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.