(1.) Tricks For Fly Fishing the Trico Hatch On the South Platte River (Eleven Mile Canyon) Wait a Minute, Cast Somewhere Else

“I may be old and I may not be as strong, but I know many tricks”, said Santiago, the ‘old man’ who hooked the giant marlin in “The Old Man and the Sea”.

One of the most simplistic tricks, (but most effective and overlooked), while dry fly fishing the famous South Platte Trico Mayfly hatch is to simply cast somewhere else. I have watched fly fishers cast again and again over the same fish in the same exact drift line hoping the fish will eventually take the fly. I do know that determination and persistence will often pay off but I have found that if I simply take a few steps,  cast to a different fish and a different feeding lane that I sometimes pick up a fish right away. Or even if I do not pick up a fish by casting in a different spot I often will get a rise when I cast back to the original feeding lane. I call this “fishing in circles” and “resting the fish” or “finding a fish that wants to play”.   When I think about it logically this approach makes some sense. If I can turn around to cast to fish behind me or just somewhere else,  then  the original fish I was trying to catch will quickly began to set up and feed more heavily without me disturbing them. They quickly get in a rhythm of their own with out sensing me,  the fly fisher throwing line on top of them, poking them with hooks, etc. Even just resting fish for a minute or two allows them to gulp down hundreds of bugs unmolested. And then when I do come back to them and cast over them I find them more eager to take my fly. They are less wary having enjoyed eating hundreds of “real” bugs. When I am guiding others and we come back to the original run of fish, I will often say to my client, “Ok, they are off guard now, make your first cast count. Expect a rise on the first cast. Don’t tell the fish you are here again by making a bad cast”.  Over the last several days (and decades) I have given this advice to my clients and it has been effective.

I am not sure if there is some parallel that can be made to real life. Maybe it is as simple as knowing that when you find yourself doing the same thing over and over and it is not working, try something different. Or even if what you are doing is working, “examine” it, and try something new anyway. You might discover some new insight.