Still no fish

I usually get my first trout of the year somewhere around the first of May.  I never seem to catch anything in the Otter Creek Classic, and after the opening weekend, I frequently don't fish again until the water warms up and levels drop after snow-melt run-off in late April.

So, I got out this past Friday.  I hate to say it, but having caught no fish this year, I targeted stocked brook trout.  Earlier in the week, the upper reaches of the Third Branch of the White River had gotten 400 brookies.  But, those 400 fish were distributed over a stretch of water at least 12 miles long, meaning a very low fish density.  There are wild fish in this stretch as well, but I rarely catch any of them, to be honest.  I think the last time I caught a trout through this stretch was 3 or 4 years ago.

I assumed the fish would have been stocked in places where there is easy access to the river.  I fished at a number of bridges, while heading upstream from Randolph towards Roxbury.  I didn't have a single strike, despite nice water clarity and water temps.  I am still fishing a sinking tip leader, given that the water is still cool and I'm assuming the fish are deep.  With our current warm weather, I'm thinking I'm likely to abandon the sinking tip in the next week or so.

The next evening, I headed out on a White River tributary.  This tributary sees very little pressure,  I have never seen any signs of another fisherman there.  No footprints, no other fishermen, and no litter.  Well, I did find a lime wedge in a pool of water last Saturday, but that was not a usual find.  There are a few houses upstream of where I was fishing, and one in particular has a deck that comes almost to the water.  I assumed the lime was the remnants of a cocktail, tossed casually into the water.

I really like this tributary in the summer, especially when the main branch starts to heat up.  This is a stream where I can fish dries when no fish are rising, and catch 10+ fish in a couple hours.  I had never been shut out on this stream.  That is, until last Saturday.  Not one strike.  Nothing.

I did see my first caddis flies of the year and my first BWOs.  I still haven't seen any Hendricksons or March Brown's, but I expect to see them shortly given how it's warmed up the past few days.  And I've heard the bigger stoneflies are starting to show up in places.

When I got home Saturday night, I told my wife I was selling all of my fishing gear.  If I can't at least catch fish some of the time, why bother?

Of course, that was frustration talking.  It seems like I've put a lot of time into fishing already this season, and I haven't had a single strike.  I'm sure that will change shortly.  Right around this time last year, I had a 30+ fish day (mostly stocked fish) and the fishing just took off after that.  I'd rather catch wild fish, but right now, I'd settle for any fish at all.