First things first. I got shut out in the Otter Creek Classic again. The first day, I was using the same flies that others were using to catch fish - woolly buggers, San Juan worms and Prince nymphs. I started the day on Otter Creek, which was unusually low for the time of year, but still too high to get a decent drift. It seemed that I couldn't get my weight dialed in properly. I was either snagged on the bottom on every cast, or the flies weren't sinking at all. I just couldn't find that sweet spot.
Eventually, I switched to the most popular spot on the New Haven River, and it was bedlam. People were casting over each other, fishing right over each other, etc. We live in a state that just isn't that crowded and I'll never understand the need to fish over other people like that. To be honest, it happened again on Sunday and I was even more unhappy about it that day.
Just before I arrived at the New Haven, a guy had caught a nice fish near where I planned to fish. It turned out that the winner of the pro division spent all day Saturday and Sunday in this area and caught a total of 8 fish. There are fish in there, but the pressure was intense. Around 3:30 in the afternoon, I'd had enough and returned to Middlebury to turn in my blank scorecard.
It was freezing cold the next morning when I left the house. I should probably admit here that I didn't fish that many total hours over the weekend. I'm still not 100% from my surgery last month, I'm still using pain meds at times (although not while wading), and I just decided to limit my hours on the stream. The people that were most successful in this tournament are the guys who work hard all the time, fishing every available stretch of river, every available minute, changing flies, changing tactics, and just doing whatever it takes. That's just not an enjoyable kind of fishing for me. I love to be out there, but fly fishing is my downtime. I only fish the tournament as an excuse to socialize with friends and donate some money to the New Haven River Anglers. Well, there is cool swag too, but I'll get to that in a bit.
So, it was freezing on Sunday. I arrived at my planned fishing spot at 9:30 or so, and I was shocked to find it empty. I started with a few casts under a bridge. Snagged. Three flies gone. I re-rigged. Snagged again and three more flies gone. I re-rigged, moved downstream and got hung up on my very next cast. I only lost one fly this time, but I was now cold, down 7 flies in 15 minutes, and kind of pissed off. I moved downstream to a pair of holes where I knew snags wouldn't be a problem. And then, the invaders showed up.
Suddenly, there were 6 fishermen at the bridge above me and they started moving downstream towards me, on both sides of the river. One eventually stood on a rock and started blatantly fishing the same hole I was fishing. Another mentioned that he wanted to fish the tail of the hole I was in. I mentioned that I was working downstream towards that spot, and there was another productive hole just 20 yards downstream. He ignored me and fished just below me, almost on my left elbow. This was infuriating. Plus, my feet were frozen. I was constantly having to clear the ice out of my guides. And, I wasn't catching anything. Not a fun combo.
Finally, at 11:30 or so, I called it a day and turned in another empty scorecard. I ran into a friend at the shop who had caught two nice 14" browns on Saturday, but nothing on Sunday. He was hoping that would hold up for a third place finish in the amateur division (it did and he won a nice Simms waist pack). We went for some coffee and talked for a while. It was nice to be indoors and getting warm. We talked about getting together during the season to fish. That's the great thing about this tournament. Getting together with other fishermen, sharing information, planning future fishing trips, and just sharing our love of the sport.
We headed to the barbecue/awards ceremony and started to hear more about how the day had gone. With the cold weather, the flies that had worked so well on Saturday hadn't really worked for anyone. The people that caught fish were using big (and I mean big) white streamers and mostly stripping them, although the guide who finished 4th in the pro division had taken one fish on the swing. The preferred flies were white bunny leeches and white Sex Dungeons. If you click on the link and look at Kelly Galloup's flies, be forewarned that the names he gives to his flies are R-rated or worse.
So, on Saturday, I had the right flies in the wrong location. On Sunday, I feel I was in a good location, but with the wrong flies. C'est la vie.
I did get picked fairly early in the raffle and I won a Reddington reel and a 4 weight Orvis fly line. The reel is primarily designed for 2/3 weight rods, and my only rod that light has a high end reel on it already. But, the 8 foot 4 weight rod that my wife uses is sort of an orphan in terms of reels. I often put on an older Orvis Battenkill that has a slight bend in the spool from a fall. Or, a much older Ross Gunnison whose best days are in the past. So, I think I'll give this new reel and line a try on that rod and see how it fishes. If it balances well, I'll let that be my wife's primary set-up.
I never did resolve the issues with my Patagonia Foot Tractor boots. This was a major disappointment, as it left me without a pair of boots whose traction I trusted in cold fast moving water. I ended up buying a pair of Simms G3 Guide boots Saturday morning. They are light and very comfortable. I was warned that the add-on bolts often come loose and disappear. I installed them in the suggested locations and used a power drill to get the screws in there. I still lost 4 of the 10 while wading, so I'll have to find a better way to install them. At least I know these bolts come out and can be replaced, which seems to be an improvement from the Patagonia boots.
In the interim, my Patagonia boots are being returned for repair. I hope it wasn't too passive-aggressive, but I returned them in the box that my new Simms boots came in, complete with the price tag, and I gave them a note telling them I felt their product had cost me a fair amount of money when they couldn't be repaired by me. Part of my reason for buying that boot was the ability to replace the aluminum traction bars myself, and I simply couldn't do it. I'm not sure if I want Patagonia to repair the boot or give me store credit. Having two pairs of boots won't hurt, but it is overkill, and I could always use the credit for some other things. But, I also like the boots a lot when they are functioning properly.
It's supposed to be warm and sunny for the next few days, and I have time to fish all day on Sunday. Hopefully, with the warmer weather, the fishing will heat up a bit.
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