Crowded River

DATE: Thursday, December 29, 2011

TIME: 1:45 PM TO 4:30 PM

WEATHER: Low 60s, partly cloudy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to below McClellan’s dock and return

FLIES USED: #16 olive Norfork River scud, #16 red/black zebra midge

ROD USED: Winston 10’ 4-weight WT

HATCHES: Midges, blue winged olives

OTHER: I fished with Wayne and Bill.  As we walked in near Mill Dam Eddy, we noticed that the river was full of fishers, at least at Mill Dam Eddy and downstream.  As we walked further, the upstream reach was crowded as well, with fishers everywhere.  The pool above the island below McClellan’s had a couple of “openings” and Bill and I set up shop there, leaving Wayne downstream of Mill Dam Eddy.  I took a couple of fish on the zebra midge, and motioned for Bill to come upstream and join me and he took a couple of fish as well.  Fishers in the first riffle departed, but had been standing in the lane where fish usually hold, so we continued upstream.  No fewer than a dozen one-man pontoons, kayaks, etc. passed, each with at least one fisher and some with two; this was in addition to the dozen or so fishers already there when we arrived.  All but one of the mobile fishers transited the water where Bill was fishing; he is so much a gentleman that he would not complain. To avoid this traffic, I fished the tiny left riffle in the plunge pool hard, missing 3 fish, and catching only one.  I waded and walked upstream to the area above Otter Creek where I had success a week ago, knowing that few, if any, fishers had fished it.  Again, I cast far to river left, and picked up fish, forcing a drift via mending.  It seemed each time I would mend a fish would be on the scud; no fish took the zebra midge.  I waded further upstream as far as I could go, depth wise, without getting wet, fishing river left, and caught a total of a dozen fish, though it took longer than last week.  About half the fish were between 14 and 16 inches long.  As the sun began sinking below the river right horizon, I walked rather quickly downstream to join Bill and Wayne. 

NOTE: Continuing to post regarding the healing of the river, today, the single channel that had formed by the merging of the two channels at the end of the island at Mill Dam Eddy had more than doubled in size, and much of the gravel bar prohibiting further widening had formed on very loose material.  Material quickly moves when one walks on it.  I fully expect it to erode further with increased generation.  It is truly amazing that the river continues to “heal”.

An 18-inch Rainbow and a Grand Slam

DATE:  Thursday, December 22, 2011

TIME: 12:00 PM TO 3:30 PM

WEATHER: Low to mid-40s, partly cloudy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to below McClellan’s dock and return

FLIES USED:  #16 olive Norfork River scud, #16 red/black zebra midge, #16 black/copper zebra midge

ROD USED: Winston 10’ 4-weight WT

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER: I fished with Wayne, and we had a ball.  It had been some time since we fished together, and we really enjoyed the afternoon.  Immediately after walking in, we fished Mill Dam Eddy.  It fished much slower than yesterday, but I did catch 3 fish, all on the red/black zebra midge.  Wading upstream along the island, I noticed other fishers already at the top of the island, but continued anyway.  There were 4 fishers at and below the riffle above the island, but none were catching fish.  I caught 3 fish in the pool above the island, and the other fishers left, wading downstream.  Wayne waded up and we decided to fish our way to the wide water, i.e. near Otter Creek.  Fishing proved slow, though I caught 4 in Ace in the Hole.  I didn’t catch any more wading upstream, though Wayne picked up a fish here and there.  Above Otter Creek, I noticed that water was flowing both left and right of the land mass that had been forming in the river, so on a whim, I cast far to river left, and picked up a fish.  I waded further upstream, fishing river left, and caught a total of a dozen fish.  By that time, I had waded to within 75 yards of the island across from the location of McClellan’s Dock.  Wading back downstream, I fished Ace in the Hole and the plunge pool and picked up a few fish, then fished the riffle above the island, picking up one more.  I finished the day with slightly over two dozen fish, and a grand slam.  It was so much fun fishing with Wayne again, and I consider it one of my best times fishing.

NOTE: Continuing to post regarding the healing of the river, today, the two channels at the end of the island at Mill Dam Eddy had become one wider channel, and a small channel has opened to spill into the pool on river left immediately at the tip of the island.  The river continues to “heal” and is returning, somewhat, back to what it was pre-flood.  Also, as I noted above, water is flowing both right and left of the land mass above Otter Creek.  I anticipate that the left hand side will eventually close and all flow will return to the right side.

The Norfork is Beginning to Heal

DATE: Tuesday, December 20, 2011

TIME: 12:30 PM TO 2:00 PM

WEATHER: Low-50s, partly cloudy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy

FLIES USED: Olive Wayne’s mini sculpin, #14 cerise egg, #14 cerise San Juan worm, #14 furnace cockleburr, #20 Dunn’s Dun

ROD USED: Winston 10’ 4-weight WT

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER: Kay and I fished together. Mill Dam Eddy had not been fishing well for me the last several weeks. I started fishing with an olive Wayne’s mini sculpin and dropping a cerise egg. I didn’t get any hits immediately below the island, but as I fished a drop-off further downstream, had a few hook-ups. Meanwhile, Kay was able to catch a couple on a gray Norfork River scud with a dropped cerise worm below it. We both switched to midge emergers and fished sporadic rises, but I managed only one fish, caught on the Dunn’s Dun fished in the film. I ended the day with 8 or 9 fish, better than expected.

NOTE AND WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING OPINION:  The tree and root wad that had anchored just below the island at Mill Dam Eddy is no longer there, though the other tree and root wad just downstream and closer to the bank remains. The river is slowly, but surely, healing itself from changes wrought by the major spring flood and ensuing long-term generation.  More flow is returning to the right-hand chute, and the channel is widening at the end of the island.  I hope the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff and trout, river, and hatchery “protection” organizations will leave it alone; it will stabilize in a relatively short time, returning much the way it used to be. It’s my opinion that they have permanently damaged the river at Cook’s Island and downstream, and I am sure that it will never ever recover from their work! If they had just left the river alone, it would have healed itself.

