Wedding plans are in the works and I am looking forward to making Michelle my bride on May 29th. Saturday was her bridal shower which left me with day to myself. Leaving at 5, I was on the creek by 7:30 for the start of a slow but satisfying day. The first pool started off with a bang as a good size brown trout hooked into my simi-leech. As I played the fish closer to shore, I realized that unfortunately my net was safe and secure at home. As I reached for the trout, he gave one last effort and was successful at loosing himself from the fly. I was still in high hopes of a profitable day with a hookup in the first pool, but the day had other plans. The winds picked up making it difficult to make solid casts, and even though the water was relatively clear, the usual lies were under a foot of runoff. The stream was teaming with insect life but I was unable to make any use of it. The second half of the day was spent exploring other portions of the stream which proved to be very profitable. One particular section of the creek was an interesting science lesson. The rocks were covered with casings that were filled with the larva of an insect that I learned latter were caddis flies. I rigged my line with a variety of different nymphs and connected on a fat little brown. The day was beautiful and I saw no other fishermen which can probably be attributed to the high flows. Despite the lack of fishermen, the hiking trails were choked with day-trekkers taking advantage of the pristine weather. It will not be long until there will not be an empty parking spot the entire length of Oak Creek. Despite my slow day of fishing, the cool weather and warm sun was the perfect way to spend a day off.
