Continuing Down Memory Lane: Lets See U Try This!!!

Part 1:

One of the 2 ridiculously rewarding things we did this trip was after the 1st day float, when we hopped off the stream early to go find and set-up camp.  It was Labor Day weekend so we were pretty unsure whether or not there was a camp site anywhere in the state of Idaho.  After passing a couple camps that looked like party central Ryan made one of his many executive decisions (it’s always good to have a decision maker and he has done right in the past) to push on up the mountain and see what is available away from the river.  We ended up finding a great site as far as camping goes that was close enough to a stream that we could fish that evening before calling it a night.   Well, we were all jacked up about fishing, since this was a fishing trip, that we set up camp and immediately hit the stream.  Now by hit the stream I mean if you would have fallen you would have literally hit the stream.  Since this 1/2 mile distance from camp to stream was straight down hill and by hill I mean mountain and by straight I mean a wide path of loose rock straight down the hill to the river.  We debated for a few minutes if whether or not the walk back out was going to be worth it or not, but the only way we would ever know is to nut up and go for it.  The walk down wasn’t all that bad, I think we all lost our footing at least twice, nothing was broken except for a good sweat.  Where we ended up looked like one endless rapid, as far up as I could see and eventually as far up as I cared to walk, actually it got faster the farther up I walked.  Like we saw from above it was a beautiful section of water and awful fishy looking.  But it was way to fast to get out into any of the current breaks, but fishing the seams closer to the bank did turn out to be somewhat productive for all of us.  I would guess we landed 20-30 fish between us all in the 2-3 hrs we fished, I know Ryan got into a good pocket way down stream and Chris and I eventually found a couple good runs, but this was a stream that was primed for a good float.  Hence the wide path straight off the mountain I would assume.  I couldn’t imagine roping a raft or anything off that mountain.  The fishing must have been other-worldly at some point in time for that path to be there.

The only thing worse than the walk in was of course the walk out.  I bet it took me 45 min to an hour to walk out.  Chris having the build and stamina of a small mountain goat beat foot to the top rather quickly and I think he tried to start a rock slide down to Ryan and I who paced ourselves together just incase one of us decided to give up and let nature have its way with us back down at the bottom of the hill.  I don’t think either of us would have put out a helping hand if Chris would have rolled by us.  Regardless of it’s torturous walk we made it back to camp in one piece and we brought plenty of picture perfect trout to hand once again.  Would I do it again??  I would think not but who knows, you know how that fishing sickness can get you to do things you body or mind would not normally attempt.

Purification

How can something so dirty, smelly, foul, rancid, putrid, ripe, so downright awful make you feel so much better?  1 word TROUT….ok 2 words WILD TROUT…….maybe 3  BIG FEROCIOUS WILD TROUT!!!!! (ok that was 4 words).  Another successful fishing trip is in the books.  Wasn’t a huge numbered 2 days as compared to previous trips, although I won’t complain about a 50 + fish 2-day trip.  This was one of those trips where on occasion I found myself saying this is F-ing awesome. 

Day one found me on the stream around noon-ish looking at great flows, higher than the norm but a pleasant sight to see since this stream has epic nymphing/streaming potential.  After a closer inspection it did have a little greyish hue to it, which is not uncommon for this stream after a good rain.  The CFS had been on the downslope for 5 days now so why it was still cloudy is beyond me and it was not something I had planned on dealing with.  Usually that color means this stream is shut down.  Now one assumes the color is because the all of the ground in Wv feels like a saturated sponge causing a lot of runoff still coming into the stream.  The day started off a little slow, I think because of my desire to nymph.  Once I tossed aside the nymph rod hit my stride on slinging streamers it was GAME ON!!!!!  Every fish I caught day one had a big fat full belly.  I had one brown came out of the water after a fly that was so fat he just belly-flopped on the surface instead of that smooth swing and a miss roll back into the water (if I caught around 50 in 2 days I bet I had twice as many swings and misses).

As you can see from the rocks on the wall this isn't the first spewage to be dumped into the stream. Maybe it's their version of hatchery feedings.

I really have no idea what happened to this picture.

Another WMD victim.

The next stage of my trip I found myself contemplating where to sleep.  My choices were to either make the 40 minute hop over the mountain and stay in a nice hotel with breakfast.  Stay 10 minutes down the road in a shit hole that I have personally vomited in and know of at least one other that has done the same.  Or, since I brought my sleeping bag, camp out in the back of my car in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  I chose the latter.  Why?  Well….I’m cheap and it’s not that I’m strapped for cash it’s just the principle of the fact that I know I can sleep perfectly fine in the car.  It’s cool outside, I’m dog tired and probably could have slept under a bridge (which I don’t recommend).  My wife was in Canada and with her upcoming trip to Italy we had planned practicing how or if Skype would work so I needed to stay close to a WiFi source (thanks Wal-Mart for making your password so easy to figure out).  So despite my parents and wifes approval I spent the night sprawled out in the back of the Prius with my sleeping bag and blow-up pad in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  Slept like a baby after getting off the boob that had just been burped.     

