Fly Fishing - In Search of the Chase

With fly fishing, sometimes it is all about the chase.came out of my mouth far too many times than I
Here's a day trip that looked unfruitful, but turnedcare to recall.
out alright in the end.About 3 miles into our float, which is exactly what it
Colorado Fly Fishinghad become, a sightseeing float, the weather began
We put the raft in on a warm morning in Sept.to change. Here came the clouds, an encouraging
without a cloud in sight. My expectations were notsign, of course unless the wind comes with it. Here
high, since a warm sunny day tends to put the fishcame the wind, and next thing you know, our
down, at least on this stretch of the Colorado. Whenbeautiful sightseeing float turned into a back rowing
the fish aren't rising, I go straight for tandembattle to keep the boat heading downstream. Luckily,
streamers; there is nothing more exciting than a bigthis did not last long, but the rain did begin to fall.
pissed off brown chasing your streamer off the bankWithin a few minuets after the rain subsided, the
in shallow fast moving water. Dredging the bottommayflies were swarming and the fish were rising.
with a nymph just doesn't do it for me. If I breakWere eddied out in several prime spots and began to
out a nymph'n rig, I must have exhausted all othercatch fish in the swirling foam. Just about any
options.well-placed cast was rewarded. Time went by
The first quarter mile of water put a bleak outlookunnoticed, until suddenly I realize that we had only
on the remaining 9 house of river ahead of us, not atraveled half way to our take out and more than half
single chase through some of the higher quality waterof the day was gone. Pushing through the slack
on this stretch!! My invited guest on board had nowater and hammering the moving water with the
experience throwing a heavy awkward tandemstreamers was now becoming very productive.
streamer rig, and was fairly discouraged after nearlyFinally, I could prove to my guest how exciting the
throwing his shoulder out with only a handful ofchase could be. It seems that every other cast
well-placed casts. I always talk of the exciting chases,produced an aggressive brown, either territorial or
but now; he must think I am full of it. I now knowjust plain hungry.
the frustration that guides must endure whileWe landed several nice fish while powering through
watching miles of quality water go by without a singethe final stretch, arriving at last light. A turn in the
well placed or completely untouched. "There wasweather sure can turn on the fish and bring on the
probably a nice fish it that pocket we just passed",chase.