Paul and I fished the Flatrock on Sunday June 30th. The gauge at St. Paul was at .92 when we started and at .94 when we left. At .92/.94 there was all the water we wanted to wade. I would recommend that anything above that is unsafe and unfishable. We have fished the Flatrock at lower gauge readings and it is a pleasant and productive little river with some nice Smallies. It even fished well during the drought when the gauge read .45 in June of 2012 (see pic # 21 on the 2012 the web gallery).
We each caught 4 Smallies and a number of panfish and there were some nice fish in the long distance release category. We took fish both looking up and on weighted “Bloomington Minnows.” Panfish on small poppers were easy, the Smallies were not moving very far to take a fly. A lot of the wading was mid thigh and even belly button deep in a place or two. Again, I would not recommend making the trip if the stream flow was above .94 at St. Paul.
June 18th is in fact the third Tuesday of the month and the date for
our second Official Non-Official Summer Meeting of 2013. As usual, we will unofficially meet at the Colorado Steakhouse at 6:00ish.
I like to consider each and any fishing trip a trip of a lifetime. Kinda like finding the world in a grain of sand—keep looking, you may find the world or just a really a neat grain of sand. But, at least you were looking for something special. Can’t find it if you don’t look. However, this does not apply to car keys. It may be Clear Creek (which I can afford) or the Amazon (which I can’t afford) but the promise of a special moment is always present. The fish should be there, this should be the fly and I need to make this cast. It was, it is, and you did, fish on… no matter how big or small, this is a special moment. Better yet, give your buddy the shot or occasionally offer to sit in the back of the boat.
So come and share tales of your adventures so far this summer over burgers and appropriate adult beverages. See you all at the Colorado Steakhouse on Tuesday the 18th.
