I had the whole lake to myself! Fish were rising all over! I arrived about 10 a.m. and put my float tube in. For those of you who visit in the spring, the summer lake is much smaller! Closer to the 17 acres stated in some books. The 5-7 foot drop reduced the size of the lake by 2-3 times!!!

Anyway, there were fish rising all over but I could not tempt them with anything I threw to them. I tried all sorts of patterns. There were shucks all over (mayfly) but no fish would take.
I took a break and trolled some woolybuggers for awhile. While I did this, I watched the surface for any clues. I noticed something like a Waterboatmen buzzing around and hitting the water. They weren't the same as others I have seen. They were grey to blue/grey. When they hit the water they would splash about on the surface a bit, then swim (with 2 oar-like appendages, but they didn't dive. They would just swim under the surface, no more than 12" deep. Eventually they would
surface, then buzz frantically and work out of the surface film and fly away. They were everywhere, once you noticed them. I tried a waterboatman, but it was heavily weighted and sank too much, too deep. I had a foam beetle pattern with rubber legs. It floated as long as the foam was not soaked.
I trimmed 2 legs from each side. To me it looked a reasonable imitation, at least the profile was good. On my first cast to a rise the fish swatted at it but did not take. I figured it was floating too high. I squeezed the foam under water to saturate it a bit. Next cast, BAMMMM! A 20" rainbow!! I brought to hand 6 more like it (all 17"-20") before I left. I am working on a pattern for next time I see this bug!
Bayley(Bailey?) is supposed to have Brookies in it, but all I have managed is Rainbows. Maybe next time. I have fished Potters pond nearby and taken some nice 'bows there too.
Good Luck to All!!

---