Lateral Line Media

The runoff has started and flows on the Eagle River have gotten up to comfortable floating levels. Last Sunday Jason Newell, CC williams and I put the boat in for a fun float but ended up doing pretty well. The cooler weather that had moved in the night before gave the water enough clarity to strip streamers but not enough to nymph. So strip streamers we did. The first mile was productive with Newellsy landing one brown and farming about 4 others. CC had a few follows but he was also farming out of the back seat.

Jason and I switched seats and I got to toss double trouble at the banks. With a Modelo in one hand and fly rod in the other we crashed through some private water not touching another fish for about an hour. One we reached another public section I slowed the strip down and pulled a nice bow out of some slack water behind an island.


Right before we started rowing again CC took one last cast and the line came tight. He picked up and gave it a few jerks to find a big Brown leap into the air and spit his Autum Splendor. “S%^t it felt like bottom” Jason and I were laughing as he cursed more in the back of the bus. CC is a newbie to fly fishing so he got harassed all day. I got back on the sticks and we ripped streamers along the banks through more private water. Just as I told Jason to try casting on river right he nailed a Rainbow tight on the left bank. I worked the boat in an eddie so we could net the fish and get CC untangled.

Again not much happened, actually nothing happened until the take out when CC popped is buggers into a foamy back eddy and a Big Brown jumped out of the water and grabbed the Olive as soon as they hit the water. He yanked and the fish was off, again. He said words that I have never heard (and I have a bad mouth) while jason and I laughed out loud. It was a fun day on the water a little cold but its April in CO. The fishing is only getting better so get out there and toss em at the bank.