I didn’t expect to drive over six hours, hit a few rivers in a few states, and come home late. But, there I was.

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The morning session started slow. Midges were everywhere, but there were no rises. I tightlined one of my favorite runs and, on a lark, decided to let my nymphs rise after the drift. Soon, there was a big take. A newly-tied size 14 Copper and Hare (dark brown) duped a stocked brown, which taped at 19″. My Diamondback two-weight had no problem taming the fish; review here.

I downsized my flies, and chose both smaller ones and lighter ones. For a good chunk of time, fish came to the net readily, each time taking a nymph as it swung up. More often that not, a slight pulse with the rod tip at the end of the drift (easy to do with a Euro rig) triggered a strike. Amazingly, all sorts of stonefly patterns were a bust; they usually do well for me.

The “hot fly” ended up being a size 18 Pheasant Tail with a silver bead. They wouldn’t touch nymphs with the black bead for some reason. The fish were keyed in on dark flies on the smaller side.

After a while, I took a break and pondered next steps. The action had stopped, and so, I moved to a new spot. Blanked. With the sun high and no bugs in sight, this was a typical mid-day lull that I find on some bright days.

For fun, I mustered some energy and drove a long distance to a river that I had not seen in a while. It was slow, but a good-sized rainbow took a leech fly. There’s a particular deep trough that tends to hold big fish where a big rock ends the run. The fish was holed up there. The river isn’t stocked, and so, I wondered if the ‘bow was wild.

After a lot of fishing and driving, I stopped for a snack on the way home. How can one resist a Cuban Sandwich and a cold beverage? Not I. I listened to podcasts and some of my favorite Spotify lists during the long drive. After a hot shower, it was time for some Bourbon and slow-melt ice to assuage the sore back.

It was modest volume today, but I’m OK with that. Sometimes the challenging days offer the most learning.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!