April 1st of this fishing season, I stood in 40 degree water, wondering when the first Brown would take my fly. In previous seasons it has been during the month of April.

This year it was today, May 5th, but it was my first of the season and on a 4 wt 6′ rod it felt good. He was 17″ and a healthy fish. A friend of mine, Chuck Taylor, gave me a muddler he had tied and that was the magic fly. I had exhausted all the usual suspects, ie, stones, wooly buggers, weighted emergers etc.

I had a few hits but they seemed like short strikes and I could not set a hook or perhaps my reflex had slowed.

I must have found my groove again cause I set the hook on him like a hobo on a ham sandwich.