Afternoon Fishing

My daughters, Laurinda and Catherine, joined me in early fall for an afternoon of fly fishing on the Green River. The water was low due to the lack of rain, but it was cold, crystal clear, and felt great on our sandal-clad feet. The river boulders, covered in soft and lush moss, seemed to add a shimmering green to the stream, the forest, even the air. We used our family method of “rotating fish”: Laurinda would catch a fish, then let Catherine have a go until she caught one, and so on. I mainly watched and admired. This method makes fly fishing a fun spectator sport filled with jovial critiques… “ Beautiful cast, you hooked that rododendron perfectly”, “Good fish, but mine was bigger.” As we fished, Laurinda caught several salamanders with her hands, Catherine spotted some big crayfish and I looked for animal tracks along the banks. We chatted, fished and noticed. For me, the afternoon made time stand still. Fly fishing in good company does that.

Using very small dry flies we caught over 20 trout, most were brows, all were small. In years past, we would have seen more rainbows and larger fish. I did not spot a single otter track however, and the stream is obviously healthy and rich with life. These beautiful young fish are a promising future.

Aren’t these Green River trout beautiful!