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It's mid January and western Michigan has finally gotten it's first dose of cold winter weather. Nothing extreme, but a few days of temps in the 20's and a solid snow fall at the end of last week. This is the time of year were I un-wind a little bit and the fishing becomes more casual. After a fall of going both days every weekend I now pick and choose my days on the water a little more carefully and try not to force the issue if the weather looks unforgiving. I have only been out once since the New Year and got the big skunk. It was a very enjoyable day however, spent in solitude swinging flies with an old friend who I dont get to see near enough. That's what winter fishing is to me....a chance to get out when most others are at home. Fish are always better than no fish, but in winter that's hardly the most important detail. The peacefulness of a quiet winter's day on a stream you love is the best therapy I know.
Looking back 2011 was a solid year of fishing and I had a blast casting for everything from carp to steelhead, browns to musky, and nearly everything in between. As good as 2011 was I have some changes I look forward to in 2012. My main goal this year is to do more "traditional" trout fishing. Through the natural course of evolution as an angler I have become a big fish junky and spend most of my time fishing giant flies on heavy sinky tips and fast 7wt and 8wt rods. While I very much enjoy this sort of fishing and putting all the chips in 1 basket to find "THE fish" I feel somewhat disconnected from the trout fishing I grew up on. Big fish on big streamers is a thrill for sure, and I plan to do plenty of streamer fishing again this year, but so too is watching a wild foot long trout rise to a hendrickson dun or catching scrappy brook trout from small streams on attractor dries. In the pursuit of giants I have done very little normal trout fishing in the last year or two and I miss it dearly. This year I vow to spend more time looking for hatches, swinging soft hackles, and just fishing my light line trout rods again in search of the wild trout I love.
Speaking of rods, this year I believe will be the year of the bamboo revival for me. I have had a strong interest in bamboo rods since my college days and especially since I first fished my fathers 7ft 4wt T&T Classic. I have owned around 10 bamboo rods at one point or another but have slowly sold them off in favor of faster graphite higher line weight rods. Now that I have my needed streamer rods (which I enjoy in their own right) it is time for me to re-connect with my love of light line rods, which include slower graphite, glass, and of course bamboo. I have just purchased a 8'6ft 5wt 3/2 Phillipson Paragon which should be delivered this week and am in the process of pulling the trigger on a sweet old Winston IM6 8'6ft 4wt 3pc. I have a lovely little 7ft 3wt Diamondglass sitting in the corner of the closet that doesn't get fished nearly enough and I hope to slime the grip of that rod several times this year as well. If I can find a 7'6-8ft 4/5wt cane rod to round things out I will be truly content with my gear.
Lastly I look forward to doing a couple small trips this year. I would really like to head back up to the UP in early June and join my father on the Escanaba. I've only been a few times and have enjoyed myself immensely when I've gone. The fishing can be stupid good as well and I'm always up for that. Jeff and I are also looking at possibly 4 or 5 days in Colorado fishing some high elevation streams and lakes. We've talked about this for a couple years and this year maybe we will pull the trigger. Also talked about is a trip back to Roscoe, a trip down south to fish the Davidson, Soho, and Watauga, a few days back in the driftless region, and chasing bonefish/permit/tarpon in the Keys in February. Obviously all of those won't come to fruition but more than likely one or two will and I can't wait! Other than that it will be alot of local fishing on the many wonderful streams in my area for trout/steelhead/salmon/smallmouth/pike/walleye etc.
So here's to a strong 2012 and alot of bent rods!
January 17, 2012
January 05, 2012
New Years Eve Float
What better way to spend the last day of 2011 than floating with good friends looking for winter steelhead? We met up fairly early and got to work gearing up and dropping the boats in.
Bob and Dan went in one boat and Jeff and I in the other. We hung around the launch for a bit getting rods rigged and ready and the other guys headed downriver to the first stop of the day. They found this solid brown right off the bat.
They also had a very brief hookup on a mystery fish that got off almost immediately. The next run or two produced nothing and then we all pulled in to a good spot we rarely fish. As soon as Bob got into the sweet spot he hooked a heavy fish and the papparazzi went to work. Jeff was filming and I was taking photos.......no pressure! After a few minutes Dan was able to net a very solid and pretty fresh winter steelhead.
Released....
We fished another couple spots and couldn't buy a fish. Soon it was time for lunch and I couldn't believe the spread these guys had prepared! We had an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms and hot wings, with a main course of baby back ribs and cheesy mashed potatoes. I provided some cold Fat Tire's to wash down one of the most deliscious meals I've ever had....and certainly the best while on the banks of a river.
For dessert we passed around the bottle of bourbon a few times (read many times) and when it came time to fishing again I was ready for a nap!
The afternoon proved to be very slow. It got steadily colder throughout the day and the bite just seemed off. In our second to last stop, however, we had a little excitement. First, Jeff was able to stick this nice brown on a nymph.
Then, at the tail of the run, after swinging all day with no love, I felt two quick yanks and then a heavy thump. I felt weight and lifted the rod, causing the fish to roll on the surface. Thinking I had the fish hooked you can imagine my surprise when I was met with a slack line when the fish sunk back below the surface. I let a few expletives go and tried several more casts and a couple different flies to get that fish to come back....it didn't work. About that time Bob and Dan floated by and they reported loosing a big steelie in the run upstream that they had on for several minutes. That closed out our action though we did fish for another hour or so. Overall the fishing was kind of slow but we all had a great time and I can't wait to do it again next year. Here's to an even better 2012! Below is a short clip that Jeff made of the float.....watch it in HD!
Bob and Dan went in one boat and Jeff and I in the other. We hung around the launch for a bit getting rods rigged and ready and the other guys headed downriver to the first stop of the day. They found this solid brown right off the bat.
