATCHES: Midges, Caddis
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. Generation stopped today after an absence of several weeks.  With temps in the mid-20s and winds howling at 25 to 30 mph, it was bitterly cold on the water.  Fly lines became coated with ice and fly rod guides froze.  Nevertheless, the fish were biting as Wayne and I both caught near a dozen each.  In general, most of the fish caught were larger than those of the past several months.  Each of us caught rainbows, cutthroats, and browns.  We only fished an hour, but had a great time.
As an aside, Wayne and I have been tying like crazy the last two weeks, amassing more patterns and flies than either of us has had in several years.  But, if suspicions hold true, we’ll rely on the tried and true patterns of the last couple of years, and won’t use all the new flies.