Not As Good As Yesterday, But…

TIME:  9:00 AM to 12:00 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, Crane Flies
OTHER:  I fished with Bill. We walked in at Mill Dam Eddy and made the requisite casts. However, catching was not up to par with yesterday.  I managed to catch a few fish on the zebra midge, but the “catching” was far and few between. We fished our way upstream, again with an absence of success. At the top of the island, we fished the left descending bank, with only moderate success. I moved upstream and fished the left riffle in the plunge pool and caught two or three fish. I switched to a Kay’s Grey, moved across the river, and fished the right side of the plunge pool where a couple of small fish took the midge, then hooked a large brown. While heavy, it was not the fighter characteristic of most brown's, and after a couple of runs I was able to get it into shallow water for measuring and releasing. It was a long male, with a good kipe, but did not have the broad shoulders one would expect. Measuring against the rod, I estimated the fish at 23 inches-- a good way to end the day.  All totaled, I ended up catching 10 fish. At home the segment of rod matching the fish measured 22 inches. This is the second largest brown I have ever caught.