Post by mirvc17 on Dec 13, 2014 9:52:12 GMT -6
Mini trip report for anyone out here in SW Oklahoma...
Arrived at about 11am and was initially the only one fishing. No surface activity in the main (bait chucker) hole so I drifted a team of flies for about 15 mins. Left the main hole and went downstream to shallower water near a big boulder. Sporadic midge activity with no rising fish. I worked up and down this stretch with no bites. The water in this area is very, very slow moving--practically stagnant. The fish appear to be not home or sleeping. Eventually around 2pm fish started rising. I started off with an olive Adams, had some rises and missed hook sets (or last second "rejections"). I worked two spots with two RS2s and missed 3 or 4 more hook sets. A few minutes later these patterns lost their appeal. I switched to small deer hair emerger and once again missed a couple of strikes.
I was watching the water and saw what I think was a caddis blast off from under the surface and flew to the shrubs. It definitely wasn't a mayflay or a damsel. I switched to a single hare's ear & partridge with a pearl tinsel flash back, copper rib and a tungsten bead tied on a sz 14 Hanak 450 jig hook. At this point I see a nice fish cruising upstream. Crouched on top of the rock I cast well in front of it and start slowing stripping the line in. The fish didn't see the fly...I stripped in and recast. The fish turned back downstream and smashed the fly. A nice 14" female. Five minutes later, I catch another 12"-er that has a nasty lesion on one side of it and a little bit near the mouth. Columnaris or some kind of external bacteria? I let the fish go as I had to quickly leave in order to get back to Altus and fly a night sortie. Should I have killed the fish?
Cheers,
-JP
Arrived at about 11am and was initially the only one fishing. No surface activity in the main (bait chucker) hole so I drifted a team of flies for about 15 mins. Left the main hole and went downstream to shallower water near a big boulder. Sporadic midge activity with no rising fish. I worked up and down this stretch with no bites. The water in this area is very, very slow moving--practically stagnant. The fish appear to be not home or sleeping. Eventually around 2pm fish started rising. I started off with an olive Adams, had some rises and missed hook sets (or last second "rejections"). I worked two spots with two RS2s and missed 3 or 4 more hook sets. A few minutes later these patterns lost their appeal. I switched to small deer hair emerger and once again missed a couple of strikes.
I was watching the water and saw what I think was a caddis blast off from under the surface and flew to the shrubs. It definitely wasn't a mayflay or a damsel. I switched to a single hare's ear & partridge with a pearl tinsel flash back, copper rib and a tungsten bead tied on a sz 14 Hanak 450 jig hook. At this point I see a nice fish cruising upstream. Crouched on top of the rock I cast well in front of it and start slowing stripping the line in. The fish didn't see the fly...I stripped in and recast. The fish turned back downstream and smashed the fly. A nice 14" female. Five minutes later, I catch another 12"-er that has a nasty lesion on one side of it and a little bit near the mouth. Columnaris or some kind of external bacteria? I let the fish go as I had to quickly leave in order to get back to Altus and fly a night sortie. Should I have killed the fish?
Cheers,
-JP
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