What A Blast

As you all know, I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel. Monday was the bug guys. Yesterday, the plumber put in the new fiberglass shower. Today, I went fishing. What? I can't remodel all the time.


Right out front, I want to remind everyone that I'm entomology stupid, so when I explain my methods, you'll know that there is no rhyme or reason for them.


I looked at the DFG stocking chart and it shows that Angels Creek in Angels Camp was to be stocked again this week. You'll remember that the DFG stocked the week before opening day and the kind gentleman from Angels Camp paid for, and dumped a load of 16" to 20" Rainbows in the creek. Well, the DFG stocked again the next week, this week, and will again next week. How could I pass that up?

I got out to the creek at 0830 and walked from my parking spot downstream to the bridge which is about 3 blocks and back again. Didn't see fish any holding in any of the pools. I went back to the spot I fished on opening day and there were two guys soaking power bait and hauling in one fish after another. I went back to the truck and rigged up my fly rod with floating line and a 9' - 6X leader with 6X tippet.

I started with a fly I got from FlyDeals called a Caddis Pupa Brown. First two to hit it, snapped the tippet. Oh, did I tell you that I could see about 50 fish holding in the pool? I added an indicator about 8 inches above the fly because I kept missing hits. The next fish took the fly and the indicator both. Then what I did then was snip off the 6X tippet and replace it with 5X. I managed to land two on that fly. When the bite stopped on that one, I switched to the Black Gnat I got from Bill Trussel (Fishing Through Life), but couldn't get any interest. Sorry Bill.

Tied on another one I got from FlyDeals called a Kistone Brown. No interest in that one. Then I tied on a Red Copper John. Landed one fish and then lost it in a tree. Tried a Red Naked Lady (love the name). Nothing. Zugbug, nothing. Put on a Beadhead Red Fox Squirrel Nymph and landed one. Total at this point was Shoreman 4 and trout about a dozen. Everything I caught today was catch and release. I had several errands to run afterward and didn't want to mess with bringing any back.

Next was a red San Juan Worm. Hey, I'm experimenting, OK. That was all the plan for today was, experimenting. Nothing on the SJW. Now I was going to get serious. On goes a Black Wooly Bugger. HA, Stuck their noses up at it. Water turned from somewhat cloudy to almost pure brown. Ok, Olive Wooly Bugger. That's the trick, landed one and then nothing. Goes to show you, you can't depend on anything any more. If a black or olive Wooly Bugger doesn't produce, might as well pack up and go home. I did try two of the flies that David Swart (up in Oregon) sent me. I'm not sure what he calls them, but they look like a Wooly Bugger with some kind of wiggly legs. I tried one in a brown and landed one fish and the other in purple, but it wasn't a color they were interested in. Thanks David for the flies.

So, I put on a size 8 tungsten beadhead Thinmint and away I went. Five fish later, one completely trashed fly, a couple of flies in the trees, and I called it a day. The count was now, Shoreman 11, fish about 15.

While I was there, I met a couple of young ladies from Southern California, up on vacation and gave them the key to catching. They soaked Power Bait and took 5 home for dinner tonight. I think they'll be back tomorrow.

That was sure a welcome respite from remodeling, but back to it tomorrow and Friday, the wife goes in for foot surgery, so I'll be grounded for a few days or until she gets tired of me and throws me out the door. Hey, then I can go fishing again.


I looked at the stats the other day and I'm truely amazed at the number of people that stop by. Thanks to everyone that takes a look at what I write.

Till next time.

Mark