"EPIC DAY"

So I've been doing some thinking about what makes an "EPIC DAY" on the water. Is it the beautiful scenery one witnesses, the time away from real life, the fish caught or is it simply the friendships we gain and share? I guess it really just comes down to who you talk to and how they see their life. To me an "Epic Day" is something personal that I keep deep inside my soul, it is the one thing that I can have that no one else can take away or share. Its very personal.

So on that note, today was what some might call an "Epic Day". With the OK from the wife and a few texts later, I had a crew of four die hard fishermen and fisherwomen, excited to hit the Middle Provo in the morning. We arrived at our destination at 8:45 am to the surprise of complete solitude. (Weird for the provo on a Sat.) Isn't it funny how a little cold weather forecast will scare off most anglers. As we approached the river we instantly saw little rings of joy that would make any anglers heart start beating a little faster. After tying on some little Midges (#20-22) with 7X tippet, Mallary struck first with two quick hook ups. After that was the highlight of the outing for me. I casted my flies up the shallow riffle and WHAM! on the first cast I was hooked into a fat leaping brown on 7X tippet. It tried everything possible to rub or throw the hook, but after the air show was finished the big fish came into the net. It measured a true 21 inches with a great healthy girth. I was stoked! I could have ended my day right then and been completely content.

For the next hour we had a little calm before the storm, the hatch hadn't really started yet, but there were just enough little Midges flying around to keep the fish looking up. We each landed a couple on dries, then just like clock work the weather warmed a little and the main event begun!!! Within a matter of 30 mins there were hundreds of fish on the surface sipping the abundance of clustered midges that layered the waters surface. It was an amazing site and the dry fly fishing for the next 3 hours was just plain old silly. With a good presentation, the right size of fly (Griffin Gnat #22!!!) no hungry brown could stand a chance.

The key was in the presentation!!! Accurate, soft casting was crucial to get the tiny flies to a trouts feeding lane without spooking them.

With the late addition of Big Hoss to our team. Hoss, Wayne, Mallary and myself had a blast catching feisty 14-17 inch browns until our arms were sore and our confidence was through the roof. But just as we knew it, great days must come to an end and the hatch was over and the fish went back to their beds. All we could say was "that was an amazing hatch". So what makes an "Epic Day"? Well it's all in the eyes of the beholder...

Fishing Summary:

Fished: 9 am-4 pm

Midge Hatch 9 am-3 pm (best time 1-3)

Flies: Orange Asher #16, Grif Gnat #20, Zebra #22, WD-40 #22, Single Midge #24, Midge Emerger #24-26.

Tippet: 6X-7X