Chapter 58 Day 19 - Trout Season

An Improving River
Blue River is trying desperately to return to the color and complexion that many of us consider normal.  This morning the river had improved immensely and is now what I call a tannin color.  It's my opinion the river is tannin-colored because of the muddy conditions caused by the big rain ten days ago, along with the runoff capturing much of the burned debris from the wildfire in the north wilderness.  Then if we add the hundreds of thousands of leaves that have found their way to the river we get tannin. 

If you are a fly fisher and sought out the shallow runs this morning at Blue, the river could have been very rewarding to you... as it was to me. 

I went downstream and found a shallow run and tied an olive bodied bugger with a bi-color tail of olive and yellow on the tippet.  The trout liked it.  Then I switched to the red ass bugger, which has been the talk of the river lately, and again the trout liked it.  However, my best friend of this morning's outing would be a size 14 Prince Nymph.  Ol' Princey boy produced a lot of trout. 

There were a lot of people on the river today - a lot of people.  I guess they were thinking the same way I was, which was to take advantage of the 65 degree weather and try and get some good fishing time in before the big rain comes late tomorrow - a rain that is sure to blow the river again.

After catching so many fish in one spot I tend to get a little bored so leaving the downstream water a course is set upstream to the water below the Crossing.  Here there are fly fishers, spinner fishers, and bait fisherman. 

I stand in the river a good thirty minutes intently watching the other anglers.  With the exception of one spinner fisherman who caught one trout while I was there, no one else caught any fish.  When I first stepped in the river I tied on the Olive Zonker Minnow I spoke of recently.  Casting it upstream and panic stripping it back, a trout absolutely slammed the Minnow.  I got a hook set, but after about twenty seconds it was the old quick release and the trout said, "Goodbye cowboy." 

Then, tying on the red ass bugger I found the only trout I would catch at this particular spot.  It was near noon now and my prairie home called. 

If making the river is possible tomorrow, think I will give Bubble Boy a run to see how he does. 

Today was a rewarding and beautiful day on the river Blue.  I give thanks and return to the bunkhouse. 

Chapter 58 Day 18 - Trout Season

So Far Away From Me

Thirsty... so thirsty.  Not for a drink of water, but rather for water to fish.  Water so near but I cannot seem to get there. 

Michael Mercurio sent a message to me and Charlie too that he was coming up today to fish the catch & release area.  He said he could use some company and Michael makes for wonderful company, but, Charlie was busy at his inn and I was tied to the mercantile store.  The water escaped both Charlie and I today.  Hoping Michael had a bang-up outing. 

There is this weekend however and from what I am hearing it is go now or wait a long time.  Anyone that is hoping to battle the trout of Blue River better do so this weekend or be prepared to wait for things to get better.  The fore-sayers of the weather are predicting that we will receive four inches of rain come Monday or Tuesday.  If that indeed takes place then Blue River is going to be a mess for the rest of November and into early December. 

Even though the river is still murky and the wind is predicted to howl tomorrow, I have to go see the princess of the prairie and drown a fly or two. 

Last trout season, near this time, I tied up a pattern called the Bubble Boy Soft Hackle and took it to Blue with me.  On it's maiden voyage it caught trout and then caught more trout.  But then... a shipwreck - the fly slamming into a submerged boulder and Bubbly Boy was lost at sea.  I only tied one of this pattern and never tied another last season. 

Tonight, I tied another Bubble Boy and Bubble Boy Jr. to go with it. 

The Bubble Boy requires few materials - a gold beadhead, partridge feather, glass bead behind the partridge and dubbed body.

I may invite these two to go with the river with me tomorrow and if so they will get to taste the stew. 

Also tomorrow, I am hopeful to find some clear fast riffles to try my hand at a little Euro nymphing leaving the indicators in the package where they belong.  

The Good And Not So Good

Image via Wikipedia

Today was a good day of fishing for sure.  The catching wasn't too bad also, but there won't be any pictures posted and that's the not-so-good part of the day's adventure. 

The camera took the plunge just like it did this past spring in Rock Creek.  Somehow, this little camera survived that incident, but I have my doubts whether this latest act of carelessness is survivable.  Ehhh... I sucked at taking pictures anyhow.

Main reason for fishing on the river Blue today was to launch the Bubble Boy soft hackle on his maiden voyage.  He did okay!   Bubble Boy caught the first four trout... but that would be all he would catch, losing his life at sea.

After the departure of the young lad, the brown body soft hackle that did so well last week was employed solo.  And, this soft hackle pattern did well until giving his life to a tree limb.

The bugger was put into action, but would only find two trout.  Shortly thereafter a partridge and orange was enlisted to help the bugger and once again the soft hackles attracted fish. 

It was a pretty day even though it was a little cold this morning.  To me, the river looked a little off-color, kind of blurred, or fuzzy looking, but that could very well just be me.  The fishing wasn't hot and heavy at all.  Actually it seemed slow and the whole river seems to be off as far as fishing.  The river's level is lower than last week and good flows are hard to find in some areas.

I guess dropping the camera in the river deflated things a bit... you know kind of dampened the whole outing.  Didn't catch a fish after that incident.  Decided to just call it a day and head for my prairie home.

On the way out I met Scott Spradling and that indeed was a pleasure.  It seems Scott has quite the fishing story to tell... so let's let him tell it.  I know one fly-fisher who will really like this story.

I left the river having met twelve rainbow trout.  Ten shook hands with one form of soft hackle or the other, and the other two met the bugger.

Stopped by Ralph Fullenwinder's Ruff Diamond to visit and get a cup of coffee.  I still don't know what Ralph's secret is to making coffee, but without a doubt it's the best coffee I've ever had.

When I left my prairie home this morning, pony feed was $3.01 for a gallon bucket which makes pushing the ponies rather expensive these days.  My goodness, the price of petro could very well put the screws to fly fishing, with any regularity, on the river Blue. 

The Bubble Boy Soft Hackle

Sometimes when I get to drinking beer... I come up with some strange ideas.  Last night between tilts of pilsner, I decided to create another beadhead soft hackle, but this time only smaller - in size 16 to be exact.  Not only did I use a metal beadhead, a glass bead was also employed. 

Now exactly what I expected of the glass bead I don't know.  Like I said, I was drinking beer.  But, perhaps my thinking was it would simulate a trapped air bubble or maybe just add a little flash to the fly.  Of course this is a weighted fly, as it's intended to be, and this will allow us to get it a little down in the column., Of course, we can control just how far or deep we want it with a strike indicator which is the beauty of this fly.  It is meant to imitate an emerging insect and thus the air bubble makes a little sense.

Plan on taking it to Blue on the next outing and put it to the test.  If it's a success I'll quickly share the information with everyone.  If it's a great failure then it's back to the tying desk and pilsner.

Rear view of the bubble boy soft hackle

Glass bead is directly behind beadhead.  Click on image for a better view.

The beginning stage of the bubble boy partridge and orange soft hackle.