Tomorrow morning I'm tying more Hendricksons!

When I left for home Saturday morning everything was ready to burst into bloom. The forsythia across the road, my red buds, the apricot trees (actually some of their blooms had already opened), the plum trees, and the peach trees. Drove back down this morning in a chilly drizzle with the temp in the mid forties, to find the yard abloom with color. Only the two apple trees that have been here longer than me, have refused to rush the season. Hopefully mother nature gives the eager bloomers a pass this year rather than hitting the blossoms with a killing frost.

Early in the season I always put out my wooden bird feeder. If a bear comes he can turn it upside down and dump out the seeds without breaking the feeder. The problem with the feeder is the grackles, blackbirds and blue jays empty the feeder in less than a day while at the same time excluding all of the smaller birds. Switched feeders today. The second feeder has adjustable perches and a spring that allows the lower part of the feeder to drop down and close the openings when a squirrel or heavier bird tries to get seeds. Just looked out the window and a cardinal was trying unsuccessfully  to sit on one of the perches. Will have to lengthen one for him. Hopefully no bears show up as they get at the seeds by simply biting through the plastic tube that holds them.

The fishing - This is my 33rd year at the Lordville Estate. In 2012, the Hendricksons were half over when I returned from my bone fishing trip on the 14th of April. Saw a few Hendricksond last Friday (also the 14th) and today fished a good hatch of both paraleps and Hendricksons. It's very early for Hendricksons, but it's on!

The Way It Was - Some of you that are old enough to remember trout streams before boats ( no, this is not another rant),  might have experienced this. The season opened April first. Hendricksons were the first major hatch that got all the fish up. If an angler was willing to walk away from the easy access pools during the hatch he had a good chance of coming upon a pool full of fish eating Hendricksons without a care in the world. Such an event often transformed average Joe angler into "the greatest fisherman that ever lived", for the duration of the days hatch. Sadly, those days are gone. Why? The proliferation of boats. (No, I don't hate boats, my dislike is for rude, inconsiderate people, which are now, sadly, at least as prevalent in the wade fishing group). Each drift boat fishes a several mile section of the river and every pool in the river gets fished, usually numerous times every day. Seldom, if ever, does one now encounter a pool full of fish "without a care in the world".

The Way It Is  - Got in the river at 2:00.  Chose the warmest water I could find (Hendricksons want at least 48 degree water before they hatch). Noticed that the grass where I parked, had fresh tire tracks in the first two places I stoped. There were bugs (pseudos early, joined by Hendricksons later). In all four places I fished, there were feeding fish. Four of the first six fish I landed had fresh hook marks in their mouth, got indignant refusals from several fish in each pool, got ignores by others. The fish of the day, a 19.75  inch brown, rose to my fly, hesitated, and then ate it (his second mistake of the year).  Did I have fun? You bet. Did I catch fish? Quite a few. Would I like to be "The greatest fisherman that ever lived?  Maybe once a year.