Jimbo
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
“New Water”
Every year, it is important to me to explore new waters. Today Joe is going to his friend’s memorial, and myself, I’m headed to Creede to fish a new creek. My first stop would be the Orvis Fly Shop in Creede. Here I am driving up the Rio Grande northwest of South Fork.
Through the Gap….
Then driving up the valley where Creede’s historical mining started….
I stopped in Creede and bought some flys and floatant at the Fly Shop. While I was there I pulled out my maps and I talked to the proprietor about the creeks in the area.
Sure enough, several of them were ones he fished and the one I targeted today, had it all: Browns, Rainbows, Brookies, and Cutthroats.Confident, I left Creede and headed to this creek.
Geez…. looks like rain !!!
As I got closer, things looked a little better, still, there’s no way I’m going up the trail without my rain jacket. I reached the end of the trailhead and geared up with my favorite small creek rod, my Sage 476 XP and started up the trail. It started sprinkling when I was gearing up so I pulled out my old Up-side-downer to keep my head dry. I hadn’t gone 50 yards, when I met another flyfisherman coming out. We stopped and talked a few minutes about the creek and what to expect. He said go to the double bridge across the creek and then start fishing. Sounds good to me….
I get real excited going into new water. I passed the bridge and thought to myself, this is probably where he fished today, so I am going a bit further. Plus, the higher you go the better your chances at finding Cutthroats.
Maybe a bit further….
I am now somewhere about a mile from the trailhead. Time to go look at the creek and make a decision….
I mean, this sure looks fishy to me !!!
Here I made a couple of casts working both sides of the current seam. Nothing happened? I hit the inside seam again right next to the roots in the water and a Brown came out from shadows and smashed the Hippie Stomper. This was a good fish and I let him run around a bit before I pulled my net…..
Sweet !!!! The first fish was about 14-15″, very nice !!!!
This was a very good sign of what might be in this creek.
The willows and streamside trees were thick along the creek. It was going to make approaching the water to fish, a tactical thing, where you could fish certain stretches, and then you would have to retreat, move up the creek and look for another spot to fish. Some of the creek was densely canopied with willows and my Loomis 6 1/2′ 3wt. would have been a better choice. These are the things you learn on a first time visit to new water. Still there were plenty of places my 7 1/2′ 4wt. was just fine.
Mark Dillow, has told me many times I needed to fish the creeks around Creede….
Mark…. You were right !!!!
Another fat Brown about 13-14″….
This is the kind of water that makes me a “Creek Geek”
A more average sized Brown that I expect….
Some open stretches, that made life easy….
First Brookie of the day….
I was getting lucky here, with long stretches of open water….
I made a cast and saw something real colorful flash at my fly and take it down….
Nice looking Brookie !!!!I’m telling you, this is looking real good….
These fish were not in as predictable lies as I had expected.
So, I cover everything with my casts, because they might not be in the eddies, and shadows, as much as in the non-descript riffles….
Here’s some water and the fish that live in them….
Watch out for the Wild Roses and Stinging Nettle….
My first Rainbow of the Day
There’s got to be one behind that rock waiting….
Yeap….
Canopied and “Bow and Arrow” country….
Squeeze in there, pull back the fly’s leader, and let it go….
And some places you just pass by, getting in there is one thing, getting out is another….
So, I jump ahead and look for another place to get in….
Smell the flowers along the way….
Look at the peaks towering above me….
Then look towards the creek once again….
And one last Brown….
Well, this was a nice creek. I never did find a Cutthroat here, but I think I’ll keep this one to myself for awhile, and come back and start even higher to find my favorite quarry…. Now it’s time to turn around and hike out….
I arrived at the trailhead and guess what….
It started to rain!
Come on, you knew that !!!Now driving back out and down the Rio Grande and eventually Pagosa….
Dramatic lighting….
Heading back up Wolf Creek Pass at Dusk….
So would I do it again?
You Bet !!!
And next time I will be here earlier, to hike higher up in the drainage to find those Cutthroats I’m after.-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by
.
