Back to Basics

TIME: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:   #18 Olive Norfork River Scud, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge, #20 Kay’s Gray, #20 Dunn’s Dun

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We opted to fish close to home today.  The areas we fished were crowded, and no one else was catching fish; I saw one person catch one fish.  Beginning near the top of the island with no success, I waded downstream downstream and fished across from Old Charlie’s.  After several futile casts with the scud and midge, I tied on the only Kay’s Gray in the fly box, and immediately got looks, but no bites, fishing it dry.  The refusals were fun to watch, though.  This is the way I used to fish all the time, and it was fun returning to this style of fishing, back to basics.  After one swing, I stripped the fly back and hooked up.  This worked a few more times before the fly wore out, causing a switch to a Dunn’s Dun which proved successful as well.  I moved back upstream to the top of the island and tried stripping with no success.  However, fishing the fly dry produced one hook-up after another, including a 15-16 inch cutthroat.  The takes were beautiful to watch.  Interestingly, the fish at this location would not take the fly being stripped, preferring it fished dry, where further downstream the opposite held true.  All told, I managed to fool just shy of a dozen fish, and as usual Wayne caught that many and probably more.  Most of the fish appeared to be stockers, including several small browns.  Neither of us had much of a stomach fishing in the crowds, so opted to quit early and tie flies.  As they say, a good day was had by all.

Good Fishing, Tough Catching

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, below Island below McClellan’s to near McClellan’s Dock

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, #14 Norfork River Tan Scud, #16 Red Zebra Midge, #18 Red Copper John, #18 Norfork River Olive Brown Scud

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We quickly fished Mill Dam Eddy in the fog, where I caught 4 fish on the red zebra midge.  Wading upstream, we each caught a couple of fish near the top of the island.  For the first time in a long time, I did not catch a fish in the riffle above the island, though it usually produces up to a dozen or more fish.  We waded upstream as far as water depths would allow, where Wayne caught several fish; I only caught one.  As I waded back downstream, I changed set-ups, and began getting takes, missing at least half the fish.  A 17-inch brown took the fly just upstream of the walnut tree, and a really large fish hooked up only momentarily before breaking off.  Further downstream, the plunge pool produced a few fish.  We waded downstream all the way to just above the second island above Ackerman/Handicap Access, but the fishing was very slow.  Each of us took just over a dozen fish today.  Fishing was tough for both of us, and we worked for every hook-up. 

Too Many People

TIME: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

WEATHER:  Clear, low 60s to mid 80s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Below and Above Island below McClellan’s

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt Winston JWF

FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #16 Zebra Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Kay, Bootsie, and Bill.  We began in the riffle below the island, but the area had already been fished despite the early hour and the fish were far and few between.  We moved upstream to fish alongside the island, but a fisher rushed down from upstream when he saw us and fished the area.  We waded to the riffle upstream of the island, and there was a fisher in the middle of the riffle, catching lots of fish having worked his way upstream; we had leftovers, and the fishing was tough.  Within a few minutes, some 9 fishers from Fayetteville descended upon us from upstream; too many people for such a short fishing reach.  One took the opportunity to urinate out in the open just across the river from us while another waded downstream and said that catching fish was like taking candy from a baby.  We notice he would wade a short distance upstream, then hurry back downstream.  Then, when one of his buddies came down, he asked them to kick up the bottom when they crossed; he was obviously doing the San Juan shuffle which is highly illegal.  After my anger rose to a high enough level, I yelled to the guys that what they were doing was illegal, and they moved downstream.

Bootsie and Bill waded upstream above all the people and had a decent day. 

Another Great Day

TIME: 8:30 AM to 11:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 60s to 70s.

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Above and Below the Island below McClellan’s.  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Red and Black Zebra Midges

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Ed.  The riffle below the island was completely opposite from yesterday morning, fishing red hot from the beginning.  Well over a dozen fish were taken before we moved upstream.  The chute along the island was being fished by a good fisher on his way downstream, so we bypassed our usual stops and waded to the riffle above the island.  It, too, fished red hot with a couple of dozen mostly 15+ inch fish being caught.  I fished the plunge pool and managed to catch a half dozen fish on very subtle takes.   As we wrapped up our fishing above the island, we observed 9 people fishing from Otter Creek to the riffle above the island (don’t these young people work for a living?)—time for us to leave.  As I fished along the island working our way downstream, one of the fishes kayaked directly over the bubble line I was fishing—to many people.  It was a great morning, and a great trip for Ed.   