They also had a very brief hookup on a mystery fish that got off almost immediately. The next run or two produced nothing and then we all pulled in to a good spot we rarely fish. As soon as Bob got into the sweet spot he hooked a heavy fish and the papparazzi went to work. Jeff was filming and I was taking photos.......no pressure! After a few minutes Dan was able to net a very solid and pretty fresh winter steelhead.
Released....
We fished another couple spots and couldn't buy a fish. Soon it was time for lunch and I couldn't believe the spread these guys had prepared! We had an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms and hot wings, with a main course of baby back ribs and cheesy mashed potatoes. I provided some cold Fat Tire's to wash down one of the most deliscious meals I've ever had....and certainly the best while on the banks of a river.
For dessert we passed around the bottle of bourbon a few times (read many times) and when it came time to fishing again I was ready for a nap!
The afternoon proved to be very slow. It got steadily colder throughout the day and the bite just seemed off. In our second to last stop, however, we had a little excitement. First, Jeff was able to stick this nice brown on a nymph.
Then, at the tail of the run, after swinging all day with no love, I felt two quick yanks and then a heavy thump. I felt weight and lifted the rod, causing the fish to roll on the surface. Thinking I had the fish hooked you can imagine my surprise when I was met with a slack line when the fish sunk back below the surface. I let a few expletives go and tried several more casts and a couple different flies to get that fish to come back....it didn't work. About that time Bob and Dan floated by and they reported loosing a big steelie in the run upstream that they had on for several minutes. That closed out our action though we did fish for another hour or so. Overall the fishing was kind of slow but we all had a great time and I can't wait to do it again next year. Here's to an even better 2012! Below is a short clip that Jeff made of the float.....watch it in HD!
December 19, 2011
Good to be Home (Week Before Christmas)
I spent all of last week in the northeast traveling for work. I got to spend a few days in Maine which was pretty cool as it's the only state on the eastern seaboard I had not been too but other than that I am really glad to be home. Even just being gone for five days I felt really out of the loop and made plans to get back in the loop by playing outside all weekend.
Saturday I met up with Jeff around 8am and we headed north to do a cast and blast for probably the last time this year. We got to the grouse woods around 9:30am and hit some cover that Jeff recently found. It didn't take long for Loo to sniff out a bird but after a long run it took off without us getting a look at it. We pounded that spot and one other until around noon and only saw one more bird, which again nobody got a shot at. After the last several trips it has started to feel more like just hiking through the woods with a shotgun than it has actually hunting. More than likely this trip closes out my bird season for 2011.
Changing gears we hopped into our waders and headed to the river to see if the steelhead would play nicer than the grouse. We talked to a few guys in the parking lot and one boat passing by and it sounded like things were slow....a handful of trout but no steelhead for anyone yet. After hearing that I was surprised that I hooked a good fish after about 5 drifts in our first run of the day. The fish fought like a true winter steelhead, heavy and stubborn with plenty of alligator rolls when I got him into shallow water. After several minutes Jeff tailed this solid winter buck. He ate a rubber legged copper john.
Love those red cheeks!
We released the fish and then took a few minutes to try and thaw out our hands from the 37 degree water. When we started fishing again I went to the very head of the run, an area I never fish but Jeff said can occasionally hold fish. I'll be damned if I stuck not one but two more steelhead out of there in the next 10 minutes. First was this dime bright hen that smacked a clown egg. She fought wildly at first but I had bumped up to 10lb fluro for my top fly and really put the screws to her to keep her from going into a log jam. That tired her quickly and I beached her moments later. Egg muncher.
She had giant eyes.
Goodbye.
Next came this tank. Also on the clown egg and just a slob of a fish.
Hero shot.
Wow! A half hour into the afternoon and I was 3 for 3 on winter steelhead, thats something I can honestly say I've never done before! Unfortunately things slowed waaaay down after that. I managed to hook one more steelie way downstream from a deep slow seam. After a couple minutes the big buck alligator rolled and got tangled in my flies. Once that happened and I lost leverage and it was all over, but it was a great ride while it lasted. Right at dusk I found this brown out eating eggs...he was our only trout hookup of the day.
Jeff got the big skunk which doesn't happen to him often. I felt very appreciative to have gotten a handful of nice fish on a day when it seemed they were tough to come by.
Sunday I spent about 4 hours on the local river with my Dad. I had not been on this water since well before Thanksgiving so it was nice to get back. The weather was nice and the traffic was pretty light. I was surprised to see the water as high as it was and carrying a decent stain. The high sun and slightly colder water, however, didn't make things any easier for us and we got it handed to us pretty good most of the day. I managed our only hookup of the day while wading dangerously deep in a notoriously difficult to fish spot....but also one that almost always holds fish. This was one of my best fights in a long time, she ran me all over the pool and then used the strong current to her advantage and had me in my backing and into the next run in no time. Luckily I was able to get caught up to her and when I did Dad was waiting with the net. A bright and sassy hen one week before Xmas.
Even without alot of action it was a wonderful day. Fishing with my dad is always fun and we have a love for this section of river even if sometimes its not the most productive water in the state. 38 degree weather and no snow never hurts either! I have one more post for our New Years Eve Float and I'll be caught up. Stay tuned....
Saturday I met up with Jeff around 8am and we headed north to do a cast and blast for probably the last time this year. We got to the grouse woods around 9:30am and hit some cover that Jeff recently found. It didn't take long for Loo to sniff out a bird but after a long run it took off without us getting a look at it. We pounded that spot and one other until around noon and only saw one more bird, which again nobody got a shot at. After the last several trips it has started to feel more like just hiking through the woods with a shotgun than it has actually hunting. More than likely this trip closes out my bird season for 2011.
Changing gears we hopped into our waders and headed to the river to see if the steelhead would play nicer than the grouse. We talked to a few guys in the parking lot and one boat passing by and it sounded like things were slow....a handful of trout but no steelhead for anyone yet. After hearing that I was surprised that I hooked a good fish after about 5 drifts in our first run of the day. The fish fought like a true winter steelhead, heavy and stubborn with plenty of alligator rolls when I got him into shallow water. After several minutes Jeff tailed this solid winter buck. He ate a rubber legged copper john.
