On a recent trip to a lake, the wind was relentless for hours on end. Anchoring up was the only option as kicking or rowing was too demanding and unproductive against the winds. So, I found a narrow strip of quiet water along a reed line near shore. And, here I caught fish and a net.

I anchored in this quiet strip along the reed line. In close to the reeds the water was maybe 3′ and as it moved out toward the black arrows it quickly dropped to 6 feet. Most of the fish were taken as the fly settled down the drop off rather up near the reeds. I wasn’t seeing any working fish near the surface.
I was using a Size 14 Georgi’s Damsel in a unique ginger color. I met Georgi Harley on a B.C. lake years ago and she introduced me to the ‘instar’ color option.

I worked the Damsel pattern parallel to the shore line. Not the optimum presentation path, but the best I could do under the circumstances. It was a successful plan. At one point, I caught something else though….a landing net.

I dredged this mucky mess up to my ‘toon’ and hoisted the smelly mess onto the apron. It was a perfect structure beneath the water for all manner of aquatic critters to find their little spot.
The picture really doesn’t do justice (sorry for the blurry focus) to the amount of activity that was taking place in the nooks and crevices of this lost landing net. Damsels, lots of grey-olive scuds and larva wiggling about. It was very revealing as to color and size of insects.

Once to shore, I took the landing net and hung it over a fence post. Someone, if not the original owner, will maybe cleanup it up and make use of it. Of particular interest was a discussion I had had with a man hunkered down in his truck waiting out the wind. He wondered aloud if there were scuds in the lake. I had no idea at the time. Now I do. Some stillwater fly fishers immediately put scuds at the top of their fly list. I have some mental block there and forget scuds. I really need to fix that oversight.