I was up at 4am and on the water before 7am. I took 3 fine fish by the first pool and by 9 am I put in just above where i usually end my day. Initally i fished a lot of empty water or perhaps I just did not hit my lines. After about an hour & 1/2, I had reached the farthest point i had ever been. The river here drops into a flume and just above it consolidates and flows into a plunge pool by a large erratic. I tried it several dry flies all with no luck.
After a while I switched to a bead prince nymph (not my best fly based on the past), but i highsticked it through the pool, at first too high. I was afraid if i showed the stick it would spook the pool. Turns out i did not have to worry the water was so foamy & turbid. On the next cast i sent it upstream into the falls and it got caught and sunk quickly. The result was a good fish with real weight for this river and after a short but good fight i landed the 2nd biggest fish from this small water, it was 11.5" or slightly better. A male with bold colors and perfect fins, his mouth was oversized (even for a borrkie) and filled with the gluttony of a spring male. He had (in addition to my prince nymph) 2 of the largest millipedes I have ever seen.
The general rule is one such fish to a pool but I gave it another flip Just-in-case. This time the line just stopped as though caught on a rock or stick. As i reached over the bolder i saw the fish was 3" + over the size of the male and perhaps even more. I was sure fine sport was upon me but unfortunately the fish just resisted, but she (it was a female) did not run. I eventually swung her around the back of the bolder and held a fish that went a bit over 15", which made this my 2nd best native ever and it was a 2nd fish from the pool.
As i headed up to move on to the next pool i could not help but to want to see how fecund the pool was and shortly flicked back into the falls. By now i had the rhythm and depth down. A fine male took and raced up the short pool and dove as far as he could. In the end he too was a bright and bold male with colors ablaze. Unfortunately he was the runt of the litter and came in about 10.25" or so. This was the first time i had taken 3 - 10" plus from this river in a single day, let alone a single pool and while my top fish still stands ( i hope he always will) taking these 3 made for a very satisfying day.
I started my way back down by 1 pm had reached the mid point, by 2 an old fellow passed with a sad knowing look, rough day?
Not really but, "Yes" was all i could say...
