FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors

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The fishing begins – Brown Trout

The view is always great whether they bite or not.

I admit waiting a little longer than usual before fishing this spring.  But the weather has been fantastic, so we have been doing other stuff.  But the fishing is about to begin in earnest.   Though the weather is about to cool off for a while the river and small streams are open, so it is on as I monitor the lakes and get ready to get the boat out.  But the real reason I went today was the Boss wanted a fish fry.  So off I went just a couple miles from the house on the Rio Grande and it was past good, but a total fail for her.

The legal limit is 12″ and these had no problem making that.

I have been fishing that hole in the river since we first visited.  A perfect combination of big rocks in the deep part, and good riffles at the head and the base of the hole.  With the ice just out they have not been fished in a while and boy was that evident.

They were smoking the #5 floating Rapala in what?  The brown trout color of course.  And they kept coming up to 18″ beating the 12′ limit.

That particular place is a big wintering place and a sure thing this time of year and they kept biting right along.  After a while I changed to a 1/8th hand tied jig head to give them a little something different and they were happy to oblige. Fished the Rapala with short jerks then reel, repeating it maybe 3 times before it got back.  The jig I let fall on a slack line then hopping it and letting it fall with the current.  All that fishing on the White River is not going to waste.

Ok fine, that is enough pictures with way more than another dozen to come, all 12″ plus.

Now the problem.  Good for me, bad for the Boss.  The limit is 2 and they must be under 12″.  It is rare trout fishing almost anywhere anytime you catch all nice ones and not a single small fish.  Today they were all 13 – 18″ and hungry.  Not sure if they were that aggressive so the little guys could not get to it.  So no fish fry for her.  A great couple of hours for me.

Tomorrow it will be off to a small creek near the house that has brook trout.  It is probably my favorite place to fish with a fly rod.  I get by with a 7′ 3 weight and though the trout are small it is big fun.  And it is often a dry fly bite, which makes it what it is.  With the spring run off just starting the creek is shallow, so there will be pretty defined places they will hold, the low water concentrates them so just have to see how it goes.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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Last Sunday – Beautiful day in the neighborhood.

We actually live here!

A soul sucking 9,500 feet of straight up hike.  The air was a might thin today.  Just a question of how bad you want it.

Are you looking at me?

Told you don’t look at me.

They sure are beautiful creatures.

The elk are down in one of their winter ranges, but it won’t be long.  Baby time is coming.

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The ice is just getting soft on the lakes, but the 60 degrees plus weather has the thaw on the way.  I am really interested in seeing how the kokanee salmon react and if they are easier to catch compared to summer when they are really deep.  The few I caught last year were flat delicious.  Whether Alaska, Oregon, or Colorado, salmon right out of cold water to the plate is some good stuff.

We need more snow consequently it looks like our water may be low again this year.  Tough on the guides who rely on drift fishing but makes wading a lot easier for me.  Having not been here through multiple seasons not sure how high the river will get but last year the guiding season was a lot shorter than they need.  But like every year for a fisherman, the conditions do what they do no matter what we want.  It just makes each year interesting.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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