Seeing the Stripe

  Tuesday Cat and I got to fish for the first time in a week. The sky was bright Blue Bird and the wind was howling. The section we went into saw the Bow’s laying in frog water and barely moving. We fished for four hours and only landed two. We hooked several but the size 24 midges were pulling out way too often (my excuse). I knew I had a guide trip going out the next morning with the perfect kind of client, someone that has struggled catching tail water fish and desperately wanted to learn how. Checking the weather report I saw that Wednesday called for Blue Bird skies, only 10 mph wind and 60 degrees. The warmth told me that the river would be packed and the clear skies told me that the fish would be super spooky with only a short window for active feeding.

   I was surprised to see only a few cars when we arrived and was excited after meeting my client and seeing his true humility with wanting to learn. The wind was blowing much harder than forecasted so I was hoping he could cast. We headed up the path and I asked him a few questions about what he knew and I realized by his answers that he knew a lot more about fly fishing than he thought. The first spot we stopped was the perfect place to begin learning. We were able to stand above a riffle that came at us, deepened and then turned against the bank. We were able to see the shadows of the fish and see what type of water they were holding in and the direction they were facing. We then walked down and my client started casting, we worked on line management the first half an hour, drifting though the riffle where the fish were holding. I was a little surprised that we didn’t pick anything up but he picked up the line management very quick. We walked up to the next run and at the tail end we spotted several fish chasing midges on the bottom. On his first cast, the indicator landed just behind the fish and he stripped perfectly until the bow grabbed it and starting running. First fish of the day was a healthy 14inch bow. The next was a 17inch female followed by a 16inch male that had teeth like a small shark. We fished that hole for another half hour or so hooking and catching several more fish. We started seeing fish rising all around and decided to move to the riffle just up above. Scouting it out, we could see several shadows feeding like crazy. He hooked 15 or so and probably landed ten before taking a break to jot down some notes and thoughts before moving back into the lower hole. We fished that for a while with a couple hookups before we decided to check out the riffle one more time before calling it a day. And then we saw it, glowing like neon on the Vegas strip, conservatively 21 to 23 inches,  a solid deep red stripe, about fifteen feet out from us . The wind had picked back up and after putting my client at ease, by telling him he had to make the perfect cast or blow the chance, he started casting. The first two casts were blown below the fish and luckily did not spook him. Then he laid it out perfectly, five feet in front, perfect upstream mend, tighten the line and  BANG, out of the water about a 22 inch male pig of a rainbow. The first run was fifteen feet across, then straight up river then across and down. We started chasing him and made our way to the other side, my client was able to work him into the slower pool where the Rainbow’s face finally surfaced and teetered a few times as if he were saying “I quit and I have been had, congratulations”. I was so proud of my client and what seemed to be a near flawless battle with this beauty. A deep breath of relief and triumph was half way out and then it was over, a quick head shake and he was gone with all three flies. We stood for a second with jaws barely above the water and after what seemed to be an eternity, we both just smiled. The day was complete…

  What joy sight fishing can be, but with the understanding that chasing shadows all day can make it difficult to sleep at night. The images of the fish and the sounds of the splashing water never seem to stop echoing in your head. Sometime the fish are just laying flat on the bottom, sometimes you see the white of their mouths as they are feeding, sometimes you can just see the shadows moving around, but nothing much compares to when that shadow turns into the giant red stripe.  Slab, pig, toad and troutzilla are some of the common names; I just call them my personal gift from God.

   What a joy and thrill it is to fish and teach how to sight fish to these beauties. With the water low and clear for the next few weeks, this is the perfect time to learn sight fishing and to recognize different trout behavior. We at The Drift Fly Shop are passionate about fly fishing and teaching the different techniques. We would love to hear from you if want to learn new techniques or just unfamiliar with the area and want to have a great day on the river. We have several slots open over the next two weeks. To book a trip call The Drift at 719-543-3900. Thanks for reading, Connell