Posted on June 01 2021
It's June 1st, the peak of the deer fawning season and yearling carcasses are showing up along the side of the road in increasing numbers. Mom is busy with her new kids and the yearlings are on their own. They are apt to be up and around at all times of the day and haven't a clue how to cross the road safely. Be alert. Yesterday a doe was trying to get her wobbly legged fawn across 97 on a curve in the middle of the hill going out of Hancock. I stopped with my flashers on but the doe turned back and ran up the hill, the fawn followed leaving the road still to be crossed.
The Lordville wildlife is at a low point. The bluebird nesting was a failure. There was only one young bird and it died during that cold period. The hen turkey is also without a brood but she works her way through the back yard stopping to dust under the porch most days. Haven't seen a deer in the yard in two weeks. There were two adult does and two yearlings. Last time I saw them one doe had both yearlings with her.
Will be heading home early tomorrow to spend time with our daughter and granddaughter before heading back down Thursday morning.
The fishing - Left camp about one and headed east on 17. It was my intention to spend a day as far away from the Armada and the foot soldiers attacking the WB and BR as possible. In that I succeeded, never had an angler fishing closer than a quarter of a mile from me and never had a boat come by me. The downside? There wasn't any. Spent time on the BE and on the BK. There were no boats on the BK and I saw only a few on the BE when I was driving from place to place. The bugs? It's seems to be pretty much the same on all of the freestones. There is a mix of hatching bugs all day long. When there is cloud cover the fish feed. When there is bright sun the feeding slows down. Fished three pools in the BK and finished up with an evening on the BE. Had rising fish all day and surprisingly never hooked a hatchery trout. Two 19 inch rainbows (the second on the last cast of the night) tied for fish of the day.
I've said it before, I'll say it again. The river system is just full of fish. Haven't fished anywhere where I didn't find fish. Go now, the bugs are at their best, the fish are fat and sassy and wading levels are ideal.
Having started fly fishing last summer with minimal success, literally two trout on dry flies for about 20 outings, I can only thank you for your advice. it is starting to come together this year! I also echo your comments about current conditions. It seems like last summer I spent 90% of my time searching for rising fish. Now, in early June I have found fish rising every night everywhere I go. I am also actually catching a few to my utter amazement! I have tried to fish close with long leaders and improve my accuracy. I do have one question. When you are fishing in low light which seems to spawn the most prolific hatches, do you actually see your size 16, 18 sulfurs or your 18-20 BWOs or do you simply cast to the rise and set the hook at any rise in your “drift area”? Do you use any specific “parachute” type high visual aid on your smaller flies? Thank you