Discussion Topic |
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Pate
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 15, 2011 - 12:05pm PT
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It's on.
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 12:07pm PT
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Nice. Nymph?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 12:19pm PT
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That's good eatin', man.
(Fly-rods are kinda girly though...I was gonna drop an f-bomb, but I'm sooo enlightened now)
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 12:30pm PT
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Yeah, I'm just giving ya sh#t. I never got into the whole fly-fishing thing.
Kinda like golf.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 12:32pm PT
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Get some!!!
(no, that's not a trout)
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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May 15, 2011 - 12:36pm PT
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Nice fish.
So do you catch and release?
Been fishing all my life. My Grandpa would spring me from 1st grade and we would go to Crowley for opening day..... good times.
Last year Jan got me hooked on flys, and catch and release... a whole new ballgame to be sure.
And Bluey... fly fishing ain't girly at all..... try it if you dare.
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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May 15, 2011 - 12:36pm PT
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Fly fishing is more fun when you are catching fish,and more fun when you are not.Around here all the best water is fly only.Plus you can make yer own flies.Eventually tying your own variations for specific water.
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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May 15, 2011 - 12:40pm PT
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Tom, hi. I like figuring out what is hatching and using it. But its more fun when the fish are hitting.
Chief... good morning!! hows the fishing?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 12:44pm PT
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Nice fish, ladies.
(I'm jesting!!!!)
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 12:47pm PT
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"The gods do not deduct from the span of a man's life, those hours spent fishing." some smart dude from 3000 years ago.
Holy shit! You just blew my mind...
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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May 15, 2011 - 12:52pm PT
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Chief.... thats what I figured. LOTS of runoff starting right now, Jan and I will get up north pretty soon. Right now the cragging is pretty good down here with the low temps.... going right now for the 10 am meet up.
Bluey.... lets meet up at Hot Creek, you will change your mind.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 01:00pm PT
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Mackinaw, Daddy! Lake trout.
They weren't released, and were delicious.
Ever eaten Kokanee??? Holy sh#t, they are tasty!
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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May 15, 2011 - 01:03pm PT
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I prefer to let large birds of prey kill my trout for me--this feller landed too soon...on the powerline
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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May 15, 2011 - 01:04pm PT
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Don't know what it was other than big and really tasty.
Chilko Lk, B.C.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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May 15, 2011 - 01:10pm PT
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Peace
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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May 15, 2011 - 01:15pm PT
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Even Safeway wouldn't have helped me that day Locker! He actually gave me the fly he was catching these monsters on and I still couldn't hook up. I shoulda punted him in the water! Was happy for him because this was his special place he wanted to take me to, so at least he knew how to fish it and I was a complete NooB GooB!
Peace
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mctwisted
Social climber
superslacker city
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May 15, 2011 - 01:28pm PT
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on the way back from city of rocks a couple years ago we had driven all day and went way out a dirt road to bivi and pulled into a spot in the middle of nowhere. turned the truck off and cracked a cold one and went walking over to these small ponds that just to be crawling with little fish. they may have been placed there for mosquito control, not sure, but in any case they were hitting off the top like crazy, so a threw on the super small mosquito fly (which almost seemed like a joke when i bought it, it was so small) and every cast was a tiny fish (which we threw back of coarse).
it was an excellent opportunity to introduce makayla into the wonderful world of fishing. she was ecstatic!
p.s. caught a couple rainbows at cherry lake last week
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this just in
climber
north fork
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May 15, 2011 - 01:38pm PT
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New Zealand ruined trout fishing for me for a few years. My biggest trout ever and the kiwi says, "just a baby, but still a good one."
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NigelSSI
Trad climber
B.C.
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May 15, 2011 - 01:46pm PT
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There's a little lake a few hundred yards off my porch where the rainbows have just about stomped out the cutthroats. Anyways, the only public access is for the desperate who bushwhack their way up a creek. In the last 6 years or so I've been the only one to fish it.
I don't get much in the way of size, but the fish are plentiful, quick to bite, and they sure taste great when smoked!
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NigelSSI
Trad climber
B.C.
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May 15, 2011 - 01:49pm PT
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My recipe is blueberry flavoured papers, and tobacco. That pic comes close.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 02:05pm PT
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Looks like a Smallie, Ron. Where in the Sierra do you catch them? Where is that pic from?
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 15, 2011 - 02:15pm PT
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I have used just about every method for fresh water fishing but my favorite method is ultra-light spin fishing. I like to catch big trout on small tackle. No more than 5 lb. test and homemade spinners, and I have caught plenty of steelhead and salmon with this gear. I get some strange looks from other gear fishermen until I start locking into some big ones. Hooking them is no problem, it's landing them that takes some skill. I had an 18 pound silver on this rig in Alaska that took me 40 minutes to land. What fun! Sometimes I fish with a buddy that uses only fly-fishing gear and 9 out of 10 times I will catch more and bigger fish, and this guy is no rookie. For me, the real skill is how to read the water and the conditions as trout can be real finicky.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 15, 2011 - 02:24pm PT
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Dude, that is some great looking trout water. What are the regs like?
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divad
Trad climber
wmass
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May 15, 2011 - 02:25pm PT
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some day when I get old, I'm gonna take up fly-fishing. looks cool!
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divad
Trad climber
wmass
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May 15, 2011 - 02:31pm PT
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I know Pate, Teddy Ballgame used to fish out my way.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 15, 2011 - 02:33pm PT
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I don't mind catch and release. I was wondering about "fly fishing only." Up here there are a few spots that have this reg. I almost always use barbless single hooks unless I am going to eat it that day.
Tail waters in the West offer some of the best trout fishing going. Fish on brethren.
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 02:38pm PT
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Nice pictures! Keep them coming.....
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 15, 2011 - 03:01pm PT
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I was trolling a big Rapala in a lake looking for monsters when a 6" rainbow nailed it. The lure was as big as the fish.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 15, 2011 - 03:14pm PT
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Light brine and low smoking temps worked well for me.
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KP Ariza
climber
SCC
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May 15, 2011 - 03:27pm PT
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No good trout fishing down here but we still get it on......
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KP Ariza
climber
SCC
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May 15, 2011 - 03:54pm PT
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Whoa!! Now there's fat bastard!! Nice work Ron.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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May 15, 2011 - 04:55pm PT
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I'd post some stuff Bob Gaines(Vertical Adventures) has caught, but I'll leave the honors to him. He's prolly off fishing in Florida for tarpon right now....or some other exotic location trying for a new record. the guy can climb 5.12 and fish 5.14!
Peace
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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May 15, 2011 - 06:20pm PT
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Nothing like 38 inch Wyoming beauties!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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May 15, 2011 - 06:24pm PT
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Some decent TN Stripers.
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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May 15, 2011 - 07:06pm PT
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Here's my fishing buddy...the Commander...he's my neighbor,retired sub captain,taught sub warfare,captained one of two subs fitted out for SEAL work.Been a place or two...
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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May 15, 2011 - 07:33pm PT
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Westslope Cutty, Oldman River AB
Pet em on the head and let em go!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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May 15, 2011 - 07:43pm PT
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Catching the fish can be easy but trying to take a nice underwater shot gives me the thrill these days. First off you catch it, then it needs to be a pretty fish, third you have to get a damn picture that captures the beauty!
Tight lines for all! Keep posting.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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May 15, 2011 - 07:47pm PT
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Wow! Some great fish pix on here, eh?
I live on the shores of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes, and we have a pretty good run of steelhead = lake rainbow that go upstream in the spring and the fall. Typically in the streams, you fish with a big long noodle rod in the order of 13' or so, with a small float, tiny hook, very light line and a roe bag homemade from the eggs of other fish you have caught. You use a free spooling centre-pin reel. I'm not so good at it, but there are some real pros. It's a real science, for sure, pretty much invented here in Ontario.
I once caught this 13- or 14-pound steelhead [rainbow] in the estuary of the stream flowing into Cobourg, Ontario. Live released.
My dad still holds the Family Record brook trout [aka speckled trout] at 4 1/4 pounds caught in Algonquin Park a few years ago. It took us five miles of portaging the canoe each way to reach this lake. These are native fish, very sought after and hard to catch. The fishing had been slow, so we ate this guy.
I just returned from a week of canoeing and fishing in Algonquin - the biggest brookie was only two pounds this year, but still a superb fish and a trophy in many fisheries. Here's my dad's four and a quarter pounder:
What's with all the bass in a trout thread???
How about a northern pike? I caught this 31-pounder up in Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan, almost in the NWT, back in 97 or so. He was the Lodge Record for over ten years, til someone finally caught a 32-pounder. He could well be the Fish Of A Lifetime. Someone said that I had been fishing so much, that in this picture I was starting to look like Bob Izumi!
We also caught lake trout up to 30 lb on this same trip to Athabasca.
Here's another great fish my dad caught - a 15 lb 3 oz walleye out of the Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario.
Back in the day, we would throw away twelve-pound walleyes like these all the time:
Unfortunately, the indians now have gill-netted the hell out of Quinte, and the fishery has really collapsed. Those bastards have no concept of conservation - they spear the fish right on the spawning beds in the spring. Shameful.
But good fishin' up here, eh? If you guys ever come up Toronto way, gimme a shout.
Cheers,
Pete
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Mad
Social climber
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May 15, 2011 - 08:02pm PT
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Wish I could show you the fisherman's hand shake..........
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 08:15pm PT
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Nice Wally's, Pete.
Kick-ass thread too!
Trout are a beautiful fish as evidenced by some of the pics here. Especially the Goldens and Browns. Beautiful.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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May 15, 2011 - 08:23pm PT
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Idaho doesn't have many big fish.
This rainbow had obviously been drinking radioactive water and mutated.
8 - 10 lbs------and it wanted to be my buddy.
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mctwisted
Social climber
superslacker city
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May 15, 2011 - 08:42pm PT
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pate
you did real good starting up this thread!!!
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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May 15, 2011 - 08:46pm PT
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Some funny looking "trout" on this thread. Never seen a fat,stripped trout before, or a walleye trout. I know one of my fishing buddies, we use to refer to him as the bass master because of his love for bass, he also loves to use bait so we renamed him master baiter!
Peace
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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May 15, 2011 - 08:50pm PT
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My friend pcousar dropped me off in the Gifford- Pinchot and told me to kill a few hours on the Lewis River. Oh...all right. I dredged a Wooly Bugger around.Nothing. Once in a while I thought I saw a slashing rise in some fast water,so I tossed a Sofa Pillow ..
The trees were equally fascinating for an Easterner.
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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May 15, 2011 - 09:00pm PT
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Mikey calls...have a scale? Seven and a half pound brown from the lake 1/3 a mile away, on a trolled smelt.
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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May 15, 2011 - 09:16pm PT
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I really have done a lot more salt water fly fishing than trout fishing, and when I go I'm usually alone and don't bother taking photos, but here are a few I found on the HD...
Frying Pan River (CO) rainbow
Roaring Fork (CO) bow & brownie, jst like it because my arms look ripped
Tongariro "steelhead", NZ, was travelling around NZ with my mom and not sure how I convinced her to let me hire a guide for a day to fish while she sat around "town" twiddling her thumbs...
This is the average brownie I catch in my "home stream", the Ausable (NY), but there are some monsters in there!!!
And, well, you can't win 'em all. This is just down the street from my house. I can usually pop down there and reliably have a fish big enough for dinner for two within 15 minutes.... but there are a lot of babies in there too!!
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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May 15, 2011 - 10:21pm PT
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nice fish everyone!
but Aya is by far the hottest looking fisherwoman. awesome folks...
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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May 15, 2011 - 11:03pm PT
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Yeah New Zealand has to been one of the BEST fly fishing destinations on the planet!! One of my dreams before I die is to fly fish NZ. Nice shots and gorgeous fishergirl!
Peace
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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May 15, 2011 - 11:47pm PT
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R.B.
Trad climber
Land of the Lahar
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May 16, 2011 - 12:05am PT
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Schwiing!
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atchafalaya
Boulder climber
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May 16, 2011 - 12:21am PT
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Great thread...
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Port
Trad climber
San Diego
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May 16, 2011 - 12:56am PT
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That pic is very disturbing.
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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May 16, 2011 - 01:08am PT
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Since they apparently needn't all be trout, here's a pretty false albacore I caught off Montauk. I used to live in Sag Harbor so I could sneak out for stripers every afternoon with the tide, which was pretty awesome.
And my dad just sent me this pic of a striper he caught the other day. I've never caught one that big on a fly rod, and although that one wasn't, he has caught some monsters on a fly rod. He once caught a monster cod on a fly rod, of all things, too!!! YUM! He's got a boat and he goes out for tuna a lot, too. We've never had any luck when I've been out tuna fishing with him, alas.
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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May 16, 2011 - 01:24am PT
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My dad has lived in Boston for the past 20 years or so :) Perfect for him, he keeps his boat there and he can go out fishing every morning before heading to work.
Pate, you using a waist belt for all your stuff?
I've got a backpack with chest pouches and I like it better than a vest, but been thinking of switching to a lanyard + waistbelt for the fly boxes. Often I'm just jumping out to cast a few in the strem by the house and don't need to bring the whole kit & caboodle with me so I like the idea of a lanyard...
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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May 16, 2011 - 01:36am PT
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Here are some flies I tied. I pretty much suck at dry flies, but my nymphs are okay. I started out tying huge salt water flies all the time so these little trout flies are hard for me to do!
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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May 16, 2011 - 01:57am PT
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Pate's in love now.
Guarrans.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 16, 2011 - 02:14am PT
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A little fishing story...
I was spending a month at my cabin in Seward, AK a few years ago just hanging out and doing work on the property. The wife was working in town a lot and I had no-one to go fishing with. Normally that wouldn't stop me from fishing alone and I had already been out a couple times to the Kenai and some smaller streams but the recent bear attacks and a mini-epic after falling in a "stream" and almost getting washed into some snags, I didn't want to fish by myself anymore.
I noticed the locals were fishing for salmon right on the beaches at various areas around Resurrection Bay so I did some research and found out that there is a window around the time the tides change that the salmon come to rod readily. Cool. In Seward in July the sun comes up at something like 4am and sets at like 2am, so I had up to three "windows" to fish a day, and I started hitting it. The good spots were where creeks went into the bay, but any kind of structure could be good also. I had a 6'6" spinning rod around and an adequate reel and enough stuff to make as many spinners as I needed and I had some old spoons around also.
The first couple of times out I took the dogs along and they loved it but soon I realized I couldn't fish right if I was watching the dogs get into sh#t every couple of minutes. After that I got it wired. Pinks and Chum were hitting everything I threw at them. Sockeye had already dwindled and Silvers were just starting to show up. Kings were long gone. I released most of them and ate a few.
One day while hitting my favorite spot, my rod broke. It snapped right above the third or fourth eyelet, about 18". Ha! It was a clean break and I still had a bit of action on my now 5 footer so I continued to fish among strange glances and head-shaking from the locals. Casting kinda sucked, but after about the third cast, I locked into a good one. It was a bit tricky but I landed a 13lb. Chum while the locals cheered. The Ultra-medium rod did just fine.
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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May 16, 2011 - 02:23am PT
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My catch from today's Northern Region Rockfish opener:
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BillO
Trad climber
Yachats, OR
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May 16, 2011 - 11:19am PT
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My climbing partner Agina Sedlers' first time fishing.
This shot put her on the cover of California Sportsman magazine's Spring Edition.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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May 16, 2011 - 11:49am PT
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i usta fly fish on a muddy lake in illinois--tied my own flies, caught mostly carp, but it was fun. those fly casting skills pay off when your climbing rope gets stuck on a horn of rock.
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Tattooed 1
Trad climber
Sebastopol, Ca
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May 16, 2011 - 12:30pm PT
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Here is a couole of Fly Caught fish from this past season
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Bubba Ho-Tep
climber
Evergreen, CO
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May 16, 2011 - 01:12pm PT
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Since this isn't just about trout....
My buddy and I go for Blue Fin every year on the Stellwagon bank outside of Boston - this was two years ago. Using a block and tackle here to get the fish on board.
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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May 16, 2011 - 02:00pm PT
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man bubba!
at some point dont you just cut the frickin line!
great thread all.
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Bubba Ho-Tep
climber
Evergreen, CO
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May 16, 2011 - 02:32pm PT
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The scary part is that they grow to 1500 lbs.
This one was like trying to reel in a sports car from the bottom of the ocean.
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Bubba Ho-Tep
climber
Evergreen, CO
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May 16, 2011 - 02:37pm PT
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Pate - good to see you also.
The funny part of the Blue Fin is that they are supposed to be endangered but the ones we catch get bigger every year. Five years ago, the average fish was 100-125. Last year they were running 175-225 and more really large ones were caught than in the last few years.
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Bubba Ho-Tep
climber
Evergreen, CO
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May 16, 2011 - 02:46pm PT
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Flyfishing in Alaska is fun also!
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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May 16, 2011 - 02:49pm PT
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Bubba - yeh, my dad goes out there a lot, and it's been so good that the last few years he's actually paid for a commercial bluefin license so he can catch a few more, and sell some too (because otherwise it's pretty ridiculous even just trying to GIVE away all that tuna). Between that, and the lobster pots, oysters, and cod in the winter (the cod have been doing great, past 5-10 years) yowee I almost wish I lived down there rather than up in the mountains!
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Bubba Ho-Tep
climber
Evergreen, CO
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May 16, 2011 - 03:13pm PT
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We didn't do sushi with that bad boy but usually do. We usually get one around 125-150 and give it to everyone we know and eat all the frsh we can for five days or so - by the end of the week, you don't want to eat tuna for a month!
When they are big like that, they get air freighted to Japan and sold in auction - that one weighed 540 dressed/no head brought almost 12k. Last year a guy our boat captain knows csught one that went about 1300 lbs and it sold for almost 100k - that's some expensive sushi!
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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May 16, 2011 - 11:59pm PT
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Good fish stories here.
Any one ever go climbing to get to good fishing???
I caught about 10 tiny trout in the lake below the Angles Wings.
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mctwisted
Social climber
superslacker city
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May 17, 2011 - 12:10am PT
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sue's dad wanted to catch some trout, so we took him to the pool at the top of lower yosemite falls, where usually only climbers can get to, nice pool there. he had one of the most exciting hiking/climbing expeditions ever and could'nt believe the amount of fish that were in there!!!
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boulderclimber
Sport climber
boulder
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May 17, 2011 - 12:30am PT
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Marc, generaly top ropes are not needed for gullys.
When are you coming back to Boulder?
All your friends are waiting for you.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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May 17, 2011 - 12:51am PT
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Still waiting pics of Largo, Phil Warrender, or other very large, trout lovers.
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guyman
Trad climber
Moorpark, CA.
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May 17, 2011 - 12:54am PT
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Still waiting pics of Largo, Phil Warrender, or other very large, trout lovers.
Jan....
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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May 17, 2011 - 11:10am PT
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20 inch cuttie from ice-out this weekend!
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SamP
Trad climber
Tuolumne Meadows
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May 17, 2011 - 11:38am PT
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This GUY?
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cintune
climber
Midvale School for the Gifted
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May 17, 2011 - 11:45am PT
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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May 17, 2011 - 11:49am PT
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'bout time Sam. Although Troutman ain't really a "very large" fella...more beanpole than way-swole. Last I saw him was in Joshua Tree a couple years ago and he'd cut his hair, didn't even recognize him at first.
Lotsa nice fish, makes me miss living in AK and 120 river-day years. I was lucky to start fly fishing for grayling first, because they are easy to catch and aggressive to dry flies (and beautiful fish to boot), then branching out into other species. Yukon river pike on an 8wt and giant gaudy streamers is a blast, and small high stream trout is great fun, but "normal" fly fishing trout is my favorite (i.e. mid sized rivers, wading, 5wt).
But the real question this thread raises isn't where ya'lls secret stretches of water are, it's whether the hot fly-fishing rock-climbing mama with the ripped arms is single (and if so, how is that possible).
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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May 17, 2011 - 01:49pm PT
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That's a pretty little brookie.
I've been living part time in Ithaca for the past 3 years now and it just occurred to me that I still haven't gone fishing here... and we're supposed to have some wicked good trout that come up from the lake. Been too busy with school I guess. I'm on clinical rotations for the next year though so I probably won't be logging too much time in the Ausable... have to give it a go when the water goes down (if it ever goes down).
fishing is always great but I think the weirdest experience was in downtown Banff under a bridge, with a bunch of Japanese tourists lined up and watching and taking pictures and cheering every time I landed a fish. That's a lot of pressure, especially for someone like me who is constantly tangling their line!!!!
Sorry I don't have really very large trout but here's a relatively not so large tuna... if you ever get a chance to go to Tsukiji fish market, it's awesome. Plus there's something cool about waiting in line for an hour to have amazing sushi at 6AM.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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May 17, 2011 - 03:29pm PT
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hey there say, pate.... great fish! say, happy fishing and thanks for the share.... neat topic...
we loved fishing, when we were kids...
didn't much more chances to fish lately, though...
i really miss it...
did fish in south texas gulf, though, off the port isabel breakwall...
and off the south padre island coast...
miss fishing, though... from streams, etc...
happy good cheer for the ol' fishing season, to one and all...
:)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 17, 2011 - 06:30pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 17, 2011 - 06:35pm PT
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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May 18, 2011 - 12:20pm PT
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Hey Aya K...I grew up in Ithaca...make sure you go fish for the fall browns that run up out of Cayuga! they are HUGE!!!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 18, 2011 - 12:41pm PT
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great looking fish, y'all!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 18, 2011 - 02:27pm PT
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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May 19, 2011 - 07:46pm PT
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BG,
What kind of monster is that? Where was it caught?
Erik
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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May 19, 2011 - 08:13pm PT
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 19, 2011 - 08:18pm PT
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Red Drum and Trout
Both are excellent eating fish! And they are fun to catch too.
The red drum is also known as a 'redfish', the Trout as a 'Speckled (sea) Trout.
Good eatin', yo!
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Tattooed 1
Trad climber
Sebastopol, Ca
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May 19, 2011 - 11:49pm PT
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Great pics everyone! It's cool that we have so many like minded individuals on this site outside of climbing. I look forward to fall salmon and steelhead fishing as much as climbing in the spring.
Tim
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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May 19, 2011 - 11:52pm PT
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one of the best threads ever....
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 20, 2011 - 03:58pm PT
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May 19, 2011 - 04:46pm PT
BG,
What kind of monster is that? Where was it caught?
Erik
Labrat:
That's a male silver salmon caught at the confluence of the Russian River and Upper Kenai River, Alaska
-Bob Gaines
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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May 20, 2011 - 05:39pm PT
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I told ya Bob Gaines had some gems to post! Sweet fish Bob....how'd yer last trip go, I think ya said you were heading to tarpon waters???
Peace
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 21, 2011 - 03:51pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 21, 2011 - 03:53pm PT
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May 20, 2011 - 02:39pm PT
....how'd yer last trip go, I think ya said you were heading to tarpon waters???
Hi Ron:
Just got back from the florida keys...great weather and great fishing. Landed a 70 lb. tarpon on the fly!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 21, 2011 - 03:55pm PT
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A little bitin', a little tenderizin', then down ya go!!!!
(Capt. Quint from Jaws, the movie...)
Keep 'em coming, Greg. I hooked up on 2 tarpon under the Skyway Bridge. I almost got one into the boat. A 5-footer. Bent the hook on me.
Fish on!!
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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May 21, 2011 - 04:18pm PT
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Hilton Lakes Stahl Bros group catch.
My best one 16"-18".
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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May 21, 2011 - 05:13pm PT
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BG - nice shots! Did you get that big barracuda in the Keys?
Cool fish Ron (the golden bass).
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 23, 2011 - 01:04pm PT
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That was a 4 foot long cuda I saw some guy catch off one of the bridges in the keys, and he was proud to hold it up for a picture.
Where you goin for the bonefish?
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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May 23, 2011 - 01:48pm PT
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Nice Bob - seems you had a good trip to the Keys.
We are going to a little island off Honduras called Guanaja. Supposed to be like the Bahamas were 100 years ago. Bones, permit, tarpon, snook and big barracuda. Miles of flats, few people.
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axlgrease
Mountain climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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May 23, 2011 - 02:25pm PT
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Wow! Great thread.
Those Sunnies and the Northern Pike reminded me of my youth, learning to fish with Grandpa in Minnesota. Here are a couple of pics of my brother and me with one of our catches way back them:
Here's a Montana Brown I caught on a more recent fishing trip with my brother:
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 23, 2011 - 10:29pm PT
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We are going to a little island off Honduras called Guanaja. Supposed to be like the Bahamas were 100 years ago. Bones, permit, tarpon, snook and big barracuda. Miles of flats, few people.
Sounds like a grand slam may be in your future. Have a great trip!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 23, 2011 - 10:33pm PT
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Bones, permit, tarpon, snook and big barracuda. Miles of flats, few people.
Yeah, if you add tropical drinks to that equation at night, you have prolly found paradise.
Snook is a real cool gamefish. Good eatin' too!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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May 23, 2011 - 10:45pm PT
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I forgot to add "miles of flats, few people and one bartender"
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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May 24, 2011 - 03:24pm PT
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I've had success in Hawaii blind casting for bones. As you move down the chain to the Big Island where I usual am, the islands get younger and younger and the "flats" deeper and deeper so sight-fishing is tough.
Put on something with weighted eyes, use that wind at your back to roll out a 100' cast, then strip it in sooooooo slow. Little nudge, let it sit, repeat. If you feel any resistance, do a quick hard strip set. Sometimes you'll just hook up a rock or coral, every now and then you'll be on one of those little racehorses.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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May 24, 2011 - 03:57pm PT
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NICE FISH!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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May 24, 2011 - 04:20pm PT
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OK since it is just us talking I'll tell you about my first Hawaii bonefish. I was walking the beach down at A-Bay on the Kona side of the Big Island. There was a guy out at the end of the little jetty-like thing that feeds water into and out of the ancient fishpond. He had a bag of wonderbread and a bow and arrow with a spool of fishline attached to the arrow. Said that there had been a big ulua (trevally that grow to 100lbs) cruising the shore the last few days. He'd throw the wonderbread out, the reef fish would be all over it and it would hopefully attract the attention of the ulua. When it came slashing through, he'd nail it.
I'm watching the fish chomping down on the bread and realize that some are nice 7 - 10lb bonefish in the mix! I drag a few Charlies through but there is zero interest. The guys says "why don't you cut all those feathers off that hook and use some bread". OK! I do it. Make a wonderbread doughball, mush it on the hook, drop it down and immediately a big bonefish grabs it and heads for Japan. Three sizzling runs later I have that bad bone on the beach. The picture looking down at a bonefish and my foot a page or so back is the very fish I got in this story.
For the climbers reading this, that is about the moral equivalent of using an extension ladder to get up the Stigma.
By the way, it turns out Oahu has some great flats with bonefish so big they look like sharks. Send me a note if you are ever heading over there and I'll tell you my favorite spots and tides.
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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May 24, 2011 - 05:59pm PT
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More trout please! Pictures?
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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May 24, 2011 - 06:38pm PT
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nice fish ron - out of pyramid?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 25, 2011 - 01:13pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 25, 2011 - 01:16pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 25, 2011 - 01:19pm PT
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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May 27, 2011 - 08:06pm PT
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Here is a nice 20" Koke I picked up out at Berryessa a few weekends back.
I managed to talk my daughter into drifting at the Alameda Rock wall in Bay on a tandem kayak last weekend. We ended up with a baby halibut.
I have been digging the kayak fishing just as much as climbing as of late. I know, a sin :)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 31, 2011 - 12:44pm PT
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Hey Ron:
When did you catch all those brookies at Carmen (Kirman) Lake?
The 5 1/2 is shaped like a football!
What year was that?
Nice catch!
Thinking of going up there in a few weeks
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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May 31, 2011 - 02:16pm PT
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edit: why did these pics post so small?
because some of yoru fish were so big earlier!
nice thread guys. those goldens are huge Ron!
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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May 31, 2011 - 02:30pm PT
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I posted these on Sheridan's thread, but since he wrote a book on fly fishing, here is one of him and another of one of his drawings.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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May 31, 2011 - 11:31pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Hey Ron;
Awesome brookie from Kirman! I heard those fish eventually die of heart attacks from high cholesterol as the result of eating too many scuds.
That's the biggest golden I've ever seen from the eastern sierra!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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caught this beauty at lake perris yesterday
photo by bob gaines
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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Bob,
did you catch that guy on a fly? thats a hell of a lot of fun!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Yep, got it on a tiny nymph. A 15 lb carp will put up a dam good fight!
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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Jun 15, 2011 - 05:18pm PT
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a bass-perch! baerch? pass? weird.
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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Jun 15, 2011 - 06:11pm PT
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+1 for carp on the fly.
some of the grassies around here have a serious attitude.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Jun 15, 2011 - 06:30pm PT
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Hey Bob, going for another record?
Might be heading up the east side for a little fly on the rod...very Upper Owens, next weekend. You interested?
Peace
Ron
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jun 15, 2011 - 07:19pm PT
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White bass, Ron? Lake Nacimiento is loaded with them.
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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Jun 15, 2011 - 09:22pm PT
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aspendougy, Wow, thanks for the story and the url ..... I have long been intrigued by.. Japanese internment camps stories and it's history......
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jun 15, 2011 - 09:42pm PT
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Man! Cool thread. What weight fly rod do you guys use with those carp?
Those Grassy guys must have an attitude because they are missing such a pretty mouth???
I have been a very marginal recreational fisherman for years and just getting back into it more, lots of fun to be had. Thanks to all for all the cool photos.
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Jun 15, 2011 - 10:23pm PT
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beginners luck. my first time fly fishing a few years ago. 5.5 lbs
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shady
Trad climber
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Jun 15, 2011 - 11:44pm PT
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I think your right Ron. At first I thought it could have been some genetic variant.
I've caught rainbows out at Lees Ferry, that have no spots.
But...I also caught a fire mouth Cichlid out at lake Wohlford, in So.Cal. I wonder if someone did some aquarium cleaning.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Jun 16, 2011 - 12:27am PT
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Smith River, MT--1982
...it must have been "tube sock" luck:-)
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jun 16, 2011 - 12:42am PT
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Smith River! Woohoo!
I see the can of "bug repellent."
Where's the beer?
Were you too young?
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Jun 16, 2011 - 01:17pm PT
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Fritz, I was 17 and at that time jus' barely too young (19 in MT--although, I left the heavy beerin' up to my old man, as he more than made up for me:-)
note: We did this float in a fibreglas drifter--not done too much any more due to lower waters (this big snow/rain year it might go)
edit: Possibly the "best" deep water-soloing in Montana? Virgin limestone awaits.....
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 19, 2011 - 02:28am PT
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Manjusri
climber
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Jun 19, 2011 - 02:12pm PT
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A venerable german brown I pulled out of the Merced in the Yosemite backcountry, late 80's. It measured 21 inches tail to beak.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Jun 20, 2011 - 11:48am PT
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As I said earlier, NICE FISH!
One of my more memorable fishing experiences was casting a dry fly upstream of the Merced Bridge with Coz spotting from the bridge. I'd given up on the cast and was stripping a drowned Stimulator back when I hooked into a nice three pound brown. I'll never forget standing in the river below El Cap, Mother Middle in the background and playing that fish. Cozzy couldn't believe I'd caught it and was even more flummoxed when I pet it on the head and gently released it.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 25, 2011 - 05:09pm PT
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Just got back from a trip to the eastern sierra, caught this nice (30 inch!) rainbow
photo by yvonne gaines
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 25, 2011 - 05:11pm PT
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and this 25 inch brown!
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Jun 25, 2011 - 05:49pm PT
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Headin up next Friday Bob!
Peace
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 25, 2011 - 10:57pm PT
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whoa Bob - this is quite a weekend!!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jun 25, 2011 - 11:18pm PT
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Nice Fish everyone! TFPU!
Christos! Those last two trout are huge hogs!
Sunnybeaches!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 26, 2011 - 12:12pm PT
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One of my more memorable fishing experiences was casting a dry fly upstream of the Merced Bridge with Coz spotting from the bridge. I'd given up on the cast and was stripping a drowned Stimulator back when I hooked into a nice three pound brown. I'll never forget standing in the river below El Cap, Mother Middle in the background and playing that fish. Cozzy couldn't believe I'd caught it and was even more flummoxed when I pet it on the head and gently released it.
Nice Perry!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jun 26, 2011 - 02:20pm PT
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Good lord, Bob!!!!
Nice fish.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jun 27, 2011 - 04:27pm PT
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Man,
those last two fish were huge! Keep this thread alive...I will now jinx myself. Headed for the first two weeks in July to BC. First stop, the Chilcotin. Fly into some remote lakes and streams for 5 days of trout fishing. Then its up to Prince Rupert for Salmon and Halibut. Wish a beginner luck!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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apogee
climber
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Bob, you're a tease.
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perswig
climber
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While I love the lunker pics, and love playing 4" brookies in little feeder streams, this thread kept reminding me of a Pata catalogue story that I just managed to find.
Enjoy.
The Little Things
Dylan Tomine
Kids' Fall 2007
Steelhead season is going down the tubes. Six weeks into what will become the wettest winter in memory, the rivers are over their banks and gouging new channels with explosive fury. I have just cancelled yet another fishing trip. Like last week’s much-anticipated trip to the Olympic Peninsula, and countless other days on my local rivers, this one is toast.
My three-year-old daughter and I had planned to go steelhead fishing together for the first time today. But instead, we sit by the woodstove reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the thousandth time and listen to the rain lashing against our house.
I am going insane.
A slight break in the weather. Not enough to bring the rivers into shape, but enough to send us out of the house and into a light but steady drizzle. We’ll put on our rain gear and venture into the woods. It’s not a fishing trip, but at least Skyla and I are going outside together.
Skyla dashes up the trail, splashing mud and sliding through a carpet of downed foliage. She kneels to examine the difference between maple and alder leaves. She throws fir cones into dripping ferns. She clambers up onto a fallen cedar log and careens down its length yelling, “It’s a big tree slide!”
At the edge of a steep ravine, we can see that the normally dry bottom now contains a tiny creek brought to temporary life by weeks of torrential rain.
“Daddy,” she says, “let’s go down there.”
“Nah,” I say with visions of us sliding down the precipitous hillside and the grueling slog back up. “It’s too steep, and besides, what do you want to go down there for?”
“To go fishing in the stream!” she says.
I tell her we don’t have fishing rods and there aren’t any fish in there anyway. I tell her it’s starting to rain harder and we should head home. I tell her we’ll get muddy and wet.
Predictably, we scramble and skid down anyway. At stream level, we discover a perfect little river winding through a gravelly bed of miniature riffles, runs and pools. Skyla hands me a bent willow stick and finds one for herself. “Here’s your fly rod, Dad, and here’s mine.”
She crouches at water’s edge, and with intense concentration, swishes the stick through the small pool. At last, a current-born maple leaf folds itself around her stick, and she lifts it triumphantly for my inspection, shouting, “Fish on! I got one!”
We measure it. We admire it. We discuss it. Ultimately, we decide to release it.
“Daddy,” she says, “now it’s your turn to fish.” We alternate for nearly an hour, landing dozens of leaves, deciding where the best spots are, naming the pools. We laugh and high-five. We forget to eat the lunch in our pack.
“Dad?” she says, folding her icy fingers into my hand, “I’m having a lot of fun fishing with you.”
And suddenly, it occurs to me this may be one of the best fishing trips of my life.
Dale
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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thanks perswig! i love that story
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Dale, my friend, that is what fishing is all about. Having a good time. Ever better when shared with a kid.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Anyone know of a pure strain not in California? I think they are worth saving. Even the pure strains outside of CA, are being polluted by cross rainbow/golden.
Photo of male spawner in WY (pure golden)
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Golden from Lake Virginia
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Nice shots, boyz!!!
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Here's two shots from yesterday @ Berryessa:
These were the best two of a 10+ fish day. The bass was 20"+ and easily in the 3-5 lbs range. I didn't have a tape or a scale with me. The Cat was 28" measured against my pole and remeasured once I got home in a beast.
Both caught on 6# test.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Roughster, well done!
What did the cat hit? A lure?
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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The bass were killing 7" PowerWorm Pumpkin Flecks with a curly tail. The cat was an accident. I was actually pitching for crappie/bluegill with a #12 bait hook with a single redworm. Needless to say I was surprised when my pole went completely bendo once he realized he was hooked.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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lunker largemouth from lake perris caught on a fly!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Nice bucketmouths.
Those Pumpkin Powerworms work great. Zoom makes a soft bait call a Baby Brushhog that is awesome too. I usually toss the Junebug color.
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shady
Trad climber
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Hey Dale....Great story. Ever heard the song,"She thinks we're just fish'n."?
Don't be discouraged my fellow flyfishers. I just got back from two weeks in Montana.
Rock creek, Blackfoot, Big hole and all the rest are all running high, high, high! Since the bugs aren't popping the streamer action is superb, and you'll have the place to yourself.
As an added bonus to those of you who like to float. Guides are hurting for clients. Since the dry-babies aren't up for the high water action, the guides are willing to cut some real deals.
For those of you who want to throw dry's, look for tailwater streams. The Beaverhead was going off with, great golden stonefly and large Caddis.
P.S. Bob...Nice look'n fishes! But That Bow looks more Steely than the average Bow.
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 24, 2011 - 04:25pm PT
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Bump for Tom Gilge....
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 24, 2011 - 09:12pm PT
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I think a better title for this thread would be "a trout fishing lovers thread." If you truly loved trout you wouldn't subject them to the pain and sometimes death that fisherman do. I'll be in the Winds in a week feasting on trout and climbing alpine granite. I don't love trout but I enjoy catching and sometimes eating them.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jul 25, 2011 - 08:40pm PT
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Back from 2 weeks in BC. Went out from Prince Rupert and caught our limit of Salmon and Halibut in about 4 hours. Crazy! A Sea Lion grabbed one of my wife's Salmon and ate it! Great fun.
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OR
Trad climber
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Jul 25, 2011 - 09:03pm PT
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Hi Gang. I'm loving this thread. I just bought this and i'm chasing trout for 2 months in Co, Wy and Montana. Leaving Vt in 2 weeks. Can't wait.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jul 25, 2011 - 09:07pm PT
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I think a better title for this thread would be "a trout fishing lovers thread." If you truly loved trout you wouldn't subject them to the pain and sometimes death that fisherman do. I'll be in the Winds in a week feasting on trout and climbing alpine granite. I don't love trout but I enjoy catching and sometimes eating them.
Isn't that hypocritical???
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Jul 25, 2011 - 09:10pm PT
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I guess salmon count. Didn't take the camera with us, but the wekeend before last we put some meat in the freezer. Friday was a trip out of Seward, slow day but managed 8 silvers, 6 cod and 2 small halibut. Sunday night was a gonzo night trip to the Kenai for dipnetting, finished up at 11pm with 26 sockeye, got home at 3:30am (I'm getting too old for that crap and getting up later that morning to go to work)
Playing on the beach while shrimp pots do their thing has it's own appeal.
Still have a gallon of tails in the freezer, must have eaten at least 4 gallons during the two trips where we caught them. Need to get out a few more times!
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Abend
Social climber
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Jul 25, 2011 - 10:27pm PT
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Golsen,
Nice salmon! What size halibut did you catch?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jul 25, 2011 - 10:31pm PT
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Yeah, nice show Golsen.
Paul, wow! Fish on!!!!
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jul 25, 2011 - 10:59pm PT
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Hi Abend,
German for Evening?
Our Halibut averaged only about 15-20 lbs. We were unable to head out to more open oceans due to some wind action going on. My first time out in the Ocean, it was a blast. We had also dropped a crab trap in the morning and had 20 crabs on our return. Only 9 were keepers. (Males over a certain size). Hell of a lot of fun!
I can't seem to post photos from Firefox, will try and do some tomorrow.
edit:
Thanks guys, beginners luck! That and when you charter a guide I felt guilty, like not even baiting the hook. That was a first for me, but then so was catching a Salmon.
Roughster, do you jiggle those plastic worms for bass on the bottom? I have just recently tried to catch bass, always have been going for trout. Feels like learning a new climbing maneuver, like OW's. (Not that bad of course)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 27, 2011 - 10:15pm PT
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Bob Gaines at the Middle Kenai River, Alaska, 2010.
This fish set a new IGFA flyfishing world record for pink salmon.
Goin back to Alaska next month...can't wait!
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Jul 27, 2011 - 10:51pm PT
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Daddy and his daughter spent a lot of time fishing. She was always very proud of doing everything herself. I often found surprises in my bathtub.
Occasionally a fish that wasn't dead and damaged would be brought home and tossed into the water feature. Then Daddy and Daughter could catch that fish over and over again. I think it was animal cruelty. You judge.
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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Jul 28, 2011 - 01:07am PT
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kewl
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mrtropy
Trad climber
Nor Cal
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Jul 28, 2011 - 09:42pm PT
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First fish
Not the size of the fish but the size of of the smile.
Brook or Cutthroat?
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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Jul 29, 2011 - 07:35am PT
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Headed to NYC tonight... planning to stop in Roscoe to fish the Beaverkill on my way back to Ithaca tomorrow so fingers crossed!
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Jul 29, 2011 - 03:11pm PT
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FACT: Colorado State Fish is the Western Greenback Cutthroat Trout
(And I never thought I'd have a chance to share that) :)
edit: Ron - I don't that is a fish. It looks a bit like a dolphin. Egads it's huge!
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Abend
Social climber
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Jul 29, 2011 - 11:02pm PT
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German for Evening?
An abend is an abnormal termination of software or a program crash. This term is more common in older mainframe systems than in PC systems. I did find a link between the english and german definitions as the abends that are most difficult to resolve do tend to occur in the evening.
We were unable to head out to more open oceans due to some wind action going on.
I was curious about this as the water looks so calm in your photo. I have not yet caught a halibut but it is on my bucket list.
Great photos of the kids!
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jul 29, 2011 - 11:06pm PT
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Halibut,
My brother landed a 90+ pounder a few years ago on a Kenai peninsula trip.
Bring your club or a gun.
You don't want a live one in the boat!
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jul 29, 2011 - 11:27pm PT
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Nice Rainbow on a Maribou Muddler Minnow fly (yes I prolly got that wrong).
Crabs!
This silver was snatched from the jows of a sea lion....The Sea Lion then stared at us for about 5 minutes probably wondering WTF?
Worlds Largest Fly rod in Houston, BC.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jul 29, 2011 - 11:32pm PT
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We were unable to head out to more open oceans due to some wind action going on.
I was curious about this as the water looks so calm in your photo. I have not yet caught a halibut but it is on my bucket list.
Yes, perhaps the esteemed guides did not want to drive further when they knew of a place that we can catch lots of little ones...
Our guide was one of those people who absolutely knew how to catch fish. It was a pleasure to watch someone who knew their craft.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jul 30, 2011 - 12:20am PT
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pate,
you can tell your grandkids about the itchy crabs!
i am still waiting for these crabs to shipped down from BC...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 30, 2011 - 01:36am PT
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Throw us a bone and tell us what flies you like most.
Hi Pate:
I'd say for pink salmon a greenish flash fly is number one. My wife yvonne is a master fly tyer, and I get my flys from her!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 31, 2011 - 02:56pm PT
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New world record rainbow from Idaho,,,,34.74 lbs!!!!!!!!!
That's a whopper, but not a world record. It's the new Idaho state record.
The official International Game Fish Association (IGFA) all-tackle world record for rainbow trout is 48 lbs., caught at Lake Diefenbaker, Canada, in 2009.
This record is controversial, however, in that it was a triploid (genetically altered with three sets of chromosomes, rendering them sterile) that escaped from a nearby fish farm and got into the lake when they were small. These fish channel all their energy toward eating- not waisting any energy on reproduction!
In fact, all the line class records have been from this lake. Although these records have been accepted by the IGFA, many in the IGFA believe that triploids are unnatural, and accepting these records is like allowing Barry Bonds' home run record to stand against Hank Aaron's.
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shady
Trad climber
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Prolly one of those flavorless, genetically modified McFish they're selling at the grocery store as Steelhead.
They should sell them, and the McSalmon, as fertilizer. X^P
Speaking of fertilizer, the comparison of "*" and Hank Aaron is right on.
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shady
Trad climber
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They should have a class for those GM things like they have for Tiger trout.
Is there a way of distinguishing those GM fish from naturals, by eye?
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Maybe not very large trout, but last time out on this lake with the boys, we did catch a few decent rainbows in the 12-14" range
The cool thing about the area is there is a beaver damn between the first and 2nd lake, and a long meandering water passage between lake 2 and 3. So it's about 1 1/2 hours of paddling to last lake, and you typically have the lake to yourself as most fishermen and are elbows to a-holes on the Kenai chasing bigger fish. Me, I'd rather be on a lake full of wild rainbows, tossing spoons, castmasters and spinners in amongst the lilly pads and having a feisty rainbow put a healthy bend on your ultralight rod.
Not to mention some of the best sunsets and hearing the loons on the lake.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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The smaller trout taste better anyway.
12"-14" is about perfect.
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
-A community of hairless apes
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I obviously lapsed into the wrong culture and lifestyle at some point and missed the boat.
Great stuff here.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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shady
Trad climber
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Damm Paul, fine pics. The essence of fishing, purdy fish and beautiful sceinery.
Nice pic BG, that's about as peppery a bow as I've seen.
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Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Caught several nice brown and rainbows last week,,,here is a nice brown,
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Aug 11, 2011 - 04:01pm PT
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The one that didn't get away!
Climber's don't say you weren't warned (I posted this before);^) all in fun!
Avoid “The Way of the Rod” and becoming a “Non”
We can all appreciate that much of our continued activity as mountaineers is partner based. Keeping yourself fit certainly contributes to a long active mountain life but it’s also important to have motivated partners to get us off our cans. Having enjoyed the company of many enthusiastic mountain adventure seekers over the years I have witnessed the making of more than one Non (Non-climber/skier/alpinist/mountaineer).
It is a slow, subtle and irreversible process that like a frog being thrown into a pot of cold water on a lite burner its’ defining spirit departs before much notice. Perhaps the most covert making of a Non is by what has been described by my good friend and Ghoulwe Dave J. as going “The Way of the Rod”. This path of course refers to the activity of fishermen/women. Like the poor frogs demise it can go unnoticed because much of the activity occurs in the mountain ranges of the arid west that we share where alpine snow melt provides habitat for the fish they manically seek. Let me describe some of the symptoms I’ve observed that in retrospect by intervention could have prevented the making of a Non-partner.
While packing gear for an adventure watch for a fishing pole being thrown into a pack particularly if you get a negative reaction questioning why in the hell they’d need a pole on an alpine rock climb. If you’re lectured it’s not a pole but a rod it may be too late. If your base camp ends up in some mosquito infested low land within the sound of running water as opposed to a sparse frozen bivouac high on a moraine I can guarantee you you’ll be hearing about threatening weather first thing in the morning.
Watch for attention symptoms while discussing gear or scoping a route. If their eyes are cast down into the water while you’re debating what pro you should take or wondering where the route starts and they suddenly get agitated over an insect swarm you might as well think about soloing the route or picking an easy scrabble. If they pull out their favorite bud the last time you experienced with a Bill Clinton hit which sent you into thinking OMG a cardiac arrest and they coat it with hash oil you can rest assure they’re more interested in thinking like a trout then having the mind set to reach a summit.
Next time you’re at your local crag which they haven’t visited in years observe their shoes, harness and protection. If a shoe of fossilized rubber is pulled from an uncomfortable outdated pack along with a harness that barely fits and cams that are made of ridged aluminum stems you’ll be learning more about insects and how a trout thinks that day then you’d ever what to know. A new looking rope of 165 feet in length is another indication that you might as well forget about a second route that would compete with the late afternoon insect hatch you’ve just heard about on level with a Ph.D thesis.
The gear represents a reallocation of financial resources, going The Way of the Rod is costly. Showing up at a ski resort wearing a Patagonia fishing jacket is a dead giveaway, at that acute stage you might as well accept your friend as a Non. An intervention where you covertly snap the damn pole in your car door could result in violence. Grabbing one of their many fly reels and throwing it into the talus or burning their fake insects in frustration could result in a prison sentence for your once great adventure companion and you may never climb again.
Exhibited symptoms are not limited to alpinism; a family camping trip can reveal the making of a Non. If their children have expensive fly rods, waiters and there are no plans about hiking to summits or doing any bouldering the infection has spread and you best get your own kids safely away or your family reunions in the coming years won’t include climbing or skiing. Missing power bait or salmon eggs from your kids’ grandfathers’ tackle box or smashed barbs are also symptomatic of an infection as well.
Watch for symptoms as the seasons change. Again gear is an indicator of financial reallocation. Hopelessly fused climbing skins and skis that would be better used for deer proof fence posts that make your short ones look obscenely obese are yet another give away. Perhaps the most telling is on powder days when the banter over the coming Pacific cold front doesn’t include your buddy and later you hear they’re headed to some boggy tidal flat for a steel head run in the rain. If any of their emails include this symbol o:{{{{{{{{< or the farewell saying “tight lines” it’s not about being born again or keeping ropes tight on alpine terrain to avoid rock fall; at that point you best move onto the next stage of loss.
I must admit there are far more sinister ways to Non-hood such as The Way of the Club (golf). That foolish activity of attempting to put a white ball into small holes of a comparatively infinite large outdoor environment will build you socially and ruin you physically as opposed to mountaineering which does the opposite. Regardless, The Way of the Rod in my experience has claimed more than most as many perhaps of choosing a Non as your significant other. A true lover can learn to appreciate your need to “feed the rat”. So take this sage advice if your intention is to continue to move over mountainous terrain until the end of your days, avoid The Way of the Rod. Keep your buddies from doing the same, being a Non is no path to the enlightenment we enjoy as mountaineers.
Berg Heil,
Charlie D.
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the_don
Trad climber
Somerville, MA
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Aug 11, 2011 - 04:10pm PT
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Yeah, we call those guppies... the girth was far more than length.
I believe that is referred to as a cheswick.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 11, 2011 - 09:55pm PT
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The one that didn't get away!
taimen? mongolia?
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Aug 11, 2011 - 10:07pm PT
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Aug 11, 2011 - 10:20pm PT
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Damn, Charlie!!!!
Nice fish!
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Danholio
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Aug 11, 2011 - 10:49pm PT
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In stark contrast to the proud list of fly caught natives on this thread, I hope it's ok that I post a photo of a big 'ol stockie that I caught in Oakland. 17 pounds on a jointed Rapala.
The net we had (you can see it in the background) was too small so I passed the rod off to my friend (also a climber/fisher) and yanked him into the boat by the gills. Love telling that part of the story!
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Aug 11, 2011 - 10:50pm PT
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BG is correct.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 12, 2011 - 07:26pm PT
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Pat Ament fishing along the Colorado River, near Parshall
Nice fish Pat! Is that a cutthroat??
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 12, 2011 - 07:28pm PT
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big 'ol stockie that I caught in Oakland. 17 pounds on a jointed Rapala.
Danholio- stocker or not, that is a true lunker!
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 13, 2011 - 03:17pm PT
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NA_Kid
Big Wall climber
The Bear State
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Aug 13, 2011 - 03:44pm PT
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Cheers
-J
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Aug 13, 2011 - 05:58pm PT
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mike m - Baptiste Lake? Below Hooker? Nice fish!
NA - was that Pend Orielle or Priest Lake?
Nice pics guys, thanks!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 20, 2011 - 01:56pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 21, 2011 - 01:29am PT
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sockeye salmon
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Beautiful Dolly Varden!
Where?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Brian More
climber
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
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BG,
How did you get the sockeye to eat your fly (and what fly was it)? Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't they disinclined to feed at that stage in their life? By the way, saw the shot on IGFA site too, nice job!
Brian
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Hi Brian:
All Pacific Salmon, when they enter fresnwater, cease feeding as they begin their spawning phase, although they still bite flies and lures out of aggression, especially if it's right in front of them. I'd say they rank this way in terms of attitude in biting a fly, from most agressive, to least aggressive: Pinks, Silvers, Chums, Kings, and Sockeyes.
The key for Sockeyes is to use a sparsely tied and relatively small fly, like a comet or polar shrimp in size 6 or 8, dead drifted right at their eye level. You want to be able to see them, so you can sight fish them, in moderately fast current. They rarely bite, but with thousands of fish swimming by in a day you have lots of chances. On my last trip I actually had a Sockeye charge from 10 feet away to bite a pink fly when I was fishing for silvers.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Hey silver....check out this silver!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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johnkelley, that's a NICE rainbow. Where'd you get that one?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Silver-
20 pounds is HUGE for a silver. Here's a little one from Alaska. Haven't done any spey rod fishing, but I'm stricly a fly fisherman. Would love to go after some of those BC steelhead on spey!
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Middle Kenai last winter. I'll post some photos of some big ones when I get home. That one was 28" x 19". Trophy size is 32" and up in AK.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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thought so...that's a real hog
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Now that's what I'm talking about....those are some world class rainbows John!
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bentelbow
climber
spud state
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A few more from the last couple years
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Spufi
Trad climber
DeLusion, Ca
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Bentelbow,
That is a great underwater shot! What kind of camera set up did you use?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice Lake Trout. 15 lb?
Love the underwater shot.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Oct 12, 2011 - 01:51pm PT
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Some recent action from the new boat
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Oct 12, 2011 - 09:12pm PT
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That's a real monster rainbow!
Middle Kenai below Skilack Lake?
Looks like it's getting cold up there.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 16, 2011 - 09:47pm PT
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It has been a long while since a Large Trout post.
Here's a "little-trout."
16" Native Cutthroat from Idaho's Frank Church Wilderness.
It is all "catch & release" in there-----and well patrolled by Fish & Game, due to these streams also being salmon spawning habitat.
When I was age 17, a large Chinook chose to take my Mepps spinner on this stream. It played me for about 15 minutes, but couldn't quite get me into the water, before it tired of the game, and "broke-off."
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pocoloco1
Social climber
The Chihuahua Desert
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Nov 16, 2011 - 10:04pm PT
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Small Fly/Large Trout
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Nov 16, 2011 - 11:43pm PT
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Looks like some of the small flies I used in northern New Mexico!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 17, 2011 - 01:23pm PT
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Just got the news from the IGFA (International Game Fish Association) that this sockeye salmon I caught in Alaska has been awarded the new world record! (all-tackle length) The fish was released alive to spawn after measurements were taken.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Nov 17, 2011 - 01:54pm PT
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Excellent Bob!
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 17, 2011 - 04:14pm PT
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Kudos B.G. on your accomplishment.
Dang, guys. I was plannin' on gettin' in shape to do the Nose next year, but now I just wanna go fishin.
Some beautiful fish posted here, would make Roland Martin proud.
I gotta few pics to post myself, if I can just find them...
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jahil
Social climber
London, Paris, WV & CA
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Nov 17, 2011 - 07:54pm PT
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That thing is a monster ! Congratulations
steve
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 17, 2011 - 08:01pm PT
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Woohoo!
I was so inspired by the latest fish posts, that I went to the "Glory Hole" on Choss Creek tonight.
The "Glory Hole" is on a small spring creek that dumps into Choss Creek and runs through a commercial fish hatchery on the way.
The fall spawning Brown Trout & our local “hatchery strain” of fall spawning Rainbow run up Choss Creek, then end up in the “Glory Hole” for spawning, since they can’t access the jump into the hatchery.
Best fishing is just at dark, or shortly after dark.
Biggest trout I’ve ever caught, including several that were around 10 lbs: have come out of the “Glory Hole”
Of course I had it to myself tonight------and usually.
After all, who the hell wants to go fish Choss Creek in Idaho?
Especially on a 35 degree F. evening, with rain overdue?
Luckily, the wolves weren’t around.
Froze my ass, and only caught about 30 “little fish” in 2 hours.
You think I would be able to find better fishing, by driving 10 miles from home.
Sigh, he, he, he.
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pocoloco1
Social climber
The Chihuahua Desert
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Nov 17, 2011 - 08:02pm PT
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Worthy !
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Nov 17, 2011 - 08:12pm PT
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Wow and I was impressed with my 5 fish limit at Berryessa last weekend:
Awesome job Bob that thing is a true beauty! I normally catch them silvery and 18-20", and think they are monster lol!
NOTE: I am normally a Catch and Release guy, but the Mrs asked me to keep for a family dinner fish fry.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 18, 2011 - 04:01pm PT
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Pate
Not a Very Large Trout, but I had fun releasing her. Secret stream in Oregon.
Note: I eat alot of fish too, so I partake in both venues of the sport, as appropriate.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Nov 18, 2011 - 05:03pm PT
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more rainbows
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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Nov 18, 2011 - 05:14pm PT
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 18, 2011 - 05:17pm PT
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Holy smokes, johnkelly. Puts my minnow to shame.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 18, 2011 - 05:41pm PT
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Feelio:
Don't recognize the awesome jack! Crevalle? I covet the fly caught rooster also. Nice trip to Baja, I take!!
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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Nov 18, 2011 - 05:44pm PT
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Yup! Crevalle indeed! good times in the sea of cortez....many heart stopping chases then refusals by roosters....ssuper curious, but tough to get them to eat. Damn cool fish.
Landed 3 in a week...no teasers or chum...and I was stoked on that! Lost a big one that was on for 20 minutes, then my leader popped (nick in it from needlefish I think).
gotta love the salt!
Cheers!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 18, 2011 - 07:37pm PT
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feelio, nice jack on the fly!
johnkelly, those are some real toutzillas!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Nov 18, 2011 - 07:57pm PT
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FeelioBar! those are some serious fish!
Johnkelly and others: They grow big in alaska it seems.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Nov 18, 2011 - 08:08pm PT
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Sheridan Anderson art... coming soon to shirts near you!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Nov 18, 2011 - 10:54pm PT
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A nice eight- or ten-pound laker caught in Algonquin Park in Ontario, about two or three days' paddle and portage from the nearest road. Caught him just after ice-out in May. Live released.
Note to self: find/scan photo of 29-lb laker from Lake Athabasca, northern Saskatchewan
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 19, 2011 - 07:34am PT
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Sweet laker, Pete - They feed near the surface up North.
First steelie on a fly. Worked hard for that one.
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sandstone conglomerate
climber
sharon conglomerate central
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Nov 19, 2011 - 08:54am PT
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Cool thread. Anyone here ever fish Guanaja? I think I'd go and never come back, based on what I've read.. Feelio, what wt. rod were you using on those jacks and roosters?
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Social climber
Retired to Appalachia
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Nov 19, 2011 - 10:53am PT
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Yes, cool thread. Nice to see there are so many "large trout" lovers here.
I tuck my trout down the left pant leg, you?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Nov 19, 2011 - 10:56am PT
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I'll be leaving for two months at my house in Patagonia on 12/5. Should have some photos to add to this thread when I return.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 19, 2011 - 01:22pm PT
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From the East Walker... a 'bow that wasn't starving.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 19, 2011 - 04:28pm PT
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 20, 2011 - 09:14am PT
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Awesome, guys!
Here's one for the grill. Not a trout this time.
Oregon coastal stream. Fresh in from the sea, full of Omega 3 fatty acids.
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sandstone conglomerate
climber
sharon conglomerate central
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Nov 20, 2011 - 09:26am PT
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Good eating. The porpoises will make a fine feast.
Rattlesnake, please keep posting those huge trout pics. My casting arm involuntarily twitches when clicking on them.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2011 - 01:04pm PT
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Tryin' to keep this thread alive.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2011 - 01:09pm PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2011 - 01:10pm PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2011 - 01:13pm PT
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Nov 20, 2011 - 01:16pm PT
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Sandstone C: Guanaja is a little paradise for sure
Great shots stimbo!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2011 - 01:22pm PT
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Bonefish..... they're high on my bucket list. Great job.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 20, 2011 - 04:04pm PT
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Stimbo,
That 10 lb class hen you're teasing us with - that's not a typical Klamath-system steelie. No marks - a native? Wait, adipose is missing.
Sweet fish - wet fly or nymphing??
I haven't been to the Trinity for years...we used to pull plugs, BITD.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2011 - 07:07pm PT
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@Rattlesnake -- you found the marker, the adipose fin. As you know, the clipped fin means a hatchery fish. Here's another image, a wild steelhead from a couple of weeks ago, my first non-hatchery fish. Stoker! I'm usually showing up on the Trinity after the water cools and gets higher so I'm usually nymphing. So far no success swinging flies. I think it merits a trip up there in September or early October when they are more willing to shred a fly on the swing. Anyway... the Trinity is an awesome place to fish.
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ruppell
climber
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Nov 20, 2011 - 07:35pm PT
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Nice guys. No photos here but 2 23" rainbows out of a lake on the east side today. Now here is the interesting thing. They where what I thought to be just fat females. I was wrong they both were carrying mature eggs. In November. Anyone else ever see this? My only guess is that there some cross breed. Either cutts or steelhead because both of those have multiple breeding seasons. Aplers are supposedly crossed with steelies. Could it be that after years of stocking the dna is getting mixed? Any thoughts?
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ruppell
climber
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Nov 20, 2011 - 07:55pm PT
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Fritz thanks for that. Guess if I would of read only 3 pages back I could of caught it. These fish were not hatchery fish though. All fins intact with slight abrasions on the tail fin. From scraping rock prior to laying eggs. Not from cement cages. Just makes you wonder if the dna has been crossed even with DFG attempt to keep it from not being so. Or like I said maybe a cross with steelhead which supposedly alpers are.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 20, 2011 - 09:09pm PT
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 21, 2011 - 06:04am PT
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This is the experience I'm always seeking...
Perfect place (Maligne Lake, Canadian Rockies)!
Companionable fishing guide who works for chocolate!
Fly caught 'bow (trolling counts here).
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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Nov 21, 2011 - 04:17pm PT
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Great fish everyone! And thanks Pate....that little gallo was hard won from the surf. I'm hooked.
All those fish came in on a Beulah Surf 9/10 weight.
Yo Pate...drop me a line before your next Rooster hunt....I'll float a few flies that seemed to work pretty well on them and the Jacks
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 21, 2011 - 04:40pm PT
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I still can't believe BG's trout. Look at the girth on that football!! What do they eat in that Eastern Sierra Lake!!
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 22, 2011 - 06:12am PT
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hard won from the surf...
Yeah...cruisin' down the Baja beach lookin for tail (avoiding the bikini-clad babes). Daquiri's at the palapa hut afterwards, while folks up north are drillin' holes thru the ice..
Jus kiddin!
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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Nov 23, 2011 - 12:52pm PT
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more like.....wind in your face, dodging a 3/0 hook, jellyfish, and puffers.....and battling a nasty hangover in the hot hot sun......f*#king brutal I tell ya.
but someone has to do it :)
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 26, 2011 - 03:44pm PT
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Some Yellowstone River color:
Not very large, but nice variety from one system.
BTW I'm not in favor of purging the non-native rainbows and browns. They got more between the ears than the cuts, IMO.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 29, 2011 - 11:59am PT
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It's hard not to like browns and 'bows.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 29, 2011 - 12:25pm PT
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Beeautiful, Stimbo!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 29, 2011 - 12:30pm PT
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Thanks, back at you. Good job on the Yellowstone. All I pinned were a couple of whitefish, "Rocky Mountain Bonefish." I would love to go back and explore. I did have a good day on the Shields (a tributary to the Yellowstone). Anyways, fun post.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 29, 2011 - 04:45pm PT
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Genetically engineered "designer trout" from Laguna Niguel lake, Orange County, CA
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Nov 29, 2011 - 07:07pm PT
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That designer trout is a bit scary! Do they live in higher temps?
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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Nov 29, 2011 - 07:36pm PT
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"designer trout"....i wish they would engineer them to bite my hook...
edit:
nice pics everyone. BG, you seem to be a master fisherman. thanks for sharing.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nov 30, 2011 - 05:57am PT
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BG seems to be "The Man" when it comes to fly fishing. Makes me wonder about the photos he hasn't shown us (yet).
Confession: I sometimes think fishing is more fun than climbing...but I never let on.
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mountain dog
Trad climber
over the hills and far away
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Nov 30, 2011 - 12:08pm PT
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Fall Colors.[photoid=227227]
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mountain dog
Trad climber
over the hills and far away
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Nov 30, 2011 - 12:10pm PT
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superboy
Trad climber
SF Bay Area
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Here are some excited kids and their first catch in August 2011 from Tioga Lake.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Fishing is really for kids (of all ages)...
Awesome color, mountain dog!!!
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Grampa
Trad climber
Orange County
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Dec 10, 2011 - 09:41am PT
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Not a trout, but a trophy. We fished Lac Des Isle in Saskatchewan this summer.
Son's Fish
My Fish:
Apparently, the park rangers were expecting us. This was inside the camp:
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 10, 2011 - 11:48pm PT
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It was 10 degrees this morning, so I waited until things warmed up before heading out. I was expecting an afternoon of dinks, but to my surprise I landed two nice 'bows. Enjoy.
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ruppell
climber
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Dec 11, 2011 - 12:27am PT
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Nice. Is Crowley still open? Owens? PVR? Inquiring minds wanna (never mind forgot about hot creek) know.
Nice either way
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 11, 2011 - 12:07pm PT
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Crowley is closed for the season however Hot Creek, PVR, Upper and Lower Owens are open year 'round. Upper O is the answer you are looking for.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Dec 18, 2011 - 10:46am PT
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(Note: Not a Trout. Apologize for the thread drift)
Here's a little Red from Texas Coast. Plenty of winter sunshine here...
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Dec 18, 2011 - 11:01am PT
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Nice Drum, RA!!!
I keep trying to get one when I visit my parents in Florida. I caught a little one last year, undersized.
Nice Northern upthread too!
(I don't think people mind non-trout posts...)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 18, 2011 - 02:28pm PT
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Caught and released this 45 lb. king salmon while fly fishing on the Smith River in northern California on Thursday. The battle was epic- lasted 40 minutes!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Dec 18, 2011 - 02:35pm PT
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Good Lord, Bob!!!!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Dec 18, 2011 - 02:55pm PT
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Bob has another lucky catch!
EDIT: Rattlesnake, I know a master fisherman when I see one. Bob is one of the very best.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Dec 18, 2011 - 04:04pm PT
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Very impressive, BG. Upriver kings don't eat flies without some coaxing.
Bob has another lucky catch
I suspect its not just luck..
Had any luck throwin' flies at the native steelies in the Smith? Some of them have shoulders...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 19, 2011 - 12:14am PT
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Had any luck throwin' flies at the native steelies in the Smith? Some of them have shoulders...
Never fished for steelhead, but I'm thinking of giving it a try on the Smith River this winter. They're already in on the Chetco River just to the north, and the next big rain should have them shooting up the Smith. The California state record steelhead (27 pounds) was caught on the Smith, and the run of big, wild steelhead remains strong there, although they are known to be elusive and not easy to catch.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 21, 2011 - 02:57pm PT
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tag+ bob gaines
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 21, 2011 - 03:14pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 21, 2011 - 06:22pm PT
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LOL.....Lucky for Mondo I'm a catch and release kind of fisherman.....
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Dec 21, 2011 - 06:42pm PT
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nice tami
Bob - I've got the same Bauer SL reel and sage Xi2!
I'm in awe.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 23, 2011 - 11:17pm PT
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mondo's grandpa, who weighed 50 pounds at the time of his death, now hangs on the wall of the ship ashore cafe in the tiny town of smith river, california, in a state of perpetual humiliation, having let his guard down just that one time....
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Dec 25, 2011 - 06:14pm PT
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AlpiniPete
Social climber
and a social drinker...
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Dec 26, 2011 - 12:35am PT
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I'll play!
Hot Creek area, 2011 season opener. Small fish, big fun!
Merry Christmas ST
Pete
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Dec 26, 2011 - 04:24pm PT
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Bring it on
"Even a fish wouldn't get in trouble if he kept his mouth shut", said Biggy's wife to Mondo.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Dec 26, 2011 - 05:28pm PT
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Trout on the cover of today's Rantburg
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 26, 2011 - 09:37pm PT
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OK, back to more fish porn...
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Dec 26, 2011 - 09:45pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 26, 2011 - 09:54pm PT
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nice hip waders
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dec 26, 2011 - 10:06pm PT
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TGT: I've got friends at Dan Bailey's in Livingston. What's that rod and reel? I can't quite tell from the photo?
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Dec 26, 2011 - 10:10pm PT
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"What's the rod and Reel????????" Jeeeezz.....who's the fly fisher???
Peace
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Dec 27, 2011 - 06:28am PT
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more fish porn
Mondo finds a willing partner...one of many I'm afraid. But this one was special. He could tell by the look on her face she was enjoying it as much as he...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Cool shot Bob.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Jan 14, 2012 - 07:24am PT
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Another Florida Keys bonefish. Handle with care...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 14, 2012 - 01:35pm PT
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Nice bonefish rattlesnake....NOTHIN like a bonefish for that first, reel screamin run!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 14, 2012 - 02:49pm PT
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jan 14, 2012 - 02:56pm PT
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Now we are getting into my usual kind of fishing experience.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 14, 2012 - 03:27pm PT
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Ounce for ounce, I'd say the bluegill is the hardest fighting freshwater fish!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 14, 2012 - 05:30pm PT
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I'm thinking fondly of 70 degree summer days & friendly Cutthroat on the S. Fork Snake R.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Jan 15, 2012 - 07:32am PT
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Now we are getting into my usual kind of fishing experience.
Looks like microlizards are suckers for a properly tied crab.
Were you throwin' at permit, Mike?
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jan 15, 2012 - 12:02pm PT
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I think I caught that monster lizard fish while casting for bones in the flats by Diamondhead.
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BLD
climber
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Jan 15, 2012 - 01:11pm PT
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American River Steel head.......Oh man we need some rain.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Jan 26, 2012 - 07:31am PT
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Good beginners article, craigQ.
