Hatches 2010: On the Tenth Day by Ulf Hagström

Magazine — By HatchesMagazine on July 14, 2010 8:40 pm

For the sixth time I place the CDC fly upstream from the long shadow hovering over the bottom, and for the sixth time I see it pass by without a reaction. Further upstream I see Chris catch another good sized grayling. Dammit, why won’t this fish rise to the one fly that seems to be working for everyone else today? In my frustration, I put a little too much force in the backcast. The fly snags the bushes and the tippet snaps off.

I wonder if I should go back to Chris and get another CDC fly, or if I should try something else. As I ponder the dilemma, the fish rises once more from its lair and takes something just below the surface. Up to then I had only seen the fish take duns, but this rise looks more like a rise to an emerging nymph. My hands tremble as I tie on a fresh tippet and a size 18 SRM Emerger. Two false casts, easy on the backcast and… yes! A perfect placement, 2 meters straight upstream from the fish. In slow motion the fish backs off, flicks its tail, floats to the surface, opens its mouth, and — YES! Strike! Oh, my, it’s a trout… and a good one, too!

This and 13 other articles can be found in the 2010 Issue of Hatches Magazine(will be published September 1st)