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Summer Time is Outdoor Time

True to summer I've been fly fishing a lot.  Always looking for a better fly pattern for a specific creek on a specific day.  It always changes.


My fly of choice is shown to the right.  It's not pretty but it has qualities that the fish go for.  It's like a black gnat with grey wings but more importantly for the shallow streams I've been fishing, it's weighted with wire in the body.  This allows it to float in the water column for the fish to see.  I've tried nymphs but the fish appear to like my gnat way better.

I make bunches of them (I lose my share to trees and limbs) and I've been catching bunches of fish.  North Mills, Cane, Rocky Fork and North Pigeon.   All clear and shallow (1-2' deep) with fish laying in the ripples between the rocks.  This is not for deep pools but moving water where they just hanging out for the food to come by.

The main downside to fishing in these locations is that the fish can see you too.  So I fish upstream from behind them or let me line float down with the tippet and fly drift into the areas around the rocks.  The far side of the creeks are also out of sight for the fish so casting to the far bank is valid but the drift is limited with the current so pulling my fly away from the bank (yeah mending is a bit tough).

Heading back down to the North Mills river in a few days to again try my luck.

Summer time is easy.


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