David [Jones] called me at the office yesterday as I was finishing up a report. I had been at it most of the day and was ready for a break. He was ready to get in on the sulfer hatch on the river this evening and was coming by to pick me up. We headed to Bassett and the upper special regulations section.
The current was still ripping as we eased downstream into place. They shut it down at 6 and slowly the water began to recede as we watched a tremendous hatch hovering above the water......then ever so slightly we saw the first signs of trout rising. As the water began to drop, they really turned it on and we hooked up with a few typical Smith River Browns.
It doesn't seem that cold at the truck in 80 degree weather but the river changes all that. It's amazing how cold it gets out there with that 50 degree water flying by and creating a cool breeze. Thoughts of being cold quickly fade as a Smith River Brown rises to your fly and we were enjoying the hook-ups as much as the missed hits. But we managed to pull in a few little trout in which were quickly released.
All too soon the sun fell out of the sky and we headed for the bank and climbed out next to our old friend, the giant sycamore that stands like a sentinel over this section of the river.
Climbing up the bank we stood for a moment and watched the rise of browns as they gorged on sulfers and midges. You could hear the sound of popping as the trout continued a voracious feed on into the night...."river music" at it's finest ! As the light faded across the river bottom, we headed back to the truck... grateful for another brief but satisfying encounter with the feisty Smith River Browns !
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