October Rains

The recent light rains have been very nice...love hearing the long, grumbling of thunder, in concert with the rain pattering on our home's skylights. When I checked the forecast yesterday, the rains were to stop up on Rainy Mountain around 9am, so yeah, I grabbed my gear and drove up to fish, in some sixty something temps, with beautiful clouds providing perceived cover for the wild trout.

I fished a couple of streams, with most of my time on one Rio that is kind of open as it meanders through the valleys and canyons. I have to admit, the day was just as enjoyable walking down the forestry trails as was the fly fishing. All the hikers were friendly. The fishing? Well, the brown trout were active today for about as much as one could expect at this time of year. It was very enjoyable to see them hit my dry fly, and fight the tight line until they hit the bottom of my landing net. I wonder if they would put up such a hard fight if they knew I would be releasing them back into the cold flow of the Rio? Yeah, I don't think I'll tell them...

How much longer I'll be able to fly fish with dry flies is unclear at the moment, but it's about over for this dry fly only guy. It's a day-by-day decision whether or not I'll fish, but without doubt, I'll begin putting away the fly fishing gear in the next week or two. It's been a good 2025 for fly fishing!

Gear: Winston TMF fly rod; Winston Perfect 3 1/8" fly reel; Orvis Hydros Trout WF4F fly line; Simms sling pack; Black Elk Hair Caddis.