Thursday, November 5, 2015

Naugatuck Quick Report - November 5, 2015 - Rolling the Dice

Just about out of time

I've had some strong hunches in the past. Some have ended up being big scores. Some have not. In general, the stronger I felt about one of these hunches, the more likely it would pay off. I had one yesterday. The salmon have been all over Mickey Finns my last two trips. First, the trip Sonny and I made resulted in five salmon hooked on a #4 Mickey Finn (and one on the Same Thing Murray). I guided this past Tuesday and my client caught two on Mickey Finns, though slightly smaller than the one that worked last Sunday (#6 and #8).

I wanted to take advantage of this November "heat wave." The only problem was my lack of free time. I saw a window of opportunity. I would drop my son off at nursery school at 9:00am. It would take me almost an hour to get to the river. I would fish for an hour, then head back for a noon pickup. I had convinced myself I would catch at least one salmon, and probably more, on a Mickey Finn. Solid plan, right?

Well, it didn't quite work out. I got to the river on schedule, but they wanted nothing to do with my sz. 6 Mickey Finn. No worries, I'll try something smaller since the river was lower (122 cfs). I tried a small Same Thing Murray, tied on a sz. 10 Mustad 3399A. No dice. I was surprised given the temperatures, 56º water and 64º air. Ok, I would try a small, heavy Snealda, which has been a good "last resort" fly for me. They wouldn't take that, either.

I was out of time. I was shocked that my plan didn't go how I envisioned it. I was due, however. This was my first trip with no action at all. Maybe something would have happened if I got there earlier, stayed later, or just fished longer. It was sort of a crazy plan. I drove twice as long as I fished. The way I figure, it's that kind of optimism that makes the difference during the course of a season. It didn't pan out this time, but I will probably do it again the next time I get a hunch.

I arrived at nursery school with three minutes to spare.

2 comments:

  1. Not a crazy plan at all. Take the opportunities when you can, as you never know when the next will come. Nothing ventured, nothing gains.
    Keep the adventures coming, Ben!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's good advice, Bob. I hope fishing has been going well for you.

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