TR --- Russell D's River ---late July '09

While fishing the Avenue of Giants, I met a couple young men with good
angling skills, and fun attitudes to boot. Soon we had a friendly
competition going, as the finny Avenue residents mostly scorned all
our efforts. As we passed each other several times over a couple
hours I learned that they were ski bums currently living in D____,
young men intent on getting the most fun out of their youth
( applause).

Naturally I tried to steer the conversation towards a spring creek in
that area.

Soon I had directions to a couple accesses I'd never heard about.

Partly because the drive is one of the most beautiful anywhere and I
wanted Barb to see it, we headed over to the creek a couple days
later.

It turned out we had been sent to be a very nice stretch of water very
similar to the flat water sections of the Ranch. We were treated to
a very strong PMD hatch, as well as several other bugs, and lots and
lots of rising fish Fish that were just the right degree of not "too
easy" to catch. It was a nearly perfect situation.

I managed to do well, a fish every few casts, including a couple very
nice Cutts, and on a variety of dry patterns. But Barbara was
struggling and getting frustrated, surrounded by fish, that seemed to
mock her efforts. They were spooky and she spent a lot of time
casting to where a fish had been before she scared itG. When, I
tried to instruct on presentation and show her how, I caught two good
fish in two casts. The second one turned her face to a ticked off
scowl and it was clearly time to find a new tactic for helping G

Therefore, I started looking for an approach she could make work.
Soon I found that a #18 Sawyer's PT hung under a Sparkle Dun took fish
on a very regular basis, nearly every cast. I helped her get
rigged and although she still had trouble believing the nymph strikes
in time as well as getting her flies near where fish were still
working, she started connecting. I encouraged her to move along
slowly covering new, unspooked, fish instead of vacated fish spots and
soon she seemed to have a very good time.

In fact I think she enjoyed the day more than any other in her first
season as a flyfisherlady, both because of having success and because
it's such a lovely, lovely, river. Also, we were essentially alone
the whole time. Several times in the summer she had mentioned that
she didn't like being around other anglers ( especially on the Ranch,
with it's fancy reputation) because she felt 'pressure" to look good
( heah, we all understand that, sometimes ). This day I gave her a
little help then let her go off to tackle the problem at her own
speed.

It was a good approach until the afternoon wind came up and she
tangled her two flies and leader badly. I took her rod, gave her
mine ( which she hated ) and re-rigged for her after I found a place
to sit in the high grass on the bank for the ordeal. By the time
her rod was ready again the wind had grown to gale and it was time to
leave ... far better to quit on a good note.

We stopped at an upscale super market in D____ ( it's hard to imagine
just how old poor produce gets after a couple months, each summer )
and went wild buying goodies not available at the stores in West
Yellowstone. It was a great day.

BUT,

upon getting home I noticed that I had left a big, expensive, C&F
waterproof fly box on the bank that last place I sat to re-rig Barb's
outfit. The box, alone, was over $100 and it probably contained 250
flies! The next day was a Saturday and we both felt it highly
UNlikely anyone would find the box, since I had gone well away from
where fish were working to sit and fumble with tackle and the grass
showed no sign of a path near the spot.

We went back Monday, both certain we could walk right to the box.
We looked and looked, but never found :-( However, we did get
treated to another good hatch and some quality fishing. Not as good
as the first day, but still damn good.

Barb and I were just talking 1/2 hour ago about next summer. She
does want to join me again, and she DID mention wanting to visit
Russell D's River again



I don't have any pictures, that I can find, of the two days ... sorry,
but I bet it looks a lot like you rememberg .... thanks again
Russell ... the place is now, officially, on my list of regulars and
most loved

On 02/08/2010 07:14 PM, Larry L wrote:

While fishing the Avenue of Giants, I met a couple young men with good
angling skills, and fun attitudes to boot. Soon we had a friendly
competition going, as the finny Avenue residents mostly scorned all
our efforts. As we passed each other several times over a couple
hours I learned that they were ski bums currently living in D____,
young men intent on getting the most fun out of their youth
( applause).

