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.