TR - Attn: DDFS swappers - a pretty good day

Supposed to meet Neil, Dave and a bunch of others at Caledonia. Dave
showed, one other showed, Neil and the rest were AWOL. Apparently at
a "secret spot". OK - next time . . .

Well, here's the abbreviated version for those in a hurry - went 2 for
7 steelhead and a whole bunch of hits from steelhead and little fish.
Lost a fly line on a fish and later recovered it. All of the action
was on the brown trout weamer. DDFS swappers take note.

There's one spot downstream of the dam in Caledonia where the current
slows, it gets a bit deeper, and lots of fish like to hold there.
Nymphing it is a bitch for two reasons: I don't like nymphing and
there's no defining run, just a large expanse of slow water.

Swinging flies has always been frustrating because I could never get
the dpeth right. It was sailing over their heads or hanging up on
bottom. Finally today, I got it right.

It's also a bitch to spey cast as you're waist deep -- the deeper you
wade the worse the casting. However, spey is best as you need
distance -- 80' casts are OK -- longer would be better. Like I said,
it's an expanse.

Had some big hits and little hits at first. Easy to tell hits from
bottom as this is such slow water, the bottom never pulls back.
Finally fish on - fish off. Friggin' clapper fish again. Swing some
more, big hit, bigger swirl, biggest fish -- whoo boy, fun, swirl,
run, head shake, swirl some more. POOF! Gone. So is my recently
acquired Norwegian Guideline 10/11 wt. shooting head that Neil just
gave me last week. The butt end loop looked a little chintzy but
since this head had already survived use in Norway and Neil's delicate
attentions, I figured it was OK. Wrong. I'm now standing there with
10" of running line protruding from the reel and an empty braided loop
wagging its accusing, ragged finger at me. Ten friggin' more inches
and I would've had the loop on the reel.

Worse, I've lost my only T-3 Polyleader with it and it's the only
sinking leader that works in this run.

Back to the car and my other line for this rod is . . . at home. I
choose the next best alternative, put on an intermediate Polyleader
(after losing two flies on two consecutive casts using a heavier one.)
No fish. Half an hour later, there's weight on the line. I lift the
rod and there's this bright blue stuff at the end of the line. My
Guideline!!! The fish is no longer on the end and luckily the
Polyleader hung up on the bottom so the line didn't float away
downstream. The end of the tippet was abraded so the fish clearly
sawed off the fly after breaking off my fly line. Wound it up and
stuffed it in my pocket. Put the T-3 Poly back on.

After a few more drifts, fish on again and off again. At least this
one stayed on for a while. Swing some more, fish on . . . and
landed.

http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/caledonia-4.jpg

For those who where wondering, the handle of the rod is 26 1/2" long.

After some more hits and some more hookups I land a buck that's a
couple of pounds heavier than this hen. In the process of me trying
to lift the fish so Dave can get the grinning doofus shot, the fish
slips out of my hand and away to freedom. No photo but my hands smell
of fish.

Stop for lunch. Bump into John the Grindstone Angling owner.

Inform John, the Grindstone owner with two clients, where he can find
some fish.

Twice. EG

Go back for some more, had some hits and lose one more after an
impressive aerial display of four or five jumps that cleared the water
by the fish's entire body length, including a head-over-tail
cartwheel.

Can't wait to see Neil and tell him about the loop. I wonder how
things went at the "secret spot"?

Who needs it.

Went back to John and told him where he could find some fish . . .
again.

Drove home, still can't wipe the grin off.

Peter

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