I'm having a little trouble getting my mind around this, though
Casting up stream enables you to present your fly without drag - drag on your line makes your fly look funny to a fish. Casting gently up stream into slower moving water will give you a drag free drift.
If you cast a tight line upstream into slower moving water you will get drag right away.
You have to introduce slack in the sections of line moving the fastest by mending the line (or other techniques). Beginners need to start working on mending from day one if they want to catch trout in streams.
Just my $0.02 worth.
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Crag Q
Trad climber
Louisville, Colorado
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Jan 27, 2012 - 07:34pm PT
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Rattlesnake,
Thanks for taking the time read it and provide some feedback. I was thinking about the situation when you are situated directly down stream of a seam. But, I see what you mean. It's so hard to describe what water is doing especially when you throw your line on it. I'll see if I can edit that and make it better. This is the first thing I have ever written about fly fishing and the first thing I have written in quite a while.
Cheers!
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BLD
climber
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Jan 27, 2012 - 09:38pm PT
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The rain sure helped the fishing here!
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grover
climber
Dabville. Gnarlandia
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Jan 27, 2012 - 09:47pm PT
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Whatever Blair I've sharted out bigger hunks of corn.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 27, 2012 - 09:53pm PT
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Very nice!
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BLD
climber
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Jan 27, 2012 - 10:48pm PT
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Silver,
I agree this hen and others like it should be released. I always put them back with care. The adipose fin or lump you see is grow back from the clipped area. She was a hatchery fish. The reason this fish ended up on a stringer is that the hook ripped into the gills from the inside. She put up quite a fight in the current and then ran out of blood. I then reeled her into shore nearly bled out.
Even if a fish was born in a hatchery when they go to the ocean for 3 years or so I believe they are same as wild and should be put back so they are able to spawn.
Love this thread..
B
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BLD
climber
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Jan 27, 2012 - 11:21pm PT
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Bruce Kay,
Interesting read.
No wonder they grow back!
If we are to help the runs of any of these fish we need to provide passage to their original spawning grounds. I know we need the dams but when we built them we missed something.
Its not just about us humans and the Canadians.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 28, 2012 - 01:36am PT
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Random fishing scenics, enjoy
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BLD
climber
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Jan 28, 2012 - 01:41am PT
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Awesome!
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Abend
Social climber
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Jan 28, 2012 - 12:00pm PT
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Nice photos Stimbo! Thanks for sharing
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BLD
climber
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Jan 28, 2012 - 10:20pm PT
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So, my daughter asked if she could get one of her fishing pictures on the Fish Taco thread.....here it is.
Also a cropped photo of my friends (recent) catch.
26 lbs in Canada.
That fish gives me chills!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jan 29, 2012 - 01:34am PT
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wow - that is a monster steelhead. The Dean River?
Have been fishing the San Lorenzo for 21 seasons. Biggest steelhead was a 31" (maybe 14lbs) and it was a monster. Had to imagine that 26lb beast.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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A Texas trout of a different color. Very tasty!
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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from a totally rehabiitated fisherman, some other kinds of trout love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd8_fLqz3gk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=W57JAfeiKFk&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUvTYTIeIGU&NR=1&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziZYzZgwV9I&NR=1&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZENADxGCY&NR=1&feature=endscreen
do listen when you have time for all five movements. it'll take about 40 minutes. the 4th movement is the crux--at 3:13 comes a piano break that, in the right hands, develops a ragtime syncopation.
i love to play the trout this time of year--we're finally getting some winter storms, the snow will fly, it'll melt next spring, and the trout will be out!
(notice the geezer at the piano--those hands will never become arthritic--"old guys rule!")
----
and one more off kilter tidbit here, hard to post given my atheist streak, but it's great poetry:
Pied Beauty
Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
-- g.m. hopkins
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BLD
climber
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"wow - that is a monster steelhead. The Dean River?"
Mike Bolt,
That was on some private stretch of the Kispiox. They stayed at the Bear Claw Lodge.
B
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 11, 2012 - 11:20am PT
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BLD
climber
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Feb 14, 2012 - 06:54pm PT
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Nice fish Stimbo!
Here is a link to JD Ritchey's online mag. It's a great place for a random fishing fix. He also has up to date fishing reports for Nor Cal and So Oregon.
The Salmon fishing in the middle east movie he posted looks interesting too.
http://www.fishwithjd.com/
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 15, 2012 - 07:18pm PT
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Nice one stimbo.
Can't tell by the picture....where is that? Above Pleasant Valley res?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 16, 2012 - 03:33am PT
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Bob, that was the East Walker.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 16, 2012 - 11:34am PT
|
Beautiful.....low flows, big browns, and sunshine! Love that East Walker.
Here's a winter brown from the Lower O
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 16, 2012 - 12:01pm PT
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Feb 16, 2012 - 12:33pm PT
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beautiful shot stimbo, beautiful brown BG!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 16, 2012 - 02:43pm PT
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Wow Bob, very nice brown from the lower O.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Feb 16, 2012 - 03:35pm PT
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Everyone loves the Lower Owens. Mt. Humphreys behind, a Sierra classic.
Always wanted to float it, but never seem to bring my raft to Bishop. The good floats are downstream from here, I understand.
Beats bouldering, IMHO.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 16, 2012 - 05:11pm PT
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@ Silver -- Yeah, we heard about the Phantom. That guy was a classic east side character. Too bad.....
As for drifting the Lower O, it is done all the time (by a few guides). Some of the put ins and take outs are tricky, depending on the flows. It is a good idea to do some scouting before hand to figure out the lay of the land. The put ins are below 5 Bridges. Essentially you are drifting the section of water below Laws and opposite the airport.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Feb 20, 2012 - 04:23pm PT
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Bob has a good photographer...for whom he provides excellent specimens.
#18 beadhead midge of some kind??
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splitter
Trad climber
Hodad surfing the galactic plane
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Feb 20, 2012 - 05:04pm PT
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BG,
DAHUM! Nice Brown!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 20, 2012 - 10:18pm PT
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Bob has a good photographer...for whom he provides excellent specimens.
#18 beadhead midge of some kind??
Yep, thats a size 18 zebra midge.
My wife Yvonne is not only a great photographer, but a great fly tyer and fly fisherwoman too!
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corniss chopper
climber
breaking the speed of gravity
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Feb 24, 2012 - 08:17pm PT
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lake shore frying with a forced air wood stove :)yum!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Feb 24, 2012 - 10:29pm PT
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Silver: Re your photo of your fine drift boat in the tiny stream and your comment.
I have a 16 foot Clakacraft ready to go.
Have you renamed it the "Clattercraft" for the noise it makes dragging over rocks?
Sorry;)
Couldn't resist.
I'm just jealous, since our quiver of boats does not include a drift-boat or a bass-boat.
Our Aire Puma ain't a bad alternative, since I don't have to trailer it and we've run class IV rapids in it.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Feb 24, 2012 - 11:56pm PT
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Silver: I had a local guide/friend take me down the "long-float" part of the S. Fork Snake back in the mid 80's.
He likely didn't show me every "hot-spot" but he showed me some side channels.
I floated it almost yearly after that.
I still have dreams/nightmares about the Huge-Cut, that was the size of a fat Black-Lab puppy, in a side-steam hole . I had been fishing for Rainbows, and I was a little too fast on my hook-set for the Cut. Ripped the fly right out of his mouth.
If I had actually hooked it??
Would not have mattered in the contest. That 20 lb. + fish would have played me, and discarded me like I was a fat ugly girl.
Way too many boats on the S. Fork these days. Seems like everyone in E. Idaho has a drift boat.
Memories are usually better than reality.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Discount fishing "guide" on the Bighorn...same one that works all day for red wine and chocolate..
She puts me on fish, too...
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mountain dog
Trad climber
over the hills and far away
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Fished the Metolius today. Nothing large, but caught and released 6 mountain whitefish, 1 redside rainbow, and 1 young bull trout. All native fish. [photo[photoid=239602]id=239601]
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stonefly
Social climber
Alameda, California
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Cosmic!
WOW!
I'll be sharing that photo!
Thanks!
DOODE!
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Nice, Silver!!
Fun stuff mooching for fat silvers and chinooks
More than just fun...some good eatin' there. Catch-n-fillet for sure..
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 11, 2012 - 05:07pm PT
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splitter
Trad climber
Hodad surfing the galactic plane
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Mar 11, 2012 - 07:45pm PT
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"...off to being fertilizer."
Silver, looks like off to being a couple dozen 1lb. salmon steaks(unless their gettin mushy).
Stimbo--That's a big lunker fer the eastside!
Great shots everyone!!
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Mar 28, 2012 - 04:13pm PT
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More Florida fun.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Mar 28, 2012 - 05:50pm PT
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Whoa! A crevalle that size is a monster to get to hand. Is that a crab fly?
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Send
Trad climber
Central Sierra
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Mar 29, 2012 - 01:43am PT
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This guy was kinda large-ish. ~3lb. 14" Lower Kings River Rainbow, caught on a cream colored midge. deep-nymph-in-it.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 29, 2012 - 11:36am PT
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Although these aren't trout photos, they are fun fly fishing pix from Baja. Sight casting to rooster fish in the Sea of Cortez.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Mar 29, 2012 - 12:00pm PT
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Jack was caught off a mudding stingray on a crab fly (Merkin). Took 30 min to land on my 10 wt.
Jacks and other gamefish often follow stingrays that are digging, hoping they kick up a tasty delicacy like a crab or shrimp. The trails of mud are easy to spot on the flats and always worth investigating.
Note the Jack in this video. He will EAT your crab fly. You have to use care not to hook the ray.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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bajaandy
climber
Escondido, CA
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Mar 29, 2012 - 11:12pm PT
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Not what it appears. Or is it?
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Mar 30, 2012 - 03:52pm PT
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You been to Xmas island?
In my dreams...
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 10, 2012 - 01:01am PT
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It was a killer weekend of fishing. The Nevada side of the Truckee, then a river just up road from home.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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Apr 19, 2012 - 03:41pm PT
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Some really pretty color there, stimbo!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 28, 2012 - 12:08am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 28, 2012 - 01:42am PT
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bergbryce
Mountain climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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Apr 28, 2012 - 01:53am PT
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Bream. Nice.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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Apr 28, 2012 - 02:08am PT
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Nobody knows the Merced River tail race area below the Merced Falls DAMN I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT! I figure you trout-ists tend to safeguard your glory holes, but this is "Wyoming in my back yard" (my brother's phrase). If you get fed up up in Briceburg, drive to Snelling, then find the A-1 bait shop and ask for help.
OR CALL TIM:
http://www.anglerweb.com/companies/tim-bermingham-s-drift-boat-guide-service
Catch and release!
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Tattooed 1
Trad climber
Sebastopol, Ca
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Apr 30, 2012 - 06:50pm PT
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A couple of pics from last salmon / steelhead season
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 30, 2012 - 09:10pm PT
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Nice chinook from the Smith!
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Crag Q
Trad climber
Louisville, Colorado
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May 15, 2012 - 10:27pm PT
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A few from around the front range.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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May 17, 2012 - 06:05am PT
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A couple of pics from last salmon / steelhead season
...with sunshine and blue skies.....it doesn't get any better!!
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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May 20, 2012 - 12:35pm PT
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No photos today.
But this is a post from my brother a couple days ago on FB:
Fished below Merced Falls today. Did one drift, about a mile. I just wanted to see how the fishing is. I hooked 10 and boated and released 7 rainbows, fly fishing a nymph set-up. Saw lots of tiny grasshoppers, @ 1/4".
That should get going soon about the first week of June. Looks to be right on track.
Tim Bermingham's a pro fishing guide from Jamestown, does the Stan and Merced regularly with his drift-boat. There's a link posted on the April 27th page.
mfm
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 20, 2012 - 01:09pm PT
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Just got news from the IGFA (International Game Fish Association) that this chinook salmon I caught and released while fly fishing at the Smith River in Northern California has been awarded the new world record! (all-tackle length)
tag + bob gaines
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 20, 2012 - 02:31pm PT
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The all-tackle length record is for catch and release, and the record is based only on length, not weight, so the fish does not have to be weighed.
The fish must be measured and photographed properly on an official "IGFA measuring device" and the fish must be released alive, along with a bunch of other rules and documentation.
This record category has become more and more accepted by IGFA anglers and is a new direction for the IGFA (conservation), as trophy fish are not killed in the weigh-in process, as is the case for most really big fish in line-class and tippet-class records.
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Rattlesnake Arch
Social climber
Home is where we park it
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May 23, 2012 - 03:36pm PT
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Great job, Bob! It takes not only angling prowess, but also preparedness, to set IGFA records. And of course some good luck...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 23, 2012 - 09:11pm PT
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Thanks Rattlesnake. I got lucky with that one. It was my first king salmon on the fly.
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corniss chopper
climber
breaking the speed of gravity
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Sweden
Outdoor travel outfit called Vildmark offers self-guided river rafting trips
along the Klarälven during the summer months. This is a very hands-on trip,
and the 5-8 day journey begins with the construction of your raft. Under
the guidance of an Vildmark instructor you will lash together a raft from
readily available timber, complete with free standing tent. After a brief
overview of the river’s course you’ll be sent out to explore. You can also
rent mountain bikes, fishing supplies, and a canoe to bring along with you.
The raft drifts along at about normal walking speed, so there is plenty of
time for fishing, swimming, and conversing as you enjoy the scenic
riverside. At night you can put ashore to camp or anchor in one of the many
protected coves. After a few days, the ebbs and flow of life on the river
will become a steady rhythm. At the end the rafts are broken down and
you’re obliged to put your shoes back on and return to civilization. A sad
day to be sure.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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pocoloco1
Social climber
The Chihuahua Desert
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I’m jonesing for some river time;not being able to except your offer is torture.
I hope you have a great trip.
rain check
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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caught this carp today in my local polluted suburban creek....wishing I was fishing the salmon fly hatch on the south fork of the snake river with silver....
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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A shot from the Frost family scrapbook.
Zane Grey's son Romer with a then record 15 1/4 lb trout presumably a steelhead. Tom's father Jack worked for the Grey family on several fishing and boating expeditions on western rivers prior to marrying and settling into family life.
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mountain dog
Trad climber
over the hills and far away
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Jun 10, 2012 - 02:52pm PT
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YES!
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 16, 2012 - 01:30pm PT
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South Lake outside Bishop. Memorial Day. 9lbs 6oz on a minijig.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 27, 2012 - 06:25pm PT
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Just got back from a quick trip to the eastern sierra, fly fishing around the bridgeport area. Caught and released this monster rainbow (possibly with a bit of cutthroat in it's lineage) 11 lbs! on a size 12 fly.
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jun 27, 2012 - 06:29pm PT
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Look at that fatty! Whoo-hoo.
Type of fly? (unless it is a trade secret ;-)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 27, 2012 - 06:37pm PT
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Got it on a size 12 callibaetis nymph (a denny rickard pattern)
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pocoloco1
Social climber
The Chihuahua Desert
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Jun 27, 2012 - 06:42pm PT
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Very nice;steroids?
edit: "steroids?" I wasn’t referring to the fish. I was asking if you had any help landing that marano.
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jun 27, 2012 - 06:59pm PT
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Perfect. Thanks BG. Headed to the West side tomorrow.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 28, 2012 - 12:49pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 29, 2012 - 11:36am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Aug 10, 2012 - 12:40pm PT
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I couldn't find the "Very Small Trout Lover's Thread."
From Baboon Lake last weekend. You should have seen the ones we let go!
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Grampa
climber
from SoCal
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Aug 10, 2012 - 02:59pm PT
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Nice Dee! Are those red/orange fish Goldens?
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Aug 10, 2012 - 05:42pm PT
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Good eye Ron!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 10, 2012 - 06:34pm PT
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Nice brookies!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 12, 2012 - 02:49am PT
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just got back from alaska...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 12, 2012 - 02:52am PT
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caught some nice salmon...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 12, 2012 - 02:54am PT
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The Dude
climber
Truckee, CA
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Sep 12, 2012 - 03:38am PT
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Sep 12, 2012 - 04:36am PT
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hey there big boy, wanna see my big trout?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 12, 2012 - 10:45am PT
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Sierra brookies, they generally don't get that big, but they sure are a feast for the eyes.
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ruppell
climber
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Sep 12, 2012 - 10:57am PT
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Stimbo
Wanna go for some big brookies sometime? I just got back from a trip up near big brookie land but went climbing instead of fishing. Did catch a couple of 14" Lahontan Cutties on the way to the cliff though. I'm down in Bishop so if you wanna get out let me know.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 12, 2012 - 11:03am PT
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Ruppell -- I'm in. If you PM me, I can send you a phone number. Thanks.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Sep 12, 2012 - 11:14am PT
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Well....Supposed to be headin' for Humphreys but got flaked on so I guess I'll be goin' fishin'.BG-Carp in Bridgeport Res???Wow,I never knew.Caught a massive one down here on the lower O a couple years ago.24" actually.Good fighters but thats about it.Brookies rule!Ya know that's not even trout,right?Alright,headin out.Awesome day.Have a great one folks!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 12, 2012 - 01:10pm PT
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Ya know that's not even trout,right
yer right...it's a char
here's the alskan version, called a dolly varden
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 12, 2012 - 01:19pm PT
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BG-Carp in Bridgeport Res???Wow,I never knew.
Tons of carp in bridgeport res.
Only time you can effectively target and catch them (fly fishing) is in the spring (June is probably best) when they come into the shallows, as you need to sight fish for 'em.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Sep 12, 2012 - 01:33pm PT
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we were in alaska about a month ago. here's me and my italian cousin, stefano, who met with us for fishing. stefano's a commercial fisherman in the mediterranean, so it was a busman's holiday for him.
stefano holding some of the resurrection bay catch. that nice silver is his, but the yellow-eyed rockfish was caught by my wife, mariko, and, man, did it ever live up to its reputation on the table.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Sep 13, 2012 - 09:51am PT
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... Back at the ranch house, after we displayed our trophies, we began wondering what we were going to do with so many fish. This started a series of typical cowboy tall tales on "how to cook a carp". The best of these yarns was told by a grizzled old vaquero, who claimed he had made his great discovery when he ran out of food while camping on a tributary of the Rio Grande. He said that he had found the finest way to cook a carp was to plaster the whole fish with a thick coating of fresh cow manure and bury it in the hot ashes of the campfire. In an hour or two, he said, the casing of cow manure had become black and very hard. He then related how he had removed the fish from the fire, broken the hard shell with the butt of his Winchester and peeled it off. He said that as the manure came off, the scales and skin adhered to it, leaving the baked fish, white and clean. He then ended by saying, "Of course, the carp wasn't fit to eat, but the manure tasted pretty good" ...
It was my brother who finally devised a method of cooking carp that not only made it fit for human consumption, but delicious. First, instead of merely scaling the fish, he skinned them. Then, taking a large pinch, where the meat was thickest, he worked his fingers and thumb into the flesh until he struck the median bones, then he worked his thumb and fingers together and tore off a handful of meat. Using this tearing method, he could get two or three good-sized chunks of flesh from each side of the fish. He then heated a pot of bland vegetable shortening, rubbed the pieces of fish with salt and dropped them into the hot fat. He used no flour, meal, crumbs or seasoning other than the salt. They cooked to a golden brown within a few minutes, and everyone pronounced them "mighty fine eating". The muddy flavor seemed to have been eliminated by removing the skin and large bones. The forked bones were still there, but they had not been multiplied by cutting across them, and one only had to remove several bones still intact with the fork from each piece of fish ...
A good forager will take advantage of the lax regulations on carp fishing while they last. When all fishermen realize that the carp is really a good fish when prepared the right way, maybe this outsized denizen of our rivers and lakes will no longer be considered a pest and will take his rightful place among our valued food and game fishes.
--from "How to Cook a Carp" in "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" by Euell Gibbons
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 13, 2012 - 01:49pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 20, 2012 - 09:37pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 23, 2012 - 02:42pm PT
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Sep 24, 2012 - 11:02am PT
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From this weekend, wooohooo! So stoked!
Posted to a different forum:
---------
OK so I am slacker. I started this year off hot and heavy, signed up for AOTY and had every intention of laying waste to the local fisheries. The only thing left in my mind was uploading all the pictures to AOTY. Unfortunately, life gets in the way of even the best laid plans, and this year turned out to be a work year of epic proportions! Not too mention, many other things seemed to be taking off: Access work with a Rock Climbing Non-Profit, getting into archery, staring to run again and then ending up with a torn medial meniscus leading to surgery scheduled Oct 25th!
Now the above is not why I call myself a slacker. No, that stuff is relatively mild compared to my greatest sin...fishing and not making a Members Report. "Bless me Father, for I have sinned!" (Think Tammy and Jim Baker, mascara running and all!) I have fished Berryessa at least 2 times, the Delta at least two times, and my little local ditch without so much as a peep. I have managed a new recruit to kayak fishing who is avidly devouring all that there is about it. Ahh the exuberance of youth, and he has managed to accompany me on these clandestine outings.
He has asked a few times if I was going to make a post, to which of course I replied, "Of course", but of course should've been read as "Off Course" since the closest I got to writing up anything was responding to yet another work email....Except for today...Today is a great word, especially when pair with "Except for". It's a new beginning, a fresh start of hopefully epic consequence. From a fishing perspective, it is a goodbye to the skunk train and hello to the promised land, or at least we hope so, eh?
Today was defined as a 5AM departure from Vacaville, heading to Rio Vista and finding a free place to launch somewhere near the bridge. I have done the carry from the parking lot at the Fishing Pier down the rip rap, not going to do it again. We had done the Brannan Island up to the Ferry a few weekends ago, and while it is doable, it can be tough, especially considering the winds. Instead we elected to scope out some of the pullout to the north of the bridge on the west side via River Road. Previously I had drove up to the ferry and had made a few mental notes to check a couple of the pull outs "out" but never got around to it. Today we would find one. Sure enough the 2nd one we looked at found it to be exactly where we wanted to be and a perfectly flat launch. The only crapper thing is it is kind of "Rubiconesque" for those without 4 wheel drive as it would be very easy to bottom out getting it, and out of it as we discovered. Next time we will take my 4WD which will crush it :) We geared up at dark and soon was on the water!
Previously, my buddy on his 1st attempt at salmon fishing in the Delta had hooked into what appeared to be a nice fish only to have it break off at the boat before he could land it. I saw the splash and reminded all too well my "close call" from the AR last year. I wanted to make sure all would be smooth if I got the chance, so I rerigged both poles with 20 lbs. Turns out my chance came early. Within the 1st hour of trolling, a pole running a yellow Mepps Fly-C just got smacked. I reeled down tight and found my drag was too loose. I made the classic mistake.
I cranked the drag down tighter by a few turns and everything was going as plan until about 20 feet out. The fish had made a few short runs, which I realize now were probably shorter than they should've been due to the tight drag. I felt the start of a strong run, a signle sharp tug and a snap. Sh#t, did I really just blow my home run chance? I told Ronnokk about it when he paddled up and looked at the pure crushing defeat that must've been etched on my face. As I fish more and more, I realize the inedible nature this occurring which fishing for bog gish, breakoffs, but the sting is always so feared and unexpected that nothing can really prepare you for it. LESSON LEARNED: Loosen the drag and give them all the run they want! Oh well, it was still early, time to give it more shots.
Two more passes and I found myself hooking right to avoid a head-on with an incoming boat. I shifted the rudder, made a few quick peddles, and my Silvertron (red beads) pole just got train wrecked. This time I was going to make it stick! Only problem was when I grabbed the pole I pulled the whole rod holder apparatus out of the scotty mount, LOL, I kept the drag loose, I let him run, I managed my yaks position so that I wouldn't tangle with my second line. All in all, I felt I played it pretty cool and even managed to get the rod holder off of my reel about 1/2 way through the fight!
After about a 5-10 minutes of fight I had him next to the yak. When I first saw him, I shouted out, “Its HUGE!!!” I wasn't really expecting something that big too be honest. I immediately was concerned. Why? I had brought a smaller net than I usually do for unknown reason. While in the garage earlier that morning, I looked at my larger net before packing and said “nah” and grabbed a smaller one. Sure enough when I got the salmon next to the yak, I could only get 1/2 of the fish into it! This really pissed him off and him and his hook nose decided to make about 10 consecutive bottom runs every time I brought him up!
I was getting worried as he was really thrashing on the surface and really putting the hammer down on his runs. The odds of a break-off or hook spit seemed to be rising. I weathered each as they came and kept bringing him back up. Finally it all lined up and he dove right as I shoved the net under him. His momentum “scrunched” most of him in the net and I was able to grab his tail with my left hand and the net in the right and hoisted him up into the yak between my legs. I immediately put the Suzanne Summers leg squeeze on him, grabbed my knife and shived him right into the brain. I just didn't want to risk anything silly like a deck flop launch or on the clip and somehow him getting off.
I let out a woot and a holler that was so loud, that talking to people later in the day they thought I had lost it! My friend came over for closer inspection and echoed my thoughts, this thing was a beauty! It was pretty cool having a bud there watching the fight and shouting words of encouragement. Too boot, I was being circled by boats watching me fight it. Kinda felt like a rockstar to be honest. We paddled over to the shore so that I could bleed it and stuff it in my hull as to keep fishing.
Paddled back out and tried some more and as the temps went up, however the bite seemed to die off. We decided to do some bass / sunfish fishing in Steamboat Slough where we each caught a few small ones, which kept the psych high. At slack tide, we cam back out and tried a few more passes to no avail. Conditions were warm but there was absolutely no wind, which as most of you know, is pretty much unheard of in the Delta!
Although we only got one fish, the smile on my face was permanent and from the soul. This fish is my PB of any species. I didn't bring an ice chest so I elected for the two trash bags filled with ice to get it home. My buddy and his family came over tonight where we BBQ'd up one of the 4 family pack size vacuum bags that I made from a fish of this size. What a day!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 24, 2012 - 11:12am PT
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Righteous catch brother!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 24, 2012 - 08:58pm PT
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Nice chinook there roughster!
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Sep 26, 2012 - 07:00pm PT
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Great story! How large was this trout?
Human finger found in Idaho trout is traced to wakeboarder who lost digits in June accident
By The Associated Press | Associated Press – 20 hrs ago
SPOKANE, Wash. - A human finger found inside a fish at Idaho's Priest Lake has been traced to a wakeboarder who lost four fingers in an accident more than two months earlier.
Fisherman Nolan Calvin found the finger while he was cleaning the trout he caught Sept. 11. He put it on ice and called the Bonner County, Idaho, sheriff's office, the Spokesman-Review newspaper reported.
Detectives were able to get a fingerprint off the severed digit. They matched it to a fingerprint card for Haans Galassi, 31, of Colbert, Washington, and called him Tuesday morning.
Investigators learned that Galassi lost four fingers from his left hand in a June 21 accident on the same lake where the fish was caught.
"The sheriff called me and told me he had a strange story to tell me," Galassi said Tuesday. "He said that a fisherman was out on Priest Lake, and I pretty much knew exactly what he was going to say at that point.
"I was like: Let me guess, they found my fingers in a fish."
The fish was caught about eight miles (13 kilometres) from where Galassi had lost his fingers, the sheriff's office said.
Galassi had been on a camping trip at the scenic lake when he decided to go wakeboarding. He told the newspaper his hand got caught in a loop in the towline, and he couldn't pull it out before the line tightened behind the boat that was going to pull him.
When he finally broke free, he didn't feel much pain. But then he looked at his hand.
"I pulled my hand out of the water and it had pretty much lopped off all four fingers," he said. "It was a lot of flesh and bone, not a lot of blood."
He was taken by helicopter to a Spokane hospital.
Galassi has been undergoing therapy twice a week for his injured hand. He still has half of his index and pointer fingers on that hand.
"I can still grip things and grab and hold the steering wheel with it," Galassi said.
The sheriff's office offered to return the finger, but Galassi declined.
"I'm like, 'uhhh, I'm good,'" he said.
Detective Sgt. Gary Johnston of the sheriff's office said the agency will keep the digit for a few weeks in case Galassi changes his mind.
"There's still three more, too," Johnston said. "It's hard to say where those are going to end up."
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corniss chopper
climber
breaking the speed of gravity
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Sep 26, 2012 - 10:39pm PT
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Not sure if it was 'Mobey the Trout' or 'Jefe Line Snapper' and/or his relatives but they took several of my lures in this Sierra lake.
Can you name it?
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The Dude
climber
Truckee, CA
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Sep 27, 2012 - 12:58am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 28, 2012 - 06:15pm PT
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Sep 28, 2012 - 06:25pm PT
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The bigger the rainbow gets, the more beautiful they are, and not just from a fisherman perspective.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 29, 2012 - 02:30pm PT
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Sep 29, 2012 - 02:45pm PT
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I can't claim it was big at 14", but it stripped 50' of line off my reel.
I wasn't sure the size 18 dry fly would hold it.
Shore makes a pretty photo!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Sep 29, 2012 - 08:14pm PT
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Getting line stripped can be a bitch Fritz. My suggestion is get a nice sturdy bait reel, fill it up with 20lb. test and tighten down on the drag reeaall hard.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Sep 29, 2012 - 10:56pm PT
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Donini!
Getting line stripped can be a bitch Fritz. My suggestion is get a nice sturdy bait reel, fill it up with 20lb. test and tighten down on the drag reeaall hard.
Fly-fishing is to spin fishing
as--
trad is to
Sport-climbing!
A little teaching and you will be a:
Fly-player --
instead of being--
a--
Master-Baiter!
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Sep 29, 2012 - 11:45pm PT
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More chrome from today!!! Tasted delicious!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 30, 2012 - 03:57pm PT
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fill it up with 20lb. test and tighten down on the drag reeaall hard.
Donini:
You got that right! 20 lb is very hard to break. As long as the fish isn't surging or on a run, you can pretty much pull as hard as you can and not break 20 lb., even with a giant fish. When I'm fly fishing for the big ones I always go with 20 lb tippet.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 30, 2012 - 04:15pm PT
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Grampa
climber
from SoCal
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Oct 14, 2012 - 11:20pm PT
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After a year of waiting, my sons northern pike has come home. Caught in 2011, Lac Des Isles, Saskatchewan. About 42 inches and 22lbs. ( My buddy got so excited after weighting the fish, he dropped the scale overboard! )
The mount cost $750 Canadian, which was a very fair price. I think my taxidermist in Edmonton got a kick out of a California client with family local. Anyways, only $825 US, since our dollar is worth LESS than the Canadian Dollar.
I know a great taxidermist in Edmonton if anyone wants a contact.
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dipper
climber
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Oct 15, 2012 - 12:52am PT
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roughster,
what kind of fish is that chrome beauty up there?
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Oct 15, 2012 - 01:07am PT
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1000% chinook :) I switched species this weekend and decided to go for linesides. 21" and 25" made my limit. Not sure what is better, FA's or hanging with Bros scratching up fish:
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Oct 15, 2012 - 02:10am PT
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Oct 15, 2012 - 04:04am PT
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^^^^^^^
Yeah. who has some good Pike or Musky shots? Those Sturgeon aren't fish, they're gd dinosaurs.
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this just in
climber
north fork
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Oct 16, 2012 - 09:46pm PT
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All from the North Fork of the San Joaquin. Had a monster break my line as I was pulling him outta the water, but landed these guys.
Not big, but like this pic
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 22, 2012 - 03:07pm PT
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"This Just In"
Size ain't everything, not when you can jump.
Who's the fittest fish in the forest, father?
Any fish that'll fit in the pan, son.--the survivalist tales
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Oct 23, 2012 - 09:54pm PT
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rurprider
Trad climber
Mt. Rubidoux
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Oct 28, 2012 - 10:52pm PT
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Bob.....My vote is you'd jump too, probably multiple times, if someone slammed a 3/0 hook into your mouth parts!!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Some steelhead from the Trinity River last weekend. Enjoy.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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nice fish stimbo!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Thanks Bob. Here's one more.....
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tallguy
Trad climber
eastside
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Nice fish! what part of the trinity had fish?
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Nice fish!Gorgeous.I love the Trinity.The Alps are awesome.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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We fished Junction City down towards Del Loma. It was all good.
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Timmc
climber
BC
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My son was pretty stoked.
From a small lake in the Rocky Mountian Trench.
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little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 14, 2012 - 04:04pm PT
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The second trip to the Trinity....
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 14, 2012 - 08:57pm PT
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Nice ones Stimbo....what'd ya catch 'em on?
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Abend
Social climber
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Nov 14, 2012 - 09:08pm PT
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Timmc,
Were you fishing from a canoe or is that a float tube? You son should be very proud of that monster!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 14, 2012 - 11:28pm PT
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They were mostly hatchery fish, out of 9 steelhead (two trips), 3 were wild, the remainder were hatchery. This recent trip, they were taking red copper johns, though I did get one on the swing with a silver hilton. Two weeks ago, the 2 wild fish I stuck were taken on a posse bugger, essentially a suped up hairs ear. The others took golden stones. It has been a great season so far.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 15, 2012 - 11:20am PT
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excellent beta!
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Timmc
climber
BC
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Nov 15, 2012 - 11:33am PT
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Abend:
We were trolling with flies paddling an old Walden plastic kayak. Never been a canoe person.
Yes, my son was very proud and in fact went back looking for that same lake this year- Landed nothing like this one.
Thanks
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bentelbow
climber
spud state
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Nov 15, 2012 - 12:48pm PT
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Last week in eastern Oregon
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FeelioBabar
Trad climber
One drink ahead of my past.
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Dec 22, 2012 - 12:26pm PT
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My first Permit on my own fly...guess I will retire from permit fishing now.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 22, 2012 - 10:29pm PT
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Permit are so cool looking, great job! As it has been puking snow all day long, tropical fishing is looking mighty nice and inviting.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Dec 22, 2012 - 11:19pm PT
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I've got a picture of a big brown someplace - either 16 1/2 or 15 1/2 pounds, can't remember. Off the Pickering Nuclear Station - Whitby, Ontario east of Toronto on Lake Ontario - in January or February back in the 80's probably.
Man, it was so easy to catch those things at night. Troll along a body bait under the lights.
No viable launch ramp - car toppers only portaged in across the beach. Fishin' in the tin can at temps of minus 15 or 20 C in the dark. Ice coating the boat and rod guides.
Lakers in the day time, fish the thermal plume, where the warm water - 10C or so - from the reactors met the cold Lake Ontario water. Killer lure was a dark green/silver AC Shiner.
Anyone here know what the AC stands for?? Free beer on the bridge for the correct answer.
Man, gotta find that photo...
Browns in Lake Ontario - dumbest ass trout ever. But native browns in the stream - smartest bastards you ever tried to catch. [never caught one, actually]
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 23, 2012 - 12:48am PT
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Nice permit felio, and nice fly. Looks like a merkin style crab pattern? What did you use to tie the body?
From the Yucatan?
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ruppell
climber
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Dec 23, 2012 - 12:59am PT
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Anyone here know what the AC stands for?? Free beer on the bridge for the correct answer.
All Hail Google
The joys of the information age.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Dec 23, 2012 - 01:06am PT
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Feelio - where did you get that permit? Had a bunch of good shots off Honduras last March but no takers.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 24, 2012 - 02:23pm PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Cool looking salmon Bob. Congratulations!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Stimbo,
Nice Trinity steelhead!
The Smith is tough...but isn't that a beautiful river?
Goin to Pyramid Lake, NV in a couple weeks.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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I'm off to Andros Island for a week at the end of March - anybody been there and have beta?
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Crag Q
Trad climber
Louisville, Colorado
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Mar 13, 2013 - 09:31pm PT
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Front Range Brown Brown Trout
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Mar 25, 2013 - 07:43pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 10, 2013 - 09:06pm PT
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Just got back from Pyramid Lake, Nevada.
Caught this monster cutthroat trout on a size 12 midge!
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Apr 10, 2013 - 10:34pm PT
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Wow! Nice fish ;-)
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Fogarty
climber
BITD
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Apr 10, 2013 - 10:45pm PT
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I started young, and like all it just gets bigger.
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Fogarty
climber
BITD
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Apr 10, 2013 - 10:47pm PT
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BG you sure get it done!
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Fogarty
climber
BITD
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Apr 10, 2013 - 10:49pm PT
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Where are the gold ones taken in this photo I was 16 years young?
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Apr 10, 2013 - 11:26pm PT
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Looks like they may be extinct.....
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2013 - 11:44am PT
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Apr 11, 2013 - 12:23pm PT
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Agree Ron. Seen some BEASTS come out of there as I am sure BG has as well. Still a fish I would be proud of!
My last few trips have all been focused Stripers. Nothing too big to report ~10 lbs being the biggest, but the bite is on for the spring Striper run in the Delta!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 11, 2013 - 01:00pm PT
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Bob.... Nice Fish ya caught there.
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Apr 11, 2013 - 02:28pm PT
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Ron. You are talking pounds not inches I believe..... ;-)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2013 - 04:59pm PT
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I lost one we all thought to be close to thirty bitd. It was HUGE- and the lake was somewhat clear- could see her ten feet down or more. i wept...
The all-tackle record for cutthroat is 41 pounds (39 inches long), caught at Pyramid Lake in 1925.
Any trout over 30 inches is a big one to me!
The really big ones usually find a way...to get away.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2013 - 05:52pm PT
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Hi Ron,
You got any pictures of some of your big ones from Pyramid?
This was my first time there, and I fell in love with the place.
The whole fishing from a ladder thing was great fun.
From what I've read they found the original pyramid lake lahontan strain
(that was extinct in the lake) from a stream near Pilot Peak, NV, that
must have been transplanted back in the old days (confirmed by DNA match
from some of the old fish mounts) and re-introduced the pure strain in
2006. A 24 lb er came out this season. It's called the pilot peak strain
and you can tell the difference because they clipped the adipose fins.
They're talking 30 pounders within a few years!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2013 - 10:14pm PT
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a replica mount of the Pyramid Lake all-tackle world record
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Apr 11, 2013 - 10:58pm PT
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Corny, I recognized it before I read the sign. At the lower of the two, I caught a 15" rainbow on every cast, literally.
This lake is famous, but the best fishing is not in the lake, but in the deep, cold, ponds in the forest behind the beach.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2013 - 11:16pm PT
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the real record replica (41 + lbs) is in the Carson City State Museum,, and it was shaped like a football with fins..That fish although maybe the same weight, doesnt share the dimension of the fish in the carson state museum.. And it was done decades ago..That one above looks like a lake trout blank to be honest..
The 41# was caught in 1925 by Jon Skimmerhorn,, 39" 41 + lbs! It was never entered as the official world record though!
Your'e right Ron, it does look like a laker, or maybe a female chinook salmon! I'd like to see a picture of the real fish, although the mount is probably severly dilapidated by now.
The 1925 Skimmerhorn fish is lised on the IGFA web site as the all-tackle world record for cutthroat trout (41 pounds 0 ounces)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2013 - 11:39pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 12, 2013 - 10:34pm PT
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This is the average size fish you'll catch at pyramid lake, nevada
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Apr 14, 2013 - 11:22pm PT
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Size #12.......Midge?
Well...I guess you use a Lahontan midge to catch a Lahontan cutthroat.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Apr 14, 2013 - 11:39pm PT
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BG-Tungsten Bead headed Docs Twin Lake Special???
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 17, 2013 - 07:46pm PT
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troutbreath
climber
Kanada
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Apr 17, 2013 - 09:07pm PT
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kokanee taste great
so do coho
trouts are not bad
but I really like crab
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 17, 2013 - 10:23pm PT
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Bitd, we used a black wooly worm with a red bit to the tail, on a slip sinker arrangement of about 30" of leader. Spin gear of course.;-) Moved NO MORE that one stinkin inch at a time. Heinously slow in the cold from waders.,.
ahhh...the good 'ol days!
That blockhouse fish is a real lunker
nice shots Ron!
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Here is my prize from this weekend:
31" and 20 lbs. Caught trolling a small wiggling hoochie in 90 feet of water actually targetting kokanee. I was trolling on a down rigger at 20'. This beast smacked my ultralight kokanee pole running 6lbs test.
The fight took 30 minutes. It got tangled in my other line from the other pole, cleared it. It got caught up in my downrigger, cleared it. Reeled up both the other pole and the downrigger while I was fighting this thing. One of the best fishing fights I have ever had. If you want to watch it, all 30 mins:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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May 12, 2013 - 11:39pm PT
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¡El Torito! ¡Ole!
I was sorry to harvest this little beauty.
My fly tore up his gill during the fight.
He was a fine fish, a team player. He teamed up well with my scrambled eggs this morning.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 16, 2013 - 09:42pm PT
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 16, 2013 - 11:42pm PT
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 16, 2013 - 11:50pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 17, 2013 - 12:06am PT
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Awesome fish JohnKelly
Middle Kenai below Skilak Lake?
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 17, 2013 - 12:15am PT
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Some of them are. There's big fish in a lot of systems here. I've been more into exploring the Susitna River lately.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 17, 2013 - 12:19am PT
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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May 17, 2013 - 12:22am PT
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AWESOME PHOTOS & THE fish are awesome too.
My fav is the drift-boat and nothing but snow.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 17, 2013 - 12:33am PT
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It was about a mile of dragging the boat across the frozen lake to get to the open water
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Mr Roy
climber
Seattle
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May 17, 2013 - 03:15am PT
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Damn !!!! You guys suck !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Nice BG!
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Here's the biggest trout I ever caught.
Naw... I'm just kidding, that's a Green Sunfish I caught on a tube jig and released last month on Lake Powell, AZ.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 15, 2013 - 12:50am PT
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"Tropical" fish are living in the high country.
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Jun 15, 2013 - 01:00am PT
|
Quite the looker there Stimbo.
The zemblence between your Golden and my Cut on the previous page could be termed, familial.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jun 15, 2013 - 03:55am PT
|
Dudes in Alaska get all the fun.
Hopefully I get some Striper pics this weekend. We're hunting!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 15, 2013 - 01:00pm PT
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Here are a couple of other Goldens we caught. They illustrate the variety of trout coloration from yesterday. These were all caught (and released) at the same lake. The color schemes were amazing and very similar to Shady's cutthroat on the previous page. And to top off the amazing day, at the lake's outlet I came upon a perfect set of lion tracks freshly pressed into the sand.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 15, 2013 - 03:13pm PT
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Stimbo - wow!
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 15, 2013 - 06:04pm PT
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Still lots of pure goldens up in the high country. You just have to know where to go. With the early ice out this year I bet it's going off right now. I wish I had some free time this month to get in there but such is life. Maybe a day trip next weekend if I can manage it. It's hard to decide between climbing and fishing when I'm in the alpine. lol
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Jun 15, 2013 - 10:39pm PT
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Oh-ho yes stimbo!
Epic day envy hitting me hard!
Catching those, on what looks to be a 4 wt. ? Sweet-ness!
I thought Goldens were only available above 9000' , if what Ron sez is true mine could have been a Goldie. Picked mine up at 7800'. (#16 BWO)
edit: I'll bet after seeing those tracks, your situational awareness went up a few points. =D
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 15, 2013 - 11:41pm PT
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nice goldens stimbo!!!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 16, 2013 - 10:20pm PT
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... and Happy Father's Day to me ......
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Jun 16, 2013 - 10:41pm PT
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Gumby question here - but for fly fishing - what size hook would you suggest for trout in the 2-3 pound range?
Setting would be feeder creeks about 15 feet wide at the most with depths of 1 to 3 feet. Heavy brush overhangs with minimal free space from the bank.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Jun 16, 2013 - 11:02pm PT
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Ladd's first fish caught all by hisself--a decent rainbow that put up a lil' fight :-)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 16, 2013 - 11:44pm PT
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Gumby question here - but for fly fishing - what size hook would you suggest for trout in the 2-3 pound range?
Depends...think about what you're trying to imitate.
If your trout are surface feeding you'll see that, and dry flys will work. Take a look around and see what's hatching and what's dropping on the water and try to imitate the color/size. A good all purpose dry fly is the Adams, size 12.
If the trout aren't surface feeding, roll over some rocks and look for nymphs and try to imitate the size/color.
A good all purpose nymph is the Hare's Ear, size 14.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 16, 2013 - 11:46pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 16, 2013 - 11:56pm PT
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Jun 16, 2013 - 11:59pm PT
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Thanks BG - I've recently been dabbling with the Arcane Arts after years as a plug chunker.
I've been using 5s and 7s and either missing the set or having the fish throw it off instantly.
I have been using Parachutes for the evening hatch and Bead Heads now that nymphs are crawling around the rocks - just need to change the sizing and give it another try.
Thanks again.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 17, 2013 - 10:18am PT
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Bob, that bluegill is amazing. What an amazing looking fish. I haven't caught one of those since I was a kid.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 17, 2013 - 11:00am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 19, 2013 - 01:01am PT
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Jun 19, 2013 - 09:02pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 19, 2013 - 11:26pm PT
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Is that a 5.9 weight?
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Jun 19, 2013 - 11:43pm PT
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Spot on!
Familiar with the inscription there BG!
Knew you would be.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 19, 2013 - 11:59pm PT
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I've been using 5s and 7s and either missing the set or having the fish throw it off instantly.
I have been using Parachutes for the evening hatch and Bead Heads now that nymphs are crawling around the rocks - just need to change the sizing and give it another try.
A lot of times if your dry flies are too big, you will get false strikes... they chicken out at the last second and don't commit to the bug. Error on the side of small, dries or nymphs. Some of those golden trout pictured above were taken on size 26 midges.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 20, 2013 - 12:15am PT
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for those goldens id be tossin a 1" twist tail grub in smoke or clear sparkle. on a 1/32 0z head..
That would work....
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sac
Trad climber
Sun Coast B.C.
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Jun 26, 2013 - 01:41pm PT
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Another Lad's first fish, caught all by himself.
I suggested we let it go... and not kill it, But said your fish, your call.
There was no question, no discussion, we're eating it he said.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Trying to keep the thread alive......
Great colors on that golden Jon! "Tropical" fish in the backcountry. I love those things.
From Friday..... big rainbows.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from an eastern sierra trip. My wife Yvonne caught and released this lunker...the biggest rainbow trout I've ever seen caught. It bottomed out my 15 lb. scale so I took measurements: length 35 inches, girth 21 inches!
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ruppell
climber
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That is one big fish. Alpers ranch? Sadly I'm trying desperately to figure out the location by the reeds in the background. You've given so little to go on. lol Either way that's twice as big as any Bow I've ever landed. Nice work Yvonne.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Here's another shot...looks small in the photos compared to real life.
She caught it on a size 14 callibaetis nymph.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jul 10, 2013 - 12:02am PT
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BG! SUNNYBEACHES!
That hog is hugest! I thought my all-time big rainbow at around 10 lbs. was huge.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jul 10, 2013 - 12:06am PT
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I keep asking if anyone wants to see my enormous trout, but everyone just ignores me
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 10, 2013 - 12:11am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 10, 2013 - 12:17am PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jul 10, 2013 - 11:48am PT
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Way to go Yvonne!
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Abend
Social climber
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Jul 10, 2013 - 12:16pm PT
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After getting skunked the first three days of the trip it was a delight to catch this fish of a lifetime. I prefer the underwater shots, although you lose some visual reference to judge the size of the fish. I am lucky to have Bob to wrangle the fish for me. Stimbo, that is a great underwater shot you got. That is hard to do on your own.
Yvonne
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Jul 10, 2013 - 01:24pm PT
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So Bob, heading up the east side tonight, getting in some fly rodding, where are those??
Peace
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Jul 10, 2013 - 01:40pm PT
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I'm not much of a fishermen but I thought you East Side trout lovers would enjoy seeing this photo. My dad was a fly fishermen and way back when we'd go to Hot Creek. The old cabins can be seen here in the mid 50's, my dad caught this one and ate it!!!
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Jul 10, 2013 - 01:50pm PT
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Wow! Really nice fish catching.
"Way to go Yvonne!" x2
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 11, 2013 - 06:40pm PT
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Had a couple of great days sight fishing for carp at Bridgeport Reservoir.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jul 20, 2013 - 10:30am PT
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Keeping the thread alive.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 24, 2013 - 12:00am PT
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Caught and released Mr. and Mrs. Brown
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Jul 25, 2013 - 12:44am PT
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Nice shot Stimbo.
Wow Yvonne, What a beauty! A lifer for sure.
I gotta learn how to fish like a girl, looks like BG's getting the hang of it. ; )
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jonnyrig
Trad climber
formerly known as hillrat
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Aug 12, 2013 - 01:55am PT
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 12, 2013 - 09:27am PT
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Holy crap, Yvonne - that's huge even by Great Lakes standards.
I gotta get my friend Mikey to "weigh in" on this one - he is the most expert steelhead fisherman who ever lived. Mike can catch fish in a toilet. He'll tell you what it weighed.
Nice work on the live release!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 13, 2013 - 02:39pm PT
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Aug 18, 2013 - 08:14am PT
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shouldn't mess with the fish unless you are really hungry and need to catch dinner.... catching them just to drag them out of the water with a nasty hook in their mouth just to tell them that if i want to kill you and eat you I will but today i will just mess with your head and let you go....
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 19, 2013 - 08:30pm PT
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Caught a really nice brookie and a bunch of Goldens about as far east as you can catch them as I understand it.
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Aug 19, 2013 - 08:44pm PT
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Nice brookie Mike, what fly were you using?
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 19, 2013 - 09:17pm PT
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A fairly large red and black foam ant was killin it in the horns.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Aug 19, 2013 - 09:25pm PT
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Wow! beautifull. i remember fondly the summer i spent in jackson hole and jellystone eating fresh trout every single backpacking trip. never failed to catch dinner in 15 or 20 min.......
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shady
Trad climber
hasbeen
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Aug 19, 2013 - 09:45pm PT
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Nice tour mike m, thanks.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from Alaska. Caught some nice silvers.
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ruppell
climber
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Nice Bob.
We should just rename the thread "BG Catches Some Big Freakin Fish Thread".
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Geez, you go all the way to Alaska, and you can't even come close to Yvonne's fish. ;)
Here's what Mikey said about her beauty 'bow:
"That trout in the pic is safely in the mid teen range, anywhere from 15-18 lb's. If I had to wager a guess I'd say 16."
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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You got that right Pete...I'll probably never even come close to Yvonne's "fish of a lifetime" rainbow, and I've caught a lot of big rainbows.
The photos make it look small- my guess on that fish was closer to 20 pounds!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Nov 21, 2013 - 03:48pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 21, 2013 - 06:48pm PT
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Nice fly MB.
Getting a little cold at Joshua Tree....dreaming of some warm saltwater flats...
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adatesman
climber
philadelphia, pa
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Nov 21, 2013 - 06:52pm PT
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Nothing really to add to this since everything around here is stocked and not Very Large, but last year Maldaly turned me on to Tenkara, and ever since my nightly dreams are frequently about fly fishing for trout. Both a blessing and a curse.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Nov 21, 2013 - 08:42pm PT
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whoa bob! Nice bone.
I am heading for a week of ankle deep bahamas Dec 2! Andros, where the details of the flies don't really make that much difference it turns out. Most of the bones we will be casting to have never seen a fly before it seems.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Nov 21, 2013 - 08:48pm PT
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Do all bones sport pink lip gloss? Tres glam! What a fish!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Dec 15, 2013 - 02:39pm PT
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Abend
Social climber
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Dec 15, 2013 - 03:20pm PT
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Great photos Mike!
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Dec 15, 2013 - 03:30pm PT
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Awesome pix!!! This thread is more like it.Going to Napa for the holidays.Going to be flyfishing and bouldering on Putah Creek.Anybody ever been or have any insight??? Although,as of right now,headin' down to the Owens. Woohoo!!! :-)
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Dec 15, 2013 - 03:51pm PT
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BEAUTIFUL bone BG!!!! I just spent a week in Tampa and did two days of pier fishing. Outstanding fishing with 20+ each day and 4 species each day. I caught some decent Spanish Mackerel, but called it good after landing the below Jack. Nothing of any size but constant action, the kinda day any fisherman lives for!
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Dec 15, 2013 - 03:55pm PT
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Captn: Nut Tree is better by far than Putah. As for trout nearby, this was my sons PB from 2 weeks ago Lake Berryessa:
Grr...I'll rotate when I get home. I'm in the airport at Tampa on an iPhone.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Dec 15, 2013 - 06:36pm PT
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Roughster--Is Berryessa open year-round???And was that from shore or a boat?And yeah,been to Nut Tree...Quite good AND scenic(weird to say,having lived in Bishop for the last fifteen).Went to HS in Napa so I am familiar with the area.Sitting here tying up for Putah tho.Stoked!!!Thanx for the reply and pix.Travel safe.
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ruppell
climber
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Dec 15, 2013 - 06:47pm PT
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No big fish here in bishop. Move on. lol
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Roughster
Sport climber
Vacaville, CA
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Dec 16, 2013 - 04:12pm PT
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Yep, Berryessa is year round for all species.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Dec 23, 2013 - 11:31am PT
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Lake Powell Striped Bass, two days ago:
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 23, 2013 - 07:42pm PT
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Just got back from the Chetco River in Oregon, fly fishing for winter steelhead. The weather was freezing but the action was hot.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 23, 2013 - 07:44pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 23, 2013 - 07:52pm PT
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 23, 2013 - 09:35pm PT
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My buddy and I having a great day!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 23, 2013 - 11:06pm PT
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Timid- Thanks that is where i grew up. Wish you the best!
-Hugh
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 24, 2013 - 12:01pm PT
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Happy Holidaze!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 24, 2013 - 12:10pm PT
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Stimbo, how's the lower O fishing these days?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 24, 2013 - 04:19pm PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 24, 2013 - 05:12pm PT
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Hey Bob -- The Lower O is fishing very well, perhaps not as prolific as summer time, but good fun. The flows are low, clear, and cold... Jim
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 25, 2013 - 06:55pm PT
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Thanks Stimbo. Those are some great underwater shots. What camera are you using?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 26, 2013 - 01:48am PT
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It's a Nikon Coolpix AW110. It works well, but underwater, you never know what you are going to get. You just kinda aim the camera and hope for the best.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 26, 2013 - 10:40pm PT
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Just a large Wyo trout. Merry Christmas!!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 26, 2013 - 11:14pm PT
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damn q-ball, that's a real hog!
On a river or stillwater?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 27, 2013 - 12:06am PT
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Just outside of town, and flat water
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 27, 2013 - 12:04pm PT
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What town?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 27, 2013 - 11:50pm PT
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BG- you think i would divulge that! I will at least give you the County. County Six (Carbon).
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 28, 2013 - 01:00pm PT
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whatcha catch it on?
fly fishing?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 29, 2013 - 12:55am PT
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Actually it might have been a Thursday? Do a little homework and you can figure it out. Dang, I am being too kind with hints!
I caught her on a sinker not a floater (as my local buddies call them)
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 29, 2013 - 12:26pm PT
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Some clients are quite terrified when they catch a good one. I always look at this pic when I think about guiding again.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 29, 2013 - 01:36pm PT
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Hey Stimbo, just saw you are a photographer and have tried some underwater trout shots. Here are a few I've captured, enjoy. Out of every 1000-2000 I take I get a keeper!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 29, 2013 - 03:38pm PT
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Just learned in the Smithsonian that there are 14 sub-species of Cutthroat
in the Yellowstone Park. Jess sayin'...
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Dec 29, 2013 - 06:05pm PT
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I was only aware of three in the park, Westslope, and Yellowstone subspecies (there may be a few finespot/snakeriver in some southern snake river tribs), what are the others?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 30, 2013 - 06:08pm PT
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Q - ball: nice underwater shots. That grayling shot is really cool...sort of abstract.
This is one of my favorite underwater shots (of an Alaskan sockeye) taken by my wife Yvonne
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 30, 2013 - 09:01pm PT
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Hugh, Very nice underwater images. I get a keeper once in a blue moon. I am a landscape photographer, large format. The trout photos are just for fun when opportunity presents itself. Cheers, Jim
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Awesome sockeye shot! I have never been swimming in those guy's territory.
I get more fun these days trying to take a good shot of a fish than racking up numbers. Even though that means me laying in a glacial fed creek all day and maybe getting a good shot every other day!
Fish have distracted me more than rock recently (I have converted one 5.14 climber to 5.13, he now fishes every now and then).
Not complaining. Should I talk to someone about my problem?
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Ya know... This Trout Lover's Thread isn't really all that large. ;-p
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Rmuir- do you have a trout pic to add? I speak for myself, but welcome any shots from folks interested in trout. Wish you the best, the fish doesn't have to be from Tierra del Fuego. A good 5 inch brookie will suffice!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Awesome silver and awesome picture! I need to fish for those guys some day!
-Hugh
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briham89
Big Wall climber
san jose and south lake tahoe, ca
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Alaskan Silver
Oregon Deschutes Rainbow
Great hole on the Sonora Pass
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Briham89- I am jealous, keep fishing and stay warm! I love the shot with all the sockeyes in the background!
-Hugh
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briham89
Big Wall climber
san jose and south lake tahoe, ca
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Thanks Hugh! That was on my first trip to Alaska. Man what a cool place.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Cool painting/collage....looks like a largemouth bass
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 19, 2014 - 08:27pm PT
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I know some of you folks have been taking advantage of this dry winter to catch up on some fish.
Post up.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 19, 2014 - 08:44pm PT
|
Ron,
How does one go about preserving a large fish to get to a taxidermist for mounting? Leave it intact or gut or what?
Fed Ex from Page to Reno on dry ice? You into that?
There's bigger ones than this little guy caught on the lake every year.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 21, 2014 - 09:25pm PT
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There sure are some beautiful fish photos on this chat.
BG, what rig were you using to sight fish carp some pages back? There have been times I have seen a thousand or more sipping on Powell. More common to see a dozen or two on the surface. Would be fun to catch one on a fly rod I imagine. Same goes for the summer striper boils...
Tight lines!
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 22, 2014 - 04:52pm PT
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Thanks Ron, I'm hoping to land a nice whopper before the Quagga mussels destroy the Striped Bass fishery.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 27, 2014 - 11:11am PT
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Here's a rainbow caught and released from this past Saturday. Judging from the scarring along the torso, this trout was caught and released (dropped) by either an eagle or osprey. There has been a resident bald eagle residing along the river this winter. Not only were there talon marks but the snout was partially eaten away as well. Then, to make matters worse, this fish fell for a stonefly pattern in the upper lip. Ouch! But hopefully, this trout will thrive and grow.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Jan 27, 2014 - 11:44am PT
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Stimbo- I was kinda thinking motor boat prop. Either way,very interesting. Never seen that before. If only trout could talk. ;-) As far as that Bald goes,yup. Been seeing one up on the UO and been seeing one down here on the LO. Could be the same one tho.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Jan 27, 2014 - 11:51am PT
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splitter
Trad climber
SoCal Hodad, surfing the galactic plane
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Jan 27, 2014 - 12:15pm PT
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If only trout could talk. That young bow is probably already a legend among his homies on the Lower O! Has a couple wild 'shit happens' tales to share with them anyway, eh?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 27, 2014 - 12:37pm PT
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Hey Capt -- There are no boats around..... plus, what you can't see in the photo is there is one, lone scar on the flip side of the rainbow, the "thumb" talon? Anyway, pretty beat up trout.
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splitter
Trad climber
SoCal Hodad, surfing the galactic plane
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Jan 27, 2014 - 01:52pm PT
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Pretty amazing that it got away, and wasn't dropped over dry land since the river is fairly narrow. I wonder if the nipped snout occurred during the eagle encounter, or someother altercation? It would've earned several purple hearts by now if it was in Nam. Maybe should call it Rambo da' Rainbow. ...just sayin'!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 30, 2014 - 04:22pm PT
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Go with sticky.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 30, 2014 - 06:28pm PT
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I went to the Trinity in November, good trip. Now that it has rained, I'm heading up in a few days. I can't wait! Yes, I have a set of studs screwed into the soles. They seem to work well.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 30, 2014 - 08:04pm PT
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BG, what rig were you using to sight fish carp some pages back? There have been times I have seen a thousand or more sipping on Powell. More common to see a dozen or two on the surface. Would be fun to catch one on a fly rod I imagine. Same goes for the summer striper boils...
I'd just try to match the hatch with whatever's goin on there. When carp are actively feeding they let their gaurd down, and that's when you can catch 'em on a fly rod. It's just a matter of you putting the fly right in front of their face without them knowing you're there.
My biggest one yet is this 26 pounder from Lake Perris I caught sight fishing on a 6 weight rod stripping a damsel mymph.
Check out Fly fishing for Carp by Barry Reynolds- I learned a lot from that book.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 30, 2014 - 09:37pm PT
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Thanks BG for the tips on carp. Though I have caught 7 species of fish in one day on Lake Powell, I have not yet caught a carp. It is amazing to see thousands of them sipping on the surface.
Let me know if you want to check out the lake.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 31, 2014 - 12:59am PT
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thanks alba,
What's the biggest striper you've ever pulled out of there?
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jan 31, 2014 - 01:30am PT
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Bob, I've got one of those XP 6wt saltwater models. Great rod! Nice fish too.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Jan 31, 2014 - 01:36am PT
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"Anyone here using the sticky rubber soles. I've been a felt guy since day one but I had a boot meltdown the other day and Patagonia warranties are second to none so they gave me the options of a new pair. "
Go with the rubber, felt will disappear soon or not allowed in the water systems.
Nice carp!
And you spelled Lake(not!)Powell wrong...it's Foul not Powell. F*#king dam
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 31, 2014 - 07:25am PT
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BG,
I've only been targeting Striper for the last five weeks, after a nice upgrade to my boat. I much prefer catching SM and LM Bass and Walleye, but it is much tougher to catch them this time of year.
Folks that really know what they are doing often catch 30-50+ Striped Bass per person / per day. I believe the largest caught last year was 32 pounds, with a pre-teen landing a 28 pounder, and quite a few reported in the 15-20 pound range.
I'm still a relative beginner in all this sort of stuff. However, one day in May of last year I landed a SM, LM, Striper, Channel Catfish, Gizzard Shad, Green Sunfish and a Walleye.
Lake Powell is beautiful!
Fish ON!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 31, 2014 - 08:43pm PT
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However, one day in May of last year I landed a SM, LM, Striper, Channel Catfish, Gizzard Shad, Green Sunfish and a Walleye.
That's a pretty impressive assortment of species there alba!
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 31, 2014 - 09:39pm PT
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Lake Powell is a pleasant place to be if you like to catch lots of fish. My personal best is about 20 fish in the boat in one day (okay, I admit to being an almost noob, but have friends that have 100 fish days). I went back the next weekend to the same spot and had another seven species day, adding Black Crappie to the list (minus the Gizzard Shad). This was last May, perhaps the most happening time on this lake.
Thanks for the compliments on the ski mask. The weekend after I caught the ten pound striper (last month), my buddy and I were heading back to the secret spot, as we approached I turned off the Yamaha 115, turned on the electric trolling motor and insisted my buddy put on his mask, too. "Ssshhhh... We don't want them to recognize us!"...
Want to know my real secret?
Great pics everyone!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jan 31, 2014 - 09:56pm PT
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Albatross, awesome picture!
I have the same philosophy. I would rather see new territory and maybe catch a jumbo vs. the other option.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jan 31, 2014 - 09:57pm PT
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Thanks Ron, very true, they (the bass and walleye) are deep this time of year.
My strategy at this point is stripers in the winter; bass / walleye / crappie in the spring and fall.
There is room on my boat, Ron, if you can make it to Page.
The invite is open to you as well, BG. I'm spin fishing on the lake, but curious about the fly rod aspect.
Am planning to get another month on the lake (8-10 trips of 1-4 nights) before summer. Send me a p.m. if interested.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Some treats from this afternoon.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Way upstream....
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Nice Stimbo!
Here's a video my good buddy Kyran made which gives a good idea of what it's like to spin fish on Lake Powell. In this video he catches 5 species of fish in a morning. All these areas fished are within a few miles of the marina.
Come check out Lake Powell fishing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_-SUGwpiJs
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Albatross, that looks like so much fun. Thanks for sharing.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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I'm glad you folks took the time to watch Kyrans video. He is one cool, down to earth person.
Here's another short ( 3 min.) Kyran made in Antelope Canyon on Lake Powell. It's called "More Sand Than Stone", so named after a route of mine in the area. Video gives a good idea of what it is like to explore the slot canyons along the lake. That is him singing and strumming on the song he wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhUF-bRkmGw
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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WTF thanks for the tip on the crawdad pattern. When bass fishing in the spring and fall, we use 3-3.5" plastic tube jigs (like Kyran showed) which are meant to imitate crawfish. Cast towards shore and retrieve. When the bite is really on it is almost too easy, I caught 6 SM Bass in 10 casts with Kyran last May. I've often longed for the challenge of throwing a crawfish imitation on a fly rod in those cases. Either way, one awesome thing about this lake is you never know what you might be reeling in (is it a SM, LM, Walleye, Striper, Shad, Cat, crappie, bluegill, trout, etc).
Last year an estimated two million Striped Bass were harvested from Lake Powell. Come down and catch some bass!
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The Guy
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Large trout= steelhead
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Look at this hog of a Striped Bass. I stole this pic off the internet. It might be the largest recorded Striper pulled out of Powell. I believe it was found floating dead in the San Juan Arm 5-10 years ago.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 pounds??
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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WTF- thanks for the tips on the fly rod. I have one and have done several weeks of fishing over the last 5 years in the renowned trout fishing below Glen Canyon Dam (which created Lake Powell). The rainbow trout there are like fleas and a ton of fun to catch, particularly during the cicada hatch in mid-summer. The fish launch like missiles toward the top water lures, in the clear water you can see them springing, it's all a matter of setting the hook. My biggest is around 18", but have heard stories in the last few years of 24-25". I caught my first Brown Trout there last March.
Sorry, no fish pics to post because I forgot the mask in those days.
Anyway, here is some of the scenery in Glen Canyon.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Feb 11, 2014 - 11:37pm PT
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WTF - you are right! I've sent that link all over. Incredible. Thanks
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Feb 25, 2014 - 09:12pm PT
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That is a cool video!
Here's a pic I believe of the mount of that big striper posted above. Apparently the mount they had was not as big as the actual fish.
Wish I had fish pics to post, but my last four day trip to Powell on the full moon was an absolute strike out. Still beats working though!
Anybody catching any fish? Post up.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 28, 2014 - 03:15pm PT
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I need a bigger net.... wild steelhead from the Trinity
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 28, 2014 - 05:55pm PT
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WTF -- I'm supposed to be on the Trinity now but we got spooked with the weather and postponed our trip. Inclement weather is all part of fishing up there, however, when the river blows out you are hosed. We've got an 8 hour drive, so we try to optimize our chances.
This photo was taken a few weeks ago when the flows were low, the water cold and clear. Supposedly less than ideal conditions for any type of trout. The fishing pressure was light because the reports didn't sound that appealing so the crowds were non-existent. Regardless, the fishing was great. The moral is, go. With these rains, more fish have pushed into the system. It's just a matter of checking the reports to see if the river has blown out. When the "dust settles," the fishing will be great. There's lots of river to get lost on and lose the crowds. See you up there sometime?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 28, 2014 - 06:44pm PT
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After the current rains, and the North Coast rivers drop back into shape, things should be prime for some of the best steelhead fishing of the season!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 28, 2014 - 08:03pm PT
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What Bob (BG) said... it is going to be great soon, very soon. I don't think Northern Cal got hit with the torrential rains that Southern Cal is getting now. I really want to get in one more trip this winter.
WTF, I would love to take you up on your offer of the driftboat. I don't mind rowing and I know the Trinity well, from the bank and from a driftboat. PM me sometime. Jim
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 28, 2014 - 09:28pm PT
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awesome report Chief...wish I was there
gotta love those lower O browns!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 28, 2014 - 10:27pm PT
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A gift caught on a tiny, midge emerger pattern.
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cmcc
Trad climber
Redding, CA
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Feb 28, 2014 - 11:18pm PT
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Enormous lake trout far heavier than world record, but there’s a serious snag
Minnesota angler seems to have exceeded limit, 52-pound fish seized
March 01, 2014 by Pete Thomas
A Minnesota angler was on top of the world after a recent ice-fishing expedition across the border in Ontario, Canada, during which he reeled in an enormous lake trout that weighed 52 pounds, 3 ounces.
Rob Scott’s enthusiasm was understandable. It was the largest trout he had ever tangled with, by far, and he’d later learn that the 45-inch fish was nearly 24 pounds heavier than the existing world record for a tip-up-caught lake trout.
(Tip-ups are wood or plastic devices, with a spool of line, attached to a flag that raises to signal a strike; the angler then brings in the line with his hands.)
But three weeks after the February 8 catch on the Ontario side of Lac la Croix, Scott finds himself the subject of an Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources investigation, his fish-of-a-lifetime seized as evidence.
It’s not venturing far on a limb to state that Scott will not be credited with a world record, and that he faces a possible fine and/or a restriction of fishing privileges.
Why so much fuss? A simple explanation is that the catch appears to have put Scott one fish over the legal limit.
It turns out that also on February 8, before catching the behemoth, he landed a 4-pound lake trout, and the Ontario daily bag limit for the species is one per day.
What’s interesting, though, is how the 65-year-old U.S. Navy veteran was caught.
After landing the giant trout, he gave the 4-pound trout to another angler, and toted the big fish back to Minnesota via snowmobile. He had only one trout in possession, and seemed home free.
But two officers with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources had checked Scott’s fishing license on February 8, before he landed the 52-pounder. They had noticed the 4-pound trout.
It was not until one of the officers saw a newspaper report on the monster catch, however, that he recalled his encounter with Scott, and making note of the 4-pound trout.
The officers contacted the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which helped track down Scott and his fish, which was being stored by a taxidermist. The fish was scheduled to be delivered by the DNR to the MNR, where it would be stored as evidence.
Late last week the Minnesota Star Tribune quoted Scott as saying there was nothing malicious about his actions, and that he was not trying to hide anything.
