TR- Best Laid Plans

I'm on vacation this week. Our plans were to go to far western
Wisconsin (from our home in central Wisconsin) Saturday night through
Monday morning to see if the Darth Vaders and Apple Greens were still
hatching. But reality interfered when both my parents came up ill. We
spent Saturday checking out their situation (they're o.k.... pretty
much). We drove home late Saturday night and found our Jack Russell
Terrier, Cosmo, unable to climb the back three steps when we let him
out to pee. This from a dog who delights in dancing on his hind legs
for treats. Sunday he deteriorated, at one point seeming to lose
control of his rear half and running a fever so hot it was
uncomfortable to hold him. After some aspirin he seemed somewhat
better that night, only limping on one leg. He seemed even better the
next day. Even so their was a vet visit scheduled for Tuesday.

With his condition stable and with the weather forecasts calling for
the possibility of the River getting too high to fish later in the
week (can't complain about that problem) I snuck off Monday to fish
until the rain forced me off the water. Looking at the radar before I
left, I figured that would be a couple of hours... tops.

I drove up to an improved section of the River. There are enough half
logs up there to side three or four faux flatlander cabins and, while
it can hold fish, it sometimes feels almost artificial because of it.
Nothing was happening when I got down to the water. No problems, tie
on a Pass Lake. First cast, a fish. Second cast, another fish. And it
kept on going like that. I waded downstream, catching enough fish so
that after a half an hour I felt safe to start playing around with
different flies. They all caught fish. Some better than others. The
fish seemed to be looking up and flies on or in the surface
outperformed sinkers. Damn the luck, eh? As time passed a nice early
Summer mix of bugs appeared on the water. Midges, caddis, BWO's, a
bigger #16 Olive and a mayfly thats been nicknamed the Darth Vader,
for its rather dark garb (black body/wings, white legs),
http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/481/Ma...ns-Darth-Vader
, a fly I'd never seen on the River before but that is well known on
the rivers nearer the Minnesota border.

Artsy brook trout and stream pictures follow:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3228a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3232a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3236a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3238a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3240a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3242a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3245a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3247a.jpg

I remain impressed by the Superpupa, the Swedish fly I'd found in a
Fly Rod and Reel article last Spring. The first fish I caught on it
that day was a small brown but it kept on taking fish until the little
Sith Lords became so numerous that I tied on a copy I'd stumbled
through at the tying bench in anticipation of the canceled trip to the
border rivers. That worked but no better (and maybe not as well) as
the #16 Pass Lake I tied on after I lost the Vader to an aspen.

Superpupa pics (and vid) follow:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3252a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3266a.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z36p7WQgQgM

A passing rain shower started me fishing my way back upstream. I had
probably put in 5 hours already and the frantic activity had stopped,
although there was enough action to keep it interesting. An emergence
of tan caddis responded well to some Pheasant Tail Klinkhamers. Later,
a bit of fast water had me tying on a Bivisible, which was ignored.
When I waded into the long piece of slackwater above the riffle there
were a couple of spotty rises. Time for a No Hackle or Elk and Caddis,
right? Well why not at least try a cast with the fuzzy Bivisible.

A long cast.

A long drift.

Slurp.

It had to be a fluke (well, actually it was a trout). Bivisibles are
for fast water only. I waded up to another ten or so fish on that flat
and every one fell to a long, dead drift from the Bivisible. Some were
landed. Some lost. None refused.

Bivisible fish and water follow:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3279a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3273a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../IMG_3277a.jpg

After that it shut down hard. While the intervening water is where I
take kids to catch their first trout on a fly rod, only a couple of
brookies fell to my flies in the quarter mile from the flat to my car.
I was tired. I had had to shorten my casts to keep from flubbing them
so badly that I couldn't untangle the resulting mess without snipping
off the tippet. Eight plus hours, dozens of trout, time to go home.

Right.

I passed my car and took a short cut up a small, spring fed streamlet,
through its founding bog covered with tiny blue forget-me-nots and
into an alder jungle so thick that it seemed to stretch endlessly
ahead. Finally some higher ground, then there was the River. My short
cut had only taken me twice as long as it would have to have waded the
same distance but surprisingly it took me right to where I wanted to
end up. With about an hour of daylight left I tried to match a sparse
hatch of Light Cahills with mediocre results. I started the wade back
to the car. There were rising trout, some of whom ate my flies. Again,
a Pass Lake drifted wet caught the most and biggest. In the final deep
stretch before the take out, casting to a couple nice risers, my Pass
Lake ignored, my Light Cahill spurned, I tied on a big bushy#12 Royal
Coachman Trude. For spite, mostly. And promptly caught two nice brook
trout.

