Wanted to get a little fly fishing practice in so I drove up to Bear River this morning. Got to the lake at 7:30 am and was the only person there. My plan to practice was put on hold due to winds in the 10 to 15 mph range. Last thing I wanted is a Wolly Bugger in the face. Ok, so you say, cast with the wind behind you. Nope, would have been casting up the hill away from the lake. That's OK, because I put a silver Kastmaster on my spinning rod and away I went. Nine trout later (most in the 10" - 13" range) the wind died down to practically nothing. OH, all nine were catch and release.
I grabbed (gently) my fly rod and put on a Wolly bugger and started practicing. Switched to a Clouser Minnow. Switched to a Copper John. By now you've figured I didn't get any interest in any of the flys, but I did notice that there was surface action a ways out. All the fish I caught on the Kastmaster were hooked at least 100' to 150' out. Not someplace I could put a fly. So I put on a Royal Wulff and put it out there and let it sit. May not have been the right one, but I'm still learning. I noticed that close to shore, a lot of really tiny fish were making a lot of commotion. These little guys were 2 to 3 inches, but I hoped that further out, might be something bigger. T'was not to be. The Wolff just sat there.
About 10:30 am, I packed in the fly rod and took a couple more shots with the Kastmaster, but that was the end of bites for this morning. All in all, I did catch & release some and got some fly practice in, so it was a good day. By the time I was ready to go, a dozen or so people showed up. I hope they had as good a day.
One more trip planned for Saturday to the South Fork of the American. A little more practice before we leave for Oregon next Thursday plus, I still have a few spots I want to fish on that part of the river before Winter sets in. It's already getting a little chilly in the high country. Lake Tahoe (elevation about 5600 ft) was 25 degrees this morning. The section I want to fish is well above 4000 ft. Could put a little frost on your pumpkin.
Till next time, remember: "A bad day fishing is better than any day at work".
Shoreman
Shoreman, you mentioning the American made me think that next year you should set a date to go fly fishing when the shad are running. It is a kick in the pants to catch those things on a fly rod all day long.
ReplyDeleteYou know, you're right Jon. I hadn't thought about shad on the fly rod. What a kick. June is right around the corner.
ReplyDeleteMark