Hungry critters tend to be more aggressive than those with full bellies.  This was true for Darren and I in the canyon this week.  DP wanted to go poke around for some midge action in his jet the other day and I had some new patterns to try.  So off to Conant we went.  Little tough to launch the big Woolrich, but the canopy was great shelter from the snow.  We motored up to Lunquist run below the old bridge.  The “Junk Yard” wasn’t going off yet.  Not to many midge do to the 20 mile per hour wind.  We each caught a whitey and a Cutt and decided to hang in the boat for a little cocktail hour.  DP strung a spin rod and went to work.  Bad news for the trouts.   Dp really knows how to use that thing.  I couldn’t cast one ten feet if I had to.  Ask my saltwater captain,  he’ll agree!  After extracting about ten nice trout from the run Darren and I moved down to Pine Creek 1 to check some other runs.  Similar results on the flies, just a couple.  I headed to the boat for lunch and DP grabbed the spin rod.  By the time I finished my sandwich he had hooked four or five more trout on the DLL ( dude launched lure).  I had to take a walk and get away from the constant shwaaak of the line coming tight to yet another fish.  So Bailey and I headed down stream to look for horns and check out the big swirl hole at the corner under the power lines.  No horns, but when we peaked over the edge into the swirl there were twenty or so bows and cuttys surfing the seam.  The foam sheet that covered the eddy had dozens of little trout noses poking through everywhere.  Damn!  Left the rod at the boat!  DP must have read my mind as soon as I started jogging back to the boat he had I fire up and on the way.  “What up? He said.  There are a bunch of players down in Ed’s hole and half are bows.  I retort!  Let’s go baby!   We parked the boat quite a ways down below the hole to avoid the big SPOOK.  I tied on a J-Slam and my new little midge number about 20” down on 5X  flouro.   Did a little sneak up the side of the hill and around to the point above the pool.  Darren and I looked in and tried to pick out some of the biggest foreigners in the pod.  There were some nice fish in there but a lot of guardian fish too.  DP stayed on the point stashed in the bushes and I worked around to hit the fish from below.  First cast Dp says set, I set.  Game on!  Cutty, cutty, cutty, cutty,  bow, cutty, cutty, hi-bred, cutty, cutty, bow, cutty, ect.  You get the idea.  The new midglet is a dandy.  DP ordered a dozen for his trips this week.  We brought a few bows in for questioning and saw Ed at the ramp.  No words exchanged though, wierd for Ed. 

     On another note,  congrats’ to The Lodge!  We lost a very critical spoke in the wheel as Stan is retiring.  However, Kudos to Marshall for finding the perfect replacement in Justin Hayes.  I have know Justin for several years now and am very, very confident in his ability to take the helm.  I think The Lodge will become a new oasis for anglers from around the world.  New friends and old are certain to relax with Justin as host and manager.  His attention to details will make for seamless fishing vacations for our quest and his smile and sense of humor

  is bound to flush the work mode out of any visitor.   Looking forward to a great season with ya Justin!   See ya soon.   Legend    p.s.   my new little midge nugget is called the “Motor Oil Midge”  MOM for short.  You guys get it.  $24.00/ doz   but well worth it.  No pics of the fly yet,  you guys are to good at the vise and will figure it out.  Late