Quill Gordon Dry

Quill Gordon Dry

The cold winter has finally shaken off its icy grip.  We had a long week of sunny skies with warm temperatures.  The Davidson is flowing near ideal levels and the daytime temps are reaching into the mid 40's. 

Earlier in the week I drove around looking for hatches and rising trout.  Checking the Davidson, I walked down to a likely spot.  The water looked clear and clean with that winter blue-green color.  I waited.  I was just about to go back to the car when I saw it.  Not a trout, but a large Mayfly floating down the river.  After seemingly forever, it lifted off the water and flew upstream.  I was hoping a large trout would come up to take a meal. 

After several days of office work, tying flies, and another project, I decided to see if Jeremy would join me for a day of fishing.  He has been wanting to explore another river, so we spent the morning there.  Nothing.  The water was too cold still.  Although the Quill Gordons begin hatching around 45°, the hatch really kicks in at 48°.  This water was still too cold.  I suggested we head to the Davidson since I saw bugs a few days prior.

We hit the water around 1 pm so the hatches should be coming off.  It did take Jeremy long to spot a riser on the far side of a long pool.  I watched as he made a long cast.  The fish was reluctant.  I moved upstream toward the head of the pool.  I caught some movement, a flash, and turned in the nick of time to see a fish disappear in the water.  I moved upstream into a better casting position.  I tied on the trusty Quill Gordon pattern I tie.  It isn't a traditional pattern, some people doubt it would catch a fish, but it does.  Today was no different.  After just a couple of casts, I had the first fish of the day...a bow, small but marked with beautiful colors.  I moved upstream some more and made a cast.  The backlight illuminated the fly on the water.  I was thinking to myself, it looks so realistic, when the second trout took the fly.  I had two in the net, if I had remembered to bring the net. 

Several fish later, I was a long way upstream.  I was looking over some water to decide whether to fish it or not when there was a rise.  It wasn’t where I thought a big fish would hold but it was worth checking.  Sure enough, a two-inch trout exploded on the fly.  So maybe there are fish here.   The run wasn't big but there was a deep spot on the other side.  I made some casts.  The drift wasn't good, the fly was dragging in the water.  I waded up.  Now I was facing downstream, a position that I knew was good to cast from.  I made a hook cast and let the fly drift over the same spot.  I was shocked when a large brown confidently hammered the fly.   As I fought the trout, I had a nagging feeling I would regret not bringing my net.  I slid the trout next to me and held it steady as I slowly put my hand on it’s belly and lifted it out of the water.  A beautiful brown trout and a fitting end to my first day of spring dry fly season.  And every one was caught on a Quill Gordon.