Jimbo
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To our new lease members, I would recommend attending some of the stockings to familiarize yourself with the location of the leases (especially one of the first two stocking as we will most likely visit every one of them). You will also get a chance to see the fish go in the river and where they will likely be easily caught the next day. As always, we recommend that our anglers give these fish 24 hours to acclimatize to their new environment so they will be strong and able to more easily recover from their being caught and released.
Jimbo Roberts
GRTU V.P. of Fisheries
We are planning on having 4 stockings this year. We will make an email blast 10 days before the scheduled stocking date and then put up a topic on the forum to check in, so we know how many volunteers to expect. Once everything is in motion and the fish are on the way, we proceed with the stocking no matter what the weather is; hot, cold, wet, or otherwise. So, watch the weather report and dress accordingly. Bring your waders, boots, and a good pair of gloves for toting the Trout laden buckets to the river. I look forward to seeing all our volunteers again and getting a bunch of nice Rainbows in the river.
Jimbo Roberts
GRTU V.P. of Fisheries
That LAP Sites Photos and Info needs updating. Right now, I can not access that sticky to make the updates. I am working with the web-master to get access and update the Sticky.
Right now the major updates are the new parking spots at River Rose (because of construction) and the new Summit LAP site. I hope to have the updates done this week.Jimbo Roberts
GRTU V.P. of Fisheries
I apologize for assuming Summit would be easy to find. I am a long time Central Texas resident and Guadalupe River Bum who knows all the little details of the river and all the new and old access sites. I am also so old school that I don’t have an easy way to figure out the GPS location and attach it to the post. I am older than dirt. The Summit is located about half-way down River Rd. from #5 and Little Ponderosa, on your right as you are driving downstream. Once you drive past it, you will easily recognize the big stone entry and signs. There is no GRTU sign at the parking spot yet (I also need to find the sign for Potts and put it up). I will see if I can find a sign in the locker and put one up later this week. I hope the pictures will help, but if you can see them, the parking spot is the last gravel pad on the left just past the dumpsters and before the road bends to the right where the river-side condos are located.
Jimbo Roberts
GRTU V.P. of Fisheries
My pleasure! I’m always looking for another site to expand the number of sites our LAP members can use to access the river. If anybody ever hears of some place that would like to lease to us, they can contact me with the information, and I will see if we can come to an agreement.
Jimbo
You should be receiving then in the next few days. There’s still plenty of time before the new season starts November 1 2024. I got mine 2 days ago and it was post-marked on the 16th.
Jimbo
That is very good advice!!!!
I might add to fight the fish as hard as you can to minimize the time the fish is actually fighting you and your equipment. You would be surprised just how strong modern tippet material has become. Learn to tie your knots well and lubricate each knot become pulling it tight. Check your tippet often for nicks that can cause breaks and replace it if one is detected. There’s nothing worse than breaking off a big fish. During the fight try and stay downstream of the fish so that it is fighting the current as well as the rod. This also generally pulling the hook into the fish, as opposed to the fish hanging below you and you pulling the hook away from the fish. Use a net! Buy a net with a rubber basket and buy one that will handle the largest fish you might catch. I use a net with a 18″ hoop and a handle that is 14″ long. Yes, they are a bit much carrying it around while wading, but it allows you more reach and more room of error when getting the fish into the net. If you are going to fish from a boat then buy a Boat Net, with an even bigger hoop and longer handle. Always…. ALWAYS…. wet your hands before trying to do anything with the fish. Once netted, leave the fish in the water to remove the hook. Barbless hooks help with the quick removal (sometimes they will just fall out once the tension in the line is released) and Hemostats will also help. If the hook is deep in it’s throat, especially the base of the gill structure, just cut the tippet instead of removing it. Flys are cheaper than the fish you just caught. If you want a picture, use the technique described in the video, grab the base of the tail with one hand and cradle the upper part of the fish under it’s peck fins. Get the camera ready before you lift the fish from the water. This should take no more than 5 seconds or if you’re doing it right!!! Place the fish back in the net submerged totally in the water, then if it can remain upright, just dip the rim of the net below the surface and let it swim out (sometimes you have to turn the net upside down, under water to get them to swim out). If the fish is disoriented and can not remain upright on it’s own, again grab it’s tail like descibed above and cradle it below the peck fins. If there is current, point it’s head into the current, you don’t need to move the fish back and forth (Gills are designed for the water to flow in only one direction and water moving from the backside to the front can actually damage them) If in still water move the fish forward , as if it were swimming, to increase the water flow across the gills. when the fish can remain upright on it’s own, let it swim out of your hands. Do all of this and you’ve done the best anyone can do to insure the survival of the fish.
Never…. Never…. NEVER….
Lay a fish on a dry bank for any reason. This is the worst thing you can do if you plan to release the fish and expect it to live for any length of time !!!!Remember, everything you do right makes a difference and increases the chances this fish you just caught will live and thrill another fisherman sometime in the future.
Jimbo
1) The amount of the food available to the fish is dependent on habitat. And the main limiting thing right now is flows, or the volume of water the fish and the insects and prey fish have to occupy. So, the low flows have a more complex impact other than just temperature on the health of the game fish in the river. More flow increases the area and volume of the aquatic habitat everything from the smallest Midges to the largest Stripers can exist and multiply. It also increases the dissolved oxygen as it tumbles and moves downstream. Higher flows also work to remove silt in the river, allowing for more pore space in the streambed gravel, and thus increased areas and populations for the insects and small prey fish that live there.
