Thank goodness some things are slowly getting back to near normal. And, so it was on Thursday, July 9, as we toasted another new fly fisher, Jeff Nagle, on his graduation trip. Moral support on this trip was provided by Scott Payne, Sid wet-wadding-Aslin, John Muckerman, Bill Lowry, Steve Baker, Glenn I-wet-wadded-too-Haake, Craig Dull, and yours truly, Jim Craig.
When we arrived, it looked like it was going to be a hot, crowded day. The exact opposite of what every fly fisherman hopes for. Nevertheless, we geared up at the Naturalist Cabin and headed out. Most guys headed up stream in the fly-fishing area. Jeff and I headed to below the bolder to begin the hazing instruction. It was hot and steamy, but to our delight, we had that area of the river to ourselves.

Thanks to Covid19, it had been a few months between the end of Jeff’s fly-fishing class and his graduation trip to the river. Although Kenny was not available to do the honor of taking Jeff one-on-one for his graduation trip, Jim Craig made sure Jeff felt the presence of the Sensei. There was plenty of “Mend! Mend!” and even a stooge’s style slap to the back of his head when
he didn’t set fast enough. One thing was clear, Jeff had done is homework! He had all the right tools and all the right supplies. Hallelujah! He knew his bugs, he knew his rises, he knew where to find information about the river, he knew the power of 3 tippet rule, and he knew how to tie his knots. What he didn’t know was how to properly insert flies in his fly box. Not hook point first! But, given how many other beginners have made the same mistake, that’s really not too bad.

Our morning started with Jeff getting some casting practice with a woolly bugger. It was perfect water for this and we could see plenty of fish. But, the fish were not cooperating. We had gone at least an hour with no action. At this point, it wasn’t the heat that was making me sweat. (I was starting to think, “What would the Sensei do to me if I don’t graduate this student?”). So, we kept moving and adjusting Jeff’s presentation. Finally, he got the familiar jerk of a missed woolly bugger tail grab. No, it was not a hook-up, but it lit Jeff up like a kid on Christmas morning. He was excited by the tug and fully committed to getting his first fish to the net. We switched colors again and on the first cast of an olive woolly bugger, bang! Another hit, but another miss. We tried a little longer, but no luck. Now it was time to teach Jeff how to swing a soft hackle. Knowing we had a hit on an olive wooly bugger, he tied on olive soft hackle. It wasn’t long until his next hit. Yes, that one got away too. Jeff learned firsthand the importance of a slow-lift hook set with a soft hackle. But now, Jeff had it down. We were zeroing in on the right fly, the right color, and the right hook set. It was only a matter of time. Boom! Finally, he had this one on the line. While listening to me bark fish fighting, rod holding, line stripping instructions, Jeff brought this one to the net. He was an official graduate (and I was off the hook with the Sensei!). He soon caught another one on the same fly. OK, ok, he still needed to learn how to dead-drift and high-stick with an indicator before lunch. Time was running a little short, and I don’t like to be late for a meal. We headed up to the bolder. Thank goodness Jeff was a quick learner. This is a hard technique to master, but he was fully focused.

Once he got the technique down, he hooked and netted two more fish. It was a perfect ending to the morning. At lunch we exchanged stories and the most successful presentations from the morning. Everyone seemed to have a good morning with some good catch numbers being reported. We social distanced at the picnic tables and enjoyed the shade. Hats off to FATC member Dan Staggenborg for replacing the rotted-out boards on our favorite picnic tables. They look GREAT! After lunch, everyone headed back to their favorite spots. Jeff and I headed to the top of the spring. Luckily, the afternoon was not as hot as expected. Also, the crowds had cleared out
nicely, but so did some of the fish. We did catch fish, but the catch rates were lower. It seemed we were getting hits, but just couldn’t get as many hookups. Maybe the sunny afternoon or the crowds from the morning made the fish a little more cautious. Nevertheless, was a wonderful afternoon to be on the water. Throughout the day, zebra midges, cerise worms, the Big Hurt (maggot fly), crackle back, flash
back pheasant tails, woolly buggers, and midge larvae performed the best. I don’t know if anyone tried terrestrials, but that might have been a good choice. The evening concluded with a fellowship dinner at Hick’s Missouri BBQ. The food was reliably delicious and the camaraderie excellent. Jeff followed the FATC new graduate tradition of ordering the Ory Spud. He gets extra credit for also ordering dessert. All in all, I think Jeff had a pretty darn good day. In fact, I think we all did. As we ate, we calculated a total catch count for the day. The group put 60 fish in the net. Fellowship, fish, and spending the day outside, it doesn’t get much better. Hope we see YOU next time!