Back to the Norfork

TIME: 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Above and Below the Island below McClellan’s.  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge, Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Ed.  We got off to a slow start fishing Mill Dam Eddy, with only a fish or two.  Working our way upstream, several fish were caught along side of the island.  The riffle above the island fished tough, but several fish were taken.  We were joined, and crowded, by other fishers who had walked upstream from the pool.  Ace In The Hole produced NO fish, and I only caught a couple in the Narrows.  As time approached for generation to begin, we made our way downstream.  A small discharge of water stimulated the fish, and the riffle below the island fished red hot on a zebra midge, producing a couple dozen fish.  Though beginning slow, the day ended with lots of fish being caught. 

Another Skipped Monday

TIME: 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River, Upper Rim Shoals

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Chernobyl Ant, Zebra Midge, Cream/Copper Midge, Parachute Hopper

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Ed.  Our intent was to boat fish using hoppers and droppers, but water levels were unexpectedly low; we opted to wade Rim Shoals.  The water was still falling when we entered.  I fished in front of the parking lot and caught a half dozen small rainbows.  I didn’t catch a single fish in the various riffles crossing to the island.  The back side of the island had some rising fish, and I managed to fool 4 of them with the Chernobyl Ant drifted over a small riffle.  The end of the island only produced a couple of fish for me, but Ed hammered them—maybe a couple of dozen fish—as did an acquaintance of ours from Memphis, Bruce, who has relocated to this area.  I fished my way back upstream catching a nice 16 to 17-inch cutthroat on a parachute hopper.  I missed a couple of others.  I was surprised at the lack of numbers of fish and the size of fish as most were only slightly larger than stockers. 

Running the River

TIME: 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Quarry Park to Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We used one-man pontoons to run the river today, beginning at the lower end of the campground at Quarry Park and floating downstream.  We didn’t catch a single fish in the Resort Hole, and had only a couple in the downstream riffle.  The long riffle produced no fish, except at the very tailout, where I managed to catch a couple.  The riffle at the top of the Long Hole fished real well as another fisher gave me permission to fish it on my way down.  I caught 3 fish, missed 3 others and left it to him.  The tail of the Long Hole was kind to Wayne, but I didn’t catch a fish.  The riffle above McClellan’s produced a couple of fish for Wayne, but again, I didn’t catch a fish.  We fished our way to the “dock” and my first cast resulted in a 20-inch brown.  Wayne found a pocket of fish and pulled a couple of dozen out just upstream of the Narrows.  The Narrows was being fished hard by 4 other good fishers so I floated downstream to the riffle above the island and caught just shy of a dozen fish.  We met up at Mill Dam Eddy and floated downstream to our take out.  Good news was we saw lots of fish; bad news was that lots of people were fishing for them.

More of the Same

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, below McClellan’s Dock to Island below McClellan’s.  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We bypassed Mill Dam Eddy, and walked as far upstream as water depths would allow, same as yesterday.  Fishing was tough for both of us today, and we worked for every hook-up.  Wayne stayed with his new fly, and I fished various combinations of flies with limited success.  We may have caught a dozen apiece.  Looks like we’re in the dog days of summer as far as fishing goes.

A Different Starting Time and Place

TIME: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Near McClellan’s Dock to Mill Dam Eddy

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Today, we changed our routine a bit, fishing upstream exclusively.  Fishing pressure above the access has been so intense that the fish will hardly bite and are leader shy, and it’s terribly crowded.  Wayne and I tried a couple of casts at the riffle below the island, with only a couple of fish.  The riffle above the island fished good today, similar to yesterday. The narrows downstream of McClellan’s also fished well with quite a few fish about 16 inches being caught.  Wayne caught a bunch of fish using a new pattern he recently developed.  For me, Wayne’s brown fly worked well in places and the copper-ribbed cream midge worked well in others.  As with yesterday, I managed maybe a dozen and a half fish with one large rainbow, about 17 inches.

Starting A Routine

TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to Island below Otter Creek

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Medical appointments kept me off the river yesterday, Monday.  Today, I fished with Wayne.  We fished the pool with limited success, and had very little success at Mill Dam Eddy.  The riffle above the island fished good, as did the chute downstream from Otter Creek.  Fishing was great, catching mediocre.  I managed maybe a dozen and a half fish, mostly on the Cream copper-ribbed midge.

This Trip Is A Wrap

Another warm evening meant sleeping on top of the air mattress, though the sunrise was worth it.  We opted to depart camp early in order to check through the US Border Patrol/Immigration Office today.  Consequently, after our coffee, cookie, and breakfast, we began packing up and breaking camp, and departed early enough to fish on our way back to “civilization.”  The first two thirds of the paddle out was calm, with favorable winds and calm seas.  I caught a few fish on the foam fly on top and Kay took a few fish with the Senko.  The wind steadily increased, but offered no problems—much different than the last two years when we had high winds and rollers on the paddle out.  We met our water taxi, and made it to Canadian Border Outfitters by about 3 PM.  After loading our stuff in the truck we checked through US Border Patrol/Immigration and headed into town for warm showers.  Our farewell dinner was at the Grand Ely Lodge—best Caesar salad we’ve ever eaten.  Tomorrow, we drive south towards home.

