Now that the Shokuryoshi Experiment is wrapped up, and we're coming closer to the end of the calendar year, I figured it's time for a look back on the season and the fishing from this year!
We didn't have as much snow (at least I don't think we did) as in the previous year. The rivers seemed to mellow out a little sooner. But we did have a pretty hot and drawn out summer. I want to say that the best fishing I experienced was in the month of September. August had a better catch rate, but I got out more in that month than I did in September. I feel if I were to get in a few more sessions, the numbers would say different.
May was another highly productive month, and a great way to start the season off. The flows were a bit high, even on the local creek (I didn't even try to fish the river), but I was still able to find fish pretty consistently.
The heat seemed to set in early, but I was still ale to get a few good days on the river after runoff mellowed out and the flows came into a range where it wasn't treacherous to fish.
With the heat setting in I experimented more with the keiryu rod, as well as adding weight into the system while fishing with the tenkara rod. I'm now seeing how much of a difference it can make, and how effective different forms of nymphing can be.
The heat seemed to carry on for months. At least, that's what it felt like. When some cooler weather settled in at the end of September and in October, I took every advantage I could to get out and try to put a few more fish in the net.
All said and done, I think the fishing this year was pretty good. Of course, I didn't get out as much as I would have liked, but I don't know if I ever would. Regardless, I enjoyed my time on the water.
