3/20 - risers on the AR

[Blueracer]

I got out to the river tonight at 4pm and the plan was to fish ancil hoffman. Never been there before but I was told a long time ago to try it. Well, without getting a line wet I decided I tried enough. That water was not what I was looking for.

So with the water being down some, I made my way over to a part of the river I had not fished for a long time. The runs were just about right and I fished it from top down to bottom swinging flies but no takers. About half way through the last run a fish rose much closer to shore than I would of expected to see. Around ten minutes later, a good size fish rises out in front of me in the middle of the run. By this time I had already noticed the caddis that were out as I worked my way down the edge of the river.

I made my way to shore and decided it was time to change tactics. Standing there with caddis swarming me, I pulled took off the sink tip and pulled out the dry fly box. Does anyone else know that feeling...the one I got when I am changing set ups while hearing rise after rise behind me and to the side of me? I told myself, just relax....there is at least another thirty minutes of light left. I am almost finished when that same first fish rises about twenty feet to my right down stream. I started there, but no takes. While casting there a look out in the run to my left and see this reddish colored trout rise completely out of the water. So I start casting to the run, no takes there either. I changed my dropper and began casting everywhere.

The feelings were crazy, having these rises go on and knowing you have the hatch matched pretty well. I just kept telling myself keep casting, if you have the confidence in your set up, focus on presentation and just keep casting. Next thing I knew, the rises shut down. So I just kept working my way down river. I noticed the sun was no longer visible but I still had plenty of light to fish on so I fished on.

All a sudden a fishes rises down river of me in an area I had not fished yet. Hmm, okay.... let's give this area a go. As I made my way toward the one I saw rise more began in this same general area just in very different locations. I noticed one rise a second time across and down river of me so I took a few steps a made a cast in its direction. Nothing. I brought the cast back in a put it a little more upstream and just let the current do the rest. Bam! The fish rose and I set! It immediately jumps, darts up river five feet and jumps again. A nice silvery half pounder. I began laughing because after all this time casting to so many risers I found it funny for some reason that one of the fish finally took a fly. It was so rewarding to have a fish on. It jumped about 5 times and I had it just across on my side of the river and then it did one more little jump and it just popped off. I did not expect that. I expect to land these half pounders. But their energy just knows how to throw a hook.

The joy of finally hooking one of these rising fish so overpowered the LDR that I was without disappointment however. It was plenty dark now. More fish were rising and so I began the stalk and cast again but to no avail. Ten minutes later it had turned completely dark and I could no longer locate the fish I thought I might of been hearing rising.

I got back to the car just a little after eight. I had just experienced so many emotions on that outing, and not one fish to hand. What a way to spend a Saturday evening I thought. And as I write this now, I do not think I would have rather spent it any other way. I sure would of loved to have a photo of that guy to show for the challenging evening though.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks for the great post...............


The caddis should be hatching daily in the riffles in the afternoons with all this low water.

March/April/May is the timing for spring-run Halfpounders too.

I have been trying to get people out there.

This is probably going on now in most valley rivers.

[STEELIES/26c3]

Great post~!!

You caught (and conveyed) the greater essence of what fishing outings are about...

Catching and Landing are just frosting on the cake of the stalking, anticipation, and emotional highs of our sport.

Well done sir~
Mark

[Scott V]

Nothing like a rising fish coming up to eat your fly.

[Mr. Striper]

great post. I too ran into the samethng a week ago down river. They were thick that morning. I nailed 7 of them on a black and purple bugger. Those fish are on fire. Tight lines!!

[DFrink]

Great story!

[Jgoding]

Yep, Nice job Bryan,

Those fish are hot as you said Mr. Striper.

[CW]

One of the best posts I've read in a long time.

That one grab is all we need isn't it? It evokes such good feelings - sometimes they grab, sometimes they don't, but your story makes me think of the consistent skunks I've experienced and the few times they have. Your description of that feeling of "WHAT THE **** ARE THEY KEYING IN ON?" Maybe they want the adult, maybe the emerger, and what if I can't get this bug tied on in time, gonna be the last cast in this low light, should I tie on new tippet, are my knots going to hold, how long will the water boil?

For those of us (me) who haven't been able to get on that water recently, I thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through you.

Speaking of which, there was a gent who posted his daily fishing experiences hunting steelhead - think he called it day1, day2, etc. Where are you at? Miss your posts - keep them coming!

[charles]

Great story Brian,
One of my best days on the American I was fishing for shad. I hook 6 fish and landed none. Just feeling the grab and the tug is enough. There is also the satisfaction of just fooling that fish.
Great story! Thanks for sharing.
Charles

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I like to fish Half-pounder Steelhead with a floating line, swinging a wet fly down and across in the surface.

After I cast and mend once I have all the line out tight against my ratchet reel so when I get a grab it takes right off the drag making a big screaming sounds.

My brother Dick and I started fly fishing for Half-pounders in the 1960s. Back then we mostly used dry flies. We would find one working the top and put a dry over the area dozens of times until it finally came up and ate our fly.

We liked the Renegade and the Royal Wulff dry flies back then for Half-pounders. Al Troth had not yet introduced the Elk Hair Caddis.

In the 1970s we had a large group of locals who chased the Half-pounders.

September was a big month for us back then in the PM after work. Many of us would meet up above Watt Avenue to see what we could catch.

Our tribe included veterans like Al Perryman, Bob Long, Jimmy Potter, Hal Janssen, Chuck Campana and Joe Shirshac.

The young bunch was Galen Geller, Paul Keel, Phil Romig, Paul Boley, Kyle Keaton, Stu Heath and many others.

Mike Zeim, Mel Jeffs, Tom Moore, my brother Dick, Bob Giannoni and I really enjoyed these wonderful fish eating caddis in the fall.

I try to get people into the Half-pounder thing every spring and fall, trying to teach them to fly cast and swing wet flies down and across so they can feel that grab..........

[Jgoding]

Hey Bryan,

Did you make it out yesterday? Too bad the weather kind of turned. Bryan inspired me to get out this week as well. On Tuesday I landed 7 and it was just as he said except I did hit up a side run and catch one small hatchery fish, lost one, misssed another grab while the sun was still up.

I dropped once nice fish around 17", most of the ones landed were 12-14" but were dime bright and hot fish. 5 wild, 2 hatchery fish. I missed a few other nice fish that came up too but they would've been hard to land probably as the 17" fish just took off like a rocket, jumped twice as soon as I hooked it, got itself onto the reel at the top of the second jump and as I had my drag set too high (for striper) the excess tension allowed it to pull free.

[Blueracer]

Yes, got out again and hooked up on a hottie. Still saw a number of fish working but wow they sure can be picky. I'll keep getting out 'til river conditions change.

[Blueracer]

yes, you described quite accurately the many situations flyfishing people find ourselves in. Thank you for expanding the circumstances more into words that get across the emotions of it all.