Skiing day 2.....SINGLE!

Woke up this morning looked out the door and seen blue skies! No late night text from anyone wanting to hit a lake or bunny hunt so I decided to get on the mountain. Sundance Ski Resort is my home town resort, growing up there and working through high school as a parking lot attendant. Eight my friends and I all did this to get season passes, lets just say there was more skiing in the winter than school work, luckily I had teachers that understood the draw to the mountains. This morning, like I said, was Bluebird sky and no wind, colder than Hades, 6* at base. That just meant that the snow loss water content and fluffed up, much to my surprise there wasn't a lot of new snow from Tuesday to today, even though we had a large snow storm on Christmas. Sundance is that way with northerly storms it is hit and miss when they come out of the north. Storms from the south however is the time to have your powder boards ready to go, Sundance will get slammed with Utah's finest Champagne Powder. I made first chair this morning with another rider and we made it to back mountain after brake checks and learner stops by 9:10 and first run commenced. Today was a cruiser day, turned on the ipod and listened to some tunes and rode the Corduroy for some speed. I did hit one crud run and decided not today, broken, choppy and heavy off the groomed, I just relaxed and carved turns. I made seven runs before the lines got long and my legs were tired. Seven runs by 10:30 was pretty good and I didn't feel like standing in lines today, so I called it good and headed for home. Stopped at the parents house and visited for a while and was home by noon. Great morning on the mountain.

Fishing Christmas Eve

Our annual fishing trip on Christmas eve to celebrate Mac’s birthday took us to Mammoth/Huntington Reservoir at the top of Huntington Canyon. Parker and I met Craig and Gary at the lake. We arrived about 7:30, they had been there since 6:30, good thing we got out late though Craig forgot his bibs, so we picked them up for him. Craig fishes on his birthday every year and we are lucky enough to be invited to join. Always a good day on the ice. Today proved no different. We set camp by the dam while they set camp out on the main body of the lake. This is a high altitude lake in the Manti La-Sals just off Skyline Drive. The ice was double layered, first crust being about three inches thick and then an eight inch layer of slush to the next layer of ice being about 12 inches thick. Parker learned quickly there were slush pockets, breaking through the first layer up to his knees in slush, never a fun feeling breaking through. We set up and got things going flasher, underwater camera, poles the morning started off great no wind and bluebird skies.

Around nine the wind started, so we flipped the tent up and watched hundreds of fish swim by our lures. They would come up to them nose them around but never hit the lures. Craig came over saying they had caught 2 and another fisher had got a couple on a green tube jig, Craig and Gary were using shrimp and worm. I switched out to a green tube and finally got a Tiger trout, even seen it hit on the camera. After that they became very jumpy, jigging and dancing the jig made them dart away. We fished until noon and after not seeing a fish on the camera for a half hour we decided to call it a day. We had a long drag off the lake with the big rig, it weighs approximately 300 lbs loaded. Luckily another fisher came off with us and offered to help drag it up the ramp with all 3 of us we finally got it to the parking lot. We talked with him for few minutes and his group hadn’t caught anything all morning. It was definitely not hot fishing, but we figured out our underwater camera and what we need to make it work well. We had a great day on the ice, Craig and Gary ended up catching a few fish, they stayed until late afternoon. We went into Fairview and had lunch at the local burger joint, it was pretty good and okay on the price.

Ski Day!

Spin drifts were flowing this morning off the peaks as we loaded up the truck for the days adventure to Sundance.  We got on the road at 8:15, stopped and got some breakfast and were at the mountain by 8:45.  Stopped at the ticket window and picked up a pass for Parker and were on the lift by 9:05. That was after we had to adjust his skis for his boots I picked up his mothers skis for him thinking they were his.  It's been a while since Parker was skiing with me 3 years in fact.  But we made it through that.  The day was absolutely perfect, blue bird skies, no wind and some powder to be had.  This was the first day of the season for me as well, hopefully quite a few more to come.  The only issue we need snow badly!!  The groomed runs were okay but still tons of under growth poking through the snow.  We made it to back mountain by 9:30 and were skiing.  We took mostly cruiser runs for the day but made a couple short pitches in the calf deep powder from the storm that rolled through yesterday.  We had a blast and skied 6 runs before we had to head for home, and our legs were fried.  Plus the lines were getting horrible the last run we had to wait almost 20 minutes to load. Not good for a small resort and the top of front mountain was not open making us go down the back trail to the bottom which isn't pleasant especially on tired legs, lots of flats.  The ski season isn't starting off well for any resort due to lack of snow.  That doesn't bode well for the coming summer and water supplies, Jordanelle never did fill this summer and will remain well below capacity without some huge storms coming through.  Skiing for the day was great it was nice to have my mountain partner back with me for the day.  I wish I had a Jacuzzi right now, that's all I'm saying.  Forgot the camera at the truck sorry no picks or videos today.