“I called the Ontario officers and said I owed them an apology,” Scott said. “It wasn’t illegal for me to keep fishing after I caught the first trout. But when I caught the bigger fish, with the adrenaline and everything I had going, and the fact that it wasn’t going to survive if I released it, I figured if I gave the smaller fish away, that would be OK.”
Scott explained that the big trout probably would have died if it’d had been released, because of the prolonged struggle.
Officers are not talking about the investigation.
As for a chance at the world record, the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame states that “fish must be taken legally” to qualify.
As for Scott, it’s unlikely that he’ll ever be able to share another fish story quite like this one, and it’s reasonable to assume that he’ll stay within the bag limit on all future expeditions.
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/enormous-lake-trout-far-heavier-than-world-record-but-theres-a-serious-snag/
_ _ _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Man, how bad does that suck?
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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"An angler brought in a 24.7-pound pike he caught at Ashurst Lake yesterday to the Arizona Game and Fish Department Flagstaff regional office. He was using a rainbow trout swim bait about 4 inches long. Hats off."
Caught on some dinky little lake right outside town a couple weeks ago.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Mar 17, 2014 - 11:55pm PT
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Just saw this picture of my uncle in his house. It got tail wrapped in their longline gear, weighed just over 2,000 lbs.
A pretty good un' for being a male shark
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Mar 27, 2014 - 08:18pm PT
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Getting the Powell stoke on with a handful of Stripers.
Some guy caught a 19 pound Striper on a fly rod on the lake this week.
Who else has been fishing? Post up.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Freezing weather...but good fishing. My wife Yvonne (AKA the fish magnet) caught more fish than anyone around, but I got lucky and caught one of the big boys.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Wow Bob you weren't kidding yesterday when we talked!! Great fish, let me know when you want to come to the "pond" to wet a line.
Peace
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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WTF...not me camping, we were staying at Crosby's, but you're right- last week we had 5 days of wind, hail, and snow with some brief periods of sun in the mix. It would go from flat calm to 3 foot waves in 30 minutes...wild weather...but it really brought the fish in shallow.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Apr 10, 2014 - 12:15am PT
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Beautiful pics, BG. Why do they call it Pyramid Lake? (just kidding)
Powell was off to a slow start with the cooler weather and chilly water, but apparently the fishing has taken off in the last few days.
I caught a striper and a walleye last week, looking forward to some smallmouth bass action in a few days. It's that time of year.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2014 - 11:38pm PT
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WTF: good guess, that fish was just under 16 lbs.
Love to chat with you about Pyramid Lake sometime! Can't wait to get back there- those Pilot Peak fish are getting bigger and bigger...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2014 - 11:45pm PT
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Caught this 18 lb. Channel Catfish yesterday at Lake Perris on a black Wolly Bugger from my float tube. One of the toughest battles I've ever had on my 6 weight fly rod!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 12, 2014 - 12:07am PT
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Apr 12, 2014 - 12:20am PT
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What size bugger? Was it weighted? But not a trout.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 12, 2014 - 12:34am PT
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Size 6, tied with about 10 turns of .01 lead wrap, trolled slowly, right on the bottom with an intermediate line.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Apr 12, 2014 - 12:59am PT
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sweet!
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Apr 12, 2014 - 11:33am PT
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My friend's little boy in Livingston caught this lunker on the Yellowstone yesterday...
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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BG it looks like you are getting on to some real hogs. Nice work.
It's still slow this Spring on Powell, and with the low water years the fishery is suffering.
Still a cool getaway even if the fish aren't blooming.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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^^^^
Love it! Cat fishing! Thanks for the laugh.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 11, 2014 - 08:26pm PT
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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May 12, 2014 - 10:55pm PT
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Nice carp! Wow those fish are cool looking.
Keep those fish pics headed this way.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 19, 2014 - 01:49am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 19, 2014 - 01:53am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 19, 2014 - 01:58am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 19, 2014 - 02:02am PT
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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May 19, 2014 - 07:21am PT
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Thank You all for inspiring me to get out.
Forgot how good it is to walk a fine creek.Cheers Wilbeer.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 19, 2014 - 10:56am PT
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Rick, Here's an image from last week, enjoy. We should go hit the canyon this week. Cheers. Jim
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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May 19, 2014 - 08:29pm PT
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BG: What are those "large SoCal reservoirs" in which you write? Is the fishing any good in the winter?
If I was more of a trout / fly fisherman I would spend more time in this place, Glen Canyon, below Lake Powell. I believe it's considered a Blue Ribbon Fishery, either way it is a stellar place to hang out. Cool canyoneering, petroglyphs, ice cold water and millions of trout.
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Pate
Trad climber
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May 21, 2014 - 01:57pm PT
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28 pound chinook 5/16/2014 trinity county california
10 weight, 3x leader 4x tippet size 12 golden stonefly nymph......
in the top 3 fish of my life
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perswig
climber
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May 21, 2014 - 06:53pm PT
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Noice!
Well done, Pate.
Dale
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 21, 2014 - 09:27pm PT
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Pate, The Klamath? Nice fish, well done.
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Pate
Trad climber
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May 21, 2014 - 10:48pm PT
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S Fork of the Trinity River about 15 miles from Hyampom, CA. i think this fish is at least 100 river miles from the ocean.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 21, 2014 - 11:35pm PT
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Good for you. I've never been up the S Fork. It is amazing how far those fish travel....
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 22, 2014 - 11:02am PT
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I had to Google Goose Creek.... did you fish at the confluence? We explored the lower part of the S Fork (of the Smith). What a neat place! We got blanked big time but it was worth every cast.
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Pate
Trad climber
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May 22, 2014 - 11:49am PT
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@Ron, that's what we said about the color, we got 4 more that day in the mid teens that were all bright chrome also. the cell pic doesnt do it justice, its back/head and mouth are pretty inky black and blue.
was not expecting to get into any big fish, thats why i had light tackle on. i just let him run a bunch and kept him upstream in the current, he tired out in about 20 minutes. i normally would have let this fish go but i was fishing on a friends land and he was stocking the freezer so anything i caught went into the smoker or freezer.
btw, the s fork of the trinity is drier than it has ever been in almost 100 years of record keeping. scary low. there won't be many salmon left if their spawning banks are never submerged.
@WTF, fall is my favorite time to visit my buddy up there ;) just gotta keep your head down and mind your own p's and q's……….
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 24, 2014 - 12:07am PT
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More fish porn for the archives..... today on the Owens River. Cutthroat nirvana.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 24, 2014 - 11:14pm PT
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Nice shot Stimbo. Is that from the Upper Owens?
NICE chinook on 4x Pate!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 24, 2014 - 11:17pm PT
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BG: What are those "large SoCal reservoirs" in which you write? Is the fishing any good in the winter?
The one's I fish the most are Lake Perris, Diamond Valley Reservoir, and Lake Skinner. Best in spring/summer/fall.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 25, 2014 - 11:52am PT
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Bob, The upper O for the past couple of weeks has been insane.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 25, 2014 - 11:55am PT
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... and Rick, Thanks for posting that video. How is the Lower O with the jacked up flows?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 26, 2014 - 02:22am PT
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Yo Bob, Upper O, like taking candy from a baby...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 26, 2014 - 11:11am PT
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Nice!
Wish I was there!
They must be spring spawners?
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perswig
climber
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Closed course. Trained professional.
Don't try this at home, kids.
Dale
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Nice.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Sweet Chief. Coming back up with my wife Kelly first week in August. Tuolumne....you should come up and wet......yer whistle in our camp!
Peace
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Pate
Trad climber
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Jul 20, 2014 - 08:40am PT
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Pate
Trad climber
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Jul 20, 2014 - 08:54am PT
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colorado is gorgeous right now- lots and lots of water.
hitting miracle mile on the n platte in wyoming next week- predator brown action, get to bust out the big buggers!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jul 20, 2014 - 09:18am PT
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Doesn't get much better than that, Pate. Nice looking' dogs too, they must love it out there.
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Pate
Trad climber
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Jul 20, 2014 - 09:27am PT
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@Ron, pyramid lake has always been on the tic list-- ive got big plans for california in the fall.
@bluering, good dogs are a crucial part of life :)
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ruppell
climber
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Jul 20, 2014 - 09:31am PT
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Pate
If those big Cali plans include high alpine Goldens let me know. I've fished a lake or two in the Sierras. Put Kirman Lake on your radar as well.
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Pate
Trad climber
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Jul 20, 2014 - 09:44am PT
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nice- i like that high lake kind of fishing a lot, my 2 weight is one of my favorite rods.
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ruppell
climber
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Jul 20, 2014 - 10:03am PT
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I was supposed to be hiking in for a day trip right now. Bishop is getting some serious thunderstorms though. Like it's actually raining in town. If they clear out by noon I'll get after it. If not there's always float tubing intake 2 or north lake.
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perswig
climber
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Let the breeze of a t-storm drift me across an unfamiliar pond on Saturday. After casting a bit, I retired to streaming and nursing a Wood-tip Swisher Sweet in the drizzle, hoping for trout or maybe even an early salmon.
'Twas not to be, but the fight in these little guys was pretty fun with a flyrod, anyway.
Dale
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Getting out with my Tenkara Rod a bit. Caught and released 18 smallish rainbows yesterday. Going into the Wind Rivers for the first week of September.....interesting to see how Tenkara will work there.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Just got back from a 4day fishing trip on the Green River in Wyoming. Caught prob 60-80 fish over the four days both fly fishing and spinning between hatches. We were able to catch Rainbow, Brook, Brown and both Snake River & Bonneville Fine-Spotted Cutthroat all in one of the days. Such a great trip.
Had to spend two days at City of Rocks on the way back to Cali
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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The Eastern Sierra - Grand Slam:
Brown
Brook
Lahonton native cutthroat
Golden
All in one day. All wild. We didn't count the rubber rainbows from the hatchery.
Who has done it?
There are actually some wild bows that are nothing to sneeze at, so whatever a slam plus one would be.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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BG, Nice Perch. Those are good eating!
Chief, I thought there was one of those creeks that had Paiute that were not hybrids. Still on the bucket list for me
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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That is definitely not one of those muddy Kirman Lake pigs. Nice fish.
There is that fenced-off pond on the trail up to Kirman. I can't remember what it is called. It is full of Kamloops Rainbows and it is very illegal to fish there. Some kinda brood stock. There is a story there but I'm pleading the fifth.
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Wow! Chief the colors are fantastic on that fish. What a picture!
Erik
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Yep, that's the one, Ron. I have fished Kirman many times and yes those are some big brookies but after eating a few, it is all catch and release. Those fish taste like mud. They can't be healthy. Obese, if you ask me. That brookie that the Chief has pictured is way more healthy looking and I bet it tastes as good as it looks.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Ron, nice haul from BITD. Rick Roekel, who used to run Ken's Sporting Goods in Bridgeport back in the 90's said he thought the Kirman brookies died young from heart attacks brought on by too much cholesterol from eating all those scuds (freshwater shrimp). Don't know if that's true but they looked like little footballs!
It's really a shame in my opnion that they began stocking cutthroats in Kirman.
Chief, that's a nice brookie shot and great looking fly!
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Rick Roekel was a heck of a guy. He told me the same thing about those Kirman brookies. Is he still around? He is the one that turned me onto Green Creek. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone. Rick always had some solid tips on out-of -the-way spots to catch some wild fish. He told me about Lobdell Lake, although I hear it is no longer fish-able. Nice setting and a chance to catch some Graylings.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nice Rick, Brookies are cool looking fish. I may head up "there" the end of this week. I'll try to leave you a few, hah! Jim
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ruppell
climber
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BG
Go up and hook into a few of those Cutties and you might change your mind. I think they're a great thing for the lake. There's plenty of food to go around.
The Chief and Stimbo
You got me checking the map. lol I know of a lake out of the South Lake drainage that has some big brookies but it's not even close to 4.5 miles in. Way less than that. It's not that deep either. Wonder if it's the same lake?.
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ruppell
climber
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Nice The Chief.
I like this game. My alpine memory sucks so I'll have to take a hike up there and take a better look. I've spent a lot of time looking for bigger fish in alpine lakes and have a pretty good list going but it's always nice to add to that list.
It's not the lake I mentioned earlier. I'm sure you've heard of the lake I'm talking about. And yes there are some very big brookies in it. And yes it is closer to the trail head.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Rick, I hope you know I'm just kidding around with you....
I will be out there Thursday or Friday but in all honesty, I have no clue where it is exactly that you are referring to. Your clues are enticing. There are some gems in that drainage as you know... which makes me want to keep poking around for more. Too much water, not enough time.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Yo Rick, I stopped by the shop today but it was all closed up. Looks like a Friday assault somewhere in the canyon, perhaps Saturday as well. Thanks for the beta.
Check out the lower O below the Power Plant. It is ragin' now AND it is fishing well.
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Festus
Social climber
Enron by the Sea
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anita514
Gym climber
Great White North
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Aug 10, 2014 - 03:18am PT
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Ron: thanks. Hopefully the next one will be twice as big.
Festus: Cottonwood Lakes up by Mt Langley? I've slept up near lake #5.
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Festus
Social climber
Enron by the Sea
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Aug 10, 2014 - 09:36am PT
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Yep, we did Langley the next day, via the chute behind lake 5. We stashed fishing gear there to fish on the way back, but a hail storm ended the fishing part of the plan.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 11, 2014 - 07:04pm PT
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Caught this this nice cutthroat in the mountains in Wyoming last week on Jack's Tenkara. What a fight. Jack had one on of similar size and he broke the line when pulling it on shore. We had a lot of fun with that Tenkara in the small streams between lakes with many decent sized Brookies.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Aug 11, 2014 - 07:23pm PT
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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My son learning to cast lures on a spinning reel.
(perfect tech holding the line in hand etc)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from Alaska. Caught some nice silvers.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 11, 2014 - 09:51pm PT
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alaskan rainbows
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Sep 11, 2014 - 10:27pm PT
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Not big, but beautiful.
another
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 12, 2014 - 11:08am PT
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nice brookies!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 12, 2014 - 09:11pm PT
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My wife and I hiked in to this Alaskan backcountry lake in the heart of bear country. In one afternoon of float tubing, we caught and released well over a hundred of these diminutive arctic grayling.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Sep 12, 2014 - 09:14pm PT
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^^ whoa, incredible eyes on that dude.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Sep 12, 2014 - 10:02pm PT
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Chief...
a certain Lk with many aretes staring you in the face begging to be climbed?
yep, I'm sure we have the same place...blocky along the west shore?
And those Goldens...a little lower in elevation but not by much...
I love that area.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Sep 12, 2014 - 10:13pm PT
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Hey Festus, nice Golden, but if you are going to catch and release please consider sh#t canning those treble hooks and use single barbless instead.
Your photo reminded me of this one caught out of the same place as those brookies.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Sep 13, 2014 - 07:38am PT
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Good Lord! Chief's brookie on the previous page is probably the most stunning specimen I've ever seen. The colors and patterns on that fish are magnificent!!!
Ron, I have found that smallmouth bass, pound for pound, are the hardest fighting fish in freshwater. Which is why I'm mostly a bass fisherman. That, and I've never gotten into fly fishing. Once you figure out how to detect a bite on a plastic worm (rubber worm), which is usually very subtle, you'll never need another lure in yer arsenal.
When I visit my folks in Florida, the Snook And Redfish (Red Drum) are incredibly fierce fighters, especially the Snook. Tarpon is a whole different game. I hooked up with 2 with in 2 hours, probably 4 footers. Never got them to the boat. When those f*#kers jump, it just gets crazy. One straightened my hook out, and the other wrapped me around a bridge pilon.
Fun, fun stuff though. And THAT is what it's all about.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Sep 13, 2014 - 08:44am PT
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Good stuff, Delhi!
What's cool about the SF Bay Delta is that you can catch largemouths, as well as stripers, sturgeon and salmon!!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 13, 2014 - 09:08am PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 13, 2014 - 09:40am PT
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For Chief.... did you ever make it up there this week? I made the slog yesterday, very grabby water, nothing too big but very colorful fish.
Nice fish Delhi.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Sep 13, 2014 - 09:16pm PT
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Chief, I just read and say your posts on the other page. Super image of that brookie!
And shhhhh, your giving too much info:-).
Call me selfish(!) but there is a reason there still are such monsters in that lake.
I'd be happy to go up there with folks but not post where.
Though truth is that ain't the only place where there are monsters in that region...
Also, the stocking history explains why the lake just below has no fish in it.
Headed to Kashmir the end of next month to fish. The Brits stocked many rivers back in the late 1800's and those trout are as wild as they come now. Unfortunately Kashmir just got hit bad by flooding so we'll see what shape the water is in. I have yet to catch a trout here in India. One of my goals before leaving.
I have caught Masheer here (I'll have to dig up a photo). Blueballs mentions that bass are such a badass freshwater fighter (we finally agree on something!), but hooking into a Masheer can be like bass on PCP.
If you are interested:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x2614e/x2614e04.htm
and from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_trout
The native range of brown trout (S. trutta) extends from northern Norway and White Sea tributaries in Russia in the Arctic ocean to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. The western limit of their native range is Iceland in the north Atlantic ocean while the eastern limit is in Aral Sea tributaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan.[6]
Brown trout have been widely introduced into suitable environments around the world including North and South America, Australasia, Asia, South and East Africa. Introduced brown trout have established self-sustaining, wild populations in many introduced countries.[7] The first introductions were in Australia in 1864 when 300 of 1500 brown trout eggs from the River Itchen survived a four month voyage from Falmouth, Cornwall to Melbourne on the sailing ship Norfolk. By 1866, 171 young brown trout were surviving in a Plenty River hatchery in Tasmania. Thirty-eight young trout were released in the river, a tributary of the River Derwent in 1866. By 1868, the Plenty River hosted a self-sustaining population of brown trout which became a brood source for continued introduction of brown trout into Australian and New Zealand rivers.[8] Successful introductions into the Natal and Cape Provinces of South Africa took place in 1890 and 1892 respectively. By 1909, brown trout were established in the mountains of Kenya. The first introductions into the Himalayas in northern India took place in 1868 and by 1900, brown trout were established in Kashmir and Madras.[9]
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 14, 2014 - 10:07am PT
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 14, 2014 - 10:57am PT
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Bob.... nice fish!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 23, 2014 - 03:29pm PT
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They were hitting drowned spinners, size 20.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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pocoloco1
Social climber
The Chihuahua Desert
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If anyone would like to have a Rio- WF4F Rio Grand fly line (fished with 4 days),send me your mailing address.
It was too heavy for my rod and I don't want to see it go to waste.
Free of charge.....No Hook
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 16, 2014 - 04:45pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 16, 2014 - 05:09pm PT
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whoa...nice one stimbo! Upper Owen's?
Perused your Mono Lake photo book at my dentist's office...nice work!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 16, 2014 - 05:31pm PT
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Thanks Bob for the nice compliment. I hope you weren't at the dentist for too long.... ouch!
That guy was from Crowley, from shore. Lots of big browns, rainbows, and the odd cutty thrown in for good measure. It was a nice way to end the season.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jan 18, 2015 - 08:12am PT
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A little meat fishing yesterday at Lago General Carrera, one for carpaccio and one for the smoker.....I know, I'm going to hell.
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this just in
climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
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Jan 18, 2015 - 08:21am PT
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Imagine the fish we can catch in the Lake of Fire Donini.Western Sierra Brown. 8.5 lbs and 29 inches. It was the biggest brown I've seen caught firsthand, my buddy invested in a bigger net after this one.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Jan 18, 2015 - 10:50am PT
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I hate fishing!
I spend all my time, all day fishing!
I spend all day fishing, all the time!
You should see the one that got away.
Really,
that's why I need to get a new camera,
To take the picture of the one that got away!
2015?? what?. . . it is twenty fifteen I have been fishing since '69.
that is a long time with out a nibble.
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ruppell
climber
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Jan 18, 2015 - 11:06am PT
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Nice fish guys.
Reading that bigger net comment reminded me of a funny story from when I was a kid. So here it is.
When I was 15 or so a buddy and I where small mouth fishing on the Delaware river. We where in his dad's 16 foot bass boat. That boat was older than I was and hadn't been used for quite some time before we managed to get use of it.
So where fishing this back section of flat water about 15' deep. Just drifting along throwing soft plastics at some nice 12-20" smallies. That stretch is about 200 yds long and has some really large boulders that provide great cover for the fish.
I notice one or two really big smallies down there so I decide to throw on a River Runt. It's kinda like a Rapala but a little shorter with a metal lip instead of plastic. With the River Runt and my 6 foot rod with 4# test I could really get some distance.
So I chuck it way out there past this very large submerged boulder. I rip super fast for a bit then stop. Rip, stop. Rip, stop. Just as it comes to the downstream side of the boulder I notice this huge shadow. I mean huge. So I do the tap, tap, tap, jerk routine. Seconds later I get hit hard. I set the line and immediately my drag start screaming.
The fish makes a hard run down stream and pulls off damn near 100 yards of line. Luckily I've got about 150. I set to work fighting this thing and trying to get a look at what it is. The suns at a really bad angle and I can't make it out. I have my buddy Joe get on the trolling motor to try and close some distance. No way in hell am I loosing this fish.
After closing the distance to about 30 yards I finally get a good look. It's a musky. A little one as far as musky go but it's big as far as ultra light tackle goes. So the fight continues. After about 15 minutes I finally start to gain the upper hand. The fish comes up to the surface and just does a back and forth. No more hard runs. Just a steady pull.
I look at Joe and ask "Do we even have a net big enough for this guy?" To my surprise he opens up the side storage box and pulls out a 5' long by 3' wide collapsible net. Man I love his dad. He readies the net as I get the fish even closer.
By now I've seen the fish long enough to know how big it really is. I've also seen where that River Runt is. I had him hooked right in the corner fo the mouth. Anywhere else and his razor sharp teeth would have cut my measly 4# test a long time ago.
About 25 minutes into it the fish is ready for the net. Joe gets the net in the water as I slowly guide the fish into it. It's over I think to myself. As the fish enters the net Joe performs a picture perfect lift. A millisecond later the fish falls through the bottom of the net. He falls through the frikking bottom. WTF? Turns out the net was made from cotton. That cotton had rotted away over the years and was completely shot. Man I hate Joes dad.
So you have to picture this in your mind. I've got a 40" musky on 4# test and now I have a net OVER the line. SO what do you do? Well I passed the rod through the net and continued the fight. Somehow the net body didn't tough the line and the net itself never got caught up on the treble hooks.
Well this musky who seconds ago was done fighting and ready for the BBQ is now completely recharged. A guess near death experiences will do that to fish. He takes off like he's headed for the delta. Joe gets back on the trolling motor and I get back to fighting the fish.
After another 15 minutes or so he's ready to give up the dream again. I get him closer to the boat and try to come up with a plan to land him. So sans net there's only one thing I can do. I hand Joe the rod and reach over the boat. Joe guides him close to my hand and I gill snatch him. I lift him into the boat as fast as I can. The fights over.
For those of you who don't know. Muskies have razor sharp gill plates. I look down it my right hand and notice blood. A lot of blood. I have a very deep cut along three of my fingers just above the first knuckle. Oh well.
Joe gets out the scale and we weigh the fish at 16.5 pounds. A tape reveals it to be just over 41" in length. I'm stoked. Then I have this crazy notion. Try and release this guy. I don't know whether it was the respect I had for him cutting me or the fact that musky aren't that common of a fish in the Delaware. But I knew I didn't want him on the BBQ.
I grabbed him by the tail and belly and lifted him over the boat. Joe got on the motor and slowly brought us to shore. There was no blood coming from his gill plate and his breathing seemed fine. I hopped over the rail and gently nursed him back and forth. After a few minutes he started to come back around. I let him go and watched him slowly swim away to a big rock about 30 feet out. I kept an eye on him for a while then hopped back in the boat to go buy a real net.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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I know wrong fish......a good one though, off the Capitola pier this morning.
Anyone ever fish for steelhead in the San Lorenzo river? I'm thinking about giving that a go Wednesday morning. Any tips would be much appreciated! :)
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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2 thumbs up for ruppell's muskie story.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Feb 27, 2015 - 12:23pm PT
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Ruppell, well told and done.
So we were down at the lake in upper Wisconsin. It was steamin' hot, like
78 or 80. There' a platform 100' out and a bunch of kids are on it. One of
'em finds a dead Muskie that is really nasty. I'm floating on my back 25'
from the raft and I start taunting the kids on it. Hey, I never claimed to
be prudent. One of the biggest kids grabs the rotten Muskie and flings it
towards me before I can react. It lands on my knee and the impact of a 5 or 6
pound Muskie flung that far results in quite an impact. My knew was shredded.
It was amazing that I didn't get MRSA or some such.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Ruppel..... sounds like a fish monster story.
First time I ever went fishing for Northern Pike, my friend brought along some unusual tackle.... #1 A yard stick.... you can't keep em unless they are larger than 36". #2 And a little pistol, shoots .22 shorts. My friend got one, we had it up next to the boat, he stuck the yardstick down... fish was larger than 36.... so it was out with the pistol... bam bam .... dead fish now in the boat.
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perswig
climber
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First week of open-water here this week, and the brooks that have gone ice-out are raging. Been scouting locally a bit, but it's survival fishing, post-holing slush wells, dodging 'bergs; had the screaming barfies last night, for crying out loud.
Air temp 36F and falling, spitting snow. Water was about the same.
Couldn't figure out why my casting was degrading, until I noticed my guides ... oh, I guess I'm done for the evening.
Skunked, of course.
Dale
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Apr 14, 2015 - 10:04pm PT
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WOOHOO trout season opens in California next weekend :D anyone going fishing??
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Apr 14, 2015 - 10:12pm PT
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Me...
butt it will be in Kashmir.
I'll have to wait until the beginning of June to fish in Ca...:-(
still, a first world problem though.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Apr 26, 2015 - 05:55pm PT
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Had a fun start to the season!
Anyone else go fish?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 13, 2015 - 11:45pm PT
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Caught this 20 pound Carp fly fishing at Lake Perris today. Epic fight!
tag= bob gaines lake perris fly fishing carp
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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May 14, 2015 - 12:36am PT
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Wow!
That is some carp.
And a beauty of a brookie + 'bow there Briham. What was up with that light patch on the brookie's head?
I recently returned from FF up in Kashmir.
My camera went belly up so I don't have photos but my buddy had his phone and took the ones below.
Not big/ but they sure are beautiful things. The Brits stocked the streams years ago. Pretty wild now.
"The first attempts to bring brown trout eyed-eggs from England into India were made by Mr. F.J. Mitchell in 1899 and 1900 (Mitchell, 1918). They came from Howeiton in Scotland, and the eggs successfully hatched in a small trout hatchery at Harwan in Kashmir. "
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x2614e/x2614e05a.htm
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 15, 2015 - 11:22am PT
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A rare catch from Lake Perris. No, it's not a carp! I had to look this one up...it's a Smallmouth Buffalo fish.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 16, 2015 - 07:04am PT
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If you ask about it at a McD's, they used to be instructed to tell customers that their fish sandwich used "Atlantic Whitefish."
Mentiros! But aren't most fishermen liars at one time or another?
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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May 16, 2015 - 08:43am PT
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Wow some nice fish being caught!
That carp is huge!
Delhi that light mark on the brook's head is from bonking him after catching him. He was tasty :)
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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May 18, 2015 - 11:28pm PT
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Mouse, did those trout come from that creek? Sweet!
I am going to hit the trout opener here in Washington next week. It has been a while and I'm scouting new waters. The Kettle River. Anybody been there?
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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May 19, 2015 - 01:54am PT
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Please share your tips and tricks on trolling and or mooching...lures, flies etc etc
Nope. Not if you're going to be giving 'em head :-)
C+R= maybe
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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May 19, 2015 - 03:04am PT
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That explains the teeth...
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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May 19, 2015 - 03:40am PT
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Say Brookie again.
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jonnyrig
climber
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May 19, 2015 - 08:03am PT
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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May 20, 2015 - 07:06am PT
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My favorite hardware for rainbows in lakes are 1/4 oz little Cleo spoons or kastmasters in chrome, chrome/blue, chrome/green and brass, brass/blue, brass/green
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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May 20, 2015 - 07:15am PT
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Ok...Brookie. Which actually isn't even a trout.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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May 21, 2015 - 05:05pm PT
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The fishing has been off the charts this year on Lake Powell. With a very healthy shad crop last Fall, there was plenty of forage through the winter.
I did ok on the Striped Bass over the winter, mostly trolling deep divers. Lake sure is quiet that time of year.
The last month has seen an explosion in fishing success. I think my personal best was around 30 fish landed in one day, most all small mouth bass. Missed probably twice that many, fun stuff.
Lake Powell is awesome and the fishing is pretty darn good, too. Get out to the place if you get a chance.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 26, 2015 - 10:56am PT
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A bloated backcountry rainbow.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 27, 2015 - 10:04am PT
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The kaleidoscope of colors on a cutty. Enjoy.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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May 27, 2015 - 02:12pm PT
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Nice fish Stimbo.
Caught a couple rainbows on the Sonora pass on Saturday.
Tiny but cool looking.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 28, 2015 - 10:12pm PT
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Just got back from Reno. Caught some nice rainbows on the Truckee River, some Cutthroats from the north end of Pyramid Lake, and a rare Mirror Carp from the south end of Pyramid Lake.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Caught this 16 pound carp fly fishing at Lake Perris yesterday
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Dang, nice fish!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Chin x writes; Thanks, in advance, for any info.
What kind of info were you looking for?
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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I don't think clicking on the link on his (chin_x's) post would be wise..... Only two posts and both have it....
Thanks for the great pictures! That Mirror Carp is a bit weird.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Caught a 25 pound carp fly fishing at Lake Perris today
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Back to the world of trout.... from yesterday.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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nice golden stimbo!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nice fish Briham...
.... and Bob, thanks. Those carp are scary amazing.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Today I get to take my 3 yr. old Grandson fishing for his first time.
We are both stoked!
Mr. Hocking, You sure get all dressed up to go fishing. Hah! Have a great time! I hope your little buddy hooks into some nice fish. Lower Sac?
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Rainbow out of the Little White Salmon river in Washington. I haven't been on the big fish lately, but man I have been getting a lot of fishing in :)
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Very cool. Start them young!
When he does get his first one I'm sure he'll be stoked.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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That's some nice looking smallies on the tube jig. SMB loves those on Lake Powell.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 10, 2015 - 10:06pm PT
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hip hip hooray!
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 10, 2015 - 10:14pm PT
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I know her, but I think it belongs on the "what is mind" thread.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 19, 2015 - 09:37am PT
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The lazy dayz of summer. With rising water temperatures and low water, it's time to head to the high country.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 26, 2015 - 11:08am PT
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Just got back from the Eastern Sierra, fly fishing for giant carp
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 26, 2015 - 12:47pm PT
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Yeah, they're great fighters. I have Orvis "tracking backing " on my reel that changes color every 25 yards. I had one run out all the fly line (100 feet) plus 100 yards of backing.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 26, 2015 - 12:54pm PT
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Caught some trout too....
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this just in
climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
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Jun 26, 2015 - 01:01pm PT
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On my way to the North Fork of the San Joaquin. Hopefully get some monsters.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 26, 2015 - 03:46pm PT
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I'm in Thermopolis, getting ready to hit the Bighorn River. Brown action.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Jun 28, 2015 - 02:18pm PT
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Raining like hell,so I went Brookie hunting.
Third cast with the new rod,a 16 inch native,on a grub.
I usually fly fish,but I went to a great creek with no room and I was hungry.
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this just in
climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
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Jun 28, 2015 - 06:15pm PT
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We did excellent in the quantity department, not so good on the quality, but great trip. Musta caught 100 fish between the two of us, biggest 14 inch(so 12 in reality) brown who at least had good color, but missed out on picture quality. Love it down there and at least got eyes on a monster. And we took a pic anyways.
Nice Brook Wilbeer.
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murcy
Gym climber
sanfrancisco
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Jun 28, 2015 - 07:08pm PT
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Here's the son's lunch yesterday.
So that's my concept of what a rainbow looks like.
What is this--besides a diet lunch? Brook trout? (Also caught in an Emigrant Wilderness lake a few weeks ago.)
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this just in
climber
Justin Ross from North Fork
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Jun 28, 2015 - 07:54pm PT
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Nice Murcy. Think that bottom one is a Rainbow as well, but hard to tell.
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The Chief
climber
RFLMAO here on the Taco
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Jun 28, 2015 - 11:28pm PT
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Nice Carp BG.
Check out Tinemaha for Monster Carp that will make the ones above look like sardines.
I have been rather very busy as well at some very secret high spots the past five or so weeks. Lots and lots of very large Goldens (14-18") and monster Alvord Cuts (18-22") at locations I will never ever divulge.
The latest hook ups below.
Enjoy....
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 29, 2015 - 07:34pm PT
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Hey Chief,
Those are some nice goldens!
I checked out Tinnemahah on my way back home last trip....I was bummed to see the sign saying that no wading is allowed. Actually the sign read "no waders allowed" but I don't think they mean it's OK to wet wade!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 29, 2015 - 08:02pm PT
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After trying for about 6 years (very sporadically of course), last week I finally caught one of the giant oio that cruise the flats not far from Diamond Head on Oahu. Can't tell from the photos but this fish was at least 10lbs and might have been much bigger. Like a different species compared to the bones we catch in the Caribbean (it actually is a different species, but you know what I mean)
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The Chief
climber
Goldenville
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Jun 29, 2015 - 08:15pm PT
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BOB...
The DWP folks here in Bishop clearly indicated to me last year when I checked with them regarding just that issue, that they have NO qualms with "Wading" with Waders. They just do not want folks swimming, tubing, kayaking or "wet" wading in their birthday suites.
Bring your 6/7 Switch Rod cus you're gonna need it. There's a local gent that has been fly fishing for carp there and all up and down the Owens for the past 55 years told me a couple months back that his biggest carp hook ups have been there on the Northwest & NWeast ends (Stay away from all them spinner dudes on the South end along the dam). In the Fall when the water level is at it's lowest, you can actually walk out to the islands according to him.
It also holds some monster Browns and LMB's. FYI!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 29, 2015 - 08:29pm PT
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Thanks for the info Chief, that's good news. I'll have to check it out when it gets a little cooler.
I met a guy at Pyramid Lake, NV that lives in Bishop (his name was Bob) that liked to fly fish for carp and he told me he's caught some carp at Tinnemaha pushing 20 pounds.
Looks like good carp water to me at the north end like you said.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 29, 2015 - 08:33pm PT
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Nice Hawaiian bonefish Mike!
What fly did you get 'em on?
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The Chief
climber
Goldenville
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Jun 29, 2015 - 08:53pm PT
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That's the Man I speak of BG. His last name begins with a K. He is a good friend and a top source of big fish beta throughout the Eastside. He grew up at Parchers.
I am actually off this Fri-Sat to a very isolated location at 11.6K' he mentioned for bigass Goldens. I have verified it with the current and the old CF&G Bios and their last surveys indicate 14-15" for the avg fish. That was over eight years ago. Oh man!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 29, 2015 - 09:23pm PT
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Ho man Chief....good luck with the goldens...hope to see you post up a trophy size golden soon.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 29, 2015 - 09:24pm PT
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Hi Bob -
Big (#2) Crazy Charlie in rootbeer colors. Had some great shots with smaller flies the morning before and no interest. Tried the bigger fly and had a take on the first good shot.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 29, 2015 - 10:30pm PT
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Nice fish....bet it peeled off some backing!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 29, 2015 - 10:44pm PT
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Ha! - it headed toward the ocean side of the flat a quarter mile away. I have white backing to 150 yards and yellow for the next 100 yards. Hit the yellow with no sign of slowing down and I started walking/wading/stumbling as fast as I could to prevent getting spooled. Second run was almost as far.
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murcy
Gym climber
sanfrancisco
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jul 11, 2015 - 10:26pm PT
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Hey Murcy, that's the middle fork of the Stanislaus right next to 108 by the bridge right??? Any luck? I did an FA in the Off Width right next to the bridge ha.
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Jul 28, 2015 - 04:22pm PT
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The more isolated, further back and higher I go, the bigger they get.
Monsters, lots and lots of Monsters. And I will NEVER tell where they are.
My fly in the above Golden's lower jaw tells the tale. That is a #14 Tiemco TMC 2302 emerger pattern of mine that measures just over 3/4 of an inch.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 29, 2015 - 07:36pm PT
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Nice fish Chief...that's an impressive golden!
Interested in a closer look at that fly if you don't mind sharing your pattern.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jul 29, 2015 - 08:44pm PT
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Some "catch & abuse, then release" shots from Idaho, where fishing sucks.
Yesterday in a stream that is all Rainbows. It must have moved downstream from a mountain lake stocked with cutthroats.
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Jul 30, 2015 - 07:12pm PT
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Hey BG:
Here some shots of some of the High Lake Golden Ammo (all my ties btw) without divulging too much of my secret weps...
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murcy
Gym climber
sanfrancisco
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Jul 30, 2015 - 08:48pm PT
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Sorry for the delay, briham. No, it's a lake in Emigrant Wilderness, one that's a little hard to get to. But yes, lots of good luck there.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Jul 30, 2015 - 09:29pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 31, 2015 - 01:46pm PT
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Here some shots of some of the High Lake Golden Ammo (all my ties btw) without divulging too much of my secret weps...
Thanks Chief!
Those are some nice looking patterns....looks like the goldens like bright colors.
Delhi Dog: wow....doesn't get more golden than that!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 31, 2015 - 03:29pm PT
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Chief.... I bet if we water-boarded you enuf.... you would tell us everything.
Just Kidding....
comming up sat- sun to do some shopping, thanks for all the good info on equipment.
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Jul 31, 2015 - 07:44pm PT
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BG... they love to ambush wildly moving bright weighted flies. Gotta chuck em out 60-80 feet, let em settle then start stripping with very sporadic and inconsistent tugs. BOOM! Out they come from the depths of their hiding holes in the rocks and viciously grab your offerings. Better hold on and start bringing em fast cus if you don't, they'll take your shet back down into the depths and the rocks and break you off in a heartbeat.
Guy: Anytime. Troutfitter I assume. If so, they are good folks there. Talk em into some deals as they are always offering if you ask.
Here's some additions to Dehli's color post...
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Jul 31, 2015 - 08:48pm PT
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Barbless hooks for those Goldens right?
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Jul 31, 2015 - 09:01pm PT
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All my flies are barbless and all fish hooked are released, Kalimon.
It also is the same area that these very special and rare (protected btw) Pauite Cut's are Rdog....
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jul 31, 2015 - 10:17pm PT
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Damn Chief you're killing it / me haha!!!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jul 31, 2015 - 10:27pm PT
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I recently went on a self contained kayak trip on the middle fork of the salmon river in Idaho. Needless to say it was awesome. It's been way too long since I got away.
I did a lot of fishing. I was catching a ton of small fish on dry flies, and when I finally decided to try swinging some streamers, I started hitting some nice cut throats.
Whitney wanted to take a photo together. I cast a dry fly out, and caught a fish while I was looking at the camera, and not the fly haha.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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All my flies are barbless and all fish hooked are released, Kalimon.
Ditto.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Those look great Chief. My older boy and I have been trying to get up there and fish. Just to check out what each lake has.
I too have found that the bright colors work for the goldens. If you toss a hopper, make sure it has pink- that sort of thing.
Seeing your flies confirms my suspicions and makes me want to double down on the bright.
Thanks for sharing.
Tom
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Glad to see the posts from lurkerville, Chief. Might want to change that to lunkerville. Looks like you're doing very well, fishing and otherwise.
My docs just changed my fall Wall plans to fishing and fly tying plans. thanks for the inspiration.
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Hey Wade... get out and do it. It actually works. Got 191 days on the waters some where on the Eastside so far to date. Most all by myself on waters that no one is any where near.
These three were my fav secret tubing spots in the Owens Valley up until the end of May...
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Hey Ron, ya gotta get one of these bad boys cus they get ya onto ponds etc that no one can access otherwise...
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Hey Rdog, that wouldn't be at the Carson City Sportsmans Warehouse would it now???
If so, that place rocks as far as Fly Tying Materials. You all have the biggest assortment of Fly Tying goodies in the entire Reno/CC area and for that I am grateful. That includes Cabela's and the other big joint off of 80.
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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The Chief . . . much respect for your fishing ethics.
Beautiful photos too, thank you!
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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NIIIIIIIIIIICE!!!!!!1
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 11, 2015 - 07:48pm PT
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Anita and I decided to celebrate our First Year Shagaversary by going climbing at Bon Echo. But the fishing was so good, we never touched the rock!
Here is an 18" 3 lb 12 oz smallmouth that we caught on a Rebel Pop-R, right next to a deepwater weedbed. I put the fish on the stringer for a moment so that Anita could hold him up for the photo, but we live released him moments after this picture was taken.
So instead of going climbing, we hit the beach.
Training for big walls, you know. {wink}
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 11, 2015 - 10:10pm PT
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In fishing parlance, Anita is most assuredly a "keeper". I put her on my stringer. ;)
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 13, 2015 - 05:47pm PT
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I was really into flyfishing from about 1985 to around 2000 and then suffered "fish-burnout." I still enjoy fishing, but I'm just not going fishing 70-90 times a year. Please bear in mind that I live a mile from Choss Creek, which is a great little trout stream.
So ------back in the day, my pal Ned & I enjoyed going into less visited streams in Idaho and having big days catching & releasing mostly little fish. We collectively knew of 3 small streams that few folks bothered to hike into, where we could catch & release over 100 native wild trout each in a long day. The fish (mostly rainbows, but also brookies & an occasional cut) however only averaged 10" and ranged from 4" to the occasional giant of 16"
We once had a 200 fish each, day. Ned has passed on, and I haven't done that stuff since the mid-1990's.
However!
After a high mountain hike this week, I fled thunderstorms & got to a streamside car-camp close to middle-of-nowhere Idaho, about 5:00 PM, set up camp and went fishing. Within 100 yards of camp on a stream that averages twenty feet in width. (About the size of the stream by Donini's Patagonia place) I caught 22 native wild 8" -11" rainbows in one hour. I decided to eat three for dinner, due to the fish-killing influence of The Donini. (I had not killed & eaten a trout from 1980-2013, until we visited Donini's place in Patagonia in 2013, & I was informed that worthy guests catch & kill trout)
The next morning, the weather looked really putrid with low lenticular clouds rolling in from the west and the mountain area to the east I wanted to hike to an old mine was actually hidden by clouds.
So I went fishing again. I started at 9:00 AM at a really nice hole & caught 16 rainbows in 10 minutes. I decided I was going for a 100 fish day, something I haven't tried since the mid-1990's. The weather improved, but I blew off hiking to some stupid mine to look for stupid & heavy mineral specimens. (Besides, I had found some nice garnets & hiked 1,600' vertical the day before.)
I soon fell well behind my initial goal of a fish a minute. I then lost the Parachute Adams I'd been using and couldn't find another in my fly boxes. The trees and willows closed in tightly on the stream and it was soon like fishing inside a green telephone booth. I left the stream and hiked upstream to where things opened up a mite, but fishing still was slow. At one point I went more than 10 minutes without a fish & none of my flies seemed to be working.
Finally, in desperation, I looked in my small Caddis-only fly box, and found two more Parachute Adams in size 14. Life improved, but the creek closed in again, and I hiked to another open spot with only 52 fish caught so far, in 2 1/2 hours. I had a stretch of nice fishing holes again, and the fish were more than willing. I caught 15 out of one hole & at least a few in every decent spot. I suddenly reached 100 native wild trout caught & released & stopped at 104.
I suspect an average of a fish every two minutes during a total elapsed fishing time of 3 hours & twenty minutes isn't bad for an old guy, although 20 years ago I would have went for the gusto of a 200 fish day. The fish mostly were 9”- 11" with a small of 4" & a big of 12". There are some bigger fish in the creek. I saw a Bull trout years ago that must have been 18-20". I caught two much smaller Bull trout this trip.
Yes! The water was nice & cold & other than the three I ate, no trout died in the making of this story.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 13, 2015 - 07:07pm PT
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Wow, you are far more of a "numbers" guy than me. Try as I might, I cannot get remotely excited by a ten-incher, no matter how many you catch.
Got some nice 18" native speckled/brook trout in Algonquin Park this spring with my dad. They tasted good.
I'm a day early with the Friday night post. Having some margaritas and beers down here in Cave City, Kentucky. Off to the World's Longest Cave tomorrow. We're going to make it longer still -- a New World's Record!!!
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Aug 14, 2015 - 01:59am PT
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Wow Pete, that is some catch!
And I thought boob threads were long gone...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from Alaska. Caught some nice silvers.
tag = Bob Gaines fly fishing alaska silver salmon
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The Chief
climber
Lurkerville east of Goldenville
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Very Nice BG!
I caught this Volcano Creek Golden today and it's keeper:
Some real ones we let go last Saturday:
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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nice goldens!
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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fijibrian
climber
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Post title says "The very large trout lovers thread" Here is a 60 pounder-kinda cheating since it is a salt water species called a coral trout,oh well.
P.S the trout fought harder when it saw my 90's haircut.
also note shark attempt at trout lunch near fishes tail
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Sep 19, 2015 - 12:58pm PT
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Hooked up this Monster DFW "Trophy Serial #'d" Tagged 25" Bow in Sabrina last Weds with my 11' 5wt St. Croix Skagit Stick. What a fight and awesome day as well with over 30 other Bows hooked and netted... nothing smaller than 14".
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 19, 2015 - 08:23pm PT
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Nice catch and release
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Sep 19, 2015 - 08:57pm PT
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BG, you should of seen the faces of my buddies at the Bishop DFG (to confirm the tag serial # etc) and at the local Tackle shop when I told em that I released it!!!
I never touched the Old Man btw. Thus the net only close up photos.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 22, 2015 - 10:04pm PT
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alaskan rainbows
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Sep 22, 2015 - 10:08pm PT
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NIIIIIIICE BG!
Hooked up this 20"er Bow yesterday...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 23, 2015 - 10:57am PT
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nice fly chief
float tubing?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 23, 2015 - 11:19am PT
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Nice Fish.
BG.... Is Alaska Fishing as good as its billed?
Chief.... right out your back door, nice.
This is my First Fish on my own rig..... Please don't laugh.
From Rock Creek, at the road end, up close to the first lake.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Sep 23, 2015 - 12:13pm PT
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^^^^^ Awesome GUY!!! Great to see ya getting out now.
BG... Negative.
11' or 10'9" Skagit Sticks with either 300 or 350 grain heads. That is all I use now for everything except bass. I find sand bars or rock bars and walk out as far as I can, sometimes that'll get me 80-100' from shore, then Single Spey or C-Spey shoot out 70-100'. 12 foot Butt/Leader/Tippet with my heavily weighted 12 or 14's that I tie (as in the photo) and BAM!!!!!
Pretty badass technique and tons of fun. Been doing that regularly for a month or so now 2-3 times a week. Now I see why guys like Howell, Ward, Pinczkowski and Larimer have been strictly Double Handed for most of their fly fishing careers. It is really so versatile once you get all the assorted casts down.
These two videos are what sold me on going two handed for everything.....
[Click to View YouTube Video]
[Click to View YouTube Video]
And this of course this one....
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 23, 2015 - 10:14pm PT
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Great videos chief...thanks for sharing.
I'm thinking of getting a switch rod and going for some kings and steelhead this winter
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 23, 2015 - 10:38pm PT
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BG.... Is Alaska Fishing as good as its billed?
Alaska, they say, gets in your blood. Just a taste and you'll be addicted. I first went in 2000 and have been returning every summer. For numbers, size, and variety of fish it's hard to beat.
I love catching big salmon on flies, and I've had days where I've wrestled with dozens until my arms were pumped and my wrists and elbows ruined, but this year I got an assignment for Northwest Fly Fishing magazine to write an article on float tubing the Kenai Peninsula, so my wife and I hiked in to a bunch of backcountry lakes with our float tubes.
The most eager and utterly enthusiastic fish I've ever seen to take a dry fly is without a doubt the Arctic Grayling. I've seen them actually leap out of the water and take the fly on the way down. Had one afternoon on this last trip where my wife and I caught 111 Grayling in 5 hours, give or take a few. In one instance I saw two fish leap out of the water and collide in mid air while going after my fly!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 23, 2015 - 11:25pm PT
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The scenery's not too bad either...
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 24, 2015 - 08:22am PT
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Bob... sounds fantastic!
Ill put graylings on my bucket list.
You must be getting the fly just right, to get them to fight over it.
THX
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Laine
Trad climber
Reno, NV
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Sep 25, 2015 - 01:11pm PT
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Caught a few brookies up at Minaret Lake, CA, over Labor Day weekend. They loved my bee-looking fly. Not a terrible view either with Clyde Minaret as a backdrop.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 25, 2015 - 03:16pm PT
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wow...I've never seen the Minarets that devoid of snow and ice!
nice brookie btw
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 28, 2015 - 12:33pm PT
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The fall colors are nice in the backcountry.
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Laine
Trad climber
Reno, NV
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Sep 28, 2015 - 02:10pm PT
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Hey Stimbo, do you hail from Crowley Lake near Mammoth? Heard the fishing there is on par with Pyramid Lake in terms of giant Cutthroat.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Sep 28, 2015 - 02:46pm PT
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Nice Stimbo....
They were also very nice 40 something miles to the north on Saturday.
The biggest of the day hooked up by my buddy Brad...
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BFK
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Sep 28, 2015 - 02:51pm PT
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Turns out Nelson lake has some great fishing,... and you can stare up at potential first ascents while you cast...
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 28, 2015 - 05:51pm PT
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Rick -- That brown looks awesome! Brad must have been stoked.
Laine -- Yes, Crowley is right down the street (literally). It can yield some incredible fish; rainbows, browns, and cutthroats... but nothing like Pyramid Lake cutthroats. Those fish are in a league of their own.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 28, 2015 - 05:54pm PT
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... and Bob -- Those rainbows and grayling look fabulous. Damn!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 29, 2015 - 03:13pm PT
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Thanks Stimbo.
Hey Chief, that's a nice brown! Parker Lake?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 29, 2015 - 03:26pm PT
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more from alaska...
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Sep 29, 2015 - 03:49pm PT
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BG... Awesome and Beautiful Char!!! Did you keep a couple to eat??
Nope not Parker... Saddlebag. The wind was howling but we still hooked up on over two dozen Bows and seven Browns. Saddlebag is well known for producing some Monster Giant Browns.
These aren't real but are part of my metal art work that I just finished for a show here in Bishop this weekend. I thought ya'll would appreciate em.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 29, 2015 - 04:21pm PT
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Nice!!!
Do you sell any of your metal artwork online?
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perswig
climber
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Oct 29, 2015 - 02:52pm PT
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Dale
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 29, 2015 - 06:44pm PT
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Yesterday, I took a scan of a 1991 photo of me fishing in Idaho's Sawtooth Range, under the Finger of Fate. Although Heidi's photo captured the moment, the camera couldn't catch the terrific background that our eyes could appreciate.
Here's the background.
However, the fishing was never that good in the Sawtooths. We barely caught enough fish to feed ourselves & they were all small. That is sooooo-often the fishing story in Idaho;)
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Oct 29, 2015 - 07:16pm PT
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Fritz...
You need to head north up to the Priest River. Was up there for a week in Aug visiting friends/family and scouting properties. Hooked up on over 20 decent Bulls in a four hour session just below the lake by shooting out 100', going deep and sweeping some big azz Conehead Boogers. Most avg'd 14-17". I saw plenty of monsters in that river as well. Oh Man.. can't wait till next Spring.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 29, 2015 - 07:29pm PT
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Chief: There are some huge Bull-trout in those N. Idaho, W. Montana, Columbia River tributary streams. They used to grow big & fat off eggs from spawning salmon & then baby salmon. Now since the salmon are endangered, the salmon predators, including Bulltrout, are also endangered. Another strange government regulation we might find some (rare) common ground on.
My biggest Bulltrout was a lean 27" one that surprised me by taking a dry fly on a 5 weight rod & leader on a Middle Fork Salmon tributary in Idaho in 1999. That was a fight, mostly on his rules, since when he ran downstream, I could only swim to keep up with him, due to a cliff on my side of the river.
A friend took this photo when I finally corralled the rascal.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Oct 29, 2015 - 07:48pm PT
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That^^^ is precisely why we are looking at properties in Bonner Ferry and on the Priest just above Priest River to move to permanently next Spring.
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perswig
climber
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Oct 30, 2015 - 12:34am PT
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Nice work, on a 5wt, Fritz! Worth the swim...
Dale
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 30, 2015 - 08:39am PT
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Dale! Thanks. It wasn't a big swim & the water was mostly deep, but the Bulltrout had run through that hole & was starting down some fast water to the next hole, which is where I landed the brute.
Chief: I lived in Moscow,on the southern edge of North Idaho for 14 years, & although I enjoyed visits to deepest north-Idaho, I couldn't live there. Too much rain & way too many trees for desert-loving me. Those trees get to me after a while.
The trees start closing in on me late afternoon in North Idaho.
Of course there are some fish.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Oct 30, 2015 - 08:54am PT
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^^^^^^^ That there Native CUT is what it's all about for me Fritz. The rain and trees are total non-issue for me. Can't wait to find super tight and secluded runs up there and start chucking and swinging bigazz Boogers for them CUTS and BULLS!!!!
May not be Steelies, but the Monster Cuts and Bulls will do just fine.
This is what it's ALL about for me.... Min 8:25 on!!! totally Badazz! Should bring back some fond memories of your 27" Bull, Fritz!!!
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 30, 2015 - 11:39am PT
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Holy fuk chief. From about 8:30 on, that video you posted is pretty amazing. I am surprised that steelie stayed hooked.
I forgot to bring up Kokanee. You can throw big streamers at them with some success, when they are in fall spawning-mode. Lots of locations in N. Idaho with Kokanee.
However that Cut I posted was caught on a #18 winged black ant. Big pods of Cuts were surface feeding on ants that fall afternoon & wouldn't take anything else.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Oct 30, 2015 - 12:45pm PT
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I forgot to bring up Kokanee. You can throw big streamers at them with some success...
Yuuuuuuuuuup... on the Kootenay River above and below Bonner Ferry!!!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 30, 2015 - 02:55pm PT
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Just bought a nice little four piece rod for my upcoming trip this weekend to the Eastside. Nothing special but it sure feels good in the hand. Slammed the tip of my nice little Orvis in my car door last week. Slammed the tip of my nice little Orvis in my car door last week. Doh!
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perswig
climber
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Oct 30, 2015 - 03:36pm PT
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Trying to get switched over to upland bird here, but the Chief's videos are not helping, especially with Maine keeping more open-water fishing avail this year, in addition to tidal water as per SOP.
Looked like they got a wee bit lucky on that last run (more likely they're that good) - rod was pretty straight at the fish couple/three times.
Dale
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 30, 2015 - 07:13pm PT
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Inspired by my trout posts, I decided I needed to go fishing this afternoon.
In my senile enthusiasm, I ignored the full-moon this week & the huge storm system bearing down on Idaho. (When I was less senile I knew that full-moons, when the fish party all night & are hung-over and lethargic during the day, & big storm systems with low barometric pressure, which makes trout ache all over, are going to negatively affect my trout fishing fun.
So------I drove 10 miles down to my secret “honey-hole” below a commercial fish hatchery, where I have caught a lot of big trout, including several football-shaped rainbows that were in the 8-10 lb. range, over the last 20 years and had a slow fishing afternoon.
Dry flies produced nothing, & no fish were rising. I switched to a #12 rubber-leg hare’s ear & got some good strikes, and finally caught some small rainbows. My one fish photo of the afternoon did not focus, but it’s all I’ve got.
Around 5:00 Heidi called, and politely inquired about what time I might be home, so she could plan dinner. It started raining very lightly & immediately after her call, the fish woke up.
I caught another couple small ones & had several hook-ups, & then with a big splash, I finally hooked a decent trout. After playing the 16-18” fish for a few minutes, I brought it in close enough to dig my camera out while talking it in.
“OK fish”, I said, “no-one gets released without a photo.”
With that admonishment, it unhooked itself, flipped me the bird with its caudal fin, and swam off.
It was time to leave, but I wasted another 10 minutes flailing the water in the rain, before giving up.
Damn! That was kinda fun!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 12, 2015 - 09:32pm PT
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I went back to my secret fall fishing spot, 10 miles of 2-lane highway, & 1/2 mile of gravel from home,this afternoon, for another try at some big fall trout.
It was a beautiful late fall day & 55 f, when I started fishing at about 3:30 PM.
A few Fish were rising to a plentiful midge hatch, but it was not a feeding frenzy and I chose not to try to match the mob of size 22 midges, because I couldn't imagine a fish taking my size 18 midge.
Instead I fished the two upper holes with a size 12 rubber-leg Hare's Ear, and got two substantial hits in the lower of the two holes & nothing in the upper. Then I switched to a green # 8 Flash Wooly Bugger & got no bites in the upper hole. I didn't see any fish at all there.
I went back to the next hole down & fishing downstream & got a couple light hits, then wandered 1/4 mile downsteam and saw some nice fish, but not even a strike, as the sun went down. Back up to the upper two holes at 5:00 PM and finally a 10" trout, then a hit or two & nothing.
I moved up to highest hole under the fish hatchery, aka, the Glory Hole, & did about 30 casts without a hit, but saw a couple nice sized trout rolling & jumping. Finally turned up this fat 14"er.
Then a 8" trout, then a couple hits, then nothing for another 20 casts, and it was getting dark & my hands were numb. Even nothing, fishing downstream with a current swing on hole #2 on the way out,which has hooked some big trout in the past.
It was scenic.
So it goes.
Sluuuurp.
Beats working.
& I have the memories to keep me inspired.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Nov 12, 2015 - 09:45pm PT
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Nice Fritz^^^^^^
Better late never. Hooked up on this 18" CutBow Hen early last week on the LO....
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 13, 2015 - 06:13am PT
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Chief! Nice fish!
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perswig
climber
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Nov 14, 2015 - 02:26am PT
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Wicked pissah, hah!
Chief, nice fish!
Dale
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Nov 17, 2015 - 03:24pm PT
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Spawning Kokanee in BC
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Nov 17, 2015 - 03:26pm PT
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Saw 6 grizz in 2 days, looking for that last fall fish feed
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Nov 17, 2015 - 03:29pm PT
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Havent seen one of these on this thread, Burbot, a freshwater ling cod. Best eating fish I ever had
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skitch
Gym climber
Bend Or
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Nov 20, 2015 - 04:45pm PT
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Heads up: Patagonia waders just arrived on sierratradingpost. http://www.sierratradingpost.com/s~patagonia-waders/?perPage=96
Don't know if it will work for you but I used this coupon to get 30% off, but I had to buy 3 items, 2 of which were fly mono. . .
CMR9090F
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 22, 2015 - 07:14am PT
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golsen: Nice bear. I don't think I'd enjoy seeing it looking at me.
Our SLC pals Jerry & Angie showed up yesterday at 3:30 PM & Jerry & I had lines in the water by 4:30. At 35 f. we had a spring creek to ourselves, but the fish were sulking. Jerry caught a fat 10" fish & then only a couple strikes on our rubber-leg hares-ears & wooly buggers, until I finally landed a nice 20" fish. Then, nothing again, until we froze out just at dark.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Nov 22, 2015 - 07:37am PT
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Nice Fritz. Temps dropping up there, both water and air must make for persistent work.
Skitch Heads UP!
I just dumped my second pair of Skeena's (that I had to pay the difference to replace my original Water Masters) in less than 14 months that I had been using for my Summer Ops. They BOTH started leaking profusely. After turning them inside out, found that both had the H2NO material delaming thus causing the leaks. Both times Patagonia sent me a gift card for only 70% the original cost. They DID NOT replace the waders with NO questions asked as does Redington or Simms for manufacturing/material defect failures. No more.
Back to my Simms G3's (which Simms replaced due to a stitching issue) & Headwaters as well as my go to Redington Sonic Dry Zip Ups (which Redington replaced due to the original Zipper failing to keep water out). Both with NO questions asked and all I had to pay was the shipping.
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perswig
climber
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Nov 22, 2015 - 09:10am PT
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I just dumped my second pair of Skeena's (that I had to pay the difference to replace my original Water Masters) in less than 14 months that I had been using for my Summer Ops. They BOTH started leaking profusely.
Maybe you're too prickly....
Speaking of Redington, I keep forgetting to ask where you fished while out here in the Pine Tree state (hopefully you spent most of your time up CWEST/Rangeley way and not stuck at a desk down at the NAS).
Dale
edit: yep, figured you'da enjoyed life up there! still pretty wild...
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Nov 22, 2015 - 09:26am PT
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PERSWIG!!
80% of my tour was spent at the "RTL COMPOUND" . I volunteered for regular stay over "Maint" duty at the RTL so as not to have to return to any, "desk" at NAS. It allowed for lots of free time down at the "lake" and it's surrounding flowing water bodies.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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So in the off chance some adventurous soul has been there before me...
I'm headed to Myanmar over the winter break (for 3 weeks) and as usual will be bringing my fly rods.I do a lot of SWFF and will be on the coast for at least a week. I've got that figured out.
But, I'm also going to be inland on some rivers and was wondering if anyone in this worldly group has any beta on FF there. I've caught Masheer before here in India but wouldn't mind a few hook ups there.
This will be my 2nd trip and I'm psyched to do a little warm water FF. Any info is appreciated though I know this is a long shot! Thanks!
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Nice DD!!
My good Vet friend and fishing pal was up and we both scored big time on the Upper O over the weekend...
It was 14degs F when we both hooked up. He got the nice big fat hen. Mine was mere 16" compared to his prize.
The following day we went hunting at a different locale..
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Wow, those are very sweet photos Chief!
Looks like an absolutely gorgeous day!
Man I miss that place!!!!!!!!
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Wow, that upper section of PVR looks pretty low.
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The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
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Capt, Yup. And it's totally DOA!
But the Spring Caddis Larvae are "packing" hard all over....
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Dec 15, 2015 - 06:37am PT
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sitting in the Nassau airport after a week on Andros
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perswig
climber
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Dec 31, 2015 - 03:47am PT
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Poking in here to see if anyone's got contact info for the Chief. No urgency, just found an SAR article to forward.
Options, let me know at gperswig at gmail, please. ST PM fxn no-joy in the past.
Thanks.
Dale
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Dec 31, 2015 - 04:07am PT
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I'm finally able to post a real fishy picture,
?
. Or not?
Sorry I fix this later
Happy New Year
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Dec 31, 2015 - 06:04pm PT
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Back to large trout...
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Nice troutskies.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Another rainbow trout
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MikeMc
Social climber
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^^^ Nice brownie. I have caught a few 1/2 that size on the Jeff in MT, but wow.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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This one is from November....
Line weight? Fight time? Fly pattern/size?
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Yeah in AK. More rainbows
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice rainbows johnkelly!
Potatohead, that is one truly impressive brown. Did you get a tape measure on him?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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That is an amazing brown. Congratulations and thanks for putting him back to make more just like himself!
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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total time maybe 10min
Amazingly short for a fish that size on a 7 weight. Surprised he did not break off.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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That first one of my friend in the green float coat was 32"x20". Plus it had a crooked/bent spine. Here's another friend with one around 28". Usually a 7wt. for the bigger water but anything from a 6wt - 9wt. Usually 4x tippet so 6lb I think?
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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A few more same day
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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John Kelley!
Awesome trout!
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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This is more like what we usually see on a good day 18" - 22" range.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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A few normal size steelhead
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Another one of an earlier fish and a long skinny one.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Timed it right and got optimal conditions on the Chetco River, Oregon this week between storms...got some nice steelhead on the fly.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Nice fish, Bob!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Awesome trout folks.
With my new Christmas present scanner, and lots of time on my hands, I've been scanning some more of my huge collection of old slides & photos.
Thought I'd share some fish shots.
1998, Heidi, her sister, & I flew off to Little Cayman Island from Grand Cayman in a Twin Otter. Little Cayman had a dirt airstrip, some small dive resorts, due to its wonderful coral reefs, & not much else. No school, no cop, no crime & about 150 people for population.
We were staying in the sister's ex-husband's beach cottage & driving his rusted out Suzuki Samuri. The cottage was a one bedroom shack right on the beach. For 6 blessed days, the sister would rise early & drive to a dive boat, I would stroll down to the beach, wade out & fish the shallow waters that ran out 100 - 200 yards to the reef. I was just learning how to see bonefish & usually if I saw some they were already running from me, or I spooked them with my first cast. I finally broke down & went fishing for half a day with the one bonefish guide on the island & caught some.
After that, I did a little better on my own, but mostly I caught small jacks in the 8 -12" range and on occasion, what I think were baby Permit in the same size range.
Heidi's sister would get back from her dive trips about noon every day, and in the afternoon we would drive the dirt road around the island looking for good snorkle entry spots. The sister thought we were seeing as good a fish on our snorkle adventures as she was seeing while diving.
We didn't bother locking the Suzuki. We strewed our possessions between the vehicle & the beach, and really enjoyed the safeness of the island.
One afternoon out at a place called Point of Sands, the current pulled me past a 5' baracuda. I saw him from about 10' away, and did my best to quietly avoid running head-first into him. He moved over as I drifted by about 3' away. Awhile after that, I was fishing in the same general area & hooked what felt like a bigger jack than usual. Suddenly, I saw a shadow darting towards the jack, my rod bent double for a few seconds, then snapped back upright. I reeled in just the head of the jack & assume the baracuda took the remainder.
The only flaw in our paradise was the nightly assault of no-see-ums. As soon as the sun set, billions of the little bastardos swarmed the island. We usually dined inside, but after dinner one night at a dive resort we went down to an outside bar with a beach view. After a few drinks, we rolled back to our shack & the next day each of us had about 50 new bites on our legs.
Please note that Little Cayman has grown considerably in the last 18 years & none of my previous experiences may still be true.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Didn't go fishing for trout last year, can't even find any pics of the salmon, but figured I'd share a few.
after knocking the wiggle out of them
Last year was unbelievable for whales and dall porpoises. One trip by the end of the day we'd had at least two dozen whales and 100 porpoises circling the boat every time we stopped to fish. Under the too close for comfort we had a whale surface under out boat and lift us out of the water. Probably only raised us a foot out of the water but that was a once in a lifetime experience I don't want to repeat.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 17, 2016 - 09:10am PT
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Mar 17, 2016 - 11:33am PT
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Very Nice !!!!!!! Dry fly or???
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MegaStoke
Trad climber
Boise, ID
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Mar 17, 2016 - 02:19pm PT
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 17, 2016 - 06:58pm PT
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Great Idaho Cut Megastoke.
You also get points for holding it extended out in front of you, so the camera makes it look larger.
Back in the 1970's, we did not take stoves into Idaho's mountains, & instead grilled those trout over campfire coals.
As it should be.
But, I haven't grilled a mountain trout over a wilderness campfire for about 30 years.
Sigh.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 17, 2016 - 10:39pm PT
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Caught this monster channel catfish fly fishing at Lake Perris, CA today. Put up quite a fight! 23 pounds.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 17, 2016 - 11:00pm PT
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Very Nice !!!!!!! Dry fly or???
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jun 12, 2016 - 11:39am PT
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Nice fish BG!
Regarding your Chetco steelhead from back in February, what's your fly setup for Chetco steelhead. Swinging? Nymphs?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 20, 2016 - 10:50am PT
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Regarding your Chetco steelhead from back in February, what's your fly setup for Chetco steelhead. Swinging? Nymphs?
In Feb. 2016 I caught 'em mainly on Glo Bugs I tied with yarn, fished from a drift boat using floating line under an indicator with some split shot to get them down near the bottom.
In Dec. 2013 I had 21 hookups in 3 days on the Chetco using both Glo Bugs and more traditional trout nymphs (like stonefly nymphs) both under an indicator and using a swinging fly technique.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jun 24, 2016 - 05:14pm PT
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Cool thanks!
Man 21 hook ups! That's an insane 3 days of steel heading. I never seem to quite hit it at the right time.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Jun 24, 2016 - 07:06pm PT
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Dammmm! Don't you ever climb BG?
Those are beast's! What size rod you using on the lakes, compared to what your using in the drift boat? i never seen anybody flyfish on a lake besides myself and my little 8-6-6, or 7-6-4. lol. i need to step it up for the big boys. That big cat i bet was a hoot:D
That' a nice fat toad up at the top of the page too:)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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I usually climb a few days a week, and fish a few days a week.
I normally go with a 6, 7 or 8 weight for fishing from my float tube. I use my 6 weight for trout, although I caught my biggest carp (26 pounds) fishing my 6 weight! When I go for big bass or carp, I go up to the 8 weight. Had a great time last week sight fishing for monster size carp at Bridgeport Reservoir in the Eastern Sierra, wading the shallows with my 8 weight.
Tags= Bob Gaines fly fishing for carp
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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^^^^
Lol, BG! I can remember my first visit to the East Walker below Bridgeport Reservoir. There are some large pools down there and we saw these huge fish lurking around. Omg, they must be those huge Browns we heard about! Not. After a few hours of tossing everything we had at them we kinda realized they weren't trout. Yeah, we were dumb, but there were some nice trout around those parts.
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Scott07
Sport climber
SugarPine
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Jul 20, 2016 - 04:34pm PT
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 20, 2016 - 05:33pm PT
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Pretty good for "First Fish"
I like the fish on a stick, deal.... reminds me of my youth.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Jul 20, 2016 - 05:56pm PT
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good job Gaines.
i'm stoked you make time for the important things in life! (that's what i meant, btw)
hopefully to your delight, i followed your lead and actually youtubed "big carp on a fly" and was euphorically surprised! up so that i ordered up a 9ft, 1 piece, 8wt. soon as it shows i'm psyched to hit bigbear and sleigh!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 25, 2016 - 10:36am PT
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Little fish from little water.
