The California Experience

Spent a week in California and tried a number of rivers and lakes when I had a little time.  Started the fishing on the Yuba River which was next to our campsite the first nite.  We arrived late in the day so only had an hour to fish before it got dark, but managed to catch a 8" brown and then hand Dax my rod and watch him catch one.  The next spot was the Truckee River where I had a couple of hours to fish in the town of Truckee.  The fly shop said the fishing is tough and they were right.  I managed to hook two fish but both shook free in my time.  Next was some lake fishing, which I had never done before.  We tried two seperate lakes, Meadow and French lakes but only had luck in one.  French Lake gave up two 13" Rainbows to me in only an hours worth of fishing as we walked the shoreline.  To finish the trip I fished the South Fork American River for about an hour and pulled out a 9" Brown to finish off right.

Rod:  Iwana 12'
Line:  Traditional Tenkara 10 1/2'
Flies that worked:  Winged ant, BWO, Elk Hair Caddis

Killing it at Bear Creek

Everyone decided to go to Bear Creek for the day but I started a little early and Paul started late after a bike ride.  Derron and Mark started a couple hours after me and finished a couple hours later than me.  The day was perfect as far as the weather was concerned and although there were a lot of people around, the creek was not that crowded.

I started the day off fishing with a new Unagi Universal Tenkara Rod which is a more heavy duty rod than my other one.  I tied on a Parachute Adams and started casting to a tiny little pool in the first access spot on the creek.  After two casts I think about moving on but tell myself to cast a couple more times, when on the third cast of the day I land a 8" Brown.  Could not have asked for a better start to the day!

Moving on to the next spot up stream I can see a fish feeding next to a tree and start casting to it.  After half an hour with no luck I decide to move on to the next spot, which is where we had good luck last time.  I switch to a Pale Morning Dun and try an area where I can see fish feeding.  After fifteen minutes or so I finally land another 8" Brown just in time for the family walking up to the stream to see.  Mark and Derron show up a few minutes later and start fishing the hole while I move up stream.

Over the next couple of hours I try about eight different spots catching fish in five different spots.  I was still throwing a PMD and when I caught a fish I moved on to the next spot.  All five fish were between 7" and 10" and all were brown trout.  I walked as far as the first bridge and then then walked back to find Mark and Derron still fishing at the same hole I left them at.  In the same time I caught five they caught eleven between them with Derron catching a 13" Brown on a PMD I gave him.

We decide to try down stream where we find Paul who has caught a couple fish already and try out some new areas.  I try about four different spots with no luck before I call it a day and head home with seven for the day.  Derron and Mark walk past the second bridge and find a beaver pond where they can see fish feeding and the trees have cleared out to open up a little space for easy casting.  They finish off their day by catching a few more fish each and call it a day themselves.

One of my best days of fishing so far and one of my favorite!

Clear Creek once a week

So there is this spot on Clear Creek just outside Idaho Springs that seems to guarantee a few catches every time I go there.  I went the past two Friday's by myself and had what are to date, my best two days of fishing, as far as number of fish caught goes. 

The first Friday I get out about noon and head up to the spot.  As before I could see fish in the river and feeding on the surface, which is always a good sign.  I start out with a BWO and not ten casts in I get a bite, my first fish of the day.  It's just a little 7" Brown, but a fish is a fish, and I release it and get back to it.  By now the BWO I am using has no wings and is basically just a green body with an indicator, but that didn't matter because I ended up catching six more with it.  My biggest fish of the day was number three, a 12" Rainbow that was fat, with the other five ranging from 8" to 11" Brown's.  All seven fish were caught in about two and half hours and then couldn't get another fish the rest of the day.

Friday number two I get out about 9:00am and head up to the spot.  After two days of rain the sky has broken open to a glorious day with almost no wind.  Of coarse after two days of rain the water was high and the creek flowing much faster.  As I walked up I couldn't see any fish or any activity in the water, not a good sign for dry flies.  I start the day off with the same BWO as before, but this time with no luck.  After an hour or so and trying a few different spots with no luck I decided to try a diffeerent spot down stream in the canyon.

I try a spot by tunnel 6 where the creek goes away from the road.  By this time it's 10:00am and warming up but I still don't see any activity in the water.  There are a bunch of nice pools along this stretch that should be holding fish but I don't see anything feeding on the surface.  I spend about an hour along this stretch with no luck but am enjoying being in the mountains and fishing, I mean casting, and decided to head back to the spot.

Walking up I can see fish feeding and am ready to go.  By this time I am throwing a Pale Morning Dun and can see a few fish in the water to cast to.  Second cast in and I hook a fish, but as I am bringing it to the shallows it snaps the tippet and the fish is gone with my fly.  I tie on another PMD and same thing as before.  Third fish hooked and it doesn't break my tippet but does manage to wiggle off the hook right as I try to net it.

The fish are still feeding and I finally get my system for netting them down so I stop losing fish.  Over the next two hours I catch seven fish, with the biggest being a 11" Brown.  The bugs stop flying around and the activity on the surface stops and the fish are not taking the PMD anymore, so I try a few other flies.  With no luck to be had I decide to call it a day with seven in the book. Another fun day on Clear Creek!

I just got a new point and shoot camera that lets me take underwater video.  These are my first attempts:

Three days in the Frying Pan

Derron and myself went to Glenwood Springs for a long weekend to hang with friends and do a little fishing in the area. Because of the warm weather, runoff was muddying the Roaring Fork and Crystal Rivers but because of the dam the Frying Pan was still alright. The weekend was hot but very windy for most part and you would think with a name like the Frying Pan the water would not be so f*^#ing cold.

We started Friday by fishing just down from the dam by the bridge. As we walked up we could see fish feeding and took this as a good sign. After fishing for a couple of hours with no luck, Derron finally catches a little Rainbow and the ice is broken. We fish for a couple of more hours with no luck and decided to move downstream. After a couple of different spots we settle on this area by some trees and pools. I start casting to a fish I can see feeding in this little pool. After a couple of near misses I finally hook a 14" Rainbow and go from totally frustrated to super excited in a second. Next I move to an area by some submerged trees and land a 11" Rainbow, to make two for the day, both in the last hour of the day. Both fish were caught on a bwo.

The next day we start in the area we finished the day before to try our luck. After about an hour with no luck and not seeing any fish feeding we decide to move to another area up stream. As we walk up we notice a bunch of fish feeding on the surface and feel pretty good about the spot. I am still throwing a bwo, but at this point it has lost all of it's wings. With a few near misses in the book I finally get my hook set and land a 13" Brown and could not be happier. I take a little break and get back out in the river with the fish still feeding. Twenty or so more casts and I hook another 11" Rainbow to officially make this a great day. Derron plugs away and finally gets a 12" Raindow to keep him from getting skunked. We call it a day at 3:30 and meet some friends for some beers.

Sunday ended up being super windy and with no luck we decided to call it a day after a couple of hours and headed home. Overall a great trip and my biggest fish so far!