Fall Brown Trout Fishing

Well the fall weather here has been unbelieveable. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get out on the rivers to enjoy it as my weekends have been busy. Well this weekend, I finally decided to go out. However my plans were almost scuttled as my wife has come down with a cold and called in sick to her work today.

After having several conversations with her, i made sure it was ok for me to head out and go fishing. To make it more agreeable, we agreed that I needed to fish somewhere that I still had cell phone coverage. So I hit up the North Popo Agie river again. The brown trout spawn is on, and the fish were not nearly as popular as the last time I hit this stream. I was treated with a beautiful brown working his way up a run through, with a full body out of water jump. Was a site to see the big guy.

It was significantly cooler today (about 10 degrees) and mostly cloudy. I worked my way upstream again this time around. Around noon or so, a BWO hatch started coming off. And by 12:15 fish were rising. I had my fly from the August swap, an Elk Hair Caddis with antron underwing and micro tube ribbing in chartreuse on with a BWO trailing it. Oddly enough, this brown below hit the Elk Hair Caddis and not the BWO. Go figure!! After I hooked him, I quickly got him to the reel, and brought him into net. Before netting him, he managed to make 3 runs on me, which was quite fun. He had good shoulders on him.




After a couple of pictures to admire him, he was released back into the river to fight another day. This was the only fish to find my flies today. There were more in a few spots, but I just had trouble getting the right presentation to them. Not sure how many more opportunities I'll have to get outside this year, but hopefully at least one more!


Cya Next time,
Paul

Labor Day Camping Trip 2010

For the second year in a row I went camping into the mountains over the Labor Day weekend. This year I took my trusty companion...



For Saturday, we took the boat out and had some luck with standard tackle, but I was unable to entice any fish with my fly rod. Then my boat motor decided to start acting up, and I couldn't get it started the rest of the weekend. So unfortunately, we were out of the boat by noon that morning as the wind was picking up above and beyond what the trolling motor can safely handle.

Later that evening, we did some shore fishing and managed to catch another 3 fish using standard tackle. The fish in the lake just love the wind!!

On Sunday, with the boat out of the commission, I decided to hike into the back country and fish around the Roaring Fork Creek area.

Here is a picture of the lake...


Additionally, since my wife hasn't been able to make this hike yet, I took a picture of the Cirque towers off in the distance.


From there, the dog and I made progress along the creek to find some fishing. Earlier this year there were reports of excellent grayling fishing at the lake. I didn't try the lake, as it just was so windy out in the open.

Eventually during our hike and fishing a few riffles, we came across this massive log jam.


From the pool in front of this jam, I pulled out a couple of brookies.


Eventually we continued on downstream until we made our way to my honey hole from last year. The creek treated it well... Several fish can be seen in this photo of the hole.


This hole has a unique situation that requires you to be sitting down to effectively cast in it. You can use roll casts or side arm casts, but that's it. Trees are all around. Any time the sun was covered the fish would readily move into the feeding lanes. When it came out, some of them would go into the rocks.

This first guy I caught, was actually caught while I was still pulling line out of the fly rod. I dipped it into a slack area over a deeper area thinking that no fish would approach it. Welll, I was wrong! Next thing I know I pulled out this little guy.


I continued to fish the hole, pulling out one fish after another, just working my way through them. Eventually I hooked this little guy who decided that my fly looked like a caddis moth surfacing and jumped clean out of the water to snag my fly.


Certainly not the biggest guy out there, but certainly one of my most memorable takes.

Overall for the day, roughly 10 fish brought to hand during my hike. Over the entire weekend about 20 fish brought to hand, and a half dozen LDR's.

Best of all, I found that our dog, Clouie handles the boat well, and loves to hike with me into the countryside. I'm sure she spooked a few fish as she snagged a drink in the water or approached the shoreline. (She gets very curious about rise forms from the fish).

The trip was a great weekend.

Cya,
Paul

Fishing the Little Popo Agie River

This morning I headed up into the mountains to do some serious fly fishing on some areas that I am familiar with. While I haven't fished the Little Popo before, I've fished its cousin the Middle, and several other streams in the area.