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
“Higher Ground”
Joe was still working on getting to Puerto Rico, so I would be fishing solo today. The entire area had thunderstorms in the forecast, so that meant certain places on the must fish list, were not among today’s possible choices. After looking at my maps, I decided to head up into a higher meadow section of Park Creek. Not much to do other than make a Jelly and Peanutbutter sandwich, fill the camelback, and head out the door.
I’ve always marveled at the sheer rock cliffs along the highway going up Wolf Creek Pass
Over the Continental Divide, Wolf Creek Pass is 10,856′, and then down in the Rio Grande basin.
Then up Park Creek Road to one of the upper meadows.
I park on a bench overlooking the upper portion of this meadow, get out and gear up.I’m still using one my creek rods. I enjoy the light and relatively short rods while fishing dryflys, for smaller Trout, and at short distances.
The creek is generally shallow and inviting. There are 4 major meadows going up Park Creek, and then there is the uppermost headwater, where the creek is very small, and full of mostly Brookies. I start off with a Hippie Stomper again, the real choice is which size and which color will work best.
#l6 Red is a good place to start….
The last few years Gold was #1 followed by Yellow and Purple. But this season Red seems to be the ticket if they are the least bit picky.
The catching is real good from the start….
Funny how one fish can be real buttery in color, followed by the next one, much more pale and silvery in general appearance.
Both fish are healthy, but color variation, among individuals, of the background and spots is amazing….Another thing I do constantly, and especially after landing a Trout, I will check the tippet for nicks. If there is any abrasion or nick, I cut it off, wrap into a loop and stuff it in my fly-vest for later disposal. I do my best to leave no tippet material or flys behind. Here I am tying on a new piece of tippet with a double surgeon’s knot. Fresh tippet allows me the maximum amount of pressure to land that next Trout which might be a fish of a life-time. You never know when it’s coming, so “Be Prepared”.
Add the fly and I’m ready to do battle with the occasional “Big One” that shows up on the end of my line. I have caught Browns to 18″ in this creek, although they are very rare here.
It a good day, but T-Storms are building over the ridge, and the rumble of thunder is rolling up the valley. It won’t be long before my rain-jacket will be needed.
Best to make hay while you can….
You know I am higher in the drainage when Brookies start showing up….
A great looking piece of water with a little depth….
Here two Browns back to back…. Notice the difference in the numbers and boldness of their black and red spots and their halos….
It was another stupid numbers day. A day that just unhooking and releasing Trout, can result in the fabled “Bass Thumb”. Where the skin in your finger tips is pricked an lifted, giving them a soft fuzz appearance. What I would do, to be standing in this stretch of water again, and casting to the Browns waiting there….
The good thing about these posts, are they allow me to do just that, metaphorically….
I close my eyes and I’m back there, with sudden movements of the Browns coming out hiding spots, and taking my flys down.It’s started to rain again, so I pull on my rain jacket. I am getting a lot of use out of it this year. I will tell you, I really like my Simms Gore-Tex. I’ve bought it maybe 6 or 7 years ago and it is everything you would want in rain protection. It is also easily packable, but heavy enough to lessen the impact of hail if you encounter it.
Bam !!!!….
He’s on and running all over the place. My rod flexing this way and that as the fish tries to get away….
The numbers are adding up to something close to 50 again….
When is enough… enough?
That is a very hard question if there is still light on the water.
But with Lightning, that makes the decision more urgent and imperative.
The day is cut a little short, but better than ending up a piece of fried bacon in the forest.There is a little climbing to do out of the narrowing of the valley up here, but I’m on top and hiking back to the Bronco quickly.
Soon I see the Bronco sitting on the bench overlooking the creek.
The day was excellent, if the Thunderstorm hadn’t showed up, who knows how many I would have landed. A full day here, when the creek is fishing well, 100 is not out of the question. My high-water mark here was a day when I stopped at 125….
And this place is no secret, but no need to spread it’s name around either.
Respect this water and it will stay like this for a long time.Jimbo
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by .
