He's black and white, fluffy, chubby, at times odoriferous, but overall, a good guy who often teaches you a thing or two.
I thought I'd lost my chance to hit the Millers for the first time in a LONG time when my week went funny and I had to work all day Saturday. So when the wife cut me loose when the kids went down for nap Sunday, a 150-200 over ideal CFS level in the "Bears Den" and bright sunny sky's did not deter me from hitting my favorite part of this river from about noon to two.
I fished above the Resendez Pool, starting about the rail road bridge and working down, drifting/swinging a streamer, and then, a tandem of wet's (picket pin and grouse and orange)... The pic below is through the hemlocks out to the river about half way up the path to the bridge. For reference, at this point, the water is 3-8+ feet deep as it starts to swell into the pool... which i think is bottomless!
On this day, I did something I rarely do when fly fishing... I carried two rods. My 8'6" BVK 6wt (normal Millers and "all around" rod, go to rod for small mouth bass and even some large mouth bass fishing as well) and the 11 foot Cabelas CZN #4 I've been playing with to expand on my high stick and "euro" style nymphing skills. I'd hoped to play with this in the riffle below the bridge, and below the second run (down stream from the Resendez pool)... But with flow's around 400, on a stretch that fishes best (to me at least) at 200... I felt barely safe wading the stretch below the bridge... and the riffle bellow the second run only the very edge felt safe to me. So, despite having both rods, I basically fished the BVK all day and had the CZN as a passenger... It will get more use here in the future.
Looking back, I wish I'd slowed down, become deliberate and methodical, and fished a two fly rig with something like a vladi worm that goes to the bottom like an anchor as the point and a smaller nymph like a hairs ear or a caddis larva as the tag... It's funny, I used to be to patient... and since our son's illness, it's the other way, I'm to fast and rush to get in to much when I have a chance to go. I need to slow down, and think quality, over quantity!
Back to fishing though... I picked up periodic fall fish through out the day, ending with maybe 4-5 for my 2-2.5hrs on the river... but that was it. Well, I did have one good take on a big articulated streamer I'm playing with that will be for big rivers like this, and bass fishing in general. It feels weird throwing a 5.5" long fly on a trout river... but knowing there are some solid +20" brown's that hold over in this river... it was a good spot to "test" the fly. It looks amazing in the water...
Overall, the day reminded me, that having a few hours, thigh deep in a river... watching the birds, water and day go by... It's worth every moment - whether you meet the skunk or not! Cant wait for next time!
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