Big Browns Dine at Dusk!

This is something that I read a long time ago, and that phrase has stuck with me. Over the years it has become a mantra or sorts. For me a few other things have to come together in order to catch the big browns that inhabit our local streams and rivers. High, stained water welcome, as are cloudy overcast days and it really doesn't hurt if it is raining too.

The other week all of these conditions fell into place and I headed off to the rive with the intentions of going after the big boys at dusk. I've been tying up some of Kelly Gallop's famous patterns such as the articulated Peanut Envy. Full of marabou and flash these flies are fish magnets. The sun was setting at I waded way on down the river to a remote and fairly inaccessible run, swung the fly through the head a few times, across and down and then, almost as an afterthought, one more cast up to side of the head into a little eddy. As soon as the fly hit the water it was grabbed hard and the fight was on. 12 lb mono made for fairly quick work, but as I brought the fish in close to hand I realized that my trout net was way too small to capture this fish, so I tailed it to take some quick photos. Check out http://www.brfff.com/forum for the full story and more photos.