Slow, but Steady on the Norfork

DATE: Wednesday, 12/14/2011

TIME: 12:15 PM to 2:45 PM

WEATHER: Low 60s, cloudy, windy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, island at Ol’ Charlie’s above Ackerman/Handicap Access

HATCH: Small midges

ROD USED: Winston 8’ 6” 5-weight WT Joan Wulff Favorite

FLIES USED: Wayne’s olive sculpin with bead pegged above, #14 furnace cockleburr, #20 olive cockleburr, #20 Dunn’s Dun, #18 olive Norfork River scud

OTHER: I fished solo today, and fished around the entire island, beginning at New Charlie’s and wading in a counter clockwise direction. I missed several fish just downstream of New Charlie’s, and didn’t get so much as a look in front of Ol’ Charlie’s. I caught a few fish at the end of the island on Wayne’s sculpin, and missed a few as well. Seeing several fish taking midges on top, I fished a furnace cockleburr, both dry and stripping just under the surface and took a couple of fish, but again missing several others. The Dunn’s Dun proved more effective and took a few more fish, but again I missed more than I caught. Switching flies again, this time to an olive cockleburr, I caught another two or three fish, and missed as many more as I waded upstream. I moved to the riffle at the top of the island, switched to a #18 olive scud fished under an indicator with one shot a few inches above, and began to consistently take fish, ending with almost a dozen in this location.

I’m continuing to work on a book chronicling my fishing activities since retirement, and will include significant fly patterns (and their recipes and tying instructions) that have been successful on the Norfork and White Rivers.  I gave a presentation to the Arkansas Fly Fishers in Little Rock on Monday, December 12, and will be able to use a significant portion of the information contained in that presentation in the book as well.  Thus far, I have over 200 pages written.

Too Many Fishers, Too Few Fish

TIME: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

WEATHER:  Cloudy, slight breeze, mid 50s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman Handicap Access

HATCH:  Midges

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

FLIES USED:   Wayne’s Fly (Olive), #20 Kay’s Gray

OTHER:  Fished solo.  As soon as I walked into the river, I saw fishers everywhere.  There were 4 fishers in the small uppermost riffle on river left at the top of the island above Ackerman Handicap Access.  None were catching fish.  I moved downstream  to where I caught several fish yesterday on the Kay’s Gray, but didn’t raise a single fish.  Fishers were everywhere downstream as well.  I asked to fish an area below the next riffle downstream, but the fisher downstream politely said it was a little close.  Respectfully, I moved across the island to fish the right descending chute, catching one fish above Ol’ Charlie’s.  I continued upstream and fished the lower part of the pool, catching 2 fish on a very, very slow drift.

Good Fishing, Tough Catching

TIME: 12:00 PM to2:00 PM

WEATHER:  Cloudy, slight breeze, low 50s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman Handicap Access
HATCH:  Midges
ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite
FLIES USED:   Wayne’s Fly (Olive and Black), Cerise Worm, #20 Kay’s Gray
OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  Returned to the uppermost riffle on river left at the top of the island above Ackerman Handicap Access.  I caught a 3 fish in the riffle on a Cerise Worm, then switched to a Kay’s Gray to take advantage of surface feeding fish.  I managed a couple of fish before another fisher walked in just about 10 yards downstream, severely limiting my long drift.  It rally torqued me that he was so close, and as I was leaving he said he wanted to fish the riffle.  I told him he was crowding me, life was too short to be stressed about it, and that I hoped he had a good day.  I moved downstream to an area not known for holding fish, and continued fishing the Kay’s Gray, taking a couple on top and 4 more pulling the fly under at the beginning of the swing and stripping it back.  It was not a bad afternoon, but I had to work for all the fish.

Fishing with the Master, Again

TIME: 1:00 PM to3:00 PM

WEATHER:  Cloudy, slight breeze, mid 50s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, high and turbid from recent rains

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman Handicap Access

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

FLIES USED:   Wayne’s Fly (Olive and Black)

OTHER:  Fished with the master, my friend Wayne.  I have struggled the last few weeks fishing upstream.  Wayne and I walked in at the top of the island above Ackerman Handicap Access and Wayne hooked up on his first cast.  This was to be one of many fish he caught in the brief afternoon; he finished the day with 3 dozen, including one grand slam, and 3/4 of another.  Though he hasn’t fished since March, he is a fishing machine.  I caught a few in the riffle at the top of the island, but missed many more stripping Wayne’s fly.  The fish seemed to be near the top, and were hitting the fly on the swing as it was being stripped.  I moved downstream to the riffle across from Ol’ Charlie’s and caught a few more, then saw Wayne round the bottom of the island and he was catching fish every cast.  The closer we waded toward each other, the more fish I caught.  I accused him of rubbing something on his clothes before going fishing.  He was fishing a Wayne’s fly/bead combination, but only about 18 inches below an indicator.  I immediately added a bead, and shortened my indicator and the fishing picked up considerably.  Several other people were fishing nearby, but were perplexed at the numbers of fish Wayne was catching.  That big scud of his really works!

If you haven’t seen the rock work done across from Ol’ Charlie’s, you’re in for a surprise.  As a 40+ year practicing water resources engineer and longtime fly fisher, I’ll keep my opinion to myself, but will assure you that the river will change dramatically in the next few months—for worse or better depending on your perspective and what you consider aesthetically pleasing!  I can also tell you that if the US Army Corps of Engineers had done the work in a similar fashion, they would be sued from here to eternity by the AR Game and Fish Commission, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, AR DEQ, and the US EPA.  Enough said!

No Mo Mo Jo?

TIME: 1:00 PM to3:30 PM

WEATHER:  Cloudy, misty, slight breeze, mid 50s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to 2nd Riffle above the Island below McClellan’s

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive), Wayne’s Fly (Olive, Brown, and Black)

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Mill Dam Eddy produced only one hook-up and I missed the fish.  I fished the right descending bank along the island, but nothing.  At the top of the island, I continued wading upstream, fishing the right descending bank in the “what used to be” surefire riffle, but nothing.  I crossed to the left descending bank near the head of the riffle where I have always caught fish, but caught nothing.  I then waded upstream, changed from the scud to Wayne’s fly, fished the rather small riffle, and pulled three fish from there.  It took over an hour of fishing to catch that first fish.  I moved back downstream to the riffle where I have always caught fish, but again, nothing.  Continuing to wade downstream on the left descending bank, I fished the pool above the island and caught 3 more fish before finally breaking off on a rock.  I called it quits and waded for home. 

Guess I’ve Lost the Touch

TIME: 11:45 AM to1:45 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 60s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above the Island

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive), Wayne’s Fly (Olive), and #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished solo.  This is going to seem like a stuck record.  Mill Dam Eddy produced absolutely nothing, not even a bite.  I fished the right descending bank along the island, but again, nothing.  At the top of the island, I crossed to the left descending bank but caught nothing in the pool above the island, then moved to the riffle above the island below McClellan’s and caught several, mostly small fish—more than at anytime the last few weeks.  I then wades upstream and fished the next rather small riffle and pulled a couple from there, then worked across the river, fished the plunge pool below Ace-in-the-Hole, but did nothing there.   I waded and fished my way downstream, but didn’t even get a bite.