Thanksgiving Rabbit Hunt

Saturday morning was the scheduled Thanksgiving Rabbit Hunt. This annual tradition is fun because my boys and I get to enjoy the outdoors and share thoughts and plans of the upcoming year. This year we didn't have anyone else join us, due to other plans, so it was just us. My oldest son was in Idaho with his in-laws so Rogan, Parker and myself partook in the activity. We left home about 8 am and made our way into the West Desert of Tooele County, 50 miles later and getting supplies for the day we were at our destination by 9:30 am. With only three of us working the fields we worried that we may not scare anything up. The wind was howling from the start and we knew that would hold the rabbits up tightly in their hiding spots. The area we hunt is an abandoned pheasant farm, we first started hunting this area 12 years ago and it was fast and furious because no one had been using it for a couple years and the rabbits had full access to the old pheasant pens and left over feed. Today wasn't quite as productive due to the fact that sheep herders now use the area for their grazing grounds and keep the numbers down, plus only three of us working the area.  

We walked a total of about 3 miles through the sagebrush and rabbit brush. We got shots off at over a dozen rabbits, most of which we had to almost step on the get them running. Not getting out as often as we would like too, our shooting was very bad! No Rabbits were harmed in this outing...LOL. We had a blast trying to get our sights locked in and hitting those quick bunnies. Mostly black tipped Jack rabbits and a couple cottontails were the targets of the day. We finished the day off with lunch at our favorite local cafe, Chubby's Café, and shared laughs about our outing and missed opportunities of bagging a rabbit. Good times indeed outdoors with my sons, hope you have had a great Thanksgiving break with your family and get out more often this coming year with your loved ones.

Scofield Ice Fishing Day 2

Parker and I returned to Scofield Reservoir to see if the first day was pure luck or if we had found a good spot and method. We arrived about 7:15 am Friday morning and got our gear ready to go. Had camp set up by 7:30 am in the exact same spot, someone had been there after us and used our holes, but they were frozen over solid again and we punched through the exact same holes and set up the rigs the same with tubes, paddles and ice flies using meal worms as bait. The results were the same, fast action from the get go catching plenty of Colorado Cutthroat trout. Those on the lake that were in deeper water and farther out from the bank were not getting as much action as we were. Today we set up facing the sun so we could see our electronics better, a cloud cover kept it cooler, we didn't go down to our short sleeves today. Ice fishing has become a staple of our winter activities so we have gotten all the gadgets we think will help us. A nice flasher style fish finder, underwater camera, a couple of tents, power augers etc. We have enough poles to accommodate a few fishermen, the state of Utah opened up a two pole limit this summer for everyone so it makes it nice. We had at times each pole in each hand catching two fish at a time. Parker actually had few triple up on the deck himself, we combined numerous times for triple catches during the day. We were catching Colorado Cutthroat trout all in the slot limit a couple of them pushing 20 inches we measured one thinking it might be big enough to keep but just shy of the 22 inch mark needed to keep. We landed one Rainbow again, not big enough to keep, only being 16 inches. We put all fish back to catch again another day.

We had great day and put together a short video of our adventure, I blew it by not hitting record at the first of the day and caught it about hour into our fishing. Missed some epic footage of Parker having a "Bill Dance" moment on his seat. The pattern and depth remained the same for the day and the action was fast. Colorado Cutthroat trout were plentiful, but again in the slot limit. Hopefully we can return and get into some Tiger trout and more of the Rainbow trout that haunt the waters of Scofield Reservoir. It may be a few days since we both go back to the grind of daily lives now with Thanksgiving break over. Until next time hope your adventures are memorable.

Also check out our video here.

Scofield Ice Fishing 11.26.14

Parker and I went to Scofield Reservoir to check on the ice fishing situation. I had seen on other sites that folks were on ice and catching fish. We left home at 6 am and headed south after filling up and getting needed supplies we hit the road. We arrived on the lake at 7:30 am and were actually fishing by 8 am. We used our hand auger due to the fact our power auger wouldn't start. My fault I should have started it before at home to make sure it was going to work. Good thing the ice was only 4 inches thick we cut 5 holes quickly and set lines in about 10 ft. of water and put our camera down and immediately seen fish. That made us happy. We rigged our poles for the first time of the season and started with our go to baits and lures. Paddle bugs and meal worms, ice flies and jigs. Parker got the first fish within about five minutes, a small Colorado Cutthroat trout, first fish of the ice fishing season. Made us both happy. I set two poles one with the ice flies and meal worms dead handed that pole, and one with a rapala minnow bait that I jigged. The rapala paid off not long after Parker's fish and again a small Colorado Cutthroat trout. I fished the jig for another half hour and got nothing, while Parker was killing them on the paddle bug and meal worm. I got a larger Colorado Cutthroat trout on the ice flies which was fun. I changed out my other pole to a rattle rap and tried it for a half hour and got nothing and Parker was still slaying them on the paddle bug, so I gave in and put on a tube jig and meal worm and instantly got two fish on the deck, still working a small jigging action. We fished until early afternoon and easily got over 60 fish on the deck including one Tiger trout and one Rainbow trout. Scofield has a slot limit regulation that all Cutthroat trout and Tiger trout between 15 inches and 22 inches are to be immediately released. Everything we caught was in the slot limit. Still we had a blast catching numerous fish and for the first ice fishing outing it was great! We are planning on returning again this weekend and see if we have the same outcome. The day was absolutely great bluebird day a little wind once in a while but we in short sleeves part of the day, doesn't bode well for the ice however but the morning it was 27* so it will rebuild overnight. We had multiple double ups on the day which made it even more fun we enjoyed the sun and cool clean air.