When the flows are low and by that I mean below about 100-150cfs, the river has a limited capacity to sustain the top predators, like the Trout. So, feeding them during the summer when temperatures are high, especially when flows are low, the Trout are under a lot of stress. The higher water temperatures mean the fish metabolism is also running at higher level and they need more calories to sustain themselves. The feed is a very high calorie supplement that provides those calories and then some. You can see just how fat and healthy the survivors are in the fall after feeding them through the summer.
Should we feed them all year? That is a question we have not addressed. The supplemental feeding certainly keeps their stomachs full and they become accustomed to the size and timing of those feedings. Anyone who has tried to fish after the morning feeding are over, knows they will strike flys less frequently than on the day no feeding occurs. Now during the actual feeding, they are whipped into a frenzy and will hit flys floating in the feed itself. During the colder months, as water temperatures fall, the fish seem to do better because the metabolisms slow down and they need less calories. We also seem to have better hatches of Caddis and Mayflys during the winter and spring. It might help to feed the fish some during the winter and maybe the Fishery Committee should discuss this and talk to the board about it. I will bring up the subject this season.
2) Stream improvement projects were proposed decades ago. It is quite complicated as the river is controlled by the CORE (Army Corps of Engineers) and GBRA, with TPWD supporting. You can not just move some rocks around and permanently change the stream bed in any way without the approval of the CORE and GBRA, because Canyon Lake is primarily a flood control project. Thus, the primary function of the Canyon Lake Dam is to control flows downstream to prevent flooding of the areas adjacent to the river. Delivery of water downstream for agricultural or municipal use and power generation are secondary, with river biology falling behind everything else.
The first things we did accomplish to improve the Fishery were limited harvest regulations and the Flow Agreement. Both of these success’ have helped increase the possibility and realization of a Trophy Trout Fishery. That and with a strategy of the size and numbers of Trout we stock has greatly improved the fishing for Trout in the Guadalupe.
The question of what species of Trout to stock has never definitively decided. We are still playing with the idea that Brown Trout might be better at providing a self-sustaining Trout fishery. But so far, they have not been, and we don’t really know why. We do know that excessive siltation and other river predators have been a limiting factor on natural reproduction. We have stocked Brown Trout in the past of varying sizes, but they do not seem to hold-over as well as out specialized temperature tolerant Rainbow Trout from Crystal Lake Fisheries. Chris Johnson is spearheading a Whitlock/Vibert Box planting of Brown Trout eggs in an effort to see if a born in the river Brown Trout can establish a reproducing Brown Trout population or even a viable population of catchable Brown Trout.
GRTU proposed several stream improvement projects decades ago, primarily to better the habitat for the benefit of the Trout. We actually did get approval for the movement of aquatic plants into the upper river after the 2002 flood to restore the plants lost during the scouring flows.
We also proposed the stabilizing if the banks of Spillway Creek with willow trees to prevent excessive sedimentation from entering the river. That has been on hold for approval forever.
We also proposed a streambed modification in the Potts area, to prevent excessive impacts of high air temperatures on the river’s water flowing there and then affecting water temperatures downstream and limiting the preferred temperatures/habitat for the Trout downstream. We went so far as measuring flows vs stream width (most know how shallow and slow the water moves because the river is so wide there) and using ground penetrating sonar/radar to measure the depth of the gravel and bedrock in the area. The idea was to create structures that would naturally narrow and deepen the channel to speed the volume of water there and lessen higher air temperature impacts. Again, the base work was done, but approval to proceed was never given.
So, GRTU has been thinking about many things to improve the Habitat, better the survival, and even natural reproduction of the Trout populations in the Guadalupe. But it’s all the red tape that has held us back. Now these projects are still on our minds and when possible, we will do what is allowed to make the Guadalupe River a better Trout Fishery.
Jimbo
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“Just Fizzling Out”
I’ve decided to head to Montana to visit some friends in Bozeman. I haven’t been there in many years and I needed to reconnect with them. Doing this meant this would be mu last day in Wyoming and my last day fishing. I decided to some of the creeks on the east side of the Wyoming Range. This is a 2 1/2 hour trip, so I needed to get going ASAP.
The Snake River….
Starting down along the Hoback….
The Northern Edge of the Huge 61,000+ acre Rossevelt Fire that burned in the fall of 2018…. I was there that September. I remember coming over Rim Station and looking down into the Upper Hoback and the entire valley was ablaze rim to rim…. A Red-Orange Flaming Hell…. It burned till the snows of October put it out.
The Wind River Range on the eastern skyline….
Looking at the east side of the Wyoming Range….
I arrived and wanted to fish the lowest reaches of this creek where the national forest boundary begins….
Unfortunately, a line of storms was also arriving and moving east over the valley. Maybe it would pass over before the heavy stuff came down. So, I geared up as fast as I could and started for the creek. I didn’t make it even half-way there. Big cold raindrops began to fall. It started to hail on me about the time I made it back to the Bronco.
There was a lot of Lightning and Thunder. It rained and hailed for almost an Hour.
I ate my Jelly and Peanutbutter Sandwich and read more of “No Shortage of Good Days”.When the rain stopped, I got out and looked around. It had soaked everything pretty good.
I grabbed my vest, flyrod, and headed for the water.
The water was still crystal clear.
I hustled down excited to fish here again.
The water looked great. I fished for a long time without a strike.
I began my fly rotation to look for something they would bite.
But something was wrong….
I covered a lot of water and didn’t see a fish, didn’t spook a fish, nothing.
I started walking through some of the deeper holes to see if I could scare something up?
But nothing showed….So, I got out and jumped upstream.
Again, I covered a lot of water with nothing to show for the effort.
I was really getting discouraged….
I might even get skunked !!!!
