A Twofer

by Phillip Dobson
(Butte, MT)

I've been going back to the local winter fishing hole a couple times last week. The fishing there has been really good and really fun. I caught my personal best grayling the other day and yesterday I landed two fish at once. A first for me!

I was drifting a nymph rig through the most productive run. A #20 dark-purple frenchie and a #14 rainbow Dexter. I hooked up after just a few casts, and two my surprise, saw two forms rising out of the darkness. A flash of blue and, "oh crap, a grayling"! I got the grayling up onto the ice and quickly reached into the icy water for the bigger rainbow. A quick snapshot, then a nudge back into the water. Bighole grayling are always a special experience, and this made it even more memorable.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.