“Fishing On A Stream That Will Remain Nameless”
So, Wednesday came around and Joe was still working on everything necessary to fly himself and his dogs to Puerto Rico without spending 3-5000 dollars !!! He was on the phone with various carriers trying to figure out what was the best airport to fly out of, and or if he would need to hire a special carrier just for the Labs !?!?! He was very frustrated bouncing around from different agents, and getting different stories about what was available. He couldn’t have been more uncomfortable, if you told him he needed to hit his thumb with a hammer everytime before he called….
It was almost noon before he gave up on getting an answer today. And since we were fishing together today, we would be taking the Escape.
So, we loaded the rods, our vests and boots, Willow and Violet, their food and water, in the back, and jumped in….
We drove through town and stopped at “Let it Fly”. I wanted to pick up some “rubber legs” to repair some of my attractors that had their legs broken off by Trout. I am constantly amazed how a Trout can decide to eat one of my attractors, only grab a leg to pull it under. And when I strike, I get the fly back sans a rubber leg. I mean what evolutionary tactic have these Trout developed to test whether what they think is a real insect, like a hopper, or a fake, by grabbing it by the leg first, instead of just taking the whole thing in their mouth?From there, we drove east, and discussed where we should fish. Cutthroats were on our mind, so we agreed of a very small little stream that held a special population on Cutthroats. Since this is a special place, it’s location won’t be devulged….
FOASTWRN
So down the forest roads we go. We stop where we can reasonably approach the stream. This is such small water that today we are taking just one rod, that we will share, fishing this stream. It’s really one of the smallest headwater creeks you can fish, so one rod, and alternating fishing holes while going upstream makes sense….
We spend some time bushwacking through the forest to get to where we can start fishing….
And then, there it is….
One cast is all it takes….
I catch a couple more and hand the rod to Joe
In this water the fish are very opportunistic, almost anything they see will be eaten, if you don’t spook them first.
Yes these fish are very small. These Cutthroats average about 6-8″, a 12″er is king in these waters.I get my turn.
Even in these small pieces of water, you can usually catch 2 or 3 fish there, before you hand off the rod and move up to the next piece that holds fish.
Again, there is no need to show you every fish, many were caught by both of us today. We will spend most of our time actually getting to the next spot to fish as actually fishing that spot. This creek has a very high gradient, stair-step fashion, and many deadfalls that must be negotiated before you are in position to fish the next piece of water. This can be a lot of work and one can get pretty scratched up doing this kind of fishing, but for us, fishing aboriginal populations of Cutthroats in their native habitat is well worth every bead of sweat and every drop of blood. Some will understand this effort to catch these little fish, others will just shake their heads, and use words like: why, crazy, pointless, nuts, to describe us….Exempla Grata
Almost anyone would fish the hole below….
But would you climb up on top of those logs, to fish the little open spots between the logs, risking slipping and falling, maybe scraping yourself up, or breaking a bone, much less your(my) rod in the process, for a 8″Cutthroat? We would and do all the time….
One of the open spots, and Joe makes it pay off….
My Turn….
Much of the casting is done, “Bow and Arrow” style, as there’s a pletera of entanglements from all sides and above.
Here I am using the willows to hide me, from the Cutts upstream, and you can see me holding tension in the rod for a perfect Bow and Arrow delivery….
Hummm…. questional genetics in this one….
Whose your Daddy?Again after a couple of fish, I hand the rod off to Joe….
Jackets are now on as a light rain starts.
Success….
The fishing today is like this over and over again….
I came up on this spot. I took this photo after catching somewhere around 8 Cutthroats in this little spot.
Most of the fish were under the willow in the shade on the left. There is that little space between the branches to land a fly. Here I was deadly. 6 of the those Cutts came out of the spot. My Bow and Arrow delivery was spot on. I was amazed at just how many I was able to pull out from the willow and not spook the others. The last few came from just below the logs crossing the stream above me.
It stopped raining and Joe took his jacket off….
The last spot….
These fish can be so beautiful….