Then I saw some little fish occsionally coming to the surface.
There were Caddis on the water.
So one went the Black Caddis I used yesterday….
The skunk was off !!!!
I caught a few more Brookies in this hole, none bigger than this one.
Then the stopped rising.I moved upstream and looked for any sign of more rising Trout.
I saw a couple dimples along the left bank here….
At least this one’s a Cutthroat. I cast again where the rising had been, and I caught another little Cutt.
But just the two….Moving in the fading light….
There were a few fish rising here too….
And just like the other spot, I landed 2 little Cutts.I moved up, but found no more rising fish.
I switched back to a small Chubby, but it was no use.
Time to take the long hike back to the Bronco.
This is another creek that when I first started fishing here was loaded with Cutts 10-14″ and I landed honest 20″ Cutts here.
The first 7 or 8 years I came back they still fished well. Then the long-term Droughts started and hit the east side of the Wyoming Range pretty hard.I talked to a biologist a few years back about what was happening. She was stocking Cutthroat in the upper La Barge Creek. She said these creeks bottomed out. I asked if they were going to try and restock and restore the creeks, but she said there were no plans for it yet. That was about 4 years ago. Today, I caught 3 Brookies and 4 Cutthroat, none bigger than 6″!!!! I would say that they are still bottomed out and need some attention.
Too bad this would be my last day flyfishing here.
The thought crossed my mind I should return to some of the better waters I fished when I first arrived in Wyoming this year….
But I had already told my friends I was coming.
Also, I had already spent more money than I planned.
I can’t always end a fishing trip on a high note.
But that’s OK, I did have many Good and few Great Days.
I fished new waters and found a lot of Trout there.
I fished old friends and most of them were doing fine.
And some in Colorado were actually the best they’ve ever been.
Yeap, I needed to head to Bozeman for a few days, to have some fun and fatten up.
I will say that I had the best Steak I have maybe ever eaten at a place called “The Local” in Belgrade
Be sure to go there if you are ever in the neighborhood and get a Ribeye.-
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“What’s in a Name?”
Saturday came, it was going to be a wash out….
This is what it looked like at 10am.
The weatherman made the call, a cold front from the Pacific was moving through. It was supposed to rain most of the day.
Time to make the most of it….
It was also a big day in the Olympics. The US team was playing France in the Gold Medal round. It turned out to be a pretty good game. But Victor Wembanyama, the sensational San Antonio Spurs rookie, playing for France would not be enough. The game got real close in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter, but Stephen Curry put on a 3pt shooting display for all time (hitting 8 3pt. shots in the game), but the spectacular part was he hit 4 3pt shots in a row in the last 3 minutes of the game to put it out if reach and the US Team won the Gold Medal 98-87. He is the 3pt. G.O.A.T.Another line of storms moved through about 4pm, even meaner than those of the morning.
Sunday morning was bright and sunny, but I didn’t sleep so well. I was up most the night, slept a few hours, then woke up to see the sun come up.
I decided to eat some breakfast and try to sleep some more. I woke up the second time at noon. I was slow to get going. With some coffee my mind started to clear. I needed to fish somewhere close. I hadn’t been on the Little Greys for many years, why not today?I loaded up the Bronco and checked everything, I’m ready to go. I stopped at Burger King for something to eat.
Cheese Burger for the road….
I head north….
The historical marker in Alpine….
I turn on to Greys River Road again….
Then I turn on Little Greys Road….
There were quite a few fishermen fishing the lower end of the river, so I head up into the meadows….
Looks like a good spot….
I gear up with my Sage 490 XP.
I hadn’t fished it on this trip yet and I knew I would be leaving soon.I started to walk downstream a ways before looking for the water.
Satisfied I had plenty of the creek to fish up, even where the Bronco was presently parked, I worked my way down to find my starting point….
I see no hatches, so on goes a small chubby the size of the hoppers I’m seeing.
The fish are not ravenous. It takes some really good drifts over a lot of water, before I see them do more than just a closer inspection….
I find several in the same hole ready to eat….
This river is living up to (or is that down to) it’s name.
I am also regretting not bringing a very light rod, like my Sage 279 LL.
My 490 XP is what you might call, “Too Much Gun” for this water.This water up here is small and should be called a creek (Little Greys River).
The deeper pools are from a couple of feet to maybe 4 feet, but much of the water in between holes, is just inches deep. No need to spend much time on it.
I am walking the bank most of the way so to disturb what Cutthroat are here, as little as possible.
That’s more like what I expect from fishing the creek down closer to the Greys River.
It would be the exception though.I am beginning to see small caddis on the water….
I find a small Black Caddis, tie it on, and see if it will draw their attention.
Yeap, I’ve got too much rod for these fish.
Boy, I wish I’d brought the 2wt., this is the environment where it would excel !!!!
But you don’t change horses mid-stream. (Or should I say can’t, because the only other choice in the Bronco is my Scott 590)
I just need to not set too hard or I’ll launch these little guys clean out of the water.
And I do in places.
You can’t help, but to laugh at that.
Exempla Gata
Dragon, this is flight control, you are go for lift off….
T minus: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,… Ignition, Lift-off, Dragon you are looking good and have cleared the flyfisherman….
I found in this run several that size that would take a skittering Caddis.
“Too Much Gun”….I came to this riffle/drop.
These fish didn’t like the caddis I was using.
It was a little big for those on the water.
So, I switched to a Missing Link in a smaller size….
They like it….
Several more liked it too.The day was fading fast.
I came upon this spot….
I think I caught 4 of 5 here, all about this size….
It’s cherry picking time….
