Late TR: March 5, 2005 w/link to pix

I must have been getting ornery. About the middle of the week, SWMBO
actually suggested that I go fishing on Saturday. I didn't have to be
told twice.

Saturday dawned clear and cold. A beautiful late winter morning. I did a
few things around the house so as not to appear too eager then about ten
I gathered up my gear, piled in the car and headed out.

I expected to have my favorite stream to myself this early in the year
and was surprised to find vehicles at my first two starting spots. This
is not a stream that can handle a lot of fishermen. The fish spook
easily and stay down for a long time once spooked. I continued on up the
stream and finely found an unoccupied turnout. I rigged up and headed
for the stream, about a hundred and fifty yard tromp through the sagebrush.

I started at the head of a large beaver pond. I immediately noticed how
much more water there was than in the past couple of years. We have had
a good, drought busting winter and the creek was already showing the
affects. There was a fish rising not far from shore in the shallow water
of the mud flat on the inside of a bend in the creek. Not a usual place
to see a fish feeding. I tied on a Renegade and went to work. The
casting was a bit rusty but not too bad. I floated the fly over the now
silent feeder several times to no avail. Impatient, I moved upstream,
only to see the fish I had been casting to turn and move lazily
downstream. Dang, that was a nice fish.

It was a beautiful day. Cold, but sunny. I was surprised how many birds
were out and about this early in the year. I worked my way upstream,
blind fishing pockets and pools. I soon saw another fish rising, again
in the shallow water of mud flat. Odd. I carefully crept into casting
position and could clearly see a eight or nine inch brown feeding in the
clear water. “Careful,” I said to myself. I false cast out what I
thought was the right amount of line then let it go. I couldn't have put
that fly more squarely on top of that fish if had reached out and put it
there. Idiot! Surprisingly, the fish did not spook. The next cast was
good distance but a foot too far to the right. I let it float down so as
not to scare the fish. Suddenly it became clear that the fish had
spotted my fly and was interested. “Wait for it,” I inwardly screamed at
myself, but to no avail. From a good two feet away, the fish made a dash
for the fly. Sure enough, in my eagerness I ripped that fly right out of
his mouth. A Steller's Jay cackled raucously from a nearby bush,
seemingly mocking my futility as a fisherman.

I fished this section of the stream for another hour or so without so
much as a sniff at my fly and then drove upstream to a section that
always produces, so I hoped. I casually worked my way upstream, mostly
taking in the lovely day. When I reached the “honey hole” I got serious.
I crept up to the side of the hole, watched and soon spotted a couple of
fish feeding. I floated my Renegade over the lower one a few times to no
avail. I traded my Renegade for a #18 Parachute Adams and went back to
work. Again the lower fish ignored the fly so I went after the upper
fish. I floated through the feeding upstream fish and let it continue on
through where the lower fish lay.

The take was subtle. This time I was patient with the set. My rod tip
bent as the fish headed for the far depths of the pool, even pulling
some line off my reel. I applied pressure and he stopped and turned
downstream and then oddly just stopped. I quickly brought him to hand
with no effort, a pretty 14" brown. The fish just lay there like he was
dead while I took a couple of vanity pictures but the moment I put him
in the water he was off like a shot and headed downstream.

I fished for a couple more hours with no more fish but great
satisfaction and went home a happy man.


A couple of observations on the day:

I witnessed several fish holding and feeding shallow (6" to 9"), barren
mud flats where the water was moving very slowly--places you would never
see them during the spring and summer. My guess is that they were
holding there because the water was warmer there. The water in the main
part of the stream was cold, 42 degrees. I suspect that the sun was
warming the dark mud which in turn warmed the water flowing over it a
little. I could think of no other reason why they were there.

I have real mixed feelings about beaver. I admire their engineering,
their work and their strength. I love to watch them work. I hate it when
they surface behind me, spot me, get alarmed, whack their tail on the
water and scare the living daylights out of me. I also hate the way the
ponds that their dams create wipe out beautiful riffles and runs that
are so run to fly fish. The stretch of creek where my "honey hole" had
five new dams on it that were not there last spring when I last fished
it. Seems like they are going to dam the whole creek.

Anyway, here is the link to a few pictures I took that day.

http://www.sfcn.org/rmd/Fish030505.html


Thanks for the ear,

Russell

Russell D. wrote:
snipped very good TR

Anyway, here is the link to a few pictures I took that day.

http://www.sfcn.org/rmd/Fish030505.html

Something is wrong with these pictures. . . Ah-HA! Your water is much
more liquid than ours! Looks like a great place to fish. Thanks for
sharing.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

"Russell D." wrote in message
...
I must have been getting ornery. About the middle of the week, SWMBO
actually suggested that I go fishing on Saturday. I didn't have to be told
twice.

Great TR!

I'm very excited, first trip of the season starts next Wed. on the
Bitterroot...

