This may end up being my worst trout season of all time, in terms of fish caught. May was a disaster for me, with higher than normal waters and cold temps. I had friends that did OK with big streamers and sinking tip lines, but I really struggled for the month, catching just one fish. That was after my typical zero in April.
On Sunday, I fished for the first time since late May. I fished a well known area and there were two other fly fishermen there when I arrived. I moved to one of the upper holes to start, and met a young gentleman. He was new to fly fishing, and I tried to give him a hand. He was fishing a nymph and swinging it through fast current that likely held no fish. I talked to him about line mending and I tried to explain what a dead drift is. I also gave him a handful of flies that work for me on this river. And, I explained some strategies for fishing the 200 yard stretch of water we were on. I wanted to convince him to fish where the fish typically hang out.
Then, I turned to my own fishing. The water was at about average flows for this time of year and fairly clear, but not too clear. I started with a pair of size 14 nymphs on 4x tippet - standard nymphs I use in this river. The water didn't seem clear enough to need 5x or lighter. I worked very thoroughly through a big hole for an hour with no luck.
I then switched to some tiny flies for the clear water - a size 18 Ju Ju Baetis and a size 20 Rainbow Warrior. I had seen a few BWOs, so that was why I picked the former fly. The latter was honestly a guess - an attractor pattern that I happen to like and I had in a tiny size. These I put on 5x, simply because the flies move more naturally on a thinner tippet. A third pass through the hole yielded nothing. So, I headed downstream to another hole that can be productive, but it's rarely as good as the first hole. In five minutes, I got a small wild rainbow on the baetis fly.
Then, things seemed to die again. It was now 8:00, with sunset at 8:23. I was leaning towards going home, but decided to throw a few more casts. And, on one of those casts, something took a fly very hard. I knew immediately it was a big fish. The fish was hooked in slower deep water, but there was some very fast water between me and him. I decided my best bet was to work the fish downstream through the deeper water, and with the current, and then try to net him in a spot where things calmed down as the river got wider.
After five minutes or so, I finally saw the fish - a big brown. I couldn't tell which fly he had taken. I kept good pressure on the line as he jumped a few times. As I stepped back into the water, starting to think about netting him, he took off on another run. Twice, he almost had me into my backing.
Finally, he started to tire and I was gaining progress. I got him close enough that I was getting my net ready. The fish only had about 8 or 9 feet of leader. I had the rest o the line, and he was in shallow water. But, somehow, be built up some speed, jumped one more time, and threw the hook.
It turned out I'd hooked him on the Rainbow Warrior. The fish was close to 20", although I'm guessing he was a bit smaller. But, if he had gone 20", I might have pulled off the rare "20 on 20", where you catch a fish of 20 inches or more on a fly size 20 or smaller. Alas, that achievement, which I've almost done on the Little Juniata in PA, will have to wait. On the Little J, I'fe taken a 19" fish on a size 20 fly and a 20" fish on a size 18 fly, but never 20 on 20.
After a few more casts, I called it a day.
I was just standing by the river, looking to see if any fish would start to rise to insects as we got close to dark. There were a few rises, but nothing consistent enough to make me tie on a dry fly. In the interim, the young man I'd talked to earlier came downstream to talk to me. In the hole where I'd been skunked, he had used one of the flies I gave to him and he used it to catch his first ever fish on a fly.
He had a picture of the fish on his phone - a stocked rainbow about 10". He was so proud of his accomplishment. I have to admit that I was so happy for him that I forgot all about the disappointment of losing the big brown. There will be other chances for me. Helping to convert a new fisherman to catch and release fly fishing is way more important than the fish I missed.
It's pretty rare to help a new fly fisherman get his first fish. I'm very glad I took the time to talk to him and offer some help. He even caught the fish on a fly that I had tied rather than purchased. I'd given him some of each, and the fact that he used one of my creations made it all the better.
I'm planning a weeklong trip to NH and ME for September. Even if I don't get to fish much between now and then, I'm sure that will be a good week.
And, I may catch my fewest fish in many years, but after missing two months of prime fishing to cancer surgery, every day on the water is a good day. Sunday was an especially good day.
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