FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  planet.

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Got these comments, first from Clyde and Anonymous.

Good Luck.

They may have meant the fishing, which was great, but that is not what made this a bucket list day.  But thanks guys, it was awesome!

It was a lot colder this morning and of course I was up bright and early.  So I headed for a drive, when I checked the river there was ice, so time for a drive up to what the sign says is Pool Table.  Figured I would kill some time and then it happened.  I was way up on the mountain with a big cleared ridge off to the west with the morning sun on it.  I saw a patch of white so I stopped and broke out the glasses.  (Glad we finally bought real ones for our animal searches.)  And then it stood up.

There it was, the Bighorn ram of my dreams.  The one you see in magazines, on hunting shows when I was a kid, the one I have driven hundreds of miles looking for.  He got up and it was a giant.  Way bigger than the ones I saw in Yellowstone.  A full curl with a supper heavy body, he was the old boss of the mountain.  One side of his horns was worn down and cracked, the other past his eye.  And he was kind enough to let me watch him walk on top of the ridge for 10 minutes.  Then he bedded down again so I eased out of the truck trying to be sly, he turned his head to give me a languid look, he was not afraid, and then he dropped over the side.  I have seen lions on a kill, walked up on cheetahs in Africa, been in a herd of elephants, but I have never seen a more regal and majestic animal in my life.  So thanks old boy

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The new Knockin Tail Lures are coming soon.  Now I am really excited.

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But it goes on from there, I was living right.  I called the Boss and told her as I idled along on the top of the mountain.  Then I looked over and told her I think there is some elk.  As I got closer it was 5 or 6 mule deer, no big deal right?  So I stopped the truck, pulled out the glasses, and was treated to something I have only seen one other time in my life.  They were all bucks, and 2 of them were locked in mortal combat.  Pushing and pulling, kicking up stuff, they were flat having at it and the rest were watching.  One was quite a bit bigger  than the other and after a couple of minutes the small one called it quits.  It was something.  So in about a half hour I was lucky enough to be there and it will go down as one of the best animal mornings of my life.  And then the topper of the day, the fishing was great!

At this point I am a happy camper and haven’t set foot in the river.  Earlier I checked out another place the guy at the tackle store told me about and it looked good for later so I headed to the place I got them yesterday, and had about the same results.

They were right where they have been the day before but it was a little tougher.  The edges were iced over and there was lots of floating ice.  I kept after it and caught the 3 above, and missed a couple on both Rooster Tail and some midge thing-a-ma-bob.  I was finally starting to get a better handle on the fly rod.  As it warmed I decided to try the new spot, it looked good and it was only a mile away.

The glory hole!  A beaver damn.

My day was only going to get better if that was possible.  It looked really good so I decided to throw the spinner first up to see if I could get a bite, and I did.  They were smacking the crap out of it and I actually lost a really big fish for that river.  So knowing where they were time for the fly rod.  And it worked out great.  As a side note, you can keep 2 browns under 12″ and all rainbows released immediately so there are plenty of brown trout.

Here is a few of the dozen I ended up catching there.

So now I am making good casts and catching them on the black fly when I noticed there were some rising on the far bank.  Some kind of hatch, so in a moment of insight why not throw a small white fly, they liked the white Rooster Tail.  And from that point on until I lipped or caught every brown in that pool and it was game on.

Fly rod mania!  The river is full of these.

The white fly was suspended about a foot or so below the indicator,  (Or as we rednecks call it – a bobber.)  and the perfect cast got a bite.  Not sure what the hatch was but they were on the chew.  They were in a 75 foot stretch on the sunny side with the occasional riser. Once most of the ice was gone it was easier to make a good cast.  And if you made a perfect cast above them it was often a bite.

What I enjoyed most was getting to catch a bunch, good practice, and as the cast had to be perfect, so it forced me to think about what I was doing.  It really was a beat down and I can only imagine if I knew what was hatching it might have even been better, but no complaints.  I love self adventure, doing something different on my own, and having it work out.  This was the day that makes the drive worth it.  Big ram, fighting mule deer, then a bunch of brown trout, it does not get any better than that.

Next up 1s picking the Boss at Denver INT, and off to Estes Park.  There is some snow in the forecast, maybe big time, but that is what makes coming out here what it is.  We should see plenty of wildlife, and maybe the area close that has Mountain Goats.  And, plus I will be ready to have the Boss here.  I am already in trouble for having such a cool day while she works.  I appreciate her every day.

We should see some serious elk, and even if it is a half a day, more trout is in my future.  The Orvis beginner we got to stick our toe in this flu rod thing is just fine.  It worked for me and I am the worst trout fisherman on the planet, for now.  So the adventure continues and I did want to say a couple of words on doing something like this.

If you have never tried something half blind like this it is actually not that hard.  What do you want to catch, or the animal you want to see, start there.  You do not have to stay at the hilton, it is $69 a night here, no killer.  Once you decide where the next question is when is the time right?  That can vary, maybe it is crowded for that fish, but here no one is around and I have had it to myself.  Part of doing something like this is accepting that it may not be what you hoped for, but when it happens, reveling in days like today.  Guees that is why I towed the boat blind to the Everglades, or fished Lake Conway in a death defying thunderstorm, it is in the doing.

Sorry for the mini rant, but for me this is what it is all about.  Just hoping and wishing something cool would happne.  Seeing something, no matter what it is, cool makes it worth it.  Hoping you are catching them where you are, and thanks for the support and comments, it mean a lot to me.

And this from Rusty.

Great job Doug on the fly fishing!! Now you know how I got into tying my own flies! Much cheaper and a lot of fun. Keep sending pics!
Rusty

Out of the 12 I bought yesterday only 6 are left.  I am sure a lot of that has to do with my casting, and some to the knot tying which cost me a fish or 2.  The learning curve is high but there is something to be said for “fooling” them.  While it is still totally foreign to me it is nice to add another arrow in the arsenal, it is a cool way to fish.  And add the scenery what more could you want?  (Other than the occasional redfish.) The adventure continues.  So keep stopping in folks, there is more to come, and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines