Hot August Sun
Twelve hundred miles of white and yellow lines led us back home to Ennis. We had just returned from a show in St. Paul, Minnesota. Those long days on the road take a lot out of you and it takes a few days to recover. The thought of going back to work was not good.
The fly tying bench was the place for me. I slowly tied two of my articulated sculpin patterns and put them in the empty slots in the streamer box.
It was a hot August afternoon, not the best time for fishing, but I thought I would try the Madison close to Ennis. I put on my waders and vest and walked downriver to the old bridge run. The thought of fishing close to town scares most anglers.
I sat on the bank and looked at my fly box. Black and white magpies skydanced across the river. The new articulated sculpin pattern caught my eye so I tied on a stout 2X tippet and put the new fly on.
I waded into the cool Madison and found a good position to fish the head of the deep run. I fish a deep run with streamers first, then rest it, and fish dries or nymphs later. I pulled out about 60 feet of mint colored fly line and laid out a long double haul cast upstream and across.
The fly landed in the shallow water ten feet above the deep run. I let the fly drift to the run, then stripped in as fast I could. Halfway through the strip I felt a bump like a small trout.
I cast in the same spot again and stripped fast. The fly suddenly stopped dead like it had been hit by a truck. A huge trout came flying out of the Madison into the hot August sun, leaving water diamonds splashing back into the river.
The fish made a long run down and across the river. I was deep into the backing and running downriver trying to keep upright on the slick river stones. After several runs and jumps we made our way around a bend.
I saw a shallow spot that would be good to beach the fish since I had no net. The fish slowly slid into shallow water and I picked it up.
Its brown and red spots were as big as the ends of my fingers. I measured it on my rod, which I had just put a 24 inch mark on. It was 25 inches of yellow colored brown trout.
I slid the fish back into the Madison and reeled in my line. It was a good day.
Note about Bern Sundell”s painting: “River Warrior 2″ is acrylic on canvas 60″ wide by 40” wide. Original paintings and prints available at RiverStone Gallery.
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Copyright © Bern Sundell 2007. All Rights Reserved.
