Fishing Report Wed. Feb. 1st.

[Bill Babler]

Long time client and friend Dave Mangelsdorf wondered down from Saint Louie to enjoy some of our Spring type weather yesterday.

With Dave's buddy Chip Baker we started at short creek on lots of rising fish. Draw down was on with water being slightly off color, and for the sake of me I couldn't get those short creek fish figured out on the fly rod. Went thru durn near the whole fly box but they were zoned in on a size 28 to 30 grey midge, and I just ain't got none that small that I wanted to mess with at that time of the morning. Somewhat blind you know. and didn't want to go to 7 or 8X that early, you shouldn't have to. While I was messing around with reloading Chip picked up a 7ft. spinning rod loaded with 2lb. line and a 64oz. sculpin jig, and commenced to catch one after another. I thought AH, HA! Loaded a sculpin wolley on both rods and told them to start hauling them in and I would just sit in the middle and take off fish. 15 minutes later and without another fish I had, had enough and headed for the restricted area.

Taneycomo is like real estate location is everything. All our troubles were forgotten. Fish were midging hard but I could also see alot of flashing and digging. The perfect opportunity for my favorite tandem. I loaded up both boys with a crackleback in size 14 for an indicator and dropped a scud in grey and one in mink under them. We fished until about 5 pm with that tandem and the action never stopped. Only 5 fish came on the crackleback but they are 5 we wouldn't have caught on top with a strike indicator. Numbers were huge with both men well over 50 fish, but the size is very disturbing.

As most of you know, I have been fishing and guiding taney, for over 30 years and I can't really remember every catching this many small fish. The upper river is simply loaded with 8in to 11in fish. You can see schools of 30 to 50 fish all over the flats from Andy's house to fall creek. Catch one and a dozen follow it to the boat.

Our top 7 or 8 fish were around 15 inch and that is pretty poor for putting well over 100 fish in the boat by experenced fisherman. Good news is that you can catch a fish about every other cast. shouldn't complain I guess. Thought with the new regs, we would be doing better than that.

Boys, if you get a chance take some of these smaller fish out of the restricted area,as I know it has to be near capasity there are just thousands of fish in the lower part of the area.

In parting, stopped by short creek on the way in so as not to let it defeat me. They ate the tandem like candy. They were still after the small midges but it didn't seem to matter, they really wanted the scud. Water was a bit clearer, maby that was the difference. Who knows

[loo10]

So, the browns will have plenty to eat.

Moral of the story.....

EAT THE darn LITTLE ONES.