Baitcasting Reel

I want to take you to a Day with a friend on the mighty Gunnison. It's Dry fly season here on the gunny in August. Hoppers stimulator's. caddis, and yellow sally's all make the fish jump!..
As you might know Fishing is very much a mental game for me.
Hopper season is well past its peak by August but the fish still take them if presented properly. To the water where were floating along on the old flat bottom. My Friend up front and me on the oars we proceed to hook up every 5 or 10 minutes on caddis..

Then the caddis are gone and a switch is in order. I suggest a hopper with a small stimmy behind it. Justin quickly replies, "dude I haven't caught jack on a hopper this year". From the oars, I was getting a pretty good look at what was going on with the bugs and I had a hopper in my box that would later prove to be a perfect match, little yellow guy with bright red legs. Knowing that there were a lot of this style hopper on this section, I had to drop anchor and fix him up. One small problem. He isn't going to be able to fish the hopper with confidence. This is big to me. So now, not only do I have to fool a fish but I have to fool the fool in front of me. Fish are, coming in this boat today! He, like many, isn't always down with two flies. So I got out a single stimulator for him, little yellow thing with a red butt.. do you follow? Fish could take this for that hopper, or a yellow sally which wasn't present at the time. We drifted alongside the stimmy for a few drifts as I sat with my eyes glued to his fly, my peripheral vision kept picking up on some dancing caddis. not many, but something to keep the fish looking at the top. Then as we approach this rock that makes me hear jaw music was coming up. I moved the boat in to perfect position. Before I go on I must tell you how we had been working on a technique that I do with a dry that is a mend in the air so that when the fly lands you don't have to mend again... Cool huh? well if there is a time for my fishing buddy to pull off one of these then this is the time. Then he does it! Perfectly! A no mend dry fly cast on the move. Then you guessed it The disappearing stimmy trick with a gnarly tail flip. Go! I say loud enough for anything in the canyon to hear. Fish on! I know this fight was a learning experience for Justin it had it all. In the net and here's a pic.


So what do you think? did I fool the fish with a hopper and fool a fisherman with a stimulator?
He still doesn't know what I was doing.
Bonus to me, we were camped out on the river and this was going to be one of 5 more trips down a 4 mile streatch of river. Next time is my turn to fish. We arrived at camp to down a Mikes and do the shuttle thing. On the ride to the launch, the subject of him not catching any fish on a hopper this year comes up and Justin says to me, "comon Josh catch a fish on a hopper".. Is this a challenge? Hmmm. is now!! I vowed to use only hoppers for my float, just to show him that if you smack the grass, kick it twice and wait for the turn... your golden.
After some reckless driving by the new captain and several "almost in the drink". OK reckless driving is an understatement I mean hauling butt down the river hardly able to hit the edge with the fly let alone mend 125 feet of line. After some, lets say patient drivers ed coaching. we finally got a perfect speed, on a perfect drift. I Smacked the grass, pulled it in to the water, popped it twice and out of the air comes an 18inch brown.

Why do I think this way? Why do I make easy things hard? Why so much thinking?.. One Word... FISH. Point Made.
I hope I made you think today.

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