Fly fishing, blue skies and a piece of heaven

A repost From last October: remembering a great fishing hole...

Found a great fishing hole up Beaver Creek. Looking for some resident coastal cutthroat trout. Generally they will be kind of small up here as we're a ways from the ocean inlet.

This will do! At first I had a pheasant tail nymph tied on and was practicing casting.middle of the day. Wind blowing. Not ideal fishing conditions. Or are they?

 

Practicing is the operative word when it comes to casting. With the bursts of wind in all directions I begin to feel like it would all just be casting practice. After snagging my nymph and losing it, decided to go for a dry fly. Looked like mayflies emerging but not sure. Chose a blue winged olive.

Practice, practice, practice. The water was clear and calm as glass. Or blowing in the wind. My fly lines fell in clumps. I watched the fly in the clear water, seeing where the currents would take it. Practice practice practice.

The blue winged olive.

A bit rusty with my casting, I just moved my arm and rod until they felt relaxed, at one. I thought, if I could just get this fly over to that shady spot by the bushes I might have a chance. If I could get my fly there.

Just as I exhaled and relaxed my little grey fly landed where I wanted it to. Whew, ok, casting getting better and then BAM! This little cutthroat hit this fly so hard I can still feel the hit.

I quickly grab my net from the back of my vest and pull the little guy in. It's not easy fishing, photographing, and releasing with just two hands. Most important is the fishes health and to get him back in the water. Forceps take the fly out (barbless of course) and he swims back to his friends.

After I let him go I spent the afternoon watching the wildlife. Saw a salamander swimming in the creek. Watched fish feeding and insects landing. Watched a small green inchworm swim along the creek then attach itself to a reed. Birds of all sounds were making a beautiful chorus. A crash in the woods behind me reminded me that there are large animals here. And the distant reverberation of a rifle reminded me that it is now deer season.

 

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