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.

On The Other Side

If time had allowed today, a path upstream from Chimney Falls would have been my choice. Additionally, the path would have been on the other side of the river.

The other side is a place that most of us will find few anglers, and this is probably due to a couple of reasons. Most likely the main reason is because the path is not well defined which for me personally makes it all the better, much more primitive, somehow exploration-calling, rough, ragged, and uncertain. However, if an angler will continue on the way, maneuvering the thistle and briar's, the trail picks up again and leads all the way to the area known as the Scatters.

The second reason, again most likely, is due to the fact that the river takes on intimate braids and forks, and within each there are numerous friendly runs, riffles, pockets, and pools. The water itself takes on different shades, enchanting colors and hues that differ from other parts of the river. These presentations offer a number of avenues for the bows to choose and form small communes instead of the concentrated camps they tend to make in other parts of the river.

Battling bows on the other side is more challenging but at the same time it can be more rewarding, and often time on the other side it's more than just battling bows.

On the other side, an angler has time for fishing. On the other side, an angler has time for reflection, for peaceful prayer to the creator of this masterpiece, and time for a river-bank nap in the warming rays of the sun. On the other side, an angler has time of choice and choice of how that time is spent.





Since time was short today, the water below Chimney Falls was chosen as this day's field of battle. As warriors, the olive bugger with olive yellow tail and the brown fluro bugger were chosen as the favorites.

The combatants were plunged deep in the battlefield where they would methodically approach their willing foes. The bugger's would suffer strike after strike without due strike.

The strategy wasn't working, the bows were laughing loudly, celebrating their early victories on this day's field. My warriors were withdrawn.

There existed a problem that needed a remedy. Occam's Razor Barry...Occam's Razor - simplest solution is the correct solution.

The warriors were once again plunged deep into the battlefield but this time as they still made their steady march, they suddenly feinted... and feinted again, and once the opponents struck... they were too deeply engaged to escape.

Drift and twitch, drift and twitch.

Currently there are huge hoards of bows in the river awaiting battle for those that wish to engage in such.

Come the angler.






Battalions of battling bows await.