See the video of the trip at click here

Yuba

The old saying goes, catching fish is not what fishing is about, or something to that nature. We had one of those days yesterday on Yuba. We fished for 7 hours and not one bite. We threw everything at them but could not locate them. I see from reports on other folks sites that they were there in the area we were fishing even we just didn't have the lucky rabbits foot. My brother and took off early and arrived at daybreak on the lake and started out in freezing wind on a full moon morning and a cold front breaking across the state. We didn't think twice about it and took off to where our friends have been nailing them a couple day before. Did learn something that morning about braid line, it needs to be taped to the reel so it doesn't slip. That lesson earned me some frozen fingers and lost line. Anyhow we fished and I believe pretty hard not just throwing and reeling but actually studying each cast and retrieval to see what would elicit a strike. We used what was said to be the hot ticket of lures. We changed up frequently, lures, depth, speed of retrieval, color, action you name it we tried it. We didn't see or hear anyone landing fish but again from reports they were hitting just not our lines.

Some days are like that. My brother text me this morning and thanked me for a great day on the lake! After review it was a great day on the lake! We had fun reminiscing and sharing memories and making new ones for the day. He mentioned that we didn't take a picture of a beautiful day, and that is when I realized we hadn't. That makes a great day when you are into the day so much that you don’t have to take pictures to remember it. Photos of that day are memories we have forever and not have to turn to a photo book or web page to remember the great day we had on the lake that day. Sometimes it's not about the catching of fish! But all about the memories you make and share with those you are with.

10 25 14 Clays at Wasatch Wing and Clay

Saturday the boys and I took some time to use a fundraiser outing that I purchased last year from my high school cross country program.  It was clay pigeon shooting outing at Wasatch Wings and Clay in Cedar Fort UT.  We took the opportunity to have lunch together as well.  We met up with our host Jay Ashworth at the shooting range.  He had brought a couple guns with him some very nice semi-automatic 12 and 20 gauge shot guns.  Parker and I used our reliable 870 pumps.  Parker started off with duster and was quite happy with his first shot.  Rogan getting used to his semi took a couple to lock in but then was dead eye.  Jimmy was last of us to lock in on the technique but did very well the end of the outing.  We all took turns and had a great time.  Jay Ashworth was a great host and teacher.  He gave us tips and instruction to better our shooting techniques and as you can see by the end of the video we were locking in pretty good.  We came away, after shooting 50 rounds each with some sore shoulders but it was worth it.  We will be participating in this outing again.  The Wasatch Wing and Clay has a very nice set up in the west desert of Utah County.  They have a very nice lodge and multiple shooting ranges for pistol, clay, long range and archery.  They also have birds and dogs if you want to have an outing of bird hunting.

Fishing under the Full Moon

Parker and I went out this evening for a quick fish. We went to our local spot on Deer Creek and had a great evening. The fishing was not red hot but the atmosphere was great. A small breeze kept a ripple on the water all evening and at times made it difficult for the Minkota to keep up with it. We fished for about 4 hours until we could no longer really see our poles anyhow. The moon was full and rose over the eastern horizon in full glory. The fishing like I said was not red hot except for one particular part of the Sea of Galilee and we got into them for about 30 minutes then it turned off like a light switch. We could have gone into Charleston Bay and anchored up and threw out some power bait but that is not to our liking so we kept trolling and enjoying the early fall weather and moon rise.

Parker did land two very nice football rainbows and we missed a couple one almost took my pole into the lake but I reacted to slow and missed it. It is amazing how easily the fish can release themselves from some hook ups. I don't know if it rips their lips off or not but they can get off very easily. We continued to fish around the island for a little bit then decided to go to the Bermuda Triangle again nothing and by then the moon was cresting. We were running all different colors of pop gear and worm at all different depths trying to locate the fish. To no avail we couldn't get another hit. The evening ended with a night load and pull home. Parker hopped on his scooter and made for home. He is super busy right now with school, work and family so it is great to get out when we can fish or no fish. as the saying goes, the man that fishes only for fish, misses out on the true reason of fishing.

Avalanche! Are You Prepared?

As winter is fast approaching it's time to look at your avalanche skills if you are planning to be in the backcountry skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, or snowshoeing. The deaths over the past 5 years have increased with snowmobile and snowboard triggered avalanches due to the increase in the number of people enjoying these backcountry recreation adventures. You must always be aware of your surroundings and look for signs that are apparent in the area you are traveling to. Take a course in avalanche awareness and safety. You can find courses along the Wasatch Front at the Utah Avalanche Center and prepare yourself. Carry the needed equipment for rescue; beacon, shovel, probes or other rescue apparatus that have evolved. Avalanches happen due to wind load and unstable snow structure you must know how to determine if a slope is safe by learning the proper techniques and methods of digging snow pits in the area you are in. Remember that the angle and aspect of the slope play a major role in avalanches and in just a few feet both the angle and aspect of the slope can change dramatically. Digging one pit is not the save all. Other factors that you must consider are those of the mind and being able to make correct decisions and not have clouded judgment when you reach your destination. You must have and work on decision-making skills that will preclude any clouded judgment in these instances.

Remember you can do all the right things and still trigger an avalanche. You must be prepared to care for yourself and others in the backcountry, you could be alone in your efforts for a long period of time and time is crucial in these situations. Please take the time and effort needed to be safe in the backcountry and don't become a statistic of the season or worse yet cause a statistic. Read, study and take courses that will help ensure your safety and the safety of those you are with this winter.

Prepare now for Winter fun!

The Summer sun has set and it is now time to start thinking of the Winter activities we all enjoy! I for one am ready to move into the cooler part of the year. Winter activities such as skiing and ice fishing bring back great memories, and it is now time to make new memories. Before we can enjoy all the activities we must prepare our gear and ourselves for the upcoming season.

Skiing is and always has been my passion and my addiction. Starting when I moved to the Wasatch Front and my parents bought me my first set of skis, Miller bindings and skis that were so long I could barely touch the tips. From then it became an obsession and later became a life long journey and sometimes employment. I soon hope to rejoin my fellow mountain goats and go full time back on the mountain, but until then I will remain a weekend warrior.

Preparing for ski season means many different things. You must take into effect all aspects of the sport when preparing for the upcoming season. This also entails thinking about what type of skiing you are going to partake in. I personally enjoy downhill skiing and mix in some backcountry ski trips along the way. To prepare for the rigor of the downhill season you must get ready physically. I personally am working off a few years of over indulgence and have dropped 35 lbs and looking to drop another 40 lbs. I feel better but that is just the first step. You also need to take into consideration your strength and flexibility. 30 - 60 minutes of conditioning per day is pretty much mandatory and should cover all aspects of physical training; aerobic and anaerobic conditioning of the muscles along with a strengthening program focusing on the core strengths and especially lower body. I can't emphasize enough, the importance of flexibility and balance. these two aspects as we age becomes critical in our overall well being. The loss of flexibility can lead to joint and muscular imbalances, which can lead to injuries quickly. Balance needs to be kept at the top of our list, as we age we lose proprioception and that can lead to falls and injuries. Working on proprioception and balance will enhance our overall health and well being. There are many sites that you can get information on exercises that will accommodate all these areas in your physical fitness. Ice fishing on the other hand is a fun and relaxing way to be with friends and family. Having said that you still need to take into account the amount of work and effort it takes to get you and your equipment on the ice. Plus the bitter cold can take a toll on you if you are not in good condition and prepared for the vigorous work load in the cold weather.

Equipment needs to be tuned, cleaned and prepared for action as well. Ski equipment can be done in your workshop or taken to the ski shop for tuning and adjustments. Wax and sharpening of the bases, adjustments to the bindings (hopefully you have stored them properly). Petexing of the bottoms after the spring season and filling rock gouges. Boots need to be worn and fitted again for maximum comfort on the slopes. Your apparel needs to be inspected to see if it will handle another season or need to be replaced. Helmets are becoming common place for all ages, if you wear one make sure it fits properly and is not damaged, if not replace it!

Ice fishing equipment needs the same attention and inspections. Starting with your apparel does it fit and is it without wear areas where water can seep in and create frostbite potential? Boots, are the soles in good shape and do you have cleats if needed that fit your boots. Inspect your fishing line and replace with proper strength for what your targeting. Reels, are they lubed and ready for the cold weather? Clean and inspect them for any loose parts. Poles need to be inspected for wear and damage from the summer storage, check your eyelets and make sure they are free from nicks and dings that could damage your line. Do you have the needed tip it for strike indicators? This is the time to refit and replace them in the comfort of your workshop and not on the ice in freezing weather. Your tent(s) need to be set up and inspected for any wear and tear to ensure that they will set quickly and without hassle. Do you need to tie on new tie down ropes for anchoring? Is your hardware for towing your tent and equipment secured and easy to use. Augers whether hand operated or powered check the sharpness of your blades, sharpen or replace them as needed. Does your power auger start up on the first couple pulls, do you need to get it tuned up? Check your gas lines for cracks and wear, replace if needed. Heaters, are they ready to go? Do you have the needed safety tools for self rescue on the ice?? Please purchase needed equipment for your safety and the safety of those around you!!

This should get you started and thinking enough to ensure that you are ready for Winter fun and excitement. Have fun and be safe!

There's a Chill in the air!

This morning 4:30 am came soon.  Picked my sister up from the airport last night at 11:pm and dropped her off at mom's place at midnight and then made it home around 12:30 am and the alarm was not kind.  Picked Craig McAffee up at 5:30 and headed for the lake.  The temp gauge in the truck read 37 degrees and when we crawled out of the cab of the Mule the brisk morning breeze felt like it!  I Craig was bundled up in a down coat and layers with his hunting gloves on. Me refusing to accept that summer is over, was in shorts and t-shirt, but had my insulated work jacket in the back and quickly put it on.  Prepping the boat in the dark and keeping warm by moving quickly.  We launched in the dark putting on the navi' lights and decided to run Dead Sheep Point first thing.  I got a report from Shifty that he did well there earlier this week.  We ran it twice not getting so much as a sniff, changing combinations twice.  We ran into a group fishing the bank and getting hits quickly by the small mouth and large mouth bass in DC.  They were fishing in a tournament and were moving quickly along the bank pitching crank baits.

 

We powered up and went to the Bermuda Triangle and I got one in the boat finally, knocked the skunk off and got another hit, but we continued to the Sea of Galilee we kept trying different combinations and finally put silver Jack of Diamonds on Craig's pole. He got two in the boat going through the Sea of Galilee.  It wad 10:00 am and I needed to be off the water by noon to get back for my Mom's surprise birthday party.

We powered up again and ran to the Provo river inlet in Charleston Bay.  We anchored up and Craig put on power bait and sank it, he got a hit within seconds, a nice chunky bow.  We had 4 in the live well and it was 11:00 am.  Craig put the his line back out and got another hit immediately but missed  it.  He re-baited and set it out.  I was tossing KM's to no avail they weren't hitting anything I put out there.  A boat pulled in behind us in shallow water and immediately put 3 in the boat, we almost pulled anchor and went over there but we didn't.  We fished until 11:30 and Craig bot another smaller bow in the boat and it was bleeding bad enough we had to keep it.

The water was still 63 degrees and filled with algae, so it has not turned over yet and the fishing with trolling gear is still slow.  However many boats and friends have had great success in the inlet sinking power bait, just realize that if you choose to power bait you run the risk of having to keep some fish you wouldn't otherwise.  The moon was 3/4 waning and think that may have had a little bit of an affect on the fishing action as well.  It was a Bluebird day on the lake very calm and sunny.  It was a great sunrise and the chill in the air quickly warmed up.  During the day we reminisced about our trip to Henry's over Memorial Day and shared stories about other fishing outings we had taken over the summer.  Glad to have shared the day with Craig on the Fish Steeler it was a fantastic day, just because we were on the lake fishing!!

Lessons Learned while Fly Fishing Solo

9/3, I always take the 3rd of Sept. off work.  For me it is just a day but some put more emphasis on it.  I did just what I wanted to for the day.  I slept in, read a few emails and posts and then got ready for the day.

Today I wanted to go fishing and just relax.  I had a boat partner until late the evening before when he had a change in plans and by then I wasn't going to look for someone else to fill the boat.  SOLO Day!!  Which honestly was best for me at this point in time.  I needed time to reflect and put things in perspective.  Things are changing all around me right now and I needed time to work things through.  I got on the road at 10 am and went south not really knowing where I was headed for sure except it was going to be on a stream somewhere.  Drove up Spanish Fork Canyon and thought of a stream I hadn't been on in 15 years.  

The day was perfect, a small breeze that at times put my fly where I didn't want it, but for the most part a Bluebird day.  As I drove up the canyon with the small stream I was going to fish, the road wound along steep bank sides and went through the stream a couple times.  I got to where I thought it would be worthwhile to throw some loops in the water.  The only person in the canyon was the sheep herder that had camp set up on the stream, I was far enough upstream from camp I felt they wouldn't be bothered by me.  I started preparing my gear and put on my waders and could hear the grasshoppers going crazy.  I thought, alright good time to put on a hopper and have some fun, I tied on a hopper pattern I had in the box and went to the stream side.

It hadn't changed in 15 years still covered and tight.  The stream was actually very full for this late in the year.  The stream itself is about 2-3 ft wide for the most part but there are beaver ponds scattered along it that open it up to some pond fishing.  The over growth is heavy with willow and old growth scrub oak.    As I walked up to the stream I could see a nice fish in the weed beds sunning itself.  Yes the creek not only is tight with brush everywhere and narrow pockets but it is filled with grass and moss with lanes of openings that the fish use to protect themselves in when spooked.  The stream was running clear and pristine and any movement made by me spooked the fish quickly.  As I walked up to the stream I wasn't conscience of being seen quite as quickly as I was.  Yep I seen the fish and it seen me!  POOF it was gone under the weed bed not to come out.  I still tossed the hopper onto the hole knowing I had been found out already and figured this is good spot to throw some practice loops and get used to placing my fly in the tight confines of the stream.  The bank was cut deep under an oak with plenty of holding pockets so I knelt down and starting thinking like a fish and trying to minimize my shadow and movement.  I practiced for a number of cast in that hole just to get the feel of things.  I was also carrying my ultra-light in hopes that the stream would produce a couple deep pocket holes, but that wasn't going to happen with the grassy bottom, so I took it back to the truck and went upstream to the next opening.  Climbing through tons of giant basin sagebrush and listening for the familiar rattle of the Diamondbacks found in the area.  To my surprise I didn't run into one the hole day, I was happy about that!

Back at stream side, this time remembering how quickly I was seen the first time I was more careful coming up to it and keeping my silhouette at a minimum by keeping my rod down and behind the large growth.  I had also changed my fly to a royal coachman, I hadn't seen one hopper at the edge of the stream and didn't feel it would produce.  The royal has a slight hint of red on it and can attract fish at times.  It didn't disappoint, on my third short cast I had my fish on, a small brown trout not more than 10 inches but still fun on my 5 ft St. Croix fly rod.  I quickly released it and moved to the next opening.  Remember I said it was tight and covered with growth, yep I lost plenty of flies today.  Part of the game when you are an amateur fly fisher.  I lost that coachman so I went to renegade to see if that would produce and in the next hole sure enough a couple cast and I was hooked up with another small brown trout.  Moving along and tying on another pattern this time a royal wulff, getting the same results a small brown trout I was keeping myself occupied enough catching and releasing I didn't mind losing a few flies to the trees.  I could have saved them but then I would have had to disturb the stream bed and grasses which I didn't want to do. I made my way upstream a ways catching and scaring fish in each of the holes I was coming up on.  Trying not to scare them before I had a chance to cast at them I was crawling in some places to keep my shadow off the water.  Some however were spooked just by the movement of my fly rod.  Still remembering all the rules of small stream fishing it took a couple holes to get in the hang of it again.  Up to this point I hadn't bothered breaking out the camera hoping to catch few decent sized fish in the deeper holes.

As I worked my way upstream I came upon one of the beaver ponds and could see through the thick growth a number of nice sized fish!  I was excited to see good sized fish.  I had to cross the creek and chose the narrowest spot I could find.  I got across without disturbing the water too much and it ran clear after just a couple minutes.  Where I crossed was the beginning of the pond and there were a number of fish at the mouth of the inlet.  I had tied on an adams no.18 fly and was tossing it into the holes still very tight at the inlet and was hanging up a on trees and branches as the wind blew my line into them.  Getting a little frustrated knowing these were better sized fish I whipped one of the hangups off the leaf and put it back down quickly into a hole by the near bank and before I knew it I hooked up with a nice 16 inch brown trout that put up a good fight.  I got the fish netted and was getting out my camera for a photo op.  Just as I was bringing it out it slipped from my grip and into the stream went my camera!!  I said a few choice superlatives and fished it out the stream and tried to dry it off quickly but it didn't help the camera was inoperable!!  A few more words and I put the fish back in the water to keep it alive.  It was early afternoon at this point and I was actually out of steam only having a small breakfast.  I made a few more cast and lost the adams on a branch across a deep hole and decided to call it a day.  I kept the brown and quickly got back to the truck, took a couple seconds of video hoping I could get some snapshots of its beauty.  It worked, the brown however became lunch.

My Solo was a success, I got on a small stream and was absorbed by the chess match being played out by myself, the stream and the fish.  It was just what the doc ordered.  I got re-energized and felt good about things going on around me and knowing to focus on the things I can control and letting go of those things I can't control.  The small streamed talked to me and taught me lessons I had forgotten and needed reminding of.  You can put all your efforts into things that you can't control, like the wind and getting snagged multiple times and get upset and lose your focus on what you are really there for, or you can let the loss of a couple flies get in your head and lose the next hole due to rushing into it without thinking ahead and keeping yourself in the right place when needed.  Control your actions, you are in control of them and can control them to remain focused on that which is your purpose.

Fishing Currant Creek

This morning Kelly and I were on the road by 5 am and on our way to an unidentified location when we started out.  I just started driving up the canyon.  We drove past DC and into Heber City and stopped at the Hub for breakfast and supplies.  We continued up the road past Strawberry and Soldier Creek.  By then I had decided to hit a favorite lake of mine that we don't frequent enough, Currant Creek, with the boat in tow we made the corner up Currant Creek canyon, a beautiful steep sided canyon with Currant Creek running through the middle of it.  This is the first time I have taken a boat on the lake.  The road is generally wash boarded and the last 9 miles of it are dirt.  Making for a dusty, dirty boat, oh well.  Being it was Labor Day and knowing the other reservoirs would be packed I was hoping that CC would be tranquil with little activity happening.  I was right, we were one of three boats on the lake all day.  The lake is at capacity also!!  Could not believe my eyes when we first pulled around the corner and seen that it is full.

We launched the boat on their ramp, which is very nice for such a remote location in the western Uinta range.  Currant Creek is fed by three or more creeks one of them being Currant Creek a fun little creek full of Colorado cutthroat and some Brook trout.  The lake is loaded with Tiger trout and Colorado Cutthroat trout and some rainbow trout.  We got on just as the sun was cresting the eastern horizon and giving us a great sunrise.  We went to the dam to begin our day of fishing.  I was trolling popgear and a worm to begin with gold leave red stripe black dot and a two tone JoD.  Kelly put out a rainbow popgear and then he started casting a Pin minnow at the bank.  We got to the spill way and Kelly hooked up with a very nice Tiger trout for the first fish of the day.  After some pics and trying to get it on video we moved on down the dam and over the north shore of the lake.  The weed line was very distinct and thick out to a depth of about 30 feet then it stopped.  The fish were just on the edge of the weed line.  My popgear was not producing anything so I started to put on other tackle.  I notice that it was almost like Henry's Lake was earlier in the spring with all the weeds and grasses in the water.  So I put on two spoons that did well up there thinking that this might be the trick.  Running deep, was, at times impossible because of the weeds, they were terrible.  They took a couple of our lures for sacrifice.  By now we were at the west end of the lake, CC is not a large lake the sides are steep with terraced edges and steep drop offs, going from 12-15 to 40+ feet in the matter of seconds.  Staying on the edge of the drops and the weed line was the key for getting fish.  Kelly got a second Tiger Trout on the rainbow popgear and worm.  The colors on these fish are spectacular and the fight is awesome.  Kelly caught another Colorado Cutthroat running his rapala into the weeds.  He had another big hit and was reeling it in when it broke free, nope didn't break the line broke the lure in half it was a Tiger we seen it at the boat before it snapped it in half.  Luckily for him I had another in my tackle box since it was the hot lure of the day.  We ended up with 6 fish total and a nice stringer to put on the new board dad made for us!!  Left the lake at 1 pm and made for home.  It was great day on the pond.  Will definitely return for more fun on CC!

               
                                               

On the Duchesne River throwing loops!

Today my good friend and colleague, Rex Brimhall and I went on a trip that has been planned for 3 years. The Duchesne River is a hidden gem. Mainly because the most part of it is behind private property lines. Rex has a key to the gate!!

We started our trip at 5 am, the property is a little over an hour away from the valley and we wanted to get on the water as soon as the sun broke the horizon. We traveled up through Heber stopping and picking up breakfast, just a quick drive through at the Mickey D's in town and kept motoring. Traveling through Francis and over Wolf Creek Pass into the Duchesne River drainage. We passed one of my most favorite areas in Utah to fish, we’ll keep that for another trip. We pulled into the property right on time, just enough sunlight to see our gear and get tied up.

Rex was throwing some #2 silver blades that had treated him well in the past on this stretch of the river. I wanted to throw some loops, it has been a couple seasons since I have fished streams and rivers with my fly rod. I used my 4 wt., 6' St Croix for today. I pre-loaded the line with 6x leader and started off with a streamer sized royal coachman. After tying off and getting in my hip waders I was off on my hike. Rex stepped right down to the river where we parked and casting quickly, he hooked up a small brook trout on his spinner and we knew it was going to be a good day. I hiked downstream about a half mile and got in the water. Staying with my pattern of changing out every 30 cast with a fly, if it is not producing something. I changed out to a smaller renegade pattern and not many cast after changing I had my own little brook trout online. It felt great to feel the hit on the light gear. My pole bent and the short fight was on. It was a small one but still a fish on a fly! I forgot what it felt like to catch fish on a fly, exhilarating! I fished on, working my way back to the truck and getting a couple more hits enough to keep the renegade on. I soon met up with Rex as he was working his way downstream, he had brought in a couple more small brook trout nothing to keep. We fished together for a while in that small stretch of the river. He dropped into a hole I just left and got a couple hits in and hooked up a nice keeper rainbow trout. He was happy that he got a decent sized fish to keep.

The fishing wasn't red hot at this point the river was down and the pockets weren't as deep as expected. I kept moving up stream and Rex continued downstream. The renegade had run its course and I tied on an adams, thinking they were looking for something smaller fished through a couple more holes and didn't get as much as flash. I was close to the truck by now so I slowed my progress down considerably. I tied on a size 10 royal coachman and started working it through ripples and holes. The first cast I had a nice sized brown follow it right up to me, then it seen me and darted. I knew that wasn't good but I kept fishing it trying to coax it to hit again. No luck, so I moved upstream a little further into a nice stretch of ripple and flat water. Then it started to sprinkle, the clouds were dark all morning and they started to unload. Not to heavy but enough to get the fish to rise, which is just what the doctor ordered. By this time Rex had met back up with me and fished passed me and back up to the truck where he started. I stayed in the stretch and started to have action. It was great, I caught 6 fish in a matter of minutes. Rainbow and browns kept a couple decent sized ones and returned the others. It had been so long since I had as much fun catching fish, feeling the hit and drag of my fly pole. I fished for about a half hour in this stretch and the last fish broke my fly off. Not having another in my vest I went to the truck, Rex met me and we talked about our morning.

