Less is more

“A lazy person will never find fulfillment and/or satisfaction in life. “

……….. And it is this disinclination that almost resulted in a day wasted. Part of me had just wanted to sleep in and do nothing so when the alarm rang, it was snoozed for another five minutes. Not sure why there is an option for such a short time. In those minutes, I did not get any more sleep and really, spent that moment contemplating on whether or not, to go. Logic set in. I would not have gain anymore sleep and would most likely be lethargic all day having only a few hours of rest. I would have been useless at home.

The day began late but there was no rush. Unlike other mornings where there is a tendency to speed along under the cover of darkness, the car crept on while I enjoyed the morning drive.

 It was great to actually see the sun rise. The morning had lured the deer out from the thick and there were a few turkeys strutting about.

It was a surprise to see only two cars ahead of me. I flipped a coin as to which direction to venture or rather which direction the others went, up or down.  To have the first few spots to myself was great but I had to wonder if I was fishing second water. No takes on a few different patterns. On the next run, I decided to lean back on a fall down and watched before flogging it to death. Sure enough, the breeze ceased and a few risers showed their presence.

They did not seem like big fish but then again, I have hooked decent fish that barely broke the surface during a hatch. There was a big temptation to tye on a dry but a soft hackle seemed like a better choice.

I made my way down the twisting creek and up ahead, there was car one. Minding etiquette, I ducked into the bush and squirmed my way below him. Curiosity got the best of me. The creek seemed void of much action and I was thinking that if this was the case for him, I would not invest anymore time or energy in this stretch and book back out to another access. Fate must have been looking down. Car one was a friend whom I had not been in contact with for over 6 months. Andrew and I caught up on life and laughs. He too had sporadic action. We decided to continue down as far as time would permit.

We would flip flop taking turns for first casts as we made our way. The action got better and more consistent as the morning grew.  Still, the big fish did not show. Perhaps it was not a day for them. We were now a few kilometers from the vehicles. Working a few of the more productive runs our way back proved to be entertaining. I am glad I did not allow laziness to set in. Seeing a creek healthy full of trout and catching up with a friend is so much more than getting a few extra hours of sleep.

Colours

There are those that only pursue big fish.  Small fish are bait to them. Small trout is an opportunity for me to break out the fly rod and challenge my abilities to read water and tye patterns to fool mother nature. Let’s admit, trout like any other fish can be easy to hook when they are in the feeding mood. But how successful can you be when they are not hungry or have become spooky and wary?

The other day, I set out with a good friend Tony for a morning of fly fishing for resident trout. Checking the evening prior, the conditions for fishing would say that we could be in for a challenge. The conditions for us would be nice. It was to be sunny, warm and no wind. I pulled up to the access first. Taking a quick walk over the small bridge, the air was cool and crisp but you could tell it would warm by mid-morning. Tony showed up minutes later. Sleep deprived but raring to take it to the trout. With only the morning to fish, we agreed to hit only the most productive runs.

Tony was a true gentleman and gave me the first run while he went up 50 yards to fish a small chute. I slipped on a weighted beadhead caddis I had tyed up on a no.10 scud hook. Should be a big easy meal for the hungry. Sure enough, with a few passes between two submerged boulders, I had my first resident trout for the season.

A nice little brook trout.

It would not be long after, Tony would strike his first resident for 2012. We would alternate drifting specific runs, plucking trout. It was not till we reached a run ( I dubbed to myself the “ boxcar”) where we started to see some vicious surface action. A very narrow but fast riffle running along a bush line. I was still getting hits on the BHCaddis however very tempted to switch to a dry fly. I had watched a trout come head over tail out of the water for a fly that landed on the surface. Tony was smart and quickly slipped on a big elk hair caddis dry.

First drift through the feeding lane and the fly was molested. I have yet to tire watching dry flies take fish off the surface.

“ DO IT AGAIN TONY!”............ And he did!

We worked our way downstream as far as we have ever gone in this stretch. The low conditions made the next bend less appealing. We decided to turn back and fish our way back to the access. On the last section (dubbed the “Wisconsin Flats”), we hit a double header. Small they may be but the colours are simply brilliant.

Our next trip together will need to be a full day (and then some). A few hours felt like only minutes shared.