September 2013

Rando

Random fishing footage mashed together - enjoy. 



I have not blogged in quite some time, I know.  However, Monday the 12^th of August simply had to be chronicled:  I had to be home in the afternoon for a Birthday celebration, so I got up early and headed to the river much earlier than I usually do as it’s usually a more productive fishery in the afternoon.

From 7:00 to noon ended up being quite simply the most consistent and fantastic morning of dry fly fishing that I think I have ever experienced – and I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy some very good days in my time.  When I parked the truck it was evident that I was in for a good morning – I could hear fish rising before I ever got through the willows to see the water.  Once I slipped into the river, I picked my first target, worked my line out, and instantly had the first big brown of the day hooked up.  I eased him over to soft water near the bank, landed him, snapped a photo, and it was game on! 

From there I worked my way up a long stretch of slick, slow moving water, picking up cruisers every couple of minutes simply blink casting a small BWO spinner over likely holding water.  There were several fish up and actively working, so I ended up spending more time drying my fly off after each fish than I did actually casting!  About halfway up the slick on the way to a wide, waist-deep riffle that I knew would produce good results, I began hearing aggressive, splashy grabs periodically mixed in with the more rhythmic rises indicative of trout feeding on mayfly spinners.  Then I actually say why: There were several large craneflies depositing eggs across the surface of the water – flying quickly in sporadic patterns.  I focused on one and watched it cross the river, double back, and get hammered by a large brown trout in the middle of the river.  Game on – I didn’t have any cranefly adults with me, so I picked a dark brown bullet hopper out of my box, tied it on, and immediately caught three large browns on consecutive casts.  The acrobatics of these three fish seemed to put down the rest of the fish in the slick as I worked them from the middle to the soft edge to land each of them.  It’s amazing this worked so well, considering I didn’t bother swapping out my 6x tippet prior to using the hopper. 

From there, I waded up to the bottom of the riffle, and…………paydirt!  There were literally heads everywhere as I got close enough to see them in the moving water.  I quickly traded the hopper for a #20 black emperor caddis and proceeded to go manic for the next two hours.  I was fishing alone (as I’ve grown quite fond of), but actually found myself wishing someone was there just to witness what was happening.  It was one of the few times where I literally had to stop fishing because my arm hurt from playing so many fish on my 5 weight – what a day! 

Flies that caught fish:

#22 BWO CDC Spinner

#12 bullet-head hopper

#16  Rusty para-spinner

#16 CDC “caddibaetis” – a cross between a calibaetis and a caddis that always produces – one of my inventions

#20 black emperor caddis – this was caught a LOT of fish! 

 

Perfection (at last)

Many remember the classic image of Babe Ruth calling his shot - it's a fantastic little slice of Americana. 

Monday I was watching a fish rise up against the bank of the river while trying to figure out what he was eating.  After a few moments of observation, I tied on the magic little CDC down wing caddis that I had tied a few weeks earlier, pointed to the fish, and gave it a go. 

The results were better than expected - a perfect cast and a perfect take on the first attempt.  That's noteworthy, considering that typically this results in my fly landing in the weeds and the footage being deleted.  Oftentimes getting a perfect cast and a perfect drift to large bank feeders requires a good amount of patience and attention to detail - too much line and you'll be in the brush, too little and you'll be outside of the feeding and big trout do not like to move for small dry flies, or you'll have a drag in your drift.

To make things more difficult, even with the correct amount of line out, a cast that disturbes the surface of the water too much will send a large fish to the bottom of the river for some time - especially fish who have been fished too all year long.  However there are occasions like the one depicted below where it all comes together and appears effortless.  These are the moments that keep me coming back. They are only realized through experience, practice, patience, and above all else time spent on the river.    

Father and Son

It’s never too late and you’re never too old for a Father and Son fishing trip.  To prove it, I decided to take my Dad on a much needed fishing trip – for both of us. 

My parents recently re-located to Boise from Eastern Idaho, and I had just completed my annual training for the National Guard, so it was the perfect time for a break!   

I had taken my Dad to the Owyhee once before in the early spring, and we had a dreadful day in the pouring rain, so the intent was vindication.   

The day started with a bang as my dad hooked and landed his first Owyhee river brown – a real dandy!  Then we worked hard for several hours to find fish during an uncommonly slow morning.  Persistence, relocation, and a few cold beers later the PMD hatch was in full swing, and our rods were bent! What a good way to spend a day.

 

 

09 July 2012

Yesterday I went to what has become my favorite fishing spot: The Owyhee!  This river spoils a person to the point where fishing for small trout in streams loses a lot of its appeal, which I guess is depressing in a way.  It can be fished year round, has healthy aquatic insect life, and boasts tremendous amounts of large, wild brown trout.  As usual it did not disappoint, and several very nice fish were taken, some of which required a break in the action to deploy my trusty Polaroid tripod that hangs on my vest connected to my GoPro. 

It was an interesting day all around: The forecast called for 106 degrees, and it was certainly hot.  There was an interestingly orange hue to the air all day due to several fires in the area, as if someone was watching from above and fiddling around with their instagram settings.   It was also interesting because of the diversity of flies that caught fish:  it never ceases to amaze me that there can be such a wide range of insect hatches depending on where you are on the river: PMD’s and caddis can dominate the scene in one spot, and a few short miles up the canyon they are nowhere to be found.  I fished through yellow sally, caddis, pale morning dun, blue winged olive, and midge hatches all in the same day – and managed to sprinkle in some hopper action at midday just to keep things interesting (and was rewarded with several nice takes) simply by moving around the canyon. 

What I continue to find so interesting as I continue my endeavor into angling competence is the focused effort that is required.  The water has a seductive quality that is almost unparalleled.  The cacophony of sights and sounds blend together to form the most calming cocktail I’ve experienced: The blue herons and waterfowl flying overhead, the water gently flowing around your legs, the audible gulp of a large feeding fish, and the sound of the fly line as it gracefully soars overhead and hits its target are all the ingredients.  The ambiance lends itself to angling success from the get-go. 

Not once did I think about the workplace; not once did I think about my never ending “to do” list there; not once did I think about the ever-growing list of things that bother me. This is the great discovery of fly fishing - it's not a sport, but a retreat of the self.  

So I breath.  I cast.  I catch fish.  I repeat.  And yet somehow there are no “winners” or “losers” – there is only a river.

Enough of that - flies that caught fish (in no particular order):

Foam bullet hopper

Chernobyl Ant (my version)

CDC Griffith’s Gnat (#20)

Light Cahill (#16)

BWO Comparadun (#18)

“Trusty” Rusty Paraspinner (#16)

PMD last chance cripple

Trusty Rusty

I've been re-looking through Rene' Harrop's latest book "Learning from the Water" (If you fly fish you need to read this book), and honing my fly tying skills.  I fished the Owyhee a few weeks ago on a Monday and got schooled for a few hours, followed by a few hours of pure dynamite once I discovered that the fish were up taking mayfly scraps off the surface.  I put one of these rusty paraspinners on and held on tight!!  One of the best mayfly patterns I have in my box for sure......