In the run above the log, is a juicy little gravel bar run that drops steeply into a bank, and creating a nice little trough right next to the bank on the left side.
It’s a monster !!!!
It is maybe all of 9″….
Woooo Eeeeee !!!!Just minutes left to fish….
Seems 5-6″ is the average today.
Again, I catch several at all these last stops, but they are a little on the short and light side of desirable….
Was it the day? Maybe the big fish are far smarter?
When I fished the creek years ago, lower down in the valley, closer to the Greys, I caught fish that averaged less say 8-12″ and a couple maybe an inch or so larger as I remember. All these fish today were a class below that. Maybe I am just learning more about this fishery?It is what it is.
Seems the Little Greys River, this far up, is more aptly classified as a nursery.
And living up to it’s name.
Time to point it home for the day….-
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“A Special Place”
The smoke moved into the eastern Wyoming area from the fires in Oregon and California. I was pretty beat-up and tired from 3 weeks of fishing, so it was a good time to take a break. I bought a large pizza from Pizza Hut: Italian Sausage, tomato, onion, and extra sauce, picked it up, and watched the Olympics all day back at the room. It was also a good time to pick up some groceries, get some laundry done, and repair some flys. I pulled out my Renzetti vise and replaced some rubber legs on attractor flys…. These Cutthroats are such leg grabbers with the obvious outcomes!!!!
Local Color….
The next day the smoke was worse, so I spent the time, going through my vest, changing out some fly boxes, to prepare for tomorrow.
Late in the afternoon, being a little stir crazy, I got out and drove over to one of the Salt River public access sites.
Studying the map, I see they have made a change. Wyoming is one of the those states, where if you own the land on both sides of the river, you also own the bottom of the river. You can’t access that section even if you entered at a public access. You can float it, but technically, you can’t touch anything, not a blade of grass on the bank, you can’t bump a piece of driftwood embedded in the river, or even drop an anchor without being in violation of the law. Well, here is some good news…. They have negotiated with the land-owners, legal public access along the river between the public access sites here. Now you can legally fish, wade, and even walk the bank between the access sites here. Something to consider for the future.Friday came and I was up fairly early for me. The smoke had let up some, it wasn’t clear, you could still smell it in the air, but it wasn’t bad enough to wear a mask. So, I grabbed breakfast from the Burger King. Then I loaded up for the drive to the upper Greys River. This is a special place. A strong-hold for the Snake River Cutthroats and a place I love to fish. Now it’s a long drive via the highway and then the forest road which runs along it’s entire length. It takes a long time to get there from here as they say. Now if there was a 4X4 road that went due east from Afton, I could save more than hour at the very least, even if you could only go 10mph or so. The upper Greys where I like to fish is only 6 or 7 miles as the crow flies, but as they say, you can’t there from here. There are two ways to get there, and both take about the same time under optimum conditions. The longer route down to Alpine and up the forest road. The shorter, but much rougher route, is through the back-country and over the top of the drainage at the Tri-Basin pass, then down the river from it’s origin. It is shorter, but depending on the condition of the forest roads, which can get real bad when it rains and exposes more embedded rock in the road, it can be anywhere from about the same time to taking an extra hour. It is much more scenic and you pass by other waters worth fishing, but if you’re going to only fish the upper Greys, it’s not worth the risk.
So, I head south to Alpine….
Dad’s Bar in Thayne, a place I have stopped before on the way back….
The smoke as seen near Alpine….
A Christmas Tree farm….
There used to be a good fly shop here in Alpine, but they closed about 3 years ago. Really the nearest comprehensive Fly Shops are in Jackson or Pinedale now. There’s a little one here in Afton, but they don’t have much of a fly selection, and the remaining one in Alpine has even less. If you need floatant, a flyline, or some Rio tippet, which I don’t use, then you can get the basics, but if you want more than a Purple Chubby, Parachute Adams, or a Hare’s ear nymph, you probably won’t find what you want. It’s another reason I travel with my “Fly Vault”!!! An extra-large duffle with thousands of flys and just about anything I could want or need. In fact there is more in the duffle than either of those local shops, but sometimes it takes a hour to find it.I turn up Greys River Road. I am still over an hour from reaching the upper Greys from where I begin my fishing. There’s lots of people camping or RVing in the lower river. There are more Brown Trout down here too, but I almost never fish there. I drive to the Elk Wintering Grounds before I even think about fishing. I know that I am missing out on some larger fish down there, but I also haven’t come to nymph fish or swing streamers, I’ve come to fish dryflys. I know that sounds a little crazy, but I fish nymphs so much most of the year, I want to dedicate my time to fishing on top.
There is still plenty of water on the upper Greys I have not fished. Today I would start at one of those new stretches.
I put away my Winston Rod and pulled my Scott Radian 590. It is a rod that I have modified with a larger cork grip and is easier on my casting hand fishing it all day.
I gear up, and bust through some thick streamside willows, before breaking out into the Greys waters….
I begin the ritual, of looking for the right fly for the day. I start with attractors, as there is no hatch. I have a few Finespots come to look, but not really strike. I beginning to think the moon phase is really affecting the catching up here. I look at the Solar Lunar tables all the time, to see when the best time of day it is to fish. They also relate the relative strength of the bite day to day and we are now on the poor side of things. Still, these fish are Cutthroats, and opportunistic feeders, because they have to be to build up their fat reserves to get through the winters. That does not mean they will eat just anything either.I eventually put on the right size, pattern, and color, and have several fish on that I loose. In fact, I lost 3 before I landed my first and only fish in this reach, which I fumble trying to hold it up for a self-portrait….
