I was up at 2.30 am to be on the river before dawn. I wanted to catch a crazy and difficult hatch of Tricos, which are very small bugs about three to five millimeters long.
The hatch is called the “White Winged Curse.” When trout focus on this bug, they will ignore everything else. Fish will be rising and splashing everywhere–and, completely ignoring your fly.
This happened to me last time on this river. A few years ago, as a newbie fishing in Montana, the same thing happened. Fish everywhere, except at the end of my line.
So, I did some online research and tied up some Trico flies. I was determined to crack the code on this thing.
It was strange to walk to the river in the dark. I wanted to get there just as the sun started to peak out. That’s when the bugs start to emerge, mate, and then fall onto the water to lay eggs and die.
Thankfully, it all worked out. I landed 21 brown trout in one morning. Headed home at lunchtime. Other than fishing trips with my children, this was the most gratifying fly fishing outing of my life.
Clean air, the calming sound of moving water, and a pile of trout. A day to remember.
Pure joy.