First day of Spring

Headed up to Bear Creek with my buddy Mark to try our luck on the first day of spring.  We had a sunny and warm day with just a hint of a breeze and the water around 40degrees.  I start the day around the parking lot and Mark heads upstream a ways.  We work our way upstream over the next hour or so with no action to speak of between the two of us.  After talking about the poor fishing for a little bit we decide to head to South Boulder Creek to finish off the day.

We get to South Boulder Creek around 1:30pm with a packed parking lot and a little more wind than earlier.  The flows were back up to around 90cfs and providing a few more areas for the fish.  I figured with the increased flows the mysis shrimp would be a good pattern to start out with trailing a BWO.  I start at a hole I have had good luck at before and sure enough, second cast in I have landed a nice little brown on the mysis to start off.  I work myself downstream a little casting behind a couple boulders but only manage to get a sniff from one fish on the BWO.


I walk downstream to find Mark and see what kind of luck he has had.  No fish to speak of for Mark, but we take a little break and then get back to it.  I find a nice section where I can see multiple fish feeding on the surface.  I take off the mysis and put on a midge and start casting out.  After fifteen casts I finally get one to take the BWO and I have landed my second little brown of the day.  I can still see fish feeding on the surface so I keep casting to the area.  I get a lot of movement towards the BWO but the fish just wont take it.  I switch up the midge pattern a dozen times but still can't get anything to take it.  I fish this area for about a half hour and manage to get three or four hits but for whatever reason I can't get the hook to set in the mouth.  I pick up and find Mark again, who had worked his way downstream and back.  I take a little break and Mark fishes the hole I just got done with and manages to land a little rainbow on a BWO in no time.

I walk upstream a little to an area with a big slack water pool between a couple huge boulders to finish off the day.  Once again I get three hits on the BWO, where I can see the fish take it, but when I go to set the hook, I just seem to be pulling it out of its mouth.  To finish off the day I head back to where I caught my first fish and try it again.  Nothing!  I walk up to the hole to see if there was a fish and sure enough I spook out a fish as I approach.

We call it a day around 4:00pm and head back to the car with a total of just three little fish for the day.  That being said, it was a beautiful day to be fishing with a buddy.

Rod:  Iwana 12' 6/4
Line:  Riggs Floating Line 12'
Flies that Worked:  BWO, Mysis Shrimp