I have been trying this fly fishing thing for the last three years... had some help from Gonome and The Chief.... yesterday I had a really good day on a small creek... This is not as easy as Bob Gaines makes it appear to be. After nothing for 3 hours.... I watched some yellow winged insect almost fall out of the moss on the side of the creek into the water, only to be gobbled up by a Golden who jumped out of the water to eat it! I looked at the fly selection I have and yes I do have a yellow winged one..... tied it on and Bam I got one on the first cast!
They were going after my Fly like it was crack cocaine!
Just as long as I got the fly on the water - not all that easy on a windy day- they were fighting over it.
I had to stop fishing because I had to meet my ride back to LA.
I stopped taking pictures after the 3rd one because it was cutting into the scare time I had left, I lost track of how many after 12 or so.
I'm now hooked.
No fish were harmed.... catch and release fishing is the best.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 25, 2016 - 12:24pm PT
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Next time you go fishing try walking up to the bank shaking some bushes and or picking up a rock in the creek and or river to see what's crawling around on it and then match the bugs you see fly away or crawling on the rock. Size and color matter FYI, and this should help you avoid a few hours of casting practice and get you a few more hours of catching practice.
WTF.... Thanks for the advise... Thats what Gome and The Chief showed me.
That baby was out of the water for maybe 30 seconds,pulled it up by the line, flopping all the time....
put it back in the water with the line... the hook came right out... it took off.
I don't think I killed it.
I hope not.
So you say they die if handled by hand?
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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Jul 25, 2016 - 12:41pm PT
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Stolen from http://www.hatchmag.com/blog/catch-release-fishing-10-tips-successful-release/771637
Following are 10 tips for insuring that your catch makes it back into the water for another angler to pursue. While these guidelines are written from the perspective of the trout and salmon fisherman, virtually all of these guidelines apply to other species as well.
USE CRIMPED OR BARBLESS HOOKS
This is the obvious one, so let's get it out of the way first. Use hooks with no barb whatsoever, or use your pliers or hemostats to press down the barb on your hook before fishing it. Barbless hooks are almost always removable with ease. Barbed hooks can often cause serious damage to your catch and probably aren't increasing your landing rate as much as you think.
YOU'RE NO SURGEON
Well, at least we're assuming you're not. Even if you are a surgeon, don't try to perform surgery streamside on an un-sedated subject. If your fish takes a hook deep and it can't easily be removed, just cut the leader/tippet as close as you safely can and leave the hook in. The fish will eventually shed the hook on its own, the hook will corrode, or new tissue will surround the hook and the fish will go on about its business of being a fish. The alternative, attempting to dig out a deep hook, almost invariably results in a mortally wounded fish. In fact, one study by the PFBC (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission) showed that 66 percent of deeply hooked fish that were released with the hook still in place survived. Their counterparts that had the hook dug out? They survived only 11 percent of the time.
HORSE IT IN
Ditch the 8x tippet and fight your fish in with authority. Apply pressure properly from the side and don't over play the fish. Playing a fish for 10 minutes (that's intended as a gross exaggeration, it can take much less time than that to excessively exhaust a trout, for example) on tippet that's too light for the fight is likely to exhaust a fish past a point from which it can recover. Chances are you don't need that ultrafine tippet anyway.
USE A RUBBER NET
Landing nets provide one of the few reliable ways to release a fish without handling the fish at all and also allow you to land a fish more quickly. Try to use a net whenever possible and use a good quality catch and release net like the rubber mesh variety that are increasingly common and increasingly affordable these days. Stay away from nylon nets.
GET WET
When it comes time to handle the fish, always get your hands wet. Dry hands are much more likely to remove a fish's layer of slime which protects the fish from fungus, bacteria and parasites.
TAKE CARE OF THE HEAD AND EYES
Like you, the fish at the end of your line relies on its head and eyes to get by. Unlike you, however, a fish doesn't have a head designed to take the occasional whack or two. A fish's head is fragile and needs to be protected. In fact, head injuries are the leading cause of fish mortality after release.
AVOID THE SHORE
Never land your catch by dragging it onto the rocks, beach or even grass along the shoreline. These places are no place for a fish. Putting a fish on the shore virtually guarantees you're committing all kinds of no-nos: disturbing the fish's protective slime, keeping the fish out of the water too long, encouraging head and eye injuries and more. Keep your catch in the water where it belongs if you're hoping to release it unharmed.
5 SECOND RULE
This isn't the same 5 second rule that applies to dropping french fries or funnel cake at the ballpark. This version, much more well-rooted in science than the aforementioned version, requires that you strictly limit the time your fish spends out of water. This doesn't mean you've lost all hope of getting that grip-and-grin shot, it just means you need to do it properly. Prepare for your photo with your fish safely under the surface. When you lift the fish out of the water, do it for 5 second intervals or less. Feel free to keep on trying (within reason) until you get the shot, but return your fish to the water for a rest between attempts.
REVIVE IT PROPERLY
Face your fish upstream (or whichever direction faces into the current), not down, and let it breathe normally. If you've been taught by someone in the past to drag your catch back and forth in the water in order to help it revive, stop. This sort of action actually impedes the fish's ability to move water through the mouth and across the gills to obtain oxygen. Also take care not to revive your fish in sediment-filled water. If you've disturbed the stream bed, move into clean, clear water with a moderate flow and revive the fish there. Be patient and let the fish tell you when it is ready to swim away. Returned vigor and stability of the fish will be the first signs that it is nearing the time for release.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 25, 2016 - 01:14pm PT
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WTF and Labrat..... thanks for the information, we will take it to heart.
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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Jul 25, 2016 - 01:27pm PT
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Don't let us damp your enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing your fishing day. I've never caught a Golden.
I feel a bit guilty about the fish I abused for years. Worst ones now are the small ones I accidentally fling into the bushes behind me when I strike and they come off the hook ;-(( Sometimes I cannot find them.....
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 25, 2016 - 03:20pm PT
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Largest trout I missed was in the McCloud, a brown that must have been 20 pounds. This giant hooked jaw came out and sucked my October caddis in. I didn't wait long enough for that giant mouth to close and pulled it right on out. Such as sad thing to watch.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 25, 2016 - 05:31pm PT
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WTF - Labrat ..... Thank you for the insight, I do appreciate the words of wisdom.
Gnome..... got photo?? Prove it or it didn't happen - sounds like a fish story to me. :>)
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ruppell
climber
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Jul 25, 2016 - 07:10pm PT
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Guyman, not to beat the subject to death but never do that unless your gonna eat it. I don't even carry a net with me when I fish but I never handle the fish or take more than it's head out of the water. Get in the habit of having a pair of forceps clipped somewhere you can easily get to them. Once the fish gets close grab the forceps. Once he calms down a bit get the forceps on the bottom of the hook. Turn them 180 degrees and the fish is released about as cleanly as you can get. It takes some practice but once you get it right it becomes second nature.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 25, 2016 - 07:34pm PT
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I spent the weekend netting a ridiculous amount of trout while rowing down a peaceful river. Trout live in beautiful places....
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jul 25, 2016 - 09:31pm PT
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Alright trout friends...I need some advice. My good friend is coming from North Carolina, and after he took me on some awesome fly fishing trips in North Carolina and Tennessee it's time to pay him back.
He is going to be here next week and I can't decide where to take him fly fishing for trout. I typically fish the middle or south fork of the Stanislaus, Hat Creek, or the Pit. I would like to branch out and show him a great time on the river. We will be wading. Any good advice on where to go for a quick two day trip? We would be starting from Santa Cruz, but don't mind driving for awhile (as I'm use to for trout fishing).
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 26, 2016 - 08:54am PT
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Ruppell ..... Thanks for the word, I will work on the clean release. I need to get out of the factory and go Fly Fishing more so I can practice.
Escopeta ..... rub it in... rub it in. Good to see your living the good life.
Tad.... don't worry I eat em also, my Grand Pa made me and my cousin into fishermen at a young age. We would go on these two week fishing/camping trips with all my aunts and uncles, cousins etc... he would give us the task of catching as many trout as possible so we could feed a ton of people.
Sometimes when I would get a good brown I would shock the old man by cutting them loose! "Thats the fish of the day, why did you cut em loose?" he would exclaim.
"he sort of fits in with this creek" I would answer back. "part of the scenery"
I really want to thank everyone who gave me advise about how to handle fish with a gentle hand...... I guess what I was doing was about the same as Top Roping through the fixed gear.... or worse.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Jul 26, 2016 - 09:13am PT
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pretty much a 5.3 fly fisherman, but wanted to mention something re:habitat preservation. Someone mentioned to me that wading was preferable to fishing from the bank on a certain small stream and I realized I had never considered the impact of just walking around a small stream. Tread lightly and consider the leave no trace option appropriate to the terrain. Any advice from more experienced anglers is appreciated.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 26, 2016 - 10:26am PT
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Tad.... good traditions to have. Start em young.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 26, 2016 - 11:29am PT
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Briham89, have you considered the Fall River? The few times that we fished it while in Kali we loved it. It might be a little early for the Hex hatch but there are good guides in the area. We hooked up with the folks out of the Clearwater Lodge and they took good care of my folks.
Guyman, there is plenty of good fishing in Kali, but yes we are living the good life by hunting or fishing virtually every weekend and not spending hours upon hours in the truck to do it. You come up and we'll float a blue ribbon stream. We can put Jan in the back of the boat (because if we put him in the front he'll catch all the fish)
Eat one every so often. Otherwise you forget the fact that you're just playing with your food. Crappie on the fly is great fun and good eating. We normally keep a couple hundred and then freeze em for fish frys throughout the year.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 26, 2016 - 12:02pm PT
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Dude! Guy and I will need to come visit. And I will still catch my share from the back of the boat. I can outcast Guy so them fish will still be seeing my fly first.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 26, 2016 - 12:19pm PT
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Ha!. That sounds like a challenge Guyman!
But, have no fear, when the rear person starts to encroach on the forward fisherman's water, the oarsman can put him/her into the "penalty box".
The rower is also the referee and I've been known to mete out such punishment. Lol.
The south fork of the snake is awful nice......
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 26, 2016 - 12:56pm PT
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It looks nice...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 26, 2016 - 02:05pm PT
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Here's a hook removal device my fishing guide was using in Alaska to remove hooks without handling the fish and without taking the fish out of the water. This one was designed to be used with size 12 to 6 hooks while bead fishing in Alaska. It's pretty easy to make one if you copy this model and you can make it any size you want, depending on the type of hook you're using. I find it very effective with barbless hooks. To use it you grab the line with one hand, then slide the device down the line with the other hand until the hook pops. Obviously, it works best to remove someone else's fish, as you'll need both hands.
There's another design on the market called the "Ketchum Release", but I find this design works better, at least for larger hook sizes.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 26, 2016 - 04:12pm PT
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BLUEBLOCR writes hopefully to your delight, i followed your lead and actually youtubed "big carp on a fly" and was euphorically surprised! up so that i ordered up a 9ft, 1 piece, 8wt. soon as it shows i'm psyched to hit bigbear and sleigh!
Excellent! That sounds like the perfect rod. Big Bear lake has a HUGE carp population. You'll find them in the shallows on the far east end of the lake.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Jul 26, 2016 - 06:29pm PT
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Another vote for the Fall River....one of the most serene places that I have ever been...
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 26, 2016 - 08:34pm PT
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WTF, with the exception of far-north Idaho we are in "weekend" range of virtually all the streams in Idaho, Eastern Oregon, and Northern Utah.
We have the skiff pictured there as well as a whitewater raft outfitted specifically for fishing (frame, seats, kneelocks, etc) When the rowing gets bumpy, I prefer the raft.
We love floating the SF of the Snake, Henry's Fork, Teton River, Salmon, etc. Our fishing season is short since pigeons, big game and especially waterfowl occupy our winters mostly.
We treat it a bit like skiing, we make time when the conditions are absolutely optimal and chase the hatch.
My back won't tolerate a lot of wade fishing (standing) but I can row all day and I enjoy getting people into fish as much as I do throwing a line anymore. The one exception is the upper MO. When we are in Craig, I'm fishing - not rowing. That place is my mecca and when I'm there it's for one reason. We have a guide friend that knows what I want and we get it. Such a great place.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 26, 2016 - 08:43pm PT
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 26, 2016 - 08:47pm PT
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perswig
climber
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Jul 27, 2016 - 07:03am PT
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Good stuff (fish, fish stoke, and fish respect) here.
Esco, is Adipose Boatworks a fat joke? More seriously, who made your oars?
Dale
edit: Thanks! I mostly paddle and have worked a Sawyer, but have started looking at inflatable/pack/pontoon rafts. I like the looks of your 'shoal' blade but would think it requires some grip changes vs a symmetric blade. Damn pretty, too.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 27, 2016 - 07:30am PT
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Perswig,
Those are Sawyer "square top" oars with what they call the "shoal cut" blade.
In truth they are incredible but have taken a lot of getting used to.
The length is critical so if you have a way to try and buy, I would suggest that. See if you can talk your local provider into letting you take a set and try them on your boat and exchange for longer/shorter if needed. The balance needs to be just so. They are extremely light (and VERY expensive) but a welcome upgrade from the fenceposts I row with on the raft.
WTF: What unit is your elk tag in? Is it ID? I have one of the best desert mule deer tags this year which will cut into duck hunting but should be worth it.
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jonnyrig
climber
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Jul 27, 2016 - 12:50pm PT
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Good luck on the elk tag! I'm after cow elk in Jarbidge, late, again. With any luck, we'll catch some trout this weekend at Caples Lake.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Jul 27, 2016 - 02:08pm PT
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My tag is Idaho Unit 41 Buck Tag. Its a rut hunt (Nov 1-24)
Its one of the more remote tags in the state so I will be lacing up the boots AND gassing the 4 wheeler.
I leaving for Colo antelope in a few weeks but it not a trophy hunt per se. Just a great setting chasing goats in the forest.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jul 29, 2016 - 11:51am PT
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Wade Icey! Pardon my slow reply to your question, but I've been out suffering in the mountains.
Someone mentioned to me that wading was preferable to fishing from the bank on a certain small stream and I realized I had never considered the impact of just walking around a small stream. Tread lightly and consider the leave no trace option appropriate to the terrain. Any advice from more experienced anglers is appreciated.
Wading has an impact on all the aquatic insects that live on the river cobbles. Course gravel may well have fish eggs or tiny hatchlings living in it. Sand is pretty sterile, so no problems with wading it & same with big rocks.
One or two wading fishers are not going to impact an aquatic insect population by much, but dozens or hundreds of waders can have an impact. Fewer mayflies, stoneflies, & caddis hatching equals fewer & smaller fish.
I've never seen an actual study on the impact wading causes, but I haven't read a fishing magazine or hung out with professional fly fishers since the late 1990's.
Oh, my suffering in the mountains photos. We were fishing in moose country with fresh tracks & mooseshit everywhere in areas with dense brush & beaver dams. Happily we didn't get closer than this.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 18, 2016 - 06:38pm PT
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Went to Bishop Creek and Rock Creek with the Gome.... he got lots of fish. I was able to get some, little ones mostly, but to me, just to get the fly floating long enuf is the crux and add in the "set the hook" part and well FF aint easy.
But I am happy to add that because of the on-line lesson and advise from fellow ST FF men no fish were harmed .... thanks for the info.
I was able to corral them and keep them in the water the whole time, a wet hand to hold em and get the fly out... they did really tear off after after the release.
I also learned to get them up close, slack on the line some, and many would spit the hook, with out having to be handled.
much fun
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Aug 18, 2016 - 07:44pm PT
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QuoteEver eaten Kokanee??? Holy sh#t, they are tasty! Here
Tasty!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from 2 weeks of fly fishing in Alaska. Caught some nice silvers.
Got lucky this year fishing the Kenai River, as the size of the pink salmon was the largest anyone has seen in over 42 years. Found a great hole where I caught some record breakers.
Bob Gaines pink salmon kenai river fly fishing
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ruppell
climber
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Nice Bob.
I just got back from a few hours up at South Lake. I managed to get over 50 fish in that short time. The funny thing is all 50 of them combined probably weigh less then that last fish you posted a shot of.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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I asked my wife once if she'd rather catch 50 little trout or one 20 pound trout in a day and she said "50 little trout." Me, I'd rather catch one big one for the day!
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ruppell
climber
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That's why Alaska is the best of both worlds. You can easily catch 50 slobs in a day up there.
I had a pretty good day last week. Hit up South Lake after work. Managed to land five bows over the 24" mark. All in about an hour of fishing. I hooked into one that snapped three pound test with two quick head shakes. It was a big fish. For me it's always the ones that get away that keep me going. I'll go back to that same spot till I land him. He must have taken today off cause there where no big fish to be found.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Hit up South Lake after work. Managed to land five bows over the 24" mark. All in about an hour of fishing.
That's some world class fishing- no matter where you are!
I always loved fishing at South Lake: you gotta love an alpine reservoir you can drive right up to. How's the water level these days?
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ruppell
climber
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Water level was up this year. Until last week you could launch at the ramp. It's just a foot or so below the ramp as of today.
The past three years have been great there for fishing in solitude. When the water levels dropped people went elsewhere to fish. I spent that time hiking my float tube down to what was left of the lake and having really good days. Since nothing was able to be stocked all the fish I was hooking up with where full fin lake born fish.
It's been funny listening to people say how it's shitty fishing there. How it's fishless. How good it used to be. I'd bite my tongue for fear of giving away a lake that I basically had all to myself for three seasons. Now that the water levels are returning to normal and DFG can put those annoying little stockers in again I figure it's ok to let that cat out of the bag.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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OMG, BG!
Nice record setting. That thang's Bionic! like it just swang through a nuclear flowout maybe?
you sure seem to got the timing down pat, way to GO!
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Just got back from 2 weeks of fly fishing in Alaska. Caught some nice silvers.
Fly fishing or spin fishing?
Did you stay at a lodge? If so, which one if I can ask?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Fly fishing. Rented a cabin in the town of Cooper Landing, which is about a 2-hour drive west of Anchorage.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Fly fishing. Rented a cabin in the town of Cooper Landing, which is about a 2-hour drive west of Anchorage.
Thanks.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nice fish Bob.
TPFU
WTF nice one too... Lower Sac? Is that below Sacramento?
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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You folks are just killing me. I've had tennis elbow in my fishing arm from non-fishing overuse all summer.
I look at those big-hogs photos and my elbow hurts even more.
I'm in physical therapy now, since I've got to get healed before our fall-spawning rainbows start up.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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For me it's always the ones that get away that keep me going. I'll go back to that same spot till I land him. He must have taken today off cause there where no big fish to be found.
That's why we all fish. Thrill of the chase, and the allure that you 'never know what yer gonna get'. That big one is just a cast away.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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WTF... thanks for the info.
I will put that one on the bucket list.
Going to take a few days off work later this month to go way up the east side. I have never fished by Bridgeport or the Walker River.
I hope to get a photo of a trout worthy of this thread.
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ruppell
climber
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Guyman
Those are both really good places. Lundy is on the way up and also a lake with some large fish.
If you really want to start hooking into big fish pick one lake. Learn the lake. It sounds silly but every body of water has it's own personality. The big fish are there in almost everyone of them. It's finding them that takes time.
The reason I tend to land a lot of big fish is because I focus on a few lakes and know them very well by now. I also spend more time walking then fishing. I sight fish. I'll walk a lake higher up on the bank until I see a fish that's big. Then I'll watch him for a few minutes and try and figure out his feeding or cruising pattern.
Armed with that knowledge I'll drop down to a spot that he'll be in and cast on him until he hits. If he doesn't I'll wait it out until he returns to that same spot on his pattern. Eventually you can usually get them to take.
It kinda of goes along with what Bob said upthread. I'd rather land one big fish then a bunch of little ones. Don't get me wrong the little ones can be fun and landing 50 is something I do when the big fish are heads down. If the big fish are cruising though that's what I'm after.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Fishing is it's own form of hunting. But you can usually have the option of letting them go.
I'm more in to big bass (striper/largemouths), and they suck on the dinner table, better suited for battle in the water. And that's where I always return them after I 'abuse' them.
Me and bass are good friends. We have an understanding.
Like golf, I may someday get into fly-fishing. Both seem to appeal to me more and more as I age. Just not there yet, despite the fun it looks like.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Tad, I'm sure you get a fair share of stripers hitting those salmon/trout flies, right? ANd if it's the mighty Sac, largeemouth bass prolly hit those flies too.
Being in the water is just as peaceful as the mountains. To most.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Lately been groomin the grandson to become an angler. :)
Nice job, grandpda! That is a lucky little boy, and he will not forget that. Ever.
Priceless.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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alaskan rainbows
Photos by Yvonne Gaines
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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NICE photography, Bob! (Or Yvonne...)
good stuff.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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All the photos were taken by my wife Yvonne. She's a great photographer and fisher woman!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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ruppel.... thanks for the tips. You are FF for those monsters right? Going down deep? When I was young I would fish So. Lake, Sabrina and Convict with Lures and tow a wet fly behind a clear bubble. I always found the best fishing where the creeks flow into the lakes. I do see a float tube in my future, the pontoon ones are best right???
And Bob... in that top photo, your wife took. Do you really have about 100 feet of line in the sky????? Awesome.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Bob you ever use the two hander and swing up there in those big waters?
Funny you should mention that, because I've been thinking about getting one. I own a dozen fly rods, from 4 weight to 12 weight, all ranging in length from 8 ft. 6 in. to 9-foot lengths.
I think my next rod will be a spey or switch rod. I found myself in some situations last winter fishing for steelhead (on the Smith River in northern California) where it really would have come in handy, particularly in situations where I was in a boat with no room for a backcast because of riverside trees.
Ever use a switch rod?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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And Bob... in that top photo, your wife took. Do you really have about 100 feet of line in the sky?????
Nope, optical illusion. I'm casting to fish just off the bank. That's a cable strung across the Kenai River for the Russian River Ferry.
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ruppell
climber
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Guyman,
I spend my time between flyfishing and throwing mini jigs. Most of my big fish come on the spinning rod and mini jigs. I have 3,4,5 weight flyrods that all see a lot of use if the wind is down. If it's windy I break out the spinning rig. That's a 9' ultralight Okuma Celieo paired with a Okuma RTX-25S with 2lb P-line. With that rig I can huck a 1/32oz mini jig about 50 yards.
The fish I'm going after are usually in the top ten feet of the water column. Once you try sight fishing you'll get the hang of it pretty quick. It's a type of fishing that actually gets the adrenaline going. You'll see a slob and your heart will pick up a few beats. Of course it picks up a few more when you actually hook up.
I just got into float tubing about 5 years ago. I have two tubes now. One's an Oucast Fatcat. It's the perfect tube for when you don't have to hike very far. It's heavy as hell but it rides and floats better than any other tube I've been in. Which is most of them made. My second tube is a Creek Company ODC 420 Ultralight. That thing ways about 10lbs and it's the tube I use when I'm hiking into alpine lakes for Goldens.
The beginning of this season I had 5 consecutive weekends of back country Golden fishing. All in lakes that are at least 6 miles in. Total weight of all my stuff was at just over 30lbs. Not to bad. It's actually getting to be Golden season again pretty soon. They really turn back on come October. The fishing stays good until the ice starts to form. There's just something special about being 7 or 8 miles in on a lake in a float tube with no oone else around. Catching fish at that point is just the proverbial icing on the cake.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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You could fool a lot of people with that photo....
My eye was looking at the line, and I was thinking... how the heck does he have a parallel line that far out???
But I still think you are superman and all fish tremble at your presence.
My friend LJ who now lives in Bishop liked FF with my rig so much he ran out and picked up a rig.... we went to the ORG 2 weeks ago and he got his first real trout... about a 14 inch Brown, right by the social platform.
He is now hooked.
Everyone- thanks all for the cool photos, .... gets me stoked to improve and get out more.
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ruppell
climber
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I usually kick back what I catch but a few year ago a buddy got a new smoker and wanted some fish. You know the deal. I provide the fish he smokes them and gives me half back. Here's the stringer I bought him from South Lake. The little guy is 3lbs.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Ruppel .... thanks for the info on the gear, gives me food for thought.
Going to look for videos on that Spey thing.
Hard to imagine how it works without room behind you???
Gome got me to cast almost straight up and down in the small creeks.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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WTF,
Thanks for the tips. That Klamath spey camp sounds like the ticket.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Hard to imagine how it works without room behind you???
That's the beauty of two-handed rods, you don't need back casting room. You load the rod with a D-loop.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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WTF..... thank you for that vid link.
Now I see what that's all about.
Looks like another good tool.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Great advice. Thanks WTF
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Gome got me to cast almost straight up and down in the small creeks.
I used the same kind of small water tactics but once I got into switch (and some Spey) casting techniques I found myself using those same two-handed casts on a smaller scale w my one-handed rod. Both in tight quarters and beyond.
So, I wouldn't look at it like you have to go whole-hog and invest in a full Spey outfit for the few times you are in pure swinging territory. You could take a couple of lessons with someone to learn Spey tactics and then use them in your normal fishing waters.
There are some great teachers in your neck of the woods if you want suggestions.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Esco... I not going to go buy one of those anytime soon. Im still in the early learning stage with the stuff I have now. I'll come up and try yours in the spring.
I do have a good teacher, Gome has been showing me how it works for three years now and he let me use all of his stuff, I only broke one rod! He is a real champ, did not even yell at me when I jumped off of a rock and about 250 flies spilled out of the box I forgot to shut and went down Bishop Creek. The Chief also put me under his wing for a good day and showed me the way of the nymph.
Lots to learn for sure. I do like the idea of a notebook and a thermometer and a small net for trapping underwater bugs. (that was up thread a ways)
I have set aside all of September for fishing, we do go bouldering after or before FF.
Bishop is the place for the next two weekends then Gome and I have 4 days and we are going to go up 395 further north.
I hope to get a photo worthy of posting here.
THX all.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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That sounds like great fun and a good time to be there assuming there's still water left
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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This year is much better then the last....water wise
we quit going last fall because it was depressing to see the water so low and the fishing was dead.
Hot Creek, was so low that the fishing went away completely.... this year its back up some but the fishing is dead.
Any East Side Locals know why???
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ruppell
climber
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Yep WTF nailed it. Water got way to low to support any fish. I'm sure some smaller ones made it through and they'll be getting bigger quick.
It's the only stream that suffered that bad around here from the drought. Everywhere else the fisheries are doing fine to exceptional.
I'm actually packing up right now for 5 days at the Citadel and surrounding area. The big debate in my head is bring the pack rod or don't bring the pack rod. It's only a few more pounds but my pack with food, shelter, and the rack for Edge of Time is already getting pretty damn heavy. Plus I don't know if I'll even have time to fish. I love problems like this.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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WTF.... thanks for the info. Those monsters died, that's sad, when I first started G_Gonme took me their and I got a 18 inch Brown. Figured this FF stuff was easy. G_Gonme got about 20- 30 and one was really big... didn't fit his net! Then the next year the water was low...and it was very slow and this year NOTHING.
Now I know why.
Ruppell.... you have some hard decisions to make, lucky you. Have fun climbing- B safe.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Hot Creek, was so low that the fishing went away completely.... this year its back up some but the fishing is dead.
Any East Side Locals know why???
As WTF mentioned, "the fish have died." The drought has been really tough on all of the eastside fisheries. Hot Creek is not dead however, there are plenty of trout, you just need to adjust your expectations. The numbers are down by maybe as much as 90%(?). Instead of 10,000 fish per mile, the numbers seem to indicate 1,000. We need some big winters with lots of precipitation.
Here is a photo from a couple of weeks back. CDFW doing a fish survey on Hot Creek.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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I've seen the survey crew go thru Hot Creek a few times. It always makes me laugh. Everyone is so worried about wading there and then these guys come thru and rip half the plants out and crush everything from bottom to top. I am pretty sure the fishing was better there back when the cows still roamed freely and ate all the nettles and stirred the bottom up some.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Sep 10, 2016 - 10:46am PT
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You wanna catch a boat load of fish......go about a quarter mile downstream of one of those fish counts. Its like the mother of all san-juan-shuffles...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 10, 2016 - 05:55pm PT
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Float tubing in Alaska
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perswig
climber
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Sep 10, 2016 - 06:02pm PT
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Careful, your biner's cross-loaded.
Nice fish, all.
Dale
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 13, 2016 - 09:14pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 13, 2016 - 09:27pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 13, 2016 - 11:21pm PT
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Thanks Ruppel, nice link.
The article confirms what I've always thought about differentiating between an arctic char vs. dolly varden: if the spots are bigger than the pupil of the eye it's an arctic char, smaller, a dolly varden.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Sep 14, 2016 - 03:31am PT
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Looks like a pink clouser you hooked that bad boy with BG...
I've been tying a bunch of those lately as I have a Oman trip coming up and just finished a Goa trip. All SWFF.
Hoping for some GT's in Oman!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 12, 2016 - 08:11am PT
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Hoping to get out Saturday. Thinking Middle Fork of the Kings or possibly bombing over to the east-side. How have things been in the Upper Owens? Have never fished there. Fished the Lower Owens RG last fall and had a blast.
Is the Upper packed with fishermen?
Have they been catching anything?
Any beta would be much appreciated since its a ten hour driving day for a few hours of fishing for us Fresnans.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Oct 18, 2016 - 07:40pm PT
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Sounds cool. I can't see the pics at the link though, and that kinda sucks for a fishing thread. But it sounds like the trip was good, so that's cool.
Try to fix the pics. Or post them here!
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Oct 18, 2016 - 07:55pm PT
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Been chasing elk but figured I would pull some fishy pics from the archives...apologies if they are duplicates....
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 18, 2016 - 08:00pm PT
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Apparently you have to log in to see pics on that site. Dumb
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Oct 19, 2016 - 04:04am PT
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Escopeta the first image...looks like beautiful water and fine place to be wetting a line!
The second...beauty too! Love the spotted patterns.
and the 3rd...did you get that 'poon all the way to the boat? I'd love to hook into one of those babies one of these days.
Bummer about those pics Limper...post some here as Blue suggested!
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Oct 19, 2016 - 04:40am PT
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I'm heading to El Chalten/El Calafate Argentina at the end of February and I am taking my fly gear. Anybody have any useful insight on fly-fishing in the region??
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 19, 2016 - 07:25am PT
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Don't believe Limpingcrab until you see pics. That's been my experience with him.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oct 19, 2016 - 09:35am PT
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Went for 3 days on the eastside....
McGee creek was pretty good... I actually got 5 browns and a bunch of tight lines. All down stream from where Convict creek and McGee creek join.
The Lower Owens... the water is full to the top of the bank! The Fishing was dead... still need to figure that place out. Do you need a boat?
The Owens River Gorge.... went in North entrance... instead of dropping down to go to the climbs.... keep walking down the road, you get to a power house and the dry end of the gorge. The fishing down stream was very good.... pushing through large stands of stinging nettles, wild rose and walking down the middle of the creek paid off! I got a few photo worthy trout, but was unable to work the camera for fear of dropping the cell/camera into the water. So I guess that didn't happen....
There is some really good looking potential climbing at that end of the gorge...
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 19, 2016 - 09:40am PT
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One day to Tehipite, 2.5 days down to Yucca Point, rain, sun, 175 trout, one squaw fish, falls, cuts, bruises, big fish, small fish, night fish, day fish. So tiring and so much flipping fun!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 19, 2016 - 09:52am PT
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Potatohead! Re your snarky post:
Sep 14, 2016 - 12:34am PT
(from Fritz) I'm in physical therapy now, since I've got to get healed before our fall-spawning rainbows start up.
Fritzee-0l-boy, rainbows don't spawn in the fall. You continue to be un-informed about everything you shisty ol'sheep shagger.
Ah Potatohead, it must be hard for you to think with a mind so-full of starch. Your "I'm right & you are stupid" attitude will continue to work against you in life. Try to grow up a little & open your mind.
My long-time understanding is that Idaho Fish & Game developed a strain of fall-spawning rainbows, so hatchery strains of rainbow would not interbreed with wild rainbows.
Here's some links & posts on the subject:
The West Fly blog, with all sorts of Idaho anglers talking about fall-spawning rainbows.
http://www.west-fly-fishing.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/12925/rainbow-fall-spawn.html
and another blog with fall-spawning rainbows in Utah.
XstreamOutdoors.blogspot.com. Author Dr. Gillespie
As you will read below we went up to Wallsburg Creek as it dumps into Deer Creek Reservoir. I have heard about the how the Rainbows spawn in the fall on this river and have always wanted to hit it. I have also heard from Travis about how sometimes you can get 20+ inch bows to come out of the reservoir to spawn in this little river.
For whatever reason it is, the bows move out of the lake and spawn in the late fall instead of the Spring.
http://www.flyfishingfrenzy.com/2008/11/25/rainbows-spawn-in-the-spring-right/[/quote]
But every big fall Rainbow in a little creek photo tells a story, eh?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oct 19, 2016 - 10:05am PT
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Nice... THX for the pic.
So is it OK to fish after dark, for Trout in Calif???
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 19, 2016 - 10:17am PT
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I'm pretty sure there's no statewide time of day rule, maybe local rules like most fishing regulations? I've never heard of any rule against fishing at night.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 19, 2016 - 10:48am PT
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I believe Idaho rules prohibit the use of lights "as an attractant" during night fishing.
In my younger daze, I used to do a lot of night fishing. In Brown Trout country, I'd fish with big noisy mouse flies.
Big Wood River near Sun Valley has a mid-July night-time hatch of big rust-colored Caddis. The Rainbows go crazy, and I would toss flies towards splash noises with occasional good results.
I've only had it happen once, but I lucked into a twilight hatch of big white aquatic moths on the Middle Fork Salmon that continued into the wee-hours & the Cutthroats & Bulltrout lost all restraint in that situation.
It's very unusual to catch a Bulltrout on a dry fly, but after dark all bets are off.
However I did get surprised mid-day by this 26" Bulltrout, who sipped a small dry fly in a riffle.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 19, 2016 - 11:40am PT
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Dang, Idaho trout are definitely on a different scale than what I'm used to!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Oct 19, 2016 - 09:55pm PT
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Limping Crab! I'm sorry to admit that almost all those big trout photos I posted, were from Northern Utah or Montana.
The nearly sterile waters draining off the Granitic Idaho Batholith in Central Idaho, are not conducive to fish growth & the sands eroding from the granite, tend to choke gravel spawning beds.
Although trout, somehow exist in this state, everyone here knows that the place to go for great trout fishing is eastern Idaho, close to Yellowstone, or better yet Montana, where the "fish are always biting."
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ruppell
climber
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Oct 19, 2016 - 10:12pm PT
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limping
Nice job on getting some photo's up. Nice job with the fishing as well. The rod in the teeth climbing 5.4 photo sums up almost all of my alpine fishing. lol
As far as fishing at night in Cali goes it depends on the county. In Inyo you can fish at night. In Mono you can't. I have no idea about other counties but once your more than a 2 miles from a road it doesn't really matter.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 20, 2016 - 09:37am PT
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I spend most of my fishing time in little granite streams catching baby fish so I'm sure I'd still enjoy what Idaho has to offer, Fritz!
Thanks Tad, glad that Tulare and Fresno Counties aren't on that list, we had so much fun night fishing that we might have to do it more regularly.
Dry/dropper double!
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Oct 20, 2016 - 12:00pm PT
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Caught this horse about five minutes after crankin about fifty turns behind the boat on slalom. Perfect finish for a great day on the Sacramento River by Verona. Caught on K9 flatfish with steel spreader.
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Oct 20, 2016 - 12:03pm PT
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Ugh, rainbows that interbreed with cutthroat (cutbows) hecka spawn in fall. Bigtime. You find them running the rivers on the Eastside that flow into Nevada. Its the one time of year you can sit in one spot all day and hookup as they cruise upstream.
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ruppell
climber
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Oct 20, 2016 - 05:51pm PT
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Thanks limping,
That was really rad of the admins over there to do that. Looks like a great trip and a fun time.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oct 26, 2016 - 09:15pm PT
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That looks like a great trip.
Friends tell me the Roring River in KK is even better....
supposedly it's protected by some pretty stiff 5.8
You locals ever go there?
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Oct 27, 2016 - 06:44am PT
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I have been. And I would rate it 5.8s (The "S" designation is reserved for places where, although not dangerous, it would be really Shitty if you fell off)
Aside from the fact that is loaded with delinquent bears, its a decent place but there is so much great water that isn't inconvenient to get to, we never went back. Steep ass canyon though. Its fun catching fish in plunge pools.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dear Large Trout lovers.
My bad elbow felt healthy enough to try fishing today, so I made the journey to an Idaho spring creek, or as we call them here, "crick".
I arrived at "the crick" at 4:00 PM today & thanks to my friendship with the adjacent landowner, had it all to myself. The sun was still out and a few fish were rising, so I tried fishing dry with a #16 parachute Adams. As soon as I started fishing it, the fish quit rising.
Not being stupid, I cut off the 5X leader in favor of 4X & went to a #12 rubber-leg Hare's Ear nymph. Nothing in the first hole, so I moved up to the next, better hole. I started catching 12" trout & had a brief hook-up or two with larger trout.
Along the way I changed to a #10 Wooly Bugger, & caught a couple more 12" trout, then I went back to the first hole & tried a down & across swing.
Bingo!
The big fish of the day at around 20".
Then I went back up to the upper hole & caught a couple nice 16" - 18" fish & had some other hook-ups with similar fish. The light was getting low, so these photos were taken with flash.
By that time it was getting dark, & I tried the first hole again from the top. Another 20" fish grabbed my fly & I played it for a few brief seconds before it flopped off. (which I think is a "win-win" for both the trout & me.)
It felt like quitting time & the trout agreed.
My bad elbow is sore as hell at the moment, but I'm administrating ice to its outside & wine to its inside.
Can't wait to go back for more.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Chainsaw-that fish is awesome! to bad you didn't let it go:-)
Fritz- loving life, good for you.
On a separate note...anyone have any beta on fishing in Australia?
Headed there for the x-mas holidays and though I'm taking my SWF gear I've also heard of trout fishing in the Blue Mts (Blueys). We'll be hanging there at a friends climbing and I hope doing some FF. Not much info online that I've found...
cheers
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Nice fish Fritz!
limpingcrab that TR was awesome! A dream fishing trip in my book.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Thanks!
That looks like a great trip.
Friends tell me the Roring River in KK is even better....
supposedly it's protected by some pretty stiff 5.8
You locals ever go there?
I haven't been but now that you say 5.8 and Escopeta confirms I'm really curious.
I've fished almost the entirety of Boulder Creek except for the very highest bits and one of my next objectives is fishing Roaring River from up by the ranger station all the way down to Kings. Now I'm even more interested!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Silver! Thanks for sharing the big Cut. I really like it's facial expression: (I can't believe this is happening to me!)
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Get your double haul on and find yourself a ladder.
Been there, done that. I found the whole pyramid lake thing to be so strange and kind of silly. And I even caught a few (which apparently is rare for first timers?)
If I'm going to stand for hours sight casting to fish, its going to be in azure water near a sandy beach, with palm trees and the water is going to be a lot more salty....
But boy howdy that's a proud fishy.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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OH, it was shoulder to shoulder when I was there. Popular. A unique experience to be sure and its fun to watch bruisers cruise.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Man if that's a 20 lber the 41 must have been a monster!
If I'm going to stand for hours sight casting to fish, its going to be in azure water near a sandy beach, with palm trees and the water is going to be a lot more salty....
Or in gin clear waters of NZ's rivers:-)
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Or in gin clear waters of NZ's rivers:-)
My supply of horse tranquilizers has run out. Therefore any 20+ hr long plane rides need to end with me killing something. It's better that way for all involved.
I would like to catch a large pike on the fly. That's something I haven't done as of yet.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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I've fished almost the entirety of Boulder Creek except for the very highest bits and one of my next objectives is fishing Roaring River from up by the ranger station all the way down to Kings. Now I'm even more interested!
Limpingcrab, call me.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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I've been up the Roaring River. It takes a 5.8 traverse and some hard bouldering to get into the place and then it is so slippery and there are such big piles of debris that you get pretty beat up in there. But it was the best fishing I have ever had. The fish are all nice size and deep bodied and I think the two of us probably brought 300 fish to net in one day.
I too would love to come in from the top. Just before we turned around to get out we got out of the canyon and into some of the prettiest water I have ever seen. I would like to see more of it.
The canyon had no bears but then there were damn few places flat enough to camp either. If you want pristine there isn't any place better.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Just before we turned around to get out we got out of the canyon and into some of the prettiest water I have ever seen.
That was exactly my experience except down below the bears were so thick and so delinquent we stayed armed 24/7 around camp.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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We didn't really have a camp. We found a little flatish spot about 40 feet above the river and slept there. Cooked a couple trout each over a small fire and then stacked some logs at the edge so we wouldn't roll off the cliff and into the river during the night. Never saw even one bear. I understand that they are pretty thick from where we turned around most of the way up to the ranger station.
How long does everyone think it would take to walk into the top and how many days to fish thru?
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ChizzDizzle
Trad climber
Rocklin,CA
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I know this is not a trout but it was the first fish he has caught. He was really excited and told me how hard it fought. It was a great day!!!! Catch and release.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nothing like a first fish! Doesn't really matter what it is, mine was a trout from a pond with a bobber and power bait, not exactly how I prefer to do things nowadays.
How long does everyone think it would take to walk into the top and how many days to fish thru? Around 10 miles on trail from Marvin Pass Trailhead to the area between Roaring River and Sugarloaf Creek. I'd probably leave the trail in there and just bonsai down to where Sugarloaf and Roaring River meet, which is about 3 miles off trail. Doable in a day.
From the confluence it's 2.5 miles of river to Roaring River Falls in Kings Canyon. Medium speed on a bigger river I tend to average about 3 miles per day. Fishing more thoroughly, especially on steeper rivers like the Kaweah or Roaring River, that can drop to one mile per day.
I think it could be done in two days/one night. One day in, one day down. I'd rather do three days if I had the time. Hit every little pocket and fish the crap out of the river if I'm gonna walk all that way and still have time to change rigs often like I tend to do.
Crap, now I'm getting all excited and I have to wait until next year!
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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We figured a three day weekend would be sufficient. Especially if the weather was nice and you could go lite and basically sleep under a tarp.
EDIT: And IIRC, the place where you would come "out" is a ways from the trail-head so we were thinking it would be nice to have two rigs and park one at the beginning and one at the end. But its been a long time since I looked at a map.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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From what I remember, the traverse was about where the caption is. But then it was pretty hard bouldering to get above the section with the large boulders above that. And when you got to the water you had to jump across and if you missed you went over the falls. Very safe and sane. We did it in September with relatively low water and I would want those conditions again. I think I would try to take 5 days to fish it though. If I am going to get the crap beat out of me I might as well take my time and enjoy it.
And Google says it is 6 miles as the crow flies from the trailhead to where I would start fishing. Add some contouring and that is a pretty easy day.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Yes 5 days... I walk slow, so lets hike down there and catch em all.
next September
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Yes, because spring is reserved for ID....lol
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Dude, if we come out there in spring can you put us on a good stonefly hatch so we can catch monster brown trout?!
And Keesee, you better start training now!
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Yes, one of the best hatches I've fished is the Mutant Stone hatch on the SF of the Snake in and around Swan Valley. Goofy looking bugs but the big trout crush them.
For the big browns I've found the Henry's Fork to reward nicely. Mary rowed me one day (which was quite a feat as you can imagine) in the drift boat on the HF and I only caught 4 fish........but the smallest one was 24 inches.
In Kali I found that I caught some of the biggest trout on my smallest flies. Here, I throw sh#t that I would think a mako shark might run away from and the big browns and cutts wreck them.
EDIT: But we will definitely need to put you in the back of the boat because with me rowing and guyman in the back we'd be ridin' dirty for sho'
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 10, 2016 - 08:05am PT
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A little nugget from yesterday!
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 10, 2016 - 08:20am PT
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Stimbo. Talk to me about your net enhancement. Pipe insulation around the wire with the net bail zipped over it?
I likey.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 10, 2016 - 08:48am PT
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Talk to me about your net enhancement. Pipe insulation around the wire with the net bail zipped over it?
You hit the nail on the head. It is simple pipe insulation found at any hardware store, wrapped around the metal framework, then zipped inside the net.
This rainbow barely fit between the "uprights."
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 10, 2016 - 10:30am PT
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Nice work. Toad.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 10, 2016 - 10:37am PT
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Beautiful fish!
Also, can I invite myself on every trip mentioned on this page?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 10, 2016 - 12:34pm PT
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Limping... Yes.
Sidmo.... nice fish.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 10, 2016 - 01:11pm PT
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Nice prize there Stimbo. What river you working there?
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 10, 2016 - 01:13pm PT
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Limpingcrab I've finally chisled a saturday out of my calendar to hit the Middle Fork of the Kings but it wont be until the day after thanksgiving. You ever fish it that late?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 10, 2016 - 02:26pm PT
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Nice prize there Stimbo. What river you working there?
This was on the Upper Owens. There are some nice fish pushing up into the river system from the reservoir. I had to run about a 100 yards downstream when she made a break for it. Nice tugs.
WTF -- I am off for the Trinity next week. Let me know how the Lower Sac was.
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ruppell
climber
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Nov 10, 2016 - 07:10pm PT
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Golden season has ended here in Cali. I've been too three lakes in the last week and they where all iced over already. Actually one had a very, very small pocket of open water about 4 feet wide and 20 feet long. I managed to get two out of that before they figured it out. lol Looking forward to next year already.
Time to start hitting the Owens and Pleasant Valley again. There's a lot of fishing/bouldering days ahead.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 10, 2016 - 07:12pm PT
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Haha. Yeah the early start tends to separate the chaff. Would love to fish it on this mega-moon. I've got a coveted buck tag and I'm actually considering glassing in middle of the night.
I'm hearing of a whitefish kill on the SF. What's up with that? Senor Whitey is precious. Lol
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 10, 2016 - 08:58pm PT
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A part-time South Fork Lodge guide/friend took me down the stretch of the S. Fork below the lodge back around 1985. We did the long day as a shared adventure. I did buy the beer & paid for the gas.
Then I floated & fished it, without a guide, as a multi-day adventure, about 15 times between 1985 & 2005. I finally burned out on it around 2005, when it got way too crowded for me.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Nov 11, 2016 - 06:33am PT
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Well, this was the best thread on the site....
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
SLO, Ca
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Nov 11, 2016 - 12:34pm PT
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Well I'm off this afternoon to fish the Pecos in NM. Usually fun.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 11, 2016 - 02:13pm PT
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Limpingcrab I've finally chisled a saturday out of my calendar to hit the Middle Fork of the Kings but it wont be until the day after thanksgiving. You ever fish it that late? Only down above the lake, but fishing that late seems to be pretty good on the bigger rivers until real winter conditions hit. The smaller rivers and creeks can be hit or miss late in the year for me.
If your friend bails then don't forget about your favorite person down in Visalia.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 11, 2016 - 08:33pm PT
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I drove for a while to another Idaho spring creek this afternoon. Once again, due to a friendship with the landowner, I had it to myself.
When I got there, a minor midge hatch was happening. I didn't have (or want to have) the size 20-22 dry flies to match it, so I started tossing rubberleg Hare's Ears, which caught a few Bows up to around 15".
Then, after sunset, I went back to size 8 Wooly-Buggers.
The fish liked those & I suddenly was transported to "tossing-lead Nirvana," where every-other cast had a strong strike or a hook-up.
The willing trout ranged from a fat 12" to a colorful 18" Rainbow, and for about 20 minutes I was "King of the Crick!"
As the pleasant 70 degree afternoon, started cooling, I noticed lots of tiny white midges on the water, as did the trout.
As the moon started rising, the fish had a midge feeding-fest, and I realized it was time to start home.
That was a relief, since I had a fish-goo & water soaked bandage over yesterday's removed skin cancer on my right hand.
What a wonderful late-fall afternoon & evening!
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ChizzDizzle
Trad climber
Rocklin,CA
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Nov 11, 2016 - 08:44pm PT
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Fritz wins the day!!! Those are beautiful.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 11, 2016 - 09:50pm PT
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Yes Fritz for sure wins!
Nice fishing to have so close at hand.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 11, 2016 - 09:57pm PT
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I still haven't seen any "big" trout in Idaho "cricks" this fall, but my Tennis elbow is much better & I want to go back after this full moon cycle. I have convinced myself that Idaho trout party all night under the full moon & are hung-over & surely the next day.
I'll try again towards the end of next week.
Best 26" Idaho Rainbow wishes to all.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 13, 2016 - 11:25am PT
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The Sacramento River is the one fishery I wish I had visited before leaving Kali.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 13, 2016 - 04:43pm PT
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Well you let me know when you move through. We've fished the Big Mo below Craig for many days. In fact, in terms of pure poundage of fish brought to hand, that place might hold my lifetime achievement award.
We wave illicit boondock camping areas in most of these places so let me know if you need tips.
Don't look past the Salmon River headwaters in and around Stanley ID if you are passing through towing a drift boat or fishing raft. Its a great day float.
Plus, the Bighorn holds my personal record for single day catches. My wife and I were literally tired of catching fish by 2pm and we pushed down to the truck. Sick.
And there's always the Green River below flaming gorge in the fall.....
So many places, so little time. Maybe when I'm retired.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 13, 2016 - 09:39pm PT
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Stimbo I heard it's slow and a cluster f*#k over on the trinity. The report from some friends was that there were a lot of pissed of people fishing. Hope you got into a few but word was there were only a few fish around.
WTF, heading out in the morning for the Trin. I have heard the same reports but it is what it is. You can't catch steelhead unless your line is in the water. It is my window of opportunity. Hopefully, I will have an encouraging report. I usually fish the lower river, away from all the guide boats. Anyway, I look forward to the change of scenery.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2016 - 02:09pm PT
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The Trinity ended up being good. Damn lucky!
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 20, 2016 - 04:29pm PT
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Here we go! Nice work Stimbo!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2016 - 04:45pm PT
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[youtube=https://youtu.be/aq7lr-4AyPE]
Thanks! It turned out to be a good trip. Here's a video of another fish I stuck. Enjoy!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Nov 20, 2016 - 05:20pm PT
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Nice fish Stimbo!
What did you have luck swinging with?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 20, 2016 - 06:23pm PT
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What did you have luck swinging with?
With the low, clear water I was just swinging regular trout flies, about size 12 with a tungsten bead.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 23, 2016 - 01:33pm PT
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PLEASE HELP!!!
I'm hoping to get down and fish the Middle Fork of The Kings River out near Yucca Point this weekend but the season might be slamming shut on us. I've never really fished this late in the year in the Sierra but I have a full day pass from the wife and a couple old friends and I want to go try our luck in a new place we've never been.
1. Our temps have been dropping around here and we have had a couple pretty rainy small storms in the past two weeks
2. Are we idiots for trying to head up there.
3. If we do go....what kind of patterns should we be thinking about?
Any intel would be much apreesh. We hear the gate may be locked but we might tote up a couple of my kids small dirtbikes to get past the gate and make it a smash and grab mission! I promise to post up if we get into some fish!
Thanks in advance,
Scott
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 28, 2016 - 12:50pm PT
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Well........No thanks to any of you, you lazy no beta offered, keep all my secrets to myself, internet slackers....
We made it down there despite the 22 degree 0-darkthirty alpine start.
And I caught the largest trout of my life. What a ride. Unbelievable day on the Middle fork. Good friends, good scotch, and a trout that was an honor to land.
Check out this HAWG!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 28, 2016 - 02:13pm PT
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Nice trout micronut. I'm glad you got out, made the journey, and had a big time.
Our S. Idaho spring creeks mostly close for the season as of 11/30.
I had been hoping to get out another time or two & find "the big one," but we have had a bunch of windy days. My best friend was up from SLC 9 days ago, but we both agreed we don't enjoy tossing "lead" aka big wet flies, in 20 mph-plus winds. I have seen folks show up in fishing shops, wanting help in removing large wet flies from their faces. (A good reason to wear a broad-brim hat & debarb your hooks)
It's finally looking much calmer the next two days.
There's just one little problem.
I had a minor Squamous skin cancer removed 6 days ago & the doctor sternly warned me against doing things that might agravate the wound.
Next year it is then! Luckily, Idaho is some of the best "next year country" around.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 28, 2016 - 03:22pm PT
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Scott... did you need the dirt bikes? How much of a hike is it to the Middle Fork?
Looks like it was well worth it!
Fritz... ouch!! Looks like you will have a cool scar.
I spent 3 days in Bishop... the lower O was really frustrating, I cant figure that place out. The two days I went there, fish were feeding on the surface...from about 10am to 12:30 Looked to me like something was hatching and small winged creatures were flying up into the sky....not a ton but it was constant. They were grey in color, only about 3/8 of an inch in length and flew almost straight up, with their ass end down low. I could not see any of them floating on the surface. I tied on many many different flies..Maybe 20-30 different ones... didn't get a hit.
So a noob question. Is this when I should have switched over to some sort of an emerger or wet fly?
Went to the ORG and did some climbing and when my young friends went to go climb 5.11s after the warm ups. I dug out the gear and was able to catch a few nice Browns. One was about 14" and made the whole trip a success.
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ruppell
climber
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Nov 28, 2016 - 04:06pm PT
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Guyman
Probably a baetis hatch. Check out this link and see if it looks close
http://www.flyfishusa.com/flies/baetis.htm
As far as when to nymph and when to dry that's pretty easy. If you have a hatch going off and you see very few rises it means the fish are feeding subsurface. You'll usually be able to see them turn sideways and flash you with some silver. If you see that get to nymphing. If you see a bunch of rises and just aren't getting any trout to take you have the wrong fly, wrong presentation, or your just really unlucky. I've suffered from all the above on more than one occasion. lol
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 28, 2016 - 04:50pm PT
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ruppel.... I think you nailed it. Very few were jumping, most were just showing a little side action without really disturbing the surface to much and they were being gobbled up right where the water went from riffles to calm deep pools... like at a turn in the river.
Thanks so much for the link. I will study and read more... and they look like they have good $$$ on flies.
Despite getting skunked, I had a really fun time trying to figure out what was going on with those buggers and I needed more practice changing out my flies.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 28, 2016 - 05:07pm PT
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WTF... I think you are correct.
Last New Years Day the Chief took me out and had me nymphing (sp?)in the ORG it was cold as heck... He got some, I got some little tugs that I now can recognize as action, at the time I thought I was just getting stuck on sticks.
Thanks for the reply's.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 28, 2016 - 05:17pm PT
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Guyman the one time I fished the Lower Owens River, The Chief took us out and pimped us out on the proper flies and we slayed em. Not big, but lots of em biting on very tiny Blue Winged Olives. And they really only bit during a couple windows from like 9-11am and 4-5pm. It really helps to have local beta on that kind of river. We probably would have gotten skunked had we taken our "West Side" attitude and West Side flies over there.
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ruppell
climber
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Nov 28, 2016 - 05:40pm PT
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WTF
For sure man. To me the "right" fly is shape, size, and color in that order. Proper presentation goes a really long way as well.
I can't count the number of times I've been fishing the same hatch, same fly, same weight line and tippet right next to a less experienced angler. I'm getting fish and they're not. There's a lot to be said for learning to mend line. If your presentation is moving slower or faster or at a different angle than every other real bug the fish will take the real ones every time.
And nice fish micronut. Glad you got into some good action. Like I said, fish eat year round. lol
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jonnyrig
climber
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Nov 28, 2016 - 05:43pm PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 28, 2016 - 08:39pm PT
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The lower Owens is a great fishery. I would pay to spend a day with stimbo if you can afford it. He know the Owens like the back of his hand I suspect. You can gleen a lot of knowledge from a guide day that would take you weeks to figure out if you ever figure it out.
Thanks for nice compliment! I have fished and guided the lower Owens more times than I can count. It is a great fishery and a place that never gets old. There are sooo many tricks..... I am still learning.
Here's some more info to add to the confusion and fun of fly fishing. Usually around lunch time this time of year, a nice surface hatch occurs with bwo's (blue wing olives) lifting off the surface, brown and rainbow trout looking up and feeding in a frenzy. Usually, you can tie on a size 18 or 20 bwo dry fly like a parachute Adams, start casting, and get grabs. If they are hesitant, maybe go down to 6x tippet. One time though, during a really prolific hatch, I could not get a grab to save me. I tried a variety of flies in that baetis family with no luck. So.... I finally changed to a Comparadun. This too is a bwo fly but instead of sitting on top of the surface film like an Adams (which was getting rejected) this fly sits within the film, a sagger. That was all it took to get hookups, a different rendition of a bwo. Anyway....
At Micronut, I am glad your trip worked out and you caught a nice fish. That is a beauty. I would have offered some advice but your post came at a time when I headed to S. Cali for Thanksgiving sans computer.
WTF.... you've been reading George Daniels book on nymphing?
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 28, 2016 - 10:02pm PT
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Thanks Stimbo. Limpingcrab gave me the beta on using a big stimulator (size12) and a little Bead-head hares ear dropper(size18-20). It was a deadly combo with the fish hitting the large stimulator half the time and the little tiny drop her the other half of the time.
I had my children sit around and pre-tie them on Thanksgiving day. Making them do my dirty work for me was nice so that I would just whip one out and have it ready on the river rather than having to tie droppers when the action started happening.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 29, 2016 - 04:43am PT
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That looks familiar.....
This spot (which many will recognize) was always fun. One day I came up to it and there was an old timer standing in the wrong spot, fishing the wrong fly and generally very frustrated. I couldn't understand the deal until I found out that it was a fishing club from somewhere (Reno I guess) and he was a newbie that had just graduated to the level of tying on his own fly- and even that process was tough for him. His experienced partner had left him on this spot to thrash around on his own.
We struck up a conversation and since I had already caught more fish that day than anyone should be afforded, I told him that I would make him a deal that I would share a secret with him as long as he promised not to share it with the tard that left him there - he readily agreed.
Long story short, I helped him wade across some swift current, tied on the proper fly and leader, and after instruction watched him catch a ridiculous amount of fish in one place without ever moving his feet. In fact, he actually wore out a fly to nothing but tatters that still dangles from one of my fishing hats.
His friend came along and saw us there and asked what was going on and he said "Oh nothing, this nice young man helped me across this swift current because I thought there was fish in here......I was wrong".
He winked at me and said "Let's go". So I helped him back across and told him he'll make a fine fisherman.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 29, 2016 - 04:46am PT
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Nov 29, 2016 - 05:05am PT
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Escopeta the first image...looks like beautiful water and fine place to be wetting a line!
The second...beauty too! Love the spotted patterns.
and the 3rd...did you get that 'poon all the way to the boat? I'd love to hook into one of those babies one of these days.
Bummer about those pics Limper...post some here as Blue suggested!
Delhi Dog,
I was looking for a pic and realized I never answered your questions about my pics a few pages back. My bad.
The first pic is the North Fork of the Blackfoot River. MT. Great place.
The second pic I THINK is a cutthroat out of the Yakima river near Ellensburg, WA. Not 100% sure though...might be an Idaho trout.
The third pic, the tarpon, was a crazy story. I was in Miami for work, during the season and decided to do it. I have a friend that guides there and I booked him for two days. That fish, honest to god was my absolute first cast ever at a tarpon. I had fished for bonefish down there, but this was the very first. It was a complete hero cast (for me) and he ripped and jumped and spooled and I lost him.
But that's ok, I landed a 125 pounder later that day....I was sore for a week. :)
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Now, we are talking.......^^^^^^
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Yeah Mikey!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 11, 2016 - 09:42am PT
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This little brown was all lit up with red spots and halos, decorated for Christmas. Peace.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 11, 2016 - 10:21am PT
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Quick stop on the lower kings on the way home was fun. Nice to see some fish in the fly fishing section after it's been dead the last couple years.
One played like a stocker, the other seemed home grown.
Lost the biggest on a snag
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perswig
climber
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Dec 11, 2016 - 02:01pm PT
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^^
Sure. Heh, heh.
PRETTY brown, Stimbo.
Dale
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 11, 2016 - 04:25pm PT
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Serious! Didn't get a good look but it was at least three feet long
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 14, 2016 - 03:36pm PT
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There, landed the bigger one this time. But my brother lost an even bigger one when I missed with the net. Mine was 18" on the nose and his was longer and much healthier looking. Again, at least like 3 feet and 30 lbs.
I normally avoid stocked waters but the lower Kings is definitely growing on me.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 14, 2016 - 04:44pm PT
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I normally avoid stocked waters but the lower Kings is definitely growing on me.
Would this be the Kings by Balch Park?
How hard is it to get to this place you speak of?
Open all year for catch n release?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 14, 2016 - 05:21pm PT
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Kings River below Pine Flat Lake. From the dam down to Alta Weir is a 5 fish limit and from Alta Weir to highway 180 is catch and release artificial bait barbless hooks.
Both are open year round.
But it's the central valley so it's just terrible and ugly and gross everywhere :)
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 14, 2016 - 05:23pm PT
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Again, at least like 3 feet and 30 lbs.
Those fish that get away are always epic. Love this thread.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 14, 2016 - 05:29pm PT
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I don't remember if it was already brought up in this thread but does anyone know what causes the color differences in rainbow trout? Assuming they're not hybrids, why are some so pink and some so grey?
I've heard that browns are more grey when they eat primarily fish and get that nice orange belly when they eat more bugs and stuff.
Is it diet and habitat for rainbows, or maybe a gender or spawning season thing?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 16, 2016 - 08:50pm PT
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I don't remember if it was already brought up in this thread but does anyone know what causes the color differences in rainbow trout? Assuming they're not hybrids, why are some so pink and some so grey?
I've heard that browns are more grey when they eat primarily fish and get that nice orange belly when they eat more bugs and stuff.
Is it diet and habitat for rainbows, or maybe a gender or spawning season thing?
I have wondered the same thing.... I believe there are a variety of factors involved in trout coloration, and you've hit on many of them; diet, habitat, spawning colors, genetic differences, gender, water PH and bacterial content. "Wild" rainbow trout just look better with defined speckles and a distinct red band and gills. Trout are neat little creatures and very addicting to fish for.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 17, 2016 - 08:45am PT
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Limping.... thanks for the beta. Were you getting those on dry flies??
I am starting to get pretty hooked on this stuff right now and its good to know some more places to go to in the winter.
And the Central Valley dosen't scare me off one bit.... heck I have fended off hostile drunks in parking lots in Northfork.... was involved in a huge road rage deal by Sanger- my side won... and I have been to the Fresno County Fair grounds to referee some Kart races... some tough racers those farmers are.
So yea I will go there to kiss me some Trout and those look pretty kissable.
How is the fishing in the Kern??? My mentor tells me it just plain blows, cause of the trash fish... something about the Trout getting some barbed fin fish stuck in their mouth and killing them..... True False???
Stimbo..... do you give discounts to TACO members??? I have been seariously thinking about the advise given up thread that a day out with you... is worth 3 years of hit n miss bumbling. And now that I know a bit about this sport the more I know that I know almost nothing.
This thread is gold....
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Dec 17, 2016 - 09:06am PT
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In my kitchen in Chilean Patagonia with my German fishing guru Stephan and his catch.
Heading back down on 12/31.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 17, 2016 - 09:30am PT
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Stimbo..... do you give discounts to TACO members??? I have been seariously thinking about the advise given up thread that a day out with you... is worth 3 years of hit n miss bumbling. And now that I know a bit about this sport the more I know that I know almost nothing.
I would love to help you out, Taco or not. It is REALLY nice out there now, especially with all of the fresh snow on the peaks. Send me a PM or something if you are serious. Cheers! Jim
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Dec 17, 2016 - 10:45am PT
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Donini, please leave this thread.
You cant just show up and post the best Brown Trout photo in over 1300 posts. You can own all the Alpine climbing threads you want, but please, let us have this one!
All kidding aside......beautiful Brown. Post up some river shots when you're down there!
-Scott
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 17, 2016 - 08:29pm PT
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Nice toad of a fish Jim!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dec 17, 2016 - 08:58pm PT
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Donini! What a hog of a trout!
How did it taste?
My long-ago experience with big trout like that brownie, that ate other trout for a living, was they had so much fat in their flesh, that I burped fat-burps all night after the feast.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 17, 2016 - 10:40pm PT
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Holy crap Donini! I think that might be a dinosaur.
Guy, haven't tried dries on the lower Kings yet but some fish were jumping and one hit my brother's indicator last time. I'm still learning this lowland tailwater stuff so I'm no expert down there.
My only experience fishing the Kern has been at points near or far upstream of Forks of the Kern (near the Needles) and it was outstanding! I don't know about places below Lake Isabella but I wouldn't be surprised if there were a bunch of random fish in there to compete with. Maybe the Prickly Sculpin or Threespine Stickback could kill a trout if they live there and went down wrong? Of course I've caught some sunfish and bluegill that would probably do damage if swallowed, maybe they could survive in the lower reaches of the Kern. Basically, I don't know, but I like talking about fish so I just keep typing!
PS. Above Pine Flat on the Kings can be decent in the late winter/early spring before the runoff starts to raise the river.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Dec 18, 2016 - 07:15am PT
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When we get a big brown in Patagonia we make gravlix. Fillet the fish and heavily coat each fillet with an equal mixture of sugar and salt. Put in the refridgerator for 12 plus hours then remove and rinse thoroughly. The last step is to put herbs like dill and basil on the fillets and refidgerate for another 6 hours or so...yummmm!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 18, 2016 - 10:00am PT
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Stimbo.... PM sent. let me know if it went through...
Donini ....... Catch and fillet... what method are you guys using to get those trout? From a lake or monsters from the stream??? Looks downright awesome. I remember looking at some Bishop history book and back around 1918 they would get Browns like that from lower Bishop creek! I guess with no population pressure they grow big... water hogs.
limping... is the Kings open all year for Catch and Release up stream from Pine Flat?? And re the Kern... Gome has told me you must go up-stream from the forks of the Kern to get good fishing... it figures, the harder the walk, the longer the walk the better the fishing gets..... Just like climbing. So maybe hike in from Cottonwood, to the Kern and head down river.
thanks all
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 18, 2016 - 01:43pm PT
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limping... is the Kings open all year for Catch and Release up stream from Pine Flat?? And re the Kern... Gome has told me you must go up-stream from the forks of the Kern to get good fishing... it figures, the harder the walk, the longer the walk the better the fishing gets..... Just like climbing. So maybe hike in from Cottonwood, to the Kern and head down river.
Yes for the Kings, no stocking up there, it's one of those heritage trout program waters and open year round.
A trip like that down the Kern is high on my list. Supposedly fall is the best up there.
Edit: if you've never browsed Steven Ojai's fly fishing the Sierra website you definitely should. I've learned a ton from there. http://stevenojai.tripod.com/
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Dec 18, 2016 - 08:24pm PT
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Stimbo.... PM sent. let me know if it went through...
Guy -- I just sent you a PM, I haven't come across anything from you yet.
jim
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Dec 19, 2016 - 01:19pm PT
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Guy, just park at the Johnsondale bridge and then walk upstream for 30 minutes then start fishing up.
Below the lake is mostly small mouth bass territory.
The Merced can be really good below the park in winter too. Not a lot of people fish the gorge section.
Have you watched the Orvis videos? They are quite good for beginners.
http://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons
The was one thing that I would stress to all beginners is the need to get a long float and to learn to reach cast to achieve that.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Dec 27, 2016 - 01:15pm PT
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The DUDE! Send me an email at jan underscore mcc at live dot com.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Dec 27, 2016 - 01:24pm PT
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The eagle has landed......
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perswig
climber
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Dec 27, 2016 - 05:07pm PT
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Thermos and wader camo mis-match fail. Total noob move. (heh, heh)
Giving my 6 y/o pseudo-nephew a fly setup at this wkend's delayed xmas. Kid's already got a longer attention span and better hand-eye than most of his cousins. Pretty excited.
Dale
ETA: I agree, that Orvis library is worthy (thanks, G_Gnome!) and my plan now is to sit down with the rugrat and watch some of them together, before tying on an indicator and heading outside. Little guy is pretty focused, so I suspect the vids about stream presentation, drift and whatnot will be fodder between skiing and indoor soccer while we both wait for ice-out.
Esco, I've not ever picked up a practice rig, but we may both give it a go this winter. It seems similar to learning to juggle with gauzy fabric squares, slows things down to let you get the feel for the cadence. I'm bookmarking the Joan vid for tonight - snow's on the way and I've got two more sheets of metal roofing to install and then potentially digging up the septic line and lift pump (again, dammit).
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 28, 2016 - 08:33am PT
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Stimbo... msg on Taco is a no-go.... try.. GuyKeesee AT Gmail.com ...
would like to set some things up.
Dale .... Click on the Orvis Link G__Gome posted above... one of them is how to help very young anglers figure out FF. I found all of those Videos very helpful... ESP the casting.
Happy new Year to all.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Dec 28, 2016 - 09:27am PT
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Thermos and wader camo mis-match fail. Total noob move. (heh, heh)
I take great pride in showing up to a run with Carhartt tatters and out-fishing the hipster wearing his Simms Guide Waders. lol
Guyman, MEND, MEND, MEND. That is your learning objectives for the summer!!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Dec 28, 2016 - 09:30am PT
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Heading down to my place in Patagonia on Saturday. There is recent documentation of a trout under 16 inches but I've never seen one.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Dec 28, 2016 - 09:42am PT
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Giving my 6 y/o pseudo-nephew a fly setup at this wkend's delayed xmas. Kid's already got a longer attention span and better hand-eye than most of his cousins. Pretty excited.
Perswig,
Have you ever tired putting one of the practice rods in their hands? Like the Echo or I think Joan Wulff marketed one at one point.
I actually find it useful to pick one up every so often when I'm bored in the barn.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Dec 28, 2016 - 09:43am PT
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Speaking of Joan Wulff, if you haven't watched this, you're missing out on a sneak peak at one of the best.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Dec 31, 2016 - 12:17pm PT
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Happy New Year's Eve Day trout hunters. The lower Kings River has been going off for the past few days. Finally made my way out there. Take a look at this.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.