Naturally I tried to steer the conversation towards a spring creek in
that area.

Soon I had directions to a couple accesses I'd never heard about.

Partly because the drive is one of the most beautiful anywhere and I
wanted Barb to see it, we headed over to the creek a couple days
later.

It turned out we had been sent to be a very nice stretch of water very
similar to the flat water sections of the Ranch. We were treated to
a very strong PMD hatch, as well as several other bugs, and lots and
lots of rising fish Fish that were just the right degree of not "too
easy" to catch. It was a nearly perfect situation.

I managed to do well, a fish every few casts, including a couple very
nice Cutts, and on a variety of dry patterns. But Barbara was
struggling and getting frustrated, surrounded by fish, that seemed to
mock her efforts. They were spooky and she spent a lot of time
casting to where a fish had been before she scared itG. When, I
tried to instruct on presentation and show her how, I caught two good
fish in two casts. The second one turned her face to a ticked off
scowl and it was clearly time to find a new tactic for helping G

Therefore, I started looking for an approach she could make work.
Soon I found that a #18 Sawyer's PT hung under a Sparkle Dun took fish
on a very regular basis, nearly every cast. I helped her get
rigged and although she still had trouble believing the nymph strikes
in time as well as getting her flies near where fish were still
working, she started connecting. I encouraged her to move along
slowly covering new, unspooked, fish instead of vacated fish spots and
soon she seemed to have a very good time.

In fact I think she enjoyed the day more than any other in her first
season as a flyfisherlady, both because of having success and because
it's such a lovely, lovely, river. Also, we were essentially alone
the whole time. Several times in the summer she had mentioned that
she didn't like being around other anglers ( especially on the Ranch,
with it's fancy reputation) because she felt 'pressure" to look good
( heah, we all understand that, sometimes ). This day I gave her a
little help then let her go off to tackle the problem at her own
speed.

It was a good approach until the afternoon wind came up and she
tangled her two flies and leader badly. I took her rod, gave her
mine ( which she hated ) and re-rigged for her after I found a place
to sit in the high grass on the bank for the ordeal. By the time
her rod was ready again the wind had grown to gale and it was time to
leave ... far better to quit on a good note.

We stopped at an upscale super market in D____ ( it's hard to imagine
just how old poor produce gets after a couple months, each summer )
and went wild buying goodies not available at the stores in West
Yellowstone. It was a great day.

BUT,

upon getting home I noticed that I had left a big, expensive, C&F
waterproof fly box on the bank that last place I sat to re-rig Barb's
outfit. The box, alone, was over $100 and it probably contained 250
flies! The next day was a Saturday and we both felt it highly
UNlikely anyone would find the box, since I had gone well away from
where fish were working to sit and fumble with tackle and the grass
showed no sign of a path near the spot.

We went back Monday, both certain we could walk right to the box.
We looked and looked, but never found :-( However, we did get
treated to another good hatch and some quality fishing. Not as good
as the first day, but still damn good.

Barb and I were just talking 1/2 hour ago about next summer. She
does want to join me again, and she DID mention wanting to visit
Russell D's River again



I don't have any pictures, that I can find, of the two days ... sorry,
but I bet it looks a lot like you rememberg .... thanks again
Russell ... the place is now, officially, on my list of regulars and
most loved


Awesome, Larry. Thanks for sharing that. I'm so glad you caught it on a
good day. The last two times I've fished it I've only landed a couple of
fish. It can be like that. You ought to try an float it next summer. It
can be a pain, but if you let me know when you'll be there I can help
arrange with some trustworthy help in moving vehicles.

That river is where I learned to fly fish and will always be dear to my
heart. I'm curious where you fished. My email address is good if you
don't want to share with the world.

Thanks again for sharing that. Makes me what to go home.

Russell