Always be Prepared

I learned a big lesson tonight and I'm sure it won't be the last thing I learn this year. You would think I would be prepared for any condition I might encounter with 1,000 flies lying around...but most of them are at HOME!!! Well, I got out tonight and did manage a few fish in the first 30 minutes of fishing, but most were 12-15", so I tried a few more spots. Nada, nothing so I decided to call it quits and head home. On the way in I noticed a few birds that caught my attention so I decided to investigate. Granted the wind was still blowing 15-20, but it was worth a look around. As soon as I got close to the birds, I swore I saw splashing but it was tough to tell because of the waves pounding. Yep, they were fish and they were everywhere. I tried just about everything I had with me including some BKDs, but nothing..not even a nibble. Then I notice 20-30 baitfish leaping out of the water and I knew exactly why I wasn't catching anything. They were on small bait and I only had larger baitfish patterns with me. I did manage to find the smallest popper I had and started to land several fish (the largest one was maybe 20-22"), but I missed the hot action because I didn't have my other fly box with me. Never again, I'll have small, medium, large, extra large.....every size with me in the future. These fish were in really shallow water, so it pays to always look in all directions not just where you think the fish should be this time of year.