Wednesday, June 19, 2013—It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

TIME:  7:45 AM to 11:10 AM

WEATHER:  Mid-70s, sunny

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy, to Plunge Pool below Ace in the Hole

FLIES USED:  #14 gray Norfork River Scud, #20 black/silver Zebra Midge, #14 pink Cockleburr, #16 Parachute Sulphur Dun

ROD USED: 8’ 6” 5-wt Winston JWF

HATCHES: Midges, a solitary Caddis, Sulphurs

OTHER:  I fished solo.  At 7:45 AM, the river valley was shrouded in mist, and the sun was not yet high enough to begin burning it off.  A few casts along the island with the scud/midge combination did not result in any looks.  At the top of the island, I waded upstream along the left descending bank, and noted the fisher I rescued yesterday occupying the riffle above the island.  He has fished there 6 consecutive days, and is not catching fish—most likely the fish are either holding tight, or have left the area.  There were sipping fish in the pool between the island and the riffle, and one immediately struck the gray scud; the action did not slow after switching to the pink Cockleburr.  Upstream of the riffle at the top of the Plunge Pool, fish either sipped or hammered the pink Cockleburr with several coming out of the water and down on the fly.  The Plunge Pool yielded a dozen and a half fish.  After crossing the river, walking back downstream, and re-crossing it again, I fished the right chute adjacent to the island, and was surprised to find a decent sulphur hatch and fish rising to them.  After several fish were caught on the pink Cockleburr, a #16 Parachute Sulphur Dun was tied on, but did not even get a look.  Back to the pink cockleburr and the fish hit, some with a ferocity I'd never seen.  One 16-inch rainbow turned and swam about 4 feet before slamming the fly.  The chute produced fish on dry flies the entire length of the island, a first for me.  For some reason, the fish would not strike a fly cast upstream and drifted down, but would hit the fly when dead drifted downstream.  The chute produced at least a dozen and a half fish, maybe more!  At Mill Dam Eddy, the fish were sipping insects but proved to be a tough catch in the clear, slow moving water.  I did manage to catch a few small fish, and then an 18-inch rainbow gently sucked in the pink Cockleburr beside the tree in the middle of the river—an almost imperceptible take—and immediately sounded.  Putting as much pressure on the line as it could stand, the fish yielded and came over the log without spitting the fly.  Regrettably, the memory card was left out of the camera, so no photographs, but it is the largest fish of the year…so far.  Todays fish were a mixed bag, and included 3 browns and a couple of cutthroats.