And now I take my jacket off for the trip out of here.OK, now we have worked our way well upstream, uphill, and past a 100 deadfalls. We can backtrack our way back down the creek, or climb our way out the side, and look for a bench up there, where we don’t have to crawl over all those deadfalls again. So, we bushwack our way across the floor of the valley, and then start up a shale scree slope.
I should have taken a photo looking at the way up, but once I started, I didn’t want to stop for anything, to avoid the shale under my feet from deciding it was time to visit the bottom.
Safe on top….
Now we need to find a way down….
After negotiating this slope we find a bench that leads us back to the forest road we are parked on….
Mission accomplished once again.
No broke bones, no broken rods, and lots of moments with a light flyrod in hand and eager Cutthroats attacking our flys….Jimbo
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
“Bad Luck and Good Luck…. The Same Coin”
Many of you have heard me talk about my friend Joe Eichelberger, who used to live and guide in Pagosa Springs. He moved to Hawaii to open a Fly Fishing Shop and Guide Service. Unfortunately, the money end of the deal went sideways. He did live there for a time after that, just to chase the largest Bonefish species in the world. He had a lot of stories about chasing them around the islands and 20lbers, who never made it to his hands. From there he moved to Florida, where again Bad Luck found him, and he ended up in a job away from flyfishing. Some Good Luck, finally caught up with him, in the form of a job managing a large construction project in Puerto Rico. But before he would start that job, one of his good friends in Pagosa passed away. He knew I was going to be in Pagosa during the time of the memorial for his friend, so I invited him to crash at my condo while he was in town.
He arrived Sunday and he and I spent Monday hanging out and catching up since the last time I saw him in Pagosa. We decided to fish on Tuesday and it didn’t take much time to settle on Park Creek. So, Joe, his two labs Willow and Violet, and myself, headed over Wolf Creek Pass, and headed up to a meadow I often fish.
Joe was also working on arranging to fly to Puerto Rico with his labs, which if you don’t know,…. flying internationally with pets, since COVID, is a nightmare of: getting certificates of health, arranging the timing of fights so the dogs are not exposed to excessive heat while loading into the cargo of the planes, and selecting a carrier that will even take dogs on flights !!! So, you see him in my rearview mirror in a Grey Ford Escape, and yes that is my old Ford Escape, that is now his. If you even wondered what happened to it, my old Escape is still going on many fishing trips, as suits it’s upbringing !!!! But…. Joe could not spend the entire day fishing as he expected calls about his labs certificates and the scheduling of flights from the US to Puerto Rico, “Bad Luck”…. And myself, I wanted to fish as long as I could, so I’m in my Bronco….We arrived and drove down into the meadow. There we geared up, Joe using my Sage 4711 LL and me my Sage 476 XP. We started above the camping area and headed upstream. Since Joe only had something less than 2 hours to fish, and this is a one person water, he started off in the lead….
We fished upstream and as Joe’s luck has been running, the fish were not real eager to take our flys….
This stream has been historically very productive, but we covered quite a bit of water, before Joe landed his first….
I let Joe stay in the lead, because of his limited time on the water, and I fished behind him catching several small Browns in his wake….
We were covering a lot of water and seeing below average numbers?
Was it the proximity to the camping area? Maybe long term drought or even the time of day? We could only guess….
Finally, he had his second Brown….
Again, it was a good stretch upstream before he caught his third….
Believe it or not, we had been on the stream for 1 1/2 hours, and not many fish to show for it. “Bad Luck”….
Joe said he had to go now if he were to be back in Pagosa in time to catch the incoming calls.“The Same Coin”
From here on, I would be fishing alone, and see what I could do….
They say, luck runs in streaks….
I believe that is true !!!!
I caught 5 Browns about as fast as you can cast, land the Trout, unhook it, and cast again….
It’s almost as if a switch was turned on. Was it the increasing distance from the campers? Was it the time of day? Or was it a little of both?
