Friday was the opening day of gun deer season in the U.P.
and hoards of blaze-orange-clad folks hit the fields and woods to fill their
tags. I also donned blaze orange, albeit for a different reason. While others
were equipped with every imaginable type of firearm, a 4-weight fly rod was my
weapon of choice.
The rivers in the U.P. have been running high and off-color
all fall due to almost daily precipitation, most of which had come in the form
of snow. Friday, however, was finally sunny … one of two days that the sun had
shown in the past month or so.
I didn't have a lot of time to fish – only an hour – so I picked
a spot that provided easy access. It also was a location where I would not
interfere with hunters. (After all, they only have 16 days to chase their prey.
I have most of the year.) The water temperature was a chilly 38 degrees and
there was about two feet of visibility, not exactly ideal conditions. There
were a handful of midges in the air and I did find two rainbows willing to eat
a size 16 copper john. I also had one really nice rainbow rise and push my
indicator around, making me wonder what would have happened had I been using a
dry-dropper combination.
Despite the fact that the fishing was a bit slow, I still
had a good time. The sun was out, the temperature was in the mid-40s, and I had
the place all to myself. Other than a few extra hours to fish, I really couldn't
have asked for more.
