March 8, 2021 – 11 Mile Canyon
Flows: 87 cfs
Water Temp: 38F @ 9a
Water clarity: Crystal clear
Air Temp: 27 @ 8:30a, 47 @ 4p.
Hatches: Sparse midges – 10a to mid-afternoon
Flies: #20 Mercury Pheasant Tail, #24 Chocolate Thunder, #24 Top Secret, #18 Red Copper John, #24 Zebra JuJubee Midge, #24 Black Bling Midge, #18 Black Mayer’s Mini-Leech, #16 Olive Wooly Bugger, #26 Black Midge, Black Leech
Top producers: Black Midge, Black Leech, Chocolate Thunder, Top Secret, Pheasant Tail.
Quite a sight from the afternoon run I fished.
Brian arrived early – especially for a winter day in Eleven Mile Canyon. It’s known to be very cold. The canyon walls cast shadows, it can be windy, and it’s just generally a cold place. Knowing that, we agreed to meet in a sunny spot. I had to laugh to myself as I drove to the parking area near the dam where we planned to meet. It was cloudy. The sun wasn’t breaking through the clouds and there were no “sunny spots”!
And it was damn cold!
The view from the road leading up the canyon toward the dam.
As I drove to the meet place, I saw Brian set up in his favorite spot in the canyon – the Upper Road Hole. He had already netted a couple of fish – one rainbow and one brownie. And he got them on his first four casts. A fantastic start under any circumstances. And especially so considering that most of the current fishing reports say that the fishing is best between 11a and 3p. He was very optimistic - rightfully so - and thinking this would be an epic day.
After that very quick start - things slowed down. When I met Brian on the river, he had no more hits and no fish sightings. It being so cold, I didn’t know if I wanted to start fishing yet. So I scouted up river toward the Bend Hole. There was a guy at the bend in front of the huge boulders. He wasn’t having any success either. He said he thought the fish would start hitting in about an hour. It needed to warm up a bit.
A rainbow Brian landed on his 2nd cast of the day.
Photo by Brian Kenney.
I was downstream from him at the pool below the boulders and as we chatted I spotted a few fish. After getting his OK to fish that spot, I went back and grabbed my rod and reel. I already had flies tied onto it - a black Mayer’s Mini-leech followed by a Chocolate Thunder and a JuJubee Midge. One of the fish that I spotted was a nice size cutthroat. He was at the tailout of the pool sipping midges in the upper column - his bright colors in full view. Other fish were feeding farther into the pool and in the seams on either side of it.
My plan was to try to take the fish closest to my side of the pool and then work farther into it. I could see a fish in the seam and he would only be there for one reason – and that was to eat. Nothing I offered though enticed him to hit. After a bit I tried to get the other fish that I could see and the same thing. Geez. I was thinking these fish are starting to give me a complex!
11 Mile Canyon - scenic and oh, by the way - the fishing is great too!
After exhausting every small adjustment and change of flies I gave up and moved back down to where Brian was fishing. He was having the same experience. The water level was down and it was somewhat shallow and neither of us could spot any fish. So I moved into the hole by the road. There I could see a bunch of fish feeding in the pool of slow water. I’ve had pretty good success in this spot before fishing it from the north side, casting back into the seam in the fast water on the outside of the pool.
The rainbows are spawning in 11 Mile Canyon too. Here's a good shot of a Redd.
So that’s where I started. I couldn’t see into the water from my vantage point – but in my experience they come out of the slow water and into the faster water to eat. Then they go back in and cycle through again. As I fished the seam I spotted a few fish below it in softer water. So I began to fish that area. I tried cross stream casts, upstream casts, and downstream casts. Then finally I had one on with a downstream cast. By the way he was fighting I new he was nice sized. I had my gloves on and they got a bit in the way causing a little slack in my line. Fish off. Oh boy.
I continued to fish that area hoping to entice another fish. And as I watched I saw some fish coming up and feeding near the surface in the eddie that feeds clockwise into the pool. My thinking was it was a perfect setup for a Dry/Dropper. The eddie swings around over some boulders and shallow water. You get snagged up trying to nymph fish it. I know this from experience!
An aggressive 12" brownie caught in the Upper Road Hole. Black leech in mouth.
