Villa Maria Lodge – Week 6: Febuary 2nd to 9th, 2024

What a week it’s been, filled with unexpected twists and turns! Despite the forecast predicting heavy rains, Mother Nature decided to throw us a curveball – a couple of mild showers that barely ruffled our fishing plans. The river, however, did get a bit of a makeover, rising about 6-8 inches. Fortunately, it wasn’t a debris-filled catastrophe, and the water retained its clarity, making it a challenging yet fishable playground. The increase in river level worked its magic, breathing new life into some pools that had been seemingly dormant since the season’s kick-off.

And oh boy, the big fish decided to join the party! We hooked into a good number of sea-run brown trout weighing over 20 pounds! A special shoutout to Sandy, an old friend from the house, who reeled in an outstanding 23lbs. male. Congratulations, Sandy – you truly aced it! The beauty of it all? We didn’t have to overhaul our fishing setups. Those short sink tips with medium to fast sink rates and long leaders continued to be the stars of the show. When the water got a tad murky, we stuck to the tried-and-true larger patterns, flaunting bigger silhouettes and vibrant color combos to entice the elusive ones.

Looking ahead, next week is going to be a different game. The river is expected to gracefully bow out, allowing its waters to regain that crystal-clear charm. Smaller flies might once again take the spotlight as we anticipate cleaner conditions. Until next week, tight lines and fish on!