Mikey2006
Well-known member
With this stretch of abnormally cool late summer weather finally keeping the water temps low enough to fish, I’ve been spending a ton of time on the Little J. Today I fished from 3:45 in the afternoon to 8:22 at night. Air temps in the70s and partly cloudy, calm weather made for perfect conditions.
I started on the lower river, pretty close to the mouth. I euro nymphed all day, with a size 16 waltz worm (3 mm bead) as my point fly and a size 16 pheasant tail (2.8mm bead) as my tag. Despite the fact that fish were rising literally everywhere I looked, I never altered this setup once. I didn’t need too. From the moment I started casting it was nonstop action all day.
After landing 12 fish, including a beautiful 16 inch brown, on the lower river I drove to the gorge at started fishing around 5:45. I caught fish here and there, some pushing 15 inches, before making it to the big riffle just below the second bridge. I hooked big fish every cast for a half hour straight from that riffle. I’ve never seen anything like it.
By the time I was done, it was so dark that I couldn’t see my sighter at all and my rod was barely visibly against the darkening backdrop. Getting out and walking back was a struggle but well worth it. I landed 15 in the gorge, 27 total for the afternoon/evening. 10 of them were over 15 inches, including two 17 inch brutes I caught after the sun went down. Absolutely unreal day, I’m sure it will be a very long time before I have another one this good.
The main key was fishing the riffles and pocket water. Not a single fish was caught from the slower runs and pools, every single one was sitting in just a few feet of water or less and in very fast current.
I started on the lower river, pretty close to the mouth. I euro nymphed all day, with a size 16 waltz worm (3 mm bead) as my point fly and a size 16 pheasant tail (2.8mm bead) as my tag. Despite the fact that fish were rising literally everywhere I looked, I never altered this setup once. I didn’t need too. From the moment I started casting it was nonstop action all day.
After landing 12 fish, including a beautiful 16 inch brown, on the lower river I drove to the gorge at started fishing around 5:45. I caught fish here and there, some pushing 15 inches, before making it to the big riffle just below the second bridge. I hooked big fish every cast for a half hour straight from that riffle. I’ve never seen anything like it.
By the time I was done, it was so dark that I couldn’t see my sighter at all and my rod was barely visibly against the darkening backdrop. Getting out and walking back was a struggle but well worth it. I landed 15 in the gorge, 27 total for the afternoon/evening. 10 of them were over 15 inches, including two 17 inch brutes I caught after the sun went down. Absolutely unreal day, I’m sure it will be a very long time before I have another one this good.
The main key was fishing the riffles and pocket water. Not a single fish was caught from the slower runs and pools, every single one was sitting in just a few feet of water or less and in very fast current.
