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Picture a beautiful day, 30 degrees, clear, calm. Small stream meandering through a series of beaver ponds. There are swirls of fish leaving the shallows as I approach-- I go from ninja crouch to super stealth commando mode. I observe for several minutes. No bugs in sight, but there are rise forms. This water holds a mix of browns and rainbows averaging 9-11 inches with a couple 'bruisers' going over 13".
Long story short, I tried 'em up high, down low, dry-dropper, 18 down to 22, midge dry, midge pupa, midge cluster, nada. Turned into a fish watching trip. Saw a bunch of deer and a grandaddy brown that went an honest 16 inches (huge for this particular stream).
I hate midges.... Wake me up when it's April. I'll be in my room drinking cold beer, tying mayfly and caddis creations and muttering to myself about damned diptera......
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Did that small stream happen to be the Super Secret Fishing Spot, up at the beaver dams just below that Super Secret parking area?
I've flyfished it before, but the water is clear and you can see them and they can see you and they are very finicky. I was standing in the middle of this beaver pond once when a HUGE bull moose came down the hill and down to the water's edge, only 15 feet from me. It stepped into the water, took a drink, ignored me and then turned around and went back up. Just about made me mess my pants I was scared he'd charge and I'd have nowhere to go, stuck in the middle of a beaver pond with heavy wading boots on my feet, water up to my waste and sticky mud at the bottom that slowed me down ever more.
I wish I had my camera that day!!!
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Midges are evil creatures. I still get frustrated with midge hatches because I still have not figured out how to catch fish on them. I also admire those who can. I guess that is why I fish the Weber more than the Provo. On the Weber there are midge hatches but the fish don't come up after them so I just keep on nymphing and catching fish instead of getting frustrated. But I occassionally get an itch to try to figure them out and go find a hatch with rising fish and get frustrated
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One words 28's 30's 32's. And cripples. At the end of the drift,pull them under and slowly strip in.
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Evil Ash: I haven't attempted tying anything smaller than a 24 I believe. I don't recall seeing alot of the tiny stuff around the shops-- do you know any place local that carries a good selection of midge dries? I'd like to see what works for me before I buy hooks and start copying.
I was kidding about hiding until april; I'm gonna figure out this hatch if it kills me (or frostbites the s out of my feet--dang waders are leaking).
BTW, 9 days nicotene free!
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You are right about that small in shops. I have seen 28's on rare occasion. When I worked for the local Orvis store here I tied all the 28's-32's and had several special orders. They do work. Ash should know, I am his supplier (flies that is[crazy])
We went up to the middle a few weeks ago and he forgot his reel, so I let him use my outfit while I experimented with some new patterns. Some worked real well, so they are keepers. He just had to cast and I tied on the flies for him and netted. He's spoiled!
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