Now that's a hatch!

The hatch was so heavy it was picked up on the weather radar.

Another massive hatch in Iowa

Love the wind!

I love fishing in the wind. 4th of July weekend I had the chance to fish a couple of windy evenings and had a blast. Granted, this may not be for everyone, but for where and how I fish, it’s great. I fish a large river, so I can just about always position myself with regards to the wind. My river has a lot of caddis flies, so an active presentation works well. The fish are used to seeing and feeding on active caddis flies. To be honest, it’s as much kite flying as it is fly casting. My fly is in the air as much or more than it is on the water. It does allow one to perfectly imitate the up and down movement made by an egg laying caddis. It’s amazing how accurately you can place and manipulate your fly once you get used to it. Basically it’s dappling the fly - touch the fly down. lift it up, repeat. I think what makes it so exciting is the explosive takes of the fish. They feel the need to strike explosively. When feeding on the naturals, they know they will be gone in the blink of an eye. It’s eat fast and aggressively, or go hungry. Next time you are sharing the river with a stiff breeze - don’t curse it, use it to your advantage.