Two Black Quill Duns size #10's 18mm   

Hi everybody, Tuesday night I fished the Blackstone River and it was very windy and I did’t see any fishing rising, even when the wind stopped which wasn’t that often, not that many fish where in the mood for feeding on top. All that I saw regarding bugs where midge in sizes #22’s to #16’s tan in color. Fished an emerger midge just under the surface and no takes. The fishing should get better when the Black caddis start emerging next month, always just before dark, oh I would say starting around May 10th. around the same time the worm hatch should start on the salt ponds here in RI.  The temperature on the Blackstone is I’m sorry to report a high 68 degrees, too warm to soon. 

We fished the Wood River on Wednesday night and fish where rising very steady for the whole time that we where there. The water temperature on The Wood River was again warmer than it should be 57 degrees, as you know on opening day it was 49 degrees, an 8 degree difference in just as many days. I did see hatches of large gray slate spinners both half spent and full in sizes # 12’s and #10’s. I used a burgundy loop wing emerger in size #12 dead drift just in the surface film. The wing on the fly was slate blue in color. The other burgundy emerger I used has the same body color, burgundy with a loop wing of Bill’s Body Brade, also in sizes # 14’s and #12’s. The same size spinners worked better at just before dark oh, about 7:30pm. Those Black Quills and Gray Slate Spinners where all over the water. A few caddis where also on the water, tan in color. Smaller blue winged olives also worked. 

Last night on The Wood the spinner fall was very prolific. One thing that I observed last night is that many of the spinners that landed on the water where stuck together, two large mayflies matting and where drifting for a long way. The trout went crazy and it was almost like a hex hatch. I haven't seen this in many years. I believe that it has to do with the early warm weather and the water temperature being 57 degrees so early, but I'm not sure about that. I still haven't captured a sample of these flies to get a good look at them. I can tell you that many of these flies did in fact emerge from the bottom of the river. When it started at around 7:20 pm the fish would rise very fast and would show a splashy rise form taking the emerger. There where two mayflies laying eggs. The spent spinners where a large size oh, a #10 but I like using a size #14 or # 12 dun, spent, and half spent spinner imitations. 

Again, that loop wing burgundy emerger and burgundy and orange spent spinner worked well. A large compara dun size #10 with a black body and dark deer hair for a wing and tail I believe worked because of the larger pair that was on the water every so often.