I’m using the same flys and the catching just becomes…. well…. Incredible !!!!Now this creek was producing like I have known it is capable. Fish after fish…. They were behind mid-stream rocks, hiding in the shade of the willows, even in the shallow riffles, almost everywhere you could imagine a Trout waiting, they were there, and ready to strike. Now I didn’t land everyone of them, but when there are so many willing to pull the fly under, even the ones who spit the hook, are a cause for joy, because now you didn’t have to handle them to remove the hook, before you cast again to a likely spot, and have another Brown strike !!!!
I could bore with all these small but willing Browns, but I won’t. Just enjoy, moving upstream with me and a few of the Browns that were caught….
What is “Joy” in flyfishing?
Today, it was knowing there is no real end to catching these Browns.
Numbers? Well, you can try and count them, but you loose count sometimes. Especially for me today, when you hook one, start to count it before you land it, it comes off, you hook another that comes off and then finally land the next one. The numbers got silly fast. I was in a state of “DryFly Zen” !!!!It’s my “Good Luck”, to be right here, right now !!!!
Here I enter a canyon section of the creek. I’ve been here before. I’ve never been all the way through it before and it’s starting to get late, but I do know where I can climb out in a certain section, as I’ve done that several times, so I press on….
The shadows were getting long now. I had a climb out of several hundred feet, and then a hike back to the Bronco….
It was time to call it.
Up and out I go….
My path out was as I remembered it. Straight up, then going left staying on top of a ridge bordering a wash. Then straight up again to the road.Getting close to the road, I stopped to look around.
For the first time I saw that I was closer to the next meadow that I thought. There was probably another 300 yards or so, and I would pop out in the next meadow section…. Someday I need to go all the way through and fish into that lower meadow section.I topped out on the road, started my way back down and into the meadow where I started, and the Bronco was parked.
It was longer than I remember, but when you get older, those walks always seem longer….
How many did I catch? Let’s say around 50….
And if Joe had just stayed another 15 minutes, he would have probably caught double digits.
But He had to go. His ” Bad Luck”
And the beginning of my “Good Luck”
Fishing is like that at times.
If you had only stayed a few more minutes….
If you’d only changed your fly sooner….
There are so many “if’s” in flyfishing
And if you don’t try
You’ll never knowJimbo
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
“Is it Going to Rain?”
I rose early and drove to McD’s for a Sausage Egg McMuffin, I love those things. Back at the Condo, I’m looking at my maps. I decide to go look at the Hermosa River down in the lower valley. I’ve looked at this on Google Maps before and seen some videos. There’s some good looking water down there and some decent sized creek fish. So, that’s the plan….
They are flying this morning….
I grab a couple of 4wts, throw them in the Bronco, and I’m off….Headed west on Hwy 160 and I pass a familiar landmark…. Chimney Rock
I make the turn at Durango and head north on 550. Next as I cross the bridge that spans Hermosa Creek, I look down and there seems to be a good amount of water in it. I find the the forest road that takes me to the trailhead of Hermosa Creek. It’s a rough paved road that turns to gravel and gets real narrow going up. When I get close to the parking spot I realize the trail is way above the creek.
There is no quick exit if the weather gets rough today, so time to rethink this….Well, I know E Hermosa is not that far from here. I haven’t fished it in a while, so it’s “Plan B” again….
Back down the forest road, back to 550 and north again to Purgatory Ski Area. Once there I take to forest roads that lead to the back side. It’s muddy and slick, I switch to 4 wheel drive and lock the differentials.About 20 minutes later, there she is….
Yeap, there are clouds up the valley, down the valley, and on the side ridges….
Where’s my Gore-Tex?
This is really 2 or 3wt. water, but I didn’t bring one, so I pull the Sage 476 XP again….
I stuff my rain jacket in my vest with a Jelly and Peanutbutter sandwich and start down into the meadow. As you can see I am below the west side of the ski resort. This is a Colorado Cutthroat Restoration area that was started years ago. Before that, this was Big Brookie Water. CF&W decided this would be an excellent place to have a Cutthroat only headwater to feed the Hermosa River downstream. It also had an initial setback because not all the Brookies were removed the first time, as it’s often very difficult to hit every tiny little pocket of water to make sure no fish left anywhere above the fish barrier. The second time stuck though, and it’s been getting better over the years. Of course, this meadow is where the springs pop out, so the fish are generally small, but they are pure Colorado Cutthroats.Who’s watching me?
