The three consecutive April snowstorms have finished melting, area lakes are starting to ice out, the recent rains have infiltrated or run off, and water levels on the river rose nicely... without even coming close to flood stage. The sunshine today proved to warm up the water and get fish actively feeding.
The bigmouth buffalo were spread out in the faster water. So, that's were I started the day. Fish were near the head of the run, in the middle, and near the tail-outs. Fish were also laid up on the inside seams. Basically, buffs where everywhere. So, I tied on my trusty size 6 gold bead sparrow nymph to a 1X tippet (the fish didn't seem to be leader shy).
It took a few casts to learn the current and set up. But, after figuring out the drifts it wasn't long before Buff No. 1 snarfed up the tantalizingly undulating sparrow nymph. Fish on! The 8 wt bent to its familiar arc right down to the cork. The head shakes and not-so-neurotic behavior told me it wasn't foul hooked. I played the fish upstream into the head of the pool to keep the fish from saying "sayonara" to the pool and high-tailing it down into a logjam. The dogged fight lasted some time and included plenty of down and dirty rod angles picked up from tarpon fishing. These things just don't quit.
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| Buff No. 1 |
After a pic or two, I carefully released the bigmouth and watched it swim forcefully back to the center of the run to sulk and reflect. Not long after Buff No. 2 joined the party... and it was a nice one. This fish went straight to the head of the pool on its own, swam around the pool countless times, and frequently rose to the surface to show its size. Needless to say I was impressed. The fight on the long rod took time and constant, thoughtful, rod angles to wrangle this fella in. Finally, it came to shore and I was able to finish the task... get a catch and release photo.
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| Buff No. 2... a 30-incher? |
Buff No. 2 went back into the river in less than polite fashion... despite my care it doused me head to toe with tail-thrusted river water in a more than enthusiastic departure. But, the buff fishing wasn't over. Hardly. A brief lull ensued which may be attributed to fishing pressure (a couple fish caught) or simply just the end of a feeding window. But, with persistence I was able to observe the fish set back up and turn back on. Buff No. 3 struck the fly with the most aggressive will of the bunch. Shooting up from a mid-run lie he dashed about the pool like a fish possessed. I knew I had something special. The fight was flashier than the others but still had the unrelenting pull associated with buffs. When Buff No. 3 came to shore I was treated with maybe the most beautiful fish I've caught on fly in a long time.
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| Buff No. 3 - A Real Beaut |
Pure gold. That fish was worth the day right there and I contemplated ending on it. But, the day was still young and the weather absolutely lovely. So. I casted on. And, another Buff came to shore... a real "sucker" for the sparrow nymph. This fish without doubt took the longest to land today... a proper fighting machine.
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| Buff No. 4 - Power and Endurance |
I should note that the nice weather also brought out the snakes. Lots of them. In fact, I had to watch where I was walking to avoid stepping on them along the stream bank. There were many close calls and some near strikes. But, nonetheless, I like reptiles and was nicely serenaded by their slithering thru leaf litter all day. It was quite a treat. And, as the day got hotter, one even decided to go for a swim. All told, I may have spotted two dozen garter snakes of various sizes today. This really drove home the fact that the Chinese calendar marks 2013 as the year of the snake. I'm a believer and I switched to carp fishing.
The carp were holding in much different water than the buffs today. Last week, they shared their homes with each other... but today there was a definite split. The carp were laid up across a shallow flat soaking up the sun. On occasion I would see them turn in the current so they were definitely feeding as well. This became a sight fishing treat akin to flats fishing for redfish or bonefish.
With a couple double hauls (actually a few... the line was so gritty from mud it took an extra false cast to get it going) I dropped the sparrow nymph into the unsuspecting pod of fish. It wasn't long and Carp No. 1 was on. A thin common carp of about 25 inches; but, a decent unforgiving fighter nonetheless.
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| Carp No. 1 - Got em right in the kisser. |
Carp No. 2 came shortly thereafter... like the next cast. He completely bum-rushed the fly. The fight was dogged to the max. The fish fought mostly in front of me out to midstream. It stayed deep nearly the whole time and showed itself rarely. This went on for an eternity it seemed. My patience was finally being tested by the carp. When the fish came to my feet I reached down to handle it. And, it started fighting all over again. This became a ritual repeated a few times. Then, I had it finally... I thought. I grabbed the tippet and guided the fish in. As I reached down for the fish with one hand on the leader it decided it wasn't done yet (how?!). And, with a solid head shake the tippet snapped and Carp No. 2 and my sparrow nymph went bye-bye. Dang.
So, on went a Marabou Crazy Charlie. This fly has been sitting patiently in my fly box for over a decade. Last fished in Key West for bonefish and baby barracuda. But, it made sense. The carp were still podded up on the flat... just like bones and creating nervous water from time to time. The bead chain eyes weren't too heavy. The fly dropped gently along the edge of the pod. A few strips into it and the line went tight... mega tight. I strip-striked. It tugged back and shot across the flat in the stream. I lifted the rod and the fight was on. The carp of the day, Carp No. 3, went psy on the bonefish fly. The fight basically went all over the place and I was reminded how strong a substantial carp is. Time ensued. My arm at this point was beginning to quiver under the weight. And, finally after a very impressive fight Carp No. 3 came to shore.
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| Carp No. 3 - Beast mode. |
Content with the catch, I decided to scout some new water and do a little exploring. A couple more pools became filed away as mental notes. Ducks of various species were paired and swimming about on the stream. A kayaker steamed ahead upstream on the main river. A wonderful day. And, on the hike out a nice 5 point antler shed poked out thru the leaf litter putting a nice cap on the day.
Footnote: I also incidentally hooked and quickly landed two northern pike of about 10 and 7 pounds respectively. Both fish were prespawn females loaded with eggs. These fish are out of season and off-limits. I didn't remove either fish from the water, quickly removed the fly, and turned them back instantly without snapping a photo. They were fantastic fish and great specimens; but, at this time of year MUST be immediately landed and released. The time for even a photo would simply be wrong.
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