Dumb Fish In Smart Water

Destination:  Flaming Gorge ~ The Green River in Utah.  It was a nice weekend to get out.  25 degrees as a low and hoping to reach 40 degrees as a high.  A last minute trip to the Green River, about 4 hrs away.  I have never been there before.  I have always talked about going, but it never came to fruition.  But, when I told my friend Jeri that the Provo was planned... Well, she had another idea.  And I'm not the River Damsel if I don't take on an adventure...right?  I was a little skeptical as it had snowed about a foot the week before.  But, when we got there... the snow was just in the forest with the deer, elk, and the many hunters in their hunter orange.  The drive was gorgeous.

As we approached the small community of Dutch John, we had to cross over a dynamic bridge and the 500 foot dam (elevation 6,048 ft) where the Flaming Gorge Reservoir ends its 91 mile run from its beginnings near Green River, Wy. 

Below the dam, the cold and clear Green River resumes the journey it started as a small stream in the headwaters of the Bridger Wilderness Area of Wyoming. 

Well, I was definitely glad that I drove out the night before putting my line in... And a "welcome" at the restaurant made me grateful that my bear spray was packed. 

The next morning, it was just a five mile journey down the road to "Little Hole", the popular Green River access point.  There are several boat launches as this is a popular place for drift boats and guided floats.  The river is divided up into Sect. A, B, and C.

We headed upstream towards the dam in Section A on the first day.  This is about a 7 mi stretch of some of the finest trout water you can find.  There is an estimated 20k per mile of cuttbows, rainbows and brown trout in this section.  Incredible!!  And guess what?  Most of these fish are extremely smart as they see many anglers and drift boats.  So, we had our work cut out for us.  We headed out to the "Aquarium" as it is affectionately called.  What would we find???

An hour or so in... My brown trout felt like an anchor had been dropped at the end of my line!  Whoohoo!!  The newly tied on flies made the difference!  One red, San Juan worm was the appetizer... Definitely the toothiest trout that I have caught... And how do you like that gnarly jaw???  = )

Saying goodbye is never easy... But, we put him back to let him continue his journey.

  

And now for the sad tale of not hiring RD as a photographer.  Jeri had the first fish, a beautiful rainbow.  But, as I was snapping away with the camera, it wasn't being saved.  Hence, a decision was made as we headed back to town.  We had to come back the next day and fish Section B.  We knew that we could find a few more "dumb" fish amid the 20k that were swimming in front of us...surely! 

Another trip to the Trout Creek Fly Shop. (They loved us!)  And a drive down to the Flaming Gorge Resort to find the "Gorge Burger" that my friends had told me about...

The next day was spent downstream on the B Section.  And Jeri got a chance to find yet another rainbow... And a pretty nice one!

And finally a brown trout.

I know what you are thinking... Are all of these fish this big?  The answer:  YES!

Honestly, the smallest fish in this river stretch is probably 15" and that is no small taking...  The challenge is fooling these educated cruisers.  They might even have PHD's for all I know.   Each fish, we relished... Even if they were "dropouts".

Wading...

 Walking...

Enjoying...

The fall browns have to be my favorite trout to catch...

And so we had success with a few, dumb trout out of thousands of smart ones and left behind memories of a great fishery... The Green River. 

Flaming Gorge Reservoir

As in every "RD Adventure", something unusual happens.  But, I really didn't think that I was going home via the Mothership...

   

Picture taken by Jeri Simms~Masters as I departed...

Well, I guess that it is time to "Phone Home..."

As The Cool Air Settles In...



Fall is my favorite time to fish.  It feels like it just started and yet we have our first snow coming?  What's up with that?  Gone are the summer days of fishing elbow to elbow.  Now is the time to find your prime fishing places and enjoy.  Another reason to fish in the fall is to take advantage of wading in lower water and clearer streams... Gone are the cloudy waters and high currents that are caused by dam releases... And fall and winter allows you to find the fish pretty easy, as they like to huddle in the deeper pools.  Yes, there are a lot of advantages of fall fishing and finding more productive water.

When it comes to choosing the best fly in the box, fall fishing is usually all about blue-wing olive mayflies, streamers and egg patterns. Hey, that is what I was fishing last week!  How about that...  And the flies now get smaller.  Out come the magnifiers... haha.  Now we are talking about sizes 18-24 in pheasant tails, RS2s, barr emergers, sparkleduns, CDC comparaduns and zebra midges.  Of course, now that we have the lower and clearer water, the tippet also gets lighter with the smaller flies.  5x, 6x... maybe even a 7x for those guys in Pennsylvania on the Valley Creek.  = )  But, my fish adjust to 5x for the River Damsel's eyes...

Ahhh...the crisp, cool mornings also bring the big boys out...waiting for the angler with those extra large streamers to entertain with.  I tried my hand with some streamers a few months ago.  Although I didn't net the one that was lost, it sure was fun to see him jump out of the water before spitting out my fly.  Yes, these are the days of the  hyper-aggressive brown trout.  And short strikes and even misses are so much fun!  Sio, you see, fall fishing can go from one extreme to the other.  Light tippet for the tiniest of flies to heavy tippet of 1x and 2x for the streamers.  You have your choice... It doesn't get better than that!

Yes, as the fall seems to be coming to a close in a few weeks and colder weather approaches...we toss our lines out to hungry trout amidst the splendor of the yellow aspens.  I relish in the fishing opportunities that are out there.  The brown trout spawners are doing there thing off to the sides.  But, there is plenty of action in the river away from that activity.  Lol.  Let's here it for the egg patterns that brighten up anyone's fly box.  Pink, yellow, orange, chartreuse...you've got your pick.  The fishing is incredible right now which can only mean one thing:  It must be FORE!!  I mean FALL...

(Yes, this ball went flying over my head last time out!)

It's All About Comfort ~ Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

One thing for sure, I can't fish if I'm not comfortable.  If something is pulling, falling, or just being a nuisance... It's going, going gone.  I will let you in on a little secret.  (Well, guess it's not anymore)  I must have been in a brain fog last year when I purchased my waders at half price.  I was in a hurry to buy whatever was on sale.  The fly shop had one pair left on the shelf.  It wasn't my size, but I said that it would work.  Ugh... Mistake #1.  Size matters!  I am wearing an extra tall Men's wader that has a size 13 foot.... Ok.  Call me "Bozo The Clown"!  I deserve it... But, after three "leaky wader" repair jobs (From my own clumsy falls), I'm just about ready to say "NEXT"!!  Ahhh... The Christmas Wish List.  And in the right size this time.

Seriously, being comfortable puts me into my better fishing days...absolutely!  When I don't have to worry about my hip pack falling down off my butt towards my knees or my net swinging until I put it down my backside into my waders... I'm good!  So, we have made some adjustments to ease the anxiety of being all "loosey goosey"...

Sunday Tippet ~ "When you’re on the move, the Stealth Atom Sling comfortably hauls a day’s worth of gear on your back. Stop to change flies and it slides around to the front for easy access. Inside, the Stealth Atom Sling has room for two large fly boxes and has organizing pockets with hook-and-loop closures for all the necessary doodads. Need a flat work surface? The molded, front-zippered panel drops open like a miniature fly-tying table. Tough, highly water-resistant 840-denier coated ballistics nylon with DWR (durable water repellent) finish sheds moisture and protects your goods. More details: top-access mesh-lined security pocket; internal 100% waterproof phone/camera pocket; single external water-bottle pocket with security keeper; air-mesh back panel; highly water-repellent exterior YKK® zippers; fully adjustable neck strap." 
Patagoniadotcom

And modeling today will be none other than the River Damsel... enjoying a nice, quiet Sunday afternoon...

Ok...So, you might not like attaching all the gizmos in front like I have done.  But, convenience is the name of the game for me.  If I don't have to swing around the pack too many times, all the better. 

