Friday, November 9, 2012

The Dry/Dropper Double


A brace of browns on a single cast.
The dry/dropper double.
More fish in one drift than this river has been known to surrender in an entire day.
At least to me.

Orange-bodied Madam X attractor on top.
Bead-head pheasant tail on bottom.
Both, apparently, looked good enough to eat.

Negotiating two trout at a time is “interesting”
and the first few moments, when you don’t know exactly what you’re dealing with,
downright weird.

Glad that one didn’t zig when the other zagged.
I’m not sure that the 6X between them
(or, more to the point, my scrungy knots)
could have taken it.

Not particularly big guys,
but do a ten-incher and an eight-incher, taken together, equal an eighteen?

Let’s pretend that they do.

20 comments:

Feather Chucker said...

I wonder how old that brown on top is. The coloring of it is unique. I'm wondering if that fish was stream born.

Brk Trt said...

That's awesome.
Perhaps "love birds"

Unknown said...

Double the fun. Its like a gum commercial I once saw. Great Stuff!! I can only imagine how that fight went. That's better than a big one on the line in my book.

Clif said...

Eight times ten is eighty I believe.

Ken G said...

Years ago I hooked two smallies on a small, clear water creek on a topwater lure. One on each treble hook. I watched the second one come up and try to take the lure out of the mouth of the first one.

I imagined one of those hooks embedded in my hand as I tried to figure out how to land them. Luckily, one decided it had enough and got off, making the landing a bit easier.

18 is 18 no matter how you want to look at it.

e.m.b. said...

Aside from the feat, and the tight prose as always -- you get double-bonus-word-style-points for use of "brace" in that manner.

Fantastic!

Chris said...

I love when that happens... and you make it sound so... poetic ;)

Great job, my friend... as always!

Peter Patenaude said...

Beautiful fish- a very exciting moment I am sure!

Steve Zakur said...

Imagine what would have occurred had you been fishing a dry, dropper, dropper, dry!

Nicely put.

Mike Sepelak said...

Don't know, Kevin. I didn't ask. :-)

Entirely possible, BT. Entirely possible.

I like your book, Joel! It certainly was a novelty. Not that my catching a big one isn't just as novel...

That's my kind of math, Clif. Thanks!

I have enough trouble with one fish on a D&D, Ken. Two was a disaster waiting to happen. I can't image two smallies.

Style points happily accepted, Erin. Don't get to use brace too often.

Chris, it may sound poetic now, but it was chaotic then. And, as you say, I loved it.

Exciting, to say the very least, Peter. Thanks.

And Steve, I fully intended to do the dry/drop/drop/dry thing, but expended too many flies when making my own hatch. I was damn lucky I had the two.

Anonymous said...

Not surprising to catch two guys at the same time with a Madam X Mike...LOL
JP(:

Mike Sepelak said...

Oh, Jean Paul. Let's not go there. Too slippery a slope. :-)

Chris said...

Long time reader, first time poster...I hooked and landed two little 'bows on a dry/dropper this past spring (with a little help from my fishing buddy)...definitely a great feeling. Strong work as always, sir!

Mike Sepelak said...

Thanks for saying hello, Chris, and for being a long suffering, I mean long time, reader. It's nice hearing from you! The double is quite an experience, for sure.

Jay said...

I think it's fair to at least round it up to an even twenty... two inch bonus for the double.
Nice work as always.

Mike Sepelak said...

I like your suggestion, Jay. But I must say that after hearing everyone's creative math ideas for the accounting of this double, I'm never going to trust any of y'all's catch reports, ever again. :-)

Unknown said...

Doubles are a lot of fun. :) Quite a common occurrence on a few lakes in the Wind River mountains. I find the most difficult part getting them both in the net.

Mike Sepelak said...

Netting them both was indeed the biggest challenge, Paul. Neither were particularly interested in coming to rest. I keep telling fish that if they'll just chill a second or two I'll be putting them back, but they don't want to listen.

Fontinalis Rising said...

That is some interesting poetry my friend. Good fish too.

Mike Sepelak said...

Thanks Jason. Actually, it's not poetry. It's just lazy prose. :-)