Blue River Fly Classic

Blue River Fly Classic
A One Pattern Fly Event

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Chapter 58 Day 57 - Trout Season

Tough Two Hours On The River

If it hadn't been for the red midge larva today, the skunk fairy would have had my butt. 

God save the red midge larva!  Hip hip hooray!

I got to the river about 1:15 p.m. today and nobody could have told me it was anything short of a perfect day.  The sun was shining ever so brightly; the temperature was rather mild.  The surprise, however, was the wind.  The wind was holding at a steady clip - staying constant and never letting up. 

At the stretch of water I chose, casting upstream was the only option and casting upstream meant trying to push the fly through the column of wind tunneling down the river.  At times my forward cast was on a horizontal plane. 

In the first forty or so minutes, five different patterns were tied on and nary a one of them had even so much as produced a bobble or bump. 

Across the bank were three spinner fishers arriving at the same time I did, and in watching them the entire time I never once saw a rod tip jerked or lifted.  That's when I said to myself, "Oooh boy, it's going to be one of those days."

Moving to the southwest bank I tie on the Prince Nymph and at least the Prince has two trout try and eat it, but, I miss both hooksets. 

Giving into the relentless wind, I decide to walk back up the hill and seek a windbreak further downstream.  On the way up the hill was possibly the highlight of the afternoon in finding only one piece of trash - a discarded Mountain Dew bottle.  Picking the bottle up I continue to the summit where the trash can waits.  Once there, Matt pulls in for a visit.

Matt and I begin a wonderful visit and it isn't long until Bud, one of the game rangers at Blue, joins in.  The exchange is nice and it's amazing what you can learn if you just listen. 

When the visit with Matt and Bud is over I almost decided to forfeit the day to the dreaded skunk fairy, but, there is a change of heart.  From here I go downstream to the boulder just upstream at 17. 

The wind is somewhat calmer here and seeing a still-water situation in front of me, the red midge larva goes on.  The red midge finds a beautifully colored bow while gently drifting down the river.  Deciding to not push my luck and subject myself to further torment, the hook is gently removed from the fishes mouth and quickly kept on a guide.  The leader is looped around the reel and I wade out of the river around 2:30 - thankful for the only trout I would catch today.

Skunk fairy... red midge larva says nanna nanna nan na!

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