Is that a Tarpon Fly in your mouth? I think so.

After getting micky-D’s breakfast I hit up a stretch of water that I have nicknamed Raul’s Miracle Mile (much more than a mile).  Last November Ryan managed something like 200 fish in 2 days of fishing this section with quite a few being over 16 inches and a few pushing the 22-24 inch limit.  So Ryan when that train full of bad karma finally smashes into you we will be sure to have this section of stream dedicated to your glory’s.  Thankfully the water had cleared about 50% and dropped about 6 inches so it was NYMPHING TIME!!!  After 3 days on the South Holston and Watauga rivers then my first day on this trip throwing streamers was getting old.  Plus my arm and wrist were starting to feel the effects.  Within 15 minutes I managed to pick up several fish.  When the bite cooled off I switched over to the meat rod and swung a WMD through a few zones .  I picked up a nice kyped up male that was sitting about 10 feet downstream directly to my left (rookie mistake not letting my flies completely swing out).  The next 7 hours basically played out like this.  Nymphing for a while until the bite stopped, switch rods and bounce a streamer, then move upstream and repeat.  The last hole of the day turned out to be the best.  After switching to the streamer rod, which I think at this point had a white/red muddy buddy on it, I had a massive rainbow come from the bottom and completely circle my fly.  One of those hold your beath mind blanking WFT misses.   He, which turned out to be a she, did this about 3 more times, each time a little less aggressive.  So I switched flys….olive muddy buddy….WMD….Black Muddy Buddy…..Orange/Yellow Tarpon fly, Yellow Muddy buddy, some angel hair pike fly.  Just before I decided to pack in up for the day I ended up tying on a 3-year-old fly that I got from where I have no idea.  I would describe it and show you all a picture but I think i’ll keep it to myself for a while.  Basically it was a black streamer with a REALLY heavy body.  1 cast and a slow strip is all it took and WHAM (an old school batman WHam SHazZam).  Great acrobatic fight with a short bulldog session and in the net she went.  Now I’m alone and it’s a bitch to photograph fish by yourself, especially a big fish.  The mark I made on the net later taped out at 24-26 inches but without a good picture I guess I have to go with a lower number like 22 since I have no evidence.  Regardless of its size a great fish.

Why would you walk down this road? A. To buy something illegal. B. To brush up on your arson skills. C. To get to the car quicker in order to fish longer. D. All the above.

 

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Not So Secret..Secret Weapon

Freshly Tied SteelHead Crack ready For Sale.

Yes he CAN fish also.

1st Steel on the Spey

The Hulk with another Large Specimen.

Artsy Fartsy Wednesdays

Went floating last week with my buddy Steve.  Steve just happens to be a pretty famous artist (who knew?), so when he sent me some pics I expected some real cut your ear off for your art type of shit.  I was not disappointed.

Next time we might actually attempt to steal a fish’s soul by capturing it on film…stay tuned.

– Nymph-o

Bronze Bonanza-Extravaganza!!!

After scrapping plans to head south, thanks to my wifes work schedule changes, I headed to the local Bronze watering hole.  Set up the old 8 weight in hopes of battling some monster carp, small mouth, suckers, and some snicky snicky Ghar Gar.

Found a pretty cool hat while dumpster diving.  Here is where you can get yours!!

There were plenty of bronze lips kissed and set free, but no other species were brought to hand.  I still can’t remember to bring Snicky Snicky Ghar Gar flies with me when I head to these spots, sad because they chased streamers left and right.  The water was still a little off-color to fish for carp, although I did find a monster 30-35 incher mudding just off the bank where I entered the water.   I set myself up to swing in a crayfish pattern, my first cast swung short and the second swung right into his mud bath but when I though he took wasn’t when he took and my set only scared him off to the opposite bank into deeper water where Couldn’t see him mudding.   The bass were active all day taking topwater hoppers and buggers of all sizes and colors.  Just like Arnold “I’ll be Back.”

Baye

Friday is Picture Day: Stonewall LMB’s

Every Friday we will throw some pics up from our vast library of all things fish.  Each week will have a theme, very similar to the weekly all you can eat theme special at your local exotic dancing establishment.

05/28/2010:  THursday I headed over to Stonewall Jackson Lake to hook up with some largemouth bass.  The day was slow, as it always is at stonewall.  After changing flies to something be bigger in order to keep the crappie off my fly I finally managed to hook up with some good-sized bass.  So after about 50 crappie, 8 bass, and what felt like a 3rd degree sunburn on my face I headed home.  Well not home but to the West Fork after some bronze and then home.  No sight of any dead fish in the sections I was fishing, the crappie were out in full force in a variety of sizes.  I figure someone dumped something in the water they were not supposed to and it killed a bunch of fish or it has something to do with all the natural gas wells that were capped at the bottom of the lake before it was filled that are now leaking.