And then Thor has arrived with his hammer, and the first few large cold drops come down. I put on my Gore-Tex and fish on for the moment….
This spot looks too good to pass up. But nothing rises in all this fabulous habitat, they are probably there, and the lightning is putting them down.
A heavy rain begins to fall. It’s no use trying to fish even a large attractor when the surface is so distrubed by the large cold drops and small hail. Time to retreat to the Bronco.I try driving further up the river to get out from under this storm. I find a spot where it’s now just a light sprinkle, pull over and wait it out.
After a little light reading of Gierach in the truck, the rain has quit. I get out and look around. It’s looking good off to the west.
I pull on my gear and head down to a familiar stretch.
If you’ve seen some of my past posts, you will recognize this water.
I have caught many fish here over the years, but I don’t raise one or see one here. I believe they are hiding somewhere, but I can find them. The storm with it’s lightning has certainly put them off for awhile. Not discouraged, disappointed maybe, but I know they live here, and it’s just a matter of time before I find a hungry one….
I fish for a good 30 minutes or more with no strikes or looks. At least I am casting well and enjoying putting the fly where I want it to go.
So, I will be sharp when I run across a Cutthroat.
Here was a good set up. deeper water running down the right bank, in the shadows of the willows. I am working the fly through the lower part of that bank, when something eager hammers the fly. The fish stays upstream. I wade downstream to pull it down from the remaining stretch. It all works out fine…
The first one…
I remove the hook, release the Finespot, and watch it swim off. It’s all better now and I feel that the catching has finally started.
And it has. I wade back up to where I caught the first one. I work the line out, covering a new piece of the bank in the shadows with each drift, take a few steps upstream and cast a little further up the bank. Systematically covering all the bank as best is possible.
And it works….
It’s a little bit bigger than the first one and beautifully marked.
Yes, this is a Special Place….Another perfect piece of water to fish….
Another willing participant….
The sun has come out in full force now. It provides a nice warmth in contrast to the cold water on my legs.
Cookie cutter Cutthroats….
All fine fighting fish in this fast water. The river up here never really relaxes up here. It’s constant moving at a good clip. It makes these fish strong and firm, fighting the relentless current. Thus, when they are hooked, the amount of stress they can put on tippets, rod, and your arm is impressive for their size.If you look at the last picture of the stream, you can see this drop in the back-ground way up there….
I took this picture of the water after I caught these next two fish. The first one was in the shallow slick on the right side of this run. I was about 40′ feet below when I started casting. I worked up till the fly was placed just a couple of feet below the riffle. He poked his head through and turned for the deeper water in the middle. I leaned back on the fish, trying to pull it away from the water I had not covered. It was a stand-off for some nervous seconds, then he relented came down towards me. I pulled the net and waited….
Very Nice….
Good enough for my Christmas Card….
Yes, I love this river !!!!I took a break for lunch. I slipped off the vest, my shoulders relaxed. A couple of long swigs of water to quench my thirst. Plop down on the river bank, and look around at the valley. It would be a great place to camp overnight and fish for a few days. But this trip was running out of days. I won’t do it this year, maybe someday.
I stretch out my legs and wolf down my Jelly and Peanutbutter sandwich. I consume an impressive number of calories to do this and still I loose and few pounds every year, while firming up my legs. I lay back in the deep grasses of the meadow. It’s as soft as my bed. I watch the passing clouds, and in my imagination I see birds and bears in their form. It’s a pleasant way to spend your time, just taking it all in, high in the mountains in another state, far away from home.After a time, relaxing and imagining things as the day drifts by, I need to get going again. I stand and stretch, clip my wading belt back on, sling on my vest, and pick up my rod for another go at it. I look back at the same drop where I caught the last Cutt.
I wade up into position to fish the left bank and fish the high bank in the shadows under the roots of that pine. It wasn’t the first cast, maybe not the second, but certain no more than the third when the Cutt took my fly.
What’s not to love about this place?I continue my relentless quest moving up this river.
I would say it’s a decent day on the water, not quite great, but none-the-less good enough….
If it were great most these spots would produce multiple Cutts, but I am catching, and I am satisfied with the results.
It’s not perfect. I lost a nice fish trying to get it in the net here.
But really that’s just par for the course. If you caught every single fish, would the experience be more? Or would the lack of suspense while fighting the fish, make the overall experience less exciting? I’m in the latter’s camp….And then the clouds starting coming over the western ridge.
Time for the Gore-Tex again.
With rain coming, not “if” but a “when”, it’s time to start cherry picking the water ahead.I hooked and lost another fish under that tree….
Maybe they are getting picky with the thunder rolling across the valley?
I move quickly to the next piece of prime lies….
I down-size my fly with that olive Chubby from the other day….
No more under that tree.It seems these fish really like a roof over their head today.
I put the fly upstream of this tree’s roots.
The fly drifts down, next to the bank, but as it approaches the holding spot, it swings out and away.
I need to make a commitment quick!
Using a side-arm cast, a little tug on the line to shoot the fly…. under the roots it goes, deep into the shadows….
The fly disappears back there somewhere….
I see water splashing and at the same time the line goes tight. I pull back with the rod low to the water. I see the fish jumping under the roots. It’s now or never, I pull back to the limits of everything and the Cutt comes out into the light. Now where I can see him, I let him swim around a little until I think I have the upper hand. Then with my net in hand, I pull the rod back over my shoulder and….
Another very nice fish, unfortunately the picture comes out a little blurry….
He…. Oops pardon me, she comes up with a bloody lip too….
But She’ll be fine.
Too often I call all fish hooked He or him, when half of them are She or her….
