The Homewater Turnaround

There's a certain point in December when my home water goes from fishing anywhere from pretty mediocre to downright terrible to fishing anywhere from good to "drop everything, it is on fire". That standard has changed over the years there, my favorite stream isn't at all as good as it used to be, but when it gets really good in late December I try to make time whenever I see a good bite window shaping up. The regular 40 fish days are gone but I can still get two dozen with maybe a big one or two in a couple miles of water if I'm on top of my game.

The two big factors determining when a late December bite window is likely are rainfall and air temperature. Both impact shelf ice, and that's the one thing that hampers a good bite most severely. If the fish are under shelf ice, you aren't getting to them. If there isn't shelf ice, if the water is a little stained after a rainfall, and if there have been some great than 40 degree days in the last week, I know I can expect good action. Tightline nymphing is the game and rarely ever is it necessary to use anything other than a Walt's Worm or a BH Hare's Ear Soft Hackle. My near eidetic memory of where each fish I've ever caught in this stream was sitting also keeps me in the game. The population density is low, catching a fish every 20 yards would be incredible, the water is dynamic and the fish spooky so it is all too easy to make a mistake in a critical prime lie and blow the chance. The first drift can be a throwaway but the second better not be, and if you think you can just stand upright right next to a run to fish it you are sorely mistaken. My home water is, on paper, the sort of stream that doesn't demand a very stealthy approach. And yet it is the stream that taught me everything I needed to know about approaching a trout's lie.

On the 16th conditions lined up, and though it was a little bit on the early side, I went knowing I'd likely catch fish. This buttery fellow did not dispute:

I fished three flies this day, two at a time. A sz. 12 Walt's Worm was always on, a sz. 14 Frenchie and sz. 14 BHHESH took turns as the dropper. Here are the tallies:
Walt's: 6
Frenchie: 0
BHHESH: 1
That's a pretty typical distribution on my home water. A large BHHESH on the point would probably ave done about as well as the Walt's though. I can attribute my first 40 trout day to that fly, on this very water in 2011. I could still point out where each significant fish from that day was lying.

Until next time.

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

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