Sunday, January 8, 2012

High & Clearing



With the holiday came a few days off for the old man. After the 25th, we fished his father's stretch of water that he fished in his youth. The water was high and off colored from the night before. We started fishing slightly after noon hoping to hit the water as it cleared.

The early portion of fishing was a little rough. The first several holes yielded zero results for my father. Halfway through our trek, we decided to spend a little more time in a deep run. Taking over for my dad, I probed the run with a double nymph rig. In the high water, their was a large eddy swirling back into the main seam which played havok with each drift. I finally got it right and tied into the first wild brown of the day.

Switching tactics to the hot flies, my father and I took turns making our way up the second half of the stream. Several wild brown trout came to hand including two larger fish approaching sixteen inches. About as big as they get on the small freestone stream. In the bunch, were two stockers, one rainbow and a brown.

One of my favorite times to fish for wild trout in freestone and limestone streams is after periods of high water. The high water combined with a lack of clarity results in the fish letting their guard down. Wild browns that are hiding under logjams and boulders during regular flows suddenly venture out in the regular runs taking advantage of the extra food tumbling downstream. Fishing these waters often, my catch rate usually doubles and the fish are larger whenever the water is high and clearing.














1 comment:

Unknown said...

Nothing to complain about there. Those are all sweet browns with great looking spots. You have got to love thise golden sides!