I walk a little ways down the meadow. I am expecting rain, but I want to give myself some room to fish upstream.
Here’s as good a place as any to start….
The Yellow Hippie Stomper goes on first….I make a few casts and it starts to sprinkle already….
Vest off, pull the Gore-Tex, slip it on, vest back on, and ready to catch.
They are here, and they are eager to take just about anything. I catch several this size. The rains starts to come down a little harder.
The Cutts still are attacking my flys….
The rain steadily gets harder….
And then it starts to hail….
You’ve got to laugh at yourself for chasing Trout in the mountains this time of year. The hail is already pea-sized and as dark as these clouds are it could get bigger. I start my retreat to the Bronco and sure enough the hails does get bigger. Some nickle sized is coming down now, enough to sting a little as it hits my legs going up the slope to the road.So, a little time-out in the truck, but I am prepared. I start to eat my Jelly and Peanutbutter sandwich, the stereo is on playing SRV “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” and I start to read “No Shortage of Good Days” by John Gierach. I can hear the clicking of the hail and the rain on the Bronco’s top, but it’s small enough not to do any damage. Then again if it were larger, about all I could do is stuff it in the pines, as there’s no real shelter anywhere up here. It rains a good 30 minutes, and then lightens up for the next 15 minutes before stopping altogether. There is no better flyfishing author to read while passing the time than John.
The rain stops, I step out of the truck and look around….
Well it’s not ideal, but it’s all that I have….
Let’s see how long I can fish this time !!!
Down the valley….
Up the valley….
It really wants to rain here !!!This time I arrive with my Gore-Tex already on….
Good Choice !!!
Well, at least there’s no hail, and no lighning….
Yet….
I catch a number of fish, the rain tapers off, but I can hear thunder and see lightning just over the ridge….
Time is up again….
Runaway and fish another day….
I hike back up to the truck, shuck my gear, and stow it for the trip home. It rains on me driving back out of the forest roads and turning south on 550.
I drive about 5 miles and traffic comes to a stop….
They are turning the cars around.
When I roll up to the officers directing traffic, I ask if they will let me drive through, and they do….
There was some much hail with the rain, it caused a slurry, that froze, and clogged up the drainage, resulting in some deeper water and hail covering the road.
With the Bronco in 4 wheel-drive, makes it through easily….
A little further down the road, another bad spot with rock that slid down, and covered some of the road….
While driving back to Pagosa, my niece calls. They as staying here with her in-laws and they asked me out to dinner at the Meridian. Sure, why not, I love a free meal. By the way, this new restaurant is nice, but for the prices, I think it’s just OK. Personally, I rather eat at Kip’s or Sage….
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
There was going to be a theme, this trip. Mother Nature was wide awake, the monsoons were starting to kick in, but not coming from the south south west, but more from the west and even north west. Saturday morning broke and there was a morning shower. With this is mind, afternoon storms almost a certainty, I was headed east over the pass, and down to Beaver Creek. This is a small tailwater, mainly a brown Trout fishery, and one of my favorites over the years.
When fishing both sides of the divide, I always bring 2 or 3 flyrods, to cover the bases in case I need to move to plan B or C. Today the quiver includes: Sage 476 XP, 4711 LL, and Winston AIR 490 in case I fished the South Fork. Heading east out of Pagosa and driving up the San Juan Valley. Mostly Blue Skies, but a few clouds are already building on the west side at this time of the morning….
I usually start about half-way between the campgrounds. I gear up with the 476 XP and head down to the water.
Now this stream does see some pressure. It is also a place where locals do hit it hard and harvest does take it’s toll, but most years there is still plenty of Trout that will rise to my dries. I start off with a yellow Hippie Stomper and it doesn’t take but a few casts….
