No Top Water Action Yesterday!

I got out last night for about an hour of fishing.  What a tough hour it was.  I struggled big time.  In my last post, I explained how the river turns a chocolate brown after it rains.  Well after Ian and I left on Tuesday, it rained hard.  I mean it poured buckets.  We had a lighting strike near our house that took out our Comcast box.  Figures.  Second time in the last year that has happened.  The point here is that it was a bad storm.  Anyways, I really wanted to do some more fishing before I headed back to work.  I packed the wife and half the kids up and headed out to, wait for it.........the Monocacy River.  Shocker I know.  I love this river.  It really is my home water.  I fish it as much as I can.

We arrived at the river and it looked fine.  A little fast maybe but good to go.  I suited up which really means I put my wading boots on.  I love wet wading in the Summer.  I usually wear a shirt, shorts and wading boots.  Add my Orvis hat and my trusty new T.F.M. sun mask and I am ready to hit the water.  As seems to be the norm now, I decided to rock it old school by using the Eagle Claw Featherlight.  I would later regret this decision.

I made my way on to the river and immediately started throwing a size 10 Fire Tiger.  I didn't catch shit.  The water was too fast for poppers and muddy.  WTF?  I was pissed.  As soon as the top water action had heated up, it disappeared.  Here it is in the middle of August and I am only getting around to top water action.  I have only had one day of it.  The reason being is the rain.  Hard to fish top water flies when the river is high, muddy and fast.  Damn it!  I switched to a white and black Road Kill and promptly hooked up with a long ear.  Nothing after that guy.  I switched to a white and gray Clouser with silver flash and started stripping it in fast.  I started landing smallies here and there.  Nothing of any size that is for sure.  I was struggling but hey at least I was out on the water and catching fish here and there.  In the end, I landed 1 long ear and 5 smallies.  I also caught myself a number of times.  I had a very hard time throwing those Clousers on that 7 foot 5/6.  Maybe my casting sucks (I would not doubt it), maybe the line was light (it was a trout line), maybe the rod was too light ( it is a Featherlight) but I struggled to get that Clouser out there.  It was rough.  In the end I gave up as the fish just weren't that interested and the wife and kid were bored.  We decided to go out to dinner instead.  Glad I only went into the water up to my thigh.

Just two days ago this little area was dry

Hopefully you can see the color well here 

Better photo of the color of the river currently 

Small smallie but hey whatever 

Underwater photo of a smallie 

Last photo before the camera batteries died 

Two photos of the boy and I that Melissa took