I guess I’m just a male chauvinist so and so….It’s getting dark now. The time between the flashes and the thunder is down to 10 seconds….
It’s past time to hike back to the Bronco. I going to get rained on, but it’s worth it everyday !!!!
I arrive and again, have no time to take my wading boots off in the driving rain.
It’s going to be an even longer drive back to Afton, but my Bronco is well suited for such a drive.This is a Special Place !!!!
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“And some Bad News from the other side of the Mountain”
As with most things, there’s some usually some bad things mixed in with all the good things one encounters.
Today’s target was one of the reasons I first came to this area to fish.
The home of a rare Cutthroat. A place they could grow large enough to be the stuff that dreams are made of….
I’ve caught them here to 23″ and had one on that would have been a fish of a lifetime for anyone.Over the years, the pressure has steady increased here, and it shows.
I’ve seen way too many tents in it’s valley, with too many anglers plying these waters.
It seems every year I see more and more men fishing here.
The last 4 or 5 years I have seen a steady decline in size and numbers.
Even the best habitats need some protection.
I’ve seen far too many fish on stringers.
Too many campfires with many outdoorsmen sitting around waiting for a fish dinner.If I had my way, I recommend making this place, catch and release only.
I know fishermen eating some of their catch has a long tradition.
But there is a time when reason must win over tradition.
Before there’s nothing left but the river.It’s quite a drive along highways….
Back roads….
And rough dusty forest roads before you can even catch a glimpse of it….
Then I arrive, park the Bronco where it won’t sink in the mud if a sudden heavy rain comes….I open up the back to gear up.
Today I would be using a new rod, a Winston AIR 2 590. It’s a beautiful rod. I’ve admired Winston rods most my life. When I first started fly fishing for Trout and called the Action Angler my home base, I looked at the blue-green rods in their rod racks. I would pick them up and flex them. They seemed to be a perfect combination of finesse and power, but they were out of my price range. These were the rods the wealthy fished and were more than two times the cost of the Fenwick rods I could afford and fished at the time. And over the years, they were always more expensive than the rods I could afford. Even when I graduated to Sage flyrods, they were still 50% more than what I was buying. And even then, I was buying blanks and building my own rods to save a little over retail and have something truly tailored for me. Now I can really buy anything I want, but I hadn’t come around to buying a Winston rod till now. I found this one on the internet and it was half-priced, so I scooped it up. It was brand new, unused, and I was fortunate to find it. Putting it together with a Ross San Miguel reel, it balanced perfectly in hand. The Grip was still a little on the small size for me, but it was the superfine shape I like. Time to get it wet.Here is one of my favorite reaches….
This is “Big Fish” water. I have caught many of the Cutthroats over 20″ in this stretch.
That boulder field up there can hide the Trout that dreams are made of….
But not today….
Now, I know that rivers have their days when nothing will bite and that could explain some of it, but I wasn’t seeing the fish I should have even if they wouldn’t bite. The water is a little low today and that could be some of it.I covered the water with many of my better flys that should have drawn more attention.
It was several 100 yards before I reached this hole….
This is another one of those “Big Fish” places….
A fish did come up….
Well whitefish eat drys too.I continued to cast, multiple times, to spots that should hold fish.
And finally a good one did come up.
I saw the Cutt slash at my fly, taking it down deep.
I felt it kicking with it tail, the rod pulsing with each stroke.
Then it swam over to the far side where it broke off. Bad Luck….Ever hopeful I kept moving upstream.
Again I covered more ground than I would have expected before my next bite….
I saw a few in the tailout, so I took my time approaching and setting up for the cast…
It worked !!! I nettted the fish and looked for the others. I starting casting up the left side seam. Another small Cutt took the fly and I had him in hand lick-it-t split, but slipped out of my hand before I could take a pic. I looked for anything else, but didn’t see anything. As I worked my way out of the tailout, I saw something flashy on the bottom.
What was it?
Wow, talk about going big !!!!
This was one Large articulated streamer !!!!I worked up the side of the hole. I saw something flash mid-depth towards the drop. I started by casting right next to the bank, nothing moved. I slowly walked each successive cast further out into the main current. It took several casts, but finally the drift was right. The fish took it like a Barracuda, hit the fly at full speed and kept going. I didn’t have to do anything but hang on. The new Winston was, for the first time, bent over under the strain of a strong fish. There’s nothing like a fish that puts a good bend in your rod. I followed upstream, worked the fish over going down and dirty style, and had it in the net in no time.
Who’s happy now?…
I released the fish and walked back down to fish the rest of the hole to the far side.
Nothing else rose….Again further upstream than I usually go without a strike….
Nope….
NadaThis is the bend where I caught a 20″er the first time I fished this stream….
Just where you’d expect to find one, on the soft inside bend of the hole….
That will do….This is another bank a good ways up the stream….
I was making good casts with the Winston. I was accurately putting the fly on the edge of the cutbank. Just as I was about to pick up the flyline at the end of a long drift, a Cutt grabbed the fly and headed downstream. I moved as quick as I could to follow, but that lasted about 5 seconds and then it pulled off. I never got close to getting even with that fish. I kept working the cutbank. I watched the fly drifting down, occasionally ticking the overhanging grass. I am really pleased with the flex pattern, overall swing-weight, and accuracy of this Winston rod. All it needs to be one of my front-line rods is for me to re-grip it with a larger diameter cork handle.Then something lunged out of one of those pockets, took it down, and turn upstream.
Yes !!!
That’s more to my liking. I stayed downstream and let him fight the current and me.
Another good Cutt !!!!I was loosing the light fast now….
Another strike….
These guys fight hard too….This would be the last reach I would fish today….
