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.