“It was so hot I saw a roasted turkey fly by”
Summer finally returned after a cool spell and it was nice to wade in shorts and river sandals after spending three weeks in waders. Local rivers are low and heating up (temperature).
I was able to take advantage of the blue sky and full sun to spot some great fish and fool a few. It is amazing how tight you can get to a feeding fish in shallow water if you have the sun at your back and wade carefully, even on down and across presentations where you are in front or above the fish, not behind.
I learned how the sun can “blind” fish on the Missouri river many years ago while casting to a roaming pod of sipping trout. By standing still with the sun over my shoulder I watched a dozen large fish feed just a rod length away. They were oblivious to my presence.
For me, so much about fly fishing has to do with light; they are intertwined.
My favorite sight fishing river had few PMD’s on it this weekend and no other hatch. In response I fished beetles and crickets… my favorite way to go. I had the place to myself in spite of it being peak holiday season; lots of people on the road; local fly shops busy. The river was mine for a day. Amazing!
Here are some landscape and trout photos while sight fishing the past week. All fish caught on dries.
abby
trout on dries 
Love that last photo! Enjoy summer now.
Jim: Thanks for the comment on photo…I also like that one. I’ve been following your blog keenly and tried to post on it but for some reason can’t..it doesn’t register. Enjoyed your angling the past month or two…wow, great fish, wow big fish on dries … you are hitting all those great rivers and creeks day after day. I’m envious! Too bad that spring creek(public) near Dillon has been renovated. Only fished it a few times and had little bug activity so didn’t do well but enjoyed the look of it and surroundings and could see the potential.
Thanks again. Will try posting on you blog: jims-wanderings …..in near future.
bob
Thanks Bob. I’ll check my blog comments and see what’s up. We need to compare schedules and rendezvous sometime. MT. AB. Somewhere.
Jim: I was able to post on your blog today…so obviously I was doing something wrong. yes it would be nice to rendezvous for some trout fishing. that would be great.
bob
Nice going trout guru. Great shots from a challenging river.
R: Thanks for comments. Hope all is well back east and you get to the Grand on occasion. Rivers here low and getting hot…fortunately nights are cool.
Hope to see you in the Fall.
bob
Hi Bob….hot and dry here too. Nothing beats fishing “fine and close”. I’ve even gone as far as cutting one of my double taper lines in half. Who needs ninety-two feet of fly line anyway?
Les: Nice hearing from you. Haven’t checked your blog as last read you were taking a break…. Will check in this week.
Your comment about line length is true. I have an old cfo reel, smallest model, that won’t take a full 4wt line with backing…..but I like using it, like sound of it, so cut one third of line off and fished it for a whole season…60 ft or so and never noticed…who does need 90ft?..so true.
Les, I see you check in to Jims blog..wanderings…the guy is a fishing machine!
bob
I think that Jim leaves a lot of educated fish in his wake. And, you seem to do pretty well yourself. Me? I leave a lot of fish for you both.
Les: You have to remind yourself that you catch fish on Depuy… not easiest venue!
bob
Ya, those guys (Les) with the creeks just over the hill from home do a little better than they lead on. 😉 They’ll be tougher in September . . . some days. Bob’s prairie river photos have me thinking of my own close prairie river in WY that’s not so secret these days. The Green. They are very similar in appearance.
Jim: Both rivers do look very similar.
bob