The weather forecast changes by the hour here and projected rain is not a constant rain, but rain clouds that blow in and blow out within minutes. It can be sunny and warm one minute, and windy and pouring the next. We are getting used to this variability, just have all weather gear close by!
The fishing has generally been pretty good from 8:30 until noon. All action stops after that and some feeding fish can be seen at night. The river is pretty quiet at night which should tell you something. They say that fish feed aggressively when it rains. Apparently bugs get washed into the water and fish feed indiscriminately, though we usually don’t stick around long enough.
The parking lot has been more full than years past. It seems more and more guys are sleeping in their vans and campers for free.
I’m actually improving and becoming more independent in selecting a fly, tying it on, casting it out and catching fish. It sure makes a difference in enjoyment of flyfishing when you catch a few. Else casting hundreds of times with no reward gets pretty discouraging. I believe it is a very difficult sport to master, more so than many others where a little bit of skill is enough to “play”. There’s a long learning curve! I do see more young women out, and many fly ships are offering women’s classes. What I haven’t seen is more women tying flies, odd because it is the more crafty side of flyfishing.
Evening tonight on the Madison brought a firey glow to the mountains. I’ve photographed this scene so many times but this scene was the most majestic.
