If you know me at all, you know that I don’t really care too much for trout. They don’t really do it for me. I do not care about catching trout. There, I said it.
I do however still enjoy guiding for them, and I don’t think anyone could get tired of watching them smash giant dry flies with reckless abandon.
Last year with the arrival of everyones favorite Uncle, Covid our season was pretty much cancelled and the trout were left to gorge themselves in solitude while the rest of us were left ringing our hands with anxiety.
Fast forward to 2021 and with a quick, double dip-vaccine trip we pushed away the chances for a repeat performance. We had our 5G chip securely in place, and we were ready to roll.
The Hatch would happen earlier than ever this year as our April showers never arrived, and the probability of a drought year seemed inevitable. Not really a bad thing, at least on the front end. We began all-day, dry fly eats starting the 6th of May,( a good week earlier than any other year) and it has continued to get better and better with each dawn to dusk. The last hour or so of daylight has been absolute pandemonium, with thousands of stoneflies dropping eggs as the last bit of daylight vanishes, and the dark of night pulls it’s curtain over the valley.
This last week I took a group of 4 who have fished with Matt for years, and in the span of two days they just about hiked the entirety of Warm Springs Reservation. If I told you the amount of fish they landed, any rational human being would cry bullshit, while simultaneously giving me the eye-roll heard round the world. The only thing that can even come close to what transpired were my summers spent in Alaska. Thousands of chromed out Coho, daunting their sea lice tails, absolutely crushing anything that hit the water for hours and hours. If there was ever a thing as too many fish, this last Thursday and Friday were it.
So I’m back out there again starting Monday and it looks to be another terrific week. I’d say that the Hatch may end a little earlier than the past few years so if you can sneak away for a day or two, next week would be a good time.
Chubbies in the riffles but small (size 10-12) Norm Woods, and Clarks in the flatter, tree/canopy sections. 7.5’ leaders of 3X, and your favorite floatant. Go get em’.
_Eric Leininger