Today, I decided was the day that I am going to fish only my flies until I catch something with a fly I have tied myself. Well it paid off. Fishing for about 5 minutes, I caught my first fish of the day on an Elk Hair Caddis.





I clipped off the fly to save as a memory, and tied on another fly of my own, a Light Cahil. A short time later, I caught a small brookie no bigger than my hand. As the day went on, all brookies were very small.


After a while some weather moved in, bringing thunder and lightning with it. So I went back to the truck for about 45 minutes.








Finally I came across a fly that I believe bdesavage created in one of the monthly swaps. It has antron for a face forward wing, and a furled off hook tail with some hackle as well. The fish loved it for a while on the surface. I let the slime stay on it, and it soon became a sinking fly. That seemed to work just as well. I would cast it into the lane, and let it slowly sink. If the fish ignored it, I'd give it a quick strip to get the fish to notice it. If they noticed it, I'd give it a couple of small strips to keep them enticed, then all I had to do was hang on when they'd take the fly.










Overall, a total of 6 rainbows, and 2 brook trout were brought to hand. I saw several larger fish resting on the bottom. I plan on going back with some streamers in the near future.

Cya,
Paul

Welcome to 2010!

Here we are, New Year's Day. I hadn't really meant to go this long without posting, but sometimes I still forget that I have a blog...and am in serious doubt that anyone actually reads it (except those people who browse through it once it posts on my Facebook profile). It's a good year so far...I slept in until 930, which I know doesn't sound all that impressive, but given over the last 10 days I've had off, I haven't slept past 830, I'll take the extra hour. Ah, a glorious 10 days off. Give or take...might be a little more. I finished up my shifts with a night shift the Tuesday before Christmas and have barely thought about the place since then. Well, alright, I've thought about it, mainly because I have to get myself readjusted to night shifts since I'm back on them tomorrow night...and I've barely been able to make it past 10pm without at least dozing off on the couch. I made it until 1230 or so last night, so thought should help the official prep night tonight.

And it's Bowl Day! We're currently watching the Buckeyes take on the Ducks...and obviously hoping for a Buckeye win! It'd make for a great start to the year for Paul...which consequently means a great start for me! Christmas was great, my parents were here to visit, and Paul also had the last 10ish days off. It's been great to have this time off with him over the holidays.

So what of 2009? I mentioned in a previous post that I would rehash it. But, I'm not feeling like it today. I had a lot of changes, and hope that I grew better as a person. Highlights - learning how to fish and going camping with my husband, being selected for the leadership program, starting to volunteer, reading some excellent books, and I think growing closer to my husband and family. The down spots? Eh, why rehash those... they're in the past now and I'm dang happy to leave them there.

So what of 2010? By the way... it's Twenty-Ten to me...though I forget myself sometimes and say Two Thousand Ten in weak moments. It's going to be a great year, I just know it. Career-wise? Who knows what will happen. I know I'm hoping to become a stronger meteorologist and get more into the meat of my science. I'm hoping to continue leadership activities and really hope to help others in my office who are ready to stretch the leadership muscles. In my personal life? You know, as long as my husband and family continue to love me, I will feel like a success. I'd love to keep a cleaner house, and maybe actually keep up with laundry so I can avoid the "marathon" days. Of course, I want to continue volunteering. It's kind of relaxed the last couple months...moreso with the shelter than with the food bank. I love doing both activities, but it's harder to convince myself to walk dogs when it's in single digits and/or blowing snow. I wouldn't mind working on the old art of true letter writing. I have some friends that are not on facebook or email (*gasp*) and I miss contact with them. Better yet, I have friends who utilize both those means, but still don't talk to a lot, or at least not as many meaningful conversations of times past. So there you go... my resolutions are to be tidier (don't hold me to that one!!) and a letter writer....and to be a better scientist. Kind of generic resolutions/goals...but I feel alright with them.

Alright, I think that should about sum up my first blog entry of the new year and decade. Congratulations to all of us for making it here...and I raise a glass in toast that we'll all remain healthy, happy, and content for the next year, or ten, or 70. :) Happy Twenty-Ten!!