TR: Low water streamer tactics and other stuff.

After bashing away at Whitemans and the mddle Grand, I wanted to have
a shot at the upper part so after a brief stop at the ER (not for me)
I headed off for Inverhaugh.

This stretch has some nasty banks to climb down, real neck breakers,
so I've tended to avoid it after taking a very nasty tumble about
eight years ago. I make one obligatory stop each year, trying to pick
a dry day to make the descent. The bank is lethal after a rain --
basically a 40', 45 degree or more, descent over limestone, tree
roots, and clay. Nice surprise -- MNR and the GRCA has install three
sets of galvanized steel steps. Not only have they installed steps
but a very clever tread design prevents skidding when traversing them
with studs, while at the same time, preventing the studs from catching
and sending you arse-over-tea-kettle down them.

I'm aching to give the trout spey a good workout but the water is
worse than Penns, very low and gin clear. Ugh! I tie on the same
diving caddis that took the Whitemans brown but after 20 minutes
without so much as a sniff, I head back up the steps to the car to
fetch the four weight. I have the forsight to stick my small streamer
box and the spool with the clear intermediate in my vest. No real
plans, just one of those hunch thingies.

Inverhaugh also has some pleasant memories as it was the scene of my
first major flyfishing success as I landed my first 20"+ brown there.
The river has changed a bit but funny enough, it's still a spot for
big browns. The river is divided by a large island and I'm fishing
the south channel. I've nevver caught anything in the north one so I
concentrate on the other despite it being the smaller of the two.
It's about the size of Penns at Ingleby.

Nothing is coming off and there are no rises except for one big one
roughly where I caught my first big one. There's also a big commotion
as a large brown herds minnows agains the bank in the frog water at
the back of a small bay. Almost every trip there I see this action
and I've tried targeting them but with zero results. It's an 80' --
90' cast to the back of the bay from where I'm standing with a load of
loon **** to traverse to close the gap. The bay shoreline is tree
lined and brush filled so that isn't a great option either. I ignore
the commotion and concetrate on the rise. I through the fly box at it
and even resort to a half hour walk on the Dark Side with zero
results.

Sometime back, maybe be five or six years ago, I planned some low
water streamer tactics involving mini-streamers in natural tones, and
a clear intermediate line. The idea was to huck this out at a
quartering downstream angle to ensure the fly would be the only thing
the fish saw. I'd use fine tippets and move the little streamer fast,
offering the fish little chance to give it the once-over. Me being
me, I went out and bought the spool, the line, and tied up bunches of
flies then off I got to abject failure.

While I've had good success with streamers in clear, slow water
against smalies, brookies, landlocks, pike, and even steelhead; browns
+ slow, clear water have always been my nemisis. I had no plans to
use the spool or the streamers that I've brought but the penny drops
so I decide to have another go at low water, brown hunting.

I start at the head of the run and the first cast picks up a dink -- a
good omen as I had been skunked. Working down to where the bruiser
lay, after a few casts I get a big swirl and a good solid thunk, but I
miss him. ****! At least I'm getting some action. Move upstream to
another run and hook up a nice fat 14"-15" fish and I have him on for
a half minute or so before he was LDR'ed.

Move around the point of the isalnd to work the north chaneel.
there's an overhanging tree with about a foot of water -- I pop in a
cast. As it sails out, my left hand drops the line. As the fly lands,
a modest size fish slashes out it jsut as I'm fumbling for the line.
Oh well, next riffle.

Nothing, nothing, nothing. Then as I work my way past the half-way
point, I cast out across the run into some frog water, next to a
boulder, at the mouth of a creek inlet and after a couple of strips
getr a smashing hit, but no hookup -- the life of a streamer
fisherman. Big fish try to hoover in little fish but they can't suck
up a fly on a taut line.

Down to the base of the island where the currents converge, I pop a
cast into where two foam lines join and after a few strips, I get a
brief hookup on what probably was a massive fish. When the hook pulls
free a moment later, I get 40'+ of line square in the kisser.

Finished off the day watching small carp make head 'n' tail rises for
duns -- tried but couldn't get one to take but no luck.

So went the day.

Peter

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