3wt7X
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2008
- Messages
- 704
I fished the Savage yesterday, with a good friend that is just getting started on fly fishing. It was an introductory trip for him to the Savage, and he did quite well for just learning the sport. The water conditions were low (40cfs) and the stream had some color to it. I believe the color may have been from the Didymo, but I am unsure. As far as hatches, a lot of quills, some midges, some dark brown caddis, ants, beetles and a few large hoppers. We started out in the pool below the first suspension bridge at about 0600 am.
While he was rigging up, I threw a few prospect casts in the large hole with a size 12 Cricket pattern, and I took two nice wild browns almost immediately. I worked with him for the vast majority of the day, explaining pocket water presentations, and showing him how to fish a dry dropper pattern behind the boulders. He took his nicest wild brown, a skinny 12 incher within an hour of us starting. We moved down stream a little ways and the fishing got a little tougher, as the day went on. We could not get anything to come up to our dries, and the takes were a little subtle on the dropper. I took a nice little brooky on a Elk Hair caddis and few more browns, as we worked that second stretch. I moved a very large trout, on a hopper pattern in some heavy pocket water, but the current tongue pulled the fly right out of its mouth as it nearly went airborn trying to eat the fly. At least, I know where he is for next time.
We finished down by the Savage River Road Bridge, and my buddy hit a 16 inch bow that swam up from the N. Branch on a pheasant tail nymph, which gave us quite a jump before breaking him off, then he hooked a 11 inch cuttroat on the pheasant tail, which he was able to land. Unbelievable, I've been fishing the Savage and N. Branch for 6 years and only caught one, and he goes fly fishing for the third time and gets one. I cannot complain though, I was able to complete my first grand slam, hitting a bow on a hopper and a second cutty on a nymph. Great day on a great river!!!
While he was rigging up, I threw a few prospect casts in the large hole with a size 12 Cricket pattern, and I took two nice wild browns almost immediately. I worked with him for the vast majority of the day, explaining pocket water presentations, and showing him how to fish a dry dropper pattern behind the boulders. He took his nicest wild brown, a skinny 12 incher within an hour of us starting. We moved down stream a little ways and the fishing got a little tougher, as the day went on. We could not get anything to come up to our dries, and the takes were a little subtle on the dropper. I took a nice little brooky on a Elk Hair caddis and few more browns, as we worked that second stretch. I moved a very large trout, on a hopper pattern in some heavy pocket water, but the current tongue pulled the fly right out of its mouth as it nearly went airborn trying to eat the fly. At least, I know where he is for next time.
We finished down by the Savage River Road Bridge, and my buddy hit a 16 inch bow that swam up from the N. Branch on a pheasant tail nymph, which gave us quite a jump before breaking him off, then he hooked a 11 inch cuttroat on the pheasant tail, which he was able to land. Unbelievable, I've been fishing the Savage and N. Branch for 6 years and only caught one, and he goes fly fishing for the third time and gets one. I cannot complain though, I was able to complete my first grand slam, hitting a bow on a hopper and a second cutty on a nymph. Great day on a great river!!!
