"Vertical mends." Great term, Sean.
Gary Meyers Kirkland > I've had the same experience when I used to fish a little lake down in SW > Washington during the Hexagenia Limbada hatch. Everyone would show up about > dusk and the fishing would get the hottest right after sundown. Lasted about > 45 > minutes to an hour and you found yourself casting to rise sounds rather than > rise forms. You'd also learn to look sideways towards your fly to be able to > better see any action in the dark. Well, about sundown, the little bats would > come out, and it was quite common to see your fly suddenly shift its position > several inches laterally as the bats would try to pick the bug up off the > water, > but drop it due to the tension in the leader. A couple of times I hooked a > bat. Like you said, a couple of vertical mends invariably released 'em from > the > barbless hook. > > Sean > > Jim Speaker wrote: > >> This isn't really funny, but I thought it was pretty weird... probably some >> others have experienced this. >> >> Late this summer I was into fishing Lake Sawyer, right by my house, right at >> dusk and past dark after the skiers would get off the lake. There were >> thousands of small rainbows released this year so it was a kick fishing tiny >> midges and caddis for them and seeing how much they'd grown since last time. >> It was past dark and I was casting blindly to rise sounds rather than rise >> forms when very immediately following a cast I felt a couple quick tugs and >> set the hook. To my surprise my line started going up instead of away or >> down. I had hooked a small bat! Fortunately throwing a few airborne mends >> toward the bat disengaged the barbless hook after a few tries and I didn't >> have to deal with the little critter. >> >> I've often seen bats come real close to my fly but I always thought their >> sonar was precise enough to see it was not a natural, that they either saw >> the line, or the hook, or some other cue to not go after it. Guess I was >> wrong. >> >> -Jim > >