The river is really funky right now, with an odor and discoloration.  Folks camped at Quarry Park say its coming from Dry Run Creek.  Also, significant river work is occurring at the island across from Ol’ Charlie’s, with trucks and other heavy equipment using the river bottom for a haul road to dump huge boulders to “protect” the island.  It is my opinion as a 40+ year experienced water resources engineer that this will do absolutely nothing to protect or enhance the fishery, and in fact will have a net negative consequence.  Because of this work, expect to see more bank caving and instability in the area; I guarantee this will happen. I wonder if the US Army Corps of Engineers were doing the same thing to protect humans if they would not be sued and tied up in court!  Seems like we have our priorities wrong.  As neighbors, we weren’t given a warning, notification, or an opportunity to comment on environmental impacts. Oh, well!

Tough Fishing on the Norfork

TIME: 11:45 AM to 2:45 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 60s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

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

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive), Wayne’s Fly (Olive), and #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Mill Dam Eddy produced absolutely nothing, not even a bite.  I fished the right descending bank along the island, but again, nothing.  At the top of the island, I crossed to the left descending bank but caught nothing in the pool above the island, then moved to the riffle above the island below McClellan’s and caught a few, mostly small fish.  A drift boat had stopped for lunch and fishing and fished the right riffle, but I only saw the three of them catch one fish.  Consequently, I did not fish the that riffle.  I did cross there after they left and worked my way up to Ace-in-the-Hole, but again, did nothing there.   Crossing back again to the left side, I fish all the way up to near McClellan’s (as far as I could walk), then back down, and only had one bite, on the scud.  It was a very slow day, but the walking was fun.  

Still Tough Fishing

TIME: 10:45 AM to 1:45 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 50s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Unit

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above Island Below McClellan’s

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive), Wayne’s Fly (Olive), and #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Mill Dam Eddy fished even slower than yesterday, though the water was still dropping.  The right side of the island produced nothing.  I crossed to the left descending bank and caught a few fish in the pool above the island, then moved to the riffle above the island below McClellan’s and caught a few more, mostly small fish.  Fishing as I crossed the riffle produced a few more fish, but they too were small.  The right side of the island gave up a couple of fish.  It was a tough day, but not as brutally cold as yesterday, though more windy.  I did see quite a few fish. 

CONTINUING MY RANT, a call to Generation [(870) 531-4311] this morning indicated that Norfork had 2 generators on since 5 AM, contrary to SWPA schedule of generation (but it hasn’t been accurate over 50% of the time, either).  Further checking showed that generation had ceased about 9 AM, BUT THE CORPS HAD FAILED TO KEEP THEIR PHONE ANSWERING MESSAGE UP TO DATE (this is becoming the norm).  I dressed quickly, and drove to my access.  AGAIN, THIS IS RIDICULUS, and demonstrates an unacceptable level of arrogance, lack of respect, and foreboding service to the public by both the Little Rock District Corps of Engineers and the Southwest Power Administration.  I encourage you to write or call you congressman or senator, making them aware of the issue.  An inquiry from your US congressman and/or senator to the Corps will most likely resolve the problem, particularly if they threaten to suspend operation and maintenance funding! 

A Tough Day, and a Bluegill

TIME: 11:45 AM to 2:45 PM

WEATHER:  Cloudy, high 40s, and very windy

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above Island Below McClellan’s

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive), #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Fished Mill Dam Eddy, but with little success.  Fished the right side of the island above Mill Dam Eddy, but only caught a couple towards the top.  Ace-in-the-Hole produced a few fish with some very hard fishing; I did manage to take a bluegill here, a first for me on the Norfork River.  The riffle above the island below McClellan’s did not yield many fish either, despite some hard fishing. All in all, the afternoon produced about 9 fish, even though I fished harder than on most days.  I did note the water was quite warm to the touch, and “cloudy”. 

Fifteen Minutes!

TIME: 11:00 AM to 11:15 AM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 – 1 Unit

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive), #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Walked in at Mill Dam Eddy, caught 3 fish, but noticed the water coming up—CONTRARY TO SWPA SCHEDULE!  This is happening too often.

About the only thing that will resolve this is for concerned citizens to contact the US Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock, District Commander and request resolution.  It does absolutely no good to contact the local (Mountain Home) Corps office.  If contacting the District Commander doesn’t work, if enough voters contact their US representative or senator (not local/state representative or senator), stating their concern and frustration, and requesting the US congressman or senator use their position to resolve the position, then it will be resolved, particularly if the congressman or senator threatens to suspend operation and maintenance funding for the Corps!  I promise this will work!  Is my frustration showing? 

Boat Fishing the Norfork River

TIME: 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  1.0+ Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Dam to McClellan’s

ROD USED:  N/A

FLIES USED:   White River Zig Jig

OTHER:  Fished with Bill.  Our intent was to fish Rim Shoals, but the Norfork looked enticing, and I had not seen the upper river since the spring flood.  After launching, we boated upstream to the dam, and made a couple of runs to the old access at Quarry Park, picking up a couple of fish along the way.  We did not fare so well in the Resort Hole, but fishing picked up along the left descending bank in the Long Hole.  We spent considerable time just downstream from McClellan’s and caught several fish.  Bill is not only an expert fisher with spinning rod and jig, but is also an expert boatman, and put me in the right place all afternoon.  I begged off after only a couple of hours due to a severe backache.  We had a great afternoon on the water, and did pretty well catching fish.  

Taking A “Bath”

TIME: 8:45 AM to 11:30 AM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0.25-0.5 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above Island Below McClellan’s

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive), Wayne’s Fly (Olive), John’s Superfly, San Juan Worm (cerise) and #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished with Bruce.  We walked in at Mill Dam Eddy, but opted to fish upstream.  I waded to the riffle above the island below McClellan’s and caught a few fish, but the river began rising, and the fish just turned off.  The forecast was for SWPA to pulse generate for one hour to help with dissolved oxygen, and my intent was to wait out the pulse since I was on the left descending bank.  I waited, and waited, but the water level never got lower.  I decided to cross back to the island while water levels were still “reasonably” low, and made it just fine via deliberate and careful wading across the “pumpkin patch”.  Then, I tried crossing to the right descending bank to get Bruce’s attention to rising water, and was only in water just over the knees, but the velocity and flow as so great that it swept me off my feet.  I had a difficult time getting up, but finally made it to shore, got Bruce, and we had to wade up the creek, then bushwhack to our trail.  I managed to catch a dozen and a half fish this morning, but had to change flies every two or three fish.  Wayne’s Fly, cast quartering downstream and stripping back, seemed to work best.  This is the first time I have gone down in the Norfork River, and it was a bit embarrassing, though it reinforced the fact that flowing water is dangerous.  Upon arriving home, I rinsed my waders and boots, and laid out the myriad of fly boxes to dry. 

