So I didn't report in from the field last week. Couldn't take the laptop, and there really wasn't much to tweet about. As far as catching fish goes, the trip was kind of a bust. Six to show for four days on the water. Wednesday brought my first flat-out skunking in a long time. It cooled off sharply on Wednesday, and I think that slowed things down for a couple days. The best foray was on the PM on Friday evening. A run in the no-kill water had a few fish rising to tan caddis that were coming off sporadically, but most looked small. But I cast a dry EHC pattern to them anyway, and briefly hooked two that gave a solid pull. I worked a bit further down stream with no action, then quietly waded back up to the top of the run where I'd hooked the fish, waited a few minutes, then worked back down with an emerger pattern. The better fish hit me again, and I reeled in 12" and 11" browns.
It was getting near dark by then, and spinners were gathering overhead; mahogany, hendrickson, and grey drake. Unfortunately, the night cooled fast and the bugs began to disperse before any hit the water. I threw in the towel and began wading back about 9:30. But while struggling around a riffle, I saw rises at its lip, just above the fastest part of it. The commotion I'd made getting over the riffle put them down, naturally; it's hard to be stealthy while fighting for a foothold. But I paused once I'd made it to some quiet water and once again the rises began. Didn't see any bugs on the water, so they must have been eating emergers--more caddis perhaps? I still had a grey drake spinner on the end of my leader, and hoping not to have to tie on another fly in the dark (I discovered the batteries in my head lamp had nearly expired), I threw it out among the feeders. A take came after only a few drifts, and after a short ranging, brush dodging fight, a 15" brown was in the net. Got one other take but lost the fish.
A 3 trout night isn't anything to boast about, but it was a nice grace note to conclude an otherwise discouraging trip. Despite the lack of action, though, I hope to spend more time this year on both those rivers (I was on the Little Man as well as the PM). Did see lots of bugs on the Little, even if no feeding occurred, and the river is drop-dead gorgeous. If nothing else, some new scenery would make for an interesting season.
Culinary note--The Oak Grove Tavern in Irons has about the best hamburger I've eaten in recent memory. Between that, plus locating some promising water on the Little Man, I guess I can consider this trip a success if looked at as a voyage of discovery.
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