On Jan 8, 7:18*pm, Todd wrote:



It still beats working!


I'm retired from a job I enjoyed ... I've left slow fishing many times
over the years, actually preferring to get back to the fun at work.
Yep, I've been lucky G




A lot of guys in the local area carry thermometers. (Some
fancy ones too!) *Would you be one of these guys? *And, if
so, did not happen to measure the water temperature?



NO, although I've made many efforts, over the years, to over
complicate fishing, including thermometers, If I've got to get there
to measure the temp, I'm there ( doh) why not fish? I'm sure that
areas with greater seasonal variation, such as in the eastern US
would reward the tool ... I personally fish nearly all tail waters and
spring creeks with pretty damn uniform temps, all season.




Also, were your baetis mayflies metamorphosing from larva to
winged or were they laying eggs on the surface? *(I am
presuming one of these two as you said "rising".)



They were hatching .... they "have to be there" at the right time but
I've never noticed spinner falls on this river causing surface
feeding. These are sparse hatches and the fish "follow" the
nymphs up into a 'looking at the surface' feeding station as the hatch
develops. That is much different than 'looking up' much of the day
and thus noticing an ant falling in or sparse spinner fall that will
provide great fishing on rivers of a different nature.



And, if it is not giving away the farm, what pattern
do you use to imitate them?


#18 Gray Sparkle Dun .... the Blue Winged Olives I see in spring run
#18 to #20 and are gray winged grays, GWGs G A nymph/ emerger
such as a Model A emerger would work better, from my experience, in a
'real' spring baetis hatch ( in the areas I fish ) but that requires a
close approach to the fish, to fish effectively, that wasn't possible
so I compromised on a fly I could see and that might suggest a cripple
or struggling emerger



Sorry I took so long to reply, I didn't notice your post .... Google's
interface doesn't add a damn thing to my already minimal interest in
things ROFFian