The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
This one pretty clearly keys to Kogotus, but it also looks fairly different from specimens I caught in the same creek about a month later in the year. With only one species of the genus known in Washington, I'm not sure about the answer to this ID.
Jmd123 on Apr 13, 2012April 13th, 2012, 4:50 pm EDT
Although the low waters are somewhat worrisome this year and we could sure use some rain, there's no way I could have done this fishing this early in a normal year. The Rifle was low and clear and some insects were flitting about, including some Red Quills and some type of little brown stonefly - thought it was a caddis until one landed on me last time out. No matter, an Elkhair Caddis was a fine imitation, with golden-brown dubbing, medium brown hackle, gold wire counter-wrapped over the hackle, and a tan-grey wing. Three hits on this fly I missed completely, didn't even sting 'em. One fish was feeding and may have hit the fly twice, the other fish rose out of nowhere.
Oh well, I though, at least I raised a couple. Then as I was maybe 15 minutes from the car, fishing downstream, this nicely colored 14" brown took a #10 Woolly Bugger in olive (tail), peacock (body), and grizzly (hackle). Man did he hit hard, sent a shockwave straight up my arm into my brain. Not a bad start to the season, considering that last year my first trout was a 6" brookie. This guy could have eaten that one...
To top it all off, I had the place to myself on a beautiful day. Last week I went there and found a couple of guys in a rowboat with squeaky oars looking for steelhead - this on a river that averages 20-30 feet wide and holes no deeper than my shoulders. Needless to say, I didn't catch anything then, and I was happy not to see them today! I did see what may have been a 2-foot steelhead myself today, came so close to me I thought it was going to swim between my legs! Plus, six turkeys and three deer on the drive.
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
GldstrmSam on Apr 13, 2012April 13th, 2012, 7:35 pm EDT
Beautiful fish Jonathan,
Tomorrow if I remember I am going to tie myself that bugger that you said you caught that fish on. It seems like it would be a excellent variation. I have never thought of using peacock for a bugger body.
Sam
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm. ~Patrick F. McManus