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.
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