Love those red cheeks!
We released the fish and then took a few minutes to try and thaw out our hands from the 37 degree water. When we started fishing again I went to the very head of the run, an area I never fish but Jeff said can occasionally hold fish. I'll be damned if I stuck not one but two more steelhead out of there in the next 10 minutes. First was this dime bright hen that smacked a clown egg. She fought wildly at first but I had bumped up to 10lb fluro for my top fly and really put the screws to her to keep her from going into a log jam. That tired her quickly and I beached her moments later. Egg muncher.
She had giant eyes.
Goodbye.
Next came this tank. Also on the clown egg and just a slob of a fish.
Hero shot.
Wow! A half hour into the afternoon and I was 3 for 3 on winter steelhead, thats something I can honestly say I've never done before! Unfortunately things slowed waaaay down after that. I managed to hook one more steelie way downstream from a deep slow seam. After a couple minutes the big buck alligator rolled and got tangled in my flies. Once that happened and I lost leverage and it was all over, but it was a great ride while it lasted. Right at dusk I found this brown out eating eggs...he was our only trout hookup of the day.
Jeff got the big skunk which doesn't happen to him often. I felt very appreciative to have gotten a handful of nice fish on a day when it seemed they were tough to come by.
Sunday I spent about 4 hours on the local river with my Dad. I had not been on this water since well before Thanksgiving so it was nice to get back. The weather was nice and the traffic was pretty light. I was surprised to see the water as high as it was and carrying a decent stain. The high sun and slightly colder water, however, didn't make things any easier for us and we got it handed to us pretty good most of the day. I managed our only hookup of the day while wading dangerously deep in a notoriously difficult to fish spot....but also one that almost always holds fish. This was one of my best fights in a long time, she ran me all over the pool and then used the strong current to her advantage and had me in my backing and into the next run in no time. Luckily I was able to get caught up to her and when I did Dad was waiting with the net. A bright and sassy hen one week before Xmas.
Even without alot of action it was a wonderful day. Fishing with my dad is always fun and we have a love for this section of river even if sometimes its not the most productive water in the state. 38 degree weather and no snow never hurts either! I have one more post for our New Years Eve Float and I'll be caught up. Stay tuned....
December 05, 2011
From a Critic to a Believer
Saturday started off in the grouse woods. This didn't last nearly as long as we had planned because within a few hours we were freezing cold and sopping wet. A cold hard rain with a stiff breeze and temps in the 30's doesn't exactly scream upland hunting. We toughed it out through two coverts and even flushed eight or so birds (mostly tree flushes or way out of range) but by about 12:30pm we decided this was a day much better suited to steelheading. We traded in our wet field gear for dry fleece and gore-tex and headed to the river.
Jeff and I have been on this water a handful of times over the last two weeks and it's fished the best I have ever seen it. We had been telling my Dad (who hated this river) about all the success we'd been having and naturally he wanted to get in on some of this himself. Unfortunately that did not happen. The fishing was much slower than it's been and we struggled to find fish despite fishing some choice water. Dad started off with a decent rainbow on his third cast of the day and that was all the action he got. We pounded that first run for over an hour, and just as we were getting ready to leave I hooked up on a nice fish. The fish dogged it for a bit before getting mad and making a handful of hard runs. The colder water temps definitely had the fish a little more under control though and soon Dad was able to slip the net under this chrome buck that ate a nuke egg.
And the release....I'll see you this winter!
Jeff got one more brief hookup at the tailout of the run but it happened too quick to know what is was. As we moved downstream a few of the runs we hoped to fish had people in them (which surprised us) so after quickly hitting a few small spots we hoofed it downstream to one of the better runs. This spot holds many steelhead at all times, yet even with three guys dissecting it from top to bottom we couldn't find any players. I was able to take two browns on a prince nymph but that was it. With limited light left we hiked back upstream and hit a run near the truck. It didn't take Jeff more than a cast or two and he was tied into a fish.....a really really big fish. The fish fought deep and bulldog like and refused to come off the bottom. Finally it looked like the fish was ready and Dad moved in with the net. As a bystander on the bank I had a bad feeling about the scene just as it started to go down. The fish started thrashing and alligator rolling when it saw the net and Dad tried his best to get the beast inside. Unfortunately the fish was too big and in the process snagged the top fly in the net and broke off. We all got a good look at what had to be one of if not the single biggest steelhead I've ever seen. 14-15lbs is an honest estimate. Needless to say that event closed out the night and we all had that fish on our mind through dinner. Dad was particularly bummed because once again this river had gotten the better of him and his confidence was as low as it gets. Luckily we had a plan for Sunday.
Some time ago I was talking to my friend Jeff Hubbard about this river and how my father had nothing but bad things to say about it. This river is notoriously stingy with it's fish and to say my Dad had not had much luck would be an understatement. Jeff said "bring your father up for a trip one day and I'll change his mind." Jeff owns and operates Outfitters North Guide Service (www.outfittersnorth.com) and knows this river as well as anyone. Jeff has given me all kinds of advice over the last few years, mainly in regards to swinging flies for our silver friends, plus I really wanted my Dad to see the river the way I do. It took almost 2 years after that conversation with Jeff but I booked us a trip and yesterday was the day.
Weather conditions couldn't have been better. It was downright balmy most of the day for December (mid 40's) with heavy cloud cover, intermitent rain, and water temps that jumped to 43 degrees by mid-day. We met up with Jeff around 7:15am and were launching the boat by 8am. Our first stop was one that I fish frequently and I had high hopes for a quick start. I started at the top of the run and my Dad at the bottom with Jeff showing him the prime water. It didn't take more than five minutes and a huge buck was carthwheeling out of the water attached to Dad's line. I just laughed to myself and then headed downstream to watch the battle. Unfortunately about that time the fish got into some wood and soon it was all over. Dad was upset but the day just gave off a certain vibe and I knew there would be more where that came from. I got one decent pull at the top of the run and sure enough when Dad went up there with the indy rod he hooked the fish almost right away. Dad's first ever adult steelhead from this river!