This has been our best trip of all, though only slightly better than our first one with George and Greg.  Our time with Harry and Mary was awesome with lots of laughs, some serious philosophical talk, and several new stories, and they are the reason the trips are so special.

The paddling has been great; Kay has learned well, and is now an excellent paddler.  And the fishing wasn’t too shabby either!  Kay ended the week with 6 trophy fish, more than anyone in our party has ever caught in a trip.  She was definitely in a zone.

Kay Gets #6, A New Record

Today marks our last full day and evening in the wilderness.  We awoke to a beautiful sunrise each morning except one on this trip.

We both slept okay last night, but the night temperatures are still too warm to be really comfortable.  Kay fished with Harry in the morning and is on a roll this trip, catching another “board” fish today—her 6th—and largest of the trip and the largest of the year, over 6 1/2 pounds.

 

Not to be outdone, Harry caught an even larger fish just a few minutes later. 6.8 pounds.

 

Harry and I fished together in the afternoon, paddling to near Hidden Bay on the backside of White Island, and had some pretty awesome fishing though no trophy fish.  The foam fly is still working, and I also fished a "drop shot" rigged worm for a time.  The fish are tending to school in the weed beds and catching them is easy once, and IF, you can find them.

No Trophy Fish Today

We had rain last night, but not enough to cool down much; it stayed above 70 degrees all evening.  The rain continued into the morning so we opted to eat breakfast before going out for the day.  Kay fished with Mary, returning to the weed beds, while Harry and I paddled to the far side of North Bay.  Using a fly patterned after Slim’s foam fly, I caught a number of fish on top, including two large fish back to back, 4.9 pounder and a 4.7 pounder, respectively, but no trophy fish.

We had good paddling, little to no wind, and great fishing.  Also, the warm weather necessitated another swim in the lake—so cool and refreshing.

 
This has been a good week.

Kay Is On A Roll: #3, #4, and #5 Trophy Fish

Last evening was another warm evening with temps never going lower than the low 70s.  Sleeping in a warm tent, with buzzing mosquitoes in the trees, was difficult.  Kay paddled with Harry today, fishing the weed beds in a bay on the southeast shoreline.  She caught 3 more trophy fish, again using a Senko, including a largemouth bass, the first trophy largemouth bass caught with our guides since 1989.

This makes her 5 for the trip, one more than my entire total since 2002—and she deserves them all!  Not a lot of women would canoe, camp, and fish in the wilderness.  I fished with Mary today and caught fish all day using Slim’s foam fly with a yellow body. The particular fly I used yesterday, with the chartreuse body, was too deep in a fish to retrieve, so we cut the line, kept the fish for eating, and switched flies.  The fly was later recovered and will be used tomorrow.  Because of the unusually high temps, we again swam and bathed just off the island, and enjoyed the cooling water.  The night was another warm one, and sleep did not come easy or often.

Kay’s 1st Trophy Fish, and 2nd Too!

Last evening was warm, never dipping below 70 degrees.  This is the warmest we’ve ever experienced at night, forcing us to sleep on top of the Thermarest pads.  After our usual early morning cookie and campfire espresso, Kay fished with Mary while I fished with Harry.  I started with a blue popper, and caught a few fish on top.  I then switched to a foam fly created by our friend, Slim, and it seemed to be the ticket as I caught several fish on top.  After a big breakfast and a nap, we returned to the water for more fishing and I continued to catch fish using the foam fly.  Meanwhile, Kay caught her first and second trophy fish—over 5 pounds—using a Senko.  For the first time since we began fishing here in 2002, these were her first trophy fish, aka “board” fish.

 

After returning from fishing, Harry and Mary took a swim and Kay and I had guard duty—a HUGE snapping turtle, Mothra, had been visiting camp in previous weeks, and eaten fish from the stringer.  After Harry and Mary’s return, we again took a swim off the island to cool off and bathe.  The 70+ degree water was so nice.  Because this was after July 1, we did not have pork chops the second night as the weather is too warm to pack and keep them cool, another first.  Rather, we had fried fish, cooked within minutes after their being taken our of the water.  They were quite good.  Tired from a hard day’s fishing and mid 80s temperatures, we went to bed early, fighting mosquitoes most of the evening.