Small size 18 nymphs....
Hare's ears and beadhead olives
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Dec 31, 2016 - 03:53pm PT
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Hey Micronut, nice fish!!!! What section of the lower Kings have you been fishing? I haven't been out there yet. But your pictures are making me think I need to take a trip. Cool that you can fish there year round.
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ruppell
climber
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Just a PSA to all you guys.
Buy your 2017 license. lol
I'm giving everyone this PSA because in 2014 I completely forgot about it. I'd been fishing at least 2 times a week up at Pleasant Valley. Sometime in early February I see the warden driving up the road. He stops and asks me to come up the bank. Sure man no worries. Just as I'm getting close to the truck it hits me. I don't have my 2014 license. He asks the usual how's the fishing comments and then asks to see my license. I smile and hand him my 2013. Then I proceed fill him in on the fact that I'm a complete idiot. He sees I have no fish and he's also seen me around a bunch. He let's me off with the promise that I'll head straight Reagans and buy my 2014 license. I got lucky.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Beautiful fish! Can't wait to get back to Pyramid Lake- got a trip scheduled for March.
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ruppell
climber
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WTF
I'm a fisherman like I'm a climber. I do it all. In climbing I boulder, sport, and trad climb. In fishing I use fly, spinning and baitcasting gear. When I want to have a relaxing day I grab the flyrod. There's just something about the casting rhythm that's very calming. When I want to catch fish and especially big trout I grab the mini jig rod. They work better than any streamer I've ever used.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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WTF! Congrats on keeping on with that "tossing-lead" exercise. I feel your pain.
Congrats on changing to a spin rod & producing that nice cut.
In my early 20's, most of my high mountain lake fishing was with a short spin-rod & reel, but I usually used a fly & bobber.
I do have a fond memory of a large Idaho cutthroat grabbing a 1" diameter red & white bobber twice & taking it deep for 30 seconds, or so, before it bobbed back to the surface.
The 3rd time he took the dry fly, that was 2' from the bobber.
I removed him & his slightly smarter pal, who only took the bobber once, from the stupid Cut gene-pool.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Just trying to keep the stoke alive with a photo from the "mid" last season. You never know what you will catch but they are always nice. I am guessing that this could be the season for someone to crack that 30 pound barrier.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks WTF, I'll be taking you up on that fish report...love that place.
Not going until March...the fish will probably be cruising the shoreline drop-offs in good numbers by then.
Stimbo, I believe the biggest fish caught so far this season was just under 25 lbs.!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Not familiar with that pattern...would love to see it
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Stimbo we got to hook up for a eastside weekend. Keep me posted and I'll make the drive south to see you.
WTF -- I've been thinking it's about time to head north. I will keep you posted, but anytime you want to fish, let me know, north or south.
Stimbo, I believe the biggest fish caught so far this season was just under 25 lbs.!
Yeah Bob, there have been a few netted in that mid-20 pounder range and I think within the last few days, some guy landed a fish just shy of 26 lbs. They aren't the prettiest trout in the world, but it would be a kick to feel that tug.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Beautiful shot Stimbo!
I always love fishing a lake where you know there's a chance at a really big fish.
Now that the Pilot Peak fish are reaching maturity, things are beginning to get interesting.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Now that the Pilot Peak fish are reaching maturity, things are beginning to get interesting.
Those fish love unsettled weather..... could be some major tugs in the next week.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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OK, now you guys got me fully psyched to go back there!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Cool pattern! and it looks easy to tie. Thanks for sharing that WTF. I'll have to tie a few of those for Pyramid.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks for all the tips WTF!
Pyramid is one of my annual trips I do with my wife Yvonne. Since we live in SoCal we fly to Reno, rent a car and stay at Crosby's.
I've fished there in the months of March, April, and May, but wouldn't mind getting up there more often. It's a pretty easy travel day for me since the lake is so close to Reno.
You live in Reno or Truckee?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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WTF,
Don't know Andy Burke, I saw a video of him tying the Red Glitter Midge that he recommended for Pyramid. I like the idea of using the glitter thread to tie the body and finish it off too.
I also found a video of him tying one of the old standards: the chatreuse and black woolly worm. I've had pretty good success stripping that one at Pyramid.
Would love to hire you for a guided float down the lower sac; there's so many rivers...so lttle time! Haven't fished the Pit or McCloud, but I've fished the Truckee River a few times.
Ever fish the Truckee for carp down by Mustang?
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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BG, you live an amazing life.
These Very Large Trout are equally amazing. I used to fish for trout in the San Gabriel Mountains. I love those rainbows up the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. Not the planters down low, but the natives up at the Narrows. They're small, but beautiful and pound for pound are great fighters. Cagey, too.
It's truly amazing to be casting a black gnat into a pool for native rainbows just 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, look up and see a herd of Nelson bighorns crossing the river above you.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Apparently fishing in the rain works. Some fun ones yesterday.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice rainbows!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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I love this thread!
That 19" stocker I'm holding actually swam under the log im next to. The upper nymph snagged and it broke off so my brother jumped over the log and netted it as is swam away. I say it's my fish, he says he gets to count it as his. What's your verdict, this is very important! :)
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Was out on the lower kings at zero dark thirty just this morning. The gate was locked so we walked in and were on the water by the time it started to glow. Beautiful morning out.
Long live the VLTL Thread!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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The temps in the Caldera were brisk this morning, but there were still fish willing to take a chance.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Damn Stimbo...bet your fingers got frozen too!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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I know your a carp machine and see your posts holding some hogs. Carpon the poor mans tarpon as we say.
When I learned to fly fish, I learned on carp. I'd moved to Irvine (in Southern California) and discovered a mile-long section of creek a block from my house loaded with carp that you could sight-fish. Average size 5 to 15 pounds.
It was really tough at first, but I got my game on after a while. Those fish taught me how to make very accurate short-range casts. I kept a journal, and in 3 years I caught and released over 500 carp. Taught me some good lessons.
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ruppell
climber
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Stimbo
That's the best idea for a natural strike indicator I've ever seen. Way to think outside the box man.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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I agree, journals are a great thing. Whether it be rivers, lakes, saltwater, whatever.... I try to jot down notes on water flows, temps, date, time, weather, and the bugs that worked and the bugs that did not, plus notes on tippet size, rigging, etc.... I find my memory not so clear as I age... it could have been the drugs.
WTF, that was a buddy of mine, a fellow knucklehead that loves to fish as much as I do regardless of conditions.
That's the best idea for a natural strike indicator I've ever seen. Way to think outside the box man.
That line would build up to about the diameter of a pencil. The guides of course would freeze up. It was like casting cable, there was nothing pretty about the process. If you caught a fish when you were this iced up, you could not reel in as either a guide or tip would break on the rod. You would have to put the rod-reel down and hand line. Fortunately, there were no hookups when the temps were the lowest. Hmmm.... something for the journal!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Hmmm.... something for the journal!
NOTE TO SELF: If well below freezing.... stay in your warm bed, sleep late, eat breakfast, enjoy second cup of espresso...maybe go skiing.
Good to know something was going down last weekend.
Nice Fish all... and this is the best thread in the TACO.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 12, 2017 - 11:43am PT
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Wow...and it looks like the Truckee River was flooding its banks too.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jan 12, 2017 - 02:10pm PT
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So I had a neat interaction with a patient today. He's a real old dude who suffers from a little bit of dementia and some multiple sclerosis. Shaky and frail but when we got to trout fishing talk at his last appointment his eyes perked up and he got all sentimental and chatty. I did his surgery and he turned out great and today he showed up for his postop visit to let me pull the stitches out and he said he had something for me.
He handed me this old soft fly "box." It is crushed suede leather and has a nice zipper and a super fuzzy inside. Old-school. And a beat up old knife of his. He gave it to me as a gift and said that I could use this more than he could these days. He said his hands and feet don't work but seeing my big trout caught on the lower kings at his last visit made his day.
What a cool gift froma debilitated old river codger and a nice interaction that makes my job all worthwhile.
You can bet this thing will be with me on the river for a long time. Thought you guys on this thread might like the story and a couple photos.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jan 12, 2017 - 03:29pm PT
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Really cool.....
A friend gave me a book last week... said it belonged to his late Grandfather who FF his whole life. The note inside the book cover indicated it was given as a gift in 1965.... the book was first written in 1896 and this copy is an update- written in 1910!!!! I will post the exact tittle and author later. Maybe some of you folks may have read it. The style is really different and hard to comprehend but i'm getting the hang of it and it is starting to make sense.
But what made me think of the book was looking at the minimalist Fly Box your friend gave you...
In the book the author stressed that a Fly Fisherman is differentiated from other Fishermen by the small amount of gear required... a pole, a line keeper (reel) some spare "gut" (leader) and a few Flies. All carried in a small bag. And the attitude that a day out FF, a day out in nature, is something that is pure and good for a man's soul.
Made me reconsider all the junk I have been lugging around and my goal is to cut it by about 60%.
So Micro .... good to know that wallet is going to get back out to where it belongs.
Did those Flies come with it? Secret patterns?
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jan 12, 2017 - 03:42pm PT
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Standard Adams dry flies there.
I have a fly box like that but mine isn't suede, and I haven't used it in many years. I used to use it to carry vials that I collected bugs in but gave up bug collecting a long time ago.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 12, 2017 - 06:27pm PT
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Just got the news from the I.G.F.A. (International Game Fish Association) that this pink salmon I caught last August while fly fishing in Alaska has been awarded the new world record (all-tackle length).
It was really a team effort with my wife Yvonne. I couldn't have done it without her help in netting, measuring, and photographing the fish.
After the fish was measured it was released alive and well to spawn and propagate its big fish genetics to the next generation.
tags = Bob Gaines I.G.F.A. World Record pink salmon Kenai River
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Peater
Trad climber
Salt Lake City Ut.
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Jan 12, 2017 - 07:59pm PT
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Sometimes you don't need a trout to make you happy.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jan 12, 2017 - 09:01pm PT
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Holy schmoly Bob. That thing is a rhino! Congratulations.
Scott
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 12, 2017 - 09:31pm PT
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BG! Congrats on that huge salmon on a fly.
Super-congrats for putting it back to spawn.
Glad you got the record too!
You deserve it!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jan 12, 2017 - 09:34pm PT
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Ahhhhhmazing!
So is the rumor true that world record fish usually come with some sort of compensation/endorsements from companies?
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crackfiend
climber
Springdale, Utah
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Jan 12, 2017 - 09:54pm PT
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Winter steelhead are my favorite fish to chase. The season is just getting underway here in SW Oregon, as soon as river levels drop. I have CHROMERS on the mind...here is a pic from a fish I caught on the Applegate river last year.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 12, 2017 - 10:07pm PT
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Scott, What a great gift!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 12, 2017 - 10:16pm PT
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Winter steelhead are my favorite fish to chase. The season is just getting underway here in SW Oregon, as soon as river levels drop.
I concur. Could be time to plan a steelhead trip!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jan 13, 2017 - 06:23am PT
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BG..... Way to go!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 13, 2017 - 07:41am PT
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Congratulations Bob on that pink. What a toad!
Steelhead fishing, what an addiction. Just standing there, waiting for a tug, and rubbernecking at the redwoods. It is a treat to be able to cast and hook into one of these amazing fish. What a journey they take.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 13, 2017 - 09:09am PT
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Thanks guys.
Could be setting up for some good winter steelhead fishing in the next month or so....
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Peater
Trad climber
Salt Lake City Ut.
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Jan 16, 2017 - 07:11pm PT
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Ed, that is not Fly fishing. Your supposed to do it like that other guy.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 16, 2017 - 07:42pm PT
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Cool looking beetles WTF!
I always wondered why the fish at Pyramid Lake seemed to prefer those strange beetle patterns until I actually saw this green water beetle swimming in Pyramid Lake. Maybe I solved the riddle and this is what we want to match? Might be why the chartreuse works so well!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jan 16, 2017 - 09:38pm PT
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Beautiful work on those beetle patterns WTF. Real craftsmanship.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 17, 2017 - 07:31am PT
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Great looking flies WTF. I had planned on coming up last weekend to fish but well, you know what happened with the roads. You should think about making the trip down here. The fishing is a lot of work now but good. Kind of like alpine climbing. You have to suffer but the rewards are worth the effort.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks for the updates...can't wait to get back there!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 10, 2017 - 09:24am PT
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Gold in them thar lakes.....
So a question about FF now....
Does all this hi-water runoff mess with the Fly Fishing?
Like the Owens specifically, lower and upper.
I see that Bishop is starting to get into the mid sixties...
Same with Fresno.
Help a noob out
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 10, 2017 - 10:15am PT
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You can check on the flow rates of the rivers and creeks on the eastside here.
https://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/faces/wcnav_externalId/a-w-laa-cond-rprt?_adf.ctrl-state=3ece3piea_4&_afrLoop=269643703205811
Currently the fishing on the upper Owens looks good but you need a snowmobile to get to it. The gorge is fishing well but the lower Owens has a lot of water but almost no fish. Expect the DFG and the town of Bishop to plant fish here to try to help the population recover from the drought. Hot Creek is also slated to get about 12,000 sub catchables again this summer to help it recover. It will take a couple years to get the fish populations in these waters back to where they belong.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Feb 10, 2017 - 10:32am PT
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^^^^
Does it make me an expert fisherman if I can consistently catch the "sub-catchables?"
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 10, 2017 - 10:55am PT
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Sub-catchable.....my specialty.
Thanks-- Jan, Tad and Limping....
Stimbo had those shots where he was walking around in the POW at the bridges.
Looked cold.
And Jan another question.... how do you know the ORG is fishing well?
I have a few FISHING REPORTS I look at and only the tourist spots seem to get reported on.... you got a "super inside beta" one you like??
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 10, 2017 - 12:29pm PT
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Thanks .... Ill start checking those out.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 10, 2017 - 12:39pm PT
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Guy, just realize how cold the water is this time of year and that it takes a nice warm sunny day to really get the bugs popping and the fish eating. Or you can dredge deep and dark.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Feb 11, 2017 - 06:23pm PT
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Sierra Drifters report states that a client caught a "Crowley Steelhead?"
What a crock of hype...
If the guides really cared about the fish as opposed to their wallet, those fish would never leave the water.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Feb 11, 2017 - 07:37pm PT
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South Idaho is experiencing similar weather to what you folks are suffering in California.
Heidi & I managed to get her pickup out of our gravel-drive morass this morning & drove into town.
Choss Creek was pretty much overwhelming this small hydro diversion-dam, where there is normally decent winter fishing.
And the sweet hole below the dam was just a 10' deep torrent.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Feb 13, 2017 - 01:42pm PT
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My entry for the smallest trout on the thread. Nice effort Limpingcrab and Guyman. You guys are good.
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brotherbbock
climber
Alta Loma, CA
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Feb 13, 2017 - 02:14pm PT
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On a side note....where is Pate?
I miss arguing with that skinny son of a bitch.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 13, 2017 - 04:41pm PT
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Those aren't even very small. I catch sub 2 inchers all the time. Sometimes you have to go hunt around the grass and bushes behind you to find the little suckers because they don't weigh enough to slow down your line when you strike. It's all good fun though!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 14, 2017 - 08:16am PT
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I read that there may be limited access to Pyramid Lake towards the end of this month. Fingers are crossed.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 14, 2017 - 12:58pm PT
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WTF.... I came across something on Facebook in the Pyramid Lake group. As I understand it, the Tribe will allow partial access within the next two weeks (where? I cannot say) then the remainder of the lake is slated for April.
I will let you know when I can make it up there. I am sure it will be a zoo. Everybody has cabin fever....
I should start tying some bugs for the 'mid. It sounds like this weekend we will all be tent bound with the weather.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 14, 2017 - 01:16pm PT
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I actually broke the vice out again. It's been a few years. I'm tying some no hackle split wing elk hair caddis in size 18, first in light olive then in tan. Biggest difference from years past is that I need to wear my reading glasses to see the damn thing.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Feb 14, 2017 - 02:16pm PT
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Angela with a 25 inch, 6 lb. brown I caught today in Lago General Carrera. Making gravlix with it...should be ready tomorrow.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 14, 2017 - 04:08pm PT
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You know Jim, if they come from south of the equator they aren't real. Real trout come from places like the San Gabriel river or the Tuolumne river and are all under 12 inches.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 14, 2017 - 04:28pm PT
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Keesee, when the water drops some, and the weather warms up a bit, let's fish the Merced around Foresta. We have a house we can stay in.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Feb 14, 2017 - 05:11pm PT
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You folks can brag about your tiny trout, but catching trout with a fly up their arsehole is an entirely different skill.
Here's a 12" Idaho cutthroat I "caught up the butt."
They fight hard when you hook them there, since they are swimming away in a natural position, while you are reeling them in.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Feb 14, 2017 - 05:25pm PT
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^^ reminds me of the time one of my brothers was FF with me up at Lassen and caught a.......duck!
No, not a smoking duck, just a regular 'ol duck that thought it was a trout, I guess.
Pretty funny watching that line fly away:-)
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 15, 2017 - 09:28am PT
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I caught a duck on Lake Martis. Had a heck of a time getting the hook out of his bill. Got bit many times.
I caught both a bat and a swallow on Hot Creek. This is when you know that you have really, really, really matched the hatch. Both of these are a lot smarter than a trout.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Feb 15, 2017 - 09:52am PT
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Stimbo try to hit me up a day or two before you come up.
Will do... I will shoot you an email or text.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 17, 2017 - 06:41pm PT
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Just got back from the North Coast Rivers. Got in 2 days of fly fishing for steelhead in Oregon between the storms. Fished the Sixes River on Tuesday and the Chetco on Wednesday.
Fishing was a little on the slow side for me (hooked two, landed one) and of course it was the big one that got away!
But I got to use my brand new 11 foot 6 inch 7-weight Sage Switch rod which casted like a cannon.
On Wednesday, over at the Smith River, before all the rivers blew out, guide Mike Coopman, seen here holding the fish, guiding his client Joanne, caught and released what may be the biggest steelhead ever caught in California, measuring 42 x 23 inches!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 17, 2017 - 06:54pm PT
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Looks like part of Pyramid Lake shoreline will open tomorrow- from North Nets north past Pelican Point all the way up to Shotdog.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 17, 2017 - 08:28pm PT
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Good luck WTF. Hope you catch a big one!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 20, 2017 - 06:50pm PT
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Thanks for the report!
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Feb 21, 2017 - 10:57am PT
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Whatever happened to ol' Pate The Hate anyway?
He morphed into Burchey near as I can tell....
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 21, 2017 - 08:59pm PT
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WTF,
For underwater shots I use my Nikon AW100, which can also shoot 1080 HD Video.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Feb 21, 2017 - 09:14pm PT
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Anyone here ever look into the heritage trout challenge in CA? Looks like entertaining motivation to spend a weekend up north. I bet I can get 4 of the 11 trout in their native drainages on a day trip. Those redband and such will take some driving. Only about 300 people have completed it so far, and only around 12 have caught all 11 subspecies in their native locations.
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/HTC
The free PDF you can download is worth a look for any history and bio nerds like me. Some nice pictures too. Killing time until the water drops...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Hi WTF. Thanks for the report. Just got back today from steelhead fishing in Oregon. Got lucky and had 2 days of perhaps the best weather and water conditions of the entire steelhead season for the Chetco River. Hooked 5 dime-bright fish in 2 days. After the next storm (coming this weekend) I think the winter steelhead season is about done.
Got a trip to Pyramid Lake the last week of March (Mon-Fri to avoid the crowds) Love to chat with you. Don't know your name? but call me anytime at 800.514.8785
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 20, 2017 - 09:04am PT
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Nothing worth the camera really. Biggest was probably 4 pounds.
The irony of fishing at the 'mid. The camera doesn't come out until you crest the ten pound (or greater) bench mark. What a place to fish!
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Mar 22, 2017 - 08:34am PT
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Nice fish here is another one taken on a fly 50 +LB
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 22, 2017 - 12:03pm PT
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Hi Loyd. Great to see you posting here! Can you tell us the story of this fish? I'm guessing it was your world record king from the Chetco?
PS. We have some things in common: we've both worked as rock climbing guides, both have been Directors of Climbing Schools, and both love to fly fish, although I'm in deep envy of those kings you caught on fly from the Chetco!
Regards,
Bob Gaines
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 23, 2017 - 08:34pm PT
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Sweet Jeezus! Nice slab Loyd!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 24, 2017 - 08:13am PT
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Getting Stimbo ready to put some big fish in his hands this weekend.
Thanks for bug love WTF. I hope you can join us on Sunday.
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Mar 24, 2017 - 08:38am PT
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Here are more fish photos, one from CA and one from Tarpon taken on fly on 12 lb line [photoid=494467]FL
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Mar 24, 2017 - 08:42am PT
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52 lb striper taken on fly 16 LB line spring on the Sac. river in spring
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Mar 24, 2017 - 08:46am PT
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Loyd.... for the win. 12lb test???
Treez... pretty tough kid, hanging out in all that snow and ice.... nice fish. Looks like your doing something right.
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Mar 24, 2017 - 09:30am PT
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The 60.5 lb King took me 50 years of fishing for Kings to get the record on 12 LB line.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Mar 24, 2017 - 09:40am PT
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Curious your rod and reel combo for the big king.
Only king that big I've seen caught was in a dip net (on the Chitna)...ha ha.
(This thread has me psyched for fishin'...just picked up a 4wt Winston...yay!).
Cheers!
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Mar 24, 2017 - 10:08am PT
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10 weight Sage RPLX and a #3 Able real. I see you have fished in Alaska, I was raised in Fairbanks.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Mar 24, 2017 - 10:19am PT
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Just picked up an Abel reel for the Winston as well...nice!
Yeah...done some fishing for silvers but its been a few years. POW, Chichagof, Kodiak, reds on the Kenai...grayling in the Brooks Range.
My sister lives in Fairbanks. Her husband is a bush pilot. So...nice access to fishing...
Got to get back up there. Landing a king on a fly rod is on "the list" for me. Only fished a little on the Kuskokwim when my sister lived in Bethel. Her ex had a commercial fishing licence. Way too big of water for me...
Also, big trout in SW AK...need to do a long float somewhere upstream from Dillingham or thereabouts. Or, down the north side somewhere.
Good stuff...thanks!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 24, 2017 - 05:04pm PT
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Loyd - do you have a link to your IGFA record? I searched for it, but couldn't find it.....
Here's a 3 lb 2 oz native Ontario brook trout [aka speckled trout, speck] caught in a top secret lake in Algonquin Park in May 2015, literally miles of portaging from the nearest access point, at least for white men.
19" - put on the stringer for the photo, as I was solo paddling. Live released. Though he would have tasted great, I let him go. Maybe I'll catch him this year when he's 4 pounds!
Nice colours, eh?
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 24, 2017 - 07:57pm PT
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Holy sh!t !!!!
Loyd Price is on Supertopo ......
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Boblyi
climber
The East Side
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Mar 24, 2017 - 09:34pm PT
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My first Patagonian rainbow!!!
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Boblyi
climber
The East Side
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Mar 24, 2017 - 09:37pm PT
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Captains big Patagonian Brown!!
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Boblyi
climber
The East Side
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Mar 24, 2017 - 09:43pm PT
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Captains North Lake Bow
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Boblyi
climber
The East Side
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Mar 24, 2017 - 09:47pm PT
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Upper Owens Brown
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Mar 25, 2017 - 07:52am PT
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https://igfa.org/
This should get you in
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Mar 25, 2017 - 11:55am PT
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This really belongs in the very small trout lover's thread...
Counts as part of the cutthroat slam here in Utah...cute little fella!
Its the official Utah state trout. Neat they're making a bit of a comeback.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 25, 2017 - 08:26pm PT
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Hi Loyd,
Thanks for posting those pics. That striper is truly impressive, but that 60 lb. King takes the cake! You hate to declare any fish a "fish of a lifetime," since you're saying you'll never catch a bigger or better one, but that surely looks like a fish of a lifetime to me. It's certainly one of the most impressive fly-caught kings I've ever seen.
I've set a goal for myself to catch a 50-lb king on fly, but we both know how hard that is. I've caught a couple at the Smith River, with the biggest one around 40 pounds. I'm thinking of trying the Chetco next fall. Just curious, what type of line did you generally use on the Chetco? Was that big king caught downstream from Loeb park?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 25, 2017 - 08:33pm PT
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Well, the wildflowers are blooming, the birds are nesting, and the largemouth bass have invaded the shallows of southern California lakes and reservoirs for their annual spawning ritual- and they're biting. Spring has arrived.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 25, 2017 - 09:56pm PT
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In Ontario, we have Fishing Seasons. This means we leave mommy and daddy fish alone to make baby fish unmolested.
Why not you Merricans??
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 25, 2017 - 11:49pm PT
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The bass aren't quite spawning yet, they're in what is known as the "pre-spawn" phase, moving into shallower water, and much easier to target, especially if you're fly fishing. Largemouth Bass are hearty fish, and if you play them quickly, handle them gently, and don't hold 'em out of the water too long, they're no worse for the wear.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 29, 2017 - 08:57am PT
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Thanks Stimbo look forward to future fishing with you more on the east side. Quote Here
For sure, we'll have to get together again soon. Maybe another trip to Pyramid before the trout opener down here. Here's a photo of WTF....
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 30, 2017 - 09:32am PT
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We caught fish, nothing huge by Pyramid standards, but nice cuttys none the less. It was fun fishing with WTF, some friends from the Bay area, and my son. You really can't beat being outside.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 30, 2017 - 09:53am PT
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Nice lookin fish there Stimbo! Glad you two guys hooked up. Cant wait until the rivers here start to drop and we can get back out on the Lower Kings. Soooooo much water her in central cal right now.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 30, 2017 - 09:56am PT
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 30, 2017 - 10:42am PT
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In Ontario, we have Fishing Seasons. This means we leave mommy and daddy fish alone to make baby fish unmolested.
Why not you Merricans??
Do people of the north have bass fishing seasons? I've never heard of that, probably because largemouth are an invasive species outside the Mississippi River drainage. Of course in this part of CA we don't have fishing seasons for anything, maybe because there are less fisherman than places like up north or the eastern Sierra.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 30, 2017 - 10:45am PT
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Cant wait until the rivers here start to drop and we can get back out on the Lower Kings. Soooooo much water her in central cal right now.
Yeah, same here.... everything is blown out and looks like it will be for some time now. Nice fish btw!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from Pyramid Lake, Nevada. The weather ranged from sunny, glassy conditions to snowstorms and 40 mph winds. The scenery and fishing was spectacular.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice one!
Can't wait to go back there.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF and BG......
You guys are total animals. Those trout are incredible. What is the "Season" up there? I would seriously consider making the trek up there to land a monster like that. Is it good all summer? I would love some actual intel and am seriously thinking about a road trip! Man I love this thread.
Thanks!
Scott
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Hi Scott. The cutthroat trout season at Pyramid runs from October 1 to June 30.
A great website with tons of information about fishing Pyramid is www.pyramidlakeflyfishing.com
The best online fly selection and fly tying videos for Pyramid is from local guide Jan Nemec. His website is www.mimicflyfishing.com
If you're interested in reading about the fascinating history of the re-introduction of the Pilot Peak Strain, and some general tips on how to fish the lake, I wrote a feature article for Southwest Fly Fishing Magazine: Pyramid Lake, NV Rediscovery and Rebirth that appeared in their Sept/October 2015 issue. You can download a digital copy of the magazine at www.matchthehatch.com
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Thanks Bob. I will definitely check it out !
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ruppell
climber
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Big storm system moving through Fri-Sun. Then a full moon Monday. Could be a really good bite. I need to get up to Pyramid one day. Maybe Monday. lol
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 23, 2017 - 10:07pm PT
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Been having good luck lately with the warm water species, fly fishing from my float tube at Lake Perris, CA
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ruppell
climber
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Apr 24, 2017 - 09:09am PT
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WTF
I just got finished with a bathroom remodel that was on the same list. Ever notice how that list is never ending? I finished up that remodel, checked it off the list, and 3 other things had replaced it already. lol
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 26, 2017 - 09:31am PT
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OK.... a question for the large Trout Lovers.
EASTSIDE OPENING DAY ...... this weekend.
I begged for Monday off of work from the boss-man....got 3 days in Bishop.
Due to the huge accumulation of snow in the local mountains, the large amount of run off, the snowed in lakes and creeks, makes for a different kind of fishing- climbing weekend.
I would like to fish with Dry- flies....but where? The lower O seems to be flooded right now, East Walker has been in the reports and so has Hot creek- the ORG is one of my go-to spots... upriver from the North Parking lot.
What's a boy to do???
PS.... I got the dam backyard fence built, fixed the leaking toilet and for now the Honey-Do list is blank.
looking for advice from the locals.
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ruppell
climber
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Apr 26, 2017 - 09:48am PT
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guyman
Do you have a float tube? Lower O has been raging the last few weeks. I'm about to drive up to South Lake and see how much ice is still on it. I haven't been up to the Upper O, Hot Creek or the Walker but I imagine there also raging. Lakes might be the way to go for opener. I'm still trying to figure it out to I guess. lol
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 26, 2017 - 10:10am PT
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ruppel .... no float tube, yet.... I do like to fish the intakes at convict, south and sabrina. I bet the ice is still quite thick up there.
please report back.
WTF... the list is kept by my wife, on her laptop-excel. She busts out a new list every month... on the first.
thanks for the reply's, whatever happens, it will be fun to just walk around and enjoy all the water ripping down the mountains and of course some nice sunny climbing at the usual places.
Happy spring time, all.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Apr 26, 2017 - 10:19am PT
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There is a little more info on the Sierra Drifters fish report site. I always hit the N. Fork of Bishop Creek off of 6 first things on Fishmas. It doesn't look too high yet either.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 26, 2017 - 10:44am PT
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Eastside Options:
• Don't bother with the Lower Owens, it has been running at over 700 cfs for months now, which is raging for a little river with narrow banks.
• ORG has been fishing well above the Middle Gorge Power Plant. After the big flush through the gorge earlier in the season, the fish are scarce and hard to find below the Middle Gorge Power Plant.
• The Upper Owens isn't too bad if you go high in the river system. It is between seasons now as most rainbows have headed down to the reservoir and the cutthroats haven't started their push up, yet. That said, there are still some nice fish hanging around.
• Hot Creek has some great technical fishing. The fish are spooky as the creek is still low and clear. The weather has been cool so the spring runoff hasn't really kicked in yet. Fish with some stealth and keep moving, cover the water.
• East Walker is running on the high side but still very doable especially in the Miracle Mile (between the dam and the first bridge). Oh! The road has been closed going through the canyon for a couple of weeks now do to a big landslide. As "WTF" noted, fish the river margins. The trout are hanging out in the quiet water chilling....
• San Joaquin -- Closed
• Backcountry Lakes -- Closed
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 26, 2017 - 10:47am PT
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A nice rainbow from just a couple of days ago. The grabs are really subtle but once they figure out they are hooked, they go bonkers! Fun fish!
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ruppell
climber
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Apr 26, 2017 - 11:32am PT
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Road to Sabrina is open to the lake. The lake is still iced over. Another couple weeks before it'll see open water. The streams fishable but running really high and fast.
The gate to North lake is unlocked but there's a snow drift 100 feet after the gate and it's big.
The road to South lake is still closed but the county is up there trying to get it open. I'm sure South lake is still iced over as well.
Intake 2 is open and looking pretty good. It's gonna be a zoo on opening day though. That's where the float tube comes in handy.
I'm starting to wonder if Kirman is still frozen over. It's only at about 8000 so I'm thinking it might be ice free. It's looking like I'll probably end up there for Fishmas.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 26, 2017 - 12:45pm PT
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Thank you all for the personalized report.
OK... time for some climbing, some fishing, gun shooting (cosmiccragsman helped me put the M1 Garand together) Dirtbiking, gambling, skiing, drinking and relaxing.
Bishop is Vacationland U.S.A.
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missjr
Trad climber
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Apr 26, 2017 - 06:15pm PT
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We just skied up there and there's about solid 10ft at South Lake and sometimes up to 15ft of snow.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Apr 26, 2017 - 08:47pm PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 27, 2017 - 06:56pm PT
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Nice "bones" Mike!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 28, 2017 - 12:26am PT
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Nice shots and nice fish Mike! What did you get them on?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 28, 2017 - 12:48am PT
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 28, 2017 - 09:19am PT
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I haven't caught a bluegill since I was a kid fishing with my grandfather. Those are cool looking fish Bob!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 28, 2017 - 09:20am PT
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Tad..... fishmas for you too? I have been told that the McCloud is one of the best.
As a newb, I know next to nothing about the seasons.... the DFW site is pretty confusing, esp because I don't know the names of the places.
I know the Cottonwood regs... July 1st. Golden Trout, most creeks catch and kiss...I learned how to FF in those little creeks, I like the hi-mountain setting and its peaceful vibe, cant wait for that date.
Gome wants to do some westside angling, I figure with all the runoff the creeks and rivers will be raging intill about end of June.
So is "it on" statewide for Trout????
Nice Blue Gill BG.
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ruppell
climber
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Apr 28, 2017 - 09:37am PT
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guyman
Cottonwood lakes open late to protect the spawning population. There's plenty of other alpine lakes that open tomorrow. They hold the same strain of fish. They are way way less crowded. They are what you want to be looking into. I've fished most of them. The best part is most of them have really good alpine climbing a short distance from base camp. Alpine dual sport days are awesome.
It's gonna be late this year for sure. Last year I was on Goldens by the 2nd week of May. It kinda makes me miss the drought. lol
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Apr 28, 2017 - 10:04am PT
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Keesee! I am in Arizona all next week staring at rocks but when I get back we can start poking some more trout. Another couple weeks and we can get to some of those inlets into lakes and drop some big old nymphs in for some big old browns. There are some good secret spots too that are fishable even in high water.
Good luck to all of you on Fishmas!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 28, 2017 - 10:33am PT
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ruppel.... Thanks... I know about the cottonwood regs, and why. So the Golden Trout Wilderness, north of the Needles, opens up Saturday? Back in the day my Grandpa would take my Cousin and I backpacking up to the lakes in the Palisades, behind Lake Sabrina and the stuff above Mono-Hot Springs.... I don't recall what Trout exactly we were getting, Golden's, Browns, Rainbow and Brookies...we were looking for dinner.
My back is improving and I can hike for a few miles now, so I look forward to this summer..... a little Alpine Rock Climbing and an early evening hatch sounds like a good day.
Gome... you got it, lets go, let me know when you return.
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ruppell
climber
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Apr 28, 2017 - 10:57am PT
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Here you go Guy
https://www.campkernville.com/files/fishing_original.pdf
I didn't realize you where coming off an injury. Not fun. Hope it heals up and you get back to 100%. If you want some more info get a hold of me via PM. Most of the lakes I'm referring to are in my area. A float tube is a bitch to hike in but worth it. I have a two. A super light one for alpine and a super comfy one for shorter approaches.
When are you headed up this way?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 28, 2017 - 04:11pm PT
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ruppel.... thanks for the information.
heading for Bishop in about 90 min.....
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ruppell
climber
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Apr 28, 2017 - 05:02pm PT
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Cool. I still have no idea where I'm going tomorrow. I might end up just at the Happies. Then hitting up Pleasant Valley in the evening. That place is usually empty opening day.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 28, 2017 - 05:38pm PT
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good to know...
My friend LJ... lives on the Mesa so Pleasant Valley is close. I have no Idea of the agenda .... if climbing, we will go to the ORG, If they go Skiing, I will be free all day and will poke around looking for fish.
guy.keesee at gmail.com
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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May 28, 2017 - 12:07am PT
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Last minute question, hope some knowledgeable and generous people are at the keyboard!
Had to bail on the High Route on day two due to wet slides so as a consolation my wife and I are going to ride Mammoth on Monday.
Before heading home she said I can do some fishing so I'm looking for somewhere with reasonable flows to land a few trout. Don't really care about size, just like to avoid crowds (on Memorial Day) and catch something. All of my regular west side spots are blown out right now so I'm having withdraws.
Thanks in advance!
danieljeffcoach at gmail dot com if you don't want to post locations for all to see.
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missjr
Trad climber
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May 28, 2017 - 07:58am PT
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Hey Limpingcrab,
Its pretty blown out here on the Eastside as well from high water.....there's definitely people here too for the novelty to ski and camp and whatever else you want to do on Memorial Day. Drove by the Upper O a week ago and it flowing to the banks. Crowley may be good. Ice fishing on the lakes(Rock Creek, Lakes Basin) but having a hard time thinking where the waters wouldn't be crazy other than say the Lower O by Indy( there's bass and who knows what in those waters but also reedy).
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Boblyi
climber
The East Side
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May 28, 2017 - 08:34pm PT
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Try the June Lake loop. Rush creek. Parker or Walker Lakes.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from 3 days of fly fishing in the Florida Keys. Plan A was guided tarpon fishing. Got a few good shots the first morning, but then wind and clouds didn't cooperate. Plan B was wading the flats on my own.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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The fishing along the eastside has been spotty with the runoff and unsettled weather but all in all, not too bad if you are persistent.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Henry's Fork last weekend...
The big bugs were out!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice cutthroat Stimbo!
Henry's Fork Salmonfly hatch....classic stuff Brian!
Anyone been up to Kirman Lake, Bridgeport this season?
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ruppell
climber
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BG
I haven't heard from anyone that's been to Kirman Lake this year. I've been trying to get up there but this climbing thing keeps getting in the way on weekends. The cutties up there are getting really big. Last year, towards the end of the season, the brooks where around but not nearly in the numbers that they used to be.
My next free weekend is the 17th. I am planning on hitting up Kirman then.
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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My new life does not allow much time for climbing, but after almost 50 years its ok to slow down a little. Nowadays I find myself either free dive spearfishing, or kayak fishing.
Here is a little Pargo taken by spear while kayak diving
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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Golden Trevally and Huachinango
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice fish Scott... that's a big Pargo!
Where you livin' now? Or just travelling? Looks like someplace tropical. Costa Rica?
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nice work on that spearfishing man. I've always felt right at home in water...can hold my breath over 4 minutes..... and have always felt I'd get religious about spearfishing if given the chance to get into it.
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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^^^^
Scole.....beach fishing where?
I've walked Baja beaches sight/surf fishing. So good!
Great pics
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Nice to see you there Scott. Looks like a nice place.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 11, 2017 - 11:24pm PT
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Caught these two beauties this afternoon on the East Walker River. Flowing at 900 CFS today!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 14, 2017 - 11:07pm PT
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Caught a diversity of species in the Eastern Sierra today
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jun 15, 2017 - 09:50am PT
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Bob are you kidding me!!! Nice haul. Getting stoked for trout season!
Scott
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jonnyrig
climber
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Jun 15, 2017 - 09:53am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 15, 2017 - 09:16pm PT
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Caught some big carp today fly fishing at Bridgeport Reservoir, Eastern Sierra
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jun 16, 2017 - 08:49am PT
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Nice Bob...... do you eat those carp?
Back in the Midwest, one never eats the Carp from muddy waters, but one time we went to Minnesota and caught Carp in a small swiftly flowing river... my friend served up some pretty tasty Carp that evening.
And Jonnyrig..... Do you get to win a prize or something with that tagged fish???
When do you all think the creeks around Mammoth/Bishop will stop being at flood stage?? Mid July? Early August??
I have Dry Fly Fever.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 16, 2017 - 10:47pm PT
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Catch and release on the carp.
I believe Jonnyrig's tagged fish is a Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat with a foy tag and ID as a Pilot Peak strain fish.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 16, 2017 - 10:52pm PT
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Found some tailing fish this evening at Bridgeport Reservoir
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Jun 16, 2017 - 10:54pm PT
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Scoleeeeeeee, Nice!
you been eatin good
Nice bow BG!!
cant wait to get out of JTree..
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jun 17, 2017 - 09:05am PT
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Guy, if you have dry fly fever head to Domelands! My brother and I caught 165 golden hybrids in four hours on Friday, all on dries! Even a few chunky guys in the double digits.
I've pulled some out of other west side streams this week too, but on nymphs. The season is finally starting to arrive!
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 17, 2017 - 05:49pm PT
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Just got back from a lake that has the potential to rival Laurel for my favorite member of the trout family. This was a recon mission so only shore fishing but next time the float tube is coming along. For sheer number and size of fish this is a gem of a lake. Nothing bigger than 14" but nothing smaller than 10" so far. There's got to be some slobs in the deep sections. Third photo is the inlet stream. You guys who know what your looking at should count the number in that 8'x4' section. I would tell you how many I landed but you wouldn't believe me. I was there and I barely believe it. I'm stoked.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 18, 2017 - 10:23pm PT
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Nice find Ruppel . . . looks like a real gem.
Have you been up to Kirman this year?
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 18, 2017 - 10:35pm PT
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Bob
I was going to go up Friday after work but with the heat decided to stick around here and head up to higher elevation. Kirmans gotta be fishing well but I haven't seen any reports or talked to anyone who's gone this year. Trust me though, if it's hot you want to stay away from Kirman. It'll still be there in September. lol
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 18, 2017 - 10:36pm PT
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A couple more eastern sierra rainbows from this past week....
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jonnyrig
climber
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Jun 18, 2017 - 11:52pm PT
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BG is correct on the foy tag. You simply call the number and report. Number, date, length, location, keep it release. Caught two of those but didn't think to get the tag number off the first. Sure was fun.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jun 19, 2017 - 08:44am PT
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Limping.... thanks for the update.
Big Meadow?
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Gail Hightower
climber
SE
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Jun 19, 2017 - 09:09am PT
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Scole,
What kind of trout is that red one? Love the vibrant colors. Green river cut? CO cut?
Great fish!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jun 29, 2017 - 09:21pm PT
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Any east side beta anyone is willing to share? I get over there to climb a few times a year, but have never fished. Most of the western slope rivers are raging so I'm jonesing for some trout fishing.
Headed over for the weekend through the fourth for climbing, fishing, and camping. Any advise is appreciated :)
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jun 30, 2017 - 08:48am PT
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The eastside rivers and creeks are raging too. I was up on Bishop Creek right below Sabrina a couple weeks ago and while the creek is high it was definitely fishable. You could probably catch fish in Rock Creek too. Water is starting to come down a little. And the lakes always fish well if you have skills.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 30, 2017 - 09:00am PT
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The East Walker River below Bridgeport Reservoir hit 1530 CFS the other day, which I believe is a new record max flow!
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 30, 2017 - 10:58am PT
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Yeah Bob
They're letting Bridgeport Reservoir rip at full flow. There are flood warnings out for pretty much everywhere down stream.
Everything on the East Side is raging and there's still quite a bit of snow holding up high. If your coming over this way to fish, stick to the lakes. I'm gonna head up to South Lake with the tube in a bit. I'll post up a later with how it is.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jun 30, 2017 - 11:03am PT
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That's what I figured :(
Looks like I'll have to up my lake game.
Looking forward to your report ruppell
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 30, 2017 - 05:51pm PT
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South Lake is game on. I landed 20 in less then an hour. Not my best day there but it was about a 50% cast to hookup ratio. The lakes FINALLY almost full again. Talked to a guy that works there and he says it's coming up well over a foot a day. That means it'll hit the overflow in about 2 weeks.
It's gonna be a busy sh#t show this weekend but if you head up there go to the west side of the lake. Walk over the dam and walk about halfway down the lake. I promise you, other than the boats, you'll have it to yourself.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jun 30, 2017 - 07:11pm PT
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Awesome!
Sounds like you had a great time.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 30, 2017 - 07:48pm PT
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Sounds like South Lake is the place to be.
I've also heard Crowley Lake is starting to turn on for fly fishing.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 30, 2017 - 10:33pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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That' s one colorful brookie!
Muddler Minnow?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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The Twin Lakes Reservoirs are getting brimmed so they are releasing water towards Bridgeport. With the Bridgeport Reservoir nearly full, the East Walker is getting hammered with flows they haven't seen in over 15 years. It is amazing to see.
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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That was a muddler Bob
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Here's a shot of the East Walker River gauge below Bridgeport Reservoir from June 11, when the flow was 900 cfs and I was still able to catch a couple fish in the Miracle Mile section.
Stimbo, do think these massive flows will ultimately be favorable or detrimental for the long term health of the fishery?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Stimbo, do think these massive flows will ultimately be favorable or detrimental for the long term health of the fishery?
Hey Bob, I think in the long run the big flush will be a good thing for the fishery, scouring out sediment and getting rid of algae that built up during the drought. There doesn't seem to be a lack of aquatic insects either, plus I saw a lot of crayfish and fingerlings yesterday.
PM me and I will give you some other details.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Is this enough flow to clean the willows off the banks? I used to fish there some in the 80s and don't remember it being so hard to get to the river down by the bridge. Now it is quite hard to fish anywhere below the miracle mile.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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G Gnome: Per your wishes on the Walker River removing willows with high flows: it didn't work out that way with Idaho's historic high flows this spring.
Here's a island in the Snake River that is mostly willows & a couple of trees, today at a flow of about 8,500 cfs.
The island was mostly under fast-moving water, except for the tops of the trees from early March to late June, per this evening photo, with flows up to 30,000 cfs.
The damn willows seemed to like it. I can't believe they were not scoured away.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Good stuff WTF. Classic Nor Cal fly fishing!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 10, 2017 - 03:00pm PT
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Limpingcrabs photos clued me into a place I might be able to FF at...
Mather Meadows... at the trail head I was talking to a local cowboy who lives at Big Meadow about the fishing at Mather. "Those fish will hit a bare hook... if its gold.." That gave me the motivation to head out on a 5.5 mile one way hike-- the longest one I have tried in like 3 years and it was worth it.
When I walked out across the meadow I was amazed to see about a billion grasshoppers coming up out of the knee hi plants and grass.... pretty EZ to decide on what to use.
The hard part was getting the "hopper" to hit the water because the creek was about 3 feet wide and the grass grows all the way across the span. When I did hit water the Trout went wild and they would hit the hopper over and over again. A fishing free for all.
Anyway I lost count when I got to 25 or 30 or 40 ..... it was work and I was pretty busy all after noon.
I only took 1 photo... I was busy with NOT hurting the fish and messing with the iPhone can take some time.
note wet hands, I have learned some things from this thread.
Now I want to see a monster bug hatch... after a few cocktails!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jul 10, 2017 - 03:29pm PT
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WTF what a fantastic trip report. The best of times.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 10, 2017 - 04:01pm PT
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Congrats Guy! Glad you finally had one of those kinds of outings.
How did the back and leg hold up walking that far?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 10, 2017 - 04:46pm PT
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Congrats Guy! Glad you finally had one of those kinds of outings.
How did the back and leg hold up walking that far?
I took my time on the mostly up-hill hike out, slow and steady, but much better than last year when 1.5 miles laid me out.
I went to LJ's and we fished Crowley.... I caught a 22" BOW, so did LJ... that seems to easy, just sitting on the boat drinking beer.
I also checked out the So.Fork of the Kern.... it's still raging out of its banks. I also went to Cottonwood ....it's still in full flood mode. With the hot weather and monsoon conditions I bet this snow melt will kick into hi-gear and then things will get back to normal.
TAD.... looks nice on that beach, fishing is still good even if you catch nothing.
Micro.... how are the creeks up your way? Still flood stage?
WTF.... sounds like a heck of a trip.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 11, 2017 - 01:19am PT
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Great thread as usual!
Happy you made it out there, Guy. I read before I went that the approach was less than three miles so I was a bit surprised by that hike. Get any of those bright rainbow/golden hybrids? Pretty fish, and we saw one in there that was probably over a foot. Solid fish for that tiny stream.
WTF, I should have talked to you a couple weeks ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just got back from a family camping road trip on the way to a family reunion in Oregon and I planned campsites based on fishing when I could.
-Camped by the West Walked once. Raging chocolate milk.
-Camped by upper Hat Creek outside of Lassen. High water and a few little guys.
-Stayed near Bend and hit the upper Deschutes. More tiny fish and a weird silvery one (whitefish?)
-Camped in Castle Crags State Park and fished the upper Sacramento. More small rainbows.
Would have been nice to get some local knowledge because all of my fishing was squeezed into the one or two hours between sunrise and when the kids woke up. It was "pray and throw" with no time to learn the area or change rigs often.
I guess I can't complain, I was fishing after all :)
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 11, 2017 - 09:08am PT
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Happy you made it out there, Guy. I read before I went that the approach was less than three miles so I was a bit surprised by that hike. Get any of those bright rainbow/golden hybrids? Pretty fish, and we saw one in there that was probably over a foot. Solid fish for that tiny stream.
Limping....Looks like a nice trip. When I was talking with the Cowboy who lives up there at Big Meadow about the hike he warned me... the sign says 3.5 miles to Mather, but you need to go to the far end of Mather to fish.... at least another mile or two. I could tell there were larger fish in that little cut cause I could see the dark shadows swimming away.
The Cowboy also told me that the Golden Trout are up in the Taylor Creek/Taylor Meadows... AKA Church Domes.
So the next goal is to go a catch a "Volcano Golden" ...
And all of this fishing can be mixed with climbing. yea.
WTF.... Gome has told me stories about Hoppers "up north" sounds pretty amazing to be able to see them coming up shallow water-- fighting to get that hopper. Late August you say.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jul 11, 2017 - 03:32pm PT
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Doing some "urban" fly fishing near home I usually do pretty well catching fish about this size.
You can imagine the look on my face when I hooked this guy!!!
Some awesome stories and photos being shared on here lately. Glad everyone is getting out!!
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Jul 11, 2017 - 05:18pm PT
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No hoppers on the Fall River is because they spray the crap out of that valley.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 12, 2017 - 05:30pm PT
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Apparently dinosaurs live in Wishon. This is the lake below Courtright Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest, if you're not familiar.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Jul 12, 2017 - 06:52pm PT
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WTF, I need to commend you on your pictures of the area....I have lived the POV of all of them. The Hex hatch can be a bit unnerving, as you watch the bigguns gulp towards your artificial! That part of Northern Cal is a blessed area for the fly...I'm sure you have enjoyed the incredible beauty of the McCloud...
I always chuckle when the Bay area anglers complain of the drive to the area....they should try it from LA!
Hoping to fish a bit this year...
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 12, 2017 - 07:41pm PT
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This is the lake below Courtright Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest, if you're not familiar.
It was actually caught in the Kings river below the dam. Too bad they killed such a great looking trout.
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ruppell
climber
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Jul 12, 2017 - 07:43pm PT
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Great looking trout?
That thing looks like it died when it went over the dam and they scooped it up with a net. It's big but it's one of the ugliest browns I've ever seen. lol
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Send
Trad climber
Central Sierra
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Jul 13, 2017 - 11:22am PT
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from the Sequoia Backcountry
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jul 15, 2017 - 11:55am PT
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I'm just back from a 4-day mineral collecting visit to "Darkest Idaho." I only fished from 3 - 6 PM one day, just inside the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. The stream was still running high & although it is Catch & Release Cutthroat water, I think too many visitors are catching & eatting.
Fritz shuffles his feet & stares into the distance.
I only caught 5 Cuts, with the largest about 13".
Pretty place, beautiful fish, & I had a great hike the next day to some abandoned mines 2,000 vertical feet above where I was camped.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 21, 2017 - 02:47pm PT
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Found another west side spot that stays out of the spring runnoff. The stretch of the north fork of the King River above Pine Flat Lake but below Balch Camp is bypassed by hydroelectric pipes. In other words the river is raging above and below this spot but for three miles is beautiful and calm.
This 16" fatso slurped a parachute adams off the calm tail of a pool before going airborne. Great day on Tuesday finally getting to fish dries in this crazy spring runnoff!
PS: It flopped out of the net so I snapped a pic, she swam away perfectly fine.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 21, 2017 - 03:17pm PT
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from the Sequoia Backcountry
Any chance you'd be willing to be slightly more specific? :)
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jul 21, 2017 - 06:06pm PT
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Nice work out there Crab!
I love that stretch. There is amazing crawdading in that area. We take scuba fins and masks and knock out a few hundred of them each summer
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 21, 2017 - 09:22pm PT
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Nice info WTF but I find czeching sooooo boring that I rarely resort to that. I would rather hike than fish that way. These days if I can't dry fly I almost always quit. But you would be surprised at what you can catch dry flying if you are clever and persistent.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 22, 2017 - 10:40am PT
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ruppell
climber
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Jul 22, 2017 - 11:00am PT
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In fact I believe that fish probably eat 80% or more subsurface in most rivers
WTF
I bet the number is actually closer to 95% subsurface. I've been nymphing since I started fly fishing when I was a kid. It's produced way more fish for me then dries ever will.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jul 22, 2017 - 04:32pm PT
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WTF thanks for the great info. I used to be more like G_Gnome in the drive versus wet department. I used to only dry fly. Probably 30 years that way. But this winter, limpingcrab taught me a little bit about using a nymph dropper and a buddy of mine who goes by the nickname "Hawgman" find my dead drift technique and I landed the two biggest trout of my life in a 30 day timespan. Made a believer out of me. Now I'm glad to have the technique in my skillset.
I have posted both of these here before but thought I would mention both of these hogs were caught on size 18 nymphs. It's a dark art for sure but I have been proud of what it has landed me.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 22, 2017 - 07:45pm PT
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Dry dropper combo! Kind of a pain to fish and I don't know how to make it adjustable but it works.
I really enjoy all the strategies you describe on here WTF, all I've done it the basic stuff so it's cool to learn alternatives.
Going back to the same section of the kings tomorrow with my brothers, if I can find a crawfish pattern before then I may try to sink one into one of those giant holes. We shall see...
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 24, 2017 - 09:49am PT
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I agree with everyone that some nice fish can be caught on wet flies and that almost all of the food that fish eat is sub-surface. But I have caught lots of fish and I guess the reasons I flyfish are the reasons that I don't usually nymph anymore. I do actually throw streamers quite often but staring at an indicator just isn't worth the catching for me most of the time. Of course I also pick the water to fish where dry flies are most effective. I have to drive hours to go fishing so I might as well go somewhere where I am most likely to catch trout. My largest fish on a dry was a 25-26 inch brown on Hot Creek. Caught him 1/2 off the far bank with a size 16 little yellow stone. He weighed about 6 pounds. Too bad all those big guys are gone from Hot Creek right now. Hopefully things will stay wet enough in the Sierra so that the fish have a chance to recover.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 24, 2017 - 10:12am PT
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The link I re posted from Limping above has a wealth of knowledge.
It has the Czech nymphing method as well as others with nice diagrams...
All good skills to know.
WTF thanks for explaining what and how you do that.
I can't wait for the Courtright deal... I have 4 days off work, Climbing, Fishing, hanging out with old friends around the campfire.
Life is good.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 26, 2017 - 10:13am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 26, 2017 - 01:55pm PT
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Good tip!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 26, 2017 - 02:45pm PT
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I do the same thing with other flies. If I don't have the correct color fly I will color up a PMD parachute to match and use that. I also paint some of my little yellow stones to be brown because nobody makes my favorite pattern in brown.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jul 26, 2017 - 03:58pm PT
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Great tips. I've used Sharpies when I'm tying at home, but never thought of bringing some different colored Sharpies out into the field.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Hey fellas,
I'm heading up Thursday night late to stay in South Lake Tahoe for a few days of family vacay with the wife and kids. If I was so inclined to wake up early and fish for a couple hours and get back by late breakfast time, where would be an option to hook up a trout or three? Any beta would be fantastic! No time for a full or half day, but even an hour or two on the river would be good for the soul right now.
Thanks!
Scott
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Great question Scott, I'll be there at the end of the month and was wondering the same thing.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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There are a few creeks running through town with easy access. Rather small and tight but always loaded with fish. Taylor Cr. and Meeks Cr. are a couple. But way funner is to drive 25 minutes over to Woodfords Cyn. world class fly fishing and bouldering 🤠
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Dang micronut we may bump into each other up there.
I'm going to South Lake this Wednesday through next Tuesday and am getting married on Saturday :)
Of course some fly fishing will be snuck into the trip ;)
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Brian if you are serious about sneaking in a little am mission (not that you don't have other things to be taking care of on your wedding week) let me know!
I'm thinking Friday or Saturday morning. Try to get on a crick nearish to town by sunrise, fish a couple hours and be back in time for breakfast. It would be fun to hook up!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF I really don't mind driving an hour or so. Anything within an hour of South Lake? How long of a drive to anything good on the Truckee? The wife might let me make a 1/2 day of it if I beg!
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ruppell
climber
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There's just something about Goldens.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF thanks for the beta.....yeah, we'll stick to the South side. I called a fly shop there and the gal said the East Carson, the West Carson and Silver Creek could all be options. Any beta on those areas. She said the East Carson was a zoo because they just stocked it last weekend but I don't really care....I just want to hook up a few fish.
Where would you go if you were me?
And BTW, I like the idea of a VLTLT Get together!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF. We made it out there shortly before sunrise on Sunday and got 100% totally and entirely skunked. Not a nibble, not a rise, did not see a single fish in the two hours we were out there. I was throwing a small Elk hair caddis and switched to a bead-head nymph at some point and used a dry/dropper combo but to no avail. Nice looking water and a nice morning out with my daughter who goes back to college in Alabama this week.
As we left I told my daughter, "there's either no trout in that river or I'm a terrible fisherman. And we know I'm not a terrible fisherman."
I hadn't been skunked for years and was holding a chip on my shoulder about the whole thing so on our way home, we pulled out somewhere east of Kyburz and scrambled down a super steep 500 foot bank to the water on the South Fork of the American and fished for about an hour. It was beautiful down there and I hooked up a couple nice small 10-12" fighters.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Hey Scott, sorry I missed you up there. Turns out there is a ton of stuff to do in the days leading up to your wedding. Who knew?! haha
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 14, 2017 - 01:14pm PT
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Guy and I fished some on the east side this weekend. I am happy to say that flows are finally fishable. We had a little fun on Hot Creek but it is still the merest shadow of its former self. We fished way up on the Owens and that was nice. Then on Sunday we fished the San Joaquin and it was pretty amazing, especially considering how little water there was in it last year. I caught about 40 fish in 5 hours with very few dinks. With the river as high as it is, it is a hard river to travel on though with climbing skills put to the test.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 14, 2017 - 02:48pm PT
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G-Gnome always gets to go first.... but I got 8 on Sunday. The "big water" was harder for me to fish, mostly with mending and just the general speed of the water.... it was flowing very fast. I lost a whole mess due to my inability to quickly get the line tight after I set on one.... I watched Jan at work and he seems to do things quickly and methodically.
Anyone ever do this?
Time to tie on - yet another fly- so I sit down on the bank, pick a fly and reach down to my leader... right where I set it down at, tie on a fly, trim the end and apply that goo to keep it floating ONLY to discover-- I tied it to a piece of line that was just lying on the ground and not MY LINE.
The joys of being a noob.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 14, 2017 - 04:56pm PT
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Guy, I've done that with the old leader after tying a new one on. Now I always pocket the old one before tying the new one on so I can't make that mistake again.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 14, 2017 - 05:06pm PT
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WTF.... good one.
To show you all what a true champion G_Gome really is, a story....
First year FF, G_Gome sets me up with some $900 rig, Flys everything... I show him a spot where I always catch nice fish, at the old Cardinal Mine up by Sabrina. WE catch fish, he shows me how to cast straight up and down under the canopy of trees.... so I am sitting on a boulder in the middle of the creek, I tie on a new one and in my excitement to get going- I forget to put the big box of flies - he made all of them- away- then I jumped into the creek and the box of flies, still open go into Bishop creek!!!!
He is not amused but he is not angry.....
about 1/2 hour later while I am walking in the brush ----- the oh-so very fragile tip of the $900 rod gets somehow BROKEN OFF!!!!!!! :>(
He is again not amused and not angry....
I don't know why he keeps me around.
Yes.... a get together would be most fun.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 15, 2017 - 08:32pm PT
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Ha! I was rock cod fishing and drove a 6/0 hook into my thumb with 3 pounds of falling lead weight. It took the surgeon 40 minutes to pry it out because it was hooked thru the gristle in my knuckle. Then it took a month of constant soaking my thumb in betadyne and holding my hand above my heart ALL the time. And every week they would have to cut both ends of the hole filled with anchovy guts open to let it drain.
Now that was fun!!!!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 15, 2017 - 08:35pm PT
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Oh, and I broke the last 2 rungs off my Sage 4 wt XP on Sunday, about 30 minutes into the day. I cut the end short and continued fishing. Sage said it would be 45 to 60 days to get it fixed. So I just bought a new rod today. Got lucky though that they just discontinued the Sage One and I got one for half price. Now I own 6 fly rods, or will when I get them all back from friends and Sage.
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ruppell
climber
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Aug 15, 2017 - 09:23pm PT
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Damn G_Gnome that sounds like it hurt.
Here's one:
I grew up fishing. Started, like many here, as soon as I was able to hold a rod. I learned how to take catfish off a hook when I was about 6. The cats in Jersey tend to be small enough to get your hands around the dorsal. When they where to big for my little hands my Grandpa was always around to get it done. By the time I moved to Florida when I was 10 I had fishing dialed.
About a year after I get to Florida I'm fishing on a local pier about a mile from my house. It's just this 11 year old kid and a few retired guys. Plus the guy that owns the bait shop. He always let me in for free and threw out tips to help me along.
It's the middle of mackerel season and I'm killing it. I've already got dinner so I'm just C&R'ing them. The rig for these guys is a spinning rig with 6lb test. It's fished with bubble and a glass back minnow with no weight on a number 8 hook. I've got about ten glass backs left in my bucket and I'm just planning on fishing till they're gone and then going home.
The last glass back I put on has little to no life left in him. Instead of swimming in fast circles he just slowly sinks. If it's not moving fast macks won't touch it. The waters about ten feet deep here and my bubbles about 7 feet above the bait. I'd seen some guys catch some salt water cats and decided to just let it sit and enjoy the pier.
Not long after I watch my bubble start to slowly go down. It's methodical in it's rate of pull. Not fast nor slow, just steady. Macks hit like a freight train so I know it's not one of those. Redfish and Snook hit equally as hard. I wait a few seconds and set the hook hard.
The fish takes off and doubles my rod over. Whatever it is it's big. I dial the drag back and sit back to enjoy the ride. It runs hard enough to almost spool me. I start palming the spool to try and turn it. It turns back towards me and I get some line back. Then it makes another run.
This back and forth goes on for a few more minutes. Finally, the fish gives up the ghost. I get a look at it and sure as sh#t it's a sail cat. More scientifically known as Gafftopsail Catfish. It's big too. I grab the net from the holder and get the fish in it.
As I hoist this thing up I realize how big it really is. I'd later find out it was 22" long and just under 6 lbs.
Remember I'm a skilled catfish handler. Also remember I'm 11 and there is no way in hell my hands are gonna fit around this beast. It should also be noted I've always been a cheap bastard. I wanted my hook back. Most adults would have cut the hook and dealt with it later. I'm 11.
I wait a few minutes while I prepare my plan of attack. The whole time the fish is just flopping around on the pier. The hooks pretty deep so I grab my forceps. I try and get in his mouth and he keeps flopping around making it impossible. I've never been the patient sort so I decide on plan B. This plan turned out to be a really, really bad idea.
Plan B was to foot stomp the old boys skull to put him out of his misery and to get my hook back in the process. I waited till he hadn't flopped in a few seconds. Then with all my 11 year old might I lifted my foot and bought it down as hard as I could aiming directly at his fat head. Just at that millisecond, the old boy decided to flop. Of course he flopped forward about 6 inches.
My foot crashes into his dorsal fin. Then it stops. It hurts for some weird reason my little 11 year old brain thinks. Then I look down it my white socks and my white shoes. It hits my harder then a mackerel hits a line. That's a dorsal fin sticking through my shoe. FVck me. I try to kick the fish off but it hurts way to much.
By now my white shoes and socks are getting to be a little more of a shade of red. FVck me. I hop the 100 yards to the bait house. The old guy behind the counter takes one look and goes "Holy sh#t, sit down". I do.
He gets out his pliers and cuts the dorsal fin above and below my sneaker. Then he take one look at me and tells me this is gonna hurt. No sh#t, it already hurts. He grabs the fin from the top side and pulls fast and hard. Out it comes.
I take off my shoe and sock to look it the carnage. It's bleeding a lot but doesn't look that bad. It's about 1/4" hole on both side. He helps me getting it cleaned up and wrapped in some gauze. I thank him and hobble back to retrieve my other fish and gear.
By the time I get back he's got the fish on the scales. 5lbs 15oz and 22" long. This guys been working here a long time and he assures me it's the biggest sail cat he's seen caught here. I smile and take just a tiny bit of pride in that. But mostly I feel stupid for not coming up with plan C.
Post script: No hospital visit was required and the wound healed up just fine in a few days. Sail cat taste like crap. The next time I showed up at the dock the guy handed me a billy club for free.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aug 15, 2017 - 09:27pm PT
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OK after reading the above ten posts, I change my mind, I don't want to fish with any of you. What a bunch of wankers!
Edit: Reminds me of the time I took out a girl on a "flyfishing date" to show her how skilled I was and impress her with my general river prowess. Got set up, calmly explained how a river works and how trout feed, took five steps out onto a big boulder, and proceeded to forward cast ONLY the top half of my flyrod out into the pool in front of me. Standing there with the bottom half of the rod in my grip and the top half 15 feet downstream...... she sat there on the bank all cute and mostly unimpressed ......... I think I muttered something like " and you'll have to be careful because this happens a lot"
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 23, 2017 - 07:15am PT
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Not very large trout, but pretty big for Goldens.
They were hanging out at the outlet to Lake South America. A couple looked to be 18".
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aug 23, 2017 - 07:58am PT
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Nice work out there in Hawaii Tad. If I'm not mistaken that striped bluegill looking guy is a Seargent Major.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 23, 2017 - 09:00am PT
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Tad..... I believe those are "tropical fish"....
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 23, 2017 - 09:18am PT
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Goldens look to by spawning or getting ready to. Those are nice size for goldens.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 23, 2017 - 09:22am PT
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Those are nice size for goldens.
The whitish one must be a rainbow/golden hybrid. Lake South America is almost 12,000' so we were shocked to see any fish. The other lakes and streams looked barren.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Aug 23, 2017 - 05:29pm PT
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My grandson Johnny's second anual Sierra fish'n trip.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 24, 2017 - 10:36am PT
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Clinker..... good deal. Get those kids outside doing real things.
Did you teach him how cool it is to release that little Trout so you can come back next year and catch it again?
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 24, 2017 - 12:38pm PT
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T Hocking! Hat Creek looks like great habitat. Sorry that the trout were hung-over, surley, & un-responsive when you were there.
I fished for an hour or two, near our Idaho eclipse camp, on each of four days.
All-together, my total was 68 rainbows, with the largest only 12". However, the day I outfished my buddy Jerry 29 to 10, was the "the bomb!" (He beat me by less impressive margins on the other 3 days.)
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 24, 2017 - 01:17pm PT
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On my way to Tahoe and Tuolumne tomorrow. Going to stop at the West Walker on the way up to Tahoe and then will try some creeking while I am there. If the Walker is good I will stop again on my way to Tuolumne in the middle of the week. I fished this river for the first time last fall and caught some nice trout so I am looking forward to fishing it again.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Aug 24, 2017 - 07:04pm PT
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T Hocking, thanks. 19 rainbows that day. Johnny was so into it that after eating breakfast at 6:30am, he only had water until 4pm. He just turned 6 on the 5th.
Guyman, You are so right and yes, catch and release.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Aug 24, 2017 - 09:25pm PT
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Johnny was so into it that after eating breakfast at 6:30am, he only had water until 4pm. He just turned 6 on the 5th.
..... and so the addiction begins. Good for you and Johnny! There are so many years of adventures yet ahead. Here is a picture of my son many moons ago. He still loves fishing and fly fishes with me often.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 25, 2017 - 09:11am PT
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T Hocking, thanks. 19 rainbows that day. Johnny was so into it that after eating breakfast at 6:30am, he only had water until 4pm. He just turned 6 on the 5th.
Wonderful.
When I was 7...I remember my Grand pa coming to my school and springing me from 3rd grade for what would become annual fishing trips to Lake Crowley for opening day (back when it was only open for fishing for 30 days)
I couldn't sleep for a week before hand I was so amped up.
Clinker ... its great to see that enthusiasm in young kids, keep taking him out. Good for you.
Edit to add.
Stimbo... Thats a big fish!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 25, 2017 - 09:22am PT
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My dad had me fishing at about 4 or 5 in Kings Canyon, up by Huntington Lake and on the Kern. And by about 9 he just let me go for the day and I would poke into all the little holes in the bushes with those nice foot long wild trout in them. I still fish this way!
Mostly I think I am a lousy fishing partner. I am always fastest up a river and now everyone else has to fish behind me and the fishing is never going to be as good for them as it was for me. I learned from my dad not to spend very long at one spot and that is how I still fish.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 27, 2017 - 08:04am PT
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In the mid-90's I spent two-nights in the now devastated by Hurricane Harvey, town of Rockport TX, while on a kayak fishing trip with my Jackson, WY friend, fly-tying guru, Scott Sanchez. Scott & I had a great time catching Redfish & Sea Trout in the shallow waters between the Texas coast & Padre Island.
I was charmed by the area & the friendly locals, but somewhat puzzled by seeing homes near the sea elevated 20' above the ground on pilings.
Now I understand.
Rockport yesterday from internet photos.
Beach homes near Rockport on pilings.
My sympathies to those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Aug 28, 2017 - 08:10am PT
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A couple of photos that span a decade and a half, fishing with my son. They grow up so fast..... wah!
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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Aug 28, 2017 - 07:55pm PT
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Aya needs to post up - she was crushing it at fest in Fremont canyon...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 31, 2017 - 06:11pm PT
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Just got back from fly fishing in Alaska. Caught and released some nice fish while evading grizzly bears.
