Hamlet's Fishing Trip

To fish, or not to fish, that is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The wind and rain of outrageous fortune

Or to fish against a pond of troubles.

-William Shakespeare's fishing buddy

Monday was like that. Finding myself in Oregon City already, I was torn. 15 minutes to Marquam Hill Pond or 25 minutes to home (and a hefty to-do list). The weather was lousy and not expected to improve, but the pontoon boat WAS in the back of the truck.

The pond looked bigger than I remembered. Memories are like that sometimes.....or was it because the fishing platform was under six inches of water? Light intermittent rain and gusty winds were my constant, but unwelcome companions. From the southern end of the pond, the wind pushed me along, allowing me to "drift fish" the structure along the west side. The surface of the pond was devoid of anything but wind chop. If flies were hatching, they weren't on the surface long enough for me or the fish to see them. There were no splashy rises to indicate fish chasing emergers. Off-color water and no observable insect activity called for a subsurface something that fish could find....a Wooly Bugger or some "secret something". My secret something is a Brush Bugger. It's an efffective variation on the good 'ol Wooly Bugger.

Brush Bugger - Rabbit fur as a collar hackle adds movement. If using a Bunny Brush, the rabbit is very dense and actually bulks up when wet and pulsing in the water. A heavy head gives a head-bobbing attitude with a twitching retrieve that also causes the rabbit hackle to move enticingly

Hook: 2x - 4x long nymph or streamer hook (Mustad 9671, 9672, or 79580)
Head: Bead or cone, light or heavy, metal, glass, or plastic, gold, silver, black, or colored
Thread: 3/0 to match collar hackle or black
Tail: Marabou to match body
Tail Flash: Krystal Flash to match body
Body: Chenille, dubbing, or dubbing brush (black, brown, olive, white)
Body Hackle: To match body
Body Flash: To match or contrast body (blood red for subdued color, neon or glow in the dark for very discolored water)
Collar Hackle: Bunny Brush, rabbit that is hand twisted on a wire, or in a dubbing loop
Optional: Rattle chamber (most effective in discolored water) and/or a weed guard

Casting a white Brush Bugger up against the structure drew one strike, resulting in a gorgeous bigger-than-I-deserve rainbow being released with a smile and a thank you. A thank you for being nice enough to take my streamer when all his peers insisted on being totally rude. Constant wind and rain is only an inconvenience if you are catching fish. In this case, however, the conditions provided a good reason to pack up and head home. This was only my second trip to Marquam Hill Pond. I caught absolutely nothing the first time I fished here. This trip was an improvement, but not a significant one. I will wait for some hot weather to bring out the bugs and get the bass to moving. Until then.