Trout Lake Report: They're Here

Back to Trout Lake. Water's up.

You tied up another muddler variation last night. You will wish you had tied up a different pattern.

You have had a feeling. You kick out of the channel and head down the Drake shoreline. You think it's still too early for Drakes. But you want to go look.

The muddler entices a youngster.

On down the shoreline. A fish slashes at the fly and misses. Another leaps clear out of the water--and misses. These are Drake rises. You look more closely all around. There they are. Brown Drakes.

This may not be the earliest they have begun hatching, but it's the earliest you've ever noticed. You look for Drake patterns in your fly boxes. Where are they? Guess you should have tied some up by now.

All you have is one big Hex fly you bought in Michigan in the distant past. You tie it on. It's too big, but it works fine.

The Drakes are coming off all along the shoreline. You kick on down to the little bay where they concentrated last year in a vortex of Brown Drake loveliness.

Fish are working them. But it still feels like just the beginning. Action will intensify in the days ahead.

You catch fish. It feels like you could catch fish steadily for the foreseeable future. But the Hex fly gives out.

You go back to a muddler and kick on around the bend. Drakes down here, too. Looks like it could be a very good hatch this year.

You catch fish on the muddler, too, but the pace is more relaxed. That's OK. You're thinking about the Drake pattern you'll be tying up.

You turn and begin the long kick back. You continue to work the shoreline with the muddler.

You find more fish on the way back. They take the muddler, acting suspiciously like they're high on Drakes.

Back into the channel.

And back into the cozy little take out.

All the way back you've been designing the Brown Drake flies you're going to tie up. Can't wait to get started.