Thanks,
JT

"Russell D." wrote


Thanks for the ear,



Thanks for sharing ...

"Russell D." wrote in message
...
I must have been getting ornery. About the middle of the week, SWMBO
actually suggested that I go fishing on Saturday. I didn't have to be
told twice.

(stuff snipped)
http://www.sfcn.org/rmd/Fish030505.html
Russell

Nice trip report Russell. Looks like a neat place. I really enjoy beaver
ponds. But I seem to losing them around here. I've apparently lost about
3 1/2 areas I fish in the last 12 years or so. It doesn't appear to be the
food source even though the beavers will pick up and move when they deplete
an area, I'm told. Makes sense about a lot of critters to me. Here in
Colorado they also have a season on beaver from around Oct 1-Apr 30 at the
last I checked, which was 2003. Didn't check in 2004. Of course snowpack
and runoff can get them upset about living conditions as well.
Did find a pretty good area last year, but haven't fished it yet. (saving
it for this year . . .grin)
The one's I fish have brookies and browns mostly.
There was a thread here or on ROFFT a few years ago about the Renegade fly
pattern. I used to use it in lakes in the 70's. Still used to teach it in
a beginner's fly tying class into the mid '90s or so. Brings back some
fond memories once again. Used to be extremely popular In the Rocky neck of
the woods. Have a few in at least one of my boxes yet. Haven't used them
for much more than bluegills and a few crappies in recent years. Thanks
for bringing back some fond memories.
You pics are a good representation of the area you fished. Neat. I'm always
curious to match the reports to the areas.
BestWishes,
DaveMohnsen
Denver
(What part of the country you fishing? I should know maybe from some
previous posts. But I know the beaver ponds I fish are basically frosty and
fairly hard water right now)

"DaveMohnsen" wrote

There was a thread here or on ROFFT a few years ago about the Renegade fly
pattern.

The Renegade is one of a handful of 'general purpose' flies that I still
carry ... and it often works damn well when all logic says it shouldn't G
.... try one during a Trico spinner fall, for instance

Like Russell with his beavers, I have a love/hate relationship with trout
that will eat a #16 Renegade or #18 Royal Wullf when the 'hatch' is a size
22 that doesn't look like either pattern and my best efforts at matching
that hatch are failing dismally.

I sometimes wonder if there isn't a fishing god whose sole duty is to seek
out FFishing snobs and bring them back down to reality :-) And not just
pattern snobs .... I've seen it happen to bamboo carrying gear whores too
.... carrying 'the best,' yet beat by the rest .... gotta love it, even when
I'm on the losing side of the deal .... often the very best treatment for a
ailing, and swollen ego is a ding or two.

Anyway, carry a few Renegades ... and let the trout decide if they are
'right' ...... they seem to know more about this stuff than I do G

Russell D. wrote:
I must have been getting ornery. About the middle of the week, SWMBO
actually suggested that I go fishing on Saturday. I didn't have to be
told twice.
.....

Nice report and pics, thanks. Interesting country. Is it open grazing
land around there?

JR

DaveMohnsen wrote:
"Russell D." wrote in message
...

I must have been getting ornery. About the middle of the week, SWMBO
actually suggested that I go fishing on Saturday. I didn't have to be
told twice.


(stuff snipped)

http://www.sfcn.org/rmd/Fish030505.html
Russell


Nice trip report Russell. Looks like a neat place. I really enjoy beaver
ponds.

Thanks for you comments, Dave. I really don't enjoy fishing beaver ponds
that much. Thus, part of my problem with those busy beavers.

I live in Spanish Fork, Utah, about forty miles south of Salt Lake. This
creek is about twenty minutes from my house.

I may have started the Renegade tread a couple of years ago. I sort of
rediscovered the Renegade fishing this creek in January a couple of
years ago. They were killers during a heavy midge hatch. I learned to
fish with the Renegade where I grew up in Idaho. I have probably caught
more fish on a Renegade than any other fly.

Russell

JR wrote:
Russell D. wrote:

I must have been getting ornery. About the middle of the week, SWMBO
actually suggested that I go fishing on Saturday. I didn't have to be
told twice.
.....


Nice report and pics, thanks. Interesting country. Is it open grazing
land around there?

JR

Thanks, JR.

The bottom four pictures are in an open area and there are sometimes
cattle grazing there. The other pictures are in an area that is fenced
off. The whole of the creek is on private property. Most of it is still
open to the public but parts of it have been made inaccessible by the
land owners.


Russell

Tim J. wrote:

http://www.sfcn.org/rmd/Fish030505.html


Something is wrong with these pictures. . . Ah-HA! Your water is much
more liquid than ours! Looks like a great place to fish. Thanks for
sharing.

Keep the faith, Tim. Warmer weather is bound to be near. Hey, it's spring.

Russell