This isn t a TR or about how many and how big. Yesterday I went up
to the Mo. Their were heavy overcast clouds which floated around snow
capped mountains and cliffs. Not too cold and best of all ,there was
no wind !!

I timed the hatch well and was on the water around two. At times the
water was carpeted with 16-20 BWO s an incredible sight. The trout
weren t exactly on them and I think for the most part are attending to
"other" business in the local tribs. With most of the trout gone
the whiteys were in their ascendency and haveing a great time,
podding up and slashing the water. Kind of fun to watch , not so much
fun to catch . I popped and lost lens out of my prescription glasses
trying to wrestle a hook out of one of the squirmy buggers.

So the name of the game was to find some trout. I went up river
where the white fish tend to avoid as it s colder or more current or
who know s why . By this time it was around 6 and therre was a nice
hatch of midges on the water too. I stuck with my 16 olive tho. What I
saw were single occasional rises which I rightly took to be trout. A
lot on the bank, upstream of me.

And this is what made it a perfect day... sneaking up on these bank
feeders, throwing upstream casts , hugging the bank with good
execution and results. Usually there s too much wind to do this and
you slap the water or can t throw into the feeding lane or many other
wind associated problems that are beyond my casting abilities to
control.

OK, Ok . One fish story. I was coming back down the bank to the car .
It was pretty much over. I was still scanning the water and saw in
perfectly dead water off a foam line a little dimple. I quietly waded
out thru a parachute cast so fly had lots of slack into the current
above the foam line. The fly drifted into the dead water and
stopped. I watched waited about 15 seconds and again the little
dimple under my fly. I gently lifted and all hell breaks loose as
what would turn out to be a 21 1/2 inch brown took off into the
river. No jumps for this old boy! He just headed out into my
backing.....

I got him in measured him against my net and released. I big male
with a hooked jaw and lots of teeth. A fine ending for a great day on
the river.
MT