Photo by Brian Kenney.
So I waded over and got my other rod which was already set up as a Dry/Dropper. After a few casts, Brian came over and suggested that we break for lunch. I wanted to try my Dry/Dropper for a bit first. So he decided to fish the pool for a bit too. He threw a black leech directly into the pool and stripped the leech back. And BANG – he had a fish on. As he netted and released it – a nice 12” brownie – I figured I may as well try a leech.
I did have a small black leech on earlier – and lost it in a snag in the eddie. (See what I mean about prior expience?) So I tied on an olive Wooly Bugger. We both fished the leeches as streamers in the pool for a while longer. Neither of had any action so after a bit we broke for lunch.
As we ate we discussed our plan for the afternoon. After throwing around a few ideas – we decided that we’d go downstream toward the bridge. Our plan was to walk along the river to see if we could spot any fish along the way. If we did, we’d go after them.
When we got to the Upper Road Hole there was a guy fishing in the pool that we had left before lunch. Brian mentioned that he got one out of there on a leech pattern. We chatted a bit more then moved on. As we walked along the road we spotted a couple of pockets where fish were feeding and decided to try and get a few.
We walked down the road a bit looking for a good spot to cross the river. Once on the other side - it was hard to place the exact spot where we spotted the fish. You couldn’t see into the water from that side either. So we took our best guess and began to fish the pockets. I was setup much closer the fisherman in the Upper Road Hole than I thought I’d be. So I asked if he minded – and he didn’t. Brian was downstream from me.
Caught my 1st fish after lunch in pocket water in the Upper Road Hole.
After a bit, Brian moved on and I continued in my spot. Then the guy in the Upper Road Hole landed a fish. He said he got him on a black leech. Brian got the assist on that one!
After trying several adjustments and no fish, I moved a bit farther downstream. I still couldn’t place exactly where we saw the fish earlier but I took a guess. I casted into a pocket that looked like it would hold a couple of fish. After a few casts I had one on and netted a 13” rainbow. Finally!
I then walked downstream. I hadn’t fished this area in quite awhile and as I walked/waded down the river it started to come back to me. There were some really nice spots that I’ve caught fish in before – so I was optimistic. Brian had moved all the way past the bend in the river and I lost sight of him. I was extra cautious as I approached a run that had produced before and sure enough there were fish in it. And some of them were big. Game on!
The run starts at the submerged tree.
I spent the rest of the afternoon in that run. There are a couple of large submerged trees about hundred yards apart and the river is braided with some troughs between them. It reminds me of the troughs found in the Tailwater. As earlier in the day, some fish looked like they were mid-column, some who come up near the surface, and others seemed to be closer to the bottom. And they were not hitting my offerings!
A colorful 17" rainbow caught in the run between the submerged trees.
I was able to get a few of them in the net – a couple of brownies and rainbows. I also foul hooked maybe the same amount of fish. I found that when I added weight to get the flies down near the bottom – I’d foul hook them in the belly. Then when I took weight off trying to get the flies in the mid and upper column – I’d foul hook them in the dorsal fin or tail.
A hungry brownie taken on a #20 Mercury Pheasant Tail.
What is going on?
That’s a common refrain from me when the fish are not hitting. I ask it rhetorically to Brian often in these situations.
Another brownie - 15" - taken on a Chocolate Thunder.
Giving this some thought in retrospect - here’s what I think was going on. The fish were not moving very much – if at all – to eat. They were feeding very selectively – keying on a certain size and shaped bug. And they were easily spooked. So you have to stealthily present the correct fly directly in front of them – on an absolutely dead drift - or they will not hit it. That means hit or miss finding the specific depth that the fish are feeding from. Finding that combination is difficult. Start with the smallest split shot or with a weighted fly - then add just a tad of mud till you find the column. Then, hopefully you have the right fly on.
One of my afternoon rainbows.
This is the life of a fisherman. Trying to figure out what is taking place in nature and trying to imitate it. So I was happy that I was able to land a handful - legally caught.
The afternoon warmed up - and it turned out to be a beautiful later-winter day.
Brian showed up about 3p and said his afternoon had shaped up the same as mine. He could spot fish in the water, but they wouldn't hit.
Finicky fish? Or were they just teasing us?
תגובות