The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

"I want to do some fly fishing," the voice on the phone announced. "Can you tell me where I should go and what I should do to catch some fish?"

I made some suggestions on flies and places to fish. I also added that I thought the best hatch time was probably in the mid to late afternoon.

"Can't do that," the voice explained. "I've got a tee time. I'm going to fish from 11 'till 2, but you think I'll really catch some fish with these flies, huh?"

I didn't have the heart to tell the guy what I really thought. Rivers aren't like business offices; they don't lend themselves well to scheduled fishing times. If the guy wasn't willing to adapt to river time, I couldn't say that I held much hope for his chance of success. So I kept my mouth shut, grunted in a way that could be taken for either a yes or a no, and let his question slide.

Normally I tell people the best time to fish is when you have time to fish.

But you have to put in your time. Rivers do not run on the same clock that you and I do. When you go to the river it is important to be there, to spend time, to watch and observe.

It is surprising what you can learn by simply spending time on the river. There is almost always some sort of activity out there. It may be subtle, it may be hidden, but it is there. If you take your time and work with it, build your knowledge base slowly, you will be amply rewarded.

There is a fall stonefly hatch on the Metolius. I discovered the bugs long before I learned how to fish them. The stones are pretty easy to spot clinging to the bushes, but my attempts to fish with them resulted in very limited success.

Finally I got out there in the early morning; suddenly it was easy. But I would have never learned that if I hadn't endured the down time, if I hadn't simply spent time with the river and the hatch trying to puzzle it all out.

Most stones are made active by sunshine and the warmth of the day - but these insects apparently move about at night and get on the water, where they are available to fish, only in the early morning. How would you know that if you didn't go fishing at the "wrong time?"

Even when you do know the rivers schedule, it must be taken with a grain of salt. Most people say the Green Drake hatch comes at about 2:30 or 3 p.m. A friend of mine called this spring complaining there where no bugs because he didn't see them at the regular time. I found, for some reason, that particular week the bugs were coming off closer to 6 p.m.

Only time on the river and the willingness to hang out would tell you that.

It is not a good idea to have golf dates, dinner dates or airline flights backed up to your fishing time. It rarely works. Move out of real world time and go with the flow of the river. When time becomes irrelevant and there is no clock ticking you will be surprised the hidden secrets you may discover.