Posted on June 22 2021
The day started out still mild with a steady light rain. As the low moved out, the wind started to blow and the temp dropped. It was a three shirter with a raincoat kinda day. Sorta like it was April 22 except there were pseudos and sulfurs instead of paraleps and Hendricksons.
Left camp at 1:30 and took a drive over to the UEB. From the Sunoco station in East Branch to the Corbett Bridge there were three cars, all parked at power line pool. The car ahead of me on rte. 30 decoyed right in where the other two cars were parked. Stopped at numerous places and never saw a bug or a rise. Was in Deposit by about 2:45 and there was not one fisherman from the red barn to the sewage treatment plant. Never saw a rise or bug on the WB until 4:15 when I found some pseudos (the ones with the dark wings) trying to stay upright on the water in a 15 mph wind.
When the bugs got going there were lots of them. The olives came first but there was a good hatch of Dortheas that went 'til dark. The sulfurs are at least as far up the river as Balls Eddy. If anyone saw them farther upstream feel free to chime in.
The fishing - From four- thirty on there were bugs in the lower river. The fish were slow to get started and really didn't get going good until the wind went down. Fished three places and the fish that were rising early were eating the olives on top. When the sulfurs got going they started to eat the nymphs subsurface. Got lots of refusals (wind just might have played a part there), but enough fish ate my flies to make it well worth while to be out on the water.
Interesting to hear your comments about Sulphur and preference for emerging nymphs. Same thing occurs on the tailwater fisheries that are heavily pressured in Maryland. Thank you for the update.
Looking forward to seeing the Dorotheas farther up river “Someday Soon.”