Brrrr

Hi Folks, Been a little chilly the last couple of mornings on the water.  Ran the boat on Friday morning and did a full day with the fly rods for trout today.  A big cold front that pushed in early Friday morning   has cooled thing down.  The morning air temperature today was 41 degrees at 5:30am when I meet my guests.  The river temperature was 52 degrees and the brook we visited mid day was 54 degrees.  Lake temperatures on Friday morning was 65 degrees.  You could feel the air temperatures drop as the morning progressed and the wind from the northeast really picked up.  We worked for our takes.  Had 3 large bass take the surface popper which we worked aggressively and had one decent northern chase a big 2/0 red/white bunny bugger to the boat.  All of the fish we located were holding in10' to 12' of water off or in large weed beds.  The trout fishing today was a little more steady.  We located a pod of rising fish in long gentle run.  It took a while to figure out what they were eating.  There were big gulps in the heavier part of the run and really subtle rise forms in the slow glassy pool.  Rising fish in slow water have a Phd. in studying your fly and drift.  Presentation is every thing, not necessarily always the fly tied on the tippet.  We got 5 of the fish to eat casting a #14 Klinkhammer and a #18 Henryville special.  The trout slammed the may fly pattern in the heavier water and sipped the caddis imitation in the softer, slower water.  Prior to locating rising fish we cast and swung a #8 white zonker and a #10 cone head yellow muddler minnow.  Missed several fish and landed a nice jumping smallmouth that puckered a 4wt.  We spent the afternoon chasing trout in small water.  Lots of steady action from 4" to 9" wild bows and native brookies.  A #10 yellow foam terrestrial pattern worked very well.  Most of the bows came from the faster parts of the run and the brookies in the slower pools.  The water is so clear in this brook that you often see the trout emerge from in front of a rock to grab the dry fly or swim  out from underneath a cut bank to to eat.  Good fun on slow 2wt. and 3wt. outfits.  It felt nice in the shady brook as the sun really was bright midday and heated things up a bit.  Running the boat in the morning.  Hopefully the weather will hold.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy