Five beautiful fish (and one ugly one): A fish report

[Fly Guy Dave]

Since I had a week off from work and a serious case of cabin fever, I decided to get out of Dodge and hit the East slope of the Range of Light for a few days of fishing. Streams? Yes. Names…specifics? Nope, sorry!

Alpen glow, The Moon and Mt. Tom, a classic east slope vista

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/MtTom_zps23f77ec8.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/MtTom_zps23f77ec8.jpg.html)

I flogged the water for a while with streamers until I was able to get this rainbow into the net. There were a few others, but it was kind of windy and this stream was a bit too crowded for my taste.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/FirstFish_zpsd2039f4d.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/FirstFish_zpsd2039f4d.jpg.html)

One of the days on another stream was overcast and no wind and the BWO hatched with a vengeance, rising fish all over the place, as many as you wanted to catch. Here’s the main menu item:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/Baetis_zps610930c5.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/Baetis_zps610930c5.jpg.html)

Lots of these…

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/Rainbow_zpsc41e58ce.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/Rainbow_zpsc41e58ce.jpg.html)

…and these…

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/Brown_zpsb79dd07d.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/Brown_zpsb79dd07d.jpg.html)

…with a few of these fish that got hit with the ugly stick repeatedly. No, they weren’t rising to the baetis, but they hoovered in the nymphs I was using before the hatch started.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/Sucker_zpsfeb62865.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/Sucker_zpsfeb62865.jpg.html)

Some of the locals that I shared the water with one day

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/Deer_zpsf8e4e0f6.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/Deer_zpsf8e4e0f6.jpg.html)

On the way home I fished another stream further north and had to WORK for this brown. It probably took 45 minutes to find the right fly, present it perfectly before I was finally able to hook and land this 18” brown which was as thick as my arm. I think the common thought is that when browns get that big, they become piscivorous, but this guy was finally fooled by a size 20 BWO cripple right on the surface. Go figure.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa104/dderuysscher/BigBrown_zps1a8edd20.jpg (http://s203.photobucket.com/user/dderuysscher/media/BigBrown_zps1a8edd20.jpg.html)

The perfect way to spend a week without work, in a beautiful locale and some solid fishing to boot. Good times!

[Paul B.]

Thank you For the post!
I'm on standby at work wishing I could be working for an 18" brown.
Cheers, Paul

[SHigSpeed]

Is that a cui-ui or some other sort of sucker?

Definitely not the "golden trout" that I normally see in the valley systems.

_SHig

[Fly Guy Dave]

Is that a cui-ui or some other sort of sucker?

Definitely not the "golden trout" that I normally see in the valley systems.

_SHig

I believe it is the Owens Sucker (a.k.a. Catostomus fumeiventris by scientist types). A CA native fish, which I did net and gently release, even though I can't say I'm thrilled to catch them.

[catchsnaprelease]

Great fish. That sucker fish is interesting...

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Excellent post........

[Wanderingblues]

The secret for that lower water is to stay the hell away from the blue ribbon section. Too many folks, and smaller fish.

[Fly Guy Dave]

The secret for that lower water is to stay the hell away from the blue ribbon section. Too many folks, and smaller fish.

I like it better when it's snowy and muddy out there, that certainly keeps the crowds down, as does the extreme cold. Not the case this winter, hence the crowds. :(