I love the inside pockets and there is plenty of room for several fly boxes, sunscreen, munchies, etc.  Then, there is the waterproof bag.  In goes the phone and camera.  All safe and secure.  And a work table to boot!

And finally, I have a place for my net.  I don't wear a vest, so I couldn't attach it to my back.  And sticking it down into my waders, just wasn't very comfortable.  So, that problem has now been eminated!  One last item, the water bottle holder is a very nice thing to have...not all slings have that.

 I'm afraid though, that the wader problem is still existent for the time being.  Yes, I am tall, but not tall enough for the waders I have... Sheesh!  I better find another pair quick!  It's starting to get cold out there...

Until next time... 

I will stay warm and enjoy my Sunday Funnies...

Falling Into Fall ~ Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

You know that it was going to happen.  Fall is here.  My favorite time of the year.  I absolutely love fall fishing.  The colors of the trout are more vibrant than any other time of the year.  But, along with the crisp, beautiful air and scenery...comes slippery river bottoms and moss.  And one Damsel down!  Oh, it could have been avoided too, if I had listened to the little voice within, telling me that it was time to go home. 

It was a cool 32 degrees when the day started.  I met my friend Jeri at the fly shop and we stopped for breakfast, giving the air outside a little time to warm up!  When we got to the river, it was a dry fly day.  Brown trout were jumping.  A nice BWO hatch took place and the trout heads were rising every five minutes it seemed!  But, would they take anything that I had to offer???  No...  It was a long five hours and it looked like a skunking was upon me.  I kept looking at the overcast sky getting darker as the afternoon came to a close.  I told Jeri it was time for me to head home about ten times!  Seriously.  But, you know... the line goes back in as you walk towards the car.  Finally, I meant it.  Packed it all up and said my goodbyes.  Halfway back to the car, I get a phone call from Jeri saying that she just caught a fish on a dry!  "Come back, Emily"!!!  Ohhhh... What to do???...  I had to get home... I was already running late from my promised time of arrival.  (Nothing new there.  Haha.)  I turned around to try one more time...

As I turned around my hip pack to grab a couple of flies... Something just told me not to put on a dry.  Yes, the fish were still slurping.  But, it was getting darker and I couldn't see the fly on the water anyway.  And they certainly weren't receptive to my offerings before.  So, I put on my go-to fly anytime during the year... the 22 black zebra midge.  And led by a small hares ear.  I figured the smaller the better since I hadn't had success as of yet.  After another twenty minutes of no bites, I reeled it up and told Jeri that I was heading upstream to our "glory" hole where I can always get into fish.  Don't know why I hadn't thought of that earlier!  (Too mesmerized by the jumpers)  Duh...  Anyway, casting my new Redington 8 ft - 4 wt (btw...the classic trout is on close out) for the first time since purchase... I wanted to have my first fish on it.  I didn't really want to wait until I hit a small stream.  Well, five to ten minutes later, I did.

Never Say Never!  I am usually a die hard when it comes to fishing.  Look what happened at River X on the last day... My biggest fish ever as the sun went down.  I don't want this to become a trend however!  But, it does have me thinking that during the winter months...why be on the water so dang early???!!!  Ha.  Seriously, I might as well become an afternoon fly girl.  And sleep in like a few other people that I know.  Lol.  Ok... So, I was de-skunked.  And then it happened.  Couldn't get out without a "splash".  Heck, it is called "Jeri's Fall Hole" for good reason... An epic dunk a few months back.  And now it was my turn.  Silly ol' RD!!  Only a few feet from the bank and slipped on some rocks.  It's a third time for this knee... I'm just lucky it's still intact!  Time to leave... Bye Jeri!!  She said that she would follow me out.  Well, when we got to the previous hole that had given me so much trouble, she stopped.  Oh no!  I gotta get home!  Yeah... you know what happened next.  I had to throw that midge back in...just to end my curiousity.  Even though I was dripping wet and a little bit cold.  Would they take a midge too?  Or would they still be slurping after those silly little BWO's...

INCOMING!!! I would like to think that this was the same guy that had eluded me for a couple of hours...


My work was done.  And it did kind of feel like work this day... ugh.  But, still had fun as always.

Now, about falling.  I am not alone... Actually in good company!  Mel and Howard, (click for their sad tales) both have stories of their "little accidents".   So, maybe it is a trend of some sort.  Like an initiation into a sport.  If you don't do it... You haven't lived the experience in it's fullness!  Is that it?  Ok... It makes me feel better thinking that anyway.  So, here is a "tippet" for those of us who have "fallen"... So to speak.   

Sunday Tippet:   Vitamin D has helped prevent falls in older people.  As we get older, we don’t get enough vitamin D – either from diet, supplements or sun exposure – And we may be at increased risk of developing mobility limitations and disability.  Could this be me???  Maybe... I am in those "middle years"...  But, I know that I need to drink more milk than I do.  Correcting low levels of vitamin D has been proven as a potential means of reducing falls and increasing mobility.  My doctor has actually put me on a supplement recently.  Maybe that is why my knee is still intact after this fall!  My bones are getting stronger.  Now, how to not fall in the first place... Ha!  (Born naturally clumsy, I'm afraid!)

"Game On, Game Over!" Until... The River X Finale

I have to share a very funny story.  The night of Day 2... When we got back into town, we were running low on black zebra midges.  A google + (Social fishing network) friend of mine said that he had been selling flies in a market near the river.  Ok...which town and which market?  We had gone to a few...but, nothing was found.  We actually found one that was called The Market... I walked in and went up to the shift manager, a middle aged woman with a very business like demeanor.  I asked her, "Do you sell flies for flyfishing"?  She looked at me with a perplexed and sort of shocked look on her face.  She answered back, "Nooo, we aren't allowed to have flies since we have a deli over there."  (Pointing)  Huh?  Are we on the same fly page, Batman?   Hmmm, I don't think so!   Without laughing, (Oh, I really wanted to)  I explained to her that I was looking for artificial flies that you put on the end of a fishing line... Oh boy!  Needless to say, they had a perfectly clean deli and no flies for my fly box.  = ) 

Day 3 began as it did the first two days.  Ice cold water from the dam greeted us as we waded in above our knees to plant a few dry flies on the water.  But, River X was actually experiencing warm weather for October at 80 degrees.  So, the water felt pretty good later on.  There were floating clusters of midges still, so of course I put on my last black zebra midge on the dropper.  As I looked downstream at Jeri already into fish, I had to laugh to myself.  Here is the gal that wasn't too thrilled about getting up at 5:15 am every morning to head out to beat the campers and trucks that would soon be there.  But, now it seemed that it was worth it.  = )



The mysterious Mr. Outdoors...

  

We would soon be found by Rebecca "The Outdooress" and Mr. Outdoors.  They know this river pretty well and wanted us to follow them...  My choice was to hit the pocket water of the "RD's Cliff Hole".  There was only one person parked there, so we made a run at it.  Mr. Outdoors had been watching my poor-a... casting.  He yelled from across the river to give me some helpful hints.  He wanted me to cast over to this group of boulders, but I just couldn't reach it.  The next thing I knew...he was over on my side and handing me his fly rod.  Here came the much awaited casting lesson!! 

The RD Long Haul

 A lot of people have given me advice, but I'm still not feeling at home with my cast.  After a half hour or so of practice and "loading" up the rod (which no one has ever taught me to do)... The River Damsel finally got it!  Whoohoo!  60-70 ft of line down river...and back up river...it was FANTASTIC!!!  Then, we started targeting spots and I was hitting them almost dead on.  Now, this was fun.  I almost forgot about catching a fish.  I had learned how to cast better than I had ever done before! (3 years of hello???)  I was starting to think that it was my lamo arm... Well, maybe I'm not totally uncoordinated as I thought!  ???  Maybe.