Having worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers for 31+ years, I was more than ticked off that Southwest Power Administration’s forecast is so terribly unreliable.  It has been inaccurate over half the time the last couple of weeks, but the Corps says I’m the only one complaining.  Beware of minimum flow when it gets here because reaction time to rising water levers will be significantly less, and I venture to say a lot of people are going to be stranded on the river—BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR!

A Dynamic River

TIME: 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle Above Island below McClellan’s

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive) and #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  It was great getting back on the water with Wayne as we haven’t fished together since before the spring flood.  He began catching fish as soon as we walked in the water, not having lost any of his acumen for knowing where to fish, then catching fish.  Mill Dam Eddy did not fish as spectacularly as it appeared, but it had been pounded all weekend by a local guide and clients.  The channel along the island has narrowed and deepened, but fishing was not as good as usual.  We did spot a couple of redds with small fish on them.  The top of the island did not fish as well as previously either, but the riffle above the island fished well, though no big fish.  We each caught enough fish to satisfy our fishing fix, and returned home early as we’re out of shape!  

A Great Day Was Had By All

TIME: 1:15 PM to 3:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

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

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud (Olive) and #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished with Kay.  This afternoon was one of those rare days that Kay and I fish together, and it is always thrilling to share this wonderful pursuit of beautiful trout.  We fished close to home, and caught lots of fish, mostly in skinny, fast water.  Kay caught 7 fish for the afternoon, and I managed to take about 3 dozen, but no big fish, though I did catch rainbows, cutthroats, and a couple of browns.  The best fishing was from the left descending bank where few people fish.  The leaves are beginning change and combined with our fantastic fall weather, it made for a great afternoon on the water.

Back on the Norfork River

TIME: 7:15 AM to 8;30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

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

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud and #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Wanted to get in some last minute fishing before Southern Council conclavers began pounding the fish. The 2011 Southern Council Conclave is October 6-8. Despite the early hour, there were other fishers downstream on the river, but none upstream.  I fished the fast water in the riffle and caught several fish before I noticed fishers marching upstream from the access en masse.  I gave my spot to a guide friend with a couple of aging clients, moved upstream further for a few minutes, then left the river.  A last glance showed fishers about every 10 feet in front of Ol’ Charlie’s—too crowded for this ol’ boy.  No more fishing for me until everyone leaves.

Fishing the Norfork

TIME: 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM

WEATHER:  Clear, low 50s to mid 70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite
FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud, #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge 
OTHER:  Fished solo, and had a spectacular couple of hours; it was a fish caught almost every cast.  

Fishing the White River, Again

TIME: 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, low 50s to mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  1+ Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River, Rim Shoals to Crooked Creek

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

FLIES USED:   #16 Cerise San Juan Worm, #16 Superfly, #16 Red/Black Zebra Midge 

OTHER:  Fished with Ed and John out of the boat.  Ed began catching fish immediately in Upper Rim Shoals, with two fish caught on one of his first casts, one on the main fly and the other on the dropper.  He was hot today!  As with yesterday, fishing slowed considerably on the second drift, so we extended the drift downstream to Lower Rim Shoals and caught lots of fish, with most being caught on the Zebra Midge and Superfly.  At lunch, we extended the drift further downstream to Crooked Creek, and again, caught lots of fish.  None of us caught any large fish.

Back on the White River, Finally

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:00 Noon

WEATHER:  Clear, low 50s to mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  1+ Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River, Rim Shoals to Crooked Creek

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

FLIES USED:   #16 Cerise San Juan Worm, #16 Superfly, #16 Red/Black Zebra Midge

OTHER:  Fished with John out of the boat.  We began catching fish immediately in Upper Rim Shoals, almost exclusively on the cerise worm.  Fishing slowed considerably on the second drift, and even more on the third.  We extended the drift downstream to Lower Rim Shoals and caught lots of fish, with most being caught on the Zebra Midge and Superfly.  We extended the drift further downstream to Crooked Creek, and again, caught lots of fish.  Neither of us caught any large fish, though I did have a HUGE fish chase a hooked fish to the boat.

Fishing the Norfork River, and Lending a Helping Hand

TIME: 11:00 AM to 2;30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

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

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Scud

OTHER:  Fished with John, and Jimmy, a friend of John’s.  Jimmy joined me for the afternoon’s fishing, but had never fly fished for trout, and had only fished a fly rod for bream many years ago.  However,  he was an extremely quick learner, and armed with a Norfork River Scud, caught fish almost every cast.  Now, he’ll think it’s like this all the time!  I fished sparingly, and had a great afternoon, catching fish on all but a couple of casts. 

The Gallatin River, Yellowstone National Park, Montana

TIME:  4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  Clear, cool, and from 2 to 4 feet deep
LOCATIONS FISHED: Gallatin River, Mile 24 on Highway 191 
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite 
FLIES USED:  #10 Dave’s Hopper, #16 Tan Caddis, #12 Chernobyl Ant 
HATCHES:  Dark Mayfly, Occasional Caddis
OTHER:  Kay had been wanting to fish the Gallatin River inside Yellowstone National Park, so after lunch and naps, we loaded our fly fishing gear and made the hour drive to about Mile 24 on Highway 191, pulled into a turnout, donned our waders, and headed for the river.  It was a great spot, and we found a couple of small pools, but about the same time as we entered the water, storm clouds began rolling in, accompanied by thunder and wind.  What few insects we saw disappeared with the wind, and we had to fish blind.  For western rivers and streams, it is important to “match the hatch”, and apparently we didn’t.  After about an hour and a half, we called it quits, and headed back to the RV park.

Hebgen Lake, Montana

TIME:  8:00 AM to 1:00 PM
WEATHER:  Clear, late breezes, mid-70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  Clear, cool
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Hebgen Lake, Montana, near West Yellowstone
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite 
FLIES USED:  #18 Blue Winged Olive
HATCHES:  Baetis
OTHER:  Fished with long-time friend, Mike.  Really early this morning, about 7 AM our time, I left for Hebgen Lake to fish the gulpers with longtime friend, Mike.  He and I used to fish the Norfork and White Rivers quite often, and I was really looking forward to fishing with him.