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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Aug 31, 2017 - 06:14pm PT
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Wonderful fish! Thanks for sharing!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Aug 31, 2017 - 07:06pm PT
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Nice fish Bob!
Man the fishing in Alaska is so good.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Aug 31, 2017 - 07:09pm PT
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Holy guacamole those are monsters.
I learned from my dad not to spend very long at one spot and that is how I still fish.
Ditto, my brother and I will both ditch fishing partners unless we enforce the leapfrog rule. Seeing more river is half the fun!
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Aug 31, 2017 - 08:27pm PT
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Damn BG
Great pics Great fish!
Those look kinda like damsel patterns?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 31, 2017 - 09:43pm PT
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Thanks. Had great success with this pattern, called the Comet, for both sockeye and silver salmon.
Tied some in tan (ginger hackle) that worked best on bright, sunny days (rare in Alaska),
and neon orange that worked like magic on dark, cloudy days.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Aug 31, 2017 - 10:17pm PT
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Nice Bob!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 31, 2017 - 10:23pm PT
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Thanks Stimbo
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Those are beautiful ties!
I'm color blind...they looked green to me. Ugh!
Nothing better than hauling in the bigs on flies
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Awesome fish there. That looks like a sort of thin leader, what size you use?
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Bob... very nice fish.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks guyman.
That looks like a sort of thin leader, what size you use?
For all those fish pictured I was using 12 pound flurocarbon tippet.
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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Those are some nice fish !!
All I got is spincast gear, usually I'm a stream fisher...walk to the hole, take out the fish, move to the next hole, repeat...these, however, are all out of bigger waters...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Cool looking lures...like a hybrid between fly and spinner!
That headless fish on the left- is that a tiger trout?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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I just moved closer to the kings river, and don't tell my wife, but like 50% of the reason I moved our family was for fishing.
Just got this exactly 6 minutes from my house. Not the fattest trout ever but at 19.5 inches with color like that I can't complain. It must be hungry, took my nymph and then ate my indicator before I even noticed the strike.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Limpingcrab have you floated down the creek yet? We might head out tonight. Are you going to be out there? We could gladly show you the ropes.
Nice trout btw. Nice trout.
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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That is a beautiful fish !!!
Maybe ? Looks like one now but he looked more like a brown coming out of the water...the smaller one got me with my own lure, had to punch it through my skin and crimp the barb to get it back out, right on my ankle...
Those are joe's flies...really liking them or undressed panther martins...
sportsmans
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice fish Bob. Man those look like crazy Charlie's for salmon. Was that one fly a cripple with a white post?
Man that's where we should hold the supertopo large trout lovers get together.
You bringing guided Bob or are you just going on past knowledge?
Good stuff thanks for sharing.
Fished a total of 10 days for salmon, just me and my wife, about 7 hours a day. I've fished a lot for sockeyes over the years and developed some patterns that they're more likely to bite- a smaller (size 6 or 8) Comet-style fly, sparsely tied.
Most people fish for silvers with larger flies (I usually use a size 2 hook for patterns I'll swing or strip), but they really love to bite those little Comets too. However, they're not so easy to land on that size hook, since they go crazy and jump all over the place. I've never seen any fish change direction so quickly, or make such a quick, short burst of speed, as a silver salmon. Over those 10 days I probably got a hundred bites. My notes say I landed 21 of those big silvers, fair and square.
Also did 2-Days of drift boat fishing with a guide for rainbows and did some river wading and lake float tubing for rainbows.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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alaskan rainbows
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks Tad. For fly fishing, it's really hard to beat Alaska for numbers of fish and size of fish. Plus the fishing isn't dependent on weather conditions.
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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I need to get my ass to AK... those are simply AMAZING...
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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It looks like the Kenai. And you can drive there on good roads. If you get a ride on a float-plane it can get even better. As much pressure as the Kenai gets it still can be awesome. Big fish in there.
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ruppell
climber
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Alaska or New Zealand?
That's a tough one.
Nice trip Bob.
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Jim Clipper
climber
from: forests to tree farms
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Kamchatka, or Taimen? Any stories?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks Ruppell
WTF,
Alaska, they say, gets in your blood, like a habit-forming drug- one dose and you'll be hopelessly addicted, so I'll caution you that once you go, you'll need to go back.
I first went to Alaska in 2000 and have been returning year after year. I'm lucky my wife is tough and actually enjoys herself in cold, rainy weather. Not many sunny days in Alaska.
Fly-in lodges are expensive ($5,000 to $7,000 a week) but there are roadside and hike-in options. There aren't many roads in Alaska, but from Anchorage three main roads offer great opportunities. The Seward Highway runs south of Anchorage and ends at the town of Seward on the shore of Resurrection Bay. The Sterling Highway branches west from the Seward Highway and runs alongside much of the Upper and Middle Kenai River, eventually heading south and ending at Homer.
The Parks Highway runs north of Anchorage past innumerable fishing spots to Denali National Park.
When you go depends on what you want to catch. It's all about run timing. There are 5 species of Pacific Salmon in Alaska: king (chinook), silver (coho), sockeye (red), chum (dog), and pink (humpy). All Pacific Salmon return to the river they were born in after several years in the ocean, then spawn and die.
In general, throughout Alaska, kings run first, in May, June, and July, followed by sockeyes in June, July and early August. Pinks run on odd-numbered years only, in August. Silvers run starting in August and through September.
For pink, sockeye, and silver salmon, I go with a 9-foot 7, 8 or 9 weight rod. The fish run close to shore, or hang out in slower water near-shore, so no need for long casts; with a swith or spey rod it'll be tough to land 'em (especially by yourself) and you'll probably end up breaking a rod.
For kings I'd go with a an 11 weight or 12 weight and heavy sinking line, spey rods would be good for the big rivers, as kings tend to hold in heavy water in the main channel of the river.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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You're welcome Tad
On the Kenai, rainbows are available after the June 15 opener, but action doesn't really heat up until mid August, when the salmon begin spawning, and the rainbows and dolly varden key in on drifting eggs. To match the hatch it's all about drifting beads under an indicator behind spawning salmon. A prurist would say that it's not even fly fishing, but its effectiveness can't be denied.
For driftboat and wade fishing in rivers for rainbows, I use a 9-foot 6 or 7 weight rod. For the driftboat, a 9 ft 6 in or 10-foot rod makes for easier mending, but harder to land the fish while in the boat.
If you like float tubing as much as I do, there are dozens of lakes on the Kenai Peninsula with excellent fishing for rainbows. The Alaska DFG website has a lake data base that records which lakes have been stocked with Swanson River strain rainbow triploids, an incredibly tough breed of rainbow that usually jumps 5 or 6 times before you can land 'em (Like a Crowley Lake Kamloops). Hardly anyone in Alaska float tubes, so you'll have it all to yourself!
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ruppell
climber
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Triploids? In AK? WHY?
The breeding fish now have to compete with stocked non-breeders? I really wish IGFA would realize there is a difference between triploids and diploids. One should be allowed in the record books the other, IMO, should not.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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AK, NZ or Kamchatka. Someday...
In the meantime, fished the King above pine flat today. 5 hours and only three fish with high water, high winds and a broken rod tip. Then I tied on a Royal Wulff and got 4 more fish in the last 10 minutes. Kinda annoyed I didn't think of that pattern sooner, but at least the day ended well!
Nothing huge but nothing tiny. These native little guys fight like crazy so I probably wouldn't be able to land a big one out of this stretch anyway.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Hi Ruppell,
The Alaska DFG stocks triploids in the lakes, and only in lakes that don't have any native populations, and only in lakes with no inlet/outlet to other drainages. Their concern is that if they stock diploids they could somehow make it to another drainage and dilute the genetics of a native population.
The Kenai River, for example, has never been stocked and is all native rainbows.
You're right about the triploids. The IGFA makes no distinction between triploids, diploids, or steelhead; they're all eligible for world records under one category: rainbow trout. Nearly all the IGFA line class world records are triploids from Lake Diefenbacker in Canada (the largest weighed 48 pounds). Since triploids don't waste their energy on procreation, they focus on eating, and grow to massive sizes. Steelhead cannot be genetically differentiated from land-locked rainbows, so they're in the same category.
I broke the IGFA all-tackle length world record for rainbow trout in 2013 with a steelhead from the Chetco River in Oregon. My record was broken in 2014 by a triploid from Lake Diefenbacker!
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ruppell
climber
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Bob
I can understand that from DFG's stand point. Triploids make sense to stock in areas that have no native species. That provides sport fishing where it wasn't. From what you describe it sounds like AK DFG is doing it right.
I don't mind triploids as much as I mind them being included in the IFGA books. I personally think the IGFA made a big error in allowing the Diefenbaker Rainbows to be the world record. It was an accidental stocking of a lake that had a native population of bows. They can tell the difference easily with DNA testing. The Tri's are huge and I'd love to catch one before they all die off but there not a natural fish. It's bugged me since 2007 when the first record came out of there.
Prior to the Diefenbaker fish the all tackle record for Rainbows was, what? 37 pounds? I'm sure that in the time since the IGFA was founded in 1939 we'd have scene natural Bows in the 40 pound range if it was possible for them. Since the Diefenbaker incident we've seen a 43 then a few years later a 48 pound bow. Tell me I'm off base here. lol
How big was your Steelhead?
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Fly-in lodges are expensive ($5,000 to $7,000 a week) but there are roadside and hike-in options.
Another cheaper option for fly-in is to get one of the cabins in the Tongass NF. Do a little research and find out where and when and get your request in early. The cabins are bare bones but cheap. They have bunks, a table and a heat source like a wood or oil stove. You bring the rest. Some have John-boats with oars. I did this on POW Island a few years back for some Fall steelhead in October. Crappy weather but great fishing. Besides food, all I paid for was a RT flight to Wrangel, a short floatplane trip and the cabin which was only 20 bucks a night back then. Less than a grand for a week of awesome fishing in Alaska. I pay more if I fly to Anchorage, rent a car and pay for accommodations and food for a week. When I had a place in Seward it was cheaper.
Anyway you go, if you are a fisherman, Alaska is hard to beat. But I haven't been to Patagonia yet.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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How big was your Steelhead?
75 cm (29.5 inches) to the fork of the tail.
The current all-tackle length record from Diefenbacker is 77 cm (30.3 inches). The rules state that the fish must be released alive and well, and to beat an existing record, you need to best it by 2 cm, so to set a new record it'll have to be 79 cm (31.1 inches) from the nose to the fork of the tail.
I bet the next record will be a steelhead.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks Jim, and thanks for sharing that cool video.
I've always wanted to fish Kamchatka.... the diciest part would no doubt be having to ride in those old broken down Russian helicopters!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Thanks for the great beta Bob and Wayno. I need to start saving some buck$.
Fishing on the Eastside is not as exotic as Alaska, BC or Kamchatka, but will have to suffice for now. From yesterday.... many, many rainbows to hand and two browns thrown into the mix.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Stimbo you're on fire. Really nice trout right there. Where you fishin? Are those ladies deep or coming to the surface?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Really nice trout right there. Where you fishin? Are those ladies deep or coming to the surface?
All on the surface with hoppers!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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So cool. Macronut and I are heading to Tuolumne Meadows THIS WEEKEND for three days of climbing....our Annual 3 day Project Mayhem. We plan on climbing West Crack on Friday morning early..like way early to avoid crowds...If we get off the route early and drive down your way any chance you can hook us up with some beta to get on a trout like that? Either just some intel or meet us in person so we can catch something with you, I dunno, just spitballin' here. Might be fun to hook up! We plan to have the same itinerary Saturday and Sunday.
Scott
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Catch them and keep them. Give other fish a chance....trout devastate native fish populations wherever they are introduced.
I know some well known environmentalists who decry introduced plant and animal species in Patagonia except when it comes to trout. Well, they do provide a lot of fun.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Catch them and keep them. Give other fish a chance....trout devastate native fish populations wherever they are introduced.
I know some well known environmentalists who decry introduced plant and animal species in Patagonia except when it comes to trout. Well, they do provide a lot of fun.
Jim,
Have you read, "An Entirely Synthetic Fish" by Anders Halverson? You won't look at a rainbow trout again without some kind of disdain. But like you say, they provide a lot of fun.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Rainbows are evil, I want to catch them all! Thanks Jim, I'll shoot you an email. Might be fun to hook up together and catch a few!
Scott
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Catch them and keep them. Give other fish a chance....trout devastate native fish populations wherever they are introduced.
I know some well known environmentalists who decry introduced plant and animal species in Patagonia except when it comes to trout. Well, they do provide a lot of fun.
Unless you're fishing for native strains in their native range! Well, as native as the strain can be considering their history. I actually have a DNA sample kit that I'm supposed to use to bring back a fin clip from what might be the last holdout of the genetically pure coastal rainbow trout (the westside Sierra native subspecies).
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Genetically pure coastal rainbow trout (the westside Sierra native subspecies)
I like to put those in some foil with a little bit of butter, garlic, a bayleaf and some tarragon. Mmmmmmmm......nothing tastier than an endangered species.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Email sent Stimbo.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Email sent Stimbo.
Got it, thanks! I sent one your way as well.
Jim
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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I'm fairly convinced that those are natives way up the East Fork of the San Gabriel along with the Fish and Iron Forks.
My only evidence of this is the way they look, fight and the color of the flesh. The stockers down below by the ranger station are pathetic imitations.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 12, 2017 - 12:30pm PT
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Well, just returned from a few days of nirvana on the Eastside and in and around Tuolumne and The Yosemite. On Sunday we actually fished three different rivers. The East Walker, the Tuolumne and the lower Merced outside the park. It was super cool hooking up with Stimbo (thanks to this thread) who is a fantastic guy and put us on top of some really nice fish. I will give you guys a full write up later but for the time being, guess which trout came from which river.
1.
2.
3.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 12, 2017 - 01:06pm PT
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Merced
East Walker
Tuolumne
Looking forward to the full report!
Some of the creeks in TM fish really well also. I fished one of them on Labor day weekend and caught about 40 fish in 4 hours.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 12, 2017 - 06:10pm PT
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You got to fish with stimbo!??! Never told me that part. Looking forward to more pics of you guys holding stimbo's fish
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 12, 2017 - 08:30pm PT
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Looking forward to more pics of you guys holding stimbo's fish
Too funny! My fish was the rainbow in the middle photo but one of the "nuts," micro or macro, I am not sure, nearly got a huge brown to hand. The flows are still on the high side and once a big fish makes a run downstream, the game is usually over as you can't run it down along the bank. Oh well, there were some nice fish caught though. It was a blast meeting those guys. When are you coming over?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 12, 2017 - 11:14pm PT
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I don't make it to the east side often but from how much fun those guys said they had I may have to change that.
One thing I do want to know in the meantime, how do you tie such a beautiful clinch knot!?!?
They were sending some pictures of all the fun to make me jealous and I zoomed in and noticed this. I believe you rigged this when making fly selections for one of the spots. #impressed
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 13, 2017 - 10:26am PT
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Limpingcrab,
When Stimbo first showed up and told us how to rig up, I was in such a hurry that I just cut off my old thin 7.0 leader/tippett, slapped some knots on some 4.0, tied on a dropper and a weight and headed out. When Jim saw my hokey-pokey set-up and started cutting stuff on and re-tying it for me streamside I was mortified of what I must have looked like to him. He had no plans to babysit that day but ended up doing just that. It was like a dad primping his teenage son before walking out the door to prom. He must have felt like he was in for a long day after seeing our initial attempts at a dry/dropper set up.
The next day however, I took my time with some new leader and tippet, tied pretty, well-dressed knots and set up my rig like a gentleman to make him proud.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 13, 2017 - 10:29am PT
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I took these pictures to show him later to make him proud. Glad you noticed my handiwork.
To answer your question Crab, it's key that you spit on the knot and get it nice and wet as you cinch it down. I used to do that for years but had gotten away from it and Jim reminded me how crucial it is.
He needs to post up that fancy nonslip knot that he uses at the end of his fly line to attach his dropper/nymph. It allows the dropper to slide around on a little loop. The thing is wicked magic.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 13, 2017 - 11:03am PT
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Bishop bound after work on Thursday.......
I think we have a boat lined up (Its working now) for Crowley.... Fishing reports show some big fish going for Perch Fry and Callibatis Nymphs.
Question for the pro's here (limping you can answer also)
I know of two ways to rig for wet flies... (The Chief showed me) If stripping a Fry its one fly only right? If Callibatis do the two flies, with the Callibatis on the bottom, right?
And I have the dropper descriptions listed up thread... thanks a million.
Other wise it will be spinning rigs with lures and or bait (uggg)... We went to Crowley about 4 weeks ago and got limits of 18-22 inch BOW's ...on worms and power bait-- good for a fish fry.
I am looking forward to getting some trout like this on the Fly rod.
Saturday.... planning on going to some of my favorite spots with dry.
Sunday.... do a little climbing, drive home.
Thanks for any hints.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 13, 2017 - 11:12am PT
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And you didn't invite me?!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 13, 2017 - 11:16am PT
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want to go?
I know you need some advance warning for work... this was last second...like yesterday.
come along- 3 days to work over our favorite water ... LJ and Katie are going for some hunter safety class on Saturday.
I love this thread!!!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 13, 2017 - 01:20pm PT
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Oh dang, that knot was you!? Definitely #impressed.
I usually lick the line a little, next time I'll try a big fat loogie.
Guy, I can't help you with that stuff, haven't really fished those patterns or in lakes at all for that matter.
step up the action on that fly use a Duncan loop I remember you mentioning it before and totally forgot to try! Will do.
On that note, what's the best all around knot for tying on a fly? All I've ever done is the improved clinch. but my Grog Knots app has a bunch of choices.
-Davy
-Double Davy
-Duncan
-Improved Clinch
-Non-slip Mono
-Orvis
-Palomar
-Rapala
-Trilene
Now I'm feeling overwhelmed....
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 13, 2017 - 01:56pm PT
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Ask Macronut.....
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 13, 2017 - 03:34pm PT
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Here is a photo of a streamer tied with a Lefty's Loop, aka Non-Slip Loop. This is a super strong knot that works great not only for streamers but for tiny little flies like midges. The loop lets the fly jiggle around giving it more action. You can Google the knot to see the instructions.
what's the best all around knot for tying on a fly?
I use a simple clinch knot most of the time especially if the tippet material is small. If you are using larger tippet on bigger flies, I go to an improved clinch. But as stated above, I will use the loop for streamers, small bugs like midges or baetis. There are no hard, fast rules.... use whatever you are comfortable with and that you can tie easily with cold fingers, standing mid-stream, on slippery boulders.
Also, make sure your knots cinch together.... good 'ole saliva or chap stick works wonders. I use chap stick a lot if I am tying blood knots. You want the knots snug but there is no need to over tighten. Just make sure all of the loops or coils pull together.
Fishing reports show some big fish going for Perch Fry and Callibatis Nymphs.
Perch Fry have been working great all by itself. Don't worry about weight, just heave it out there then start stripping it in. Hoppers also have been working if there is chop on the water. Hurl it out there into the weedy shallows, let it float for about 10-15 seconds, then strip it in as well. I wasn't having any success with the calibaetis, but it could have been the day. It too, cast into the shallows with something like a Bird's Nest or Muddler Minnow then strip it back. You could try a calibaetis spinner dry, then hang a nymph off the hook bend. Good luck!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 13, 2017 - 03:51pm PT
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why wouldn't you use the loop for regular size flies (12-16) if you use it for midges and streamers? What's the drawback?
Edit: found it in my app listed as the non-slip mono. Usually the Grog app lists disadvantages but it doesn't have any for this so I'm wondering why I shouldn't always use this or the Duncan loop?
Edit 2: Sorry about stepping on your question and bumping it back a page Guy, someone please advise who knows about that stuff!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 13, 2017 - 03:59pm PT
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Stimbo...... thanks for the lesson.
Back in the Midwest, we would go for Northern Pike. They liked the shallow water in the weeds.... toss out a live chub and keep your eyes peeled for the tell tale wake a pike would make... and get ready.
That Lefty Knott.... thats the one The Chief showed me... for nyphing, he says it lets the little bugger "move like its natural"
That picture of a fly with a line tied to the hook. Thats sort of different, what do you call that?
EDIT: Limping... no worries.
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ruppell
climber
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Sep 13, 2017 - 06:11pm PT
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Lots of good stuff on knots the last few posts. I'm a knot geek and have been for years. For a static loop I use the Rapala knot. It's easy to tie, has a high breaking strength and is bomber. For all other line to tackle connections I use a double improved cinch knot if I can. Sometimes with really small sizes it's hard to get the tippet through the eye twice but I always try. Having two loops through the eye helps spread the load when you hook up. It also makes it more resistant to fraying if the eye has any imperfect edges.
As far as spitting on the line, it does help dress it better but the real advantage is absorbing heat. Mono is easy to heat up and weaken. By lubing the line you keep it cooler.
I've landed a lot of big fish on light tackle. I've also lost a lot of big fish. If the fish shakes the hook, wraps me around a log, or spools me I can live with it. The fish won fair and square. If the fish gets off and all I have left it a broken knot, I'm pissed. It was my job to make sure that knot was good. I failed. I re-tie after every hook up. I hate loosing fish. lol
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rurprider
Trad climber
Mt. Rubidoux
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Sep 13, 2017 - 06:27pm PT
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Muskellunge, now there's a fish...Northern Pike are minnows by comparison.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 13, 2017 - 06:40pm PT
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For loop knots, I concur with Stimbo, the Non-Slip Mono Loop is definatley the strongest.
For non-loop knots I go with the Orvis knot- stronger by far than the clinch knot.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 13, 2017 - 07:00pm PT
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Why not always use a loop knot?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 13, 2017 - 07:25pm PT
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Why not always use a loop knot?
You could, but for me at least the loop knot takes a little more time to tie and requires a little more dexterity especially with the smaller tippet sizes. If I am nymphing, I will tie the first fly on with a clinch knot, then the dropper with a loop because I want that tiny, bottom fly to have a little more "action." In a two fly rig, once you tie on an additional bug to the hook bend, you lose the advantage of the loop knot as the second fly pulls down on the first. I go with the clinch because it is fast and holds well. With swinging flies for steelhead, the loop is the only way to go. As I think I mentioned, a lot of it is just personal preference and confidence. I am not saying my methodology is the best, but rather it is what I am used to. I can tie a clinch knot in my sleep in a matter of seconds and I know it will hold. The line will usually break or a hook will bend before the knot fails. I think of the clinch, improved clinch, Orvis, etc.. as good, utilitarian knots and the non-slip loop as a specialty knot.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 13, 2017 - 09:46pm PT
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OK this thread just gets better every week. Since there has been some talk about knots, I would love some input on my inability to land large fish over the past couple trips.
I have spent my life in the high country hooking up very small trout and have never had anything heavier than say a quarter pound on my line until the past year. This past weekend on the East Walker I lost FIVE TOTAL TROUT that were fully on my line and being reeled in with confidence. The first one was an absolute monster after a several minute battle. That one I at least got to my thighs and was fussing with him before I could get the beast into my net. He flopped off and swam away and was so spent he just sat there for a while on the far side of the river. Largest trout I have ever had on my line. The sadness, grief and loss was profound
The Second third fourth and fifth however were very nice large trout. Really big in my book and quite heavy on the line. Probably around 17-19 inches..... two rainbows, two browns. Two of them went airborne at one point and I could see the entire fish dolphining up-and-down as I brought them in. Neither of these were "bites." I had each of them on for at least 10-15 seconds. Rod up high, stripping in line with my left hand, good tension on the rod. Full on fighting mode bringing them in. Both of them got off about half way from where they hit to where I was standing. Again. Sadness and shock.
Any ideas without seeing me in person as to what I might be doing wrong? Like I said. I have zero experience with fighting large fish ( other than bass on big crank baits with trebble hooks which is no big deal) but these were really big and I would've loved to have landed one of them.
Help me VLTLT..... you're my only hope.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Sep 13, 2017 - 10:31pm PT
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Help me VLTLT..... you're my only hope.
How high (fast) was the water you were fishing? Were you fishing barbless hooks? What position was the rod in, in relation to the fish and your body when you lost them? Were you pulling in line hard because you were excited with the toad on the end?
All just talking points, I don't really know why :)
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 13, 2017 - 10:45pm PT
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I haven't landed enough large fish to earn the right to give advice, but my percentages improved drastically when I started getting fish onto my reel instead of stripping and giving out line by hand.
As soon as a fish of size is on and the hook is set I slap the bottom of my reel towards me as fast as possible until all the line at my feet is in and the line is taught. Imagine spinning a bicycle wheel by hand by swatting it.
Of all the tips I've got from people who catch big fish, I think that one helped me the most.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Sep 13, 2017 - 10:51pm PT
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^That is good advice. Although I have landed a steelhead on the fly without going to the reel....once. Too excited to think.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 13, 2017 - 11:10pm PT
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Micronut, I've lost so many monsters it really doesn't bother me that much anymore when it happens, it's part of the game. The way I look at it, you either have a really good hookset, or not. Sometimes what I'll do is set the hook a second time, once the fish stops going crazy.
Get 'em on the reel and let the drag work the fish before you start trying to pull 'em in.
If a fish jumps, bow to the fish (give it slack). If you're fishing a river, look for an area of soft water where it will be easiest to land, then point your rod downstream and toward your shoreline as you guide it there.
It's best to have a strategy and plan for it. If you're fishing for really big fish, it's not worth wasting time at a spot where you know you won't be able to land 'em.
For the really big ones it's best to have someone net it for you.
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Sep 13, 2017 - 11:19pm PT
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The Tug is the drug.
No more no less
K.I.S.S
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 14, 2017 - 08:21am PT
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What Bob said....
Micronut, I will add to what has already been mentioned, which has been spot on advice. With barbless hooks, keeping tension to the fish is paramount. That said, even if you do everything correctly, sometimes they come "unbuttoned." If you get your hookup at the bottom of a swing, you are counting your lucky stars that they grab the fly well. Each section of a river may be unique with current speed and water clarity, use the heaviest tippet you think you can get away with. Your rod angle is super important as you want the rod to absorb the current and head shakes, not the line. And here is something to add to that, as the fish gets closer (not quite within net range), if you maintain a high rod tip, you start lifting the trout's head out of the water. They freak out at this point. Instead, lay your rod over, more parallel to the water. You can still maintain a good rod angle and keep the fish under the film. Then, at the last possible second, once you think the trout has tired, lift the fish head by raising the rod tip as you pull it into the net, pointing your reel away from you. As Bob said, having a second person with a net is the way to go.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 14, 2017 - 08:43am PT
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Thanks for the good advise, all.
I hope to put some of those tips to good use ASAP.
Muskellunge, now there's a fish...Northern Pike are minnows by comparison.
RR.... when we would go for N. Pike... my friend packed a .22 pistol! and a yard stick.... when we would get the sucker next to the canoe... measure it... if greater than 36".. shoot it in the head, then bring it on board. I was raised on Trout fishing that was a whole new deal for me. My Midwest friends always spoke in awe about the fabled Muskie.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 14, 2017 - 09:27am PT
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Man what good advice guys. I've been making some fundamental mistakes now that I hear your input. I need to get back out there!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 14, 2017 - 10:09am PT
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 15, 2017 - 07:39am PT
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Now THATS how you land a fish! Calm, collected, smooth and steady. Super cool.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 15, 2017 - 12:18pm PT
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There's me being dumb and trying to lift its head out of the water too soon and making it run. Then I remembered what I read on here and brought him in low and right to the net. Thanks, VLTLT
What the what!?!?! I've never seen or even heard of anyone hearing of a Brooke trout in the kings river. Not sure how it got here but it looks like he's had a hard life. Surprisingly good fight and released back out to confuse the next guy.
PS. First fish on my new Orvis recon. Me likey
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 15, 2017 - 03:32pm PT
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Looks more like a lake trout than a brookie though.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 15, 2017 - 05:58pm PT
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Looks more like a lake trout than a brookie though.
I agree, way cool!
"Crab," nice peanut gallery you've got going there!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 15, 2017 - 08:01pm PT
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Two more this evening. That's what lake trout look like!? I thought the white border on the fins meant brookie. I'll be darned, these would be my first lake trout ever then. I've been fishing since I could walk, but it's almost entirely west side sierra streams and rivers so I haven't caught a wide variety of species or subspecies.
Still surprising. Never heard of lake trout in the lower kings either. Cool.
Edit: thanks stimbo, this is one of the few spots where kids can play without supervision and I can fish nearby so it's been the go to recently.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 15, 2017 - 08:10pm PT
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ruppell
climber
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Sep 15, 2017 - 08:54pm PT
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It could be a Splake.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 15, 2017 - 09:10pm PT
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In any case, it isn't a trout; it is a char. I don't really like that we have put char into western trout streams. The only good char is a Pacific ocean char - yummmm, salmon!
Of course if that is confusing, consider that the Atlantic salmon is actually a trout.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 15, 2017 - 09:21pm PT
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The thing that throws me is the, "deeply forked tail." Like Ruppell said, it could be a splake, a hybrid between a brookie and lake trout. It is from the char family. Regardless, they must be fun to catch. The kids must have liked that.
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Sep 15, 2017 - 09:44pm PT
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^^^
Brook Trout all the way
You should see the ones pulled out of Henry's Lake that look just like that.....but really big!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 16, 2017 - 03:55pm PT
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I believe that's a splake. A brook trout will always have the red spot within a blue spot as seen in the photo above. A key identifying characteristic of a lake trout is that they always have a deeply forked tail. A splake has neither.
A splake is a cross between a speckled (Sp) trout (the Canadian word for brook trout) and a lake trout. This hybrid doesn't occur naturally. Unlike other artificial hybrids, like tiger trout, splake can successfully reproduce once they've been created in a hatchery. The lower fins and belly of a splake will closely resemble a brook trout. Splake can grow significantly larger than brook trout. The IGFA world record is 20 pounds 11 ounces.
Relatively common in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Great Lakes, but in California? You may have found a rare self-sustaining population.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 16, 2017 - 04:20pm PT
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Splake? I think it might be a Trarp. Cross between a trout and a carp. Strange things out there on that river these days. I've seen what the neighbors throw in the water.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 18, 2017 - 03:57pm PT
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Hmmm, learn something every day. But why are they in the Kings?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 18, 2017 - 08:45pm PT
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Great info Bob, thanks! That's all new to me.
Hmmm, learn something every day. But why are they in the Kings? Wondering the same thing, I just emailed the Kings River Conservancy, the agency that manages the fishery, and asked if they know of any Splake history.
On a side note, yesterday afternoon I lost the biggest rainbow I've ever had on the line. I swam a class II rapid with my net in my mouth and almost ran out of backing ,to no avail.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 19, 2017 - 04:56pm PT
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The KRC got back to me and said the hatchery decided to mix things up and stocked some brookies in the lower kings last month. I was told the fish in my picture were dull colored brookies and zooming in on my full resolution versions I do see a few red dots with blue halos.
Dull colored indeed. Kinda weird they put them in there since they're trying to restore the native bows and designating spawning channels and such.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 19, 2017 - 08:44pm PT
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Mystery solved!
On a side note, yesterday afternoon I lost the biggest rainbow I've ever had on the line. I swam a class II rapid with my net in my mouth and almost ran out of backing ,to no avail.
Now we're talking! The big ones find a way.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 26, 2017 - 04:44pm PT
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Bump for another question.
My brother and I are taking the wives to a lake in the southern sierra at 9,500ft in mid October. The few times I've fished in alpine lakes were in mid summer and before fly fishing.
Any tips on late season alpine fishing for big rainbows? (legend has it that's what we should expect)
Deep or shallow?
Sinking or floating line?
Streamers, nymphs or dries?
Any sort of advice to help us plan and pack would be very appreciated, if I'm not in a low elevation west side stream I'm out of my element!
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ruppell
climber
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Sep 26, 2017 - 05:04pm PT
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Lucky for you alpine lakes are my bread and butter.
I'll give you a few tips that you can take or leave.
If your dead set on fly action only go streamers. I'd have black, green, and burnt orange handy. Go with a sinking tip line and cast as parallel to shore as you can.
What I always do is sight fish. I won't cast a single time until I see a big fish on a feeding pattern. Once you spot him drop in and cast ahead of where you think he's gonna be going. Slowly strip and if you time it right your streamer and his eyes should meet. Then just gentle taps to entice him to take.
If he bolts or spooks, which they'll do a lot, just stay put. Wait up to 15 minutes and I can almost promise you he'll come back to the same spot. Same goes if he just doesn't take, Watch him closely and he'll turn to deeper water, reverse direction 180 then turn again back into shallower water heading right back towards you.
Keep doing those things and you'll get big fish in any lake.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 27, 2017 - 05:54pm PT
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Can't wait to get back to Pyramid Lake.
Might be a great season for float tubing, but watch out for that wind!
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ruppell
climber
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Sep 27, 2017 - 06:05pm PT
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Limping
That's a great site. Lake fishing is harder to get on fish then stream fishing. For the most part, streams are easy to read. Lakes are a little harder. Where are you going?
WTF,
When you say the roads are closed are they actually impassable or just blocked off? I've got a lifted 3rd Gen 4Runner that doesn't find much that's "impassable". I've never gotten a chance to fish Pyramid. As long as you don't mind me hucking mini-jigs I'd be game to get after it sometime towards the end of Oct.
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yosemite 5.9
climber
santa cruz
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Sep 27, 2017 - 06:12pm PT
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I have had great results with Tasmanian Devils on trout.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 28, 2017 - 12:08pm PT
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Guy and I are going to the eastside this weekend. We'll probably fish the San Joaquin on Saturday but not decided on where to go Sunday. I expect to catch many trouts though. Maybe we will remember to take some pics.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 28, 2017 - 02:12pm PT
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G_gnome
Before I headed into work this morning my wife said she wants to drive to mammoth with the kids tomorrow and come home Sunday. If we do that I'll probably be fishing sat and sun morning from sunrise until the kids wake up and my wife calls me back.
If you guys are up for a super early meetup one of those days let me know, could be fun. No worries either way, I'll be limited by how far I can get from the hotel with only a couple hours to fish.
danieljeffcoach at gmail . come
fivefivenine - 9 oh 1 - fifty seventy
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 28, 2017 - 02:56pm PT
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Just checking in after fishing the lower Kings after work last night. The river is still rippin pretty fast but we had a nice evening out there.
Thanks for the beta Limpingcrab. The coachmen and wullf patterns were working on the surface.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 30, 2017 - 09:13am PT
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EMERGENCY!
TOURIST NEEDS YOUR HELP!
I'm in mammoth, I have from sunrise until my wife gets tired of kids and calls me home around 9.
Can someone put me on some fish for tomorrow morning?!?!?
I went to the upper Owens today and froze my balls off without a bite.
I'll return the favor if anyone visits the west side, or mail you a gift, or give you a back massage with or without a happy ending depending on my success.
I want to catch something and don't know this area from a hole in the ground!
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 30, 2017 - 04:01pm PT
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Worms- can't go wrong. Me and the boy are cooking up some troutcakes right now.
Smartassery aside, we fish lakes mostly because three little kids and moving water equals stressed out dad.
Good luck and consider this post a bump.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 30, 2017 - 08:41pm PT
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i just threw on a small gold ribbed hares ear and small head head pheasant tail and skipped them along the bottom for an hour. It was tough being that it was my first time there and visibly in the morning is poor. Couldn't tell if it was 1 or 6 ft deep half the time. Caught lots of weeds.
I might just hit up hot creek with all the other tourists in the morning. I'm sure I could pull fish out of mountain streams but I can do that all I want at home and we don't have spring creeks through meadows to try out.
Every time I've been to hot creek I've caught one small trout. We'll see if i can keep the tradition going.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 30, 2017 - 09:34pm PT
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I went upstream from Benton crossing. Maybe I'll try hot creek for a couple minutes and then go to the inlet at Crowley for a bit. At least it's pretty!
Micronut got ahold of stimbo for me and he's in the Tetons. Suggested the upper San jouquin but I've accepted just getting skunked in a spring creek agin.
Thanks everyone!
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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The one that got away.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Limping.... hi, sorry to have missed you and your post.
Gome and I went to the San Jouquin, it would be a waste to go really early I think... we got there about 10a ... it was pretty cool... 52 something like that. About 11a the sun poked up and the Fishing got pretty good... I got my usual dinky sized trouts .... Gome got about 40! Some nice ones too ... he is to fast to take pics.
Sunday we went to Rock Creek, end of the road... and fished around the parking area...more dinks for me.... lot's more for Gome, a lot more.
Finished up at Crooked Creek .... about 2p .... again dinks for me... Gome got one that that was sticking out of his net!
fun times
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Yeah sorry we missed you although we don't get up that early this time of year anyway. Fishing is good if you know where to go. Got a few really quality fish on the San Joaquin, along with a pile of regular sized ones. Rock Creek, which is probably running about 12 cfs has some surprisingly nice 10 inchers. Then the other creek which Guy is never supposed to name yielded a couple nearing the 18 inch mark that were exceedingly robust too. And those come out of a creek that is about 2 feet deep by 3 feet wide.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nice, sounds like you guys got enough for everyone! I catch small-medium trout in mountain creeks often enough at home so I wanted to try something different. Got skunked on hot creek but two little guys fell off so at least I had some action.
I could tell it was getting better as the day warmed up and there was some kind of BWO hatch on hot creek around 9am. Only got to fish that for a minute before I had to leave and didn't have any patterns to match it.
Secret is out! I'm trying the creek that shall not be named next time I'm over there :)
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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The sad thing is that both Hot Creek and the Owens were decimated by the drought. There are so few fish left in Hot Creek especially and almost all of the big ones are gone. It used to be pretty special but now I don't even bother to go there. With the planting they are doing each year it should get back to being great in a couple more years.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Hmmm... I guess that explains why everything I was seeing was small.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Yes, they planted 6,000 sub-catchable fish last fall. This year they will plant 12,000 more and another 12,000 next year. You are seeing the ones that they planted last fall.
It used to be that I could go to Hot Creek and catch about 40 fish and almost always catch some browns larger than 18 inches. My best fish from there was a 25 or 26 inch brown. I once saw a 9 pound brown hen come out of the spring pool at the top of the interpretive site. This is why it is so sad to see it in its current state.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Ah yes, Gnome...the good old days of Hot Creek! A survey in 2008 estimated 12,000 fish per mile, but after the drought years, in August of 2016 the estimate was down to 1,000 fish per mile.
Hopefully things will bounce back, with 8,000 rainbows and 4,000 browns stocked every year until the fish begin to sustain themselves again. But it won't be really good again for probably six or seven years, with good winters.
Here is an excerpt from an article I wrote in 2007 for Southwest Fly Fishing:
Hike upstream in the canyon and you arrive at a barbed-wire fence that marks the boundary of the Hot Creek Ranch property. There is a nice little pool there. One fine spring day I found myself there with my wife, lying on the grass, relaxing, picnicking, and occasionally fooling some juvenile rainbows on some tiny midge imitations Yvonne had tied.
Suddenly, the telltale hooked jaw of a huge male brown trout broke the surface as the fish rose straight up out of the water, exposing half of its massive body before splashing back down, slapping the surface like a breaching whale. I had never seen such a big fish in such a small stream. Yvonne and I turned to each other and simply said "WOW.!"
The big trout settled under the far bank, directly under the barbed wire fence. After I'd lost half a dozen flies, all of which soon dangled like spiders under the fence, the huge fish had had enough of my foolishness, slowly swam upstream, and disappeared into the ranch water.
I gazed lustfully over the fence. There were no anglers in sight. The ranch water seemed to run a little slower and deeper, and the meadow grass even looked a little greener. I turned to my wife and said, "I guess that's where the big fish hang out."
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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No updates from Pyramid yet?
On another note, went to the lake with my brother and our wives that was the cause for my fall lake fishing questions.
Our wives threw spinners while my brother and I fished dries and wet flies at and under their surface. It was epic, especially for 9,500 feet. Next time I'll bring some sinking line and see what lunkers lie beneath.
With a 10 hour approach, two passes, and some of this I don't know if there'll be a next time for the wives :)
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Spufi
Trad climber
DeLusion, Ca
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Great underwater photo Craig!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Two posts and nobody has commented on Limpigcrab's success up there at that mystery lake. Nice Bows Bro!!! Way to get out there and work for it. Those things are hawgalicious!
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Dang- limping crab, those are some big fish for a high sierra lake. I've found a few with good fish, but nothing like that.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oct 10, 2017 - 09:05am PT
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Limping.... yes those are very very nice fish.
Did they taste good?
So 10 hrs... up talus and through the bushes, that narrows it down some.
Got anymore photos? with some background scenery?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 10, 2017 - 01:30pm PT
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Ya, we only ate two medium ones but they were tasty!
Well, if I discovered this place on my own I'd share, but because someone told me about it I probably shouldn't. The pictures were chosen intentionally to avoid any background scenery :)
It's in SEKI.
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ruppell
climber
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Oct 10, 2017 - 05:24pm PT
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limping
Don't worry about the location man. I've got 20 lakes over 10,000 feet that I have "discovered" and I'm not sharing. All of them hold Goldens and all of them hold big Goldens. There's a few lakes that hold some big Bows as well. One of them gets hiked right past by every climber who's ever done Whitney or Russell. I'm not telling which one though. lol
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Oct 10, 2017 - 06:01pm PT
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Three days on the SF Snake River. One night at the SF Hilton ;-)
They were staging in the shallow's. Crushing streamers. Boiling BWO's during the rain.
All phone pics sadly. My camera had an epic ;-(
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 14, 2017 - 09:20am PT
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Well done "crab" and DrF!
I just returned from an extended road trip that involved lots of fishing and photos from Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Here are some highlights, enjoy!
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Oct 14, 2017 - 06:22pm PT
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Fugg yeah Stimbo! Variety is the spice of life. I love me some junk car-yard fish ;-)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Oct 14, 2017 - 09:38pm PT
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Nice brown Stimbo! Looks like you had a great trip.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 14, 2017 - 09:50pm PT
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Thanks Bob and drF. It was a fun road trip. I fished the Upper Madison, Firehole, a couple of places on the Henry's Fork, E Gallatin, Bighorn, and finally the Beaverhead. All great places..... there is so much good water.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Oct 15, 2017 - 10:38am PT
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Thinking of a time I was fishing at one of the upper Virginia Lakes on the east side. Was using a bubble and fly (gold/green bead headed nymph). Wasn't having much luck. Well, no luck at all. Was about to pick up the rig and re-cast when a monster bow struck my clear bobber. Dayum!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Oct 15, 2017 - 07:48pm PT
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Oct 14, 2017 - 09:50pm PT
I fished the Upper Madison, Firehole, a couple of places on the Henry's Fork, E Gallatin, Bighorn, and finally the Beaverhead. All great places..... there is so much good water.
Hey Stimbo, just curious since I've never fished there but would like to.......of those rivers, which one was your favorite, or which two were your favorites?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 15, 2017 - 08:45pm PT
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just curious since I've never fished there but would like to.......of those rivers, which one was your favorite, or which two were your favorites?
Hmmm.... that is a good question and hard to answer because they are all good, and all have unique personalities. But, if you want the most bang for your buck, I think I would lean towards the Upper Madison and Firehole. Geographically they are super close. And for icing on the cake, Henry's Fork is less than 45 minutes down the road and can have off the charts dry fly fishing to large rainbows. There is so much water up there....
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 16, 2017 - 06:42am PT
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Nice work out there Stimbo! So glad you had a great trip. That brown is a handsome beast.
The Upper Madison looks so dreamy. Makes you just want to go out there and lie down in the grass and melt into the landscape.....
I know you said you were doing some photography out there too. Any shots you're proud of? (Not sure if you can/even want to share em here if you're hoping to make some cash off of em though....)
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 16, 2017 - 09:09am PT
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I know you said you were doing some photography out there too. Any shots you're proud of? (Not sure if you can/even want to share em here if you're hoping to make some cash off of em though....)
Hey Scott, here are a few from the Tetons, enjoy. Let me know if you need some blank walls filled up with art work in your office.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 16, 2017 - 09:51am PT
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Jim I might be interested! I actually had a patient of mine literally take one of mine off the wall from my x-ray room today. I have all my own photography in my office. You have anything with a fly-fisherman in it? Something from that trip or something from the east side? I might put one of yours on my wall to replace the one I just gave away!
Here's some of my own.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 16, 2017 - 10:49am PT
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Wha!?! I had no Idea Stimbo was the username for George Clooney!
Great fish and really beautiful pictures.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 16, 2017 - 11:01am PT
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Stimbo was the username for George Clooney!
Sh*t! I have been outed.
At Scott, photos coming via email, thanks!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 23, 2017 - 08:59am PT
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I'm the proud owner of a Stimbo work of art. One of my patients have been begging for one of my own photos off my wall in my office and I finally gave it to him. That left a huge hole in my x-ray room and I just filled it with this awesome piece by Stimbo. I love this shot from the Lower Owens as I have fond memories of my only time fishing there.
Thanks Stimbo!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 23, 2017 - 09:02am PT
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Such beauty ensconced in a place of terror!
Chez Torquemada! ;-)
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 23, 2017 - 10:10am PT
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Thanks Stimbo!
You are so welcome!
Such beauty ensconced in a place of terror!
My father-in-law was a dentist and many times had me in the chair with high pitched drill in hand.... happy wife meant pain free visit.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Question for those in the know.....
I have been told about the "Spawn from Crowley" ...
It happens when the water gets cold... so I have been told.
Is it cold enuf now??
Just wondering... cause im trapped in my cube on a monday morning.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Is it cold enuf now??
"They're here...."
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Thanks... I looked at the report... thats what im talking about.
Q: All on Nymphs?
was there with G-Gome a few weeks back, you could see them ... but they were not feeding at all.
Except he somehow got several arm length BOW's in a little creek.
And he even let me "go first"
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Q: All on Nymphs?
The browns are starting their spawn, but you are targeting the rainbows. They will eat about anything.... if you huck streamers, any color will work as long as it is black. :)
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rwedgee
Ice climber
CA
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"The Very Large Trout Lover's Thread"
I've read the last 2 pages of this and the only thing large was that pike....WTF ??
Please rename this "The Very Large Ballcuppers Lovers Thread"
When are you guys having another secret picture exchange ?
Even your wives are dumping you unless you whip out some large trout
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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A gud point! After a month & 1/2 of limping, I had a torn meniscus repaired & some "junk" removed from my left knee two weeks ago. I see the doctor again in 15 hours, to have the bandages off & an evaluation. The knee feels ready for some fishing.
I do have fond memories of catching, nursing, & releasing this 26 - 28" rainbow near here, about 8 years back.
I know more await.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sorry, I don't keep my fish out of the water long enough to take photos. And if I did then I would know how big they actually were instead of how big I want to think they were.
Although I did catch a few 'sizable' fish this year.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Beautiful fish!
Sorry rwedgee, I'm going out tomorrow morning and will bring back some trout pics, no pike.
There, I jinxed myself.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 11, 2017 - 08:44pm PT
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Here you go rwedgee, a cute little trout. Not "very large" though.
And here's a big ol' squawfish (Sacramento pikeminnow) just to screw with the thread. Muahahahahahahaha!
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Nov 11, 2017 - 08:49pm PT
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^^^^^
Squawfish are a sign of a healthy water environment.
Don't hate on the white wigglers.
All Hail the mighty Squawfish!! ;-)
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Nov 12, 2017 - 07:37am PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 13, 2017 - 06:53am PT
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Nice king Loyd! From the Chetco? or the Smith?
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Nov 15, 2017 - 08:07am PT
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The Chetco
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 15, 2017 - 08:51am PT
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Nice fish Loyd!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 15, 2017 - 09:01am PT
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Nice fish Loyd!
What Bob said and then some.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 15, 2017 - 09:08am PT
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Dam... that's a big one.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 16, 2017 - 09:58am PT
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The sky is falling; there is a ton of rain and snow coming down in Crowley. The ski area is reporting over 18" of snow on the mountain. The general fishing season closed yesterday. There were some REALLY nice fish coming out of the Owens these past few weeks.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 16, 2017 - 10:08am PT
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This fellow & his hawg made the Boise TV news last night.
The trout measured 34 inches long, 23 1/2 inches around and weighed 19.25 pounds on an official USDA scale.
He caught it in the Boise River with 4 1/2lb. test line on an ultralight spinning rod with a single barbed hook. The story does not mention what he was using for bait.
The Rainbow is just shy of the Idaho state record.
http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/nampa-man-catches-trout-weighing-nearly-20-pounds/492191904
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 16, 2017 - 01:09pm PT
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Holy hawg Stimbo! That's a nice fish. Sure wish I woulda had time to get over there once more this year. Enjoy the precip.
Scott
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 16, 2017 - 02:05pm PT
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Stimbo.... you got a hog, very nice.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 16, 2017 - 03:14pm PT
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Well dang. I WAS happy with my 15 minute roadside stop on the way to work this morning until I saw those pics! Such fatsos, nicely done.
Makes these dudes look like weeeeeenies. But a trout is a trout!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 16, 2017 - 03:16pm PT
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Thanks you guys! It was awesome while it lasted.
Scott, you would have loved it. Literally like shooting ducks in a pond.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Nov 19, 2017 - 08:30pm PT
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Well dang. I WAS happy with my 15 minute roadside stop on the way to work this morning
As someone who has to drive to fish...take what you can!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 20, 2017 - 03:55pm PT
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I took my son out to the lower kings and told him to fly fish for the first time yesterday. It was a really nice day out. He has always enjoyed fishing but had never been interested in anything other than lures.
We got skunked....we were only out there about an hour and a half but things heated up around dark and some buddies of mine caught multiple nice sized trout. That's what we get for leaving early! Lesson learned.
Proud dad.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 21, 2017 - 05:20pm PT
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It's been exactly 4-weeks since my left knee had four holes cut in it, a torn meniscus repaired, a largish bone chip removed, & some arthritic "junk" cleaned up. I've been healing well & the knee rarely hurts, although the left leg swells up nicely by the end of every day.
So-----I went gently fishing this afternoon in a nearby "crick" for the first time this fall. It rained a little, but I had the obscure stream all to myself, except for some trout.
I was fishing wet, mostly upstream, mostly with Wooly-Buggers. In 2 hours I played 10 trout, with 6 in the 18" range. A frisky giant in the 25" plus range surfaced about 30' in front of me twice, but showed no interest in my program.
Not bad for my only fall fishing so far this year.
Fish one caught me after about my first six-casts. He "self-released" while I was trying to photograph him, but I caught him resting, before he splashed me & took off.
After losing two more good fish & catching some in the 10" range, I caught this 16" Brownie. He had a clipped Dorsal Fin & was soooo-excited at being released, he squirted some seamen into the water.
After catching, fighting up to camera range, then losing another 18" Bow, I ended the day at 5:00 PM, with this 18" Bow.
The rain was increasing, my right arm was tired, & my knee hurt.
I can't wait to go back.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 28, 2017 - 05:25pm PT
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I ventured out to a nearby "crick" late afternoon today & was distressed to see a familiar jeep in the parking area. As I suited up, a familiar older-fisherman was walking back from the "crick." We talked for a while & he assured me fishing had been poor & in fact he had not caught a fish. Yeah sure, I thought.
In 1 1/2 cold & windy hours, I only solidly hooked 5 fish & played 3 of those to the bank & released them. Two were in the 16" - 18" range.
But the last one, ah the last one! I was fishing a downstream swing with a large wet fly, when I saw the water bulge up about 30 feet downstream from my fly. The bulge of water raced upstream like a torpedo & a large trout grabbed my fly. After a desperate fight, I finally subdued the vicious beast.
I think 27" - 28" & 8 - 10 lbs per photos. My arm hurts, but I'm celebrating with a glass of wine. My bad knee worked great & doesn't hurt!
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tallguy
Trad climber
tacoma
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Nov 28, 2017 - 05:34pm PT
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Alright Fritz, I am loading my truck with my fishing and camping gear and I am on my way right over.. where exactly should we meet? I'll need some specific directions.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 28, 2017 - 06:21pm PT
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Tallguy! Great! Wonderful.
Proceed directly to Choss Creek & my Cuzins will meet you.
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tallguy
Trad climber
tacoma
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Nov 28, 2017 - 07:47pm PT
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Fritz, I am not interested in fishing bait with your cousins on this particular trip. Would rather meet up with you and toss fur and feathers, just let me know where.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 28, 2017 - 07:56pm PT
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I did hear the theme music from Jaws, when the 28" trout was torpedoing 30 feet upstream towards my fly.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Nov 29, 2017 - 05:24pm PT
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Jeez those are some hogs!!!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 29, 2017 - 09:32pm PT
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An "old" friend of mine, who was the first Chouinard Rep in the Northwest, used to live near Medford, & was in a fly-fishing club there.
He told a story about new members who had suffered the embarrassment of a large trout turning & running between their legs & then breaking off the fly in the ensuing tangle.
The fishing club awarded a velcro knee-pillow to those unfortunates, with instructions to keep the pillow tightly clasped between their knees.
My first 18" trout tried that ploy yesterday, but I closed my knees tight as a teen-virgin & it veered away at the last second. One explanation is, the panicked fish is running for cover, & you & your wide open knees look like cover.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 30, 2017 - 09:47am PT
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Outstanding Large Trout you got their Fritz...
way to make the Supertopo Fly Fishing Hall of Fame.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 12, 2018 - 08:13pm PT
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Skiing just was not in the cards today with the temps in the low 60's, so... fishing seemed like a good idea. There are some big trout cruising around.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 12, 2018 - 08:20pm PT
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Nice & wonderful big trout "hawg" Stimbo!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 12, 2018 - 08:32pm PT
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Nice & wonderful big trout "hawg" Stimbo!
Thanks so much Fritz! And back at ya!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jan 12, 2018 - 08:53pm PT
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from Acklins Island December 2017. Some big bones
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 13, 2018 - 09:31am PT
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Anyway I’m heading out Monday to see if I can wrestle one or ten.
WTF
I've been meaning to give you a call. I almost went to Pyramid this past Monday-Tuesday but with that latest storm that rolled thru, I opted out and bivy'd at the East Walker instead, which was a good call it seems. Let's keep in touch, I am overdue either for some steelhead or cuttys at the 'mid. Jim
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 13, 2018 - 09:32am PT
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.... and NICE bones Mike!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 14, 2018 - 09:09am PT
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Nice bonefish Mike. Were you using a floating or intermediate line?
And nice lookin rainbow there Stimbo, Upper O?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 14, 2018 - 09:28am PT
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Upper O?
But of course. They are few and far between, but worth the tug.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jan 14, 2018 - 08:15pm PT
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Hi Bob -
I always carry a spool with an intermediate line for those holes on the flats when the tide is dead low, but have never once used it. If you have a car on Acklins, you can pretty much always be someplace where they are tailing in mid-calf-deep water. So, floating lines all the time. Mike
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 15, 2018 - 07:14pm PT
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WTF! A great-looking big Cut! Thanks for going out there in Jan. & working to catch that fine fish & share it with us!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 30, 2018 - 09:20am PT
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Trying to keep the stoke alive.... not much snow this year, but the fishing has consistently been solid.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 31, 2018 - 04:09pm PT
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I feel a little guilty about not being into cold-weather fishing any longer, so I'd better tell a cold-weather fishing story.
In early Sept. 1988, I stopped by Jackson Hole WY. for a few days at the start of a two-week sales-rep road trip to Montana from South Idaho. It was the long-hot summer of the fires that had burned much of Yellowstone National Park & I took little cool-weather gear on the trip, but of course I brought my fishing gear.
Although I have fly-fished since age 12, after a divorce in 1984, I "immersed" myself in fly-fishing & got fairly good at it, sometimes going fishing 90 days a year. One of my Jackson dealers was Jack Dennis Sports, which sponsored the annual "One Fly" tournament, & Jack's fly-tying guru, my friend Scott Sanchez, was my host for a couple nights on this visit.
The One Fly tournament had started in 1986 & drew some of the big names in U.S. Fly fishing & a select group of rich fly fishers too. As I was trying to make a sales presentation to the manager of Jack Dennis Sports on Friday morning, Jack Dennis himself saw me, quickly remembered I was way into fishing & said heartily:
“Hey, it’s good to see you!” “Are you in town for the weekend, because we need another person on our One Fly team?”
After I got up off the floor, Jack explained that one of the co-owners of Jack Dennis Sports had cancelled attending the One Fly that morning, due to an emergency. Although there were better fisherman than me on staff in the store, they were all engaged in working during the tournament. The considerable entry fees were all paid & participating wouldn’t cost me a dime.
Blinking away my astonishment, I assured Jack that I could help them out by being on the team.
Briefly, in the Jackson Hole One Fly, the cardinal rule was, you had one & only one fly per day, for a two day tournament. If you lost or destroyed the fly, you were out for the day. There were two contestants & a guide/score-keeper in each drift boat or raft & there was a lottery to see which sections of the Snake River near Jackson each fisherman would float. Of course it was all catch & release, but the size of each angler’s fish were recorded & added up, with the largest total winning the individual championship & the largest 4-person team total winning the team championship.
The hot summer ended on Friday night with a big storm & the next day was cold & wet, with high temperatures in the low 40’s f., with snow visible in the Tetons, when the clouds lifted. I had borrowed a pair of rubber chest waders, but I froze my ass all day. I managed to keep my fly & caught fish, but it wasn’t a good day fishing, for anyone.
Fritz on the right with the Tetons in the background.
More Tetons background.
At the big event dinner party that evening, I learned the forecast for the next day was worse. It was supposed to snow all night & day & temps were going to be in the low 30’s, at best. Worse yet, I was picked to fish the “Canyon-stretch” of the Snake, which has considerable white-water. It was going to be a really wet & miserable day for under-dressed me.
In sudden desperation, I told Scott Sanchez, if he wanted to take my place fishing, I would work in the store for him. He instantly agreed & Jack Dennis (undoubtedly hoping for a more productive team member), agreed to the switch.
Next day in Jackson, there was 6 inches of fresh snow & it snowed hard all day. Scott had a great time fishing & I had a great time working in the store & not bouncing through white-water in those conditions. Sadly, our team didn’t win.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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What a cool story Fritz! Thanks for sharing. I love that part of the country. The Tetons never disappoint.
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Risk
Mountain climber
Formerly TMJesse
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I spent a summer season at Lake Eleanor (YNP). During the heat of summer, fishing is not dependable. But, in fall it's fantastic. Average rainbow is 16" One morning, I was on top of some cliffs on the north side. The lighting was perfect and the lake was totally still. There were dozens of HUGE rainbows visible. in 1994, the record size was 30.5"
Snakes, bears, biting flies and gnats, along with thick brush and tough going, make Lake Eleanor unpopular. Getting to the inlet without a boat is next to impossible.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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saw these on the way to thislast sunday.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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WTF & Stimbo! Glad you folks liked my story. A free Jackson Hole One Fly was my lifetime lottery win, but of course the weather took some zest out of it.
I haven't fished the Snake in Jackson Hole from a boat since that memorable day, but I did a lot of S. Fork Snake trips on the Idaho side in the 80's & 90's, We usually camped our way down the river below the lodge. Fortunately, I never got bit by those dam flow increases & decreases.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Glad you folks liked my story.
Fritz, that was a great story, thanks for sharing. Here is a photo from last autumn. I was not fishing at the time but rather concentrating on photography (the fishing came soon afterwards on the Henry's Fork). I met this guy on the river and "jones'd" badly watching him fish. He was a good angler and landed many of those "fine spotted" cutthroats, a beautiful trout I hope to go back for this coming autumn.
The other place I hope to return to, and leave my camera gear in the truck, is along the river at the Moran Junction. I photographed an incredible Teton sunrise last year(along with busloads of like-minded photo junkies). While the light show unfolded over the mountains, huge snouts were sipping midges off the top water of the Snake. It would be killer to hook into some big fish with dries.
WTF can give you plenty of beta and stories I am sure for the Idaho side of the S Fork.
That is amazing country up there. Later....
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Good morning.....live from The Kings River!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Macronut and I snuck out here for a morning sesh on the Riv before work.
No action yet. Stay tuned!
This live streaming update brought to you by Orvis, Simms, and the lovely wives who let us go out fishing this morning before work.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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This live streaming update brought to you by Orvis, Simms, and the lovely wives who let us go out fishing this morning before work.
Awesome Scott! The water looks great, how'd you do?
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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I'm always glad to see photos & fishing stories on this fine thread.
Stimbo! That Tetons fishing photo of yours is wonderful.
Thanks all, for taking the time to post.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Stimbo! That Tetons fishing photo of yours is wonderful.
Thanks Fritz! In all honesty, the photo took itself.
No seriously let’s put one on the calendar and head up. I’ll show you the lower and you can show me the upper. I bet we will need a week. Ok a week and a half. Compromise is key to successs.
Let's get Pyramid on a good day first, then let's drink some brews(or whatever) and talk about a north country expedition sometime. When will the high pressure weather dome move on? We need some snow and Pyramid needs some foul conditions to get the chomp going again.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Happy Cowboy
Social climber
Boz MT
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WOW Evel, those two certainly are “large”. Love the colors in the brown. Great fishing! Thanks
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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I mostly just run the net for her ;)
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Alrighty Evel! Now we're talking!
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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htoid=522993]
Not VERY large, but not too bad
And j h st to be clear, she's my God daughter
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Evel! What a woman! Nice hawgs!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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A portrait of WTF, getting ready for the morning "chomp."
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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early birds of the world unite, gettin' after it . . .What ever IT is...
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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WTF! Thank you for sharing your quest.
Of course, that's why it's called
Fishing,
rather than,
Catching.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Holy schmoly Evel!!!! Nice fishes!!!! What is the water like in the Catskills? Little creeks, big water? Those are in enormous fish.
Scott
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ruppell
climber
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Micro
Google "Beaverkill" and "Willowemoc". There's so much history on those two rivers I won't even begin to try and explain it. Enjoy your reading.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Beaverskill (local vernacular for river is kill)
Medium sized rivers. Boatable for the most part. Gunks are nearby too
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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I did find this beetle floating on the water and I think Stimbo has posted one on this thread before.
This is probably what you were referring to, and I think this guy is a dragonfly nymph.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Rupell and Evel, thanks for the beta. Been enjoying reading about these two places and their history. SO cool. Cant believe the Catskills have never been on my radar.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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[Click to View YouTube Video]
My brother and I took my 3yo nephew and 4yo son above Pine Flat on the Kings on Saturday to throw rocks and do a bit of casting. My cousin came along to play with his camera and drone. Only fished a bit with a couple tugs and nothing landed but it was a beautiful day!
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ruppell
climber
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Micro
If you ever go out there you must, and I mean must, drive 2 more hours and fish the West Branch of the Ausable River. There's two no-kill stretches just south of Lake Placid that are some of the best fishing in the US. It is the only East Coast river to always make the Trout Unlimited top ten list. Big fish, smart fish, fast water and plenty of all of them. Combine that with a trip to climb in the Dacks and the Gunks.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Limpingcrab,
Nice video, nice music, nice camera angles, but why you no catch fish?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Limpingcrab,
Nice video, nice music, nice camera angles, but why you no catch fish?
It was more of a picnic with a three and four year old in one spot. We walked and casted a bit so my cousin could play with his new cameras. If we were serious fishing we would have probably caught a few hundred in the low 20" range.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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I need to figure out how to tie the layered look of that nymph. That’s the belly I think isn’t it?
WTF
That looks like the belly. Have you tried any woven nymphs? You can get really cool segmentation. Whether or not it works, who knows?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Caught this a couple of weeks ago in Patagonia. Not exactly a trout but in the same family (salmonidae) and boy do they taste good!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Donini! That "salmonid" is highly qualified for this thread in my book. Thanks for taking the time to make us (more) envious of your bivy-spot in Patagonia.
Although, most of us don't use fishing lines as thick as yours.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice chinook Jim!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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WTF, I'll be coming up for a week in mid-March. Can't wait!
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Feb 11, 2018 - 06:54pm PT
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TOWARDS AND AWAY
A fisherman and his wife had twin sons named Towards and Away.
Once the boys were grown, the fisherman took them out to sea to learn the family fishing trade.
A week later, the mother saw her husband dock the boat all alone.
"Oh no! What has happened to my darling boys?" she cried.
"We were just one day out to sea, when Towards hooked a great fish. He fought long and hard, but he was pulled over the side and swallowed whole by the fish."
"Oh dear, what a huge, horrible fish that must of been!"
"Yes, it was, but you should have seen the one that got Away."
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Feb 15, 2018 - 09:09pm PT
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I love jokes like that ^^^
Been a slow winter on the lower Kings this year, which is a bummer because I moved next to it. Even though it's a stocker it was nice to land this 19.5" fatso this morning.
Epic fight holding the line with my hand while running through bushes and reaching under rocks as it had its way with me. Beautiful morning to be out, too! Reminds me why fishing is so frikkin wonderful.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Feb 15, 2018 - 10:07pm PT
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Clinker
that's just terrible
And i love it!
Nice fish everyone!!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Feb 16, 2018 - 10:02am PT
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Nice fatty Crab! Looking forward to hitting the lower Kings tomorrow morning. I will fill you in on all the beta gleaned from Hogman.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Feb 16, 2018 - 10:10am PT
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Horrible pic, but this is a 20" Brookie I landed last Friday in La Parrillar, Chile.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Feb 16, 2018 - 11:15am PT
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Since Winter appears to be missing....fishing it is!
I think this guy was a half pounder steelhead. Always hard to tell when you're in a river with steelhead and resident rainbows. Although I'm pretty sure the bugs I saw on him were sea lice.
Do any of you tie your own flies? Let see em.
My "go to" nymph. I like to use peacock chenille instead of peacock herl. It is easier to tie with and gives it some more sparkle / pop that seems to work better most of the time.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 16, 2018 - 11:21am PT
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I have 4 'go to' flies.
Parachute Hare's Ear
Elk Hair Caddis
Brook's Headlight Sally
Royal Red Humpy
If I can't catch a fish with one of those then maybe I will resort to something underwater. Maybe.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Feb 16, 2018 - 11:23am PT
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I edited my post to reflect my "go to" nymph haha
In my local waters there isn't a ton of dry fly action :,(
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Feb 16, 2018 - 08:50pm PT
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Had a couple great days fishing on our recent Argentina road trip.
Did a nice drift on the Rivadavia landing a 20" Brookie and a few nice Rainbows using a parachute Adams and a small ant pattern.
Finished our trip with a 45km all day drift down the Chimehuin laying into numerous Rainbows and Browns up into the 6 lb. range.
They really liked the small Fat Albert.
No pictures because I told my guide I didn't want to handle the fish or take them out of the water.
He claimed he'd never had a client who was glad the fish got away.
Can't wait to get back to Patagonia...for the fishing.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 17, 2018 - 08:35am PT
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Feb 16, 2018 - 11:21am PT
I have 4 'go to' flies.
Parachute Hare's Ear
Elk Hair Caddis
Brook's Headlight Sally
Royal Red Humpy
Hi Gnome, What would you recommend for top dry flies for the East Walker River in the summertime? Or would you stick to these?
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Feb 17, 2018 - 07:26pm PT
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Bri89,would like closer look at your 'Go To"
It's basically your standard issue bead head pheasant tail. For the thorax I just like to use peacock chenille instead of herl. Here's a generic picture of a bh pheasant tail that has peacock herl (not chenille). I'll try to take some close up pics of mine later.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Feb 18, 2018 - 06:03am PT
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^^ That's basically the way I tie them, but with goose biot for the tail.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Feb 19, 2018 - 06:05pm PT
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out on the lake again and saw some trout. Neither Isa or myself had ever driven on a frozen lake so we had to cross that one off the list.
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herm
Trad climber
Bishop
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Feb 25, 2018 - 08:37am PT
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Lots and lots of dead trout off 5 Bridges Road, I doubt if any survived at all.
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herm
Trad climber
Bishop
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Feb 25, 2018 - 10:30am PT
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Not sure, but there are lots and lots of dead fish in the slower pools. I guess the ash probably suffocated them? This was my favorite flyfishing venue.
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ruppell
climber
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Feb 25, 2018 - 10:51am PT
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Here's a quick read from a quick Google search about fish mortality caused by wildfires. The only form I could find it in was a downloadable PDF. Be warned if your one of the tinfoil hat types. Clicking this link will auto-download the PDF to your comp.
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=150484
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 25, 2018 - 05:32pm PT
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Bob,
In June I love fishing a Brookes Headlight Sally on the East Walker. Assuming the water is clear enough that the fish can see up top. Caddis can work well too in the late spring, early summer. That river has been so screwed up the last few years I haven't been there in a while and often nymph it when I am there but if you want to catch big browns on dries there that is my recommendation.
I fished the San Joaquin and other freestone streams on the east side a lot the last couple years and used to mainly work parachute adams or size 16 or smaller elk hair but have found the size 18 Headlight Sally to fish better most of the time. It floats better and seems to just catch a lot of fish. Sometimes I will mark the bodies in brown instead of yellow but it doesn't seem to matter.
Jan McCollum
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Feb 25, 2018 - 07:16pm PT
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Those headlight sallys...question, do you tie them with a parachute or more as a stimulator style?
Just curious.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Feb 25, 2018 - 07:51pm PT
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Thanks Jan!!! I'm going up there for a week in June. I've always had good success nymphing there but not so much with dry flies. Thanks for the tip! I'll tie a few of those and give it a try.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 25, 2018 - 08:17pm PT
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Parachute with a red butt. Elk hair down wing, yellow or brown body and grizzly hackle. There is a stub of foam for the upright wing that the hackle is wrapped around and makes the fly really easy to see.
Here is the closest I can find a photo of.
My largest fish ever was a 25 or 26 inch brown out of Hot Creek with a size 18 one of these 1/2 inch from the far bank. Sadly those sorts of fish don't exist any longer in Hot Creek. Maybe in 4 or 5 years if we keep getting snow.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Feb 26, 2018 - 08:24am PT
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Total bummer about the Owens fish kill...I've had some unbelievable evenings there. I don't recall the previous fire having this impact on the fishery.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 28, 2018 - 01:34pm PT
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G_Gome.... question.