That was it. Ten hours on the water and I was sore, thirsty and
hungry. I went home.

No pictures follow:
I was too damn tired.

Epilogue:

Tuesday's vet visit came, along with the dread of hearing the
diagnosis of Blasto in our ears. Cosmo was almost his old self though.
And the blood test came back positive... for Lyme's disease. Not good,
but treatable. Our other dog, Frodo, who had also been lethargic and
limpy a week ago (although nothing like Cosmo) goes in for blood work
tomorrow. But our lightened wallets will cancel out the short trip to
the Madison area we had scheduled to end our vacation. The so-called
invisible hatch* on BEC will have to wait.

So it goes.

GeoC

* Midges? Tiny floating nymphs? Cheese curds? Who knows...its
invisible to everyone but the fish. And its happening now.

On 2010-06-16 01:37:18 -0400, georgecleveland said:

Tuesday's vet visit came, along with the dread of hearing the
diagnosis of Blasto in our ears. Cosmo was almost his old self though.
And the blood test came back positive... for Lyme's disease. Not good,
but treatable. Our other dog, Frodo, who had also been lethargic and
limpy a week ago (although nothing like Cosmo) goes in for blood work
tomorrow.

When I first read the symptoms I thought Lyme desease. Jenny, our
Golden, had it last year. She was lethargic and couldn't follow us
upstairs to the bedroom. Take heart in that it is treatable and Cosmo
and Frodo should be back to normal soon.

Great report. I love catching brookies.

Be well.

Dave

Great report, but found myself scrollin' down, worried about the
hound. Glad things will be okay.
Frank Reid

On 15-Jun-2010, georgecleveland wrote:

m on vacation this week. Our plans were to go to far western
Wisconsin (from our home in central Wisconsin) Saturday night through
Monday morning to see if the Darth Vaders and Apple Greens were still
hatching. But reality interfered when both my parents came up ill. We
spent Saturday checking out their situation (they're o.k.... pretty
much). We drove home late Saturday night and found our Jack Russell
Terrier, Cosmo, unable to climb the back three steps when we let him
out to pee. This from a dog who delights in dancing on his hind legs
for treats. Sunday he deteriorated, at one point seeming to lose
control of his rear half and running a fever so hot it was
uncomfortable to hold him. After some aspirin he seemed somewhat
better that night, only limping on one leg. He seemed even better the
next day. Even so their was a vet visit scheduled for Tuesday.



Great TR
I am worried about your hound also?

Fred ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A DOG’S PLEA
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend,
For no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving
heart of
me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick,
For though I might lick your hand between blows,
Your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me
The things you would have me learn.
Speak to me often,
For your voice is the world’s sweetest music,
As you know by the fierce wagging of my tail when the sound of your footstep
falls upon my
Waiting ear.
Please take me inside when it is cold and wet,
For I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements.
I ask no greater joy than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the
hearth.
Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer
thirst.
Feed me clean food that I may stay well,
To romp and play and do your bidding,
To walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able
To protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.
And, my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health,
hearing
and sight,
Do not make heroic efforts to keep me going.
I am not having any fun.
Please see to it that my life is taken gently.
I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw
That my fate was always safest in your hands.

Author Unknown

On Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:06:48 GMT, "Fred"
wrote:


On 15-Jun-2010, georgecleveland wrote:

m on vacation this week. Our plans were to go to far western
Wisconsin (from our home in central Wisconsin) Saturday night through
Monday morning to see if the Darth Vaders and Apple Greens were still
hatching. But reality interfered when both my parents came up ill. We
spent Saturday checking out their situation (they're o.k.... pretty
much). We drove home late Saturday night and found our Jack Russell
Terrier, Cosmo, unable to climb the back three steps when we let him
out to pee. This from a dog who delights in dancing on his hind legs
for treats. Sunday he deteriorated, at one point seeming to lose
control of his rear half and running a fever so hot it was
uncomfortable to hold him. After some aspirin he seemed somewhat
better that night, only limping on one leg. He seemed even better the
next day. Even so their was a vet visit scheduled for Tuesday.



Great TR
I am worried about your hound also?

