Three people are cleaning something and throwing guts into the water. I am about to say something smart-ass-like about thisbeing no kill water when a grouse wing floats by. The three of them had limited out on ruffs around Picabo.
Some rising fish are ignoring my #12 Adams and some very good looking water is sterile, so obviously some experimenting is in order. In one very good pool I could see the backs of four or five nice fish cruising just under the surface sucking actively in the tailout. I miss the take of an unseen fish closer to me, then take one about 13 inches. That puts the rest down. In the shallow head I get four quick takes, several of them big fish, but none sticks. This great hole is right in front of the picture windows of two magnificent homes. I try to look picturesque in my Bass Pro Shops T-shirt and neon surfer shorts. Upstream from there it gets difficult. Good looking runs, and no fish. I decide to try a hare's ear nymph as a dropper below a #10 Humpy. Unfortunately, the good nymphing water ends about where I rigged
- I keep missing fish that chase and give up on the dragging humpy. The experiment is a failure with one exception, a 17 incher that did take the nymph. Fishing back downstream with a #18 Adams I catch several more, losing a big one right at the pool at the parking lot again.
I've decided that I must be getting on the Big Wood right at the end of a good hatch, with the fish still looking up but not many obvious flies left. I'll try to get on the water earlier tomorrow. At dusk I walk down to the river by the motel room, and a woman exercising her golden retriever tells me of one night when there were fish rising everywhere, even with her dog fetching sticks out of the pool. When was that? "Thursday night".
Friday was when I hit it so well. Hmmmmmm. Nothing happening now, though. I wonder what the hatch was.
Day 6 - Back to the tube at Kilpatrick Bridge. This morning I have the whole river to myself. I'm getting better. I've learned a new casting delivery, a slower, more open loop just barely firm enough to settle the fly lightly. It's not just a weak cast, but firm and gentle, all arm push and no wrist. I can't completely explain it, but it does deliver the fly softly on a long, light tippet. I don't put so many fish down, and even get some takes from a downstream, below the fish position. I break off two big fish after a jump or two