Yesterday the wife and I deceided to take the pram to a small lake I've been fishing this year even tho it'd almost certainly be crowded. She doesn't fish but sometimes takes a book and goes for a boat ride with me [for my bubbling personality, I think]. As I've tried to avoid the lakes during this time for the last few years I've missed this hatch.

We launched about 4PM and, sure enough, the hatch was in full swing. THE GIANT GRUMMAN-US was zigging and zagging all over the lake dropping off eggs all over!! The lake is 47 acres and in the frenzy the Grumman-us often hit both the east and west bank several times during a circuit down lake. The lean silver gray lengths of their bodies were a sight to behold. And on top of the Giant Grumman-us was the String Bikini-us hatch! While the Grumman-us were a standard silvery colour the Bikini-us varied from a pasty white to a rosy colour thru a fiery red clearly requiring more than a couple of patterns to match the hatch. As my 2 wgt would not handle flies of this size I ignored these major hatches fishing instead a couple colours of beadhead leeches, damsel nymphs [I also saw a flight - egg-laying?? - of a peach coloured damsel I haven't seen before], foam spiders, and a modified gillgetter to catch an even 2 dozen bluegill and 3 bass. So I got a "2-for-1" out of it; caught a few fish [on my 2 wgt] and spend several hours of "quality time" with the wife while catching them.

I understand this hatch I witnessed occurs 3 times a year - Memorial Day, the 4th, and Labour Day. I think I'll pass on it for another 4 or 5 years. That way I can appreciate it again the next time I see it.

<<<<<<<<<<GGGGGGGGGGG>>>>>>>>>>>

Donald