Humbled by the West Carson
I had a ten year old and his dad yesterday and anytime you have kids on the river, you want to get them into fish. Not only do you want to increase their desire to fly fish, you want to hold their attention for 4 hours without handing them an iPod or Gameboy. The fishing was more brutal than any time I’ve been on that river in 17 years. I couldn’t even get stockers to eat! They would swim to the flies, look at them, and swim away. They were all money patterns and we threw the best at them. The water temp, flows, etc. were perfect and I don’t think anyone had trampled in front of us.
I was baffled, moved around, it didn’t matter. I have yet to figure out what the problem was. I finally gave up and went to a different river and the son landed 15 fish and the dad 8 so the trip was saved. It is never about how many or how big, but tell a 10 year old that! It just goes to show that the river changes everyday and even after 17 years can be unpredictable. Have fun on the water and stick with it. One thing, I believe there are more people on the water this summer than I’ve ever seen. It is more important during these summer months to be mindful of river etiquette. it is different on every river, but a good rule is to give others as much room as you can. If it’s really bad, stop, swim, eat, let the section rest and then fish. It is an awesome time of year to throw some swim goggles or a mask into your pack and do some diving in holes you aren’t overly familiar with. You will be amazed at what you see or don’t see!