Throw'm Back Thursday

 

TBT

(Throw’m Back Thursday)

10/07/21

  It was a beautiful Thursday morning. Blue sky and no sign of rain. The morning air was cool, cool enough that a long sleeve ‘T’ under my Columbia Bahama button down was comfortable. More leaves on more trees, that lined the banks, were just starting to turn their Autumn colors. Some leaves, that had fallen already, faintly rustled across the paved lot when a cool breeze blew by. The water level was just right as far as I was concerned. High enough the trout should be scattered throughout the stream. The water was a distinct root beer shade that was opaque enough to hide the trout as well as a distant angler. Their was only one other angler in the parking lot when I arrived so I wasn’t in a hurry to hit the stream. I took my time switching my gear from my rain jacket pockets to my vest. After I assembled my 4 weight 9’ custom fly rod I grabbed a few cigars and headed to the water.

  The morning fishing was slow at first and it took awhile before I was able to find a couple hungry trout to take a streamer.

 

  I suppose the trout had been fished over pretty much over the past week after being stocked so I wasn’t much surprised. Plus being close to the parking area gets fished over more than the rest of the stream. As noon approached more anglers entered the lot and fished and waded the stream. It got kind of crowded so I put the rod in the back of the truck and drove down stream for a more secluded area to fish. There was one other angler that was just heading down to the water. I watched as he walked up stream a ways before entering the water. I headed down stream and began casting streamers. It wasn’t long that I found these trout down here weren’t as wary as up stream.

  I was catching some nice size trout. They were frisky and gave the 4 weight a good workout. 

 

 

  

 I figured I netted a half dozen or so before I called it quits. It was a relaxing Thursday outing. No fuss or competitiveness with other anglers. At the truck I put my gear away and headed home.

 ~doubletaper

 

Nothing Else Mattered

 

Nothing Else Mattered

10/01/2021

 The palomino trout stood out in the slightly tainted water like a Sacagawea Golden Dollar on a wooden floor. There were three of them but the one was very noticeably bigger than the other two. It wasn’t that I was keying on him but it’s hard to not give him a few extra casts to maybe get him to commit. Besides that I found that where there are these palomino trout there are other trout nearby. After showing the trout a countless numbers of fly patterns, from nymphs to streamers, I decided to move on downstream for more hopes of fooling a trout.

  I was gone for a couple of hours before returning to the section with the palomino trout. I had fooled and netted a few trout downstream. One being a fat healthy rainbow that took a streamer and wouldn’t let go.

  I figured I’d try a few more casts before calling it quits. It was around 12 and the sun was heating things up and the water was much clearer than it was earlier. I attached a Triple Threat streamer to the 6 lb fluorocarbon tippet and started casting out into the water. I directed the swinging streamer in front of the golden trout every so often. He didn’t seem to mind watching it pass by and gave no indication he wanted anything to do with it. I never casted the line over top of him not wanting to spook him. I kind of gave up on him and was casting further out across stream letting the streamer swing into the deeper pool of water beyond. As I was casting afar I noticed the big palomino trout swim into the deeper pool of water where I was letting my streamer swing into. He was still within my vision as he just appeared to sit there enjoying his new location in deeper water away from the sun.

  I shot my Triple Threat across the stream and near the shallows on the opposite side. I let it swing and twitched it now and then for some jerky movement. On one pass through the palomino trout actually swam forward to take a look before returning to its holding spot. The next pass through he swam forward again and followed it as it slowly swung within the slow current pool. He turned away and made a circle as if trying to decide if he wanted it or not. Kind of like a nervous petty thief trying to look inconspicuous at a yard sale before grabbing an item and running with it. Well, all of a sudden, before my offering swung behind a sunken flat boulder, the trout sped towards where my streamer should of been. The moment the arc of the line started to straighten, the moment I saw a quick head shake of the golden trout I held the fly line tight and yanked back on the rod. The line tightened instantly under stress and I saw the big palomino wriggling his head, swirl his body and took off downstream. I could feel the strain he was putting on the arced rod as line peeled off the spool and through the guides. I quickly clicked the drag knob lessening the tension on the leader, tippet and my knots. He continued to head shake violently. It wasn’t like he was just trying to get loose from the hook but it was as if he wanted the streamer to himself and wanted to break it off from the line. After tussling with the streamer downstream he darted upstream with the streamer still in his jaw. He practically fought the line the whole time he darted upstream shaking his body. I felt every wrenching forcible tug within my tightly gripped fingers. Once upstream some he stopped facing into the current and again shook the line violently. I just held on not trying to force him, at the time, to do anything he didn’t want to. When he turned to swim downstream it wasn’t with speed but more of swimming with the slow current. I kept side pressure on him now making him use more energy to swim away. Downstream he turned and shook the line thrashing and slinging water about as he came to the surface. I started reeling in line and he started to swim my way but it wasn’t easy getting him to cooperate. He stubbornly came near and within a short distance from me barrel rolled. I was afraid he was going to get himself bound up in my line so I raised it high trying to keep him from getting twisted in it. He came out of it OK and swam not too far out from me. I had a good grip on the cork handle and brought in more line. I had the 9 foot rod angled out towards him when I grabbed my net. I started to lift the rod and he surfaced not giving up with the violent thrashing splashing water everywhere. He didn’t appear to be trying to swim away it was more like a temper tantrum in the same place. Maybe he just got himself so dizzy he wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to go. I got the net beneath him and got half his body in the net. He settled down enough to know he was in something he didn’t want to be in and as if getting his composure back to make a conscious decision. I was already wading to the bank knowing I wouldn’t be able to keep this big trout in the net if he decided to take another tantrum. I got the net to the bank just in time as he flopped himself up and slid safely off the rim of the net and onto the bank. 

