Brookie Fiesta

It's still running pretty high, but the La Plata is producing Brookies. It's running at 37cfs today according to the Hesperus gauge. At 60cfs like the last two times I fished it, it's damn near impossible to keep anything drifting slow enough to get their attention. If you use enough weight to slow it down you'll end up snagged. This time around we used big prince nymphs. Basically the flies in my flybox that don't really work for any fish more selective than Brookies. In the larger fish we gutted we found mayfly nymphs, midge larva, and a few worms. There were some little critters in there that were as yellow as a dandelion, and shaped like a midge. No idea what they were but they were small and I'm gonna try to tie some. It's kinda neat to see Brookies with so few different bugs in their stomach, when you explore the contents of their stomachs in mid summer contents include but aren't limited to: bottlecaps, lighters, cigarette butts, fingers, freshly minted coins and wrist watches. We spotted some pretty cool and semi-rare orchids of the genus Calypso and had Brookies for dinner each night, a fitting celebration to mark the return of "Brookie Season"

It was eating a Brook Trout that turned me on to fly fishing. Before this I thought fly fishermen were a bunch of fashion obsessed sissies with too much money. I still think that, but I have joined their sissy ranks because I find it enjoyable plus I do a lot better in moving water with flies. Oh well, paint me sissy.

Last but not least, here is a photo of the new Lake Nighthorse, I was at a client's place up above the lake the other day and snapped a few pics. I can't wait to start fishing it!