What is the name of those flies you “stock up on” when we go to the fly shop in Mammoth?
The white ones?
Q for all.
So the latest fire burned up my 2nd favorite spot... darn, I was just figuring out the BWO hatch.
Tons of fish, above and below the fire. Trout do move around- looking for good habitat, right?
Do you think it will improve quickly?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Feb 28, 2018 - 02:20pm PT
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So the latest fire burned up my 2nd favorite spot... darn, I was just figuring out the BWO hatch.
Tons of fish, above and below the fire. Trout do move around- looking for good habitat, right?
Do you think it will improve quickly?
When the Rough Fire burned a huge portion of the Kings River drainage I went fishing soon after it ended in late fall. The river was tonally clogged with black silt from the ash and debris and I was worried and bummed out.
By the next Summer the fishing was the same as it had ever been, even with some remaining black sand. My brother and I read a lot of research about fire and stream diversity and the main takeaway (assuming the water itself didn't get extremely hot) was that the substrate change effect macroinvertebrates but fish populations themselves weren't drastically effected.
Long story short, we worried a lot but when we did the Tehipite to Yucca point trip one year after the Rough Fire ended the fishing was great and the same patterns as always worked.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Feb 28, 2018 - 02:36pm PT
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Has anyone tried Tenkara. I am partial to my fly rod but a buddy just got one and loves it. Debating on trying one out.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 28, 2018 - 02:42pm PT
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Limping... good to know.
Is the Lower Kings still going off?
The reports I have looked at show Large Trout on nymphs.
Makes me want to see if I should learn how to do that. Stimbo posted some from the Upper O that we’re huge... but with 2 feet of snow on the ground.... I don’t know if I could handle that.
I know that Fresno never gets snow.
I 8 the cold, call me a wimp, if it gets down in the 40s my hands seize up.
Dreaming of late May Southern Sierra.
How was the Kern River????
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Feb 28, 2018 - 04:54pm PT
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Has anyone tried Tenkara. I am partial to my fly rod but a buddy just got one and loves it. Debating on trying one out. I don't have experience myself but can't imagine that would be good for anything except small streams with small fish.
Is the Lower Kings still going off?
The reports I have looked at show Large Trout on nymphs. For some reason it's a lot slower this winter than last. Still big fish to be had, but instead of catching half a dozen in a morning I'll get one or two. My last one was 19.5" and super fat. They have been hitting dries more this year, but tiny dark nymphs are still the best bet.
How was the Kern River???? Didn't fish. Can't wait for fall to get back on it! Or spring in Manter Meadow :)
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Feb 28, 2018 - 09:02pm PT
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Guyman this was two saturdays ago on the lower Kings. Small size 20 flashback pheasant tail I believe.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Feb 28, 2018 - 09:10pm PT
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Had a really nice morning out on the lower Kings two weekends ago.
Went out there with a buddy who goes by the nickname "Hogman." Never go fishing with a buddy with a nickname like Hogman if you hope to catch anything. This guy is a true Jedi master and it was fun to learn from him. I learned a lot about true mending and presentation and just how active and intentional you have to be with the line that is out on the water if you want your nymphs to be down on the bottom, bumping along at a nice slow natural rate. Knowing your depth and knowing the general pace of the flow on the bottom in comparison to the fast water up on top and what it takes to keep that thing moving naturally along the bottom seemed to be super important. It was fun to watch a ninja apply his craft. I caught nothing. He did OK I guess.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Wtf.... thanks for the advice. Sounds technical but I think if I saw the different set ups it would be pretty simple.
Is the Pyramid Lake fishing better if one has a boat???
Standing on a ladder, in a snow storm, looks like a special sort of fun.
Limping... I know how you feel about Hogman... I go with G_Gome a lot and he kills it... I’m hooking the 8-10 inchers... and I hear him call my name. Looking over- he has a Trout that sticks 1/2 way out of his net!!
Last year was the first time dealing with big fast water.... he helped me a lot with mending and how to get a float. Thanks Jan!!
And I’m really ready to go back to Mather Meadows....I had a really fun day last June... about 2 weeks after you went, thinking about a trip to go down to the So Fork from Mather.
This Trout fishing is not as EZ as it looks.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Guy, the picture of the fly I posted for Bob is the one I have been using so much with such great success the last couple years.
I am Jonesing for some fishing but the weather looks pretty dismal for March. Come April though and I am gonna fish a bunch!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Cool I’m with you...
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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That rig is super easy. I’ll make one up and take a picture. I'd really appreciate it if you could do that!
Limping... I know how you feel about Hogman... I'm guessing that was a typo and you mean Micronut. How I feel about Hogman is: archnemesis
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Ohhh yea my bad.... micro goes with hogman🤠
I’m only on iPhone lately. It’s like looking backwards through binoculars and moving around the page...
So your nemesis?
He catches your fish! He drinks your milkshake!
WTF... thanks for a drawing. I’ll look for it.
The Chief showed me one way to Nymph and Trace at Sierra Trout Magnet in Bishop showed me another way. Both worked in the lower ORG once I figured out what the little tug was all about....
And Limping I Know you didn’t fish the Kern... you climbed. 👍👍
At the Hardman spot... did you buys have fun???
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Holy crap that bug catcher net is an awesome idea! I slack when it comes to looking at the food in the water and am trying to turn that around.
As for the rig, can you cast that thing without it becoming a mess or is it mostly for close quarters high sticking?
And Limping I Know you didn’t fish the Kern... you climbed. 👍👍
At the Hardman spot... did you guys have fun??? I belayed the hardman climbs and climbed the medium man routes. It was a blast.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Here are some photos from this afternoon of the Lower Owens. In places especially in the upper Wild Trout section, it was nuked by the fire. That said, the water clarity was good, I saw some nice fish, there was an awesome blue winged olive hatch, and there is new grass sprouting up everywhere already. I am no expert, but I think the watershed will bounce back quickly. My only concern at this point in time is erosion of the ash with this series of storms rolling through the Sierra. We will see....
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Fantastic beta WTF. I'm working on a way to delete your last post so Limpingcrabs doesn't read it. That way when I go out with him I catch more fish.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Stimbo wow. Don't even know what to say other than it will be interesting and fascinating to watch that ecosystem slowly rebuild itself.
Looking forward to greener days.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Do these waders make me look fat?
Funny Scott!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Makes me want to see if I should learn how to do that. Stimbo posted some from the Upper O that we’re huge... but with 2 feet of snow on the ground.... I don’t know if I could handle that.
I know that Fresno never gets snow.
I highly recommend learning how to nymph, whether it be under an indicator or tight line nymphing much as WTF described. I wish we had more surface activity on the eastside streams but as a general rule of thumb, the trout like to lay low where they feel safe and can eat undisturbed from predation. Hence, you have to bring the food down to where they are lying. And to address Bob and the East Walker (casting with dries), also throw into your fly box some stimulators and damselfles. Depending on how the winter plays out, the skwalas and damselflies are a super important food source and the surface takes are aggressive if not violent.
Has anyone tried Tenkara. I am partial to my fly rod but a buddy just got one and loves it. Debating on trying one out.
I have tried Tenkara a few times, it is super fun, and it does work in its simplicity, but I have not felt the urge to buy a setup. If you are heading into the backcountry and you have to scrimp on weight and space, the Tenkara is the best option. But you are limited to how far you can cast. For streams or fishing around the margins of a lake, it does work. It is a novelty. Personally, I much prefer a fly rod and reel.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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One more....
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ruppell
climber
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Stimbo
It's not just the East Side that nymphs trump dries. It's everywhere. At least 75% of a trouts diet is nymphs and larva. Many, many, many studies back this up.
I've been nymphing since I first learned to cast. I like to catch fish and can't stand waiting for a hatch. The only time I'll tie a dry on is when the hatch is so in my face that I'd be stupid not to.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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t's not just the East Side that nymphs trump dries. It's everywhere. At least 75% of a trouts diet is nymphs and larva. Many, many, many studies back this up.
I've been nymphing since I first learned to cast. I like to catch fish and can't stand waiting for a hatch. The only time I'll tie a dry on is when the hatch is so in my face that I'd be stupid not to.
I could not agree more. And, I like nymphing. Granted, watching an indicator get dunked isn't as exciting as getting grabs on the surface, but I do like catching trout.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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WTF & all, thanks for sharing your nymphing tips & nice trout folks. Despite nymphing for years, I was unaware of RIO tippet rings & two-tone indicator leader.
Over the years I’ve learned to fish with heavier tippet that most experts recommend. Almost all my dry fly fishing is with 5 X tippet & my daytime nymphing is with 4 X tippet, & I switch to 3 X as soon as the sun sets, or if the water is even slightly off-color. I accept in heavily-fished areas, especially with dry flies, that trout, especially Rainbows might become “leader-shy.” However, those previously caught & released Rainbows are damn shy of anything & everything, that might lead to the pain & stress of their being caught again.
I do have an unfortunate history of breaking off fish when fishing wet, on my initial hook set, which I accept is flawed technique on my part, but the stronger tippet helps there. However, I mainly use stronger tippet due to my desire not to exhaust & possibly kill trout by over-playing them. Yep! I like to horse those fish in quickly as possible, keep them in the water while I release them, & revive the big ones if they go “belly-up” on me during the process. I am always bummed when I find large dead trout along catch & release water, since I suspect most of those dead fish are a result of fishermen exhausting them during the catch & release & photograph process.
It’s wonderful to learn technique & fishing ethics from good fishermen, but it’s not wonderful to learn technique & fishing ethics from poor fishermen. I do believe those who read fly fishing magazines & delve into books on technique, tend to elevate both their technique & ethics. My 80’s & 90’s fishy reading list included these books.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Just testing to see if I can post to this thread. I've been trying and only the bird's one can I post to.
Great stuff though in the last few pages!
edit
hmmm that worked...
any cut and paste job won't appear though as I tried to link the article mentioned below-even typed out the addy...weird
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Read the Kenai article in the NWFF mag last. Our very own BG wrote a nice piece on FF up there. Check it out if you haven't.
Did some FF up there in the early 80's. Always wanted to go back. I'll make sure to bring my float tube if I do!
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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[photo[photoid=525189]id=525188]
Fishing was slow at Pyramid Lake this week but as usual, the scenery provided an other-worldly experience. Every ten minutes as the weather changes, the color of the lake changes as does its texture. Standing on a stepladder in the water can be almost hypnotic as the sky reflected off the lake ebbs and flows with the gentle rolling and scuff of the water. The fish in the first picture squirmed out of my hands and flopped about in my face. I shyt you not, the little bastard bit me on the nose! I chummed the water with blood droplets for about a half hour after this pic. Nevertheless, I released the sharp toothed trickster back to the lake.
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Regarding the fire at lower Owens, fire is totally natural and necessary down there. Without it the crap grows super thick and actually drinks all the water leaving too little water for fish in the late season. Last time that area burned to completion I fished it four days later and caught many nice browns. Frankly, I was hoping it would burn, having visited in December. The briars and such were so thick that access was almost zero. Now that it burned, it will be good fishing for a while. The real fish killer on the Owens is LAWP. Those asswholes raised the water about twelve feet overnight just before my trip down there. I presume it was a water "delivery" of some kind. All the fish were washed away and noone in the valley caught anything except at Pleasants Valley lake where fish and game had dumped a truckload of mostly half dead planters.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Thanks for the good advice... I will try it.
The drawing makes sense.... and no casting! Every time I have rigged up for nymphs- I cast and get super tangled. DUH😞
Learn something new.
The Owens looks torched, but it will grow back in due time.
Thanks for the pictures.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Ummm, Micro....
Would you be willing to divulge the approximate location on the Kings that you've been fishing?
I know the fisherman have their secrets...I had made plans to spend time on the Lower Owens, but that is out for awhile, and am looking for another spot for my week of spring fishing.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Ummm, Micro....
Would you be willing to divulge the approximate location on the Kings that you've been fishing?
I know the fisherman have their secrets...I had made plans to spend time on the Lower Owens, but that is out for awhile, and am looking for another spot for my week of spring fishing.
When we talk about the lower kings, we are basically talking about the approximately 5 mile stretch of the Kings River below Pine Flat dam, approximately 35 minutes east of Fresno.
If you are serious about heading out, would love to take you and show you around. It's a really pretty stretch of water with lots of character...... sometimes it's hot sometimes it's not. But it's ours.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Nice offer, Micro....hope to be up next week, once I get some odds & ends wrapped up. I'm surprised that you're pulling such nice fish out of waters with no special regulations - normally the bait fishers do pretty well decimating the lunkers.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nice offer, Micro....hope to be up next week, once I get some odds & ends wrapped up. I'm surprised that you're pulling such nice fish out of waters with no special regulations - normally the bait fishers do pretty well decimating the lunkers.
You can bait fish and keep them in the stretch just downstream of the dam, but in between Alta Weir and highway 180 it's catch and release with single barbless hooks.
Most of the stocking happens in the upper portion, but they do stock some of the biggest ones down in the C&R stretch.
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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thanks!
I mis-read the regs....so are the releases fairly consistent ? What's a good link to monitor the flows?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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http://dreamflows.com/flows.php?zone=canv&page=real&form=norm&mark=All#California_West_Sierra_Southern
Scroll to West Slope Southern and look for "Kings: Rel Pine Flat Lake." Add that number to "Mill Creek" just below it to get the flow. Mill Creek is usually nothing but after a rain or in the springtime it can be big. The lower the better. I've caught fish at just about every flow but for my favorite spots I prefer under 400cfs.
They stock it weekly during low water but don't clarify if it's up by the dam or down in the C&R section.
http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/ (Sort by county and look for Fresno)
Last year was epic, we'd catch a dozen in the 15-20 inch range in an afternoon. This year it takes half a day to catch one or two and I'm not sure why. I think it's because Avocado Lake Park has been closed so they plant most of the fish upstream since they don't have that access point anymore. Hopefully they finish removing hazard trees soon and it opens up.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 12, 2018 - 03:22pm PT
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Thanks for the report! Keep them coming pretty please!
Best thread on the taco
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 13, 2018 - 08:27am PT
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@WTF,
Waddup dawg? I be comin' up me thinks next week. You down?
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 13, 2018 - 11:38am PT
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Deli Dog that was pure genius. Calling 7WT now.....gotta get me summa dat flash.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 13, 2018 - 01:51pm PT
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Haha! Awesome video. I actually tried sinking line and streamers for the first time ever this morning. Water was lower than I thought and the floods this year filled in the deep spots so it wasn't working.
Then I threw on some nymphs before the rain hit.
They worked better. The Kings is turning back on!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Mar 13, 2018 - 01:54pm PT
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Limping.... nice fish.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 13, 2018 - 01:55pm PT
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Atta boy Crab.
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Mar 14, 2018 - 01:49am PT
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Hey WTF, Im interested in heading back out to Pyramid soon. The next week looks like crappy weather but by march 22 it should clear up. Im in Smokey Valley area Nye Co NV. Where are you from? I usually stay at Crosby and fish Pelican or Blockhouse.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 14, 2018 - 02:12pm PT
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Working on drawing trout right now while I'm on a plane.
They are not easy to draw. Lots of tangent lines. What looks like an arc ( say the dorsum, or the underside of the jaw) is actually three or four different angles. They are not uniform at any point. No straight lines whatsoever actually. Even the eyeball is challenging.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 14, 2018 - 02:34pm PT
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Working on drawing trout right now while I'm on a plane.
Hey Scott, Don't give up your day job....
Just kidding, these are WAY cool. I am very impressed. Oh, and coincidentally I spoke with Adam. He accidentally dialed me but it was fun to touch base. Take care, we should fish again. That place we went to before is doing really well. :)
jim
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 14, 2018 - 03:02pm PT
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You should work on drawing a SEKI climbing map.
Also, I want a hat made out of your fish pictures
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Mar 15, 2018 - 03:12am PT
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Howdy WTF, I work in Manhattan Gulch and live down the road from there. I want very much to climb the "Granite Wilds" near Kingston. Do you know any beta? Like especially how to get down? Ive heard there are ancient bolts. When I head back to Pyramid I will post here. I usually fish weekdays.
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Mar 15, 2018 - 03:14am PT
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There is some decent fishing up Kingston as well. Heres my favorite pic of the rock. Locals call it "The Indian." I call these rocks Cheech Butress and Chong Wall.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 18, 2018 - 05:11pm PT
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Just got back from Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Fished Mon-Fri. Talk about wild weather...started out warm and sunny on Monday, then stormy and snowy for the rest of the week. It snowed 5 inches at Pyramid on Thursday night.
Overall, the fishing was slow, punctuated by a few hours here and there when the wind and waves were just right and the fish ventured into shallow water and it was game on. There were some big fish caught this week, including a 20 pounder caught and released by a talented young lady angler by the name of Alyssa fishing right next to me on Thursday evening.
Things are getting exciting at Pyramid thanks to the Pilot Peak Strain. I talked to a guy who caught a 25 lb 9 oz fish last Feb the day after the lake reopened.
The lake has risen 10 feet in the last year, and the tui chub population is estimated at "unlimited", so there's plenty of bait fish for the big ones to feast on.
A fish biologist measured a spawned-out carcass in the Truckee River that taped out at 41 inches- estimated to be 30 pounds. That fish's skull is on display at the Marble Bluff Fish Hatchery in Gardnerville.
The next 5 to 10 years should be a really exciting time to fish Pyramid!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Mar 18, 2018 - 06:14pm PT
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^ WOW nice fish
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 19, 2018 - 07:04am PT
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Nice Bob! I cannot wait.... I am heading up there today. Hopefully a "glowing" report will follow in a few days. Wish me luck! Jim
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 19, 2018 - 09:17am PT
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Stimbo good luck this week call if you need anything. I might be able to meet for an evening session this week I will let you know.
Could you come by and throw some chum into the lake where I am fishing?
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 19, 2018 - 12:10pm PT
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Go git sum Stimbo!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 19, 2018 - 12:25pm PT
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Looking forward to the report, hope it goes well!
Those fish are beautiful.
So are boats and/or float tubes not allowed at Pyramid? Just curious because I never seen them in all of your pics?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 19, 2018 - 01:05pm PT
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Appreciate the offer!
This needs to happen, Micro!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 19, 2018 - 05:02pm PT
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BG! Thanks for the taking the time to share an impressive report!
Big, Wow, Dude! to you from Idaho.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 19, 2018 - 06:34pm PT
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Thanks Fritz, and good luck to you Stimbo. I have a feeling you'll get a hog.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 23, 2018 - 08:55am PT
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Well, no hogs caught by our group but plenty of "hog-lets." If you caught them on any other body of water you would be ecstatic but at Pyramid, they seem puny. No complaints though, every hookup was exciting. We fished two and a half days and caught them mainly on midges with an occasional cutty taken on stripped beetles. It was a great time, I cannot wait to return.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 23, 2018 - 06:14pm PT
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Nice photos Jim!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 23, 2018 - 11:43pm PT
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1. Nice fish Jim! I've never caught anything remotely close to something that large. Well done. Glad you got some quality time with some quality fish and your son.
2. WTF that is an amazing offer. Truly appreciated. I will talk to Limpingcrab and we'll see if we can make it happen!
3. Limpingcrab CALL ME!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 24, 2018 - 09:51am PT
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OK WTF, limpingcrab and I got the green light from our wives and we are good to go! I repeat, we are good to go. We would love to have you show us around up there. Neither of us have fished that kind of water ever and despite our lifetime trout addiction this will be the first time throwing rigs of that size for trout of that size.
My cell number is (559) nine seven four - 2662.
Or email me at jetthousehold@gmail.com
Would you mind calling or texting (or email.... whatever is easiest for you) so we can get some details? Really looking forward to it. Thank you again in advance for the offer. And our apologies if we catch all the big fish and leave none for anybody else that day.
Scott
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 24, 2018 - 07:04pm PT
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Nice photos Jim!
Thanks Bob.
Scott and Adam..... have fun at the 'Mid.
WTF, thanks! You will enjoy their company, super nice people.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Mar 24, 2018 - 07:48pm PT
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Ya WTF, we really appreciate the offer and sorry if it was just a courtesy invite that you hoped we wouldn't accept :)
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 26, 2018 - 11:30am PT
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Stimbo! Nice fish, great photos!
WTF! Oh man, it sounds like an ugly day for you. I've never actually broken a rod while fishing. I prefer to slam them in car doors. As for line freezing in the guides, I used to hate it when that happened. Now, I just quit fishing & go someplace warmer.
Winter lingers on in Idaho. Avid anglers have been reduced to desperation fishing in our abundant spring potholes.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 26, 2018 - 12:10pm PT
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WTF that's great! Give me a holler any time this evening. Got back in and stuck a couple more missed several and froze my nuts off.
Sounds perfect.
This winter on the Lower Kings I took a swim while air temp was right around 33 degrees out. Had to call Limpingcrab to bring me dry clothes. He lives fifteen minutes from the river and was there for me in my time of need.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Mar 26, 2018 - 02:37pm PT
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And here I was thinking that there wouldn't be anything but a few little brookies in that pot hole.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Mar 26, 2018 - 03:20pm PT
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Those potholes are decieving...sometimes you hook up with a lunker brown who is feeding on the brookies. Fritz told me he once got a four kilo brown out of a pothole with a garden rake.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 26, 2018 - 03:33pm PT
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Have fun Scott and Adam! I may see you up there....
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 26, 2018 - 09:26pm PT
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Stimbo that would be a blast. That would be a whole lot of Supertopo for one little lake!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Mar 28, 2018 - 10:30am PT
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So stoked for our upcoming trip to Pyramid!!!! Spoke to WTF on the phone and he told me I'd better have my double haul all dialed in. I told him "no worries" then hung up the phone, ashamed that I'm a sissy little high mountain 3wt caster who doesn't know how to even single haul.
So You Tube here I come.
Lefty Kreh is my new hero.
I love his quote at 1:00. "You see guys double haulin' and they're tearin' their underwear and lookin' like a monkey holdin' a cabbage but they ain't gittin' nowhere"
This is a must watch....enjoy.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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otisdog
Big Wall climber
Sierra Madre & McGee Creek, Ca.
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Mar 28, 2018 - 01:48pm PT
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Lefty was truly a badass...met him @ Russ Peak's shop in Pasadena. The day usually involved harassing pedestrians while trying out different Peak designs on the sidewalk. Or, we'd go down Colorado Blvd. and use the reflecting ponds at the city college. Dude could cast, and he was a great teacher.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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FYI All.... G_Gnome and I had a really fun day yesterday at Hot creek. We and the 8 odd other people fishing had nice sunny windless morning, a BWO hatch and something else were coming off the water in till about 3 pm.
I was finally able to get the hang of setting the hook because the fish were biting. Then I got some practice untying the big tangle of line, leader and net.
So much to learn!
How was Pyramid??
I want to see photos of Limping and micro swimming
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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So excited for Pyramid! Also intimidated and still working on buying/borrowing/making the big gear we'll need for that type of fishing.
I'll report back with plenty of pictures of me with fish and Mico sad in the background.
Ladder: check
Big net: check
Everything else: working on it
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Outside in the backyard practicing my double haul.....
Pyramid here we come!
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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"have my double haul all dialed in"
"who doesn't know how to even single haul"
Wear safety glasses and use barbless hooks ;-)
Have fun!
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ruppell
climber
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Wear safety glasses and use barbless hooks ;-)
LMAO. Great advice right there.
Also learn how to cast with your opposite arm. If the winds blowing the wrong way and you can't cast the other side you'll quickly find out why you're using those barbless hooks
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Scott,
You must have great eye-hand coordination in your line of work. A double haul with either hand, right or left shoulder should be a piece of cake, right?
Seriously though, you generally don't have to cast that far at the lake. If you can lob it to the edge of the drop off, you have a chance...
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Currently rigging this to my rod. Shooting streamers to the opposite bank!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Currently rigging this to my rod. Shooting streamers to the opposite bank!
Too funny! I think you will enjoy the Pyramid scene.... Hope to see you guys this weekend. jim
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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We'll see you there......
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF you're killing me! Stoked that Stimbo is coming up also. I'm supposed to go remove a cyst from a guy's jaw right now but instead I'm on Supertopo and Intellecast looking at weather patterns for the weekend.
Quick question. Before this weather was on the books we were just going to plan on camping on the ground or sleeping in the open bed of my Tundra. Now that it's going to possibly be a torrent of biblical proportions, what might some lodging options be? I called the little lodge in Sutcliffe, but they are all booked up. Would we be stupid to just tent camp if we have a good tent? Or possibly book a sleazy room in the closest motel near the lake? Or Reno? We don't mind driving each night if needed. Thoughts?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jim that pic just blows me away.
Thanks! That was a primo morning (at least for photos). I am hoping to get some nice light this weekend and some chunky fish.
I'm supposed to go remove a cyst from a guy's jaw right now but instead I'm on Supertopo
I am glad your priorities are in the right place. Oh, save that cyst. We can do some illegal chumming and see what beast takes the flesh. Ewww!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Stimbo, have you fished Hot Creek lately? Does anyone have any idea what the origins of the rainbows they planted there last year? They are very shiny silver and very acrobatic. Nothing like the older bows that were already in there that are more typical of what you see elsewhere in the Sierra.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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I saw Micro at the gym after work. He was on the heavy ropes getting ready for those long casts and big battles with big minnows.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Stimbo, have you fished Hot Creek lately? Does anyone have any idea what the origins of the rainbows they planted there last year? They are very shiny silver and very acrobatic. Nothing like the older bows that were already in there that are more typical of what you see elsewhere in the Sierra.
Bumping this question because I've also wondered why some 'bows are dark and some are silver. I have noticed that shaded, undercut meadow streams seems to produce darker colors than open granite bedrock streams.
Diet?
Habitat?
Genetic strain?
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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I appreciate you folks have a "Big" weekend of catching giant cuts planned, but considering the forecasts, maybe that weekend should start on Sunday?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Stimbo, have you fished Hot Creek lately? Does anyone have any idea what the origins of the rainbows they planted there last year? They are very shiny silver and very acrobatic. Nothing like the older bows that were already in there that are more typical of what you see elsewhere in the Sierra.
Bumping this question because I've also wondered why some 'bows are dark and some are silver. I have noticed that shaded, undercut meadow streams seems to produce darker colors than open granite bedrock streams.
Diet?
Habitat?
Genetic strain?
"Gnome and Crab" -- I apologize for the late reply. I emailed a fisheries biologist friend with the original question but he is out of town and I have not heard back from him yet.
I cannot say with any certainty where these new stocked rainbows came from but they were planted fairly recently because Fish and Wildlife did a survey of Hot Creek and found that after the five years of drought (low flows and high water temperatures) that the fish numbers dropped from 10,000 fish per mile to roughly 1,000. So, they were able to get funding and restocked the river system in an attempt to bring back the fishery, which once was a five star destination. As to the origin of the rainbows, I do not know. You would think that the hatchery right next door provided the fish but to vary the genetic strain, they may have imported these fish from elsewhere.
As for the coloration. They vary with diet, sex, habitat, genetics, and maturity. Those pesky and feisty silver rainbows in Hot Creek are that color because of being raised in concrete tanks, being young, and pellet fed. They will eventually turn darker with age, a natural diet, and their surroundings.
Rainbows are very sporty fish and fun to catch as they leap, do aerobatics, and fight hard. A lot of attitude!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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I appreicate you folks have a "Big" weekend of catching giant cuts planned, but considering the forecasts, maybe that weekend should start on Sunday?
I know, right? It will be interesting Fritz..... I have plenty of reading material and rum. If nothing else, it will be a fun get together with good buddies. jim
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Just about to pull out and head north! We are taking the wife's minivan instead of my tundra so we have something cushy to sleep in and watch movies and play cards if the weather is dumping. Just pulling out of the grocery store after picking up the bare necessities.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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A prehistoric monster in Idaho nearly takes out a kayak fisherman!
The video on the link shows more.
Steve Carroll, a.k.a. Sturgeon Steve, took a friend kayak fishing for sturgeon on the Snake River in Idaho last weekend and videotaped him nearly getting KO'd by a monster sturgeon that measured 8-feet long.
"We're going to be targeting some big sturgeon today," Carroll said in the introduction of his video. "I mean big."
He wasn't kidding.
They first spotted the big fish five miles downstream from Glenns Ferry.
Carroll told KTVB they were in the water only a few minutes before the sturgeon took Bryce Thompson's bait. The size of the sturgeon was on full display when it launched out of the water like a missile, nearly landing on Thompson.
He fought the giant fish for about an hour before they brought it to shore to measure. Then they released it, as is required.
Carroll, who has been fishing for sturgeon from kayaks for about four years, estimated the weight of the sturgeon to be more than 300 pounds
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/monster-sturgeon-nearly-lands-on-kayak-fisherman-video/ar-AAvxjcC?li=BBnb7Kz
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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As for the coloration. They vary with diet, sex, habitat, genetics, and maturity. Those pesky and feisty silver rainbows in Hot Creek are that color because of being raised in concrete tanks, being young, and pellet fed. They will eventually turn darker with age, a natural diet, and their surroundings.
I had one of those really silver rainbows break me off. He was about 18 inches which would put him in the creek for 1 1/2 years, longer than he ever lived in concrete. Yet he was still that shining silver of these new fish. Maybe they will darken with age but I suspect their lineage also is part of the reason for their color.
And Hot Creek Hatchery doesn't raise diploid rainbows or browns so they came from somewhere else.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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HAVE FUN on Pyramid everyone! Don't let the rain drown you!!
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Don't know what the silver jumpy rainbows are at Hot Creek, but there are Kamloops around, bred and raised up Bridgeport way. They are super fun to catch and somewhat of a mysterious plant by DFG. I used to run into them at Leavitt Lake, but the road has been so bad in recent years that DFG stopped planting there.
I know that kamloops have gone into Crowley in the past, but I'm not sure where they are planted there now. They are a lot of fun when you get into them.
Look them up, Kamloop rainbows, they are more silver sided and green topped than your standard stocker rainbow.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Good morning Supertopo trout fans!!!! Live from Pyramid Lake NV!!!!
Made it to the lake in pouring rain last night but things calmed down for a brief meet and greet and a campfire sesh. WTF had us up and at em before sunrise!
Game on!!!
Caught the biggest trout of my life about 45 minutes ago. And that thing is probably a runt for around here.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Micro--Is the bluetick there??
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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I had one of those really silver rainbows break me off. He was about 18 inches which would put him in the creek for 1 1/2 years, longer than he ever lived in concrete. Yet he was still that shining silver of these new fish. Maybe they will darken with age but I suspect their lineage also is part of the reason for their color.
And Hot Creek Hatchery doesn't raise diploid rainbows or browns so they came from somewhere else.
Sounds like the Kamloops strain. When I used to fish Crowley a lot there were three strains of rainbows stocked there: Kamloops, Eagle Lake, and Coleman. The Kamloops rainbows would usually jump five or six times during the fight, and were very silvery in coloration, especially compared to the Eagle Lake strain, which were noticeably darker and greener. A big Eagle Lake rainbow usually made inpressive runs into the backing, but wouldn't leap as much.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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What the creek fishin' Fresno boys lack in double haul casting distance, we make up for in aggressive ladder placement.
But it worked!
Frikkin' great weekend! With the rain, wind, cold feet and big fish we got a full value intro to "the mid." (That's what us locals call it)
We are indebted to WTF for setting us up with the knowledge and flies to land fish on our first trip and Stimbo for the company and tips. Scott and I were chatting about how everyone there was awesome to hang out with and learn from. Genuinely nice people to put up with us. THANK YOU!
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Well done guys. Hope to see more pics.
As far as lighter and darker, It always seemed to me that shallow water exposed to the sun they will lighten in color and the opposite if shaded or deeper water. I used to work at a hatchery and fish will adapt to their surroundings to be a better predator.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Bob, that sounds like these. They almost immediately start jumping, long horizontal jumps when hooked. They are pretty much steelhead bright in coloration. It will be interesting to see how these guys perform over the next year or two as they put some size and girth on.
Hot Creek does still have some sizable fish in it. I spooked about a 2 foot brown.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Tad, the good fishing is up on the Sacramento above the lake. Nice to take you kid outside, too few parents take the time to do that nowadays.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Right on Tad, fishing with grandpa is a great experience.
Now just teach him to fly fish and take him where G_gnome said so he has memories of catching fish :)
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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I'm glad to see "the Fresno boys" had a good time on their Nevada adventure & produced some big cuts.
Kudos to WTF & Stimbo for helping them out.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 10, 2018 - 07:31am PT
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Here are some more photos from the Pyramid Lake trip. We drove up from Crowley on Friday, with the rain getting heavier as we approached Reno. The skies were intense and ominous but the winds did not come until the following day. It rained really hard early Saturday morning and continued throughout the day, then as the front moved through, the winds came up big time with white caps, mist lifting off the water, and everybody retreating from their ladders. My son and I drove to a different section of the lake to find some leeward shoreline, and we hit pay dirt, landing six nice fish within an hour. The winds that evening were super violent, I thought our pop up camper was going to rip apart. Sunday dawned clear and glassy...
It was a great trip meeting up with friends WTF and micronut, meeting limpingcrab and a couple of WTF's buddies from guide school. It was super cool watching the "nut" and "crab" hooking into fish after fish at Pyramid, their first experiences at the lake. I think they left with big smiles. Special kudos belong to WTF who organized the get together and even tied up a couple of boxes of special Pyramid Lake flies for micronut and limpingcrab. He made sure the Fresno boys were well cared for.
We talked about fish coloration in previous posts, check out the diversity of the cutthroat colors. There are two strains of cuttys in the lake: the summits and the pilot peaks. These were the summits but the differences are remarkable. Some fish were males, some were hens, and they were all colored up for the spawn. Very cool to see the variety.
Enjoy! jim
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Apr 10, 2018 - 11:57am PT
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Great post Stimbo. The whole trip really was a blast. We left Fresno at 1pm and by Sacto we were driving in a full on proper storm.
We had decided to drive my wife's new minivan rather than roll in my burly Tundra because we figued sleeping in the comfort of the mini-van and having movie night in the rain versus trying to sleep in the open bed in a tempest was worth the ridicule we might receive upon arriving in a whiteminivan to a full on man trip. As we rolled through Donner Pass in a pouring storm with snowbanks just outside the window, I started to regret the minivan decision.
But we arrived safe and sound and found the guys sharing beers around the campfire as the storm died down.
We slept comfortably the first night but by 5:15 AM, the storm arrived in full force and WTF was pounding on our windows to get our sorry carcasses dressed and ready to do battle. We were on the water and making cast before sunrise in pitch black with storm surge upon us and rain pummeling the water.
We basically fished for several hours, ate a little bit of food, then got back on the ladders and clocked in. This was working mans fishing. No sissies need apply. Casting nonstop into raging win for hours on end makes you earn your fish. It was a total grind but the hard work paid off. I was actually the first one of our party to put a fish in the net and man it felt good.
Soon, limpingcrab was on the board with his first cutthroat and it was game on from there!
Everybody hooked up off and on for the next 8-10 hours and it was absolutely dreamy. Working hard, fighting catabatic winds and the occasional line snarl. Eventually, the rain stopped and the sun came out but it was still full on battle stations mode with the weather. These photos don't do it justice.
By late Saturday night, the winds died down and we enjoyed a fantastic dinner off the back of the minivan.
Sunday morning came early and WTF was banging on the minivan window making sure we didn't lose an ounce of fishable time. The man is an animal. He's a true inspiration when it comes to getting on the fish.
The water turned at the glass and the fish were not biting. Literally we didn't see anybody hooking up whatsoever until we Fresno boys put our minds to work and moved our ladders another 30 feet out while the incredulous locals looked on in disgust.
The extra distance was just the ticket. We both landed really really nice fish and it was a great way to put a cap on the weekend.
Thank you so much to WTF for making it all happen, for being a great host, and for the endless stoke. Thank you to Stimbo or tirelessly sharing your knowledge about fishing and for tying my set up the night before. Limpingcrab and I are still rookies, but we are stepping up into the big leagues and can't wait to fish with you guys again!
Pyramid is truly a wild and humbling landscape and it was an honor to see it in person and experience all it had to throw at us. What a treat.
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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Apr 10, 2018 - 12:34pm PT
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Nice! Thanks for posting up the photos and comments gentlemen!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Apr 10, 2018 - 12:56pm PT
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I must not be very observant because I didn't notice any of the photo bombing until looking at pics on the way home. Love it
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 10, 2018 - 10:03pm PT
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One final image from the trip....
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 10, 2018 - 11:16pm PT
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Nice photos and nice fish!
Can't wait to get back to Pyramid.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Apr 11, 2018 - 10:03pm PT
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Nice post WTF. It really was a special little trip. I don't know why, but we all seemed to feel a genuine connection and it just felt right. You never know with these kind of "blind dates" but this one was the real deal. Blame it on Supertopo, blame it on the trout, but I think some new friendships were made and I'm already looking forward to getting together again.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Apr 11, 2018 - 10:14pm PT
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Wow, looks like a great trip.
Micro, are you tying or buying those chironomids?
That "ammo" box looks good:)
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Apr 12, 2018 - 07:59am PT
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I see you boys had a stellar trip.... and earned the right to post on “TVLTLT”.
Way to go!
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Apr 22, 2018 - 10:03pm PT
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Caught accidentally. These pre-historic fish are pretty odd. Once a staple of local Indians' diet. Now protected. These fish are possibly only found in Pyramid and noplace else. I would have preferred not to disturb this protected species. Thanks to barbless hooks for a gentle release!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 23, 2018 - 11:09am PT
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Nice posts everybody! We just got back home from Utah, fantastic time tromping around the red stone country, no fishing involved, but lots of hiking and rubbernecking.
The general trout opener is this weekend..... it should be fun getting to streams that have been closed all winter long. Hungry, unsuspecting trout.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Apr 23, 2018 - 11:13am PT
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Fishmas!!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Apr 23, 2018 - 02:49pm PT
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ALMOST TROUT SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
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barrettpauer
Trad climber
north carolina
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Apr 23, 2018 - 03:34pm PT
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Best brown to date. 21" on the dot
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Apr 23, 2018 - 05:28pm PT
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^^^^ Looks like a beautiful place to catch a beautiful fish! Where was that?
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 13, 2018 - 12:03pm PT
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A few little guys from Southcentral AK this week
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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May 13, 2018 - 05:14pm PT
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Big trout on dry flies is the best
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 17, 2018 - 12:43am PT
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Some from the Susitna drainage today
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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May 17, 2018 - 12:16pm PT
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Here is one I got last winter. Looks like all of you had a good time on your trip.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 17, 2018 - 02:22pm PT
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Nice one Loyd!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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May 17, 2018 - 06:23pm PT
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Nice photos Johnkelly and Brian! Good luck in Yose Tad. Last fall, on the way home from the east side, Macronut and I slayed em just outside the park entrance.......just pulled over out of curiosity and scrambled down the steep embankment/hillside abou a mile up river from El Portal. All we had handy was.......shhhhh......spinners.....but we killed em down in there for about an hour joyously boulder hopping from pool to pool.
It was a fun surprise having been in The Valley for decade without ever wetting a line or thinking trout.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 17, 2018 - 09:00pm PT
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Might hit the east walker Saturday. Stimbo you around?
On Saturday I will be in the Valley for the big memorial service but on Sunday I was planning to hit the EW on my way home. Will you still be around?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 18, 2018 - 07:02am PT
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I would like to get you to join me for some lower sac drift time if you aren’t too busy guiding.
Let me know if you have a weekend in July. I’m booked until after I get back from the island.
Let me know.
I will let you know about July, the Lower Sac is a hoot. Have fun in Hawaii! I hope you get your "bone."
And btw.... the EW is fishing well. You will enjoy the tugs.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 20, 2018 - 12:41am PT
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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May 20, 2018 - 12:57am PT
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That's a beautiful fish. Man the fishing in Alaska is incredible. Can't wait to go back someday.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 21, 2018 - 02:35pm PT
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Hey all,
gunna be in Yosemite Valley this weekend and was wondering if I should bring gear, is the fishin any good?
Is the Merced stocked in the Park?
Hey Tad,
We were gonna fish the Merced after the memorial but the flows were on the high side so we bailed and headed home, fishing the East Walker instead, which was killer.
And BTW, we were camped just below you in Yellow Pines. We had the white Toyota truck.
jim
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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May 21, 2018 - 02:43pm PT
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Caught this little guy at lunch. this one yesterday in rain all day.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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May 21, 2018 - 03:18pm PT
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I fished a little spring creek on the East Side this weekend. Quite different weather each day but caught about 40 fish each day. I must say that the recovery is coming along nicely. Nothing big but still plenty of fight. I can't tell you how many fish I caught on the near bank right after someone had just walked away from the area. These guys are not very spooky right now.
Also, those rainbows that were so silver sided earlier this year have now settled into typical rainbow coloring.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 21, 2018 - 03:55pm PT
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BTW, did you get any sleep Sat. night with all the racket coming from the tent between our rigs? They were raging till 4:00am.
I did not even hear their arrival so I just assumed your group got a second wind and were ragin' away over there. I took a dose of tylenol pm but woke up at about 2 am from the racket. So then I stuffed my ears with plugs and settled back in for the night. Somebody called in to dispatch complaining of the noise and apparently several rangers arrived and broke up their party. I missed all of the commotion. I was surprised to see the tent between our rigs in the morning, the occupant sprawled out inside. Who were they?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 21, 2018 - 06:30pm PT
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Good news Jan!
Nice one Jim! Can't wait to fish the East Walker...your report confirms what I've heard. Goin up there soon.
I'm at the Florida Keys for a few days. Rainy and windy, but managed to get a couple of nice little bonefish today!
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HoMan
Trad climber
Wasteville,CA
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May 21, 2018 - 06:59pm PT
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Nice!! Man you get around...I'm jelly.
I'm slated for a Cuba trip next year. Hope it all pans out. Looking forward to the culture as much as the fishing.
Those bonefish always remind me of whitefish. Prolly an unfair comparison.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 21, 2018 - 07:05pm PT
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They do have a resemblance, but whitefish usually don't take you into the backing :)
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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May 21, 2018 - 08:59pm PT
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Nice fish!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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May 22, 2018 - 07:51am PT
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Nice Boneys!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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May 22, 2018 - 08:43am PT
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I had a good time at Memorial.... happy to know LEOs were called for noise, fitting tribute to Jim.
I stayed in El Portel .... the River was raging. So I went on line for guidance and was happy to find out about Foresta, and big meadow. A nice mellow creek with pools and riffles... and Trout... smallish but fun .
Didn’t take any photos.... I now like to get them released without removing from the water and who needs photos of 8 inch trout anyway .
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 22, 2018 - 08:51am PT
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Nice fish Bob! Give me a buzz when you are coming up to the EW, maybe we can scare up some nice fish.
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Br3tt
climber
Los Angeles
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May 22, 2018 - 11:09am PT
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I'm fighting the crowds and headed up to the Valley this weekend. I've done a lot of fishing on the eastside but never in Yosemite proper.
Any recommendations/places I should check out? I'm pretty new to fly fishing (and no good at it) but I'd like a place where I can fly and spin cast (when my fly efforts inevitably fail).
Looks like it's going to be a mix of clouds/sun, depending on the day. What gets them biting early in the season?
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 24, 2018 - 02:25pm PT
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Barely hooked this one.
Susitna River drainage rainbow
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 25, 2018 - 12:44am PT
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Some rainbows and grayling from the Susitna Dranage today
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 25, 2018 - 06:48am PT
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Nice rainbows. Those are some big grayling!
Switch Rod?
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otisdog
Social climber
Sierra Madre, Ca.
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May 25, 2018 - 07:59am PT
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Damn...East Walker flow has tripled in the last 3 days...upper Owens seasonal closure...need to find another option.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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May 25, 2018 - 08:25am PT
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I am so looking forward to getting back to the states this summer for some FF!
Thanks for the stoke!
Any recommendations/places I should check out? I'm pretty new to fly fishing (and no good at it) but I'd like a place where I can fly and spin cast (when my fly efforts inevitably fail).
Looks like it's going to be a mix of clouds/sun, depending on the day. What gets them biting early in the season?
First, shine on the spin rod.
It's not all about catching. If you want to get better at FF IMO you need to commit to it. Not that I have anything against spin casting...I don't have anything against sport climbing either:-)
But, there is so much more to learn and so much more satisfaction in FF. After FF for 40 years I'm still learning. And I dig that. Can't say the same about spinning.
Anyway.It's been awhile since I fished the valley.
However, I remember some pretty killer fishing up stream and down steam of El Cap bridge. Do some wandering and you'll find some quiet pools and a bit of moving water that twist and turns as it winds it's way downstream.
If you can keep your eyes on the water instead of wandering up to the cliff sides you should be able to hook up. I know for a fact there are some big boys in that water.
Do a little hiking and wandering away from the crowds and you should be good.
As usual check the aquatic life to see what is happening or talk to the local folks.
Not sure about current local bata.
Timid Top Rope and I use to work in the sport shop back in the early 80's and I knew that water pretty well.
Now, I spend most of my (Yosemite) time in the high country fishing so others here may be more up to speed for the valley.
However don't overlook the lower Merced. Lots of fine water down canyon.
And there is a lot of truth in;
Cloudy dark days = dark flies
Bright sunny days = lighter files.
Remember, if there is no sunlight it would be unnatural for there it be flash/sparkle/or the like-right, so go with dark on those cloudy rainy days.
Good luck and have fun.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 25, 2018 - 12:21pm PT
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BG- yeah a Sage One 6wt. with a full length (48’?) Scandinavian style head. It’s like a magic wand.
It’ll turn over a medium size flesh fly or bead on a 12’ leader with a pretty chuncky indicator and good sized split shot at 70’-80’ pretty effortlessly. When you’re fishing down and across (snap t’s, single spey’s...) the distance is limited by how much shooting line you can keep from getting tangled.
Alaska Fish and Game has had a no retention rule for grayling in a good bit of the Susitna dranage for several years now. Seems like it’s working. I’m starting to see more size.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 26, 2018 - 08:20am PT
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Nice John! I have a Sage Accel 11 ft 4 inch 7 weight and love it.
Ever been to Paradise Lakes on the Kenai Peninsula? I'm thinking of doing a fly-in for Grayling.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 27, 2018 - 12:58pm PT
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Sorry I’ve never heard of it. Could be good? There’s so many lakes here. I pretty much only target rainbows. End up catching grayling, dollies varden, the occasion white fish, and the rare sucker in the process.
I know that there are big grayling in all of the Parks Highway streams. Crescent Lake and Cresent Creek that drain into Quartz Creek, a Kenai Lake tributary, are known for grayling. That’s about all I know.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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May 27, 2018 - 03:48pm PT
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Dehli Dog- I used to snorkel long stretches of the Merced in the valley just cuz. There are, in fact, some large trout in there. Like a lot of big fish, they are few and far between.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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May 30, 2018 - 02:26pm PT
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Thanks John. I've fished Crescent Lake a couple times and caught a few 18-inch Grayling there.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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May 30, 2018 - 02:47pm PT
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the distance is limited by how much shooting line you can keep from getting tangled
Drool
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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May 30, 2018 - 09:48pm PT
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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May 31, 2018 - 10:26am PT
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Mojeed, although I admire your apparent skills at falconry, that is a shameful picture. To display your
bird's carcass online is very bad medicine. As you domesticated that raptor, so it was your responsibility.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jim thanks for the East Walker beta it was a magical day for sure wish you were there to share the fun. I’ll be back down soon.
You are so welcome WTF. I am glad it worked out for you. Hopefully, we can fish either on the EW or the Truckee, soon. Cheers! Jim
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ruppell
climber
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For about an hour and a half it was just going off
Those are the parts of the days that make you feel special. Such a fun time to be on the water.
I had one of those at South Lake(Bishop) two weeks ago. From 2-4 it was game on. I'm pretty sure I could have hooked a cigarette butt to my jig and still been on fish. lol.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Another rainbow from another Susitna Drainage tributary.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Guyzo and I are going to hit up the eastside for 3 days this weekend. Can't wait. Gonna try someplace new and obscure on Saturday. I hope it works out.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Guyzo and I are going to hit up the eastside for 3 days this weekend.
Have a good one G_Gnome! Just a heads up, with the warm weather, most of the freestone creeks and rivers are blown out. You will find something "tasty" I am sure. jim
From yesterday on a scouting mission:
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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So many pretty fish pictures!
Some spots are starting to get fishy already on the west side, I love fishing on drought years!
Half a dozen little browns and bows on a quick check of the NF Kings yesterday. All on dries.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Stimbo, we were thinking of starting on Parker Creek. Do you think 42 cfs is too high to fish it? Have you ever fished it? I have only hiked thru there a couple times and always saw a fair number of small browns so I thought it might be good because nobody talks about it and it takes walking a ways to get to it. Thanks for any info.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Stimbo, we were thinking of starting on Parker Creek. Do you think 42 cfs is too high to fish it? Have you ever fished it? I have only hiked thru there a couple times and always saw a fair number of small browns so I thought it might be good because nobody talks about it and it takes walking a ways to get to it. Thanks for any info.
Hey Gnome, I drove by there yesterday on my way home from the East Walker. Rush Creek was flowing very high so I am guessing Parker is raging as well but I would think you could find some nice buckets and quiet water somewhere along that drainage. Parker and Walker Lakes are worth checking out. I have not fished Parker Creek recently.... Have fun! jim
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Jun 11, 2018 - 01:13pm PT
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More Susitna Drainage action.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jun 11, 2018 - 01:43pm PT
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Holy cow this thread is absolutely going OFF!
Nice work out there fellas. I have done zero fishin' since my Pyramid Trip sadly and its high time I get my tip wet. This thread was just the ticket to bring back the stoke.
Actually, come to think of it....I haven't been totally away from the water. Took my sons and their little cousins out "Frog Giggin'" two nights ago for their first time and my first time in 30 years. It felt stoic to be teaching them how to "spear hunt" like many fathers before me....felt like we were getting in touch with our native American ancestors when fathers taught sons spear-craft as a means of survival. We had a blast.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Jun 12, 2018 - 03:09pm PT
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Mammal patterns and the Susitna Drainage
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originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
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Jun 14, 2018 - 09:28am PT
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Couldn't find the 'Average size trout lover thread'
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 14, 2018 - 11:13am PT
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Any of you east side guys ever fished Green Creek? My favorite. The beaver ponds are numerous and the stream goes for miles. The road in is the crux. Long and rough.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Jun 14, 2018 - 04:00pm PT
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Good views of Denali from the most northern part of the rainbow trout’s range
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 14, 2018 - 05:39pm PT
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Just found out I got a wife free weekend. Sounds like the perfect time to hit Laurel Lakes. Anyone one been up this year yet? Stimbo?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 14, 2018 - 06:24pm PT
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Just found out I got a wife free weekend. Sounds like the perfect time to hit Laurel Lakes. Anyone one been up this year yet? Stimbo?
The final switchback has snow but the fish seem to reward those who put forth the extra effort.
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 14, 2018 - 06:39pm PT
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Thanks Stimbo.
I think I'm going to make it a drive to Golden weekend. Hidden and Laurel. You obviously know about one but have you fished the other?
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 14, 2018 - 06:54pm PT
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Trout are the Ghengis Kahns of the fish world. Introduced wherever clear cold water can be found by Western Colonialists. they have invariably decimated local fish populations and become thedominant species.
Funny...” environmentalists” who raise the alarm about other introduced species never complain about trout.
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Jun 14, 2018 - 06:59pm PT
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Rainbow trout are native here but you’re right in regards to a lot of places. I think I’m correct in saying that all of New Zealand’s and Patagonia’s rainbow trout were introduced.
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 14, 2018 - 07:02pm PT
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Donini
You should look up Yellow Legged Mountain Frog.
In the Sierra, it's native habitat, the "enviros" have tried to re-introduce it. To do that they have killed off over 100 lakes that contained Golden Trout. That little stupid frog is native, Goldens aren't.
Pay no mind to the science that shows frog populations declining around the world. Let's kill off a perfectly good eco-system to help the frogs. SO f'ing stupid. Oh, and the success rate for the frogs being repopulated, 7%.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 14, 2018 - 08:19pm PT
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I think I'm going to make it a drive to Golden weekend.
I am not familiar with the other, but I will not ask where.... there are some nice gems out there. Have a great weekend. Maybe I will see you out there. jim
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 14, 2018 - 09:04pm PT
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jun 14, 2018 - 09:17pm PT
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BG! Great Carp photos. About 20 years back, the book Carp on a Fly inspired me to try Carp fishing on nearby waters. I had an abundant suppy of big Carp, but they were uninterested in my wet flies.
I finally started snaging them with weighted-wet flies.
Those fish run like bulls!
The "poor-man's Bonefish."
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 14, 2018 - 09:19pm PT
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You can ask Stimbo. It won't ever see a ton of pressure like Laurel does. The fish also aren't as big as what Laurel can produce but they more then make up for it in quantity. You can drive too about 1 mile of it. Then you have to walk. If you want the details I'll fill you in either here or by PM.
Have you heard any recent reports on Kirman?
Nice BG. What are you driving? If it's a 4X put Laurel Lakes on your radar if it's not already. There's a lot of places to go to on the East Side but Laurel is a real gem.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 14, 2018 - 09:26pm PT
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The word on Kirman is that it is dead- the fish didn't survive the drought. The DFW plans on restocking with Brook Trout, but it will take 3 or 4 years to come back.
Driving my Minivan- won't be driving up to Laurel Lakes!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 14, 2018 - 09:43pm PT
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Hi Fritz. I learned to fly fish on Carp. My local creek is loaded with them. "Carp on the Fly" by Barry Reynolds and Brad Befus was a game changer for me. I learned a lot from that book.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 15, 2018 - 07:36am PT
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Yo Ruppell, I just sent you a PM. Let me know if it goes thru....
jim
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 15, 2018 - 05:53pm PT
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Nothing in my inbox Jim. Having that function broken is really a weak link on this site. Let me know how you want to connect and we'll make it happen.
I'm still debating where to go tomorrow. There's so much water and so little time. lol
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Jun 15, 2018 - 07:02pm PT
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Ruppel- save a little love for the mountain yellow legged frog. They're pretty cool when you run into a lake that's lumpy with them.
As for removing fish, not stocking seems a bigger issue to me. Tiny brook trout are a bigger problem than the frogs are. The problem with the brooks is that they breed themselves small. Remove them or stock something that dominates them.
Managing the good fisheries should become a priority again, but we gotta leave some room for the frogs. Why not leave some stunted brook lakes for the frogs?
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johnkelley
climber
Anchorage Alaska
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Jun 15, 2018 - 08:10pm PT
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There’s a problem up here in south central Alaska with illegally introduced pike in a few areas. ADF&G is trying to get rid of them. They killed off a few lakes trying to do it. They’re legal to spear, shoot with a bow, etc... anglers are required to either harvest them or kill them prior to releasing. No limit on them either
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 15, 2018 - 08:19pm PT
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Ruppel- save a little love for the mountain yellow legged frog. They're pretty cool when you run into a lake that's lumpy with them.
tom woods
It's not a lack of love that preceded my post. It's a lack of success with re-population. A 7% success rate doesn't justify taking out the successful, non-native, species IMO.
As for removing fish, not stocking seems a bigger issue to me. Tiny brook trout are a bigger problem than the frogs are. The problem with the brooks is that they breed themselves small. Remove them or stock something that dominates them.
Upper Boyscout Lake hasn't been stocked since 1973. Go fish it next time you're doing Whitney. There's a self-sustaining population of Rainbows in there. They're not gonna be small.
So take stocking out of the picture, do you really believe Brookies "breed" themselves small? It's a food source issue. Small resources equate to smaller fish. Anyone who's fished Kirman will probably agree.
Managing the good fisheries should become a priority again, but we gotta leave some room for the frogs. Why not leave some stunted brook lakes for the frogs?
Because the frog tadpoles will be taken out by the Brookies. That's the sole reason for the re-introduction of the frogs at high altitude lakes. Historically, the frogs where only found in lakes above any inlet. They lived because they're was zero predation.
With the stocking of Goldens from the late 1800's that equation changed. Goldens can also thrive in the same lakes. Not only can but do.
That goes back to my original post. Is it the Goldens that are to blame for killing off all of the frogs? Or is it something else? If it is something else why take out the Goldens before figuring out what that something else is?
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jun 15, 2018 - 08:42pm PT
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The real problem is that fish and wildlife is living in the 50s. There are too damn many people to do put and take any longer. The ONLY thing a hatchery should be used for is to recover a population of wild fish that have had a problem for one reason or another. They should NOT be putting brookies in MYLF lakes. They should not be putting brookies anywhere in California!
They need to start managing for the wildlife and not the fisherman. Stop all plantings for put and take except at a few roadside attractions for children. Stop all trout harvesting within a few miles of a road. Let the trout return the balance of the river. If you want to eat trout go to the damn market. It is just so odd to go fish a river that is dead. It shouldn't be that way!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 15, 2018 - 09:03pm PT
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 15, 2018 - 09:38pm PT
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Here is an excerpt from an article I wrote for Southwest Fly Fishing magazine, titled "Hatchery Versus Wild Trout in the Eastern Sierra."
"After the last ice age, glaciers retreated from the Sierra Nevada, leaving behind thousands of crystal clear alpine lakes devoid of fish; cut off from other watersheds by waterfalls; isolated by sheer cliffs and brutal topography. The first "hatchery" rainbows arrived via pack mule and coffee can in the late 1800's, seeding the first self-sustaining populations of "wild" high sierra trout. By definition, a "wild" trout is simply a trout spawned in the wild, from either hatchery or wild parents, or a combination of both, not to be confused with a native trout that was there to begin with.
After WWII the CADFG acquired a surplus air force tanker along with a talented pilot in need of a job. In 1949 a relentless aerial bombardment ensued- a bombing campaign that would go unchecked for 46 years. Clouds of fingerlings were relentlessly and repeatedly dropped into virtually every Sierra lake. Today, roughly 60 percent of Sierra lakes hold fish, and the other 40 percent is probably too shallow to support fish life. To survive, trout need water deep enough to not freeze solid during the dead of winter. So does another alpine lake dweller, namely the yellow legged frog, whose tadpoles need two years to metamorphose into frogs. The problem is, tadpoles are a favorite food of high sierra trout.
In 1995 the US Forest service hired scientist Roland Knapp to survey Sierra Nevada lakes and their inhabitants. In one wilderness basin, 5 of 8 lakes had fish removed by gillnets. The frogs made a dramatic comeback. The bottom line- trout eat tadpoles. One surveyed lake that had about 20 frogs before fish were removed was teaming with over two thousand frogs a few years later.
Even more startling was another discovery- that aerial stocking was doing more harm than good to the trout. Knapp found that over 70 percent of lakes that had been repeatedly stocked actually held self-sustaining populations. The CADFG was diluting the wild gene pool, introducing fish that were less adept at survival and reproduction. The good intentions of the CADFG were counterproductive, creating lakes full of ravenous, stunted, and inferior trout."
Perhaps the solution is to leave the lakes that can achieve viable self-sustaining populations of trout for trout, and lakes that cannot for the frogs.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Jun 16, 2018 - 07:58am PT
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BG- Perhaps the solution is to leave the lakes that can achieve viable self-sustaining populations of trout for trout, and lakes that cannot for the frogs.
The problem is, the trout and the frogs need the same kind of lake. We have to make choices. I say choose some for the frogs. Where we do choose to have trout, I say improve the fisheries. More goldens, fewer brooks.
Lakes with lots of food and marginal reproduction seem to produce good brooks. Fewer trout, same food. Lakes with lots of reproduction of brooks seem to lead to the stunted brook situation. (Lots of fish, same amount of food.) So Ruppel, you are right, I shouldn't have said that they breed themselves small. They do pull out these five inchers and find they are four and five years old. A lake like that- five year old five inchers, should be managed one way or the other. Frogs or real fish.
Just around here, I'm thinking like Bull Lake, or Grass lake, or lower lamark. Get some real fish in there, (maybe not grass lake.) If the Frogs come back to the upper treasure lakes, that would be cool.
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 16, 2018 - 10:30am PT
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Perhaps the solution is to leave the lakes that can achieve viable self-sustaining populations of trout for trout, and lakes that cannot for the frogs.
BG, Tom
That would have been a great compromise. The problem is that those self-sustaining fish lakes have already been gill netted and electroshocked to remove Goldens. It was a piss poor management plan with piss poor results.
The lakes that had frogs introduced have a 7% success rate. To me that does not justify continuing the program. What source did you use for that article? This is the most recent assessment done in 2014.
https://amphibiaweb.org/refs/pdfs/USFS_RAMU_CA_508_final.pdf
There's also a book called "The Plague of Frogs" by William Souder that was published in 2000. It details and tries to surmise why frog populations around the world took a major dive from 1980 to 2000. Predation is not one of the factors mentioned.
I'm in no way against conservation or frogs. I am against continuing programs that don't work and take out viable self-sustaining populations of Goldens to continue that work.
There's lakes I fished for years. Lakes that had no stocking. Lakes that are way up high and hard to get to. Lakes that had Goldens that most fisherman dream of. Some of those lakes are still going strong. A lot have been reduced to fishless to help the frogs. There's not many of frogs in those lakes currently.
Where the frogs are doing well I think that's a good thing. Maybe we need to focus more on why the range is so limited compared to what it was pre-1980. Maybe that focus will lead to a better understanding of how to help bring them back into self-sustaining levels in more of there historic range.
One thing I do know is that the Goldens and frogs where able to live in the same ecosytem for years. To think, all of the sudden, predation became the cause of the frogs decline is short sighted and not logical.
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 17, 2018 - 05:48pm PT
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Tom
I headed up to Laurel today. Not a single fish to be seen. They where down deep and not feeding at all. It's one of those lakes that's either game on or game over. Today was game over. It's still a damn pretty lake though.
Yesterday I hit up Hidden Lake. Also a very nice spot. The fishing here is almost always good.
Here's what lies hidden in Hidden Lake.
Hope all you guys had a good weekend.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 17, 2018 - 10:24pm PT
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Nice Golden Ruppell!
I had a memorable afternoon Saturday at Crowley, float tubing Green Banks. Caught a few hard-fighting and leaping rainbows, a bunch of sacramento perch, and this nice hook-jawed brown.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 18, 2018 - 10:40am PT
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Yes, the weekend and Father's Day was good.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jun 18, 2018 - 10:53am PT
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Nice fishin' out there boys......and Bob, you are making everybody else's post catch photos look bad with those underwater shots of yours! Keep them coming. Are you using a go-pro on those?
Scott
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 18, 2018 - 08:55pm PT
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Hi Scott,
I'm using a Nikon AW100 16 mp waterproof camera that also shoots 1080p HD video.
Underwater shots can be tough. The key to a good shot is clear water, sunlight, and taking a lot of shots to get a good one. Plus my wife Yvonne is a great photographer.
Stimbo, Nice Golden!
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Jun 19, 2018 - 07:15am PT
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We've hit Crowley, Ruby, and McGee Creek. Headed up to Long Lake today. I've yet to catch a brown there, but they say they are in there.
Ruby Lake was no good-little brookies, Crowley was awesome- browns, rainbows and perch. I don't know what I am doing at McGee Creek- nothing there for us.
Hidden Lake is out for me- the 4runner is toast, needs a new engine which really means that it needs money,
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jun 19, 2018 - 08:24am PT
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Ruppell..... That golden .... posted above. Did a shark take a bite as you were landing it??????
Had a good time fishing with G_Gome on the east side. One morning we walked out to a crooked little creek, the hoppers were going off. Choosing a dry fly was no problem.
I got this one right off, then a few more in quick succession...all even larger, but the phone was down to 2% so I turned it off.
As soon as I start to pat myself on the back cause I can dry fly hoppers during a feeding frenzy.... Gome catches a BOW that will not fit into his net!!!!!!!!
Question for all of you knowledgeable Dry Flyers .....
The trout were hitting the surface and gobbling the hoppers at a mad clip. Then it all died, suddenly at about 11am, hoppers were still falling into the water and swimming around but none were being eaten. Were they full?
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 19, 2018 - 06:09pm PT
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Hidden Lake is out for me- the 4runner is toast, needs a new engine which really means that it needs money,
tom
That sucks. I'm going to go a little OT here but what year 4Runner? I'm currently getting ready to put dual cases in my 97. The one thing I need to source is a chain drive j-shift transfer case from a 1st gen Tacoma or 3rd gen 4Runner. You happen to know anyone in town that might have one?
Ruppell..... That golden .... posted above. Did a shark take a bite as you were landing it??????
guyman
LOL. I almost didn't post that shot because it makes me look like a noob who doesn't know how to handle fish. A had my cell phone in one hand and the rod in the other. I got him nice and calm. He was sitting in the water below that rock. As I was about to snap the shot he goes airborne and lands on the damn rock. I got that photo and hurried him back into H20. Then I released him unharmed. Except for some rock burn I'm sure.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jun 19, 2018 - 08:08pm PT
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nice trip to Great Inagua a little while ago. Big bones, almost got a permit, enormous barracuda that were basically impossible to bring to hand with a 9 weight.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Jun 19, 2018 - 08:55pm PT
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Ruppel- my 4runner is a 97. I'm leaning toward scrapping it, rather than a new engine since the clutch was starting to show sings of wearing out.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jun 19, 2018 - 09:02pm PT
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Nice fish gentlemen! Maybe this autumn we should try to gather the tribe for a fish-a-thon somewhere. This guy was from this afternoon, a beaut!
Enjoy,
jim
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jun 19, 2018 - 09:23pm PT
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Thank you all, for your fine & entertaining fish stories & photos!
Hopefully this photo will amuse other folks here who have "foul-hooked" a trout.
When I was at my best, fishing in an area where most of the trout had been caught & released, some "false rises," when a somewhat wary trout comes up to & bumps my fly, without taking it, result in a light strike on my part.
It wasn't uncommon in my past, to have my strike "foul-hook" the trout, as its rise took it past my fly, as it turned & dived.
They fight really hard too, when you catch them "up the butt."
This photo of an 14" Idaho Cut, dates to summer 2008.
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ruppell
climber
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Jun 19, 2018 - 09:38pm PT
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tom
Your kidding me. Is it a V6? If it is get a hold of me if your serious about scrapping it. m a t t r u p p e l l @ g m a i l .com
Remove the spaces and that's my email.
How long ago did the motor go?
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 19, 2018 - 10:55pm PT
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hey there, say, BG ... wow, those are great! fish pics!!!
really nice! thanks for sharing...
nice stuff here...
had not had a chance to come here, to this thread...
for years... (i think i did once, :)) though) ...
just been busy... :))
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jun 20, 2018 - 12:28am PT
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Thanks Neebe!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jun 20, 2018 - 09:32am PT
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I routinely foul hook fish. I think two weekends ago with Guyzo I foul hooked 3 fish in one day at Hot Creek. But then I have never had so many refusals in one day and yet still caught a huge number of fish. It was most odd, the trout were so picky but so hungry that you could eventually get them to eat something.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jun 27, 2018 - 02:56pm PT
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Heading over with my daughter (who flies in from college in Alabama tonight) and two of my boys to fish Hot Creek this weekend. Have never been on that stretch of water and am looking forward to sleeping under the stars and among the fragrant sage and waking up with a pot of cowboy coffee on the bed of my truck. Gonna be good for the soul.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oh the madness- keeps pulling you back.
G-Gome and I are talking a road trip.... up North to Montana and beyond.
I will show Brad Pitt how it’s really done.
Ordered up some waders, about time I stopped fishing in street pants.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Had fun last week on the Dana Fork. Caught some incredibly small fish (3").
WTF - I've been out twice the last month in Honolulu trying to get one of those monster Hawaii bones. Saw lots of tails *in knee-deep water*. They are spooky. I got one around 12lbs three or four years ago and that is it in maybe 10 days of fishing and seeing lots of fish.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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So what are you guys doing wrong?
Or are those Hawaii Bone Fish the toughest foe on a fly.
Do the locals use Power Bait?
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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I'm not sure what the key is for these big Hawaii bones. I have had perfect casts that were ignored, I have had what I thought were perfect casts (6 foot ahead of tailing fish) the sent them scurrying. I got the one a few years back and I always use that same big fly that worked at least once (well, not the same fly, but the same pattern). I've also had 10-fish days in the Bahamas lots of times so I'm not completely incompetent...
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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WTF - never visited Mayaguana. So far have hit Andros, Long, Great Inagua, and Acklins Islands in the Bahamas and Guanaja off Honduras. Some really nice off-the-usual-spots on all those islands. But, I've never seen bones in the Caribbean that match those beasts in the waters around Oahu.
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bringmedeath
climber
la la land
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How was Guanaja? Looks like a nice place! Hoping to start hitting up some of these places after dreaming for years! Probably will start with with Christmas Island for a couple weeks, since that looked cool since I was a kid. Figure I'll send my girlfriend on trips of her own and bring her along to some of the others.
Anyone done peacock bass fishing? I'm sure it is in this thread somewhere but this has gone on for so many years I can't remember! Always come back to look at this thread. Hahahaha.
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ExfifteenExfifteen
climber
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Always a fun stretch to fish for a couple days. Nothing monster, but decent stuff for a small eastside spring creek.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Honduras (specifically Guanaja one of the islands in Caribbean of Honduras) is really nice and interesting. There are some classic flats with a couple of bonefish lodges located on them in the "cays". We did not feel that good about our day there because the coral was pretty fragile and it felt very unsustainable.