We met at the turnoff from the main highway, and visited for about 30 minutes, catching up on families and friends.  After donning waders and getting our “boats” ready, we worked our way across the Madison Arm to hunt for rising fish.  Mike saw a fish working, and stealthily rowed towards it, waiting for a gulping pattern to develop.  He made the cast and immediately hooked-up with a chunky 20+ inch rainbow.  After several more minutes, he again spotted rising fish, worked his way toward them, and made a precision cast, and wham, another beautiful rainbow.  As the day wore on, he repeated this several times, and it reminded me so much of duck hunting back in the river bottoms and sloughs of Arkansas.

Hebgen Lake, Montana

TIME:  9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
WEATHER:  Clear, late breezes, mid-70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  Clear, cool
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Hebgen Lake, Montana, near West Yellowstone
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite 
FLIES USED:  #18 Blue Winged Olive
HATCHES:  Baetis
OTHER:  Fished solo.  The gulpers at Hebgen Lake awaited.  Arriving at the access point about 9:30 AM, two vehicles were already parked.  I parked along side the turnout road, donned waders, grabbed rod, fins, and float tube, and walked down to the lake.  There were already 7 people in the area I fished yesterday, all wading.  I kicked out a couple of hundred yards, and watched and waited.  It was reminiscent of duck hunting, where hunters would wait for a flight of mallards sailing through the air, responding to the wail of the duck calls, finally helicoptering down into the decoy spread.  The fly fishers eagerly awaited the baetis hatch and the resulting gulping fish, all with rods pointed straight up, ready to cast a a second’s notice.  Often times, the gulpers will establish a pattern, and the idea is to anticipate their next “gulp”, cast a fly there, and hope for a strike.  Today, there was a great hatch, and you can see some insects in the bottom of the photo, but few gulpers.  I didn’t get a fish, nor even a look, and didn’t see anyone else catch fish.  It was a short morning, and by 12 noon, most of us were off the water.

Hebgen Lake, Montana

TIME:  9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
WEATHER:  Clear, late breezes, mid-70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  Clear, cool
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Hebgen Lake, Montana, near West Yellowstone
ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston Favorite 
FLIES USED:  #18 Blue Winged Olive
HATCHES:  Baetis
OTHER:  Fished solo.  This was a busy day, animal wise and otherwise.  We began early with a trip to Hebgen Lake to allow me to fish for gulpers.  The pull-off that had been recommended was blocked, though we suspect other fishers had pulled the tree limbs across the road, but just a couple of hundred yards further was another.  I unloaded the float tube, donned waders, grabbed the fins and rod, and headed for Hebgen Lake.  The bottom was more solid that expected, and I kicked out a hundred yards from shore to some rising fish.  All the activity apparently put them down, so I waited several minutes but saw no more action.  I noticed other float tubers further out, so kicked out another three hundred yards or so, and found fish rising sporadically, then after 30 minutes or so, the hatch got fast and furious, as did the gulping, and I managed to cast to and catch a nice 16-inch rainbow.  Despite several more casts, the single rainbow was all that took to my fly today.  However, it was a lot of fun and I’ll be back out tomorrow.

NOTE:  I had Cortland clear 555 line on the 4 weight Winston, and realized that it retained coil in cool temperatures, unless stretched beforehand.  Stretching line from a float tube is too cumbersome, so tomorrow, I’ll switch to the 5 weight.

The Madison and Gibbon Rivers, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

TIME:  4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
WEATHER:  Clear, late breezes, mid-70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  Clear, cool
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Madison River and Gibbon River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
ROD USED:  8’ 3” 2 wt Winston 
FLIES USED:  #16 Caddis
HATCHES:  Caddis
OTHER:  Fished solo.  Kay and I had wanted to fish the Henry’s Fork just to say we had, but one of the employees at Henry’s Fork Anglers told us that the Henry’s Fork was too warm and we should go north for dry fly action.  We drove back to the RV park for our fishing stuff, then headed north, opting to fish the Madison in Yellowstone National Park. 

The water looked benign enough, but the current was very strong, and there were very few hatches and NO rises.

 

I struggled with wading, and after a half hour, we drove upstream to water that appeared a bit more quiet.  We again only saw a few hatches, and one rise, though last night about 7:15 PM, caddis were coming off like crazy.  I fished it hard for a half hour or more, fighting the current the whole time.  And, it was much warmer than expected.  Picking up again, we drove further north to the Gibbon which we fished yesterday, and fished it real hard.  Kay had one miss under a cut bank, and I didn’t have so much as a look.  The river, set in a few scattered trees in a large meadow, looked awesome, and late in the afternoon there was a good caddis hatch; perhaps it was the clear sky today, as opposed to an overcast sky yesterday, but we had no significant luck.

The Gibbon River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

TIME:  4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, low 60s
WATER CONDITIONS:  Clear, cool, and from 2 to 4 feet deep
LOCATIONS FISHED: Gibbon River, immediately downstream from Gibbon Meadows
ROD USED:  7’ 9” 2 wt Winston
FLIES USED:  #10 Dave’s Hopper, #16 Tan Caddis
HATCHES:  Dark Mayfly, Occasional Caddis
OTHER:  I fished with Kay.   
Driving back into Yellowstone National Park, we found that they were paving the road from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction, with loose gravel everywhere.  We finally made it past Madison Junction, and turned north to near Gibbon Meadows, a place Kay had identified earlier as one she wanted to fish.  We began by fishing from the bank of the Gibbon River, but soon discovered there were too many mosquitos and that to really fish the Gibbon, we would need to wade—so it was back to the car to don waders.  We had a great afternoon, with several hits on a hopper, and even more on a caddis.  Only two fish were caught—a brookie and a brown. 

Early (to me) Morning Fishing

TIME:  8:30 AM to 11:15 AM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to the Plunge Pool below Otter Creek
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge, #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #20 Kay’s Grey
HATCHES:  Midges, Occasional Caddis, Occasional Crane Flies
OTHER:  I fished with Ethan. We walked in at Mill Dam Eddy and noted a significant midge hatch.  Fishing downstream, I tried Wayne's fly with the zebra Midge dropped about a foot below with no luck at all. Meanwhile Ethan was fishing near the toe of the island and seem to be catching fish at will. I thought he was using a soft tackle or midge emerger, so switched to the #20 Kay’s Gray's, casting quartering downstream and stripping back.  I immediately got a hit, catching the fish. Continuing to fish this way produced a total of five or six fish. However at least a dozen fish struck but did not get hooked up.  Ethan continued to “rip lips” above me.  As I waded beside him, he indicated that he was fishing a midge pupa and was he having success. Continuing with the Kay's Grey, I fished the riffle at the toe of the island and caught a couple fish. We both waded upstream and Ethan caught a few fish along the right descending bank. I had no success at the top of the island, while Ethan caught a half dozen or so in the left riffle above the island. The left riffle in the plunge pool produced three fish, including a nice 17 inch cutthroat on Wayne’s fly. I waded across the river and fished the right side of the plunge pool using the Kay's Grey and caught a couple of small brown's. I ended the day with perhaps a dozen fish, and had a great time fishing with Ethan.