After years of frustration and doubt it had taken all of 45 minutes for Dad to see the light. With new found confidence and ideal conditions he put on a clinic for the next few hours. Next stop produced three browns with this skinny 17 incher being the best.
The next stop below that produced this thick buck almost immediately. It gobbled a small egg pattern and then proceeded to run my dad all over the pool before Jeff finally netted it. Smiles all around.
Literally three minutes later and Dad's rod was bent in half again, this time with a dime bright hen who ate the same egg pattern. As I ran upstream to grab my camera and Hub ran downstream with the net I saw a big grin on his face and I was laughing out loud. Dad was absolutely killing it and having the time of his life. This fish was so bright that the flash made it glow. The pic doesn't do this pretty gal any justice.
What was I doing all this time you wonder? I was stubbornly swinging streamers with no love and starting to question my sanity. We fished another run just downstream and I got a good pull but no hookup. The next run downstream looked particularly luscious and I swung it with confidence. Nothing. Dad proceeded to make one cast into the run and hook into a chrome rocket that took him to the cleaners. It cartwheeled and then ran him straight into a log jam. I was stunned that clean of a fish didn't want a taste of my hobo spey. For me, it was beginning to feel like a lost cause. Anybody who has swung flies knows the feeling....all you can do is keep your chin up and keep casting.
We stopped for lunch and had a delicious meal of NY strip steaks, rice, garlic bread, PBR, and a snickerdoodle for desert. I felt re-fueled and went back at it with a vengeance. We fished several good runs and even my dad stopped hooking fish. The air temp had dropped and a few other boats had now gotten ahead of us. Not too far from the takeout we got to Hub's favorite swinging run and I knew this was more or less my last shot. I fished through it twice top to bottom with a few different flies. Nothing again. Not even a pull. What the hell am I doing wrong? Feeling dejected we rowed down the river and Jeff pulled the boat into a spot I had never fished before. He said this was an overlooked spot he discovered a few years ago and that it was worth a few casts. I worked my way through the run without a tap. All the way at the bottom there was some wood in the water and I casted as close as I dared to the structure for my final cast. As my fly swung out into the current lightning struck and a chrome fish clobbered my grapefruit leech. After 7 hours of being an observer I couldn't believe that I had finally gotten a hookup. This hen gave me a spirited fight but I wanted it too badly to mess it up and soon it was lying in the bottom of the net. Jeff was grinning ear to ear and gave me a high five before snapping this shot.
As I released her my hands were shaking a little bit and I decided I was done for the day. My dad briefly fished one more run before we rowed to the takeout and called it a day.
Rarely do things work out just how you hope....but today it couldn't have been better. Dad had his best steelheading day ever and became a believer after being the river's biggest critic. I put in my time, stuck to my guns, and came away with a hard earned prize and one I will remember for a while. I started swinging flies for steelhead about three years ago, and even though I've landed quite a few in that time each one is uniquely special and a trophy in their own right. Thank you to Jeff Hubbard for being a fantastic guide, and even more importantly, a really cool guy to hang out on the river with. If you have any interest in swinging flies for steelhead I recommend you give Jeff a call and book a trip. His passion for the swung fly is contagious and he will do everything in his power to make sure you have a successful trip. Next weekend can't come soon enough........what an awesome fall its been and this winter looks to hold a lot of promise!
Jeff and I have been on this water a handful of times over the last two weeks and it's fished the best I have ever seen it. We had been telling my Dad (who hated this river) about all the success we'd been having and naturally he wanted to get in on some of this himself. Unfortunately that did not happen. The fishing was much slower than it's been and we struggled to find fish despite fishing some choice water. Dad started off with a decent rainbow on his third cast of the day and that was all the action he got. We pounded that first run for over an hour, and just as we were getting ready to leave I hooked up on a nice fish. The fish dogged it for a bit before getting mad and making a handful of hard runs. The colder water temps definitely had the fish a little more under control though and soon Dad was able to slip the net under this chrome buck that ate a nuke egg.
And the release....I'll see you this winter!
Jeff got one more brief hookup at the tailout of the run but it happened too quick to know what is was. As we moved downstream a few of the runs we hoped to fish had people in them (which surprised us) so after quickly hitting a few small spots we hoofed it downstream to one of the better runs. This spot holds many steelhead at all times, yet even with three guys dissecting it from top to bottom we couldn't find any players. I was able to take two browns on a prince nymph but that was it. With limited light left we hiked back upstream and hit a run near the truck. It didn't take Jeff more than a cast or two and he was tied into a fish.....a really really big fish. The fish fought deep and bulldog like and refused to come off the bottom. Finally it looked like the fish was ready and Dad moved in with the net. As a bystander on the bank I had a bad feeling about the scene just as it started to go down. The fish started thrashing and alligator rolling when it saw the net and Dad tried his best to get the beast inside. Unfortunately the fish was too big and in the process snagged the top fly in the net and broke off. We all got a good look at what had to be one of if not the single biggest steelhead I've ever seen. 14-15lbs is an honest estimate. Needless to say that event closed out the night and we all had that fish on our mind through dinner. Dad was particularly bummed because once again this river had gotten the better of him and his confidence was as low as it gets. Luckily we had a plan for Sunday.
Some time ago I was talking to my friend Jeff Hubbard about this river and how my father had nothing but bad things to say about it. This river is notoriously stingy with it's fish and to say my Dad had not had much luck would be an understatement. Jeff said "bring your father up for a trip one day and I'll change his mind." Jeff owns and operates Outfitters North Guide Service (www.outfittersnorth.com) and knows this river as well as anyone. Jeff has given me all kinds of advice over the last few years, mainly in regards to swinging flies for our silver friends, plus I really wanted my Dad to see the river the way I do. It took almost 2 years after that conversation with Jeff but I booked us a trip and yesterday was the day.
