Cold Summer Weekend... Cold Water Species

When the weather forecast for a late July weekend includes highs around 50 degrees F.  there is only one type of fish to target... trout.  The logic being that cold weather is favorable to cold water species.  So, we headed up North and braved the wind, rain, and 40 degree temperatures.

There really was no need to get up early Saturday morning.  One look outside said it all.  Instead, it was   a great time to sleep in, sip coffee, swap out old sinking fly lines for new compensated tip versions, and spool up the click-pawl reels.  Did I mention sip coffee?

There were only so many "busy" tasks to keep us occupied until the weather got nice:  put air in the float tubes, check the fly boxes, talk flies, load up the truck, do dishes.  But, the weather wasn't going to change, at least this Saturday.   And, the sooner we accepted that the sooner we could go fishing.  So we did.

We arrived at the landing after a short drive from the cabin.  The lake was blustery, it rained, and we had it all to ourselves.  We suited up in our waders and flippers, threw on our raincoats, hopped in our float tubes, and cast off.  We began in search of trout.  I donned a size 8 hexagenia limbata nymph imitation on a full sinking line.  My father tied on a large black wooly bugger and also used a full sinking line.  We trolled... and we trolled.  I managed to get a strong hit on the nymph but didn't close the deal... that was it for awhile.  The fish were simply not biting... uhhum... at least that's what I told myself.  But my father had other ideas; and, managed to find consistent action using the black wooly bugger.  After he landed five or six trout between 13-16 inches it was apparent I needed to abandon the nymph and go back to the old stand-by black wooly bugger.  Only one problem... I didn't have any.  So, I improvised and tied on a purple version with an orange thread "bead head" I conjured up specifically for rainbows.  We have had some banner days on 20 plus inch rainbows with this fly in the summer.  Though the fly slightly resembles an egg-sucking leech pattern, the small orange thread bead head suggests the mysis shrimp commonly found in the depths during summer.  In fact, any colorful fly usually does the trick once the 'bows start slashing clouds of mysis in mid to late season.  After making the switch it wasn't long before making contact with trout.

15-incher.

The wooly buggers.

Gray day trout scales.

Another rainbow trout going back.

Sunday was a better weather day.  We decided to range out and explore--taking the same gig to another trout lake located farther into the bush.  We were rewarded with hard-fighting rainbow trout between 12-13 inches.  Seriously, these fish fought way bigger.

On the drive out we met one angry hen grouse with chicks...

     

Never get between a grouse and its chicks!

Tactical flanking maneuver...