I went out on Sunday to the lower section of the stream once again chub fishing.
Blue skies and hot weather provided ideal conditions for this species.
On the last trip I fished a section where I spotted a lot of fish but this time I spotted
just a few small fish.

I went further downstream and checked out the cascade dams that replaced an
inaccessible weir.
I spotted a big chub but there was no way I could present a fly there due to the
current and plant growth.

At the end of the cascades a tree provided some shade at a small pool, it just looked fishy.
The bank was steep though, about 10ft sheer 90 degree drop off.
I tossed a hopper blindly under the tree and boy a big chub nailed it instantly.
Now I had to figure out how to get down to the water.
Only way was to slide down through the shrubs to land on the rocks.

In the meantime the chub had managed to dive under a deadfall and the leader
was tangled in a branch.
When I tried to untangle the leader the chub bolted and bend out the hook, bummer.
I found some other fish but none where inclined to take the fly.

At what I figured was the best spot I finally caught the first fish of the day on the hopper.
It was not a monster but at least a fish.
Soon I came across a larger fish and it took the hopper with gusto.
The problem I faced to land the fish was once again the steep bank and my silly trout net.
I slid halfway into the water and could land the fish … but I could net get back onto land.
The steep muddy bank just gave way so all I could do was to wade to the nearby bridge and
crawl up to the shore.

I spotted many chub and managed to loose two big fish in the process.
And again I suffered from that early strike syndrome jerking the fly out of the chub’s mouth.
Many times chub would inspect the fly first before gulping it slowly down and then
anxiety would get the better of me.

The last spot of the day was at the feeder stream where the shallow section in front of weir
boasted hordes of chub including two big ones.
I tossed the hopper near one of the big fish and it came cruising for the fly.
This time I waited but too long as I allowed it to spit the fly out before I could strike.

The banks at the last spot where fully overgrown so you could hardly walk let alone spot
the potholes made by the rat population.
I made it a couple feet upstream when I spotted once again a big chub.
The bankside vegetation shielded me so the chub did not see me coming and nailed the hopper
as it landed on the water.
The nearby gauge station boasted a nice stairway down to the water so I could land the fish easily.
All in all a good day for chub hunting.