Full of confidence, not much wind, I am hitting the edges of seams, pockets, pillows above, and holes below mid-stream boulders as I work my way upstream. Something is off though. Usually, I can’t go more than 20′ without catching a fish. Today, I work well past the standard and don’t see a fish roll or spook one from it’s hiding spot.
Upon reaching this choke point, with that log creating a fall and hole below, I know there must be a Brown next to the Boulder….
And I’m right….
Well, not all my pictures are perfect. I was hoping for a couple of fish here, but just the one.I work the fork to the left of the big boulders and find a little Rainbow.
So maybe the catching will be normal. I do notice that banks have well worn paths of stomped down grass, more than I am used to seeing in past years.I fish around the small island and have zero Strikes. It’s time to question the fly I am using. So, the usual suspects get their chance to get wet, foam LYS, Parachute Adams, Small Chubby, Stimulator…. But like most small streams, it’s not the fly, it’s the presentations and the fish. Well there is always the other things….
Checking the spider webs, small mayflys, well dried out, but probably PMDs and Tricos.
Another choke point with the flow funneled and creating a nice hole….
And it pays off….
Thinking this might be one of the multiple fish spots….
But only one rises….What’s going on? Maybe it’s the wrong time of day? Maybe the morning shower and now full sun have them hunkered down and refusing to look up to the surface?
Fish can’t squint you know….
I’m covering the water more quickly than normal without the strikes and refusals that slow the pace.
Good flows, clear water, casts on target….
Patience, I tell myself, the fish will come.
The yellow Stimulator pays off.Another good stretch of water….
I land a Rainbow that won’t wait for the camera. And another tiny Rainbow not worth the pixtels…. I don’t take pictures of every fish and some that are worth a picture flip off and otherwise have no portrait.I am also noticing something else. This stream is predominately a Brown Trout stream, somewhere in the 4 or 5 to every Rainbow.
Today they are running neck and neck.Even though this is a tailwater, storms or unusual high runoff can push the trees down….
I decide to go back to my Hippie Stomper. Gold has been my favorite color, but I ran out of those last year.
Yellow my second favorite, but is not working as well, so I try a red one.
My casting is certainly not the problem and the right drift still brings up the occasional Trout.
I am now at the upper campground. I’ve landed 10 fish. I am disappointed with the numbers. There are a good number of campers here, and it’s not that many days from the July 4th crowd. So, I make my way back to the truck. I decide to drive up to where the flow gage is located and fish up into the canyon. Clouds are starting to fill the sky. I will not be fishing till dusk today, but let’s see what I can do. If there is a Cutthroat to be caught, this is the likely water.
I get to the pull-out. There are 2 vehicles parked here, but as soon as I get there are a couple of anglers coming up from the creek. I ask how they’ve done, they just fished the hole, and caught only one. As I swing my vest on and grab my rod, I am hoping the other vehicle is an ATVer. I climb down to the creek here and head downstream to fish upto the hole and give it time to rest. I hear thunder. I may not have long to fish before it opens up.
There’s a good long hole here. First cast brings a splashy rise, but no hookup. I study the water. I see nothing else in the tailout’s bottom. With time limited, it’s time to cherry-pick the water.
Another Rainbow, but at least I am catching Trout. Red seems to be working and I keep that fly on for what turns out to be the rest of the day. Nothing else to the surface in the remainder of that hole.It’s starting to sprinkle….
I fish all the way up to the flow gage and it’s hole, nothing shows itself.
As I go around the gage to the upper section, I see and angler climbing out of the canyon ahead of me.
No time to change spots. There’s already a light rain coming down and expect that it’s going to get worse.
I try a bow and arrow shot, deep under the willow, and close to the bank. The Hippie Stomper lands perfectly and almost instantly a Trout takes the fly. This fish is full of energy. At first he refuses to come out from that pocket beneath the willow and I don’t move him. Then he bolts for mid-stream where he goes where he wants to for some time. I pull the net and scoop him as he tries to pass me going down stream….
He’s the best fish of the day, 13-14″….Well, the rain has arrived. Time to pull on the Gore-Tex jacket.