A Great Sunday Afternoon, And No One In Sight

TIME:  4:40 PM to 6:40 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis, Crane Flies
OTHER:  Fished solo.  After a couple of busy weeks, including a short Sunday afternoon, I made myself go fishing. I walked in at a neighbors, crossed the upper island, and began fishing one of my favorite riffles. I was rewarded with a half-dozen fish, all rising to caddis. I crossed back across the island and began fishing downstream against the right descending bank. After only a short distance, a fish rose to the caddis at the end of the tippet, one of more than a half-dozen to hand fishing downstream. Moving across the island near Ol’ Charlie's, switching sides of the river, I fished the riffle on the left descending bank and caught just shy of a dozen fish. Completing the loop I waded back upstream to the first riffle I had fished and caught three more fish, ending the day with about two dozen fish, all on the #16 caddis.

Notable was the size of caddis coming off. The caddis appeared to have a dark mottled wing, and about a size 12. I tried a size 14 tan caddis with a relatively light colored wing and only got refusals.

Not As Good As Yesterday, But…

TIME:  9:00 AM to 12:00 AM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to the Plunge Pool below Otter Creek
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge, #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #20 Kay’s Grey
HATCHES:  Midges, Crane Flies
OTHER:  I fished with Bill. We walked in at Mill Dam Eddy and made the requisite casts. However, catching was not up to par with yesterday.  I managed to catch a few fish on the zebra midge, but the “catching” was far and few between. We fished our way upstream, again with an absence of success. At the top of the island, we fished the left descending bank, with only moderate success. I moved upstream and fished the left riffle in the plunge pool and caught two or three fish. I switched to a Kay’s Grey, moved across the river, and fished the right side of the plunge pool where a couple of small fish took the midge, then hooked a large brown. While heavy, it was not the fighter characteristic of most brown's, and after a couple of runs I was able to get it into shallow water for measuring and releasing. It was a long male, with a good kipe, but did not have the broad shoulders one would expect. Measuring against the rod, I estimated the fish at 23 inches-- a good way to end the day.  All totaled, I ended up catching 10 fish. At home the segment of rod matching the fish measured 22 inches. This is the second largest brown I have ever caught.

A Good Time Was Had By All

TIME:  2:00 PM to 4:45 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, mid 70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, Brown Wayne’s Fly
HATCHES:  Caddis, Crane Fly
OTHER:  Bill and I fished today; Wayne had other commitments. We waded in at Mill Dam Eddy only to find the water to be quite turbid, exactly as Wayne had predicted. Also, it appeared that the water level was an inch or two higher than normal due to the morning rainfall. Nevertheless, we waded in and I began casting a caddis fly at the end of the island with no success. Bill was fishing just downstream and seem to be catching fish at will. I switched flies tying on Wayne’s brown fly, casting quartering downstream and stripping back; I was rewarded with immediate taps on the fly and finally hooked up with a fish. This worked on two other fish, but then I missed the same fish three times. After that there was no action for a time. I leapfrogged Bill, and began fishing the water downstream; he had given me the best water. Stripping the fly proved unsuccessful and the wind was howling, so I switched to dead drifting with an indicator about 2 1/2 feet above the fly. Immediately I hooked up with a fish. I continued to fish this way the rest of the afternoon, ending the day with 30 fish. I very briefly hooked a very nice fish but it threw the hook after only a couple seconds. Meanwhile, Bill caught probably twice as many. It was one of the best days at that location I have had in the last several years. I can't wait until tomorrow.

P. S. During the course of the afternoon, I saw one caddis hatch and one Crane fly hatch.

Too Many People

TIME:  1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, windy, high 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

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

ROD USED:  8’9” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis

HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We hadn’t fished near our houses, and we thought because it was a Monday afternoon the river would be less crowded in the middle of the catch and release section. We were quite surprised when we walked in and saw fishers everywhere. Nonetheless, we began fishing, Wayne at the riffle near his house, while I fished my way downstream along the right descending bank. The fast water in the riffle across from Ol’ Charlie's was open and I began fishing there with a #16 caddis. Though fish were not rising, I was able to take an occasional fish on the caddis. I began casting across the riffle to the seam on the left side and hooked up with a nice fish.  The fisher downstream apparently liked what he saw, crossed the river, walked upstream, and stood exactly in the place where I had just caught the fish--less than 20 feet from me. I began wading downstream, but he continued drifting flies in the water I was fishing. Rather than get involved in a confrontation, I walked across, made a few casts at old Charlie's, catching a couple of small fish, and decided that I had had enough for the day. Coincidentally, Wayne was having the same kind of day and after a short one hour session on the water, we opted to call it quits. I ended up with maybe a half-dozen fish though no large fish were caught.

A Crane Fly Hatch, and a Tough Day

TIME:  1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, low 60s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to the Plunge Pool below Otter Creek
ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #20 Kay’s Grey, #20 Furnace Cockleburr

HATCHES:  Midges, Crane Flies
OTHER:  I fished with Wayne and Bill. We walked in at Mill Dam Eddy; Bill remained downstream to fish the riffle below the island, while Wayne and I walked upstream. Wayne stopped to fish the run beside the island and I walked upstream to fish the left hand side of the shoal above the island. There was a tremendous crane fly hatch and the fish were definitely keying on them. I threw everything in my fly boxes that looked like a crane fly and the only thing that remotely worked was a #20 furnace cockleburr. Wayne fished the pool below the riffle and worked his way downstream to the pool below the island, catching several fish on his fly. Bill caught several fish along the island rising to caddis and caught fish in the pool above the island. I also fished the left hand riffle in the plunge pool but only caught one fish. With sporadic sunshine, a stiff breeze, mostly overcast skies, and finicky fish, fishing proved very difficult. I ended the day with 8 to 10 fish, and no big fish.