Weather conditions couldn't have been better. It was downright balmy most of the day for December (mid 40's) with heavy cloud cover, intermitent rain, and water temps that jumped to 43 degrees by mid-day. We met up with Jeff around 7:15am and were launching the boat by 8am. Our first stop was one that I fish frequently and I had high hopes for a quick start. I started at the top of the run and my Dad at the bottom with Jeff showing him the prime water. It didn't take more than five minutes and a huge buck was carthwheeling out of the water attached to Dad's line. I just laughed to myself and then headed downstream to watch the battle. Unfortunately about that time the fish got into some wood and soon it was all over. Dad was upset but the day just gave off a certain vibe and I knew there would be more where that came from. I got one decent pull at the top of the run and sure enough when Dad went up there with the indy rod he hooked the fish almost right away. Dad's first ever adult steelhead from this river!
After years of frustration and doubt it had taken all of 45 minutes for Dad to see the light. With new found confidence and ideal conditions he put on a clinic for the next few hours. Next stop produced three browns with this skinny 17 incher being the best.
The next stop below that produced this thick buck almost immediately. It gobbled a small egg pattern and then proceeded to run my dad all over the pool before Jeff finally netted it. Smiles all around.
Literally three minutes later and Dad's rod was bent in half again, this time with a dime bright hen who ate the same egg pattern. As I ran upstream to grab my camera and Hub ran downstream with the net I saw a big grin on his face and I was laughing out loud. Dad was absolutely killing it and having the time of his life. This fish was so bright that the flash made it glow. The pic doesn't do this pretty gal any justice.
What was I doing all this time you wonder? I was stubbornly swinging streamers with no love and starting to question my sanity. We fished another run just downstream and I got a good pull but no hookup. The next run downstream looked particularly luscious and I swung it with confidence. Nothing. Dad proceeded to make one cast into the run and hook into a chrome rocket that took him to the cleaners. It cartwheeled and then ran him straight into a log jam. I was stunned that clean of a fish didn't want a taste of my hobo spey. For me, it was beginning to feel like a lost cause. Anybody who has swung flies knows the feeling....all you can do is keep your chin up and keep casting.
We stopped for lunch and had a delicious meal of NY strip steaks, rice, garlic bread, PBR, and a snickerdoodle for desert. I felt re-fueled and went back at it with a vengeance. We fished several good runs and even my dad stopped hooking fish. The air temp had dropped and a few other boats had now gotten ahead of us. Not too far from the takeout we got to Hub's favorite swinging run and I knew this was more or less my last shot. I fished through it twice top to bottom with a few different flies. Nothing again. Not even a pull. What the hell am I doing wrong? Feeling dejected we rowed down the river and Jeff pulled the boat into a spot I had never fished before. He said this was an overlooked spot he discovered a few years ago and that it was worth a few casts. I worked my way through the run without a tap. All the way at the bottom there was some wood in the water and I casted as close as I dared to the structure for my final cast. As my fly swung out into the current lightning struck and a chrome fish clobbered my grapefruit leech. After 7 hours of being an observer I couldn't believe that I had finally gotten a hookup. This hen gave me a spirited fight but I wanted it too badly to mess it up and soon it was lying in the bottom of the net. Jeff was grinning ear to ear and gave me a high five before snapping this shot.
As I released her my hands were shaking a little bit and I decided I was done for the day. My dad briefly fished one more run before we rowed to the takeout and called it a day.
Rarely do things work out just how you hope....but today it couldn't have been better. Dad had his best steelheading day ever and became a believer after being the river's biggest critic. I put in my time, stuck to my guns, and came away with a hard earned prize and one I will remember for a while. I started swinging flies for steelhead about three years ago, and even though I've landed quite a few in that time each one is uniquely special and a trophy in their own right. Thank you to Jeff Hubbard for being a fantastic guide, and even more importantly, a really cool guy to hang out on the river with. If you have any interest in swinging flies for steelhead I recommend you give Jeff a call and book a trip. His passion for the swung fly is contagious and he will do everything in his power to make sure you have a successful trip. Next weekend can't come soon enough........what an awesome fall its been and this winter looks to hold a lot of promise!
November 29, 2011
Steelhead Catch Up Part 5
With this post I am officially caught up! We returned from our week down south on Saturday evening, so naturally Jeff and I decided to get back after steelhead on Sunday. We originally were going to do a full day float but the travel fatigue made me think maybe a half day wade session would be a better choice. Jeff and I got to the parking lot a little before noon and were fishing before 12:30. The crazy part is despite perfectly nasty steelhead weather and ideal water conditions there wasn't a soul around. Not a single wading angler, not a single guide boat....it was almost eery how quiet it was. The silence was broken about 5 minutes into the first run of the day when a nice buck blew up on my clown egg and proceeded to tail walk down half the run. The fish gave me a great ride but I was relieved when Jeff tailed the fish and the skunk was broken just a few minutes into the day. In the process of getting the hook out of the fish's mouth the trailer fly got buried, past the barb, in Jeff's finger. I had to clip off the fly, leaving it in his hand, for the picture.
Once the fish was released came the task of getting the fly out of Jeff's hand. This isn't the first time this has happened naturally, so we had a pretty solid game plan. First, take a few sips of bourbon. Second, soak hand in cold river water for a few minutes. And lastly, pull like hell until it pops out. Following this bulletproof plan Jeff was able to get the fly out fairly quickly. Consider the blood a sacrifice to the fish god's.
While I was tying on a fresh dropper Jeff got back into the middle of the run and within a minute or two he too had a fish on. At first the fish stayed pretty calm and just hugged the bottom but that didn't last long. It took us on a long run downstream and jumped a few times before ultimately getting straight downstream and pulling the hook. That was a fish that I felt all along we would land and then got the upper hand 10 seconds before I would have tailed it. We went back to our respective spots, me at the top and Jeff in the middle, and it didn't take me long to hook another one. This fish was more chrome than the first two fish and acted like it! Somehow it stayed out of the big root wad that is in the middle of this run despite running right at it and jumping in that vicinity several times. I played the fish downstream and after a few more acrobatics Jeff tailed it in the same spot as the first fish.
