Rubber Soles and Rock Snot.

[William Anderson]

What do you get when you add a brand new pair of rubber soled wading boots with a stream full of rock snot (Didymo). You get a soggy S.O.B. with a big grin on his face.

Bill Shuck (tie2fish) was kind enough to meet up with me early to fish the Gunpowder today. I was able to get away today if I left my house at 5:45, able to fish from 8-12 and then head back. The area had a serious temp drop the past couple days. As I left this morning the temp outside was 35, but warmed to a cozy 45 once the sun finally came up. Water temps are fairly steady between 50 and 55 degrees on this tailwater. At 8am the water temp was just shy of 50. With the temp drop, it didn't seem like a day to be out, but as you know, I go when I can and had to be home in Northern Va by 2.

The water looked gorgeous, even if chilled, and we had good cloud cover which helped in this very clear water. This season the Didymo has been especially nasty and this section of stream was hard hit with every surface slimed and large globs drifting by continuously. It's not that I underestimated the slickness of the stream bottom, or wasn't aware of the risk the new rubber soles posed, but I took my first serious spill in years and it was a bad one. The jeans under my pants waders, all three shirts and my jacket were very wet. In the moment I really wasn't that bothered after having figured out how to get good drifts in the treacherous water and feeling the anticipation of an eminent hook up. The water was just too sweet to think about anything else. I lost a couple of droppers hanging up, a #18 Amber and Starling and a #16 P&O, under a modified F-Fly pattern. Drenched, freezing and wanting to make a hook-up while Bill was still in ear shot, I decided to stop fooling around and just go with the "go to", a #16 Hares Ear and Partridge 1150. Bam! a solid, sluggish hook-up which didn't reveal itself until I started to move him out of the seam to more slack water and holy crap, this golden beauty made a serious effort and ripped across the pool. The biggest brown I've taken on this stream. Just over 13" and gorgeous. (yeah, I forgot my camera again otherwise I would post him. It's just as well as it would have been ruined in the plunge along with my phone It's still in a coma) Bill was just upstream, trying to stay warm and wondering if there would be any bugs active today. There weren't, until around noon as we started back to the trail out of there. He's a class act and a good sport to fish with me at a less than prime hour. We swapped some patterns, chatted about most of you and enjoyed a really nice morning.

I should also mention that as the wise old sage, he did manage to save my life. For an hour after falling in, I shivered and shook uncontrollably, as he put it "like a cocker spaniel surrounded in a yard full of dobermans". He insisted I take a hike upstream to get my core temp back up. With so much fishing to do in such a short amount of time, I would have stood there until hypothermia kicked in. With a look I understood he wasn't in any mood to drag my frozen ass up that trail, so I followed his suggestion.

Here are a couple of pics Bill managed this morning.






The "Go To" - Hares Ear and Partridge 1150




A modified F-Fly - CdC and Hare Emerger 1120



I also had a chance to take my 6th rod build (a complete rebuild of a 1980's Fisher fiberglass 8'0" 4wt). It's an absolute joy, soft and elegant to cast and very versatile. I'm very proud of this one.



Here's the before and after:
http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/ ... t%20Glass/

w

[DUBBN]

Great report. Sorry you fell in. I'd trade being dry for a chance to fish with either one of you guys.

[letumgo]

I fell in on my first outting of the year. I am sure it won't be the last time I fall in this year, either.

Excellent trip report, William. I am jealous, even with the soaking. I spent the day pushing key on a keyboard, at work.

I am glad Bill was there to keep and eye on ya. (Thanks Bill).

[Mataura mayfly]

William, go fishing in rock-snot you gota have spikes on your boots..... and plenty of them.
I use the studded soles in my Korker boots for rock snot country..... and still slip and slide, but not as bad as with the plain rubber soles. Falls like that you are lucky to come away with just being wet- not broken. Nothing like a long hike out with a busted knee or broken arm..... or worse, bashing your head on a rock.

That is a really nice glass rebuild, good job it survived the fall!

[CreationBear]

Great trip report, and that Fisher build has disabused me of the notion that you're lacking some of life's essential ammenities. Now if I can get Bill to spring for a nice cane rod, my work here will be complete.

[michaelgmcgraw]

Nice fishing report- article? Gotta love those fisher blanks.

[hankaye]

Dub-ya, Howdy;

Beautiful report, sorry about your dunkin' (not ),
am glad Bill was there to kick ya in the butt to get movin' to warn up.

Quick tip for your phone (or any other electronic gear that get wet.
Take it as apart as you can get it and set it in your oven convection is
best due to the fan circulating the warm air. If you have a gas oven just
leave it on pilot, for elect. (you have my sympithies), you'll have to turn it on
(lowest setting), leave it in there over night... should be fine in the morning.

We dried over 400 pieces of avionics gear in the Nimitz's sauna after the big flight deck
fire of 1981 (?) swiss cheese memory....

hank

[tie2fish]

Great report, w! And I gotta tell you folks, that Fisher rebuild he did is not only drop-dead gorgeous, but it casts like a dream. He let me fish it for a while, and it was whipping out a tandem rig of wets in 40 foot roll casts with only a flick of the wrist. I really hated to give it back to him. Thanks for your company w, and for getting me out of the house and into the water. We'll have better fishing days, but not any better companionship.

[kanutripr]

Good job you two!

It looks like a fine day in spite of the whipper snapper taking a header. Good thing Bill was there to save your sorry butt! Maybe he just didn't want to come back and say how he left your sorry backside on the stream. All men out alive!





Vicki

[Ruard]

William,

Beautiful Rod rebuilding, I like special the guide windings very well done mister. Did you use the old reel holdersystem for another rod? Was it not possible to use it for this one??

Greeting