Unfortunately, haven't gotten out much this year. When I was able to get out I found the fishing to be bizarre at times or maybe I was just due for some shiit luck.
Wind, wind and more wind made fishing difficult to impossible many days. Then came the rains. Very welcome rain after a dry end to winter / start of spring. The stained high water ruined things for many but I timed things pretty well and didn't really have to deal with any stain.
Hatches were all over the map and baffling some days. I've seen choking clouds of caddis and fish responding to them. I've seen the water covered in green Drake duns not long after daylight and ver few fish eating them. As soon as the Drake duns stop hatching, fish were rising everywhere but there wasn't a bug on the water. When I would get to a pool and there were 10 fish feeding regularly, before I could even approach one, they would all stop. I would sit for an hour waiting for the fish to come back and they never did. I've seen a lot of 'one and done' feeders in my time but this year took it to a new level. I moved my boat so many times one day that both of my hands were open and bleeding from the anchor rope. Never could find a fish that was feeding regularly. Half of the fish I've caught this year on top were not the fish that I was casting to.
Went up to fish Hendricksons and saw very few. By that time the caddis were almost done in March browns had long since started. Go back a week later and..... hendricksons are back. The bad news is that the hendricksons are mixed with March browns, gray foxs, tan caddis, blue sedge, Cahills, big sulfurs, little sulfurs, green drakes, golden stones, yellow sallies, brown stones, cornuta and ISO.
For me it was a spring of bugs with no fish, fish with no bugs, fish that refuse to feed, high water or low water and lots of wind. Super frustrating and wonder if anyone else had noticed strange hatching sequence or less than normal behavior in the fish besides me. The spring seemed pretty normal or at least cool so the rivers didn't heat up too quick and they didn't get too blown out from the rain. I'm just baffled. Thank God bass season starts soon
Wind, wind and more wind made fishing difficult to impossible many days. Then came the rains. Very welcome rain after a dry end to winter / start of spring. The stained high water ruined things for many but I timed things pretty well and didn't really have to deal with any stain.
Hatches were all over the map and baffling some days. I've seen choking clouds of caddis and fish responding to them. I've seen the water covered in green Drake duns not long after daylight and ver few fish eating them. As soon as the Drake duns stop hatching, fish were rising everywhere but there wasn't a bug on the water. When I would get to a pool and there were 10 fish feeding regularly, before I could even approach one, they would all stop. I would sit for an hour waiting for the fish to come back and they never did. I've seen a lot of 'one and done' feeders in my time but this year took it to a new level. I moved my boat so many times one day that both of my hands were open and bleeding from the anchor rope. Never could find a fish that was feeding regularly. Half of the fish I've caught this year on top were not the fish that I was casting to.
Went up to fish Hendricksons and saw very few. By that time the caddis were almost done in March browns had long since started. Go back a week later and..... hendricksons are back. The bad news is that the hendricksons are mixed with March browns, gray foxs, tan caddis, blue sedge, Cahills, big sulfurs, little sulfurs, green drakes, golden stones, yellow sallies, brown stones, cornuta and ISO.
For me it was a spring of bugs with no fish, fish with no bugs, fish that refuse to feed, high water or low water and lots of wind. Super frustrating and wonder if anyone else had noticed strange hatching sequence or less than normal behavior in the fish besides me. The spring seemed pretty normal or at least cool so the rivers didn't heat up too quick and they didn't get too blown out from the rain. I'm just baffled. Thank God bass season starts soon
