Headwater Bushwackin'

With only hours to go before standing in the firing line of my cousin's wedding, I managed to sneak out for a few hours to the headwaters of one of my favorite streams. This section is tough, with super cagey fish and very tight places...but it's worth it. Three of us made the trip up, anxious to sling some dry flies and try some new sections of this stream. The campers and hikers were out in abundance but thankfully we didn't see any other fisherman. It's always a shock to see so many campers and hikers that don't fish, not that I mind or anything...

As you can see in the next picture it would probably help if I read the local news from time to time. I miss the very local goings on...like rock slides. You see, I live in one county but work in another, so I tend to read the paper from the county I work in. But, this dandy little rock slide didn't keep a worn out Ford and a very worn out Toyota from fishing. Heck, I'm sure I coulda locked the hubs and climbed that sucker if I needed to...agree?

The three of us decided to slipt up. I took the top section and the two of them played hopscotch on the lower section. Upon tying on an elk hair caddis and making my first cast I was rewarded with a surprise...a nice 7" brookie. A brook isn't very rare for this creek but fairly rare as mostly browns and rainbows call it home. I was seconds from a picture when he escaped me. As we all know when the first cast is easy and you think, "Man, this is going to be an excellent day", most often it turns out to be a bust. This wasn't exactly true but the fishing was very difficult for my eight foot sage. If I had any brains I would leave my little 6 footer in the truck for such a dance as this one but I'm a dofus and I love my sage. Cheating on her hurts sometimes.

At the end of the day as I worked my way as high as you could possibly fish, numerous trout were landed and my partner in crime pulled a super nice brown from a very unlikely spot just above a well used camping area...with campers in it. We were happily shocked.

I normally never loose but a fly or two but this stream, I should say, this stream's laurel took many a fly from me this day. I went monkey on a couple to get them back. For some stupid reason I've taken up tying my own flies, I guess now I can afford to loose a couple...???...

Where I been...

I been hidin. Not really. Been fishing twice since my last post but not much to report. Took the entire family...well, a good bit of them, up to Helton DH for a go 'round with the stockers. But, when we arrived it was HIGH and MUDDDDDDDY. Like pumpin' hot nestle quick without the marshmellows. I do think everyone landed at least one fish. I managed to help my little fragile sis onto a good size brookie. The ONLY place a fish could be found was in the rare and few dead spots on the edges of a run. I slipped up on her while she was still getting the hang of the open face spin rod. I told her, I would bet a couple bucks a fish is waiting for you just behind that big log. That big log slowed the water enough for a fish to hang on in the hydro force mud bath. She couldn't get the cast down so I forced her to get her little toes wet, try mulitple casts and finally it was WHAMMY on a spec. She was pumped. The other highlight was of course watching my son have a blast throwing sticks, rocks, sticks, rocks and rocks in the water. He WILL be an outdoorsman...I'm almost confident.



Most recently, on a whim, Joey and I tried a stream marked as C&R just off the parkway. Dude, what a bust! I'd give the name but I'm gonna save my embarssment cause I'd guess somebody would laugh at us for even trying this hole. I knew quick when we pulled a couple of them stoopid shiners from suspecting holes that the creek was a bust. We high tailed it back out, drove to investigate another stream and then rolled back off the mountain. All I can say is the stream was almost pitiful enough to put me in a fish depression. I almost stopped at the grocery store just to go remind myself what a trout looks like. I can't speak of it anymore or I'll put all my junk on ebay.....kidding!

Hang on for a more decent report this weekend. I got something better up my sleeve.


later