Fly fisherman don’t experience hope as a powerful emotion as much as a permanent character pathology.

Though the fly fishing’s been slow, we all know it could turn any minute, and if things pop into high gear when you’re at home and someone else is on the river, you’ll suffer the indignity of knowing you’re a lazy slacker, bereft of grit or staying power.

That’s how — despite a stretch of bad fishing on the Upper Sacramento River — Dave Edmondson and I found ourselves far upriver, fishing a section I rarely see.

Dave Edmondson on the Upper Sacramento River 
Sure, we didn’t catch any trout, but we looked pretty damn good doing it.

The results, sadly, were predictable; despite going "ugly" right away (I never touched a dry), neither Edmondson nor I made anything happen in the trout department.

This time, my pocket thermometer registered a chilly water temperature of 43-44 degrees (it was 47-48 degrees at the bottom end of the river).

That’s not an auspicious number, but then, I’ve seen trout eating BWOs in lower water temperatures, so the cold doesn’t excuse their lackluster performance.

Apparently, these trout aren’t grasping The Big Picture.

Damnit, I’ve got a blog to fill, and those slacking trout are denying me my Colorful Trout Photographs, or even fly fishing’s hoariest staple: the Puffed-Up Hero Shot.

Despite the non-cooperation of the trout, we’ll keep trying. Until then, see you on the river, Tom Chandler.

Blue Sky 

Posted in Fishing Report, Upper Sacramento and tagged , , , , , .