Caddis Chronicles

Yes, another perfect evening here in Horseville. The birds are winding down for the night and there's a light breeze barely moving the tree leaves.

After dinner I took a ride down to the river to possibly fish. When I got there, there were fish working steadily on emerging caddis along the far bank, so I put on my waders and grabed the thermometer. After wading out from the bank to moving water, I dropped the thermometer in and watched the trout across the way feed on top as I waited the few mintues to get an accurate reading.

The news was not good, at least not good for fishing. The water was 73 degrees; too warm to fish. So I backed out and sat on a streamside rock and watched the trout as they fed unmolested. It was as calming and satisfying as fishing is. As Yogi once said, "You can see a lot by observing."

I'd pick out a fish and watch it feed. After a few rises you could get a good feel for the timing and rhythm of that fish, and then I'd imagine how and where I would drop my fly if I were targeting the fish. Some were very deliberate feeders, and others were casually aggressive about it, seemingly not taking any precautions to avoid being seen by prey. The largest fish were the most careful, easing up to the surface and then tilting their jaws through the surface and sipping the insects in ever so gently. Those are the targets that are the toughest, and that I most prefer fishing to. Awesome stuff. Sometimes a half hour on a rock is as good as it gets.

Life is good. Go sit on a rock sometime and watch nature do its thing.