I waded my way upstream along the bank, sloshing through the knee-deep water. The sun was closing in on the horizon, casting a pale golden light across the banks of the river.
As I approached the section of river I was hoping to fish, I could see the tip of a fly rod waving around in the air, directing a line back and forth. Someone was already in the spot, but, with the sun starting to set, I figured they would be leaving soon. I wandered upstream a bit to check out a few other runs, and to bide my time while I gambled on the angler leaving the bar I wanted to access. My gambit paid off as the sun made contact and started to sink below the horizon. The angler occupying the spot worked his way across the bar and onto the bank. A few more casts and they reeled in their line and left.
I moved my way into the spot, casting my keiryu rod into the little pockets with the intention to find a rainbow. As the sun continued to drop, the golden light started to fade, and a small amount of caddisflies started to rise to the surface. The activity started to pick up a bit. Minute by minute more and more them started filling the air above the water until it was thick with a swarm of fluttering caddis. The fading light brought with it a new energy, and the surface of the water started exploding with trout aggressively chasing the emerging insects on their way up to join the swarm.
I felt a tug on the line, and swiftly pulled the rod to the side. The line went taught and the rod flexed, but just for a moment. The fish moved toward the center of the bar before diving into a current. I felt a strong wiggle just before the fish dipped into the flows. The knot I had tied couldn’t hold. The fish pulled it apart, and disappeared into the depths of the pool just below the riffles. I stood there for a moment, frustrated with myself. After realizing the hatch was still going and the fish were still feeding. I quickly tied on a nymph pattern and cast again into the water.
A few drifts and I was hooked into another fish. I knew where I messed up last time, and as the fish started to make its way toward the same spot that I had lost the last one, I changed hands and applied pressure to the other side in hopes to deter the fish from moving closer to that current. A few moments later, I had my catch in the net. A rainbow trout. The biggest one I had caught so far. I unhooked the fish and released it back into the flows.
I was excited to say the least. I often struggled on this river, and felt I was finally starting to understand it a bit better. With activity still high, I check my knot and cast once again into the flows.
It seemed like it happened so fast. The fly plopped into the riffles and tumbled its way down the rocks into the pool. Again, I felt a strike and wrenched the rod to the side. A small tug quickly turned into a forceful pull as the rod bent into a deep flex. The line whistled as it cut through the water while I tried to gain my footing. I lowered my stance to gain control, and after I felt I was in a good spot, I started stepping backwards to move further away from that one swift flow. This fish felt big, bigger than the previous two, and I wasn’t looking to give it any advantage.
After getting it out of the swift flows, I was met with the task of trying to get it to the net. With such a long rod, it was a bit difficult to get a hold of the line. I don’t know how I managed to grasp it, but after a moment I was able to put what would be my personal best rainbow in the net. I took a moment to admire my catch, take a picture, and release it back into the river.
After my heart rate returned to normal, and the jitters subsided, there was a moment of time where I didn’t move. Just stood there in the water while admiring the beauty of the river. The flowing water, the fluttering caddis, and the still active fish.
The hatch started to taper off as darkness crept into the canyon. It was time to go home. I waded out of the river, grabbed my gear, and turned on my headlamp for the walk back to the car. Just as I had gotten back to the lot, and was putting my stuff away, the moon started to peek over the hills. By the time I was on the way home, it was illuminating the sky with its presence, stealing away the stars that speckled the sky on my way out of the river.
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