Yeah, I know it's been a while. I'll make this one short.
I last posted around mid August with a question on when to set on a dry fly take. I also asked Uncle Jack for absolution for fishing with bait on a boat rod for about 20 minutes during my Baja Boondoggle trip in June.
The San Juan, for those of you who don't know, is a trophy trout stream in northern NM, where the 'bows average 17". Almost everyone there indicator fishes because that's the style of fly fishing that will bring the most fish to hand.
Alas, Uncle Jack, I did start out by indicator fishing. In the afternoon of my third day, after lunch, I walked back to the river and bushwhacked through some cattails. As I hit the water, there in front of me was a shallow riffle of no more than 10 inches deep, and I could see about 7 large trout holding to the side and below the quickly flowing water.
My heart raced as I tore off the damned indicator and tied on a large hopper. I had a grab on my first cast and promptly struck too fast. My fly pierced only water.
Then I remembered what Ed Kelleher had written to my query, that the guides in New Zealand tell their clients to say, "God save the Queen" before setting.
Three casts later, I had another grab, shouted out "God save the Queen" and found myself with a nice 18 incher on the end of my line. I took 2 more out of that riffle. Thanks Ed.
I continued doing the dry thing all afternoon, with a variety of dries, and landed more fish in the main channel. (Don't tell anyone in the American Bobicators Society or they might recall my membership.) I gotta say, that was a lot of fun.
On my last morning I found a spot where fish were rising all around me. However, despite my attempts to use every dry in my box, only one small (14"
jumping brown was hooked and landed.
Uncle Jack, I resisted using an indicator or even dropping a nymph from my dries. Am I granted absolution?
AB
Favoured: 0
