West Branch 6-7-07

[Future Fanatic]

It was the worst of times; it was the best of times...

I took a trip to the WB after work yesterday. First stop, Deposit at about 3:15. I saw a few sulphurs flitting around but just an occasional rise. There were four guys in close proximity to me, and they all looked bored. One guy decided to leave and said that earlier in the day had been some what better (he caught 2-3) but the fish stopped rising...

So! back in the vehicle headed downstream. "Some where outside of Hancock" I found some water devoid of fishermen and proceeded to look for bugs and rises. Due to all the talk of flows and temperatures, I half expected the fish to be stacked up like a circus trian through the deeper areas of the river... um no. Hold on, let me cut and paste something... I saw a few sulphurs flitting around but just an occasional rise. Yes, the same as in Deposit.

Worrying that I had made a tactical error in moving so far downstream, I hit the water with gusto. It wasn't long until I was casting to a riser. On my first cast to him (with a non descript tan size 16-18 mayfly) I hooked up. A 10 inch chub was in the bag. I had dinks rising above me and below me, and after 2-3 hours I was casting to them. I hauled in one 4 inch chub and one five inch chub. I hear you chuckling. After 3 hours or so of watching and waiting, I'll cast to a rising boot.

There were FEW bugs. Close to as bugless as I have ever seen it, save winter.

8:00 rolls by. An entirely different world emerges(pun intended). First start the rises. Nearly everywhere and the fish were consistently rising. It started getting difficult to tie on flies, because it was getting dark and I must have tried 6-10 different types and sizes over the next hour. I landed one small brown and hooked several others(but couldn't close the deal).

My dilema as to what they were taking was made more of a quandry due to the fact that there were small tan Caddis, LARGE brown Caddis, Sulphurs, some tan Mayflies, some small mahogany/red Mayflies, Yellow Sallies and some neon/lime green mayflies that I have never seen before. There were clouds of bugs. I had takes on a few of the different flies I tried, but I never really figured "it" out.

To top it off, at about 9:00, I decided to hang it up. A buddy of mine has passed down a little tradition to me of trying this one particular fly he ties as the last flly of the evening. I'd love to describe it to you, but I was sworn to secrecy and I'd also feel stupid telling you what it looks like. Suffice it to say, if I put one in your hand (it would take up a good portion of it(ok that's hyberbole, but it's big) ) and it would look like nothing in the natural world that these fish would recognize.
To make this long story less long, I popped it on casted it out a few times and hade a take and a couple of misses. You have to understand that fish are rising everywhere. It was difficult for me to pick a target and stick with him... Anyway, SLURP... and the fight is on... I had a very nice brown on for about two or three minutes (he cleared the water twice) before he took another run, broke the tippet and was last seen headed to Hale Eddy.

Next time I wait til 6 or so to hit the water.
When it gets dark, I will beef up the tippet.

Don't be afraid of the dark; the bugs and the fish aren't.