Head & Tail Rise

The parking lot is only 20 or so horizontal feet from the river which seemed real appealing at the time, but fishing here starts with a rappel off a 40 cliff to the water below. When the water is this “far” away you tend to have to get everything you will need for the day together before you head to the water. Due to my failing sight magnifiers were my first thought (the rest I could improvise) and one by one all the usual suspects were stored in my vest. Sunglasses, cigars, lighter, clippers, flies, tippet, extra leader, floatent, non-toxic shot, extra large straw hat to shade me, water to drink and of course my vest with rain gear in the back pocket.

I found some anchors to set up on and proceeded on my one way trip down. It only took a few moments (down is always easier). At the bottom I stowed my gear and set out on the water. The tail was mostly fast water just before the river precipitated into the canyon below. Just above the drop it is easy enough to wade out into the center (I planned to fish the edges). As I made my way I noticed a classic “head & tail rise”. This was a big fish feeling very secure in a covered cave like situation below some big rocks as the tails drop off. In the past I might have gone straight for this fish due to its size and my uncertainty but spending a lot of time on the water over the last 6 years I made a note of the location and figured that later in the day I would just fish down there and get him rather than spoil the pool in hopes of this one fish.

This turned out to have been a good choice. The tail had over 50 fish rising and I had a pocket full of BWOs. Now I don’t think size or color matters as quite as much as some folks say, and I can not cast very well, but I can find float lines, calculate rise rhythms and drift my flies with out any noticeable attachments. On this day I took fish after fish to the point of absurdity, mostly they were small (12-16 a rainbow highlight topped out at 19) but this is not a story about how many fish. It is about a “Head & Tail Rise”.

The rain started slowly at first. I reached for my trusty rain gear inthe back of my vest but could not get my hand far enough down so I moved to the bank and had to take off my vest, it was then I realized I had no rain gear. Faced with only 2 choices, the smart one to get out of there and back up to the car and the second was to hope it did not last and fish through it with only the comfort of a straw sun hat (zero protection) and a poly propylene tee shirt. I chose the 2nd route figuring it was early summer, the rain was light and how long could it last? Well the rain got progressive harder but it really was not that bad (once you’re wet how much wetter can you get?).

As I moved back into the river I thought about the Head & Tail Rise I had seen earlier in the day. I changed flies to a 16 gray dry fly with a white tuff on top for me to see it. I am proud to say I did not make a single cast until I had moved into position which took quite a while (there was no real rush as by now I had the river all to my self despite the quality fishing). 2 anxious moments simultaneously occurred; 1) targeting a fish for hours after first spotting it was still relatively new to me and 2) between the rain and my wet cloths it felt like my waders were filling up. The lower I got below the tail the faster the water the heaver the drag. I had actual visions of cascading through the canyon below; the upside of this (if I made it) was I would not have to scale the wall to get back to the car. As I studied the water I realized I would need to throw a wide slack line cast and quickly feed the line down stream to get it across and into his cave. So first I amadou’d the fly and doped it heavily, at all other expense I created a body cavity to allow it to dry and held it tight through the rain as I feed out the line.

2 quick false casts to get enough line out and to line up the correct position and my cast landed about 30 or so feet up river from the cavity. I did a quick exaggerated mend which almost sank the fly, but it pop up and set it on the right course. The drift was like slow motion a 30 foot drift seemed to take 20 minutes. Almost from the moment the fly did not sink on the mend, I felt good about the cast. As I watched it work its way along the far bank I thought for a moment about another mend but could not risk sinking the fly. As it approached the opening I felt I misjudged the extra current off the rock and was certain it would drag. Just past the opening and a hair beyond the place where I recalled the last Head & Tail Rise I saw the fish come up, it was only then I began the math “ when to strike” I was a 45 feet + from the fish and had a lot of slack on the water. By the time the tail had come up I had already struck and as I watched the line tighten as he went under. I knew I had him, the fish gave a terrific fight stripping line and making my real sing as I have rarely heard. The fish was a good 100 feet out when it occurred to me that it was heading for the fast pocket water and that I might loose it. I started the turn which moved the fish head in to the current which quickly tired it and I reeled in a 21” brown. I can’t wait for next year…

One day I will write down all the things I need on the water (including rain gear) and keep it in my truck with the rest of my gear. One day I will write down a list, but not today…