And a cool shot by Jeff on the release.
I was beyond excited that I had fished for about 45 minutes and already had two fish in hand! I fished a little more at the top and then broke my flies off on the bottom so I decided to watch Jeff finish out the pool. All the way at the bottom the run shallows and then drops back into a small bucket thats often overlooked. I got a good vantage point because I had a feeling about that spot, and sure enough as soon as Jeff's flies dropped over the shelf I saw a huge flash and the fight was on. This was a huge fish and it didn't give Jeff anytime to do anything. It jumped twice and then blasted way downstream at mach speed. It started alligator rolling on the surface and within 20 seconds it was all over. That was one of those fish were you are nothing more than a spectator, all you can do it hold tight and hope for the best. Jeff was pissed and rightfully so, but I couldn't help but smile. Everyone hates to loose fish, but when it comes right down to it that's why steelhead are perhaps the most loved freshwater fish. They are downright crazy and wild and when you get one on that's particularly hell bent there is nothing like it. When a steelhead decides to really show off they'll make your jaw drop and leave you mumbling to yourself, and thats what its all about.
As we continued to fish our way downstream I could not believe how many trout Jeff was hooking! This water always has strong numbers of both browns and rainbows but usually they are tough customers and only a few smaller fish are hooked each outing. Jeff was fishing a "grouse hex" of his own design and the fish were literally jumping out of the water to eat this thing. Here is a great resident rainbow from a small chute that ate the hex.
He also pulled two or three browns from that spot. Meanwhile I fished just below him in the same run where I landed that beautiful hen my last trip here. Its a tricky drift and its easy for your flies to get swept out of the feeding lane so it took me a handful of tries to get it just right. Sure enough though, when the drift was perfect and the bugs dropped into the bubble line just right my bobber dropped hard and a chrome fish cleared the water 15ft in front of me. This will go down as one of the wildest steelhead I've ever hooked. It ran me clean into my backing and down around two bends. I was literally sprinting after it and watched in awe as it cartwheeled and flipped multiple times more than 100ft away. Finally I caught up to it and slowed it down but never could get her under control. Everytime I would try and get her head up for Jeff to tail she would make another run downriver. After three or four of these attemps she finally pulled the hook free and was gone. Wow! I went back up to the spot where I hooked the fish and promptly caught a fat little brown on a pheasant tail nymph...surprisingly my only trout of the day. As we worked through several more good runs Jeff continued to crush trout, including this cool looking brown with really red spots.
Every little run we stopped at he seemed to hook one or two fish and none of them were dinks. With about one hour left to fish we hoofed it hard downstream to a favorite run that we knew would be holding several fish. I took the faster water up top and Jeff took the gut of the run. I couldn't find anything in the real broken water but moved down to a small V that forms where I have hit some nice trout in the past. First drift through and yet another bobber down. Once again a nice fish erupted from the water and my fourth battle of the day ensued. This is a long run with very little snags or trouble areas so I let the fish tire itself out and more or less just hung on. After a few minutes it was beat and Jeff tailed my third fish of the day!
Thanks for a great ride and the icing on what had already been a very sweet cake!
With only about 20 minutes of light left we hiked back towards the truck to one last run that Jeff wanted to fish. Jeff got in and fished and I sat on the back and helped myself to the nip bottle. Right at dark Jeff hooked the last fish of the day. We both thought it was a steelhead at first but it turned out to be a sizable brown. Jeff slid it up on the bank and I grabbed this shot of one damn fine looking brown.
What a glorious day. We fished in solitude and both had lots of action with both trout and steelhead. This is why I'll take fall over spring any day...these are the best days of the year!
Once the fish was released came the task of getting the fly out of Jeff's hand. This isn't the first time this has happened naturally, so we had a pretty solid game plan. First, take a few sips of bourbon. Second, soak hand in cold river water for a few minutes. And lastly, pull like hell until it pops out. Following this bulletproof plan Jeff was able to get the fly out fairly quickly. Consider the blood a sacrifice to the fish god's.
While I was tying on a fresh dropper Jeff got back into the middle of the run and within a minute or two he too had a fish on. At first the fish stayed pretty calm and just hugged the bottom but that didn't last long. It took us on a long run downstream and jumped a few times before ultimately getting straight downstream and pulling the hook. That was a fish that I felt all along we would land and then got the upper hand 10 seconds before I would have tailed it. We went back to our respective spots, me at the top and Jeff in the middle, and it didn't take me long to hook another one. This fish was more chrome than the first two fish and acted like it! Somehow it stayed out of the big root wad that is in the middle of this run despite running right at it and jumping in that vicinity several times. I played the fish downstream and after a few more acrobatics Jeff tailed it in the same spot as the first fish.
And a cool shot by Jeff on the release.
I was beyond excited that I had fished for about 45 minutes and already had two fish in hand! I fished a little more at the top and then broke my flies off on the bottom so I decided to watch Jeff finish out the pool. All the way at the bottom the run shallows and then drops back into a small bucket thats often overlooked. I got a good vantage point because I had a feeling about that spot, and sure enough as soon as Jeff's flies dropped over the shelf I saw a huge flash and the fight was on. This was a huge fish and it didn't give Jeff anytime to do anything. It jumped twice and then blasted way downstream at mach speed. It started alligator rolling on the surface and within 20 seconds it was all over. That was one of those fish were you are nothing more than a spectator, all you can do it hold tight and hope for the best. Jeff was pissed and rightfully so, but I couldn't help but smile. Everyone hates to loose fish, but when it comes right down to it that's why steelhead are perhaps the most loved freshwater fish. They are downright crazy and wild and when you get one on that's particularly hell bent there is nothing like it. When a steelhead decides to really show off they'll make your jaw drop and leave you mumbling to yourself, and thats what its all about.
