FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Echo Canyon Lake  –  My go to spot if needing a fish fry.

It was one beautiful morning here in Pagosa Springs.  The Boss when to get her hair done so I headed to the lake.  After fishing there several times over the years I have a good idea where to start.  And they did not disappoint.  They bit for the couple of hours I was there once I figured out the pattern.

It was an easy 25 first thing this morning, all rainbows.

What I have learned the last few trips is paying off and putting fish on the end of my line.  Using mostly small spoons and Rooster Tails it is easy to figure them out, and using this technique has not failed me.

One thing about these lakes is they are deep, and the best way for a shore bound angler to figure things out is simple –  Make a cast as far as you can and start reeling.  No bite?  Do it again and let it sink to a count of 5.  No bite?  Do it to a count of 10, and keep doing it until you get bit, and from that point on, like this morning, it can be fast and furious.

Yesterday the fish at Beaver Lake were actually shallower and a 10 count was all you needed, and many were right on shore by big boulders.  This morning it was a 20 – 25 count to get bit, but once I found the depth it was easy.  Of course I am using small baits, so the count will obviously vary related to bait weight.  And if they slow down change lures, they will start again.

And a word to the wise, if you are not going to keep a few for a fish fry try smashing the barb down.  Makes it easy to pull them out of the water and grab the hooks with a hemostat and drop them right back in without touching them.  Much easier on them, rainbows are not the hardiest fish on the planet and can not tolerate much squeezing.

Last, this morning was the 2 old folks with their chairs all set up to fish across from me.  I looked up and 6 mule  deer crossed right behind them and they did not notice.  The wildlife out here is just insane, like the 4 or 5 on the hillside below the house this morning.  We never get tired of watching them.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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After lunch we made one last hike.  To 8,400 feet, it was a great way to finish the trip.  It was 3 miles around the loop and was not to tough on an old man.

The Boss in front of the wildflowers which were in full bloom.

We took one last minute to take it all in.

Overall another great trip.  The only hitch was the water level on the streams, but it was not totally unexpected this time of year.  So while I did not fly fish this trip we found several new places and I am already scheduling some time this fall to come back and hit it hard.

Of all the places we have been this is still the best mix/amount of access to the outdoors.  Very few places have this kind of options from the Continental Divide, the National Forest, Forest Service land,  Wilderness areas, tons of lakes, rivers, creeks, most with public access and some great drives.  If you love the outdoors this is the place.  We sure do.

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Here is a blast from the past.  Not sure when this was but probably real early 60’s.

My brothers, me, and Dad.  Great white hunters at the farm.

My brothers and sisters with my grandpa George and grandma Rebecca.

My grandparents raised a family on an 80 acre farm.  Milked cows by hand, used big draft horses for the hard work, and it was a big deal when they got indoor plumbing.  And yes, the Sears catalog was real if you get my drift.  My Granpa had false teeth but never wore them, and I never understood a word he said.  And he almost never in his adult life left the farm. My favorite memory was hitching the big draft horses to the sleigh with bells on, loading up the milk cans, then taking it to the cheese factory in the snow.  A real Norman Rockwell time in life.  I thought those horses were 10 foot tall!  Oh and I almost forgot, the hand crank party line phone.  A time I am glad I experienced.

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Most of you who read this have a problem, most of us tend to have.  Here is a picture of my old buddy Ray,  one of the great spinnerbait fisherman alive.  And just as it was in the 70’s, here he is having at it.    What do you see?

You think you have a few rods? 

Clyde says he has invented a cool spinnerbait that he has been working on for 10 years.  Hope I get one and will share it with you when I do.  Ray can catch em’!

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So that about clears things up except for one problem, still no Mako.  I have been cool about the whole thing, but that is about to change.  Not sure what I can do, but it is time for them to fix the freakin’ thing.  Thank God for the skiff.

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Really amazed at the amount of rain while we were gone.  Will head to the lake and check out the ramp, but it is up 2.65 feet since I fished 10 days ago.  It has not had this much water in it  for several years.  The only question to be answered:  Did the fish come with it and set up on all the new cover?  Can’t wait to find out Monday.

And I really need a salt fix.  A couple of the Austin forks are POC this weekend so will reach out to them and see how it has gone.  Just as with the lake, it will be interesting to see how all that fresh water affected the fishing, and will continue to affect for a while to come.  And of course, more gators that comes with it.

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Resting up today, getting things done, except the yard which is sopping wet.  Monday I will be on the water at daylight.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines