Do you have that special spot, or two, that is magical? A spot where positive karma abounds because of past encounters? This is a spot that borders on a love affair…just you and a fish or two. A spot that yields epic memories and the one you think of when Winter has cut you off from the spot….that special spot the gives you ‘the moment’. Most of you have one that you think of.

For want of a better name, I have always called this spot the Back Channel and the end of that channel, the Damsel Bay. This is one of my ‘spots’. Epic encounters have happened here and almost every time the Trout has won the encounter. Callibaetis hatches like I have never seen before have been visible here against the sunlight filtered through the trees. Dragons and Damsels are prolific. And, a Damsel dry fly has always….always…resulted in a sound thrashing of the fly. Reeds, weeds, brush piles, jagged rocks, lily pads and sub surface trees snags conspire against the tippet as the Trout dives for a safe refuge. That presentation, the cast and wait, with the slightest draw and twitch, results in memories that will sustain me through Winter. I do need to ties up Damsel dries this Winter too.

This beautiful Rainbow Trout came to a Damsel. It was not ‘huge’ but it was a worthy fish in the hazard prone back bay. It gave me a memory to recall. The other two kicked my skinny ass and kept my flies. I will remember them as well!