I too had to leave the fish-in early and with much regret. No, I wasn’t injured, just had other commitments. Leaving early however left me with no opportunity to take advantage of all the fishing wisdom gathered there so I will ask you all for your thoughts.
On Wed. morning I had the pleasure of fishing a few hours with Lotech Joe and we sampled a couple of spots on the Lochsa above the resort. One was a long flat faded into a short quick riffle and on to a wide 3 ? 4 foot deep run over 16? cobble bottom. Joe started at the top and I at the bottom. This spot turned out to be a puzzle. At first look, I saw no rising fish and started working attractors around the submerged boulders and seams. Soon I noticed several yards downstream, a couple of average fish repeatedly jumping clear out of the water. Obviously chasing something quick but I could see no bug activity that would cause it. These fish were holding in a small slick about 10 feet long. The strange part was that I could see no other rising fish across the whole run which was maybe 50 yd?s wide and 150 long. I moved down to slightly upstream of the slick and waded out as far as was comfortable, leaving about a 30 foot cast. I then noticed occasionally a good sized fish head and tail rising on the far side of the slick. He too would come cleanly out of the water like a porpoise. I suspected caddis but still could not see any flying off or on the water. Since I already had a stimulator tied on I floated it over the slick a few times without a take. The risers would ignore it and go after something along side. Switched to an X- caddis with the same result. Several good casts over the fish but no takes and they were still rising. When in doubt, go smaller right. So I tied on a 16 bwo quill parachute. A nice 12? cut took it on the first good drift and I quickly pulled him out of the slick area in hopes the other fish would not be spooked. By the time I had him landed, the hook out, and released, the other fish was up again. It took about four tries to get a good, fly first, no drag, drift over the area but he took with gusto, coming nearly out of the water again and cleanly hooking himself on the way down. This fish was a very nice chunky 16? westslope cutthroat and a good fighter. I played him to the net and held him carefully while I slipped the hook out of the corner of his mouth.
I carry but seldom use a throat pump. This seemed like a time it would be justified to see what was on the menu for today but while fumbling around for the pump and juggling a flyrod and healthy trout, he slipped the net and swam off. Later, I thought about wading out and seining the drift line through the slick, but it was just too deep. So I am left wondering.
This was a beautiful stretch of prime holding water and there should have been trout all thru it but I didn?t see another rise in the next half hour and had no further hits. So the puzzle is, what were these two or three fish taking with so much energy and why only in this one small slick more or less in the middle of a wide river that should have been full of fish. I am sure it wasn?t bwo?s That was just something that I tossed em. The main course remains unknown. I have marked the spot on my GPS and will try it again someday.
Any thoughts would be welcome.
And Joe, I greatly enjoyed meeting and fishing with you. Since we are nearly neighbors, I am sure we will get together again soon.
Being mostly unable to cast more than 30 ft or so because of my broken arm I sat and watched a whole lot. Dennis Garison caught 20 or so cutts and a few whitefish on the second day. Man can that guy fish! He would make a nice drift with a caddis then let it swing out of the seam at the end. By far most of his hits came after the fly had sunk on the swing. He said there were very little of the larger bugs coming off the ruver. Dennis said that the fish seemed to be keying on sub surface bugs and were mostly staying deeper. There weren’t a lot of caddis around yet so the fish weren’t keying on the surface a whole lot. Steve’s friend John was doing very well with an indicator and a nymph. He caught 5 fish in about 20 minutes while I watched from shore. Dennis said most fish on the Lochsa were above 131 mile post.`
You said that this was in the middle of the river??
Being 50 Yds wide I doubt it, but are there any overhanging trees in the area? My first thought was of terrestrials falling off into the water. This would explain the localized action and why a BWO may work (could look like a small cricket, ant or tiny hopper). If there is no overhanging vegetation, then I don’t have any more guesses, but if so I’d put my money on that.
Well OK, maybe not the exact middle of the river but at least 75 ft from shore and there was no overhanging vegetation anywhere near. I think Dshock is on the right track. Some form of caddis, (thanks for the links) but I am more focused on the behavior of the fish. You don’t often see a 16" trout expending the energy to repeatedly jump clear of the water like that.
The trout may have been frantically competing with each other. I read somewhere that Caddis are faster than the average underwater bug and that might have got the fish riled.
Years ago I witnessed cutthroat in Yellowstone Lake, with half their tails out of the water, nose down (45 degrees) maybe feeding. It was weird!
Doug
As a soft hackle addict. I live for those moments where I see porpoising trout to me this means emerging nymphs or those struggling to break through the surface film.
As far as fish leaping it is a common behavior that can range from feeding to a fishy conflict ie. being chased from a good lye or line from a swift nip in the tail. I know when I get goosed I’ll jump.
Sounds like they were taking 16 BWO quill parachutes to me. I used to fish that area a bit. The cutthroat are not the smartest fish, you’re thinking too hard trying to catch these fish, an exact match just isn’t necessary. You probably would have caught a lot more fish if you sunk the dry fly (not joking here).
Yeh CEA, you are probably right. I tend to over analyse things when I should just get on with the fishing. I have taken a lot of fish on soft hackles and sunk dries too so I know it works.
Talking to some of the locals in the Lowell area, I was told that both the Lochsa and the Selway have caddis hatches 365 days a year. That being said, BWO emergers seemed to be the fly de jour this year. I found that fishing an orange stimmie with an emerger trailing about 18 inches behind brought the most consistent strikes, with the emerger getting more of the action.
Shaky,
In my experience, I found that “porpoising” trout are NOT necessarily feeding trout. They are just acting fishy. A feeding trout usually sips in the fly or attacks it with a somewhat violent swirl. When I see porpoising fish it only tells me THEY are there and then I go to work trying to entice them to take my offering. Also cutthroat are the most likely ( or only) fish to demonstrate this behavior.
I’m glad to hear y’all had a great time and the fishing was good. I was/am just “over the hill” in Jackson Wyo and you can’t get there from here.
You seem to be saying that maybe these fish weren’t feeding at all until I floated the BWO over them? Ive always assumed that fish don’t “play” and are always trying their best to solve the “most food for the least energy spent” equation.
Yes, I have been to Jackson and I agree, you can’t get here from there. Or vice-a-versa. I wish it was easier.
Shaky Wder,
It was great meeting and fishing with you. I look forward to tying up with you again soon. Maybe on one of our local lakes? Fish-Ins are great places to meet new friends, as is demonstrated by how well our wives got along. I think they really hit it off.
Later My Friend,
Mabye a big bullie moved into the stretch. That would cause the fish to stop rising and could cause them to clear the water if they were being chased. Just sayin’.