Upstream section….
Downstream section turning left and away from me….
Last year I caught several nice fish here. I started casting where one of those fish was hooked. The soft inside eddy of the turn on the far side…. Zero
Then I started working up the cutbank on the far side. Lay out a cast, let it drift, take a few steps up, and cast again a little higher. I was working every little pocket and I was well up the bank. I made a cast, the fly touched the water, and it was “Instantaneously Gone” ! He felt strong. He fought above his weight class by using the current along the cutbank. I walked up my side and applied more and more side pressure. Soon, I was able to move him out of the fast water and into the slack water on my side….
That’s a good way to end it.I reeled up and put the fly on the hook keeper. It was time to work my way across the meadow and find the double track used by the cowboys up here.
There was plenty of time to think about today while hiking back. Today’s numbers were definitely sub-par for my long term average. My biggest fish was maybe 15-16″. Most years I catch at least one fish 18-20″ and many times, several that size. Was it the angling harvest taking it’s toll? Drought maybe? Maybe it was just the moon phase? I don’t really know. But, I haven’t caught 25 in a single day in several years now and I was far short of that number today. I hope those days aren’t over.Now climb the slope out of the valley and up to where the Bronco was parked….
I hope this stream will improve in the coming years, because it has been the high point in fishing most years I’ve come here.I reach the Bronco, open the rear door, shuck my gear, and take off my boots.
I drive off the backside of the bluff that overlooks this stream.
The sun’s going down, and I have a long way to drive back to Afton….
I sure hope Mother Nature turns her loving eyes towards this water and helps it out.
It sure has changed over the some 16 years I have been fishing it.-
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“Another Day, Another Headwater”
Weathermen can be a fisherman’s best friend and worst enemy at the same time.
How’s that? Well, they can warn us of storms coming, but we tend to go anyway.
Today there would be severe weather coming and there was no time to waste.I was headed into the back-country once again.
I would be traveling up and over one ridge and down into another basin.
and the road goes on forever….
and the party never ends….
after a nice long dusty ride….
There it is, another piece of heaven….The routine is the same: boots, wading belt, flyvest, and a favorite flyrod….
Now, I can wander down close to all that heaven will allow….
Hmmmm….
Which fly?
Hippie Stomper?
Small Chubby?
Which color?And now, to cast, to watch the fly drift downstream….
Pick up the flyline, casting again, and place the fly in another likely spot to hold a monster Cutthroat….
Or at least that’s my hope….
It is said that Fishermen have very short memories….
Because we believe that this cast is the one that will bring a fish of our dreams to take our fly.
Then, when it doesn’t happen, we pick up the flyline, cast again, believing “This” is the cast it will happen.
This goes on and on, all through the day, every day, and every time we are on the water.
Anything less, would be a betrayal of our creed….
Well. it’s not the monster that I was looking for, but it will do till one comes along.The weatherman was right, it’s not even noon and dark clouds are gathering.
No time to waste….
No monster, but another perfect specimen….
Here was a real good looking spot….
I caught several here, nothing trophy sized….
All these spots had fish waiting….
Finally a better one….
Notice the raindrops on the lens….
There was not much time left before the skies would open up and the flashes of lightning would light up the ground casting harsh shadows across the meadow….
There under the willows on the right, another little Cutthroat….
There on the left, at the drop into the pool under the willows, another head pokes through
Now you guess, it’s not that hard….
Of course you’re right….
Now the big rain drops start to fall.
Just a few at first, but so big you can hear them splat on the stream side rocks as they hit.
Time to go, quickly across the meadow and up the hillside to the truck.
Open up the back and shuck the vest, wading belt, and place the flyrod safely on the passenger side.
No time to take my wet wading boots off if I don’t want to get soaked.
Turn the Bronco around, and head back out the valley.I drive quickly on the dirt forest roads that turn, slick, and then muddy in the heavy rain.
Further up the road the rain stops, but there’s no going back.
The day was short, but rewarding.
Maybe 2 hours on the water and 15 or so Cutthroats to hand.
Heaven had allowed just enough time for some fun, before the weatherman was proved right.-
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All good questions about the Simms boots. I have been using their boots from the very beginning. I guess the best answer is they fit my feet well. And lace up, well because I ‘ve always used lace up boots. My friend Joe uses Korkers dial ups and likes them. The funny thing is his Korkers started coming apart at the toes too. He went and bought some epoxy to glue them back together and then the next day we went fishing I looked at my boots, just because, and that’s when I noticed the toes on my Simms were just starting to come apart. He said it is not uncommon among the anglers using their boots in warmer waters. He’d been fishing in Hawaii and I had been fishing the upper Guad around Hunt.
“Revisiting an old Friend”
This creek is another I fished the first year I came to the Afton area. It has seen it’s ups and down, because it is at a fairly low altitude, on a west facing slope, and has generally low flows. Over the years it fished so well that it wasn’t uncommon to catch 40+ Cutthroats in a day. Then the drought of these last few years hit it real hard, plus many Beaver took over the meadows and created many shallow ponds that further warmer the waters. Last year it was in such bad shape, I fished a good stretch and only caught a hand full. Today I would go through the same water and see how if it changed at all.
If you want to know where it is, here is your only clue….
I parked at a familiar spot to geared up. The routine is almost hypnotic. Pull out my stool, off with my tennis shoes and socks, on goes my wading socks, then my G4 boots, and then gator guards. Clean my polarized sunglasses. Flyrod? I’m using the same Sage 576 LL from yesterday, so pull it outside and lean it up next to the truck.
