John Hicks
05-01-2007, 04:04 AM
Last night the moon was full and the stars were aligned. I got onto the water at about 5:30pm in order to catch the evening caddis hatch on my local river. Only midge were comming off but the only other guy I saw on the river said he was having great luck with big ol mayfly immitations. :confused:
Whatever I half chalked it up to the guy not knowing the water. I slipped into the pool and went to figuring out what I wanted to tie on? :hmmm: Then I thought, what the hell lets see what these fish are keying on. I tied on a size 16 Quiggley cripple and started casting over next to the cut bank and overhanging trees. About my third cast I noticed a rather large silloette about 30 feet down stream and accross from me. I could see him swimming head up and about 6 inches under the surface. Every three or four seconds he would just lazily open his mouth and inhale something. I cast my cripple about 6 feet in front of him and let it drift right in front of his nose. As the cripple got closer I noticed he started to rise up. I could feel the anticipation building. As my cripple drifted over him he rose up and followed it for three or four feet. His nose was almost touching the chickaboo tail. Then after a good inspection he opened his mouth and inhaled one last time. The fight was on. he took me up stream and directly toward a bunch of roots that stick into the water. Then I turned him and he headed straight down stream toward a fallen tree in the river. I started running after him as fast as I could. Finally it was make it or brake it time. I stopped and put the wood to him in hopes of either turning him or breaking him off. After a couple more minutes You can see the result.
As I was leaving the river I noticed there were a lot of these mayflies just starting to fly around. Hence the good choice in cripple action.
Whatever I half chalked it up to the guy not knowing the water. I slipped into the pool and went to figuring out what I wanted to tie on? :hmmm: Then I thought, what the hell lets see what these fish are keying on. I tied on a size 16 Quiggley cripple and started casting over next to the cut bank and overhanging trees. About my third cast I noticed a rather large silloette about 30 feet down stream and accross from me. I could see him swimming head up and about 6 inches under the surface. Every three or four seconds he would just lazily open his mouth and inhale something. I cast my cripple about 6 feet in front of him and let it drift right in front of his nose. As the cripple got closer I noticed he started to rise up. I could feel the anticipation building. As my cripple drifted over him he rose up and followed it for three or four feet. His nose was almost touching the chickaboo tail. Then after a good inspection he opened his mouth and inhaled one last time. The fight was on. he took me up stream and directly toward a bunch of roots that stick into the water. Then I turned him and he headed straight down stream toward a fallen tree in the river. I started running after him as fast as I could. Finally it was make it or brake it time. I stopped and put the wood to him in hopes of either turning him or breaking him off. After a couple more minutes You can see the result.
As I was leaving the river I noticed there were a lot of these mayflies just starting to fly around. Hence the good choice in cripple action.