Time: 12:00PM – 2:00PM

Location: Lower Pond

Davis Ponds 06/09/2020 Photo Album

Tuesday was a cold and blustery day after steady rain on Monday evening into Tuesday morning. Reports of snow in the high country caused Jane and i to be concerned about encountering the white stuff on our exploratory adventure to Davis Ponds. When we arrived at the trailhead, we were pleased to learn that snow was absent from the area; however, we both slipped on several layers and head wear that covered our ears. I wore a fleece and light down coat along with my New Zealand billed hat with the ear flaps down. I was concerned about the wind, but opted to carry my Orvis Access four weight, and I made the assumption that I could fish from the bank without waders or wading boots, and this premise proved to be accurate.

A Pretty Valley

After a one mile hike Jane and I arrived at two ponds that were staggered in a small valley among large pine trees. The upper pond was occupied by ten anglers, so Jane and I used the path that traversed the dam of the upper pond, and we set up a base camp at a picnic table that overlooked the lower pond from the northwest corner. I quickly assembled my fly rod, after I spotted a few random rises within casting distance of the northwestern shoreline. I began my quest for Davis Pond trout by knotting a size 18 olive-brown deer hair caddis to my line. I sprayed casts in all directions with emphasis on the area that recently revealed rises, but no response was forthcoming. I experimented with stripping the dry fly to create small intermittent wakes, but none of the retrieval ploys paid off.

My Pond for Two Hours

One of the Better Fish

In a state of uncertainty and mild frustration I carefully moved closer to the inlet area and fired some casts to the slow inflow. Sometimes trout gather where food arrives from the stream, but in this case the tactic was met with a lack of interest. In addition to the cool temperatures the wind was another significant factor. I chose the north end of the pond because of the rises and because the pond was protected from the wind by a high bank. However, after twenty minutes with a lack of success, I tossed my theories aside and walked around the lake to observe. I passed the handicapped platform and then crossed the bridge at the dam of the lower lake, where a tiny stream sluiced down a concrete spillway.

When I arrived at the southwest corner, I scrambled down the jumble of rocks that formed the dam, and I noticed a random rise or two, so I began to drop some casts to the vicinity. Eventually a couple of nine inch stocked rainbow trout nailed the caddis, as I twitched it or lifted it for another cast. Clearly movement was a prerequisite for action. I could see quite a few trout in front of me, and I observed them, as they followed my fly, while I slowly stripped it, but they seemed to turn away more often than not.

Washed Out Stocker

I decided to try something just below the surface and knotted a bright green sparkle pupa to my line. This fly sparked additional action, and I jumped the fish count to five, but the number of trout following and refusing greatly exceeded the eaters. Perhaps two wet flies would spur more interest while allowing me to experiment with different flies? I extended a twelve inch tippet section from the eye of the caddis pupa, and I added a size 16 leadwing coachman, that my friend, Jeff, gave me in Pennsylvania while fishing to isonychia. This fly proved a winner, and the trout absolutely crushed it.

I began catching a trout on nearly every cast, and I had a blast for the last hour and fifteen minutes stripping and hooking stocker rainbows from the lower pond. I broke off the smoking hot leadwing coachman at one point, and I replaced it with a dark cahill wetfly, that I tied more than thirty years ago, and the cahill was quite effective as well.

Wildflowers in Abundance

In the midst of the fast action I lost the dark cahill and replaced it with a prince nymph without a bead, and that fly also fooled some fish, before I secured it to my rod guide and quit for the day after landing twenty-two trout. I noticed Jane was huddled against the wind and staring at me, so I knew it was time to end the fun. Of course, they were all stockers, but after being skunked on two previous stillwater outings, I confess that it was fun to enjoy intense action for a change. Stocked trout are put there to catch, aren’t they?

Fish Landed: 22