Patience + Observation = Discovery + Problems Solved + NEW HOMEWORK

Today I went back to Slough Creek's Lower Meadow. Air was cool but the Sun was already up and sky was clear. It maybe the last summer day in my area. Traffic wasn't bad. I wasn't in a mood of "killing the creek!!" kinda. First of all my soul was taken by the ant incident so I was very fragile for the last couple days. Then I rather felt what might be the improvement, any more to learn about this creek, trout, and insects. Of course I had to catch some to regain my self-esteem as an angler and dignity as a human being!!

As I was walking, I felt something in my back and it this little Antelope buck who was staring at me. I bet he was protecting his girlfriends so I don't breed them!!
With the sunny weather and low water (lower than three days ago!), my prediction was slow. And I was right. Usually I walk around try various flies and rigs but today I followed what the creek would tell me as it held my soul. I sat down and waited for hatches and rising trout. yet sadistically to myself, I put myself at very tough spots. Some trout were rising but couldn't tell what insects on the surface. One can make a call "tiny midges!!", maybe it was...... Around noon, I started to see this cream mayfly and trout were feeding on them. Doesn't look like baetis, does it? And there's an expectation of Green Drake hatch......confusing. I think this is sulphur mayfly.

I gave up mirror-like flat waters and moved to riffles in early afternoon. That didn't mean riffles guarantee me catching trout. I tried several patterns back and force and the hit fly was Green Drake Sparkle Dun (though virtually no big Greens at that time). Anyway, the first trout on my brandnew ECHO EDGE was a nice one........I thought it was a Cutty with orange slashes but now looking back, it looks like a Rainbow? Cutbow? it didn't fight like Rainbow or Cutbow, just like tired Cutty.........

Nice fish anyway!

After this was totally a dog-day of summer. I walked down-stream and observed what trout were doing from high cutbanks. No rising but just cruising in various depth. I was tempted to do some sight-nymphing but it wasn't effective as I couldn't hide my silhouette and tossing my shadow to gin-clear water, nor practical because how I could land/net from high cutbanks?? I wasn't sure how to wrap up the day...........

Just around 5pm, I started to see some rises. I bet some Green Drakes were in the air very sporadically. I caught a little feisty rainbow. Is this all I get for today?

Then miracle happened!! What a lucky dude I was!! "Fishing God" rewarded my patience with another Flying Ant Mating Swarm at 6pm!!!! Now is the time to test my brandnew ant pattern that I completed last night!!!! I was standing on the high cutbank and could observe what trout were doing. One nice looking trout was darting, circling, and gulping every "meat" available. It was a typical sight-fishing situation. I cast my brandnew ant on its course and BANG-BANG-MAXWELL'S-Silver-Hammer!! I screamed "GOTCHA"!!!! Trout took it confidently.

Please be cooperate for a clear proof picture for my fly promotion!!!!

Fine fat Rainbow (with orange slashes??)......

Just one? I quit fishing though I still observed along the way back to my truck. I felt better as I found why I didn't do well on 7th and made a discovery to understand Slough and its trout better. Lower Meadow's holding pools have virtually no current (of course there is but you can't see until you cast) so trout can cruise around anywhere they want and feed in each direction = NO PARTICULAR FEEDING LANE, compared to typical freestone rivers. Same goes for flows of insects on the water surface. Insects don't concentrate in Lower Meadow as they do at seams, pockets, foam lines, etc of typical rivers. So casting to rings of rises doesn't work as trout are cruising around!! I bet this was what I got on 7th. One has to sight-fish here and cast just ahead of its course. If one can do this, fly patterns may not really matter.........

Sounds like a solution? Not really.......

Reason I came up to this discovery was because I was standing on the high cutbanks. It's not practical to fish from cutbank because one can't hide silhouette completely and how one can land after hooking? I was at the spot where I could get down quickly due to the erosion but other cutbanks are straight 6-8 feet high. Then again, it's just tough to observe what trout are doing from lower side of the creek.

How about my new flies then? That will be another post. No pictures taken yet either. I first work on tying instructions so I can sell them any time!!

Anyway, I got my soul back!! My skills and flies were not problems. It's just the special character of Slough and "Fishing God" let me understand in both kind and hard ways. I'm getting to know more about Lower Meadow and then just given a new homework........

I can't wait till fall mayflies are in full swing. In terms of fly-casting and mind & attitude adjustment, Lower Slough is the most technical!!!!