What a Difference 4 Days Make

Last Sunday I posted about the ice still on Red Lake, Caples Lake, and Silver Lake. Well, this morning all were open. Caples still had some ice on the back side, but the majority of the lake was open. What a difference 4 days make.

Red Lake was open and I've been chomping at the bit to get up there and try out some flies. Grabbed my rod and fly bag and was out the door at 0630. Stopped at Cooks Station for coffee and was at Red Lake at 0730. My usual fishing spot was open and the out look was good. I picked today instead of tomorrow because it's supposed to be really windy tomorrow.

I guess someone forgot to tell the weather guessers that the wind was supposed to be tomorrow not today. Off the snow on Carson Pass (8000 ft elevation), down across the lake and right in your face at, and this is only a guess, 20 to 25 mph. The only good thing is that it came in waves and if you've ever fish a lake when it was windy like this, you know you can see the gust coming.

So I rigged up my fly rod with the intermediate sinking line and waited for a lull. During those lulls, I put out (about 20 casts each) a Bumble Bee Bugger, Marabou Streamer in both burgandy/black and red/yellow, and a yellow cone head rubber leggs thing (kind of looks like a Wooly bugger) I got at the fly shop. Nothing. Again, I think the water is too cold. I've been using a stripping finger cover and it damn near froze on my finger.

During this time, I had my small spinning rod out with the usual slip sinker rig and Rainbow Power Bait. I caught something, but I have no idea what it was. I got it out of the water and held it up by the hook, but before I could get a good look at it, it flipped off the hook and back into the water. It was about 8" long and looked like a sardine. Thin and skinny.

After an hour and a half of this cold wind in my face, I'm talking hoodie, and gloves, I packed up and went back to Caples Lake. Found the same spot I fished on Sunday (the other side was still a foot or more snow) and put out 2 lines of Power Bait. I managed one small Rainbow and that was it for a good hour of fishing time.

Packed up and on the way back, stopped at Bear River Reservoir. Since I was there the last time on Memorial Day, the lake has risen at least 20 feet and is at capacity. Fishing off the dam itself, using my fly rod, I put out a Sprinkle Me Baby and an Olive Wooly Bugger, but nothing here either. The only fish I saw was caught by floating a night crawler under a bobber, was a pretty good sized one, about 12 or 13 inches.

Nothing to show for a bunch of wet flies, now drying on my desktop. Guess I'll just have to wait for it to get warmer. It was somewhere in the neighborhood of the low 50's up there.

Till next time.

Mark (Shoreman)