Wiggle, Wiggle, Strip, Strip and OMG!

Weather looking good for this week.  70s today with sunshine, but some wind.  Wednesday through Friday looks like 80s with a chance of showers Saturday and Sunday.  Otherwise, temperatures in the mid 70s Saturday dropping to mid 60s Sunday and upper 60s by Monday. 

No generation yesterday until 5:00 p.m.  They were supposed to leave it off again today until 5:00 p.m., but they have been playing with it a little all morning.  They keep blowing the horn for generation, and something comes on for a short time, then nothing….  It was sitting at 702.5 at noon and they are stating zero generators running.  It is supposed to be off again today until 5:00 p.m.

Sorry Rich, I forgot your half day on the water with Dana last week.  Rich and Dana were out with the flotilia we had going last Wednesday.  Think that was the Texas day.  This was one of Dana’s better days.  Rule one with drift boats (I can talk about this as I have done it)…don’t let go of your rope when you launch a boat, especially with three generators going.  Anyway, he caught the boat a little way downstream and was able to get Rich onto the water where he could catch some fish.  Their best pattern was the size 12 cerise San Juan worm.  They did catch a few on a size 14 olive wooly bugger.

Larry - 4/19/12

Larry, from Oklahoma, spent the morning on the water Thursday with Darrell.  They had a really good day on the ruby midge with a red midge dropper,  and the holographic green crackleback stipping under a sink tip.  Jim had Darrin from here in Missouri out for the morning.  They too did well on the red midge and ruby midge dropper as well as a bug-eyed sculpin pattern.

Saturday was another flotilla day.  Darrell on the water with Betty and her friend Courtney.  Dana had the other half of this group, Mac and Courtney’s husband, Bob.  They all had a fun day and caught fish on the red midge, a pink midge, a cerise San Juan worm, and the burgundy midge.  This was a pretty new experience for Bob and Courtney.  Jim had Larry and his son, Jeff out for the day.  Both these guys were brand new to fly fishing.  Jim had them standing in the water getting a real work out on casting, mending, setting hooks and keeping fish on the line to bring them in!  By the end of the day, there was success and they landed several fish on the double red midge rig as well as a golden sculpin.  Stan also had a couple new fly fishers on the water, Geoff and Tony.  Same scenario, casting, mending, setting hooks and keeping them there.  Takes a while, but once you get the hang of it, it’s fish to the boat.  Their best flies were the red midge and stripping the holographic green crackleback.  Last, but not

Gordon - 4/21/12

least, Carolyn had JP and Gordon out for the day.   Most of our fish were caught on the red midge with a fl. pink San Juan worm dropper.  We caught a few on the olive wooly bugger, but couldn’t find a really good spot for stripping.   We saw a beautiful mayfly hatch on the bank below Fall Creek Dock.  Probably a size 14.

JP and the flipper - 4/21/12

 Sunday was a “cacklecraft” day.  Gerrie and Holly from Columbia, MO spent the day with Carolyn.  Both new fly fishers who prevailed over the gusty, windy day.  With the wind coming right up and down the river, it was very difficult to get your fly line out very far, especially if you’re new to the sport.  So, we improvised.  Cast it into the current then wiggle, wiggle the line to get more out to drift with the current.  Get enough out and it was strip, strip, and set the hook on the size 12 olive wooly bugger.  Holly is going to be a natural stripper.  Think there are two more women fly fishers on the water!  On the drift out, and earlier in the day, we caught fish on the ruby midge with the fl. pink San Juan dropper, but both ladies preferred pulling the bugger. 

This was an early birthday present for Holly.

Holly – 4/22/12

 

Gerrie - 4/22/12

 OMG – they turned the water off Monday and the fish thought it was a holiday.  So did several of the local fly fishers.  It was Shannon’s day off and he was wearing out his arm catching fish on his hot hare nymph.  Mac was standing just a little upstream from him catching them on the holographic green crackleback both with and and a while without hackle.  After a while it wasn’t all holographic green as they had worn off the green and it was half silver and no hackle!  Another customer was catching them on the primrose & pearl midge and I spoke to a couple fishers down below the boat ramp in the shallows area above Trophy Run who were having a good day on a partridge and yellow soft hackle.  Talked to Darrell earlier, who was up between outlets one and two and he was catching on the big ugly with the P&P dropper.  I had a wonderful couple hours on the primrose & pearl midge and a soft hackle once I gave up on pulling streamers.  Water is off again today as I mentioned earlier and I’m hearing from fishers coming in who have been fishing, that it is another good day.  Stan is out there pulling them in on the crackleback!  Tough duty.

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