First Ripe, <strike>Last</strike> First Rotten

Big Hole River 400 cfs

That title is a phrase golfers use when they start off great and and then things go down hill according to my client today who is an avid golfer. Such was the case this morning when on the first cast we nailed a big brown trout. I told him that some times that is a bad omen and it turned out that it was. We caught several more fish but most were fairly small and nothing compared to that first one. There was plenty of action all day on a dry and nymph dropper but the big ones were no more to be found. It was a bright beautiful warm day on the river with no other boats to be seen. Yesterday Art was guiding the same client and they did fair on top water using very small patterns. We did the best today on top using big rubber leg goofy patterns. I told Wally I was just trying to match the hatch!!!! It worked well in the shadows and not so well in the sun.

Forecast for tomorrow is warm with clouds in the afternoon. Starting Monday the weather pattern is for much cooler with showers.

That first fish this morning right out of the gate was caught on a #4 weighted streamer — my kind of fly.