Monday Before the Heat Wave

                                                                Monday Before the Heat Wave

5/18/26 

 I knew, Sunday, right where I wanted to fish Monday. The weather was to get into the 90’s so I knew I’d have to get to the section of Kettle Creek before it got too hot. I ate a good breakfast, Monday morning, got my waders on at the campsite and made sure my vest was filled with what I felt was needed for the days adventure.

 I was the first to park along the dirt road in the morning. The sky was ocean blue without a cloud in the sky. It forewarned me that when the sun came overhead it was going to be hot. I was counting on a mayfly hatch of some kind to fish over. I wasn’t going to waste much time swinging Woolly Buggers and I was hoping for risers or I was going to make’m rise. Without any wind advisory I assembled my Scott G2 9 footer fly rod for some dry fly casting.

 The sun was coming up behind me and it was already warm enough to just wear my Columbia fishing shirt. I knotted on a Woolly Bugger to my fresh 7’ 6” 4x tapered leader and stepped into the clear cool water of Kettle Creek. I might have casted out twice before I saw my first rise out in front of me. I nipped off the bugger and knotted on a section of 5x tippet. To that I knotted on a #14 caddis. I casted out to the one riser a few times but he didn’t seem interested. No matter, I continued to wade across creek so I could cast to the far side of the wide section of creek, 

 I casted out the caddis to the few trout that were rising sporadically. I caught one but after that not any were much interested. There were a few other risers but didn’t want my caddis I had chosen so I switched colors, still nothing. A little later on I saw a March Brown pop up and fly away. I knotted on a #12 March Brown but couldn’t get a strike. I switched to a #10 March Brown para chute and casted out to no where in particular. A trout finally rose to it and I was Jerry on the spot and nailed him. He fought like the dickens, twisting and turning, tugging and head shaking trying to release the hook but couldn’t. I played him well and my first trout of the day made it to the net safely.  

 After that I couldn’t get a strike for some time. I knew I had to be patient and not give up and go elsewhere on the creek. About an hour before noon March Browns were coming off the water pretty regularly. Trout were breaking the surface as if grabbing an emerger before it got to the surface. I figured they were taking emergers but I convinced myself I could catch one on a dry March Brown. I casted out to the many risers but many weren’t interested in my dry fly at first. I did catch a couple on my MB dry offering but the majority of the trout ignored mine and they continued to pop out of the surface after an emerger.  

 I took out a cigar and decided my next challenge. 

 Not getting any more to rise to my dry I knotted on a March Brown emerger. I tie them similar to those sold at the Kettle Creek Fly Shop. In no time at all I caught 2 nice hearty brown trout on the emerger. They both fought as if they made up their minds they weren’t going to be netted. Wrong!  

 After those 2 the hatch all of a sudden stopped! The wavy water flowed without interruption as if there were no trout in the area. None were rising and no March Brown naturals were seen.

 I would say the hatch only lasted about a half hour. Maybe I was stubborn and could have caught more trout on the emerger if I would of knotted one on earlier?

 When I couldn’t catch any more on an emerger I knotted a March Brown nymph under the emerger. I caught 3 sticks, the last one broke off my MB nymph, so I quit nymph fishing!! By now the sun was up above throwing down the heat like an infrared light source. I know my body temperature was heating up so I decided to call it quits. I had a ways to go to wade to the bank so I decided to knot on a small hackle wet fly and cast it out as I stop and go towards the bank. I caught one trout pretty quick. 

 Continuing towards the bank I stopped for a moment and made a long cast across creek. I lifted the rod, like I was nymph fishing and slowly lowered it as the wet fly continued its path down creek. Wham! A trout grabbed the wet fly as hard as if it was one of my swinging Woolly Buggers! I jerked the rod back to make sure the point penetrated. The trout shook back and wasn’t very pleased but she was stuck with me for awhile. 

 She fought to and fro like we were square dancing. She’d swing to her left and do a Do-si-do. I extended the rod to the left trying to bring her up creek but she had lots of energy and resisted. She swam to my right, down creek keeping her distance, and I swung the rod to my right and she did a couple more Do-si-do’s. She finally seem to tire some and I had her coming up creek to my right. She passed by me in a hurry as I held the rod tip high, bringing in line and keeping the line taunt. She then decided to swing around me as if we were now partners. I followed her lead, with my rod and turned with her, as I swung my partner round and round! She still appeared to have lots of energy but I was kind of tired of square dancing with her. I put a little more tension on the line and let the rod arc more following her go around. That must of tired her out some and she wasn’t so playful. I got her a little closer and she decided to Promenade with me as we spun around once more. As close as she was now I was ready to scoop her up in my net. I lifted the rod high and she rose in front of me and I swooped her up. The dance was over. I got a picture of my lady and let her go so she could change partners the next time she wanted to square dance. 

 When I got to my truck, and started it, the temperature gauge read 99 degrees. It felt steamingly hot and I wasn’t willing to play anymore in the heat.

~doubletaper