Sunday Fatties

 

Sunday Fatties

10/03/2021

 

 It’s not often I start the morning fishing excursion toasting with a glass of Lacavulin 16 year old Scotch with a friend I haven’t seen in some time. That’s what happened on Sunday as one of the best nymph fisherman I have fished with, Dennis, showed up at the stream we were going to fish. When I told him I’d be leaving around 12 he broke out a couple of glasses and we shared a toast! It was around 7:30 in the morning. I think the smokey flavor stayed with me the rest of the fishing trip.

  He hadn’t fished the stream for sometime and fished his was downstream with a couple of other friends. I watched him for a while from upstream. He was high sticking, I guess Euro Nymphing is what they call it now a days, a wavy run of fast water. He soon disappeared down stream as I stuck around in front of the parking area.

  They had stocked the stream with nice size heavy rainbows and brown trout during the week. It was no surprise that some of those big trout would be caught by us. It took a while for me to find the right offering to get a trout to commit. I had tried my favorite Woolly Buggers, some sucker spawn, nymphs and even a San Juan worm for the first hour or so but not a fish bit. I watched a couple of guys down stream a ways pulling trout out but evidently I was offering the wrong meal. It was like I had a hot dog stand but everyone wanted hamburgers like the two fellows offering them down a block. I’m sure the stream got hit hard over Friday and Saturday so I thought maybe the section I was in the trout were more wary with sore lips.

  When the guys left the area I moved down to where they were getting customers. I decided to start showing them a minnow imitation pattern that I was pretty sure they haven’t seen. Most people I watch fishing fish underneath with nymphs and such. I don’t usually see many fly guys fishing streamers. With my Triple Threat minnow looking pattern I was hoping to fool a few of the bigger trout.

  At first I would see the end of my line twitch quickly like maybe a trout was nosing the Triple Threat playing with it like a cat pawing a half dead mouse wanting to play some more. I finally got the first rainbow on when the twitch felt more like a grab. Instantly I could tell it was a heavy trout as it tugged and fought. I got it safely to the net and was finally relieved!

  I missed another and all of a sudden, for a short time, I couldn’t get another to bite. I started switching colors. For the heck of it I attached a golden Triple to the tippet and cast it out into the open water. I thought I had a short strike on one pass through. I kept swinging and stripping it slowly and a trout grabbed it hard. I yanked back on the rod and the fight was on. He took line out as he swam further away tugging the whole time. I got him turned around eventually and he was swimming upstream a ways away. He passed by once and with a heavy head shake turned quickly and swam downstream again with he current. When I finally got him to the net he flopped out of it with a twisting flip and I thought I was going to lose him. He swam away, upstream a bit, like a handcuffed criminal escaping from trying to be put in the squad car. He didn’t get too far as I raised and turned the rod down stream for him to follow. The second attempt I got him in the net safely.

 

I fished the rest of the morning with Triple Threats and produced a few more fat rainbows.

 

  It was near 1:00 when I saw Dennis heading upstream. I waded down to meet him before heading out. He said he caught a couple of fat bows also and a nice brown trout downstream. When I saw the picture it sure was a beauty.

 ~doubletaper