Two Fister
08-16-2007, 10:58 AM
In a nutshell it was windy, gritty and slow. The winds were really swirling (more than usual) so it got a bit exciting at times casting. The wind would be at your back one second and blowing your hat backwards the next. Never seen a spey line do a few of the mid air changes that I got to experience yesterday. With all of the damage from the fire and no rain in months the air was full of dust. My eyes still hurt today.
I started fishing around 6:00 at the Blackberry Hole...which is going to need a new name since all of the blackberry bushes burned up in the fire. I got one good tug and headshake when I had my fly hanging downstream waiting for the wind to stop trying to knock me over. I made the mistake of rearing back and setting the hook (instead of dropping the loop of line in my hand) and it was gone in a few seconds. I didn't see another fish hooked the rest of the evening. Maybe a 10-12 folks fishing total that I could see, which is pretty slow for that stretch at the start of steelhead season.
Lots of trout and suckers rising, but only a couple of steelhead rolls.
The water is getting pretty warm, but was still cool enough to fish without harming native fish if you get them in fast and give them a good long rest before release. If it stays warm for a few more days it may not be that way. It was definitely over 100 degrees in the canyon, but it's supposed to moderate a little bit today.
All in all, I should have stuck with my instinct that told me to fish the evening caddis hatch at Dry Creek. The caddis were thick, the fish were keyed on them and I would have had an hour long drive instead of 3 hours when I got done at 8:45.
And don't forget your safety glasses to keep the wind driven dust out of your eyes until we get some rain!
TF
I started fishing around 6:00 at the Blackberry Hole...which is going to need a new name since all of the blackberry bushes burned up in the fire. I got one good tug and headshake when I had my fly hanging downstream waiting for the wind to stop trying to knock me over. I made the mistake of rearing back and setting the hook (instead of dropping the loop of line in my hand) and it was gone in a few seconds. I didn't see another fish hooked the rest of the evening. Maybe a 10-12 folks fishing total that I could see, which is pretty slow for that stretch at the start of steelhead season.
Lots of trout and suckers rising, but only a couple of steelhead rolls.
The water is getting pretty warm, but was still cool enough to fish without harming native fish if you get them in fast and give them a good long rest before release. If it stays warm for a few more days it may not be that way. It was definitely over 100 degrees in the canyon, but it's supposed to moderate a little bit today.
All in all, I should have stuck with my instinct that told me to fish the evening caddis hatch at Dry Creek. The caddis were thick, the fish were keyed on them and I would have had an hour long drive instead of 3 hours when I got done at 8:45.
And don't forget your safety glasses to keep the wind driven dust out of your eyes until we get some rain!
TF