My fishing buddy Dan, mentioned that he felt September in the air yesterday evening.
Part of the fun (and a real concern) of living in the mountains, is to guess what’s coming this Fall/Winter.
The “signs” are looking like an possible early arrival.
The squirrels have been making it hazardous to stand under a big pine tree.
Bombing green pine cones, that would knock a person silly……Or, put a big dent in your car…..
They fight each other for possession of every pine cone and tree.
So focused, and motivated are they, that they will stand their ground against a human intruder.
Mine, mine, mine……
I already mentioned that the Oct. Caddis are already happily pupating for about three weeks now.
Starting to see Flavalina Mayflies on the water too.
This whole season seemed about three weeks advanced “from normal”.
Not that there is a normal in nature (or flyfishing).
We will work with whatever nature brings us.
There is no guarantee that an early blast will mean a big winter.
But one can hope for better showing than the last Winter (third worst on record).
Most seasoned Mnt. dwellers are thinking fire wood.
Piles of split wood are appearing all over town.
Personally, I’m thinking about Fall fishing.
It is my favorite time…..
Cooler Air/Water temps, mean that Big brown trout will be moving about.
Getting territorial, and hungry, with a goal of getting big enough to spawn.
As far as fish tales go……
Tim Haddon (Guide buddy) told a story yesterday of a client who got “Freight-trained” by a fish.
There is a class of fish here, that will not come to hand.
When you fish here a lot, you catch fishy beauties well into the twenty inch size category.
We almost get casual about it.
But once in a while, we hook something that is in another size class altogether.
Generally they leave in a hurry. No discussion, just gone……
That is why hope springs eternal here.
Someday, we might just land one of these monsters.
To land something around 10 Lbs (+ or -), on 6-7 Lbs tippet, in heavy water……good luck!
These are fish that people would fly to the far reaches of the world to hook (NZ for example).
We just take a walk to the T.
That’s why I always say…..”before you make the perfect cast, and the perfect drift, with the perfect fly, look where you can run”!
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