~StreamSide Tales~: Pissed Rainbows

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Pissed Rainbows

4/26/24

I'm not sure if the rainbows were caught before, there was no signs of ripped lips, or they were pissed because they got caught? Maybe they have been just minding their own business since the opening day of trout? Whatever, today they were pissed when I pierced their lips. They would jump 1, 2 and sometimes 3 times going airborne trying to throw the hook. Once airborne they made acrobatic moves more then any acrobat on the Gong Show. They fought wildly like Sam Elliot, in the movie Shadow Riders, when 4 hillbillies were trying to hang him.

I got out early in 40 degree weather early Friday. That didn't stop their feeding frenzy until it warmed up. They took my Woolly Buggers on the drift as if they thought it was going to be the only big meal of the day. For about 3 hours they took my streamer offerings continuously with little pause. Even in the net they squirmed and flopped around as if looking for a hole to escape out of.

Within the quick current it was hard to tell how big they were as they fought their way against the current towards me. They slapped the surface water, as I was bringing them in, as their silvery sides flickered under the morning sunlight like aluminum foil skipping across the ground being blown by the wind. They twisted and turned on the surface as well as just beneath it.

I was all by myself, smoking a stogie, catching trout and enjoying the warmth of the sunshine once it showed up. I listened to the birds chirping, watched ducks as they flew by, and enjoyed the outdoors with no one else around.

In the afternoon the bite slowed down with the streamers. I lit another cigar and I decided to nymph fish for the time being in the same place I had been catching trout on the streamers. 'Maybe the trout want a snack or two?" I thought.

It took me some time to find the right combination of nymphs to get their interest. A simple Pheasant Tail Nymph and a bead head Hare's Ear got their attention. Those two nymphs are like a deadly combination. Nothing fancy! No extra glitter, no eye catching variation, or fancy name, just two simple down home, old time patterns. I'm not the best nymph fishermen, missing quite a few takes, but it was fun action trying to hook them. It reminded me of the fun it was throwing baseballs at the stuffed clowns on a rack, at the carnival, just to see if I could knock down three in a row? I did hook up with a half dozen or so.