Quick Fishing Report

I was certain that Dean from Wichita Falls was coming to the river this morning - at least that's what his last dispatch said.  So... my plan was to get to the river early and lay in ambush for him.  Three hours later, and no Dean, told me that evidently his plans had changed.

At 7:30 this morning it was down right cold on the river.  The thermometer read twenty-two degrees, but to me it felt much colder.

Of course, when you're fishing in weather as cold as this morning, guides, line, and reels icing up is always a big problem.  We just have to keep dipping the rod and guides in the water and keep on keepin' on. 

The fishing was okay today - not remarkable or hot and heavy, but simply steady.  The color of the day was brown.  Usually I go with olive, but at the vise last night I tied a brown bug and decided to give it a test run today.  Olive was the first color presented today, but attracted little interest.  Brown was so good that it would take seventeen of the nineteen trout met today. 

Ended up losing the brown bug to a damn rock and tied on a fluro bug.  The fluro bug was non-weighted so added split shot was required to get it down to the fish.  The fluro bug took two and it was about that time the wind got up and I called it a day. 

It may be my imagination, but the trout this season seem easily stressed.  We can land them quickly, get the hook our promptly and upon release the trout seem extremely lethargic.  I've even had a good number try and belly-up on me.  Why the trout would be more stressed this season is beyond me.  I have to wonder if it's because the flow is down and there is maybe less oxygen in the water.  Honestly, I don't know.  I still say the river is different this year.  Perhaps not a lot different, but still something is not right.

This area is already down two inches of rain for the year, and I pray we get some soon - not just for the river... but for the dry parched prairie land.  Wildfires are ravaging beasts. 

Spent the budgeted amount of pony feed today, so guess it will be close to home for me for the remainders of the week. 

Fluro bug took this pretty trout.

Brown patterns ruled today.