Spotting Rainbows in the Sun

thick rainbow

 

"You can observe a lot just by watching."

    -Yogi Berra

 

I went back to a river on the prairies to sight fish again. It is always easy to get up early and make the long drive there...it's a special river. In the morning I had two large fish on and lost both on their initial run. Then in a ten minute time span three fish ate my fly but no hook up. I checked my fly. It looked alright. Before I knew it the sun was high, it was noon and no fish landed. It was kind of a repeat of the bad luck I had last weekend on this river when I missed two biggies. Then I got a refusal on a fish that was cycling in a pool. I thought I was going to get skunked. But I hung in there. Sometimes enthusiasm and persistence can "turn the tide"...in fishing and elsewhere.

wide open terrain

I started heading downstream. I eventually walked along a eight foot elevated bank on the outside turn of the river. The sun was at my back and I could see through the water's surface for quite a distance. In short time, I spotted a fish just downstream in inches of water. I had to make a direct downstream presentation and feed line. You only get one shot at a fish this way. He ate it, no hesitation. I paused before striking so as not to pull the fly out of his mouth. Hook-up! The rainbow stayed on. My luck had changed.

I continued walking and in about thirty yards or so I spotted another rainbow in very shallow water...same scenario...same presentation...the fish committed...hook-up! Once again it stayed on.



A little further downstream the river broadened into a flat. A rainbow was creeping upstream thirty feet out in the skinny water. Like the others it was blind (sun) to my presence. I casted from the shore almost perpendicular to the fish. It tipped up and ate...hook-up!

Where I was fishing is wide open territory with little cover like bushes or trees. With the sun out you are fully exposed. The place receives a lot of angling pressure so the fish are skittish. They are always on the look-out for anglers, Osprey and Pelicans. If they see movement above, they are gone, gone, gone. Sometimes the early or late day shadow of a cliff can hide you but otherwise you have to use positioning and the location of the sun to full advantage to see fish before they see you. Then you have a shot at them. That's if you are sight fishing. You also got to go slow, stay low and you don't want anything shiny on you. If they see a flash...game over!

The place demands the best of me. That's why I keep going back.



burnt reservation church

 

Fly Fishing & the Power of Place

This weekend I fished two tailwater rivers out on the Plains. I hadn't been out in almost two weeks so I put in a lot of hours especially on Saturday. I walked many miles and spotted a dozen or so very good fish on my outings. Although I landed a few good ones I missed many more. Today I had two fish eat my offering on the surface only to have the fly slip out when I raised the rod tip. They were great rainbows...both in a foot or less of water. They were the best fish spotted all weekend.



On Saturday I fished a section of a river I call the "Canyon". I haven't hiked down in there in years. The river was higher than I expected and spotting trout was challenging. The spillway by the dam had water flowing over it. I've never seen that in August. Maybe the high wind was pushing water over it. 



spillway

When I was in the Canyon I found myself constantly looking around and especially up...way up. The place kept pulling my eyes off of the water. And the sound of the world was magnified: the rushing water, wind, the hawks above... it is the "Chant of Nature" (Thomas Moore). The canyon is a powerful place.



entering the canyon

driving home: storm clouds

More Trout Spotting on the Plains

"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm"
  --Willa Cather

This past long weekend (Monday) the weather report looked good: mainly sunny in the morning with a few clouds and then a chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon. So I planned another trip to a river on the prairies hoping to spot trout as I've had some success the past couple of weeks sight fishing. 




promising morning

I left early hoping to take advantage of the sunlight and blue sky. While driving out of the mountains onto the flats, I started to see a lot of water on the road (puddles) and in the ditches. It looked like there had been a downpour overnight.




old reservation gas station: closed

 

When I got to the river it was somewhat milky looking...not great for sight fishing. Clearly, the area had experienced heavy rain. As I hiked the coulees I started noticing deep mounds of hail in the shadowy crevasses. The ground was mushy and water was draining from everywhere into the river. I didn't look like the river was about to clear anytime soon. As I walked the bluffs I didn't see any fish. The visibility wasn't great. I did see some clouds of Trico mayflies hovering over the water but no risers below.




hail


When I reached the section I wanted to fish I spotted a pair of rainbows eating nymphs 2 or 3 feet below the surface on a current edge fairly close to the bank. They were quite active. A good sign. On occasion one would rise close to the surface. I dropped down to the water and fished a terrestrial pattern hoping to pull one up. No luck. So I climbed back up to my lookout point to see if they were still around. They were harder to spot this time. They had moved deeper and further out in the main flow. I said to myself, "rest the spot and return".


I hiked further upstream. Clouds started developing in the distance. Between the clouds and off coloured water, spotting fish became a real challenge. I felt I only had a chance if one was in very shallow water and near river's edge. I didn't see any fish upstream even though I walked the rim of the coulee and carefully scanned below. A territorial hawk kept buzzing me. It was unnerving how close he came to my head and the loud sound of him ripping through the air. I was spending more time looking out for him than for trout. Eventually I cowered and retreated, and decided to returned to where I had spotted the two rainbows earlier. They were still visible and feeding. I fished the same terrestrial pattern but this time with a nymph dropper two feet below. After all, sometimes you have to listen to "What the Trout Said" (Datus Proper). After a couple of casts, Bingo! My only fish of the day...but a good one. One good fish can make a day.

sight fished rainbow

I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring river sections I have never fished before and planning for future sight fishing outings. I spooked several fish in the grey light that I never had a chance to see. Several impressive wakes moved from the shallows to deeper water. They seemed big. The weather condition continued to worsen: menacing storm clouds came in along with rain and thunder. With the moisture and low light, life started spilling out all over the place. Huge deer appear from out of nowhere. Many large birds of prey began circling overhead: Osprey and Golden Eagles. I hung in there dodging hawks and lightening bolts but it never cleared. The place was simply full of life and energy. To be utterly spellbound by nature.. that I was. I have to go back there.






returning home: prairies to mountains