ezpickins
Member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2007
- Messages
- 211
Weather: Sunny and Warm (too sunny)
Water Conditions: I'm not very familiar with normal conditions for the Little J this time of year - but it was flowing pretty good. But imminently fishable.
Hatches: A sporadic day-long hatch of very small light-gray mayflies (size 20 or 22-ish). I witnessed little surface action though (more about this below)
We fished in a few areas a little upstream of Spruce Creek without any action at all. Nymphed with many different patterns to no avail. As mentioned those tiny gray mayflies were coming off all day long, but never in large numbers (at least in areas where I fished). I won't attempt to give a name to these mayflies - but they had a light gray body and wing. Maybe these are what some refer to as Blue-quills, but they are not the P.Adoptiva brand blue-quills with a brownish or rusty body.
About 3:30 I happened to notice some action in a tiny side channel off of the main flow. There was a shallow riffle that dumped into the main flow, which was a deep run. Fish were zipping all around this riffle (backs out of the water sometimes) taking emergers (I'm assuming). I don't know how long this was going on - it was very hard to notice - the rest of the run was absolutely dead, no fish rising anywhere. It would have been very easy to miss.
I managed to hook one very nice rainbow (18" or so I'd guess)- but lost it after a a nice battle. I hooked it on a size 18 rusty colored compara-emerger. This was not a magic-fly however, no other fish would take it.
Hiked into the gorge at about 5:00, managed to catch 2 on a green, size 10, caddis larva (Czech nymph with orange hot-spot). Didn't notice any surface activity.
I can't comment on the evening rise - we left at about 7:30 PM (I know we should have stayed on the stream. but we were hungry and we had a long drive ahead of us).
The Little J did not give up her fish easily to us this day.
Sorry no pictures this time - my camera took a swim in the river.
Water Conditions: I'm not very familiar with normal conditions for the Little J this time of year - but it was flowing pretty good. But imminently fishable.
Hatches: A sporadic day-long hatch of very small light-gray mayflies (size 20 or 22-ish). I witnessed little surface action though (more about this below)
We fished in a few areas a little upstream of Spruce Creek without any action at all. Nymphed with many different patterns to no avail. As mentioned those tiny gray mayflies were coming off all day long, but never in large numbers (at least in areas where I fished). I won't attempt to give a name to these mayflies - but they had a light gray body and wing. Maybe these are what some refer to as Blue-quills, but they are not the P.Adoptiva brand blue-quills with a brownish or rusty body.
About 3:30 I happened to notice some action in a tiny side channel off of the main flow. There was a shallow riffle that dumped into the main flow, which was a deep run. Fish were zipping all around this riffle (backs out of the water sometimes) taking emergers (I'm assuming). I don't know how long this was going on - it was very hard to notice - the rest of the run was absolutely dead, no fish rising anywhere. It would have been very easy to miss.
I managed to hook one very nice rainbow (18" or so I'd guess)- but lost it after a a nice battle. I hooked it on a size 18 rusty colored compara-emerger. This was not a magic-fly however, no other fish would take it.
Hiked into the gorge at about 5:00, managed to catch 2 on a green, size 10, caddis larva (Czech nymph with orange hot-spot). Didn't notice any surface activity.
I can't comment on the evening rise - we left at about 7:30 PM (I know we should have stayed on the stream. but we were hungry and we had a long drive ahead of us).
The Little J did not give up her fish easily to us this day.
Sorry no pictures this time - my camera took a swim in the river.
