Fly Fishermen?

Originally Posted by TOMAHAWK9521

Oh sure, go ahead a rub it in. I never got to do any casting before I deployed back in June. What with all that late and heavy wet weather we had. The Poudre, Colorado, Frying Pan, N. Platte, and Green were all frothing chocolate milk as late as August before they started clearing up. Now you're telling me that I get to come home in time for more impending wet weather to make the rivers suck once more.

But at least it will be cool and green. I'm going to try and hit the Poudre and see if there are any decent Cutthroats left up in Long Draw Res before I go in for surgery.

Nice catch by the way.

I'll have too hook you up with Mr Dale, he's got a cabin up in the Poudre country. Keys to the door are on a nail under the porch, whiskey inside.

Enough said, come home to us quickly, remain safe.

[Tress]

Originally posted by wet dog:

Forgot to post last months catch, my bad. Expecting snow to begin flying in the coming weeks. Its nice to finishing summer with a win. Perfect day, Prince Nimphs, a few Bill Harsey hoppers, Green Olive Dunns. Took one on San Juan worm. Fat fish, even the small ones failed weight limits. Do you suspect they know something about this years coming winter?

WD

Nice catch! The two in the upper right of the picture are rainbows but I am not sure of the others. They kinda look like browns, but not really. What are they?

Tress

Originally Posted by Tress

Nice catch! The two in the upper right of the picture are rainbows but I am not sure of the others. They kinda look like browns, but not really. What are they?

Tress

Cutthroats will breed with Rainbow trout, producing a "Cutbow", many are also called Greenback Cutthroat or Colorado Cuttroat, we just call them "brookies", some taking on a look of little "tiger fish". Someone with alot more experience with the hybrids could answer better, I only just recently began to think like a fish.

Rainbows tend to pussy out on a fight, many like these, put up a fight and deserved a proper release back into the water. We kept only enough for supper, "fried fish with free ranged chicken eggs, coffe and toaste, mmmm, mmmm, good."

We caught better then 50 fish that day in the late afternoon hours. When a hatch is on, it's on!

From the photo, you can see the 5th wheel ball, turned over.

The truck is a standard, 2000 1ton F350 ranch truck. From the ball to fender, I'm guessing 20 inches. These fish, not one of the big ones is over 14", but they were fun and really great fighters.

[Tress]

Originally posted by wet dog:

Cutthroats will breed with Rainbow trout, producing a "Cutbow", many are also called Greenback Cutthroat or Colorado Cuttroat, we just call them "brookies", some taking on a look of little "tiger fish". Someone with alot more experience with the hybrids could answer better, I only just recently began to think like a fish.

When I lived in PA and helped stock the creeks and rivers, every once in a while they would have what they called a "tiger trout" and they tended to be on the huge side. IIRC it was a mix of brown trout and brook trout, but was sterile. I am guessing that it was sterile because brookies are not really trout, but actually are a char.

Anyway, being a tiger trout would make sense as the ones in your photo have the body of a brown and the tiger stripe-like markings of a brookie.

Tress

Originally Posted by Tress

When I lived in PA and helped stock the creeks and rivers, every once in a while they would have what they called a "tiger trout" and they tended to be on the huge side. IIRC it was a mix of brown trout and brook trout, but was sterile. I am guessing that it was sterile because brookies are not really trout, but actually are a char.

Anyway, being a tiger trout would make sense as the ones in your photo have the body of a brown and the tiger stripe-like markings of a brookie.

Tress

That sounds right, the USFS biologist says these are not sterile,...they do breed, and they can get big. What I do know also, they are really alot of fun to catch.

[TOMAHAWK9521]

On the "C" and lower "B" sections of the Green R. the browns look like logs cruising along the surface. They get pretty decent sized in the Colorado west of Glennwood Spgs, too.

A couple years back I pulled up a "Squaw Fish" while floating the Colorado between New Castle and Silt. At first I thought I had gotten snagged on a log until my rod started bending back down on itself. It was only about 18 inches but it put up such a fight I thought it was at least twice that size. When we finally got it up to the surface it was the freakiest thing I ever saw. My first thought was that it was "Blinky-the 3-eyed fish" from the Simpsons. It's pale and its huge arrow-shaped head doesn't match its body. My old boss was yelling not to land it because it's rare and endangered. Luckily, it spit the hook out before I had chance to remove it and it shot back down to the bottom.

I was told they used to be very common and grow to significant sizes in Colorado waters but their numbers plummeted with the development of the water ways. Too bad, because I really would loved to have seen a big one put up a fight.

Originally Posted by TOMAHAWK9521

My old boss was yelling not to land it because it's rare and endangered..........Too bad, because I really would loved to have seen a big one put up a fight.

(Bosses are such asshats, especially old bosses.)

[Tress]

A few weeks ago I was out on the ocean following a Menhaden bait-ball, throwing a squid fly at the edges of the bait-ball with my 8 wt. fly rod that I used to use for Large and Small mouth bass. The squid fly is just a little too big and bulky for the 8 wt., but it manages at short distances and it was the largest weight rod that I had. I hooked several nice sized (18” to 24”) Spanish mackerel and then almost had the rod pulled out of my hands by a really big hit. I fought with this fish for about 20 minutes letting him run and then slowly pulling him back in and then letting him run again, back and forth. As I brought the fish closer to the boat I thought that the 8 wt. rod was going to break, it was almost forming a 180 degree bend. Suddenly the 20 lb. leader snapped and I lost the fish.

I never really saw the fish and even if I did I probably would not have been able to identify it as I am not yet that familiar with salt water species, but my fishing buddy is very familiar them and he said that it was a really big King Mackerel, one of the bigger ones that he had ever seen.

I thought about it and came to the conclusion that if I had a stronger weight rod and leader I would have been able to have been more aggressive on the retrieve and maybe boated the fish. I also would like to fly fish for Dolphin, Red fish and such and those are just as big and strong as Kings from what I hear. So I called my buddy in PA and ordered a 10 wt. blank, reel seat and other bits and pieces that were delivered a week or so ago. This is what the mess looked like when it arrived:

Before.jpg

And this is what it looks like now after piecing it all together:

After 1.jpg After 3.jpg

It is a really stiff rod with a really strong spline and should be able to handle some of the bigger fish around here. Coupled with a 400 to 450 grain fly line I should also be able to better cut through the wind and more easily cast the squid fly and other big bulky flies.

Here is the squid fly that I am throwing:

Squid Fly.jpg

I will not really have a chance to test the rod out on the ocean until next weekend. I will write up an AAR then.
Tress

[rocketjok]

Any one fishing out in washington? I am currently with 1st group and when I am home I fish. I like getting up into the alpine lakes but I know a lot of locals with drift boats and do some steelheading with fly rods. I tie every Tuesday as well, at Madigan with the healing waters guys.
I am trying to head out to okinawa and am curious how fly fishing will be out there.

[tw5270]

As previously stated in this thread I am a long time Fly Fisherman and have fished both Ft. Lewis area and Okinawa. Keep in mind I was just a little kid but I have been lugging fly rods around the world since I was 8.
If you are heading to Okinawa I suggest you start looking in to tenkara - http://www.tenkarausa.com/ There are many small streams and plenty of fish on the island but also a lot of snakes.
I focused mostly of carp.

In and around Lewis there are a few great lakes and several nice rivers. When we were at Lewis I lived right on Sears Lake which was restricted to 16 and under. Other than opening day I pretty much had the lake to myself all year.

I now live in Boone NC so if any members want to wet a line in the mountains of NC let me know. If I can't go with you I can sure point you in a good direction.