Fishing with Donnie in the Front Brace

Sometimes it is difficult to get time on the water but shouldn't be impossible. I Talked to Donnie's wife the other day and she said Donnie had not been on the water this year. That needed a remedy so we jumped into action. She got a day on the calendar. When the day came to float the river he was excited...and so was I. Donnie would not share the front brace with anyone and therefore have the entire river to himself from the time we backed the drifter off the gravel bar. The float began.

It wasn't long, at all, before the fish began to respond. On this day we were hoping for a fair number of fish. Those hopes came true quickly and the numbers increased with seemingly every cast. For a while it was crazy and fish were coming to the net on consecutive casts more than once.

It's always fun to fish with Donnie and the context of discussion can be everything from sheer entertainment to downright serious. The discussion at one point turned toward the weather. The weather was crazy! First we were somewhat cool but more comfortable than anything. That would change to a wind-blowing mess just a few minutes later. But, we fished on.

The wind pushed out the somewhat comfortable weather and traded it for light rain and what felt like a few degrees from snow. The front moved quickly through the area. There were a lot of times throughout the next few hours would have us wondering if it was March vs. May. As everyone pretty much knows a cold front can put down fish. However, on this day the fish just kept eating nymphs. The top water bite wasn't on at all. So Donnie just kept bringing fish to the net with the mighty-nymphs. Neither of us were disappointed.

The water level was low and that will cause the fish to gather in tighter pods. Sometimes angler's can stay in a hole and run the numbers up that way. But we had a long float and had to fish whatever the river offered. Most of the pools, blow-downs and leading edges of riffles would produce fish. With a random fish coming off seemingly no structure or feature at all.

Finally the river miles began to wind down and this day could be counted as a success by many measurements. As we approached the take out and with other anglers in the immediate area, Donnie made it happen one more time.  A cast to structure, a quick mend, followed by a short drift and then the hookset. It is always just a little bit better when an angler can catch a fish with an audience. Also, it is always appreciated when an angler can get on the water after a long absence. 

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.