We decided to put in another hour but this time on the stretch of river his property is on. We drove up the road about a quarter of a mile and pulled into a nice area with outbuildings and a couple trailers. The river ran through his property and had a number of nice holes. By this time my shoulder had stiffened up so I threaded my ultra-light pole and threw some #1 spinners though these sections. I got a couple more fish, a nice little brown trout couldn't resist the silver and I had a few more hits along the way upstream. Rex knew where the honey holes were on this stretch and went directly to them and I went down stream and worked back toward him. We met up half way and traded holes I had a nice hit but couldn't entice the fish to hit again, Rex was running the bigger silver spinner so he went in to try and catch the fish he had a couple hits but couldn't get it to hook up, he had caught a couple upstream in the other holes.

We had a great day, not being in the office dealing with issues we didn't create but having to fix. It was great to get away and relax! We headed for home and I shared stories about the area we were going through. This area was my Father-in-law stopping ground. He had cut the majority of the roads while growing up and working in the west end of the Uintas. We passed the memorial for the WWII fighter plane that crashed in the hillside. We continued through Woodland and I showed him the property that my wife's family still owns on the Provo. We stopped for lunch and made it home by 3 pm. We will make it out again hopefully soon. It was a great day!!

Heber Valley Fly Fishing Festival!

Yesterday I woke up at 4:30 to go out hook up the boat and go fish! It was a torrential downpour for Utah standards, went back to bed yep you can say I am a fair weather fisher. Woke up at my normal time around 6 am and looked out the front window to see a great covering of snow on Mt. Timpanogos! Ah yes, winter is around the corner and with all luck in place it will be a stellar ski and ice season in Utah!! It has been a while since a good powder season has been here. Fishing took a back seat to the weather, but not thinking about it and the adventures that can be had.

My brother and I went to the Heber Valley Fly Fishing Festival, hosted by Four Seasons Fly Fishers at the River’s Edge Resort & Campground at the base of the Jordanelle Reservoir Dam. We made our way up there around noon. On our way we stopped for lunch in Heber at the Sidetrack Pub & Grub Cafe. This place was an instant hit! Great food and service locally owned and operated. All items are fresh and handmade. We made our way after feasting on a great lunch to the Festival. Put on and organized by Julie Zicha and Jason Zicha of Fall River Flyrods. This event is in its 5th year and continues to grow each year. We visited the various vendors at the show with special stops at Trav's Art and picked up this great print Travis Sylvester! Now I need to find a fitting frame for the great work he does! We stopped and talked with Brandon Collett of Contour action video cameras. Met up with some great folks and new friends. Dalton of Rising Fish a local shop making great accessories, picked up a nice pair of clippers from him, and BBQ tools. Cliff of Cliff Outdoors out of Casper Wyo., he make fly boxes that are great and Made In The USA. USAC was there and doing great things for the fishing community in the fight to keep public waters open and accessible to fishers. We met and talked with so many people I am sorry I can't remember everyone, you need to go next year!! Local talent was strong and they had things for all ages to do in workshops and demonstrations. Great Show Julie!

Please go to and support these local Utah companies!

DC evening X

We went out for an evening fish to DC. Parker pulling full time work at 2 different jobs at times that work with his school schedule. To say the least we haven't been out much lately. Parker was ready for some relaxation and fishing was the ticket. We left shop around 4 pm Wednesday night and made it on the water by 5 pm and was fishing after a short run to our favorite lane on the lake. We stopped and dropped the trolling the motor and was fishing. 

 Parker was the first in and then I had a line in shortly after. I had on a two tone JoD and within a couple minutes, before I could my second line in the water, had a hit! It was a good fighter and jumper so we knew we had a rainbow trout on line. He fought and jumped and made it fun to bring in. We netted him and were quite happy thinking this is going to be a stellar evening. Not so much! He was the only fish for the night and again we ran every combination of colors and depth we could think of. The water is heavy with algae right now and needs to turn over. With the weather pattern changing this week and snow in the mountains this may happen earlier than usual. Plus I think the number of recreaters we have been out with may play a role in the activity level of the fish. Usually we are in and out of the water but that is in the morning runs and before all the recreaters are on the water. We fished each of lanes for the evening and them the storm came in with a vengeance. Lightning started hitting the peaks and hills and we were off the lake very quickly after the first strike hit. The rainbow we caught was a nice 2 pounder and gave us two nice fillets. We cleaned it and got on the road just as the full front hit the lake and canyon. We were happy to be off the lake before the torrent of wind and rain hit.