As we continued to fish our way downstream I could not believe how many trout Jeff was hooking! This water always has strong numbers of both browns and rainbows but usually they are tough customers and only a few smaller fish are hooked each outing. Jeff was fishing a "grouse hex" of his own design and the fish were literally jumping out of the water to eat this thing. Here is a great resident rainbow from a small chute that ate the hex.
He also pulled two or three browns from that spot. Meanwhile I fished just below him in the same run where I landed that beautiful hen my last trip here. Its a tricky drift and its easy for your flies to get swept out of the feeding lane so it took me a handful of tries to get it just right. Sure enough though, when the drift was perfect and the bugs dropped into the bubble line just right my bobber dropped hard and a chrome fish cleared the water 15ft in front of me. This will go down as one of the wildest steelhead I've ever hooked. It ran me clean into my backing and down around two bends. I was literally sprinting after it and watched in awe as it cartwheeled and flipped multiple times more than 100ft away. Finally I caught up to it and slowed it down but never could get her under control. Everytime I would try and get her head up for Jeff to tail she would make another run downriver. After three or four of these attemps she finally pulled the hook free and was gone. Wow! I went back up to the spot where I hooked the fish and promptly caught a fat little brown on a pheasant tail nymph...surprisingly my only trout of the day. As we worked through several more good runs Jeff continued to crush trout, including this cool looking brown with really red spots.
Every little run we stopped at he seemed to hook one or two fish and none of them were dinks. With about one hour left to fish we hoofed it hard downstream to a favorite run that we knew would be holding several fish. I took the faster water up top and Jeff took the gut of the run. I couldn't find anything in the real broken water but moved down to a small V that forms where I have hit some nice trout in the past. First drift through and yet another bobber down. Once again a nice fish erupted from the water and my fourth battle of the day ensued. This is a long run with very little snags or trouble areas so I let the fish tire itself out and more or less just hung on. After a few minutes it was beat and Jeff tailed my third fish of the day!
Thanks for a great ride and the icing on what had already been a very sweet cake!
With only about 20 minutes of light left we hiked back towards the truck to one last run that Jeff wanted to fish. Jeff got in and fished and I sat on the back and helped myself to the nip bottle. Right at dark Jeff hooked the last fish of the day. We both thought it was a steelhead at first but it turned out to be a sizable brown. Jeff slid it up on the bank and I grabbed this shot of one damn fine looking brown.
What a glorious day. We fished in solitude and both had lots of action with both trout and steelhead. This is why I'll take fall over spring any day...these are the best days of the year!
A Return to Southern Trout
I still have one more steelhead update to complete before I am up to date....but in the interest of keeping this blog chronological I wanted to report on the two days that I got to fish while down in GA for Thanksgiving.
Tuesday I was greeted by 75 degree temps and a mixture of sun and clouds. It felt great to be back into the foothills with a 4wt in hand after a couple months in a row of throwing 7 and 8wts. I went to one of my old stomping grounds where I use to spend alot of time and I have to say that this stream is a fragment of what it once was. This stream was hit by an F2 tornado back in 2005 and the damage it sustained is still evident today. The main problem is that much of the deeper water has filled in and now your hard pressed to find water over thigh deep. The number of fish, and even more importantly the size of the fish, also seems to be a fraction of what it once was. Still I had a good time and was fortunate enough to have some decent dry fly action. The first calm pool I came to had several feeding fish and it didn't me long to get a few hook ups on a #22 BWO emerger. I missed/lost more than I landed but I didnt care...casting a dry fly again felt magical. That bite didnt last long so I switched to a para-wulff style dry and a small copper john dropper. I worked my way through the broken pocket water and took a handful more fish both on the dry and the dropper. Nothing of any size but I did catch my first ever brook trout from this creek which was pretty cool. Please excuse the junky cell phone picture.
By 4pm things really slowed down and I decided to call it a day. Sorry no real pictures on this day, taking the DSLR out of the dry bag while fishing solo and catching small trout hardly seems worth it. I think I will start carrying my old point and shoot for just such occassions.
My main day for fishing came on Black Friday. Brad from the GSC happened to be in NC for the week as his folks live in the mountains and invited me up for some fishing on a nice stream the runs nearby. The drive up was incredible and seemed to go by very quickly.
**Disclaimer** I have been sworn to secrecy on this stream so please do not ask me where I was. I received a couple emails on FB asking about the photos but as I stated then and will state now...this is not my stream to give away. All I'll say is no its not a DH stream and yes it is public water. Now back to the regularly scheduled program :-)Brad and a few friends have been fishing this piece of water and finding some quality fish, mostly browns. Technical nymphing in low clear water was the name of the game. We located a pod of decent fish fairly quickly and I stuck this chunky brown on a micro glo bug.
I followed a few minutes later with a small brown that again ate the micro egg. About that time Vandy (also from the GSC) joined up with us and immediately hit a handful of brookies fishing a small streamer down and across. A short time later we noticed what looked like some quality fish eating on the surface in a deep flat upstream from us. Vandy went to check it out and within a few minutes he was yelling for a net. His 5wt was doubled over and the fish was running him all over the river. After a couple minutes the fish finally settled down and Brad slid the net under her.
Who says the south doesn't have steelhead? What a fish! Fish was just over 20 inches and fat as could be. The fish sustained a bloody lip from the battle but was just fine and swam away hard when released.
That was all I needed to see. I caught one more decent brown on the egg and then decided to get out of my nymph rig and tie on a dry. I didnt have any terrestrials with me (this is what we suspected they were talking) so I tied on a brown humpy and clipped the hackle flat on the bottom. That fly did the trick just fine and I was able to land 3 brook trout in short order, including this guy that went about 14 inches....not bad for a speck!