Ed and John, and Dry Fly Fishing

TIME:  11:30 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, light rain, breezy, low 50s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to the Plunge Pool below Otter Creek
ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #20 Kay’s Grey

HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis, Crane Flies
OTHER:  Accompanied by Ed and John, I walked in at Mill Dam Eddy and made a couple of casts with the caddis to the riffle at the tip of the island, but had no success.  We walked upstream to the top of the island, where Ed opted to fish the left side of the riffle at the first shoal above the island.  John and I walked up the right descending bank to the plunge pool where John opted to fish. John used and elk hair caddis, dropping an elk hair caddis emerger below about 30 inches. This first fish was a very nice, at least 18 inch, cutthroat. He continued to catch fish on either the elk hair caddis or the caddis emerger all afternoon. Ed fished the single elk hair caddis and caught fish all afternoon, but missed a really large fish. He switched to a zebra midge for short while, then switched back to the elk hair caddis to finish the afternoon. I briefly fished the left riffle in the plunge pool and caught 5 fish on an elk hair caddis, with a few other scattered fish here and there. After about four hours on the water, we were all chilled and began walking downstream, where we noticed rising fish along the island. John caught several fish using his two fly set up. We finally made our way to the tip of the island where I teased a few fish, finally catching one. While we did not keep count, we estimated that John caught between four and five dozen fish, and Ed caught between three and four dozen fish. It was a rare opportunity to fish dry flies all afternoon on the Norfork River.

Midges, Caddis, and Crane Flies

TIME:  12:30 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, low 50s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to the Plunge Pool below Otter Creek
ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #20 Kay’s Grey, #16 Sulphur
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis, Crane Flies
OTHER:  I walked in, solo, at Mill Dam Eddy and made a few quick casts using the Kay's Grey fly without success. I walked upstream to the first shoal above the island and noticed rising fish, with midges, caddis, and crane flies all coming off. I began with the Kay's Grey and caught several fish in the left riffle (looking downstream). Wanting to fish caddis I switched to the #16 caddis and was immediately rewarded with fish, including 17 inch and 20 inch cutthroats. Thinking sulfurs were coming off, I tied on a number 16 sulfur and caught several fish, including another (or perhaps the same) 20 inch cutthroat. I finally caught one of the "sulfurs" and discovered it was a crane fly. Nevertheless, the sulfur imitation seemed to work. Switching back to the caddis, I caught several more fish, all from the left side looking downstream. As soon as the sun disappeared, fishing slowed significantly. In addition two boats came downstream, signaling time for me to exit the water. It was an awesome day and all fish were caught using dry flies.  Several of the fish had broad shoulders with mostly cutthroat, some rainbows, and one brown being caught.

Kay and the Kay’s Grey

TIME:  3:30 PM to 6:15 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, breezy, mid 50s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to the Plunge Pool below Otter Creek
ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #20 Kay’s Grey
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis, Sulphurs
OTHER:  Kay and I walked in at Mill Dam Eddy prepared to fish with caddis to rising fish. However, Mill Dam Eddy had already been taken. Kay did make a few casts to the small riffle at the tip of the island to no avail. We walked upstream to the first shoal above the island and noticed fish rising to caddis. We carefully waded to the area between the two riffles, i.e. between the right and left riffles, and made a few casts with the Elk Hair Caddis. While fish were rising to hatching insects, none took the caddis. Up to this point, I had not fished, and the rod I was using had a Kay's Grey tied on; I made a cast and was immediately rewarded with a fish. Kay and I switched rods and she began catching fish rising to the Kay’s Grey. After she had caught several fish, she began casting quartering downstream and stripping the fly back, again catching several fish. She continued this alternating pattern of fishing the riffles, then casting downstream and stripping back, until she tired of catching fish. I repeated the process she had used and was rewarded with several fish, as well, including a measured 17-inch cutthroat. We waded upstream to the plunge pool, fishing the Kay's Grey, and caught several fish. Kay then moved downstream and fished the right side of the right riffle and caught a few more fish, while I returned to the area between the two riffles and caught a few fish. By this time we were both chilled and tired, and began walking downstream. We briefly fished Mill Dam Eddy, which by this time was vacant, then climbed up the bank and started towards home. We both caught lots of fish—mostly cutthroats—with several in the 15-16 inch category.  It is always fun to fish with Kay, but today was a particularly special day as Kay caught lots of fish using a dry fly.

Wind and Caddis

TIME:  1:00 PM to 4:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, windy—gusting to 35 mph, high 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

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

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, Wayne’s Brown Fly, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge

HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis, Sulphur

OTHER:  Fished with Bill.  With a strong wind, we walked in to begin wading, Bill with a small emerger, and I with the #20 cocklebur, but Mill dam Eddy was already occupied with a neighbor. We waded upstream and fished under the trees on the right descending bank with no success. At the top the island I switched flies, tying on a Wayne's Brown fly and dropping the black/silver zebra Midge. I fished the usual spots above the island on the left descending bank and was rewarded with three or four fish, all caught on Wayne’s Brown Fly. Another neighbor was fishing the riffles about the island, and my intent was to leapfrog him and fish the plunge pool. However, he moved upstream into the plunge pool and I waded across the river and upstream to Ace in the Hole. (Note:  It sure appeared that the river had changed course slightly with the riffle running diagonally across the river, plunging into a deeper pool than I had remembered. However, Wayne informs me that it was likely the wind pooling the water at that location, or that I had become mentally unstable!) Ace in the hole produced a couple of fish, again on Wayne’s Brown Fly, and wading upstream I caught a few more fish under the walnut tree. Meanwhile, Bill was catching up to fish as well, and caught and released a 20 inch, beautifully colored brown. I walked upstream as far as the that the water depth would allow, where Wayne typically fishes, but had very limited success catching only a small Brown via fowl hooking the fish. Bill and I fish our way back downstream with almost no success, until Ace in the Hole where Bill hooked and released several fish. Up to this point, all the fish I caught were on a Brown Wayne’s fly.  I switched back to a number 16 caddis and fished the plunge pool catching one fish. Had time allowed I would have switched to an emerger and believe it would have been very successful. I attempted to fish the riffle above the island, and did catch one fish on the caddis. However, the wind was blowing so strong that it was near impossible to even stand, let alone dry fly fish. Despite the wind, fish were keying on the caddis. As we walked downstream, one of the locals hooked, fought, and released a very nice rainbow, about 18 inches long, with spawning colors. I finished the day with about nine fish and have never fished in conditions as windy as today.

