Skunked by a monster brownie

No doubt you’ve heard the old saying, “Don’t wish too hard for something, you just might get it.”

Well, last week my future son-and-law and I were fly fishing the Missouri River. The first afternoon, we floated from Holter Dam to Craig. We were greeted with strong winds and showers.

Few insects were hatching so, not unexpectedly, we fished scud patterns deep. An unwelcome tear in my waders and the fact I’d left my shoes in the truck made the float seem even longer.

The second day, we did Craig to Mid-Canyon. Again, no bugs — until we drifted close to one shoreline. A few pale morning duns were hatching, and there were a few trout sipping the emergers and cripples.

Unfortunately, the wind was blowing directly into the shoreline, so we couldn’t hold the boat. We beached the boat and walked along the bank, but the stinking wind blew both back casts and forward casts into the shoreline bushes.

After fooling a couple of nice rainbows, we completed our drift, with marginal fishing success. That’s when Matt remarked, “I sure wish we could hit those PMDs on a day with no wind. I know we could hammer those big fish.”

Matt’s wish came true just before noon the next day. We found an easily wadable spot where the water was literally peppered with sipping, porpoising, even splashing fish. A brown trout, had to be more than 5 pounds, was feeding feverishly 40 feet and 45 degrees above me.

The riseforms indicated the fish were feeding just below the surface, so we tried emerger patterns, cripple patterns and even a few dries. We chewed dry patterns into nymphs.

I wanted that big brownie so badly I drifted over its feeding lane time after time. It never spooked, but it showed no interest in my offerings. The hatch lasted more than an hour. The river was full of feeding fish. At times, they were less than a rod’s length away from our feet. Those Mo fish ran us out of flies, and left us with greater frustration than if we hadn’t seen a single PMD.