By the end of the past week, I couldn't take myself anymore. I stank. I headed out Monday afternoon only to be thwarted by high flows, chocolate water, and new terrain. Instead of nymphing some deep runs, I stuck with a black tungsten woolly bugger to no avail. I fumbled in the stream and nearly went for a swim multiple times. A sandy bottom morphed and reorganized itself after 5 inches of rain flooded the riparian zone. Down trees, brush, and trash littered the landscape and I had to judge every step in the milk. I managed a few bumps in some of the slower runs. The stockers must have been dazed and confused from the weekend rain.
On St. Patrick's Day, I was determined to wash myself clean but once again came up empty handed. I fished a trash stream nearby the apartment. I was dropped off on the side of the highway with just over an hour left of daylight. I made my under the bridge and carefully peered around the corner hoping to not spook a homeless man. Bridges provide shelter for the wanderer and this became clear to me one summer morning after I almost stepped on a woman's face after hopping over a log jam. Around the corner, I found remnants. Footprints, trash, toilet paper, and an old ragged couch. I rigged up to a backdrop of graffiti before trying my hand at some brownlining. The stream channel is deep, the banks steep, and the water murky. I was hoping for a pickerel or a bass but instead sank up to my waist in mud, sticks, and leaves after tempting to wade. I couldn't and roll casted some big nasties from the bank under overhangs and around logs. The skunk hit me hard again.
2 comments:
Balls deep in the mud sound like a learning experience,,and a little say... "dirty", Nice streamers but The walker is way cool!!! It has a stripping basket if you look at it right,,some old flyfishin dude fell in up river last fall er somethin.....
Haha thanks man, I think the walker stripping basket might have to become a regular product in the orvis catalog
Post a Comment