Last Sunday I had the day off. Blue Ribbon Fly Shop was closed and I did not have a guide trip scheduled. I checked the weather and found out that the high temperature would be in the fifties with little if any wind. The rainfall originally forecast seemed to be falling well north of us in Missouri. In addition, the generation forecast called for low wadable water, on the Norfork, all day. My wife, Lori, suggested that it would be a great day for us to go fishing. I quickly agreed. Lori’s friend Sherri Poulus joined us.
We drove over to the Ackerman Access, on the Norfork. Although the parking lot was crowded, there did not seem to be many anglers there particularly upstream, in the Catch and Release section. Lori and Sherri decided to fish near the access while I headed upstream. I was fishing a Sage Light Line fly rod that I had inherited from my brother, Dan, a couple of years ago, this was my first chance to fish with it. I had a rod just like it but broke it. That is another story.
I found my favorite spot empty. I have pulled more big fish out of this hole than any other spot, on the Norfork, and I always try to spend at least an hour here, whenever I fish this river. I rigged my rod with a big yellow egg with a root beer midge below it. I quickly lost a big fish when it made a long run. I never got a good look at it but I could tell it was stout. Then I landed a decent cutthroat (around sixteen inches long). I was feeling a bit better about my chances. A few casts later I hit a really good trout. After a lengthy battle, I landed a fat twenty-inch rainbow. On the next cast, I caught its twin. That was two twenty inch rainbows in two casts. I caught a few more trout before I decided to move on.
I worked my way downstream to another spot that I like to fish. Unfortunately, there was an angler fishing near there and I did not want to crowd him. I went to another spot not too far away. Before I made a cast, I noted that he had moved out. He was sitting on the bank rerigging his rod. I walked over to the angler and asked if I could fish there. He said sure. He had not done any good and was ready to leave. I waded over to the spot and on the third cast hit a beautiful twenty-inch cutthroat. It took a while but I finally landed the fat fish. I took a minute to take a photo of the trout.
I asked if he wanted to try the spot. I had my fun and was ready to share. I took a minute to show him how I was rigged and exactly how I had fished the hole. It was time to check on Lori and Sherri. I began fishing my way out and picked up a few more trout. When I had almost caught up to them I hooked and l hooked and landed a Bonneville Cutthroat.
These are the trout that Trout Unlimited had planted in the Norfork and White Rivers as eggs a few years ago, this is the first one I have caught in some time and it was magnificent. It was a fat eleven inch cut with spectacular blood red fins and vivid slashes under its chin. It was the most beautiful cut that I had ever caught. I wanted to take a photo but I was in heavy water and did not want to take a chance of injuring it.
I linked up with the girls. They had not done as well as I had so we walked back upstream where I had fished earlier. By then I felt like I had caught enough. I sat on the bank and watched them fish. They caught several but no big fish. Around five o’clock we headed out.
It had been a great day and I had the hot hand. I even out fished Lori. Life is good!
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