A 95-degree afternoon led me to a rocky, shade-shrouded stretch of river clad in shorts and wading boots. Armed with a 5-wt. rod, I knotted a size-8 Mini Minnie to 4X tippet in response to my observation of small minnows leaping from the water to escape predation. Initial presentations were ignored. Speculation that my retrieves were not deep enough to be effective forced a streamside change of reel spools from one with a floating line to one with a slow-sinking intermediate line. Once the shift was completed, the fly was cast into the submerged shadows of mid-stream boulders. After allowing the minnow replication to settle, short but quick line strips were imparted, followed by pauses to allow the fly to return to its original level. The second retrieve was interrupted by a thumping strike. A firm hookset sent a 13-inch chunk of bronze energy into a head-shaking leap that sprayed water droplets into the air. Four more frantic leaps followed a tense underwater battle before the beautiful prize came to hand. Several chunky Green Sunfish and four more smallmouths were caught and released before the call of a Barred Owl served as a reminder that darkness was near. I do love summer evenings.
Change Reel Spools To Save the Day
