The casual observer might assume that catching fish was pretty much the point of fly fishing, but they'd be several degrees off true North. Getting skunked isn't fun – and more bigger fish is usually better than fewer smaller fish – but I love fly fishing for the places it takes me. Need a reminder about what those places look like?
Wayne Eng hooks up in paradise...With the Upper Sac nudging the 5,000 cfs mark, I was starting to look longingly at some of the local lakes. That's when Wayne called about a private pond he sometimes guided – it was time to see how it was fishing and since I was home and picked up the phone, I got to ride in on his coattails.
This is a small pond in a beautiful little valley near Mt. Shasta that's populated with a lot of 10"-13" rainbows - and a few bigger fish. (No, don't even ask. Call Wayne and maybe he'll guide you there.)
The fishing isn't what you'd call challenging, though the weeds and algae made landing fish a much tougher proposition than hooking them. I was fishing a fairly strong 8.5' 5wt Thramer hollowbuilt that handled the wind (and the weeds) with aplomb.
Not bothering to match the flying ant hatch, I tied on a #12 Beetle Bug parachute, which rarely sat on on the water for long before it became the object of a taste test. Wayne did just as well with a foam "Happy Hopper" so I'm guessing the precise pattern wasn't important.
This Beetle Bug Parachute gave its life so that I could live...Honestly, the biggest problem was keeping the fly de-slimed. The fishing was easy and I suppose this is what it used to be like a couple centuries ago – before people got too numerous and the fish got smaller and smarter.
Towards dark, I finally stumbled into one of the bigger fish in the pond; a 17" rainbow so fat it looked like a largemouth bass. It's hard to image a trout ever going hungry in this soup, and judging by the beer guts on even the smaller fish, none did.
Look at all that fat (and I mean the fish). [Wayne Eng photo]
Big fun? Hell yes. And the surroundings weren't hard on the eyes either.
Tuesday is the slaw dog cookout; expect pictures and full report – assuming Wally the Wonderdog doesn't find the hot dogs first. See you someplace beautiful, Tom Chandler.
fly fishing, fishing, beetle bug