Fishin' Magician: Dave Graybill

I know a lot of fly anglers that get a little twitchy this time of year.

It has been a long time since they have had a fly rod in their hands, and they need relief. This is why Rocky Ford Creek near Ephrata is so popular.

The stream is spring fed and stays a fairly constant temperature year-round, so it never freezes. It is also full of big rainbow.

I made a trip to Rocky Ford recently, and had a blast. The weather turned out to be fairly warm and there was no wind at all, which is a blessing when fly fishing.

I started at the bottom end and worked my way up, and caught fish all along the way. I am not suggesting that I had fast action, but I had a bunch of hits, lost a few, was broken off a couple of times and landed rainbow of 18 inches.

The fish were in beautiful condition and full of fight. I was using several different patterns, and lucky for me the fish were aggressive.

I had my best luck on white Bunny Leeches, but also got fish on Olive Leeches and Egg patterns. This was my first trip to the Ford this year and now I am anxious to get back.