I need to have my trout skills at their best ten days from now. That’s because I’ll be back in Asturias Spain competing in the World Fly Fishing Masters Championship on Team USA. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. When you haven’t done something in a while you develop rust. After the hard working winter I need to get out and practice!
Two weeks ago while in Spain my practice was supposed to take place but due to the floods it wasn’t possible. I haven’t had much luck with the weather since I’ve got home either. Brutal cold, wind, high water and poor fishing has continued to keep me off the water. But good news, today we got a weather window and Tim Brune, Boots Allen and I went to the Lower Henry’s Fork.
What we’ve come to call good weather is overcast skies with a temperature around 45°. What kept things comfortable was there was no wind all day. We launched Tim’s boat about 9:30 AM and although we were rigged with streamers and nymphs we quickly switched to dries because the water was covered with midges and Blue-winged olives.
I was stoked about the dries because I suspect dry fly fishing will be best in Spain. Honestly it doesn’t take much to get my dry fly game on and once the fish started rising I was catching them fast. Where the practice is needed is putting fish in the net. I don’t often use a net and landing a small trout of Spain that’s flopping badly with a barbless hook takes skill. It’s real easy to lose them and in the tournament the ones that come off don’t count and can cost the team dearly.
The amount of food for the fish in the Henry’s Fork is hard to believe sometimes. Hour after hour and continuously as we floated downstream the bugs poured off. But the fish weren’t everywhere like the insects. We picked up the occasional ones from the boat but we found them in pockets and pools and that’s where the action took place.
I can’t explain how good it was to be fishing my home waters again. The Henry’s Fork treated us well today. If I had one complaint it’s a funny one. Most of our fish were too big to give me that “netting small fish” practice I need. But I think I’ll survive!
Our nice weather is short lived. We have high winds and rain forecasted for tomorrow then snow on Thursday and Friday. The weekend looks good though and Granny and I have my next practice plan in line.
0 Comments