Back from Utah and back to my home waters. I am finding that I am super busy trying to get caught up with three weeks of email, phone messages, honey-do’s, etc. I start to burn of the catch-up routine, so the best remedy is to head out fishing. Since this is a work day, I have to do one of my early morning slams.
Leave the house by 6:45am. On the water by 7:15am. Done fishing by 8:30am. Back in the office and ready to work at 9:00am.
I decided to keep it simple and hit up the West Carson at the gauging station up the road from the house. The first thing I notice when I see the water is how much lower and clearer than even a month ago. I guess that I hoping it would be the same, but that is an unrealistic expectation. As I string up the rod, I am diligently keeping an eye on the back wall of the gauging station hole. I see some gentle rises in the slack water, so I tippet down to 6x and tie on an olive-bodied spinner. I slowly creep into position and start casting. Up comes a fish to look at my offering – refusal. Another fish comes up to take a gander – refusal. Hmmm…..
After about 10 more drifts with no activity, I change to a #18 Para Adams. First drift, a fish comes up to take a gander. Nope! Then another. Again, refusal. Now I am getting flustered. In total frustration, I try a #12 Royal Trude. This fly is like NOTHING that is on the water and is much, much bigger than any fly hatching. But, a friend once told me that you sometimes have to “give them a reason” to react. First drift and I nail the 12″ ‘Bow that seems to prefer the back wall between two rocks. She is easily the biggest fish in the hole in this thin water and she fought nicely. I figured that she spooked the entire hole at this point.
A quick readjustment upstream to the cable hole, and I grab a super spunky 10″ trout on the first drift. He was tight agaist the bank, under a rock that I have seen many anglers stand on to fish this hole. Just goes to show you that just because you fish the same river freqently, does not mean you have to fish it the same was every time. Mix it up a little and you might be surprised.