But, we stayed around the other side of the island at a place called George and Ginger's. It is a dive lodge. George is a little hard to take, but it is a pretty nice place to stay. Lots of good local food and they have kayaks. We'd get up early and head up the coast line fishing little pocket flats and small creek systems. Not your classic Bahamas flats. Not always wadeable and not usually shallow enough. But, caught some nice bones there, saw plenty of tarpon moving in and out of the creeks, and there were LOTS of permit up to 35lbs. Never got one, but had several shots per day on the water. Going to head back there one of these days now that I think I know a lot more about catching permit.
Also caught snook and barracuda.
I keep in touch with some of the folks I met there. Here is a permit from Guanaja caught three weeks ago.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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WAY cool Mike, nice permit!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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There were some nice trout rising to dry flies on Saturday. With a hookup there would be some spectacular aerobatic displays. Fun times in the caldera.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nice
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Jul 15, 2018 - 01:07pm PT
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what seems to be getting close to 100 days fishing in Eldo I finally caught a bigger fish. It is pretty satisfying after watching hundreds of good sized fish flash at my fly or take it and get off. I have caught lots of little ones but there are deffinately begger ones in there.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 15, 2018 - 06:47pm PT
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I fished the Big Hole river this morning. Caught my first ever white fish. Nothing to write home about. Fished the East fork Bitterroot this afternoon and caught some nice cutties. Overall it makes me appreciate how public our waters are in Cali and how good the fishing is if you know where to look. So far this Montana stuff is overrated. Still got two weeks to go so hopefully I will hit the motherlode before I head home.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jul 15, 2018 - 08:05pm PT
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G_Gnome! Re your post: I fished the Big Hole river this morning. Caught my first ever white fish. Nothing to write home about. Fished the East fork Bitterroot this afternoon and caught some nice cutties. Overall it makes me appreciate how public our waters are in Cali and how good the fishing is if you know where to look. So far this Montana stuff is overrated. Still got two weeks to go so hopefully I will hit the motherlode before I head home.
I visited Montana several times a year, for 10 days to two weeks, as a Outdoor Gear sales-rep from 1983 to 2013, & if it wasn't winter, I always had a fly rod along. My problem was, I never fished enough anywhere to get intimate with the streams & the fish. I feel your pain, since much of my fishing was not catching, but I was younger then, so I kept trying.
I have fond memories of the Madison & streams around Glacier National Park. Otherwise, I did a lot of fishing & not much catching. I do have extraordinary memories of one of my best big, & big fish days on the Yellowstone, just down from Yellowstone Lake on opening day, in the long ago, when I hiked about 5 miles down the non-highway side of the river, through bear & buffalo country. I finally quit fishing after my right arm got too sore to fish, from catching & releasing over 50 Cuts in the 14" to 20" range.
Last week, I spent a couple hours at an Idaho stream 1/4 mile from a paved highway. I normally avoid any streams like that. It doesn't get stocked, & I've never caught a trout over 12" there. However 25 wild rainbows in the 8" to 11" range in 2 hours, was fun for this old guy.
I caught 12 trout in the stream stretch in this photo.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 15, 2018 - 08:26pm PT
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Yeah Fritz, I tried to get to a couple of creeks but with everything private up here even that is hard to do. I have caught about 40 fish a day or so but nothing of size so I can't really complain. But it is bloody hot. Heading north tomorrow to see how that works. Then to Yellowstone I think.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jul 15, 2018 - 09:46pm PT
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G_Gnome
Something for your checklist:
Make sure you hit the Beaverhead, the Madison in the Park and just below Hebgen Reservoir, Firehole, Shields (above Livingston), Henry's Fork.
They all have some nice fish, somewhere. The heat must be a drag though...
jim
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originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
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Jul 16, 2018 - 08:45am PT
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I recently did an overnight white water/fly fishing trip with Rise Up River Trips. (Shameless promotion, company belongs to my girlfriend and mother of our son.) It was an excellent trip though, down the Middle Fork of the American River here in NorCal. Class IV white water, lots of trout, excellent food, great fishing guides. My dad and I did it for the first time and it will now be an annual father/son fishing trip. Here are a few pics.
http://riseuprivertrips.com
1-800-323-RAFT
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Jul 16, 2018 - 09:18am PT
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Yeah Fritz, I tried to get to a couple of creeks but with everything private up here even that is hard to do. I have caught about 40 fish a day or so but nothing of size so I can't really complain. But it is bloody hot. Heading north tomorrow to see how that works. Then to Yellowstone I think.
Rumor has a long time friend doing well on the Clark's Fork outside St. Regis. White on tan chubby chernoby (large).
That's all I can say...ha ha.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-7-77
I used to really like the Beartrap but in hot weather in low water its pretty weak.
Little Blackfoot can be fun.
If you stop in at BigRock Bronze Works in Stevensville, tell Chip hi and twist him arm for some fishin' info.
Ditto if you stop in at Coyle's Canyon Bar in Drummond. Say hi to Mike. He should know the local water pretty well...
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otisdog
Social climber
Sierra Madre, Ca.
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Jul 18, 2018 - 08:20am PT
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^^^^^^^ Agreed, the Fall River is big league trout fishing. My issue with the Hex hatch is I'm an early morning person, so by the time the hatch rolls around, i'm usually asleep - so my reactions are off.
Applaud the practice of never taking the fish out of the water....an alive fish is worth so much more than a picture.
Had an amazing day @ Hot Creek Saturday, despite the gloomy reports. Caught all three fish I targeted, 48" worth.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 23, 2018 - 12:35pm PT
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Love catching up on the pics and stories on the best thread ever! Looks like most of you are having some fun.
Boys camping trip with the brothers/nephews/kids. Took out a stand up paddle board and one of WTFs hand tied buggers in a small diversion pond and had some fun.
Been getting out a fair bit on short afternoon trips to west side spots. Nothing big but loving every second cause these fish fight twice their size.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jul 27, 2018 - 06:49am PT
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Yellowstone adventures.
Jan picked me up at airport in Kalispell. After loading up on beer and ice we went to Rock Creek. It was late in the day so we fished at mile 3 and camped at Norton... $3.00/nite with senior discount... we were the only folks there. I caught some smallish Browns and Jan caught some larger Browns, Rainbows and Cuts. It took me awhile to figure out this new water. Next day we went up by Mile 23. .... I caught bigger Browns and Jan was pretty busy all day... no trout were harmed.
We rolled into Yellowstone at 5am got in line at Slough Creek by 6... and snagged the 3rd and only open site.
Fished the Lamar .... zero!!! It was dirty from all the T- storms, but it was fun hiking back through a heard of Buffalo and Antelope.
Yesterday we hiked back to Second Meadow on the Slough.... I caught the largest trout I have ever caught on a fly.... a few more smaller ones to but that one fish made the 18 mile hike totally worth it. ( picture later)
Today we are off to the Gardiner .... let’s see!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jul 27, 2018 - 02:20pm PT
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Sorry for not posting much lately. Been out there playing too much!
One noteworthy trip was a couple days I took my kids over to the Eastside and hooked up with some local named Stimbo who showed us around Hot Creek one evening.
This was probably the first time I actually ever taught my kids to fly fish (they have spent their life spincasting) and it was great having Stimbo there to show them around.
Thanks Stimbo!!!
That's a beautiful stretch of water you have there....
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otisdog
Social climber
Sierra Madre, Ca.
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Jul 27, 2018 - 04:28pm PT
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^^^^^^^^ Well, yes and no regarding the rules ...there's a sign by the old bridge that says "no wading", but there are signs in multiple parking areas that instruct you how to clean your waders after you do wade. If you don't park in the big lot, you don't see the sign. No mention of wading in the regs.
My take is that there's no reason to wade....if you need to get into the water so that your backcast doesn't snag, you probably should be fishing there.
Personal plea....don't take the fish out of water for a damn picture! You need to respect the resource.
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ExfifteenExfifteen
climber
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Jul 27, 2018 - 04:49pm PT
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My stupid rule of thumb is I hold my breath if I have to take the fish out of water. As soon as I have to take a breath the fish goes back in and stays in. I will cut the line of I have to. I don't like digging deep for swallowed flies either. Just cut the line and keep the trout in the water.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Jul 27, 2018 - 06:26pm PT
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Agreed on the wading Hot Creek thing. Wading Hot Creek = poor style/effort. It definitely shows a lack of stewardship for the local fisheries.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jul 27, 2018 - 10:53pm PT
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Sooooo......
Before you guys get too excited......
Just know that this was a 15-year-old boy's first time ever fly fishing. We drove three hours, chasing the setting sun, parked the rig and jogged down the trail. An hour into it and loving it, he asks if he can kick off his shoes and wade across to the other side. I say yes, having not taken a moment at the trail head to read any signage whatsoever.
I have never heard of any wading restrictions until 30 seconds ago reading this post. That was my first and only time ever fishing that river. Blame me. Not the kid, and accept my apology for running down there stoked and not reading the signage. He didn't even catch a fish. He stood in that water for approximately 15 minutes with his shoes off, enjoying himself thoroughly, learning to cast and loving every minute of it.
Hope this explanation for the apparent transgression calms y'all down a bit.
Regulations for that stretch of water noted. ( I must be spoiled with all the rivers around me. I have never heard of a river you can't walk into.)
See you on the river,
Scott
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otisdog
Social climber
Sierra Madre, Ca.
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Jul 28, 2018 - 07:21am PT
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Ross - "Age related decrease in reaction time"....I think that is what is happening with me. Used to always hook them right under the nose, now I'm getting better unhooking at the mandible.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jul 28, 2018 - 08:42am PT
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Wow... give Scott a break, he had never been to Hot Creek before. And as it was stated previously, the "rules" at Hot Creek for wading are nebulous at best. The main intent is to discourage needless wading and shuffling up and down the creek and as far as I know, there are no written regulations. So... what about crossing the creek? I do not wade Hot Creek myself and neither did Scott or his kids. The one photo in question (as I recall) was his son heading to the far side to retrieve a fly from the shrubbery.
Poor Scott was merely trying to share with the SuperTopo trout squad some vacation photos.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Jul 29, 2018 - 09:49am PT
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For the record, I was not dog-piling on Scott. Simply agreeing that I discourage wading in Hot Creek Canyon and the interpretive site. And yes,it is not against the "rules". The signage says " please" Don't Wade.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jul 29, 2018 - 10:45am PT
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Roger that capt.! And Stimbo that last photo made me laugh out loud man.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Jul 29, 2018 - 10:32pm PT
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Thanks WTF. Nicely said.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 29, 2018 - 10:41pm PT
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Micronut is evil! While he was teaching his kids how to trample redds my wife and I went on a 5 day trip to summit Goddard. Pulled fishies out of every piece of water up through blackcap basin and down the San Joaquin to Florence reservoir.
But the real treat was the mutant Golden’s in Martha Lake. I lost a bigger one than this when it sharknadoed a hopper pattern, almost cried. I held this one out of the water for a pic, then hit it on the head and cooked and ate it. On the bright side they’re not native to this lake so I was being a good steward of the environment. One less fish for the frogs to compete with.
Hope everyone is hooking up! I’ll spend a few days next week at the forks of the kern and report back (or you won’t hear from me if I fail).
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Jul 30, 2018 - 08:07am PT
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Johnny and Grandpa went on our annual fish/fun trip.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Jul 30, 2018 - 09:11am PT
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Tad, you should take your shoes and chalk bag. Fun beach bouldering in the area with no pad required.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jul 30, 2018 - 09:12am PT
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Couldn't keep this one on the line!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jul 30, 2018 - 11:39am PT
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A day of fish worshipping close to home....
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jul 30, 2018 - 06:13pm PT
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Nice Jim. If you take it out of the water you get smoked trout I bet ;)
Ughhh! The air quality sucks right now as you know. Reno-Truckee cannot be much better. Maybe this Friday for a quick visit your way? I will let you know...
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Anybody know what exactly burned on the Hot Creek fire? Pictures?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Anybody know what exactly burned on the Hot Creek fire? Pictures?
G_Gnome -- the Hot Creek fire was to the east of the fishing / bathing areas. It was closer to the Owens River. There was an additional lightning fire that day which was near the base of the Glass Mtns near Inaja and Arcularius Ranches.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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The back country has been a good getaway from all of the smoke. However, we got hammered by rain, hail, and lightning. Most of the time was spent trying to stay dry and out of harms way. It was a soggy but fun day fishing.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice backcountry rainbow Stimbo!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Little help if anyone is willing. Next weekend (10th-12th) my brother and I are celebrating him finishing his surgery fellowship with a fishing trip. We’re planning on going to forks of the kern because it was further from fires but it looking pretty smoky too.
So, knowing that wind directions can change everything, what are some ideas on where to get some nice trout and likely avoid the thickest smoke?
Kern river from Sherman Peak today
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Bob,
Those blue gills are such cool looking fish. I used to catch those as a kid with my dad. Fun times!
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originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
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Yeah, those are excellent specimens. I also used to catch and cook those as a kid. Pretty good with a beer batter and onion rings.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 20, 2018 - 11:02am PT
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Big Blue Gill..... Oh Man!
G_Gome and I enjoyed a fine day down in the San Joaquin .... I was able to fool about 15 nice sized Browns and Rainbows into my net. Was changing patterns all morning as the light changed.... it was really fun and this stretch of water is now becoming, in my very limited experience, my favorite place to chase Trout.
G_Gome is planning a trip UP-NORTH... by Shasta this fall. He tells me I need to practice my “mending “ .... that’s what I did yesterday.
I missed out on Making a four star video like the Reddington ones. I pointed out a feeding trout at Hot Creek to G_G... way across the river, feeding in a 12 inch wide channel, with a overhung bank and a large pile of river grass protecting his ass from the Ospreys. After I pointed it out I was going to grab camera and film, but I was to slow. Second cast he puts a big pile of line right on the grass, gets a nice drift and BAM big fish hits! He was able to set hook and pulled large Trout out of his grass fortress!!!! I was quite impressed! Next time I will get video to share.
Anyway looks like everyone is having a fine summer despite all the smoky fires.
Keep fishing.
Bob I’m looking fwd to An Alaskan Fishing Adventure Report, with photographic evidence.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 20, 2018 - 10:30pm PT
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WTF, how is the Sacramento in October? We might be coming that way for some Hat Creek, Pit, McCloud and Sac fishing. I haven't fished the October caddis on the McCloud in about 30 years.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Aug 21, 2018 - 03:29pm PT
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That's a beautiful fish ^^^^^
Spent two days at Forks of the Kern last weekend with my brother. Beautiful river, but it always seems more tricky than the Kings or Kaweah. Maybe just because it's less familiar. We landed a combined 85 in those two days and they were almost all 10-14" healthy fish.
There are some HUGE fish in that river. I lost two of them, they shook the hook out as quick as they took it but I got a good look at the monsters. My brother lost one big boy after it ran full speed up through rapids and around a bend.
I will keep going back to this place until I get one of the mythical beasts. Both of the ones I lost were easily well over 20" (that's huge for us west side people where they don't stock and the water is a bit warmer :)
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aug 21, 2018 - 04:11pm PT
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h man this thread is hoppin again.....Limpingcrab I'm yer Huckleberry for the FotheK. I've never been there and want to check it out. Since October is your birthday month does your wife let you go out every weekend? You know...in celebration.
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Aug 22, 2018 - 08:29am PT
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Spent last weekend in the high country. Perfect weather, beautiful views and outstanding fly fishing.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 22, 2018 - 10:14am PT
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Guy and I were laughing on the way home from the east side on Sunday. We drove clear to Montana and Wyoming and then come home and have better fishing on our two favorite home waters than we did anywhere on our trip to fishing nirvana. I didn't count but I would bet that I caught in excess of 100 fish on Sunday - in about 5 hours. It was probably the best day I have ever had fly fishing. I did have one day that was substantially better once upon a time but that was back country spin fishing and a hell of a lot more work to get to.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aug 22, 2018 - 12:21pm PT
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Nice work Davey! Trout murderer. No way those things tasted as good as your duck tacos out in the desert this spring though!
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Aug 22, 2018 - 05:13pm PT
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I am going to have to agree with that statement.
Anyone ever go after redbands? I am looking to get into a few, big or small.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Aug 22, 2018 - 06:08pm PT
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Redbands, huh? Is somebody trying the heritage trout challenge?
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 23, 2018 - 03:25pm PT
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I grew up water skiing on Shasta every August so I fished the upper Sac a lot to cool down in the afternoons. I have also done a couple trips and fished Hat Creek, the McCloud and the upper Sac. I have never fished the Pit or Fall Rivers or the lower Sac but would love to.
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otisdog
Social climber
Sierra Madre, Ca.
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Aug 23, 2018 - 05:02pm PT
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Fall River definitely fishes better in the spring...middle of July it really tapers off...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 26, 2018 - 11:05pm PT
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Just got back from two weeks of fly fishing in Alaska. It rained for 12 out of 14 days- a refreshing contrast after leaving hot and smokey southern California. The fishing was phenomenal, even by Alaska standards. My wrist is sore from battling so many great fish.
Memorable moments include a WAY too close encounter with a grizzly bear that came from out of nowhere and approached within ten feet of my wife Yvonne, a broken 9-weight rod, a 14-pound silver that jumped 5 feet out of the water the second after it was hooked, and a king salmon Yvonne caught and released on a 6-weight fly rod.
Our camera memory card says we shot exactly 1000 photos- I'll post some more pics when I get a chance.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Aug 27, 2018 - 07:17am PT
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Holy crap, Bob!!!!!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Aug 27, 2018 - 10:07am PT
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Bob, I've got major salmon envy going -- nice fish! I am jones-ing bad. thanks for sharing.
@G_Gnome -- I was so surprised how much I enjoyed the Lower Sac. At times you would never know that you were floating through downtown Redding, and the fishing is off the charts good. The Fall River too is a beautiful stretch of water with sweeping views of Shasta and the countryside. For pure adventure and football shaped rainbows, you can't beat the Pit. And plan on getting wet. It's not about when you will fall in but rather how many times... Great fishing and a fun workout. It is not for the faint of heart. Enjoy!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 27, 2018 - 11:54am PT
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Stimbo, seeing as I fall in the East Walker all the time I would expect to fall in the Pit. I came ever so close to falling in Rock Creek in Montana last month but managed to regain my feet after about 6 slips in a row. That caused me to buy a wading staff which will definitely come on this trip.
It sure is nice to see our east side rivers with so much water this year. The San Joaquin still has about 50 cfs which is amazing. Hopefully we can get another decent winter and the fish will just keep growing. There are starting to be some nice sized fish in Hot Creek again too but they sure have gotten spooky with the flows finally getting lower. There is a nice amount of water for this time of year there though which makes fishing it much more reasonable but does require the use of some darn small flies.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 27, 2018 - 12:00pm PT
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BG! Wow, just Wow!
Just looking at those fish makes my right elbow hurt.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Aug 27, 2018 - 01:46pm PT
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BG...where did you go?
Been wantin' to get back up there...so many good spots!
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Aug 27, 2018 - 03:20pm PT
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Uuummm! Nice catches. Sounds like you scored some awesome memories. Look forward to the picks.
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Brian More
climber
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
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Aug 27, 2018 - 08:34pm PT
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Curious what lodge or outfitter you are at/with in Alaska Bob?
I can always pull up their website and dream-ha.
Please let me know when/if you have a sec.
Thanks!
Brian
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Aug 27, 2018 - 08:37pm PT
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Nice fish Bob!!!!!! AK rules
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 28, 2018 - 09:34am PT
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Aug 27, 2018 - 01:46pm PT
BG...where did you go?
Hi Brian, went to the Kenai Peninsula.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 28, 2018 - 09:42am PT
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Got shut out yesterday for the first time in a long time. Amazing how fish not biting makes fishing boring. Or maybe it is me not catching.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 28, 2018 - 09:50am PT
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Aug 27, 2018 - 08:34pm PT
Curious what lodge or outfitter you are at/with in Alaska Bob?
Hi Brian. We rented a cabin the town of Cooper Landing, on the Upper Kenai River. It's a two hour drive from Anchorage. I've been fly fishing the Kenai every summer for the last 15 years, so I've learned all the good shore fishing spots depending on what species I'm targeting, so most of my fishing is unguided. If you like float tubing, there are many lakes in the Kenai Peninsula that no one fishes that offer fantastic fishing for rainbows and arctic grayling.
In August you'll have great fishing for pinks (even numbered years only) and silvers on the Lower and Middle Kenai, and silvers and sockeyes on the Upper River. Once the salmon start spawning (mid-August) the rainbow trout and dolly varden fishing is excellent into September.
I usually do one or two days of guided driftboat fishing on the Upper or Middle Kenai River.
I'd recommend the drift on the Upper Kenai (from Kenai Lake to Skilack Lake) and the Middle Kenai (from Skilack Lake to Bings Landing) in late Aug/Sept. To match the hatch you'll be fishing a bead under an indicator.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 28, 2018 - 10:11am PT
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Alaskan Rainbows
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Aug 28, 2018 - 10:27am PT
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That's awesome!
My niece lives in Homer and my sister in Fairbanks (and was just fishing the Chena out of Aniak). They've been smokin' and cannin'...(as usual)...
What rod/reel combo did you use? Fly line?
I'm slowly upgrading my set ups...just picked up a 9wt...(Winston...can't help my Montana roots)...how'd you, uhh, bust your 9wt? Just got my 4wt back from repair...ugh...broke the middle section after being viciously attacked by a rattlesnake outside Lander Wy.
A king on a 6 weight! Yee haa!
Prince of Wales, anyone? I need to get back...
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 28, 2018 - 01:14pm PT
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For pinks and silvers, I usually go with a 7, 8, or 9 weight rod depending on the situation and how heavy the current is. Used my 11-foot 4-inch 7- weight switch rod this year for pinks in soft water that was great for roll casting when shoreline trees prevented a backcast.
For drifting/swinging flies I use a floating line and for sight fishing/stripping for silvers in slacker water I use my 8-weight with a sink tip line.
For float tubing the lakes I use a 6-weight with a clear intermediate line for subsurface action, or a floating line for dry fly action.
Broke the 9-weight after I set it down after landing a fish. A nearby angler was running down the gravel bar chasing a big fish. I said "Watch out for the rod!" and he replied "OK," then proceeded to stomp on the tip. He thoroughly apologized after landing his fish, but the damage was done.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 28, 2018 - 02:02pm PT
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you're welcome T
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Aug 28, 2018 - 03:13pm PT
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Again Bob, thanks for sharing the photos from your trip. Sooo envious!
@G_Gnome - the smoke has finally cleared or at least thinned, so we went down into the San Joaquin.... pretty bony water, but very fishy. There were a ton of nice browns and a handful of rainbows holding in the pocket water. With the temperatures dropping, the fishing is going to get off the charts good. September is a good month.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 28, 2018 - 06:06pm PT
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Thanks guys.
WTF- Saw someone lurking and hiding behind the bushes on his hands and knees last time I was at the East Walker- turns out it was the Game Warden! Luckily my barb was pinched down. Years ago I was fishing a tiny fly at the East Walker when I heard a crashing through the bushes. Before I could turn around the Warden was standing next to me. I'd forgotten to pinch my barb down. $175 ticket!
Here's a couple more shots.....
Of all the fish I've caught on a fly rod, the silver salmon is one of my favorites. They're big, bite aggressively, jump like crazy, make reel-sizzling runs, and change direction so fast your fly line will be pointing one way, then the fish will jump 30 feet away in the opposite direction. What more do you want in a game fish?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Aug 28, 2018 - 08:35pm PT
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Saw someone lurking and hiding behind the bushes on his hands and knees last time I was at the East Walker- turns out it was the Game Warden! Luckily my barb was pinched down. Years ago I was fishing a tiny fly at the East Walker when I heard a crashing through the bushes. Before I could turn around the Warden was standing next to me. I'd forgotten to pinch my barb down. $175 ticket!
Those wardens patrol the East Walker with a vengeance. Bummer you got a citation but that said, I am glad they are there. They've busted up some nasty poaching over the years.
WTF -- Your offer is under consideration....
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Brian More
climber
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
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Aug 28, 2018 - 09:38pm PT
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Bob,
Thank you for the scoop!
I'll search it up in the morning. Love all the photos.
Thanks again!
Brian
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 30, 2018 - 09:50am PT
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Bob... very nice!
If Yvonne ever made a Calendar out of those fish photos... I’d buy one.
And with Stone Nudes making last issue... what will I do for 2020???
???
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 30, 2018 - 10:39am PT
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Fish porn!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 30, 2018 - 11:50am PT
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A new one to ogle every month!!!
“ Look at the Pectoral Fins on this one!! Massive!!”
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aug 30, 2018 - 01:12pm PT
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Miss August 2018
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Aug 30, 2018 - 01:18pm PT
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About 15 years back I was hiking out from fishing 18 miles in from a road-head in "Deepest Idaho." The stream I had been fishing is a Salmon River tributary & is all catch & release water & barbless hooks. It also has a salmon run, protected Bulltrout, & great fishing for cutthroat trout.
On my way out, my last fly change was to a size 8 salmon fly with a stainless steel hook, which I didn't know I owned. I was getting back into water that day-hikers do "catch & eat" fishing on & I caught nothing. Shortly afterwards, I ran into 3 game wardens hiking in on a narrow stretch of trail, high above the "crick." I politely waited at a wider spot while the older male & two much-younger wardens stopped to chat me up. I reported on my adventure & also mentioned I had ran into two people, who strongly appeared to be doing "catch & eat" fishing. The older warden requested some details, which I furnished, and I also handed over my license & then my rod for fly inspection, to a young woman warden.
She immediately told us all that the barb had not been flattened on my fly. I was aghast, since I had a clear memory of flattening the barb within the last half hour. I flushed-red & haltingly replied that I was sure I had flattened the barb, then offered to show them all the flattened barbs on my other flies.
The older warden calmly told me that it wasn't a problem, but please be more careful in the future. He then turned to the slightly indignant woman warden & said: "The problem with being over 50, is you lose your close-up vision & can't see if you've flattened the barb or not. I am sure he thought the barb was flattened."
When I again addressed bending the barb down on the offending size 8 stainless-steel hook, it took a big amount of hand strength to bend it flat. I had put the usual amount of strength into my first failed attempt at bending the barb & indeed, I'd bent barbs flat enough times, I didn't even try to look at that tiny detail.
Tad! I'd sorry to read that a SOB warden fined you for a barb that wasn’t flat enough to suit him.
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otisdog
Social climber
Sierra Madre, Ca.
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Aug 30, 2018 - 06:47pm PT
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Can't remember how many times I've "dropped a dime" on the East Walker about the worm fishers....used to feed the warden dinner @ my camp on Murphy Pond.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Aug 30, 2018 - 08:25pm PT
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A couple more shots from Alaska.....
When I arrived in Alaska I stopped by Mossy's Fly Shop in Anchorage. As I stood in front of the bins of colorful salmon flies, I asked the guy working there "If you had to pick one fly for pink salmon, what would it be?" He didn't hesitate to answer: "Anything pink," he said.
This confirmed what I already knew, and I'd come perepared with boxes full of pink flies I'd tied specifically for targeting pink salmon.
The pink salmon run on the Kenai River is estimated to be in excess of 2 million fish (in even numbered years only), peaking in the month of August in the Lower and Middle Kenai. Once you find the fish it's game on.
Maybe because of its undulating action, pink slamon can't resist a clouser minnow swung and stripped through the current.
During the peak of the run, it's "a fish on every cast" kind of action.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Aug 31, 2018 - 08:54am PT
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Look at that beauty humpy!
When I've fished up there (a few years ago by now)...pinks and silvers gobbled the pink tipped purple egg sucking leach. I tried other flies but that one fly worked above all others.
Now the kids are adding rattles to flys and lures?
Good times!
Great photo's, BG...keep 'em coming!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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A few more from Alaska....
Of the five species of Pacific salmon, only the pink salmon is smaller, but pound for pound the sockeye salmon may be the best fighter, rivaling the silver with acrobatic jumps and powerful runs. They basically go berserk when you hook 'em. Unlike pinks that readily attack a lure or fly, they're probably the least likely of all the Pacific salmon to bite a fly.
Fresh from the ocean, a "dime bright" sockeye is at the peak of its physical prowess and its flesh is in prime condition to eat.
Sockeye salmon enter most Alaska Rivers in the month of July after spending a couple years in the ocean. The Kenai River sees two distinct runs of sockeye. The first run, in June, totals about 40,000 fish that make a beeline for the Russian River. The second run, in July and into August, averages about one million fish of primarily main stem Kenai River spawners.
These sockeye are the biggest on the planet, averaging 6 to 10 pounds and up to 15 pounds. I hold the IGFA All-Tackle Length World Record for sockeye with a fish I caught and released from the Upper Kenai River in 2011.
Most sockeye are caught using a "lining" technique, since they swim upstream with their mouths slightly open, where the line is flossed into their mouth, then the hook is set, albeit from the outside in.
The best situation to elicit an actual strike is using a small, sparsely-tied fly dead-drifted in about 3 feet of water with some current. On a good day during the peak of the run you'll see a train of about 20,000 fish swimming upstream past you, so you'll have lots of chances.
After some time in fresh water, the sockeye's body begins to blush red, and its head develops a distinctive green hue.
Once they near their time to spawn, the males in particular make a grotesque transformation, their bodies turning bright red and morphing into a hump-back, their heads turning green, and their jaws sprouting fang-like teeth along with a pronounced snout.
Watch your fingers!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice ones WTF.
What section of the Truckee were you fishing?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks for the beta. I love the Truckee but haven't fished it that much. Had a great day a few years back above Glenshire Bridge on drys on a rainy day mayfly hatch. My favorite is the canyon section further downstream above Hirschdale.
You ever fish Lake Davis or Frenchman Lake?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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WOW! That's a healthy looking fish. Thanks for sharing that. I just put Lake Lahontan on my to do list.
Can't wait to get back to Pyramid!
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Macronut
Trad climber
Fresno, Ca
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So Micronut tells me this thread is going off and I find it on the bottom of the second page of my browser. Time to get it back on top. He also suggest the wise mages of trout identification frequent this thread. So here it goes guys. Just got back from a phenomenal backcountry trip with my 13 year old and caught these beauties. I was just north of Lake Edison off the JMT at Silver Pass Lake. Please help to identify as to whether they are maybe Golden’s or cutthroat otherwise I’ll just settle with Micropterus dolomieu. Thanks ladies and gents[photo
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Bluegill.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Dudes. That thing isn't even in the water. Major clue.
Obviously it's a small land shark.
Kidding aside, those fish appear to be golden trout.
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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BC a couple of years ago
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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That is a Golden. They are lighter in color sometimes.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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I'm actually thinking those are golden-rainbow hybrids. Especially the first one.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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I concur with Gnome, although the first one also looks like a cutthroat.
Loyd: WOW, that's a great steelhead! What River?
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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That steelhead was taken on the Copper river BC. We spent 5 weeks fishin from tide water of the Skeena up to the head waters that year.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Thanks Loyd....that's one helluva steelhead! Sounds like a dream trip.
Got to get up to the Skeena/Kispiox/Babine some day for the real deal.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Micro you don’t know a thing about fish. Just ask limpingcrab. I wrote that on the handle of his rod to remind him.
Top one looks kinda like it has some Kern River Rainbow with those offset parr marks between the regular ones, and some golden genes as well.
Bottom one looks like a mostly golden.
I'm 50% talking out of my arse and they could just be sculpin.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 10, 2018 - 07:39am PT
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IT HAPPENED!!!
Ever since my brother and I switched from worms and spinners to fly fishing about seven years ago we've been hoping to catch a native rainbow over 20 inches on a fly rod in the Sierra. We've caught browns that size, and bows over 20 inches in tail waters, stocked waters, and places outside of their native range.
This weekend my brother landed this beauty, just over 20", on the middle fork of the Kings in unstocked wild trout waters near what might be the last stream in the Sierra that has pure coastal rainbow genetics.
My biggest for the day was 15.5" so, as usual, he caught the fish of the day (or decade for us).
The Kaweah has always been our favorite fishing river, but the MF Kings has taken its place over the last few years (with the Kern steadily rising as well).
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 10, 2018 - 08:31am PT
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Everything about the MF is great except getting back out.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 10, 2018 - 09:52am PT
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Nice lookin wild rainbow!
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 10, 2018 - 11:08am PT
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Very nice!!!!
The big walk pays off!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 10, 2018 - 02:33pm PT
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I don't know Keesee. You watched me catch one about like that in a four foot wide creek last year, why would I want to do the hike out of Yucca Point?! Have you ever done it? I have and it kind of sucks.
Speaking of fishing, you want to fish next weekend?
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Sep 10, 2018 - 02:48pm PT
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Thanks for the invite Crabs, sorry I couldn't join
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 10, 2018 - 03:17pm PT
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Because, G_gnome, it’s not stocked so they’re all wild natives in their historic range! Ok, I admit, that doesn’t really matter when there’s a fish on the line. My brother and I are odd I suppose.
Also, that hike out does suck. The Rough Fire burned off what little shade there was and the poison oak organized a takeover.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 10, 2018 - 04:31pm PT
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I'm proud of you young padawan. I've been down there one time. It was the best fishing day of my life. That place is magical.
And yeah, the hump out is a bit of a leg burner for sure. Reaching the road after a long day down in there feels like you have been birthed from the womb of the Middle Fork.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 10, 2018 - 06:24pm PT
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Looks like that gets you into the beautiful color in the high teens club, of which I’m still a member.
20” will happen for us down there someday. (Side note, when I was a worm fisherman my dad, brother and I all broke the 20” mark on the same day on that river, but I need one on the fly to feel fulfilled)
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 11, 2018 - 09:53am PT
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WTF the three pound club at Pyramid is like being in the 5 push-up club at your local Cross-fit gym. I want a big one. I know they're out there and I want one.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 11, 2018 - 01:50pm PT
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We'll get a big one next time, Mico. Remember, we just have to use the Fresno strategy of going further out with our ladders than everyone else.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 11, 2018 - 02:36pm PT
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You and me Limpingcrab....Fresno style.
Maybe we need WTF and Stimbo to hold the base while we paddle out.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 11, 2018 - 04:16pm PT
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So why don't you just bring a larger ladder than anyone else? I think a nice 12 footer should get you a bit further out. But you will have to swim the ladder in place and then you probably won't want to leave it.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 15, 2018 - 08:19pm PT
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Maybe we need WTF and Stimbo to hold the base while we paddle out.
I seem to recall WTF tipping over backwards in his ladder rig and going for the full immersion. Thank Gawd for a good sense of humor in frigid water.
Change of subject:
From last week's fish-a-thon. Rainbows are the most prevalent trout now in this fishery but this one afternoon I happened to land not only some nice rainbows, but a nice brown, and this cutthroat. This guy took a dry.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 08:33am PT
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Some beautiful fish ^^^
QUESTION
I was at a family reunion in South Lake Tahoe this weekend and my brother and I snuck away for an hour of fishing on the Upper Truckee. Does anyone know if these monsters are juvenile stream form Lahontan Cutthroat? Asking because they would count towards the heritage trout challenge.
CADFW would call these "sub catchable" but we were born to catch baby trout in streams.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Sep 17, 2018 - 08:45am PT
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Limpingcrab: Those mighty little monsters look like the hungry baby Rainbows I catch on small streams in Idaho.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 09:15am PT
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Thanks. Ya, they didn't look out of the ordinary to us, and we weren't way up in the headwaters where they did the Lahontan restoration, but I was hoping there was some subtle difference I didn't know of :(
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 17, 2018 - 09:40am PT
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Stimbo that is an absolutely stunning photo of that last hawg. Where did you pull that one from. Looks like a lake. Crowley?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 17, 2018 - 09:46am PT
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WTF -- Have a great trip. I cannot wait to see the photos.
jim
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Sep 23, 2018 - 07:59pm PT
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Looks like it was a great trip WTF.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Sep 23, 2018 - 09:08pm PT
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WTF! Thanks for sharing your adventure. I did a long one-day trip on that stretch with a guide-friend back in the mid-80's, then made it into a yearly 2 night trip almost every year into the mid-90's.
I finally gave it up when I could no longer find a camp that someone else had not grabbed. I can't believe how crowded it got.
I still have chills about casting a hopper under a tree & seeing a cut the size of a lab puppy slide out of hiding & slowly tip up to sip in my hopper. I jerked my hopper out of its mouth just before it closed.
Night casting big attractors for the Browns was another thrill.
Good times.
A 2000 overnight trip still produced some nice cuts.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Sep 24, 2018 - 11:21am PT
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WTF! Thanks for thinking of me. Choss Creek is about 35 miles NW of Twin & has nice sunsets too.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 24, 2018 - 09:39pm PT
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So Keesee and I are heading in to the Kings Canyon back country on October 6th for a week. We sure as heck hope to catch lots of nice fish. Maybe Guy will even take some photos. And I hope it doesn't snow or rain on us! We'll try to keep count but that might be hard if the fishing is as good as last time I was there.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Sep 27, 2018 - 02:48pm PT
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So a buddy of mine had been telling me about this magical Brown Trout honey hole of a spot they call The Hole, down in the steep gorge of the north fork of the kings above Black Rock reservoir but below Wishon.
I had Tuesday off work so we finally made a trek down in there. The hike down was absolute gnar and the way out was even worse. you know it's going to be a good day when you use fixed lines to get down into your trout water.
Once we got in there the place was magical.
And the fishing was out of control.
I think my first 12 casts went as follows......
1. Hawg
2. Big rainbow
3. Big brown
4. Nothing
5-12. Brown, brown, brookie, miss, brown, rainbow, rainbow, Brown.
It was a beautiful river with some big old dark pools, some Clift out sections and some nice pocket water. Amazing day down in The Hole. The hike out made me promise I would never go again but I can't wait to get back.
No mans land.......
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 27, 2018 - 07:06pm PT
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Sheesh. Those are some dark browns.
I love where I live on the Eastside, but sometimes I miss the westside.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Sep 27, 2018 - 09:16pm PT
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I think my first 12 casts went as follows......
1. Hawg
2. Big rainbow
3. Big brown
4. Nothing
5-12. Brown, brown, brookie, miss, brown, rainbow, rainbow, Brown.
Wow! Now that's a honey hole. Awesome looking spot!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 27, 2018 - 09:57pm PT
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So Keesee and I are heading in to the Kings Canyon back country on October 6th for a week. We sure as heck hope to catch lots of nice fish. Maybe Guy will even take some photos. And I hope it doesn't snow or rain on us! We'll try to keep count but that might be hard if the fishing is as good as last time I was there.
Where ya headed?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 28, 2018 - 09:30am PT
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Ohhh, now I see where you went down, Micronut. My brother actually hits the river downstream a bit and fishes up to where you were.
That rock in the distance in your last pic looks climby.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 28, 2018 - 10:23am PT
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Wow! That looks rugged to get into. Nice trout but I don't see any pictures of hawgs.
Limping, we are going in the Sugerloaf trail out of Sequoia to get to the Roaring River. Then we will work downstream until the going gets too tough.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 28, 2018 - 11:10am PT
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Oh man! That'll be awesome!
On my long term to-do list is to fish Roaring River all the way down to the highway. Please give us a little taste of what it was like when you get back, good luck!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 28, 2018 - 03:31pm PT
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I've fished it before from the falls up to where it starts to flatten out. Burly as hell is how I would call it. Takes some serious climbing skills and serious committment to get in and out of it. Hence our approach from the top this time since we are older and slightly less stupid.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Sep 28, 2018 - 08:00pm PT
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I’m still stupid so it sounds perfect.
I’ve done boulder creek in a similar way. Down from big meadows, then up from the canyon to see the rest. Lots of surprisingly fat rainbows but nothing huge. Seems like Roaring River holds more water so I’ve always wondered if there are fish in the teens hiding somewhere up there.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Sep 30, 2018 - 08:32am PT
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MICRO..... Awesome Trout!!!! Those look like Hogs to me. Limping.. ALL... G_Gome has been telling me about his and Herb’s ledgendary trip into the RR BITD. “ Best fishing this side of Patagonia “....
So all packed up and ready to go, I hope we get good weather, I am packed light. The pack is pretty reasonable considering. When you ditch all that climbing gear the pack is reasonable size.
Being new to this FF stuff the one thing I have learned is this. The fishing gets better in proportion to the distance from the car.
I have looked down into that spot below Wishon and wondered about the climbing, it looks pretty good, lots of hidden treasures!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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After a bit of a hiatus from the trout lovers thread, I am glad to be back. Made it over to the Eastside this weekend and had a blast fishing the East Walker ( we were only there for about an hour and a half and got skunked) and the Upper Owens. Gorgeous watershed and absolutely perfect bluebird temps.
The Upper O had lots of people on it, but we fished down near where it meets the lake on Stimbo's advice and finally found success!
Thanks Stimbo!!!!
Oh yeah..... we got some climbing on too!
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Where did Adam get that fishing sports bra? I didn't even know they made those?
(I'm currently checking prices, that actually seems perfect for 4th class fishing trips)
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Stimbo? Wanna go?
I would love to, however, I will be on the road. We're driving out to New England. I am taking an arsenal of rods though...... stay tuned!
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ruppell
climber
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Stimbo,
I'm sure you know but:
West Branch of the Ausable River. There's two no kill stretches on 86 just south of Lake Placid. It's truly a river that everyone should fish once. It's that good.
If you have some time the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Creek also don't suck. Make sure you have breakfast at the Roscoe Diner if you hit either. If your not wearing your waders when you enter you'll be the odd man out. lol
Drive safe, fish hard and have fun.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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I like that fishing bra. Who makes it?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Drive safe, fish hard and have fun.
Wow! Thanks for the great beta Ruppell. I will definitely try to wet a line there but I don't know about wearing waders in a restaurant. It's like our "guests" skiing at Mammoth and wearing their ski boots into Vons. Hah!
Thanks again for the well wishes and info.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF my October/November calendar is a mess! I seriously doubt we can make something happen. It pains me!!!! What's it like in January there? Does the season slam shut come winter?
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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I've been busy getting used to my new digs in the Okanagan Highlands and I needed to get out on a nice sunny autumn day. 61f at the river. The Kettle River, 25 miles on state route 21. Special regs; single barbless hooks, no bait, 14 inch min. keep two. I planned on catch and release.
I left the house with my waders and ultralight at 5 to 3. I never fished this section and found a pullout that wasn't private property right next to a big bend in the river. Highway 21 pretty much follows the river all the way into Canada. I'm less than ten miles from there. Twenty feet down to the river. I can see the fish and they are nice. Second cast and I get a ten-incher. I let him shake off. Seventh cast and a nice hit, keep reeling and wham. One of those nice ones I saw. I get her up and she almost swallowed my spinner. Shite. This one won't survive. Well it's a keeper and I'm hungry; so be it. I quit fishing and went home and by 4:30 I was cooking that fish. I hadn't had trout that ffreshh in years.
Not a bad day, eh? That's why I live here.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 10, 2018 - 08:06am PT
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Nice fish, WTF! I have a good friend that just took a job and moved to Truckee so I need to make a trip up there. I've never fished that river since I only go to Tahoe in the winter.
14 inch min This always bugs me, should be 14 inch max. There have been several studies showing that taking bigger fish reduces fish size and abundance when compared to taking smaller fish. Some land managers are changing regs but there are still too many places that encourage taking the big momma trout that can lay exponentially more eggs than their smaller cousins.
Smaller rainbows taste better too, in my opinion. Not criticizing you, wayno, you did the right thing to follow the rules, just criticizing a dumb rule. It's right up there with all of those places in Europe that don't allow catch and release.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 10, 2018 - 09:25am PT
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Alright team, I need your advice.
Next week I am taking three days (Fri am alpine start, home Sunday night) with some old buddies of mine into the backcountry (our 23rd year in a row) and we are looking for big fish.
I don't know much about backpacking as a means to go fishing.....but we definitely aren't looking for a death march. Willing to grind a bit but we are looking for the a three day late fall mountain trout trip headed out of the Eastside of the Sierras, somewhere between Golden Trout wilderness to the South and Bridgeport to the North.
So, give us the beta, where are we gonna catch big mountain trout in a nice setting this time of year!
Ready....go.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Oct 11, 2018 - 06:36am PT
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The Truckee is my "home stream" and though I'm not around much of the year that is gonna change soon. These images of October fishing just make me so homesick...but, thanks for sharing!
Timid, you seeing this?
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 11, 2018 - 07:48am PT
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Nice bows and brown WTF!!!
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Oct 12, 2018 - 11:07pm PT
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micronut, try West Lake. Large Browns and Rainbows with some cutts too. Up the Green Creek drainage near Bridgeport. One day in. Some of my best days fishing in the Sierra.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Oct 13, 2018 - 11:55am PT
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Well Keesee and I got to the Roaring River! For about 2 hours. Damn but it is hard going! But it is one of the most beautiful rivers and had lots of fish of good size and we saw some big ones in there. Fished Sugerloaf Creek too and had a blast but nothing of any real size in it. We have a different plan if we go in there again. Start at the Roaring River ranger station and then work downstream. We fished just above the confluence of the Roaring and Sugerloaf Creek but the terrain is so rugged it takes forever to get anywhere.
The hiking was pretty bad. It snowed the second half of our hike in on Saturday afternoon so that is just kind of a blur of trying to make time. Then it started raining hard just before we made camp. Next morning was spent drying us and our gear out then hiked into a perfect campsite at the confluence of Sugerloaf and Ferguson Creek. Hiked out in one day - 10+ miles with 2,200 feet of elevation change. Got to the car just before dark. Took a couple days to recover from that slog!
A real adventure but sadly not enough of a fishing trip to be worth that amount of effort. Guy has some photos that maybe he will post next week.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 14, 2018 - 04:40pm PT
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Hey Ruppell..... from the West Branch of the Ausable this morning. Thanks for the beta. Fun place!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 25, 2018 - 09:43am PT
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Not much time to post right now, but I just got back from three days fishing down on the Forks of the Kern. Two old high school buddies and myself, on our 24th annual October expedition. Three days of backpacking, camping under the stars, slaying trout and nipping on Scotch. Doesn't get much better than that. I will post up a more detailed report soon.
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ruppell
climber
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Oct 26, 2018 - 05:46pm PT
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Hey Stimbo
Glad you liked it. It is a great river. Hope the trips going well.
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Br3tt
climber
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Oct 29, 2018 - 02:55pm PT
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I'm headed up to fish the Kern for the first time ever - any tips/recommendations as to where I should go this time of year? I was told to just get on the Kern River Highway in Kernville and head north to Johnsondale Bridge, and between those two spots there would be plenty of places to pull off and wade. Google earth seems to back this up.
New to fly fishing and it's my first time fishing the Kern so any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Oct 30, 2018 - 03:02pm PT
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Het Br3tt, I'd say that area is a pretty good place to check out for somebody new to fly-fishing. You can supposedly park right at the Johnsondale Bridge and fish up-river for the next several miles and this time of the year is ideal. I've never fished that section, and last weekend on The Forks of The Kern was my first time on that river ever.
It was awesome but the fish were picky. Here's what we learned overall.
Nymphing was more productive than dries.
Two nymphs, a large (size12-14)Prince Nymph and a small (sz20) bead head olive or pheasant tail flashback worked nicely
(set up small nymph, big nymph, small splitshot then indicator from bottom to top)
A stimulator orange or a brown hopper and a small nymph dropper also worked a bit but not as effective as just double nymphs.
The fish were pretty selective the two days we were down in there (The forks of the Kern eilderness.....not the five mile stretch above the bridge) but they were good sized....12-15 inches and fought heavy. Have a blast!
Scott
I'm almost always a catch and release guy but a couple of these beauties became backcountry fish tacos that night.
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F'ueco
Boulder climber
Peoples Republic Of Boulder
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Oct 30, 2018 - 03:49pm PT
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They can’t all be huge.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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The arctic-air mass that is impacting the northern U.S. has lowered day-time high temperatures in Choss Creek into the mid-40's f. There were also winds in the 10 - 15 mph range here today, so of course I decided to go fishing.
I had one of my favorite spring creeks all to myself when I got there at 3:00 PM & the fish were quite active in the surface film, when I got to the first hole. Unfortunately my selection of emergers did not cut it with most of the fish, but after a while, I got a solid hook-up & immediately broke it off on last summer’s 5-x tippit.
After I put on 3-x tippit, I was once again skunked in the middle of a gaggle of cavorting trout. No emergers were coming off, no flying insects were around in the late afternoon conditions, but the fish were actively feeding & did their best to ignore my presentations. I finally tied on an 8-x wooly bugger & was ignored some more.
I moved upstream to a possibly less-frustrating hole & despite a couple solid hits, I fished on into sunset with numb fingers & zero fish subdued. I finally was starting to shiver & I said to myself, 3 more casts & that's it. On the 2nd cast I got a solid hit again, & said OK, 3 more casts.
On my next to last cast I hooked a decent rainbow, which looked around 20" on its first jump. It then ripped out line like a much bigger trout & played me hard. I rationalized that I was fishing with a 5 weight rod & I normally catch bigger fish on at least a 6-weight rod.
I like to get fish to the bank as soon as possible, so I don't exhaust & kill them, but this trout played me for at least 5 minutes. I didn’t try to measure it on my rod, but it wasn't a lot longer than 20". Note the body of the wooly bugger, which is 1 ¼” long, for scale. However the fish was thick with muscle & likely weighed around 4-5 lbs.
Slightly warmer, I went back to the first hole I had fished & the damn trout were still cavorting in the surface film. In 10 minutes, I enjoyed a couple light hits & started shivering again. The hell with it, I went home.
Damn those trout!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Great job Fritz! Getting that rainbow to hand was worth it.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Stimbo! Thank you. It's always frustrating when the fish are keying on something obscure & I can't figure out what it is. Today, there were no obvious clues, other than a bunch of feeding trout in the surface film.
I confess: that very stout trout saved the afternoon for me, although I have been skunked on spring creeks before.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Pyramid this weekend and hopefully I get to fish with Stimbo Wednesday on the mighty Truckee.
I cannot wait, hopefully this will work out. And if not, there will always be the mighty 'mid. Have a good weekend! Brrr.... 12º this morning. We're going to head to the Meadows and bag a peak. Cheers!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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WTF! Thank you for the tip on catching small insects in the water. When I was fishing more I used to carry a small aquarium strainer for the same purpose.
I may have to find it again.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 15, 2018 - 07:30pm PT
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WTF! My sympathies on getting skunked, but it looks like your mentoring another fisherman worked out great.
Things have warmed into the balmy low 50 f. range during the day here & I ventured out to the same spring creek again today. As I approached the first fishing hole, I flushed a couple hundred ducks & a blue heron off the water, so things were a little slow at the start. I immediately noticed a size 18 - 20 brownish midge on the water, but since I had a wooly bugger tied on, I tried that for a few casts, while the fish calmed down from all the bird commotion.
On my 3rd cast I caught a fat 12" rainbow & shortly after that, the fish started rising to the midge hatch.
I tied on my smallest matching fly, a size 18 parachute Adams & fooled none of them. After a few minutes I moved up to the next hole, & finally rolled a couple small trout without firmly hooking them.
I went wet again with a size 14 rubberleg hare's ear & I started catching 6" - 9" trout & a few minutes later, it caught me a fat & hard fighting 12" bow. He must have liked me, since after I released him, he hung out with me for a while. (my boot-tip at bottom left)
After a few more small fish, the sun mostly set behind trees & I tied on a size 8 wooly bugger & soon hooked a big trout. It looked like a 20" fish, but fought like a 12" carp. I soon had it up close & indeed it was around 20" & 3 or 4 lbs & I grew concerned it was a tired old spawner, & that I needed to release it as gently & quickly as possible.
Note the hooked jaw, a good sign of an older spawner.
Unfortunately, it had nearly swallowed my fly & although I carry a set of forceps with a long jaw, I didn't want to chance the hook ripping out of a gill & my trout "bleeding-out." I cut the leader & during the process the fish revenged itself with nipping my hand.
My new wooly bugger lacked the magic of the old one & although I caught a couple more small trout & saw one in the 25" - 30" range rolling, I was getting cold after an hour waist-deep in 58 f. water.
I moved down to the next hole & after a couple more small trout, hooked the last fish of the day, a nice 15" trout.
It was nearly 5:00 PM & it was time to punch out, sit on the bank, smoke something & have a drink. Unfortunately, I don't smoke & hadn't thought to bring something to drink, so I took a couple scenic photos, consoled myself with having caught 18 trout in 2 hours, & drove home.
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F'ueco
Boulder climber
Peoples Republic Of Boulder
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Nov 15, 2018 - 07:53pm PT
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Another tiny brown trout from Boulder Creek. Not much to look at, but wet wading in a creek with ice on it made for some mid-November fun last night.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 22, 2018 - 09:58pm PT
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Alright turds, I got tired of hearing about my brothers weekend on a 29 million dollar private fishing ranch in Colorado, my friend’s special access below pine flat dam to catch even bigger fish than my brother, and all of your outings so I had to scratch the itch.
Loaded the gear, put on the boots and knee pads, left the wheelchair in the driveway and drove down the street to get at close as I could to the Kings River. It was a lot of work for one fish but it was worth it! I’ll be going back for sure, but I might have a neighbor or friend give me a piggy back ride.
The best part was the guy standing by my car and watching me crawl around the bank behind rocks and bushes. He thought I was really committed to not spooking the fish so he stayed back the whole time I fished and didn’t know I couldn’t walk until I crawled back to the car.
PS: I’m actually enjoying living vicariously through your great posts on here, thanks!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Nov 23, 2018 - 06:41am PT
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Impressive suffering LC! I was fishing upstream towards camp in early evening on a blue ribbon stream in Idaho about 20 years back, when I noticed a fly fisherman's rod sticking out of some willows just upstream.
As I watched, the rod made active fishing movements, but it seemed like I should be able to see the fisherman over the willows too. After watching for a few minutes, I walked out of the water & then upstream on the bank to where I could see a guy in a wheel-chair fishing.
I was curious enough to chat him up & he was quite friendly. He was paralized from the waist down, but had the strengh to wrestle his large-tire wheelchair through sand & gravel to river banks. And yes, he was fishing solo, 30 miles from the nearest town, with no cell phone service. I try to remember his dedication, whenever I think of reasons not to go fishing.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 25, 2018 - 08:06am PT
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Limping Crab -- With your current setup, how will we get you atop a ladder at Pyramid Lake? I am very impressed with your motivation. Way to get after it. Perhaps we should modify your name (temporarily) to Groveling Crab?
Hang in there buddy!
jim
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 26, 2018 - 10:06pm PT
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Love that story Fritz!
Stimbo, WTF said you and the other guys could carry my Pharaoh style in his ladder with the seat. Sounds like a great plan :)
Also, bump for another nicknames question. I’ve wondered the same thing.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 27, 2018 - 08:17am PT
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Limping Crab -- Come on over the hill. The fishing is great again and a short walk (or crawl) from the truck. No poison oak, heavy packs, river crossing, or steep banks. Okay, well.... you will have to navigate, up close, face to feces, the many piles of cow dung on the way to the water. But heh, sh*t is water soluble, right?
Get better soon! And yes, we will carry you pharaoh style, feeding you grapes and fanning you, to the water's edge at the Pyramid. And, we will worship you.
Best,
jim
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 29, 2018 - 12:01pm PT
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Just before these last series of storms rolled through the Sierra.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Nov 29, 2018 - 12:10pm PT
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Stimbo THAT is an amazing fish man. So jealous. If I drive over there will you carry me Pharoah style out to the river too? My legs work just fine but it sounds like a nice offer.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Nov 29, 2018 - 12:58pm PT
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East side FTW. Man I'm jonesing to fish...
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 29, 2018 - 04:42pm PT
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Stimbo THAT is an amazing fish man. So jealous. If I drive over there will you carry me Pharoah style out to the river too? My legs work just fine but it sounds like a nice offer.
Come on over! With all of the snow we have received today we can drag you on a sled, HAH!
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Nov 29, 2018 - 06:56pm PT
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no trout here, but having fun anyway.
Acklins today.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nov 29, 2018 - 06:59pm PT
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Whoa...that one's got some shoulders Mike. Bet it went on a mighty big run?
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nov 29, 2018 - 08:09pm PT
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no trout here, but having fun anyway.
Nice job Mike. That thing looks like it could have pulled mighty hard.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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yes, Bob, Jim - I have 100 yards of white backing tied to 100 yards of yellow backing. This was the first time I have been into the yellow backing in a long time. Beautiful fish. My brother had an even larger one today. I think they are between 8 and 10lbs.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Those are some BIG bonefish!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Dec 11, 2018 - 09:32am PT
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That's a big ol' fish!!!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Dec 11, 2018 - 10:02am PT
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Helluva pyramid sardine you landed right there WTF. You know you've got a monster when it brings in a bunch of debris on its dorsal fin!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dec 11, 2018 - 01:38pm PT
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WTF!!! Woohoo! What a monster! Worth the cold-weather suffering!
Congrats!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Dec 11, 2018 - 02:05pm PT
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WTF I was just assuming the trout papparrazzi took that photo and it was free license for stealing off the interwebs! I fixed it.....you can now go get rich and famous down at Crosby's.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Dec 11, 2018 - 04:40pm PT
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Ya after seeing that picture I think I’ll tell my wife the only Tacoma for sale in this half of the country is in Reno so we can go up there this weekend
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Jim Clipper
climber
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Dec 11, 2018 - 05:49pm PT
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[Click to View YouTube Video]
Perdoname... must be beer thirty over here. something to hold you over until the next journey?
keep on limping. if they must, fuse the elbow in casting position.
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ruppell
climber
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Dec 11, 2018 - 06:01pm PT
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WTF, WAF(What a Fish). Glad you got him to net.
Sadly, I haven't really fished much at all this year. I've been busy wheeling my rig and fixing everything that breaks when you wheel hard. The whole point of me building a capable 4x rig was to reach out of the way fishing and climbing spots. That slowly morphed into me building a super capable 4x rig and wheeling the hardest trails in Cali. lol
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 11, 2018 - 06:25pm PT
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Nice one WTF!!!
Stripping or midging?
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Dec 11, 2018 - 09:22pm PT
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Nice going! Can't wait to get back there.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Dec 12, 2018 - 07:05am PT
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All the fish I caught were on the leech.
What does that leech pattern look like WTF? Any pics of one?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Happy new year everyone! My brother and I set out to be the first people in CA to catch a trout in 2019. Each had one at sunrise and then he caught this 20.5” with a full tail and adipose fin (nice to see on the lower Kings).
Hope everyone has a great year on the water or rock or couch or whatever you like to be on!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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That's a beauty. Great way to start the New Year!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Well done "crab." That looks like such a cool fishery.
Scott, here is a link for balanced leeches:
https://www.pyramidlakeflyfishing.com/fishing/flies/pyramid-lake-balanced-leech/
I went out yesterday (Upper Owens), it was butt cold, but so nice to be outside. The fishing generally was slow and I can guess the trout received a lot of angling pressure throughout the holiday. I managed a few smaller fish then finally hooked into a nice rainbow in that low 20" range. It was a nice way to usher in the New Year.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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My congrats on you folks braving the cold & on your fine trout.
Brrrrrr!
The last day I fished in below freezing temps was 11/22/15.
Don't I look like I'm having fun?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Jan 13, 2019 - 01:36pm PT
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Happy New Years to all!
Please wake me up when it gets back to 60 in Bishop!
Happy to know All are staying busy.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 14, 2019 - 03:28pm PT
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Nice one WTF! Looks cold, but at least the sun's out!
Stripping or indicator fishing?
Can't wait to get back there.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 16, 2019 - 05:13pm PT
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WTF! Big congrats on that giant of the trout-world.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 16, 2019 - 05:50pm PT
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You never want to call a fish a "fish of a lifetime" cause that's saying you'll never catch a bigger or better one, but damn, WTF, that sure is a good one!
I'll bet you'll remember that one for quite some time. Congrats.
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ruppell
climber
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Jan 16, 2019 - 05:54pm PT
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WTF
That's a proud fish in your hands there man. Congrats.
BG,
I've caught quite a few "fish of a lifetime". I know you have as well. It just means we're living a good life and actually know how to fish. Or, in my case, I'm just really lucky. lol
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Jim Clipper
climber
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Jan 16, 2019 - 09:11pm PT
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After what's been done to the rivers, seeing a big LCT makes me happy. Glad there are people out there that care about it. Awesome fish...
Tahoe must have been incredible.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 19, 2019 - 06:23pm PT
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She was a beauty and a leaper as well. Great fighter. What a day! Good times out in the Caldera. Access was.... interesting.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Jan 29, 2019 - 11:43am PT
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30" wild steelhead. I was a little excited....I was going to say "fish of a lifetime" but I saw BG's post above. So I'll say fish of my life so far, for sure!!!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Jan 29, 2019 - 12:04pm PT
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Nice hookjaw on that one! Good catch. What river?
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Mtnmun
Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
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Jan 29, 2019 - 12:31pm PT
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The Fishin Magician 30"x40" Oil on Canvas
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Jan 29, 2019 - 05:04pm PT
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Nice wild buck! Cool, cool, cool..... so jealous.
jim
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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I think I found where they planted to brooders. Sure is easier to find the good spots when I can walk!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Holy moly those are some big ass trout! Congrats on the fish and the ability to walk again.
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter
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Nice fishies. Did you send them to nature? He likes fish
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aw yeah!!!! Nice one Briham! Proud send.
And Limpingcrab, solid work out there brah.
I would officially like to throw my hat into the “Big Trout Caughtt in January” ring.
Check out this fat girl!!!!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Today’s catch, 26 inch fat rainbow from my pack raft...just smoked.
h
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Double steelhead morning last Sunday!!!! After literally 3 years of getting skunked I'm really starting to figure this spot out. With the mega rain I think this will about do it for central cal steelhead season :,(
BG you had asked what river...email me if you would like to know brihamilton89 AT yahoo . com
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Nice Brian! And both are wild steelhead. Well done.
jim
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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A Truckee River brown from the Nevada side...
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Nice brown!
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Mar 17, 2019 - 02:27pm PT
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It's gonna be a good season.....
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 17, 2019 - 08:27pm PT
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Nice mug shot!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 27, 2019 - 10:08pm PT
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Caught and released this lunker largemouth bass fly fishing at Lake Perris today.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Mar 28, 2019 - 10:00am PT
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Holy crap that's a big bass
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 28, 2019 - 10:03am PT
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That was my personal best, eight pounds even.
WTF, I'll be there next week with my wife Yvonne, Mon - Fri. Give me a call!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Mar 29, 2019 - 09:37am PT
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On Friday I might not be fishing Pyramid...was thinking of exploring Lahontan Reservoir...depends on how good Pyramid is fishing!
Give me a call/text and I'll give you a Pyramid report.
nine four nine three two two six one zero eight
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Mar 29, 2019 - 09:49am PT
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I'm headed to the Alabama Hills tomorrow and then climbing and working my way towards Bishop through Wednesday. Any recommendations on where to find some trout? I hate to say it but I so rarely make it to the eastside that my eastside trout game is weak....
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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Mar 29, 2019 - 10:05am PT
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The climbing should be really good. The river around Bishop is totally blown out. I'm guessing it's flowing at about 500cfs. Pretty much not doable. PVR if you must otherwise head to Upper O/Hot Creek. Should be pretty good on the Upper. Nice weather. Don't get yer rig stuck up there though.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Mar 29, 2019 - 09:02pm PT
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10-4, thanks!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Just got back from another trip to Pyramid Lake, Nevada.
Had the distinct pleasure of meeting WTF- he's an awesome dude!
The fishing, like the weather, was hot and cold, but we did mange to catch a few of the 25 to 30-inch cutthroats this lake is famous for.
Missed the epic day that WTF's group had by one day- the classic "you should have been here yesterday," but such is fishing.
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Nice fish Loyd ! What fly did ya get em on?
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Apr 10, 2019 - 08:41pm PT
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Thanks folks!
Great fish, great people, & great fun!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Apr 10, 2019 - 10:14pm PT
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WTF it was an amazing weekend. Well, I can’t say “weekend,” cause I was only there for four hours! You know it’s a special place when a punter like me is willing to drive 12 total hours for 4 1/2 hours of fishing. But man, I have to admit, I was on fire for those four hours. Four nice fattys landed to the net and two more good sized ones that I brought within a foot or two of the ladder.
But really I came for the hangout time around the fire and the B.S. sessions around the truck.
Thanks so much for the invite last year and what has been the start of a good long friendship. I know you will miss that place, but new adventures await and the way I see it, it’s only about 15-16 hours to Colorado so I’m down for a road trip! Figure out that water and get ready to put us on some nice fish out there.
From there on out, it was pretty much a madhouse. Macronut and I traded off catching and landing nice fish while Limpingcrab struggled and WTF and Robert steadily produced.
Pretty soon, the sky got dark and the and the wind picked up and things started to really happen. Limpingcrab finally got on the board with this absolute monster. 13-14 pounds maybe?
Macronut, an absolute rookie on a borrowed 8wt rod who had no idea how to double haul ended up being the king of pyramid lake that day. The kid could do no wrong. It was ridiculous. I think he said he landed over 20 of these things.
Eventually, I had to mount up and head home to be at the dinner table by 6 PM for a dinner party that I promised my wife I would not miss. So yeah, I drove 12 hours to fish for less time than it takes to play a round of golf.
But man, with this clan and for those fish, I would drive double that to do it all over again. Thanks WTF.
Adios amigos. Until next time...
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Apr 10, 2019 - 10:48pm PT
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Rad!!!
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Apr 11, 2019 - 08:52am PT
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I was just a few ladders down from you guys.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Apr 11, 2019 - 09:21am PT
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I'm more a fillet and release fisherman
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Apr 11, 2019 - 07:44pm PT
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Well, I was there as well but I missed the weekend fun. Wild weather as usual.....
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Apr 11, 2019 - 08:41pm PT
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Going to hit the Eastside this weekend for the first time this year. So excited!
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 11, 2019 - 11:36pm PT
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Stimbo! That one's a real pig!
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otisdog
Social climber
Sierra Madre, Ca.
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Apr 15, 2019 - 01:28pm PT
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Thoughts?
The DFG is concerned that the regulations are so varied amongst the different waters- different seasons, different baits, different limits. Maybe they're as such because each body of water is unique, with different needs and solutions required for the health of each ecosystem.
I feel like the proposed new regs being dumbed down will only affect the waters in a negative way - the regs got to where they are for a reason, which is to individually address each body of waters specific needs. Caltrout had a part in doing the research that led to the current regs. To me this just looks like the DFG is too lazy....they already don't enforce the varied regulations in place.
I was strongly opposed to Hot Creek being open year round. Having fished the creek for over a half of a century, I just didn't see the need. Soon after this happened the trout population plummeted, to where fish were planted for the first time in decades. DFG blamed it on the drought. Funny, the drought did not have the same impact on nearby waters.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Apr 15, 2019 - 02:06pm PT
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Sorry but the drought crushed the trout populations in much of the Sierra. Hot Creek was decimated and it had nothing to do with being open all year. I am happy to say that it is recovering nicely now that we have had a couple decent years in a row (and the DFW has planted thousands of new fish in it). And it wasn't like the previous population of trout wasn't planted in Hot Creek anyway. The browns were planted after they Rotenoned the stream in the early 70s and the rainbows were introduced when the hatchery silted up during the earthquakes in 1980 and the hatchlings were released into the river rather than let them suffocate.
Not that I don't also think the new regulations are probably sh!t for the fish.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Apr 17, 2019 - 11:14pm PT
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I like the new proposal for opening up more CA freshwaters for year-round fishing!
Some of the new regulations look good, like zero bag limit for the East Walker, which is currently one fish over 18 inches from the last Saturday in April through Nov 15.
A couple of comments I submitted to the CDFW:
If the Crowley Lake bag limit were "2 fish take" and "4 in possession" instead of 5 and 10 the quality of the fishing would improve immensely. This is the bag limit used at Eagle Lake in Northern California with great success.
Also, if the "5 fish bag limit" is allowed for McGee Creek beginning the Saturday preceding Memorial Day, then the wild cutthroat that spawn in the creek will be decimated, since they spawn well into June. Don't open McGee Creek for bag limits until the month of July to protect the spawners.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Republic, WA
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May 19, 2019 - 08:03am PT
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Ever catch a Tiger Trout?
Very good table fare.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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May 19, 2019 - 01:35pm PT
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Nice fish Wayno. I was only vaguely aware of Tiger Trout, so I leaned on Wikipedia.
Tiger trout can be produced reliably in hatcheries. This is done by fertilizing brown trout eggs with brook trout milt and heat shocking, causing the creation of an extra set of chromosomes and increasing survival rates from 5% to 85%.[5] Tiger trout have been reported to grow faster than natural species,[6] though this assessment is not universal,[7] and they have been widely stocked for sport fishing.
Tiger trout are known to be highly piscivorous (fish-eating), and are a good control against rough fish populations. This makes tigers popular with many fish stocking programs, such as with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.[8] Their own population numbers can be tightly controlled as well, since they are sterile.
Also, I just read a great article on climbing & fishing cartoonist Sheridan Anderson & his trout fishing how-to book The Curtis Creek Manifesto. Thanks to Jon Beck for posting this link on the Sheridan Anderson thread. https://www.theflyfishjournal.com/exclusive/searching-for-sheridan/
And most importantly, a deep sigh of regret for us fishers losing this thread. Where the hell are we going to brag about our fishing prowness now??
Sigh!
Fritz & a friendly 26" bow about 10 miles from home.
A 28" bow fall 2017. Biggest trout I've caught this century.
A 28" Bulltrout I caught & released in the last century. He took a small dry fly in a riffle, which is strange behavior for them.
And the biggest Cutthroat I've ever caught up the butt. It fought like crazy, as would most creatures hooked in the same place.
Au revoir,
Fritz aka Ray Brooks https://www.facebook.com/groups/425056734950713/
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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May 25, 2019 - 04:37pm PT
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So long SuperTopo, it was fun while it lasted.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 25, 2019 - 04:50pm PT
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Someone should archive this thread....climbers may know shite about politics and religion but there have always been avid fishermen in the tribe....Chouinard comes to mind.
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