A good start to the new year at the big ditch

It's nice to have moving water that can produce nice trout in the winter months when the days are mild enough to get out. With a forecast of sun and a balmy high of 39°F, Rob and I agreed to meet at the big ditch to see what could be found a month after my successful Christmas Eve visit last month. Yup, it continues to produce. 

I tied up some October caddis nymphs that had been doing well here for Tom on a past trip and both Rob and I fished these most of the day.

In the early morning with temps just above freezing, Rob promptly broke one off in the 20-inch plus size. Although that would be the biggest fish we saw that day, we still found nice trout. 

We found them here and there, most in the 14 to 17 inch range, lively strong. 

With water temp right about 42°F when we started, they may be a little slower to move to a fly, although by afternoon as we were getting ready to leave, a hatch of little mayflies came out. A bunch of little ones were splashing in the foam line of a large eddy below me, so I tied on a size 20 dry, missed a few, then finally brought a little 12-incher to hand. Dry flies in January is pretty cool. Put the nymph back on and dredged up the largest of the day, this beautiful 17-18 incher.

A great day fishing with Rob before he heads back to the warmer south lands of St George. About a dozen fish between the two of us. Can't ask for much more in January!