The rain is now coming down hard enough, that even with a foam fly, it’s not wanting to stay on top more than a few casts. My Amadou Patch does a good job of drying the fly for another drift. Here I catch two Rainbows and pictures of only one….
They are pretty much twins, so no big deal.I’m wading wet and the rain has really dropped the air temperatures. I’m starting to get cold, but I have a few more fish in me.
I catch one behind the rock in the middle….
I work up a little and have a strike behind the rock on the upper right of the photo. I should have netted that one, it was another pretty good fish 13-14″, but I swung it to my hand, unhooked it, and reaching for my camera, it decided it had waited long enough, and squirmed out of my hand and back into Beaver Creek.I felt a shiver come over me….
Time’s Up !!!!
I worked my way back down the creek and started the climb back up to the Bronco.
There’s something about calling it a day and getting back to a relatively warm and dry vehicle. There just enough protection in the rear when I swing the rear glass up, to take off my boots without getting any wetter or colder.Once in the driver’s seat, I can take a shot of Basil Hayden, and that warm’s me up proper….
I drive out of the valley and start up the South Fork for Wolf Creek Pass.
Today was difficult, I landed about half of what I normally do. When I am back in Town I stop at “Let It Fly” and Pop’s tells me other shops have started guiding on Beaver Creek. Well, that explains the trampled down grass everywhere and the lower numbers I guess. Still, I think weather also played a factor and I will fish it again.-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
-
This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by .
Looks like the Guadalupe finally got some really good rain !!!! I am seeing over 16,000cfs at Comfort !!!!
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….Jimbo
Well, that didn’t work out for the Guadalupe and Canyon Lake….
Time to look elsewhere for some much needed rain.
Time to pray….Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….Jimbo
Unless we get a big shift to the west, Beryl is going to miss the upper Guadalupe….
Close, but no Cupie Doll….The good news is there are some showers associated with a front giving the Hill Country some rain…
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….Jimbo
If it makes landfall in Texas, that should be somewhere close to Monday July 8th. It’s been 22 years since we have had a significant hurricane come to the upper Guadalupe and the Texas Hill Country. That was 2002 and that was a hurricane that turned into a tropical depression that stalled over the Texas Hill Country and dumped about 60 inches of rain over several weeks. Now we don’t need that much rain, but the one in 2002 sent enough water down the Guadalupe into Canyon Lake to fill it up more than 3 times. The water came over the spillway for weeks maxing out at some 60,000cfs. I hope we don’t get that much rain but 25-35 inches would probably get the lake to pool.
Nothing is definite yet, it could miss us totally, but the prediction models are lining up more and more with the storm coming in around Brownsville and that would probably put the storm over the upper Guadalupe where we need it desperately….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….Jimbo
Wooo Hooo…..
If ever I saw a chance for us to get significant rain in the upper basin this is it…..
Cat 4 Hurricane in the Caribbean, Beryl, is at a good latitude, a good track, and good steering currents…..
This one could make it to Texas as a cat 2 or 3 storm. I know it would hurt some people along the coast, but this is what Canyon Lake needs.
A storm that makes it to the Hill Country and stalls out as a tropical storm, dumping feet of water on the upper water shed.
It does happen every now and then, and we are past due…..Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….Jimbo
I am always excited about being a GRTU LAP member for another season, still the best deal in flyfishing just about anywhere, other than winning my TroutFest Guide Trip Donation….
I have completed step 1 and ready for the next one! Join me in supporting GRTU’s stocking efforts which are funded by this program….Jimbo
We have a definite maybe…..
A area of tropical moisture developing in the Bay of Campeche. We need a big shot of tropical moisture over the upper Guadalupe to get this drought turned around. Let’s hope that this time the moisture falls where it’s most needed, around Hunt and Kerrville !!!! Prayers are in order….Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….Jimbo
Good news, Ron reports it did not affect the Trout too much….
Jimbo
We have a couple more chances at rain tonight and tomorrow….
571cfs at Comfort right now!Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….Jimbo
-
This reply was modified 5 months ago by
