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.