Check my vest: Water? check, Jelly and Peanutbutter Sandwich? check, Camera? check, remove used tippet and river rocks from their pocket, check Floatant Level…. add more…., Strap on my wading belt and staff, sling on my vest. Put the stool back inside the Bronco and check for anything left on the ground. Then lock the truck, put the key inside my vest, pick up my flyrod and head for the water….There’s a little brush busting to get to the creek and then slide down the bank, cross the creek, and observe !
Many anglers forget, to slow down, and observe what is going on first. Is anything hatching? Are the fish rising? To what? What’s the water temp? If they’re not rising, can you see any fish? Where are they? Now based on all that what is the best choice to try and catch them.
Today, nothing is hatching, nothing is rising, water temp is 65. The fish seem to be in the bottom of the deepest pools, not in the tailouts, not in the drops or riffles.
Well things could be better, but these fish are small creek opportunistic feeders….
I decide on a small copper chubby, one that has worked well in the past, to imitate the hoppers that should be around.
The first pool I see multiple fish sitting on the bottom, but before I can make a cast a family of loons comes slashing through the pool.
It’s busted….
Not so a good a start….I move up to the next piece of deeper water. I try the outside seam next to the bank first, after several casts, I put it right in the middle of the faster water, nope. Then I cast to the inside seam and it drifts back about a foot and something comes out of nowhere to smash it !
A few seconds later….
I release the Cutt and make a few more casts, but nothing else rises.I move a good distance and have no more fish rise to the Chubby. Time to try some other patterns: Adams…. Elk Hair Caddis…. Hippie Stomper…. How about a small olive Chubby….
And finally another fish does come up….
Well, it’s not great, but I do think it’s somewhat better than last year.Then I come to this great riffle/pool/tailout.
This has always been a good place to catch. I start in the tailout, working from my side, then across the creek in a series of casts and drifts, to grid the entire surface out, covering everything. Some tiny Cutts, maybe 2-3″, make attempts to pull it under, and come up empty. I work the body of the pool and a 8″ish Cutt grabs it and holds on. I fight it and swing it in for a fast pic, but it shakes loose on the lift out of the water. I make some casts to the far side of the pool and have a couple lookers, but no hookups. I decide to change color again and put on the small copper Chubby again, and again they just look.
Then I remember the old mantra I heard from a drunken guide at a local shop here many years ago. If you want bigger fish, put on a big fly. So, I dig in my flyboxes, and pull out a #8 Copper Chubby. I cast to the lookers on the far side and it draws a few strikes. There is another thing these Cutts love to do if they are the least bit cautious, that is to grab the rubber legs and pull it under before eating it. I strike and come up empty, let’s see: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7…. Yeap I’m missing a rubber leg….
They are pulling my legs off !!!!Now I cast to the water leading to the drop into the head of the pool, right on the inside seam. The fly floats down and there is a significant splash, and the line goes tight !!! The little rod is bent over to the butt section. I see the trout’s flanks flashing in the bottom of the pool’s greenish waters. It’s a Good Fish !!! He is pumping and staying on the bottom. He circles through the tailout and then up the far side. It’s a good feeling having a fish of this size on this light flyrod. I am using 5X, and I let it swim where it wants to tire itself out….
Now I can increase the pressure. I start to pull him my way. With my free hand I pull the net. I pull back on the rod and the Cutt comes to my side…. scoop….
It’s a long fish for this creek and it’s thick !!!!
This is one of the biggest Cutts I have ever caught here ! Well, that’s a good sign !!!!
More casts with the larger Chubby bring nothing, but that’s not surprising considering how much the larger Cutt swam everywhere in the pool.Time to move upstream….
Casting the larger Chubby brings some half-hearted looks from smaller fish in this shallower run. So, I downside the Chubby to a #12 of the same color. Again I have lookers, but not takers, so I change back to the more subtle olive color Chubby about sized 14.
Bingo !!!!
I keep fishing this fly, moving up through the run, and have several more like 6″ Cutts take the fly.
So, I have found a fly that I will fish the rest of the day, it’s a keeper.
Yeap….
So, my impression is this creek is recovering from last year low point, but not back to it’s zenith.
I am starting to catch numbers close to those of several years ago….
I should have taken more pictures, but I was having such a good time just catching….
And some better fish….
The shadows come early in this deep valley….
And the fish just kept coming and taking my fly….
I was almost ready to call it a day….
I was casting along a shallow bank, there was a rock embedded in the bank, pushing the current out towards the middle, and creating a little hole behind it. I cast, but it was too far out. I cast again and the wind caught it and it landed almost in the middle of the creek. I stopped and waited for the wind to stop. I picked up the line, made a quick backcast, and shot it in the bank above everything. The fly drifted down the edge of the bank, the current pushed it out going by the rock, and then sucked it back in behind the rock perfectly. A nose poked through and left some expanding rings where the fly had been. I struck and the cutthroat immediately jumped high, clearing the water by maybe 2 feet. It’s another real good Cutthroat !!! It runs for the middle then straight up the creek, the reel is spinning like mad, and the line is going out fast. I see him jump again, now maybe 60 feet upstream in the shadow of the surrounding ridges. I see the line cutting to the right side and the willows there. I start running upstream as fast as I can and reeling in the slack. I am making up ground, when the line goes limp…. He broke off in the willow roots up there….
The One that got away….
You need to loose some of the “Good Ones” to appreciate the “Good Ones” you “DO” land….Well, I tie on another olive Chubby and catch a few more….
That’s good enough, time to climb out of the creek, and hike back to the Bronco. To wrap this one up, this creek is coming back from the abysmal results last year. It still has a way to go before it reaches it’s glory days, but it’s headed in the right direction.
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