Then, it was time for Rebecca and I to find some big brown trout.  She headed to some nice rocks across the stream.  I had started working my section, when I heard Rebecca shout out, "I don't have my net!  This is a big fish!"  Oh-oh.  I had better get down there to be the net gal.  Now, to tell you the truth, I would have never walked briskly as I did through the fast current to where Rebecca was.  But, the adrenelin flowed.  And I got there just as she was bringing him in close.  There we go!  In the net...

and ready to look purdy for the camera.

Then came the perfect example of stalking a fish from Rebecca.  No sooner than a blink of an eye, (ok...maybe 10 min) she had the fish she was looking for.  We will call him "Brutus".  The bend in the rod told it all.  We were both screaming and laughing at the same time.  It was awesome!!  I was having more fun netting her big fish than fishing myself.  Great fun to watch someone stalk a fish and land it.  When he came in close... Rebecca was all smiles...  Well, why not?

Yeah, we barely got all of him in the net.  This is a RIVER X Brown Trout!!

This was fun... What else can I say.

Next up... Another spot in the 10 miles or so of choices.  A nice little dry fly spot that had Mr. Outdoors reeling them in.  And Jeri got a lesson on pointing and shooting for rings of rising fish.

Back to the cars and trying to find one last spot for the day.  As we drove up towards the dam, we passed turnouts that were already occupied.  I knew where we would end up.  It was inevitable.  Yep, the "Midge Run" was where they were headed.  Ok...so, we skunked on that part of the river the last two days.  Try, try again.  A few more "tippets" from Mr. Outdoor on dry fly fishing.  Then, Rebecca came over and said, "I'm taking Emily with me"...  I had a feeling that this was going to be an adventure for sure.  You see, Rebecca doesn't like to see anyone get skunked.  And after my first two days of catching,

I was having a rough time this third day.  Of course, I was having a great day of learning...

and I wouldn't have traded the lessons for anything. 

 So, I followed Bec down the river to our first spot.  There, I learned how to mend the dry very carefully.  Never knew those tricks.  Then, a few more casts...nothing.  Rebecca exclaimed, "Let's move on"... (She was going to stay with me til dusk to find a fish!)  Haha.  What a great friend to have.  Next run...eh, nothing.  Then, we hit a pocket of large rocks.  Bec was sure that this was going to be it.  We put on a big ol' hopper with a black midge dropper (Imagine that!) and she had me cast over this large shadow of a fish...oh, maybe 25 times.  And he was still there.  Unreal.  Not spooked in the least.  He was a "taunter"!!  And Rebecca Garlock, my friends...does not look kindly upon "taunting" fish!!  We were not going to give up.  Team RG/RD...was into the game...BIG TIME!   As I had my hopper on a perfect drift... Rebecca would say, "Game On"!  And when it went under..."Game Over"!   My hopper finally went under where it should and I set that hook like never before (And with RG yelling in my ear)... The hot pursuit of this one big fish had to have a happy ending...

The bend in the rod and the strength to keep with it...was rewarded.  The whole time though, I was thinking that I had better get this guy in for Rebecca's sake!  She had been so patient... = )  After calling him names (which I won't disclose) and finally having him on the end of my line... this was a hard fought victory!

Mr. Hooked Jaw was mine...

So, the "game" was won and it was now getting dark.  The others were waiting on the sidelines and cheering.   We had to take one final picture... Well, who told me to pick up the fish????  (Not anyone) 

Rebecca couldn't stop laughing after looking at her expert, fast action photography...Thanks, Bec. 

Yes, we had a hysterical ending.  I definitely "got schooled".  Have you ever been slapped by a fish?  

 You might even say that I have given new meaning to "Fly" fishing...

  River X... Never a dull moment.  It's always a "REEL" adventure...

 Pass the Snickers and  Diet Coke please...