Quetico Provincial Park 2010, Day 1

Early to bed, early to rise.  We arose before 5 AM this morning to grab a quick shower, our last for 6 days, and meet our guides for the trip to Quetico.  After taking traveling clothes to the truck, i.e. clothes we would not take into the wilderness, we met our guides and good friends, Harry and Mary, at 5:30 AM for a continental breakfast.  Shortly afterward, the canoes and packs were loaded onto jon boats for the 20+ mile motorized portion of the trip.  For the first time since our first trip in 2002, I paddled from the bow position; Mary was in the stern seat.  The paddle was smooth, with calm conditions and flat water.  We arrived at our destination, a small island adjacent to White Island in Basswood Lake, at 9:30 AM, unpacked the canoes, and fished while Harry and Mary set up camp. [Image] Kay steered us from the front of the canoe, and I managed to catch a few fish on a gray and white Clouser.  We returned to camp, unpacked, took a swim in the lake, our first ever, and relaxed prior to a wonderful pan-fried steak dinner.  It’s going to be a good week.

Great Fishing, Tough Catching

TIME: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, near Otter Creek

ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, Brown Wayne’s Fly, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  None noted

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We fished upstream today, above and below Otter Creek near McClellan’s.  Wayne had 6 fish to hand before I got a first bite, then proceeded to a “honey hole” where he caught fish one after the other.  Meanwhile, I fished hard, employing all the techniques that should’ve worked, with only limited results.  Holes where we usually catch a dozen or more fish would produce only one or two, and the fish were smaller than we had been catching.  The red Copper John has slowed considerably, or at least the version we were using today.  Wayne and I tie it with turkey tail fibers for the tail in lieu of goose biots, and that pattern seems to work better.  Wayne’s Brown Fly worked great for him, and just okay for me; I fished it under an indicator, but had better luck stripping it.  I ended the day with a total of about 10 fish—to Wayne’s about 4 dozen!  Go figure.  That’s why he’s still the master.

Applying Lessons Learned

TIME: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, Brown Wayne’s Fly, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne and Charlie; thank goodness Bill took a break and left the fish alone for a day or two.  He was pretty tough on them these past few days.  We walked in while the river was still falling.  Wayne and Charlie fished the right descending bank near the bottom of the island while I fished the left descending bank.  Charlie caught several fish under Wayne’s tutelage, and, of course, Wayne caught fish whenever he cast.  I tried the clinch knot for tying on flies rather than the improved clinch, it worked great all day, though I did not catch a lot of fish, and is a lot quicker to tie.  I missed a lot of fish today.

Of note, the river was crowded today but no one was catching many fish.  Also, Charlie is going to make a very good fly fisher.  

A Learning Day

TIME: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Charlie, Wayne, and Bill.  Bill walked upstream and fished the area up to and above the island below McClelland’s.  He had an awesome day; we’re going to have to do something to slow him down!  Wayne and I had the honor of fishing with our neighbor, Charlie, and it was a hoot.  Charlie picked up specifics very quickly for the area we fished, and hooked 9 fish.  During the process of acquainting him with the water we fish, the flies, and specific techniques, I was privileged to learn a couple things as well.  First, Wayne illustrated and taught the preemptive mend, i.e. mending just before required, providing a little longer drag-free drift.  Also, he taught me how to tie Wayne’s knot for connecting leader to tippet or tippet to tippet, and discussed tying on the fly using just a clinch knot rather than an improved clinch knot.  Having watched him hook and land thousands of fish with very few misses, these are something to be tried!  It’s always a great day to learn a few new things, particularly from the master.  Now, if we can just slow Bill down; maybe a “Nancy Kerrigan” is in order.

The MOJO Is Back, For Now

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to near Otter Creek (at McClellan’s)

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne and Bill.  The pool was red hot, at least for the first 3 fish, then it cooled considerably.  We walked in while the river was still dropping, and the fishing was pretty decent.  Bill showed out a bit, catching a beautiful 22-inch brown.  After the water level dropped and began stabilizing though, the fish just quit.  We all walked up past the island, and Bill and I fished the pool above the island and Wayne fished above Otter Creek.  Fishing was good today; I managed to fool well over 2 dozen fish, and both Bill and Wayne caught a lot of fish as well.  for the first time since moving here in 2004, I caught more brown trout than all the other species combined, and had a nice 15-inch cutthroat.  With a bit of a back ache, I left the water at noon, and it was fortunate as the water came up really fast beginning at noon, and Bill and Wayne had to exit quickly.

Another observation!  I’ve been quite lucky to have fished with some very good fishers, and there are few pleasures in life quite like fishing with good friends like Wayne, Bill, Ed, John, and/or Mike.  It is so relaxing to sit on the bank and watch one of these men ply their skills, knowing exactly what fly to use, where to cast, etc.  They make fly fishing seem effortless.  Gosh, it’s good to be alive!