Blog

Typical opening weekend for me.  Was in the shop Saturday to bid farewell and good luck to anglers heading out on the first day of C&R.  The guides and I had been scouting the area for the past week and with stable weather I was sure people would get multiple shots at fish.  Although still winter fishing overall reports were good.
  Sunday was my day to get out.  Was in the shop for the morning, and waited to head out with the crew for our season warm up.  Closed up for the day and headed home to grab a few things I missed.  Ended up cleaning up after the dog (an no Mable is showing no signs of being a shop dog any time soon), and having to opt out of the staff trip.
  But, not all was lost.  White knuckling it up to Coon Valley I was determined to catch a fish on opening weekend, even if daylight was starting to get scarce.
  Plunked down in a new section, and already had the joy of picking up my first few pieces of litter before I hit the stream.
  Midges and stoneflies zoomed past my head as I surveyed the new water.  Nice deep pools with clear flows and feeding fish.  Hiked downstream, slipped and fell, walked down to the river, slipped and fell again, then started fishing.
  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Midges, scuds, even pink squirrels... Nothing.
Then one of those rumblings in the dusty recesses of a brain that has been fishing and thinking fishing for way too long hit.
  "Fish this fly and you will catch fish".  And I was desperate enough to do it.  And it caught fish.  The only fly that caught fish for me on opening weekend.


Sometimes you just have to ditch all common sense and even thought to catch fish.  Just go with your gut.  Trust me, it works.