Lake Report: Third Day In a Week

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I got back to the lake for a third time, in keeping with my intention to make the most of these last days of the season. I took the float tube this time.

It was a Saturday, and it was the opening day of rifle season for deer, so the campgrounds were full of deer hunters.

There was constant traffic on the road--cars, trucks, four wheelers, and motorbikes. A pall of dust hung over the lake. Now and again I'd hear the pop of a rifle up on the ridge, and then the echo like thunder rolling up and down the valley.

It was calm, and fish were rising, but I managed to catch only small fish. I had tied up some small deer hair caddis since I had seen some on the water the last time I was there. But on this day the fish ignored my new flies. As often happens, I had succeeded in outsmarting myself rather than the fish.
But they took the CDC caddis, and a black leech trolled at dusk.

The fish quit rising before dark. Maybe it was the weight of the cold air settling over the lake that put them down. I stayed relatively warm--I had dressed for a cold evening--but my fingers were numb by the time I loaded up and headed for home.
Last year there was snow on the ridges at season's end. We'll see what's in store this year.