The Seasonal Muse Each season of the year has joys of its own for the fly fisher. For me, summer brings a welcome slowing-down from the wonderful but frantic activity of springtime trout fishing. After a very slow year with fly fishing lessons in 2005, this spring it seems like people are making up for lost time. I’ve been extremely busy. And although it’s very nice to have this work, I will enjoy the opportunity to shift gears at the end of June and take things just a bit easier. If your budget allows for destination travel, summer is the ideal time for it. Trout fishing in the American West is prime during the July through September time frame. Tailwater streams throughout much of the country fish well in the summer, as do numerous warmwater fisheries in rivers and lakes. Opportunities for saltwater fly fishing also abound. A quick look at the Where-to-Go section of any fly fishing magazine will reveal numerous possibilities. On the local scene, the arrival of summer brings and end to trout fishing in our stocked streams. The water is low, clear and warm, and few hatchery trout remain from the stockings that ended in late-May. Now these streams have a chance to recover from the onslaught of stocked trout and the fishermen who pursue them. These streams are not really trout streams at all, of course. They are warmwater streams that have trout put into them—unwisely, in my opinion. Now they can revert to their rightful occupants. Bass and sunfishes can resume their normal lives, and anglers who want a little solitude and some streambred fish near home can find both. This blessing will be especially significant this year, considering the high price of gasoline. Even driving an hour from home now involves a significant investment at the pump. I have discovered a potential new spot to fish on a local stream, by way of some scouting I did a month or more ago. I did not fish that day, but rather spent a lot of time driving, hiking, and looking. I still haven’t actually wet a line at this spot, but I am anxious to do so. This location has a lot going for it, and wild horses could not drag from me the secret of where it is. It is not stocked with hatchery trout, and it requires a ten-minute hike to reach. These two factors alone will discourage about 95% of other anglers. I can’t wait to fish there. The beauty thing is that there are probably dozens of other similar locations within a 30-minute drive of my doorstep, all that’s needed is to take the time to scout them out. You can do this too, and find your own secret hot spots. Get some good local maps and have at it! Another wonderful thing about wild fish is that they are everywhere there is decent habitat. You don’t have to worry about where the hatchery truck goes. In fact, what you really want to look for is where it doesn’t go! But having said that, many stocked stretches provide fine warmwater fishing during the summer and early fall. Many of our gritty little urban streams have an automatic easy means of access in the form of a sewer line right-of-way. Our sewerage systems are gravity-fed, so it’s logical and true that the mains wind up following streams. As yucky as this seems, it really is a blessing in disguise. The sewerage authority keeps vegetation mowed short over the right-of-way, the better to monitor the mains and make sure there are no leaks. No homes can be built over the mains, so this “greenbelt” is safe from development and provides guaranteed public access and easy hiking along the stream. Trees and shrubs grow lush between the right-of-way and the stream, providing a valuable riparian buffer that helps stabilize banks and prevent erosion. These areas also provide surprisingly good wildlife habitat. I have seen an impressive array of wildflowers, birds, animals, reptiles and amphibians along area greenbelts. When I fish during the summer, it is usually in the early morning or the last two hours or so before dark. The middle of the day is best avoided for a number of reasons. The primary disincentives are lack of activity on the part of the fish and discomfort for the angler. It’s quite delightful to go out fishing for an hour or two after dinner on a summer evening, and since darkness doesn’t fall until 9 p. m. or later there’s more than enough time to do it. I drive over to Darby Creek, park the car and gear up. A short, leisurely stroll and I step into the cool shady tunnel of the stream. I wade slowly, with long pauses at likely spots. The favored fly is a small yellow foam popper. It’s easy for me to see, and most of the time the fish love it. I like to use a light trout rod for this fishing, one short enough to work easily under the leafy summer tree canopy. I am in predator mode, stalking and casting with as little extraneous motion as possible. I am the heron. I am in tune with my environment, in the moment. It’s a different world, and the cares and concerns of everyday life are gone. This is the ultimate form of relaxation. I hope that you will soon be able to enjoy some of this wonderful fishing for yourself. Come join us for one or more of the “Little Creeks” series of outings this summer and give it a try!
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