Fishless Friday

The weather is beautiful, 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The river is on the drop, the watershed is opening up……it going to be a big day, and I can just feel it!

I head up river, way up river. The entire river looks fantastic. It takes a while, but it’s going to be worth it. I’m going to hit some secret spots I haven’t fished in months. Arriving at my first spot, I anxiously wader up and rig up my rod.

Lots of boulders and structure. I fish tight to the back in the slower water. I fly fish for about an hour or so. Not even a sniff. No bug activity. Nothing, just the middle fin. What’s going on, there are always fish here. I crushed them here last June……..

I decide to hit another hole. This one the water is a bit slower, some back eddies, and a good sized pool. Money! I slip into the water for my first cast. Dang that water is cold. Like, ice cold. I break out my thermometer…….44 degrees. Wow, no wonder I’m not catching anything. The water is freezing. No bugs……I’m way too far up river.

The only thing to do was to head down river, having wasted the first half of the day. It happens to all of us. After about an hour or so drive, I find some water in the low 50’s. Perfect.

A little lesson learned here. The weather may be awesome, but especially during this time of year, the water temps take a while to elevate. So even though the roads may be clear and you can get way up river, it doesn’t mean the trout have made it up there or that there will be bug activity.

Tight Lines and Screaming Drags my fishy friends