And then this...

Some things are better when shared. Day prior, when I was lighting into all those caddis, I kept looking around in disbelief: where is everyone? Where are my brothers or my kids or my buddies? For that matter - where is anyone to share in this amazing hatch? I think McCandles said happiness only real when shared or something close to that. Per last entry: I didn't want to share it with anyone I didn't know because generally people I don't know are spoilers and they don't belong on the stream (ha). But I did want someone to be there. Paradoxical. So really always torn between enjoying solitude and shared experiences...

On this day there was a need for a team: a two-man team. WFF is a guy that fits that bill (his report is here).

Mostly the pictures and the previous post's text can accurately depict this outing... With a few notes added:

(1) The hatch was a littler earlier, and didn't last quite as long. We were cocky bastards and we figured we could catch and keep our limit with ease on the way out... turned out that after the caddis toned down a bit we had to work to get six total keeper sized fish in the afternoon.

(2) Wild plum trees jumped out at us.

(3) We observed multiple rocks scratched up by some unidentified animal. Stuff of horror movies is what it kind of smelled like.

(4) The fish ate the hell out of our adult EHC patterns from 10-1 PM. It was easy and we were cocky about it. Laughing here and there but mostly watching things unfold... always in awe. Kind of a respectful, cautious cockiness I guess. Always in awe and talking in reverent tone. Both wanting to observe and learn maybe even more than wanting to catch fish. So when you can do both it equates approx to paradise. Not sure, but guessing we both caught 20-some-odd fish. Multiple instances in which we both caught 4-6. Maybe we touched 30. Doesn't really matter I guess.

(5) Sweet memory of the day was watching some bigger browns marauding in a calm/flat side-pool, just adjacent to a riffle. I got upstream of them, standing in riffle, and floated EHC with pile cast down through rocks into the calm... and they obliterated the fly at first sight. Beautiful takes and beautiful fish. Worked them upstream, through riffle and rocks to hand. They ate.

(6) I was jolted when I saw that first wild plum there in the woods. I immediately recalled this writing by W. Berry, and thus it struck me at that time that what makes an author great is the ability to say succintly and accurately what he's thinking/feeling/observing... I had thoughts/feelings/observations that are well-summarized by this bit... but I couldn't have written it:

Spring Haiku

One young wild plum tree
White in the bare woods
A bride among wedding guests

(7) Thanks WFF for a solid segment on the water. Great way to shore up some spring/April fishing (finally). I can't tell you how much better it feels to know about what's happening on the streams and know that for a little while there I was in it. Much better than knowing what's going on and watching April slip by while I type at some God-forsaken computer. Don't need much. Just a little participation in something good.