Cows in your back cast

An upcoming move kept me housebound with chores for most of the holiday weekend but I managed to sneak out to my favorite little spring creek today to tangle with some brown trout. Terrestrial action should be heating up any time now and I was itchin' to see my favorite stretch to find out if anyone was lookin' up out there. The water was too stained to make fish spotting very easy and although there were plenty of ants out and about nothing was interested in my beetle and ant combo rig. I switched over to a streamer and moved a bunch of fish (a few GOOD ones) but couldn't get them to commit. They followed, flashed and short-struck every streamer in my box and I managed one fish in six solid hours of bank walking.


I hooked the fish from a high bank, and since I left my net at home, landing him was no easy feat. Wading in the stream is illegal and also impossible in most spots because of the soft mucky bottom. I must have looked pretty comical laying down in the grass with my head and arms out over the stream trying to reach the water without going in head first. I finally managed to grab hold of the fly and work it loose, but I was unable to get a pic of the fish. So you'll just have to take my word (and anglers never lie about fish size) that he was a nice 16 - 17 inch brown.

Later in the afternoon, I switched to a different stretch and had similar results. I saw a few fish and got them to move on the streamer, but no takers. I did get to hang out with the cows though - wonder why the water was dirty downstream?

Even though it was only a one fish day, the fish seemed active and hungry, so I'm optimistic about the summer fishing. Come on grasshoppers...