FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors

Lovely day in the mountains.

I spent the day just trolling and while I only boated 1 small Kokanee it was a wonderful day.  The water temp was up to 63 degrees and that will drive them deep for the rest of the summer.  But the trout were a different story.

There are so many variations of brown trout.  The only one today.

The spoon did the damage today.

Though most of them were stockers I am still learning how to catch the bigger fish. That has not happened yet, but it will.  As many fish as they stock in the lake every year they are there, and it will happen, hopefully before I have to go back to Texas.

On the hoochie.  This guy looked like he has had it tough.

These are definitely very indicative of what jumped on today.  I varied my lures and paid attention to the depth and line length they were coming from.  15 – 18′ was the magic depth.  And they bit literally all day.

A solid on the Rapala.  All 4 above on different baits.

Around 1:00 I started thinking about quitting, and 4 hours later finally put it on the trailer.  The fishing was nothing short of amazing.  In fact after giving up on the Kokanee it was time to put away the hoochie.  You tip it was Shoepeg Fire corn for the Kokanee and the trout just love it.  To keep it fun I alternated between spoon colors and sizes and they smacked it.

It has really been a learning experience and the place it is done is stunning.  Beaver is loaded which means lots of stockers, but I am not complaining.  Working my way through tons of trout for the nicer ones is no chore.  So nice to just not work so dam hard as I used to.  It can get hectic but my shoulders sure notice the difference.  But time to do come casting and change things up a little.  I know enough now to have a clue what structure holds them all the time and it will be interesting to throw plastics in deeper water so stay tuned for that.  I have 3 more days before I pick the Boss up which means 2 days to fish and 1 to clean the house.  No more batching it but I sure will be happy to see her.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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My Favorite Hood Ornament

Though my favorite truck got smoked by a big mule deer there are no hard feelings.  Watching them grow and mature right out my window is a pleasure and an honor.  Getting to watch antlers grow, velvet and then shedding and getting bone hard for the battles to come is a reminder that the strong survive and their genes ensure a healthy herd.

Just awesome!

Hope I grow up to be as big as you.

Love me some mass.

Everybody gets along just fine until Ladies Night.

The come in all different sizes.

I have seen some real trophies, but the true monsters are not in town or along the roads.  It is a big outdoors here and we love waking early and driving high mountain roads.  Bears, lions, moose, elk, and plenty of mule deer make the effort worth it.  And next year we will be chasing the new wolves in Colorado.  Africa changed us both forever and then the trip to Yellowstone with Wolf Tracker finished us off and we have chased stuff ever since.  We will never set foot in a zoo again.

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The Boss is ready to go!

She will be here in a few days and is getting worked up, rightly so.  Today I got the yak out and cleaned it and all the stuff.  It is in great shape; she will be spending time on the lake while I am fishing.  And I just might slip out and float the river as it is really coming down. Nice see some new water and catch a few fish.  We love the great outdoors and the opportunities to enjoy it here are endless.

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Are You Kidding Me

Running engines from 2hp to a Black Max over the last 50 years, gas has always been an issue when you fish as hard as I did.  Gas to the coast every trip was plenty, how about all the way to Canda?  It was just the cost of doing business.  But now my mind is blown.  Best I can tell I have fished 12 times on 4 different lakes since I got back here, basically trolling for 5 – 8 hours without turning off the engine.  Just do the math on hours fished, say a conservative 60 hours total.  I finally had to put some gas in the 6 gallon tank (wait for it) for a grand total of $20!  Think I can swing .33 cents an hour.  But as we know it is still a Break Out Another Thousand and stuff just comes unglued.

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Heading back to the ramp there is a pickup backing down, after he had just parked.  I figured the old Merc would not start but boy was that wrong.  He jackknifed the trailer intentionally so he could hook up the winch, which just looked weird.  They hooked up and he jumped in the truck and drug the boat most of the way back on the ramp, good thing it was an old aluminum.  At that point it was clear what happened as water came draining out of the transom and lots of stuff was floating.  My response – “Good thing I never did that in 50 years, Not.”  I do not care if it is Froggies, the Everglades, Falcon, the ramp is always an adventure and good for a laugh if it is not you.

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Beautiful

This guy is enjoying the great weather as he beds down in the back yard.  Check out his main beam on the right, maybe a nontypical to come.

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Things are all good here in the Rockies.  Getting a few things done in anticipation of the Boss getting here.  When she comes I always tell her to look at it as a vacation and we will do what she wants.  The rest of the time I am hogging the whole place and I try to let her enjoy her time.  It will be hiking, boating, animal chasing and enjoying just being alive and living here.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff,

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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Have a great day and take a deep breath.

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