Knowing that the runoff flows were high, and fishing would be spotty at best I headed out anyways with expectations in check. This was the first weekend in months where the weather was beautiful, It was beautiful on actual days I’d be off work and I was at 100%. The last few weekends I have been recovering from a series of minor surgeries and not feeling especially zesty. However, recovery for everything went great and I am back to feeling like myself. I decided to bring a pile of rods that I had not fished in awhile including one I had not fished at all, the Tanuki 325. Also in the Zimmerbuilt sling pack was the Riverworks ZX-4, the Tenryu X Riverworks TF39 and the Daiwa Seiryu X-45. I greatly enjoy just casting these beautiful rods and no matter if the trout cooperated or not I’d be out on a gorgeous day doing what I love.
It would also be a chance to break in my new hat with a little sweat. I have wanted a Filson Tin Cloth Packer hat for years but my size has been out of stock since at least 2021. Finally they returned to the website and I snagged one up. Great hat with a great fit. Looking forward to years of use.
I would return to the spot I wrote about in my last post where I lost the battle with the big trout that lives there. This time it was nowhere to be seen. Flows were up a few hundred CFS with snow melt and the pool was very turbulent. I sat and watched for a while to see if it’s big head would break the surface on the smorgasbord of bugs present. Alas it never happened; I made a few casts anyways before heading to another patch of water. The next location is one that has consistently produced a fish or two each time ive tried it. Its a tricky spot, fast and fairly deep, tight to the bank with a lot of overhanging trees to make life difficult. There is a short current seam where the trout rest, the trick is getting a fly to ride that seam successfully. After one lost fish and one lost fly in the trees I managed to bring a beautiful redband rainbow to net. The little Tanuki 325 was perfect for this spot, and I was impressed with its backbone for such a light and responsive little rod. I don’t often fish with rods under 12 or 13 ft but this rod is so fun I will start finding more reasons to do so.
A note on the value of brightly colored items that will be frequently used on or near water. Twice on the day I lost my forceps. I didn’t notice until I got back to the car and had to go retrace my path. Ultimately, I found them both times on the stream bed and had it not been for the bright red handle they would have been gone forever. At a roadside stop to scout a location I somehow dropped my camera. When I got back to the road and was about to get in my car I caught a glimpse of something red in the corner of my eye. Sure enough it was my Olympus TG-6, the same camera I use for 99% of the photos on this blog. They make a black version which is the one I wanted but this one was ebay for a screaming deal. Had it been the black camera it’d likely be gone forever. I wouldn’t have noticed until getting home. The combined experiences showed me the value of having highly visible items that have higher potential for falling in the water.
My Tenkara 