Fred ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A DOG’S PLEA
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend,
For no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving
heart of
me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick,
For though I might lick your hand between blows,
Your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me
The things you would have me learn.
Speak to me often,
For your voice is the world’s sweetest music,
As you know by the fierce wagging of my tail when the sound of your footstep
falls upon my
Waiting ear.
Please take me inside when it is cold and wet,
For I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements.
I ask no greater joy than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the
hearth.
Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer
thirst.
Feed me clean food that I may stay well,
To romp and play and do your bidding,
To walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able
To protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.
And, my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health,
hearing
and sight,
Do not make heroic efforts to keep me going.
I am not having any fun.
Please see to it that my life is taken gently.
I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw
That my fate was always safest in your hands.

Author Unknown


Thanks to everyone for their concern for the pups. Frodo checked out
negative and so we're going on the assumption that he is just getting
a bit of arthritis. A quarter aspirin a day and maybe some glucosamine
is his 'script. If we can get him to drop a couple of pounds that will
hopefully take a bit of pressure off his joints, too. Cosmo is back to
his old self, jumping up on the door to harass the mailman, dancing
and twirling for treats and barking through the window at the neighbor
cat who sits in its window glaring at him. Dog-wise, things are
looking up.

GeoC

"georgecleveland" wrote in message
...
I'm on vacation this week.

george, your tr's are always a blessed relief from the standard hog****
currently overwhelming this place.

thanks from
yfitons
wayno

On Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:46:57 -0400, "Wayne Harrison"
wrote:


"georgecleveland" wrote in message
.. .
I'm on vacation this week.

george, your tr's are always a blessed relief from the standard hog****
currently overwhelming this place.

thanks from
yfitons
wayno


Thanks Wayne. One of these Octobers I plan on making the trek down to
your neck of the woods. I really enjoyed the couple of days of fishing
I grabbed last April (2009) while visiting the mother-in-law in
Crossville. It left me hankering for more. Fishing that is. Not so
much son-in-lawing.

GeoC

On 6/19/2010 12:16 PM, georgecleveland wrote:
On Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:46:57 -0400, "Wayne Harrison"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
I'm on vacation this week.

george, your tr's are always a blessed relief from the standard hog****
currently overwhelming this place.

thanks from
yfitons
wayno


Thanks Wayne. One of these Octobers I plan on making the trek down to
your neck of the woods. I really enjoyed the couple of days of fishing
I grabbed last April (2009) while visiting the mother-in-law in
Crossville. It left me hankering for more. Fishing that is. Not so
much son-in-lawing.

GeoC


tailwater tennessee trout fishing is much different than rock-hopping
and clambering in the nc streams. judging from your winter ski treks,
i'd say you'll have no trouble fitness wise...and wayno can show you
hazel creek's best. i've just begun discovering the tennessee side of
the smokies, and there is a lot of good water in the area. the clinch
river sections i fished in May were fun and yielded some larger than nc
trout. good sulphur hatch and lots of rising fish... not something seen
on the nc side. danl has been exploring the eastern tenn. streams and is
a good source of info when you decide to head down that way again.

jeff

On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:24:21 -0400, jeff
wrote:

On 6/19/2010 12:16 PM, georgecleveland wrote:
On Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:46:57 -0400, "Wayne Harrison"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
I'm on vacation this week.

george, your tr's are always a blessed relief from the standard hog****
currently overwhelming this place.

thanks from
yfitons
wayno


Thanks Wayne. One of these Octobers I plan on making the trek down to
your neck of the woods. I really enjoyed the couple of days of fishing
I grabbed last April (2009) while visiting the mother-in-law in
Crossville. It left me hankering for more. Fishing that is. Not so
much son-in-lawing.

GeoC


tailwater tennessee trout fishing is much different than rock-hopping
and clambering in the nc streams. judging from your winter ski treks,
i'd say you'll have no trouble fitness wise...and wayno can show you
hazel creek's best. i've just begun discovering the tennessee side of
the smokies, and there is a lot of good water in the area. the clinch
river sections i fished in May were fun and yielded some larger than nc
trout. good sulphur hatch and lots of rising fish... not something seen
on the nc side. danl has been exploring the eastern tenn. streams and is
a good source of info when you decide to head down that way again.

jeff
Fished the Little River when I was down there. It was interesting and
fun. Sort of like a combination of Wisconsin small stream fishing and
mild Montana topography. Unfortunately an April snowstorm in the
mountains had put a halt to the Sulfur hatch that had been going on,
but I still managed a few fish on soft hackled wets (which, in size
22, had out performed the flyshop recommended Zebra midges on the
Clinch a couple days earlier).

I'll definitely be back.


GeoC

George,
On my return from Canada passed by Merrill Monday afternoon in a
blinding rainstorm. Did the rivers get blown out?
Thought about you. Are you planning on the Kickapoo with your
Wisconsin group this year?
Thinking about joining you. Keep me informed.
Joel