On the personal side, a hectic guiding schedule has kept me rowing & mostly fishing vicariously.
In the broader picture, things started with a nearly record spate that put a damper on spring & early summer mayfly hatches. Then, beginning in June, the air temps soared to 100 degrees & have hovered in that range ever since. B.C. began to burn in June &, as of now, August, continues to burn. The smoke is barely tolerable along the U.S./Canada border & if it gets any worse we might be advised to evacuate.
I’m seriously considering evacuating to
Taking the month of August
off. Finally getting to fish & that’s making me happy, even if the only
productive time is generally only for that hour right up against dark. And by
“productive” I don’t mean wide-open. I mean productive compared to nothing. One
or two trout per night. Maybe a handful on a particularly good night.
There’s not a lot showing up top, just a quick shooter of risers feeding on the short spritzes of caddis hatches beginning just before dark. Satisfying fishing just the same. The wild redband are summer-schooled & extra canny, presenting a difficult challenge calling for a 12’ leader, 3lb test tippet & a perfectly presented sedge emerger. This has given me the opportunity to play with some patterns that might be reliable in low light.
There’s not a lot showing up top, just a quick shooter of risers feeding on the short spritzes of caddis hatches beginning just before dark. Satisfying fishing just the same. The wild redband are summer-schooled & extra canny, presenting a difficult challenge calling for a 12’ leader, 3lb test tippet & a perfectly presented sedge emerger. This has given me the opportunity to play with some patterns that might be reliable in low light.
I’m fairly certain that size
& profile are necessary constants, but is matching the natural’s coloration
the best approach in low light? Well, to answer my own question (like a crazy man): yes & no.
According to my own experience & observations, too fanciful or gaudy is not
an entirely reliable approach, & neither is too drab. There’s a balance.
And that seems to lie with designs that simulate the natural’s coloration in an
exaggerated manner & in a way
that incorporates light, or, more precisely, relying on material choices that
gather & reflect light. Not only does such a design work better in low
light, but also during heavy sedge hatches when the imitation must compete
with a bazillion naturals. Oftentimes the pattern, I think, must stand out, yet
in a way that is enticing without being overly intrusive. That’s where the
creative fun arises to challenge the designer.
Here’s one that is turning
the trick on some well-educated trout, late evenings:
Low Light Sedge
Hook: #12 Daiichi 1150
Thread: Camel UNI 8/0
Hackle: brahma hen, stripped
on one side, 2 turns
Body: 4 strands of pearl
midge flash, twisted to a rope – Over-body: Hareline Ice Dub UV Shrimp Pink (this stuff
is enticingly ambiguous & doesn’t look actually pink but rather a
tannish-salmon with lots of green, blue, & rootbeer highlights, for lack of a better
description) tied in as a collar – Thorax: pine squirrel dubbing mixed with a bit
of mahogany or ginger antron
