Adrenalin
Ed Pinette tells of fishing for steelhead on the Skeena with his favorite pattern, the Lady Caroline.
The early morning fog is lifting off the water. Sometimes it does not take much, a tiny slurp or subtle change of current and your interest is suddenly charged with anticipation. You are no longer cold; you find the task of casting no longer an automatic chore but a very precise manoeuvre. You take a step back, cast again and wait, nothing. You repeat this and wonder to yourself if maybe you where seeing things. Perhaps it was just a leaf tapping the end of your line. It's hard to think straight; your heart is pounding like distant drums. You calm yourself with reassurances, no wind knots; the hook is sharp and you have the most appetizing pattern on the entire river system.
Then it happens, the reel is screaming, you're losing line at an alarming rate and you glance skyward and utter "thank you" for now you know you've hooked a steelhead. Not only have you outwitted your prey, you done it on one of your own hand tied flies as well. Now all you have to do is show it who the boss is so to speak. Glancing down at your reel and seeing that you're already into backing, you had better get that chore done in a hurry or perhaps risk losing your line. You back up and stumble on the rocks, trying to hold your balance and get some of your line back on the reel all the while thinking that the new disc drag reel you purchased had better work like it's supposed to. You reach down to tighten the drag and get your fingers smacked by the still screaming reel. You look back to see if your partner saw this smart move on your part. Probably not, he's too far away. This is when you hear yourself screaming at the top of your lungs so that anyone with in a ten-mile radius can hear, FISH ON!
I use this pattern as a finishing fly. I consider this to be my best and favourite fly from my box. I fish this "grease line" method on a dry line especially early mornings when the water temperature is too chilly for a dry fly.