Tough Start, but Okay Day

TIME:  1:00 PM to 4:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, windy, high 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to 1st Riffle above Island below McClellan’s

ROD USED:  7’9” 2 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #16 partridge and green soft hackle, Olive Wayne’s Fly, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge

HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Ed and John.  Ed fished Mill Dam Eddy while John and I worked our way upstream.  Fishing was very slow, and despite some caddis coming off, the fish were not rising to the hatch.  We fished one of my favorite areas above the island, with very limited success.  Moving to the riffle above the island, we again had limited success until Ed came up and alerted us to catching fish on the Zebra Midge.  Dropping the Zebra Midge below Wayne’s fly proved the ticket, as John began catching fish, including some nice ones.  Ed fished the other side of the riffle and caught fish as well.  John moved up to the plunge pool and caught several fish; he fought and landed one of the largest and prettiest cutthroats I’ve seen in the last several months.  I threw a soft hackle in the plunge pool and caught a couple of fish.  As it ended, we had a pretty good day. 

Caddis

TIME:  1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, windy, high 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

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

ROD USED:  7’9” 2 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #16 green body, tan winged caddis, #20 Olive Cockleburr, #20 Kay’s Grey

HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis, Sulphur

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  Noted caddis hatching prior to wading; walked in near the house, and fished a caddis downstream along the right descending bank, catching 2 or 3 fish under the leaning tree.  Ol’ Charlie’s occupied 3 fishers, but the riffle across the way was open.  I threw the caddis fly upstream into the fast water with no results, but saw some fish rising in the slow water seam. I threw the caddis into the slow water and was immediately rewarded with a small trout. I continued fishing the slow water seam and caught several fish on the caddis. I saw a number of fish against the underwater ledge on the left descending bank and threw the caddis to them with no reaction whatsoever. I switched flies, tying on the cockleburr, and drifted the fly over the fish. Again no reaction from the fish, not even a refusal. I switched flies again, tying on a small caddis, with the same result. Retrying the larger caddis fly, I returned to fishing the slow water seam and caught two or three more fish. By this time the area in front of old Charlie's had been vacated and I fished the caddis in the riffle there, but only caught a couple of small fish. I moved upstream to the riffle on the left descending bank at the top of the second island and managed to catch several fish on the caddis. By this time Wayne and I had tired, and called it a day. I ended the day with over a dozen and a half fish, all caught on caddis.

A 20-Inch Brown

TIME: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM
WEATHER:  Clear, mid 60s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to near Otter Creek, below McClellan’s
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston
FLIES USED:   Wayne’s Brown Fly
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER:  Fished solo. I walked in at Mill Dam Eddy, made a few casts, but without much success. I began fishing upstream along the island, but no fish were caught.  At the top of the island, broke with old habits and waded upstream fishing the right descending bank, but again, no fish were caught.  My ultimate objective was to fish Ace In The Hole and the Walnut Tree.  I didn’t get a single hit at Ace In The Hole, and only one at the Walnut Tree.  I waded across the river, then downstream.  For some odd reason, I decided to fish the plunge pool (we never fish the plunge pool).  My first cast was rewarded with a 20-inch brown, forcing me to step into the deep pool to release the fish.  Back on top, several more casts produced three more fish, though no large ones.  Several fishers were coming downstream in pontoons, so I waded downstream on the left descending bank, fishing the riffle above the island—still no bites.  This has been one of my most productive reaches, but I haven’t caught any fish here this week!  Wading further downstream, I picked up a couple about 40 yards above the island.  Having had enough for the day, I waded downstream and sat on a log at Mill Dam Eddy, to regain some energy.  The fishers from upstream finally made it down, and I watched them pontoon and wade right through prime water.  As Ron White says, “You can’t fix stupid.” 

The Pool

TIME: 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, Low 50s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Elisabeth Creek to Mill Dam Eddy

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

FLIES USED:   Wayne’s Green Fly

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne. After a telephone exchange in which we both were trying to find a reason not to fish, we finally decided to fish the Pool for “exercise”.  This was my first time to fish this area in several months, and it had not fished well then.  After wading upstream of the creek, we both began catching fish with some regularity.  Wayne was fishing behind me and made me look bad by picking up quite a few fish that I had fished over; this was good for quite a laugh.  Neither of us caught a big fish, but we both ended up with well over a dozen fish.  I had a half dozen browns, the most I can remember in several years for a single outing.  It was a great day, and we were glad we fished. 

Midge Emerger Fishing

TIME: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 60s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy

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

FLIES USED:   #20 Olive Cocklebur, #20 Kay’s Grey

HATCHES: Midges, Blue Winged Olives, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne. We walked in at Mill Dam Eddy, intending to fish upstream.  However, mutual friends of ours, Frank and John, were fishing in the vicinity and we opted to stay in the area, visiting a little and fishing a little.  Wayne began fishing his way downstream while I fished Mill Dam Eddy.  A number of fish were emerging so I tied on the cocklebur, and made several casts, first fishing dry, then stripping the fly back.  I managed a lot of refusals, one fish, and several misses, so switched to a Kay’s Grey.  This fly was the ticket for the day, with several refusals, and a few  fish to hand, both fishing it dry and stripping it back.  I moved to the fast water immediately below the island, and caught several more fish, again fishing the fly both dry and stripping it in.  All in all, I finished the day with 10 fish, and some great memories.  This was a reminder of the good ol’ days when I used to fish midge emergers almost exclusively.  

First Pre-Op Fishing, 2011

TIME: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 60s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to First Riffle Above Island Below McClellan’s

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

FLIES USED:   #14 Gray Norfork River Scud, #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge, Olive Wayne’s Fly, Brown Wayne’s Fly

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  As many of you know, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2010.  I had a radical prostatectomy on December 15 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and have been convalescing since.  Consequently, I have not been on the water since mid November 2010, and this was my first time fly fishing since the operation; and it felt good to get out and do something “productive”.  I began wading at the tip of the island below McClellan's, Mill Dam Eddy, and fished the scud and zebra midge combination with which I had much success in the late fall.  I fished hard below the island, as well as ustream adjacent to the island, but without a single hit.  I switched to Wayne’s green fly at the top of the island, in an area in which I had success in the fall, but this time, luck was not present.  Moving upstream on the left descending bank, the green fly produced one fish, and several misses.  Switching to a brown Wayne’s fly, I again had several misses, but did manage 3 additional fish.  It was a slow afternoon!  Absent any appreciable stamina, a couple of hours fishing was all I could manage, ending the day with 4 fish and lots of misses.  Absence from fishing resulted in poor drag free drifts, poor hook sets, and poor fish fighting.  Nevertheless, it was great to be outside, and on my beloved water.