I performed a software upgrade this morning, so if you notice anything weird about the Underground (outside of the words, pictures and general attitude) then let me know.
I received an update from the Underground's Montana Correspondent (mysteriously known only as Sully) about the fishing prospects in that trout-infested part of the country. Sooner or later we'll train our operative to make his own posts, but for now, enjoy his report:
There are Salmonflys on the Sully Agenda too. I floated 18 raging river miles yesterday and the fishing was as expected for Rock Creek in June -- fast and furious. About bloody time. Skwala fishing was washed out this year. The usually predictable March Browns MAY have emerged, but then again maybe they decided to mate underwater and spare the perilous trip up through muddy torrents. The local rivers are now actually running a bit below long-term annual medians. The big bugs are out = life is good. Of course one experiences the occasional Nagafuki surprise (ED:
note the gratuitous Bud Light reference) - a life-threatening, portage-inducing, cross-channel log that necessitates a heroic, Lewis and Clark memorial raft pull. It's all part of the Rock Creek experience!
Rock Creek runs hard. It is famously ideal rainbow trout water and used to be packed with 10 to 12-inch rainbows. The biotic disappointment this year is how few rainbows and their cutt-bow cousins are left. Yep, whirling disease. The river is wall-to-wall brown trout now. We did manage to land a handful of cutt-bows (one beautiful specimen/fuzzy picture possibly to follow), but they comprised an extremely small percentage of what ate the dry fly. Could be worse, but I miss the silver fish.
Because I must continue to slave over a hot keyboard for the betterment of my bank account, I have nothing new to report on the piscatorial front. Upper Sac flows have fallen below 2700 cfs, and though the weather has been cooler, I'm still hoping it represents what we in the marketing world call a "trend."
I leave you with an Underground Zen Moment; a recent picture of Wally the Wonderdog on a hike. I wish most of the fish I caught were as big as the Wonderdog's tongue... See you through the flatscreen monitor, Tom Chandler.
A face only the LT Nancy could love.