That top water action didn't last long and soon it was back to a nymph rig. Around that time Brad drove Vandy back to his cabin and I fished for a while waiting for Brad to return. All of a sudden I realized that the was rising....rapidly. Before I knew it the water had come up probably 2ft and there was some debris and color added to the flow. Brad came back shortly after and confirmed they must be releasing water. We waded around (carefully) and I was able to stick a decent rainbow on a copper john before we realized the water was coming up even more. We scrambled to the bank and thats when relaity hit. We were on the wrong side of the river and there are NO bridges for miles in either direction to get back across. We found a path and walked on it for a while. Every once and a while we would try and cross but the water was too deep and fast and it felt hopeless. Finally after almost an hour or failed attemps we found a very shallow gravel bar and were barely able to make it before our feet were swept out! We did what any sane fisherman would do....we hiked back upstream to the spot we had seem some big fish and fished from the bank with nymphs. I'm glad I did! First was this 18 inch bow that clobbered a pink san juan.
A few minutes later as we were getting ready to go I hooked an even better fish and the fight in the high water was on. Several jumps and hard runs ensued and I missed with the net more than once.
The fish was hooked solidly though and soon I was looking down at a fat 20 inch bow! Not a bad way to close out a day on the water.
We hiked back to the truck and called it a day. We then went into town and I was treated to some good southern food in the way of a chuckwagon sandwhich, fries, and a big glass of sweet tea! Thank you to Brad and Vandy for showing me around and I look forward to fishing with you guys again down the road.
Tuesday I was greeted by 75 degree temps and a mixture of sun and clouds. It felt great to be back into the foothills with a 4wt in hand after a couple months in a row of throwing 7 and 8wts. I went to one of my old stomping grounds where I use to spend alot of time and I have to say that this stream is a fragment of what it once was. This stream was hit by an F2 tornado back in 2005 and the damage it sustained is still evident today. The main problem is that much of the deeper water has filled in and now your hard pressed to find water over thigh deep. The number of fish, and even more importantly the size of the fish, also seems to be a fraction of what it once was. Still I had a good time and was fortunate enough to have some decent dry fly action. The first calm pool I came to had several feeding fish and it didn't me long to get a few hook ups on a #22 BWO emerger. I missed/lost more than I landed but I didnt care...casting a dry fly again felt magical. That bite didnt last long so I switched to a para-wulff style dry and a small copper john dropper. I worked my way through the broken pocket water and took a handful more fish both on the dry and the dropper. Nothing of any size but I did catch my first ever brook trout from this creek which was pretty cool. Please excuse the junky cell phone picture.
By 4pm things really slowed down and I decided to call it a day. Sorry no real pictures on this day, taking the DSLR out of the dry bag while fishing solo and catching small trout hardly seems worth it. I think I will start carrying my old point and shoot for just such occassions.
My main day for fishing came on Black Friday. Brad from the GSC happened to be in NC for the week as his folks live in the mountains and invited me up for some fishing on a nice stream the runs nearby. The drive up was incredible and seemed to go by very quickly.
**Disclaimer** I have been sworn to secrecy on this stream so please do not ask me where I was. I received a couple emails on FB asking about the photos but as I stated then and will state now...this is not my stream to give away. All I'll say is no its not a DH stream and yes it is public water. Now back to the regularly scheduled program :-)Brad and a few friends have been fishing this piece of water and finding some quality fish, mostly browns. Technical nymphing in low clear water was the name of the game. We located a pod of decent fish fairly quickly and I stuck this chunky brown on a micro glo bug.
I followed a few minutes later with a small brown that again ate the micro egg. About that time Vandy (also from the GSC) joined up with us and immediately hit a handful of brookies fishing a small streamer down and across. A short time later we noticed what looked like some quality fish eating on the surface in a deep flat upstream from us. Vandy went to check it out and within a few minutes he was yelling for a net. His 5wt was doubled over and the fish was running him all over the river. After a couple minutes the fish finally settled down and Brad slid the net under her.
Who says the south doesn't have steelhead? What a fish! Fish was just over 20 inches and fat as could be. The fish sustained a bloody lip from the battle but was just fine and swam away hard when released.
That was all I needed to see. I caught one more decent brown on the egg and then decided to get out of my nymph rig and tie on a dry. I didnt have any terrestrials with me (this is what we suspected they were talking) so I tied on a brown humpy and clipped the hackle flat on the bottom. That fly did the trick just fine and I was able to land 3 brook trout in short order, including this guy that went about 14 inches....not bad for a speck!
That top water action didn't last long and soon it was back to a nymph rig. Around that time Brad drove Vandy back to his cabin and I fished for a while waiting for Brad to return. All of a sudden I realized that the was rising....rapidly. Before I knew it the water had come up probably 2ft and there was some debris and color added to the flow. Brad came back shortly after and confirmed they must be releasing water. We waded around (carefully) and I was able to stick a decent rainbow on a copper john before we realized the water was coming up even more. We scrambled to the bank and thats when relaity hit. We were on the wrong side of the river and there are NO bridges for miles in either direction to get back across. We found a path and walked on it for a while. Every once and a while we would try and cross but the water was too deep and fast and it felt hopeless. Finally after almost an hour or failed attemps we found a very shallow gravel bar and were barely able to make it before our feet were swept out! We did what any sane fisherman would do....we hiked back upstream to the spot we had seem some big fish and fished from the bank with nymphs. I'm glad I did! First was this 18 inch bow that clobbered a pink san juan.
A few minutes later as we were getting ready to go I hooked an even better fish and the fight in the high water was on. Several jumps and hard runs ensued and I missed with the net more than once.
The fish was hooked solidly though and soon I was looking down at a fat 20 inch bow! Not a bad way to close out a day on the water.
We hiked back to the truck and called it a day. We then went into town and I was treated to some good southern food in the way of a chuckwagon sandwhich, fries, and a big glass of sweet tea! Thank you to Brad and Vandy for showing me around and I look forward to fishing with you guys again down the road.
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