  

 I quickly got the hook out of his mouth and a quick picture followed. I got him a little more secure in the net before placing him back into the water. He settled down enough that I dipped the net into the water and he slowly swam out. That’s when I grabbed the neck of his tail and kind of pushed him into deeper water away from the silt that had stirred up from me wading to the bank. I held him into the current and watched his gill plates open and closing. Once I felt a good healthy tail swat I opened my hand and he swam into the current before resting a bit.

  

 Well, there was no use in fishing anymore. After that one nothing else would have mattered as much nor I felt would be worth a picture. It was time to go home with a happy ending.

 

 ~doubletaper

 

Sunday Fatties

 

Sunday Fatties

10/03/2021

 

 It’s not often I start the morning fishing excursion toasting with a glass of Lacavulin 16 year old Scotch with a friend I haven’t seen in some time. That’s what happened on Sunday as one of the best nymph fisherman I have fished with, Dennis, showed up at the stream we were going to fish. When I told him I’d be leaving around 12 he broke out a couple of glasses and we shared a toast! It was around 7:30 in the morning. I think the smokey flavor stayed with me the rest of the fishing trip.

  He hadn’t fished the stream for sometime and fished his was downstream with a couple of other friends. I watched him for a while from upstream. He was high sticking, I guess Euro Nymphing is what they call it now a days, a wavy run of fast water. He soon disappeared down stream as I stuck around in front of the parking area.

  They had stocked the stream with nice size heavy rainbows and brown trout during the week. It was no surprise that some of those big trout would be caught by us. It took a while for me to find the right offering to get a trout to commit. I had tried my favorite Woolly Buggers, some sucker spawn, nymphs and even a San Juan worm for the first hour or so but not a fish bit. I watched a couple of guys down stream a ways pulling trout out but evidently I was offering the wrong meal. It was like I had a hot dog stand but everyone wanted hamburgers like the two fellows offering them down a block. I’m sure the stream got hit hard over Friday and Saturday so I thought maybe the section I was in the trout were more wary with sore lips.

  When the guys left the area I moved down to where they were getting customers. I decided to start showing them a minnow imitation pattern that I was pretty sure they haven’t seen. Most people I watch fishing fish underneath with nymphs and such. I don’t usually see many fly guys fishing streamers. With my Triple Threat minnow looking pattern I was hoping to fool a few of the bigger trout.

  At first I would see the end of my line twitch quickly like maybe a trout was nosing the Triple Threat playing with it like a cat pawing a half dead mouse wanting to play some more. I finally got the first rainbow on when the twitch felt more like a grab. Instantly I could tell it was a heavy trout as it tugged and fought. I got it safely to the net and was finally relieved!

  I missed another and all of a sudden, for a short time, I couldn’t get another to bite. I started switching colors. For the heck of it I attached a golden Triple to the tippet and cast it out into the open water. I thought I had a short strike on one pass through. I kept swinging and stripping it slowly and a trout grabbed it hard. I yanked back on the rod and the fight was on. He took line out as he swam further away tugging the whole time. I got him turned around eventually and he was swimming upstream a ways away. He passed by once and with a heavy head shake turned quickly and swam downstream again with he current. When I finally got him to the net he flopped out of it with a twisting flip and I thought I was going to lose him. He swam away, upstream a bit, like a handcuffed criminal escaping from trying to be put in the squad car. He didn’t get too far as I raised and turned the rod down stream for him to follow. The second attempt I got him in the net safely.

 

I fished the rest of the morning with Triple Threats and produced a few more fat rainbows.

 

  It was near 1:00 when I saw Dennis heading upstream. I waded down to meet him before heading out. He said he caught a couple of fat bows also and a nice brown trout downstream. When I saw the picture it sure was a beauty.

 ~doubletaper