Kids Big Brown

I'm just, the photographer and the net guy, Now...... I guess.


He got it on the reel, just like practice.
"Let the drag work for you son." "Bend it harder boy." "Ooop, there it goes again" (zazzzzing)
"Slide em over here." "Head up" "head up"......... "now give your dad a hug boye" (stream side words)

"Hold em proud"..... " High five."

No No No streamer.. back to the small stuff this brown was taken on a size 20, black S&M, T tied to the tippet tag. heavy stone below, Long leader, and the stick held high. (ya, Some Americans use this method)

Hot flies... just told ya

On The Float Big Blue and Big Browns

Finally, I got to hit my favorite stretch of water.. on the float "Big Blue".. My Stepfather on the oars and myself on the rod I was able to produce a fair amount of large, strong, wild, Colorado Brown Trout. Uno, Rainbow as well.

They're just Awesome.

Other than a picture, the release, Is really the only reward.

This dude had shoulders.

Are you smarter now Mr. Brownie?

This is the only photo this guy got to participate in.. too many irons in the fire.

One of the better ones.

This pic came out sweet! might have to talk to Dejong about this one

Trying to look cool,, as if, a fish, and a net, and a fly rod in my mouth isn't cool enough.

Damn buddy, I forgot about you,,, your net sized!!

Red spots are a nice perk.

This sob (the only rainbow of the day), decided it would be funny to haul butt right between my legs, making me do the crazy river dance.

I Felt like, hand landing this rainbow.

Caught that fish right over there------>>> (use your best red-neck voice)

Nymphing for the first half of the day and streamers for the rest. Not a good day for drys, and no time to stand in a run and feed em micro nymphs.

Stay tuned for another post about this day.. I caught a rare fish,, when I figure out what it is and just how rare I'll throw it up here...

Before you move on to another blog-site, I would like to ask those of you who aren't afraid to pray,, to do so for a family member of mine. While on the river this day, I got "that call of bad news" my Aunt was in the hospital with big times heart problems, she has been in a Coma for 4 days. I, and the rest of the family need your prayers

Summer On The Fly #3

Another joint post with AYearOnTheFly

"Fire Chicken"- tied to match the original.

Thread & Head- Red 8/0 Uni

Hook- 22 Short Shank

Tail- Black Hackle Fibers

Abdomen- Fine Yellow Damsel

hackle- Griz Midge

Ribbing- none, it's a 22 dry fly its only going to be around a hand full of fish, ribbing or not.

Having a blast blogging with Mr Dejong.

Click THIS link to "fly" to the painting of the "Fire Chicken"

Joel asked me to name this one. The bug reminded me of friend in high school... Pretty calm, pretty simple man, not the best looking, and just a tad rough. The guy was a red-head and took quite a little bit of crap about it. How ever if you pissed him off at just the right time... He would out perform any of his peers. when he came out and stepped up, the bull shit stopped.. Dubbing him "Red Head, like a fire chicken". Reminding me when I see a "red-head"....... hand over a little respect.

Put Me In Coach

The kid is approaching b-b-b-b-bad azz with the Fly rod.
Please enjoy the music, not just the music, but the muse-ick...
So Turn the sound on and up, Jam to the tune.

Klean Cutt

Before I totally hang up the "lake's during runoff" I have one more thing to do. Some unfinished, never started business,

I know, and you know, there are a chit-ton of little lakes stashed all over in the mountains of Colorado.. Finding them can make you feel,, well very small. Getting anyone to email you the Coordinates for your GPS is like trying to sell Ice to and Eskimo. They just wont go for it.

Come with me, for the very first time, to a high mountain, hidden lake, full of native wild Colorado Cutthroat. The pictures you will view here will be the purest of scenery and the purest of fish you can locate, Fish that are brilliant in the mind, very rarely fished to, and nearly never caught. A scream will never be heard here, and the sound of a rising trout carries like an eagle on the glide.

Small problem.. I have know idea where I'm going, don't know if it even exists.

I had a hint, to say the least. We walked at least 2 miles through the forest, In an unknown area, for a maybe. As we began to crest the hill, I could see a dimple in the land... The anticipation builds, My son runs ahead eager to see some water.... "Nope" he says no lake... beginning to wonder if my "Hint" was a way to detour me from another spot... I do have that karma coming to me. As we crest the hill I see a small trail heading through a giant meadow.. this would mean another mile walk to the next possible place for a lake. So we walk on. Admiring the Colorado Columbine and catching grass hoppers we make our way to. "back fat Egypt". We finally reach the crest of a hill with another dimple in the land. and there it was! the most beautiful place you could imagine, a crystal clear lake with a small stream running in at a trickle and leaving in the same way.

The boy was eager to cast, so he went at it right away, me I've never been here, don't know if there is even fish here yet, let alone what kind how big and what kind of other life form inhabit this joint.. So I make a slow walk to the other side,, where the water comes in.
I see a giant fish leap clear out of the water and make a splash that echoed about four times against natures walls. Scared me so bad, I almost "hot potatoed" my dry fly box into the water.

After watching the behavior of the fish for some time I began to notice they were all Cutthroat trout..... the lakes and streams around don't have any pure cutties... at all, so what are these beautiful fish doing here in Paradise...

I fished to them for over an hour without getting get one to take. Getting a little frustrated, I am willing to, all but dive in after one.
I know I can do this... Just center up, focus and hunt.

The trickle of an inlet left for the slowest drift known to man, yet there all in their own parking place feeding on what appears to be fresh water shrimp of some sort. swimming along just above the weeds with that shrimpy, wiggly action that I still ain't good enough to match.
Finally got one to eat a small rubber legger then spit it soon after, only to be punished by the 22 zebra tailing behind... yea, hooked er right in the pooper. Dragged it in backwards and said give me back that bug..
Change after change without a fish,, I was about to start flipping over cow pies to get a worm (kidding) Instead I did a bad deed guy's........I through down the egg sucking leach,, and proceeded to put them to bed.

I am being asked by my son Dylan, that you take an extra second to appreciate his photography. He took quite a little bit of pride in his pictures this time and he did a great job... I have been trying to teach him another thing that I had to learn on my own, and that is... The skills of the getting good photos and taking them quickly, as well as getting the fish on it's way unharmed, are hard to acquire and look good on paper. Here they are.
After a couple of small ones, I handed my rod to the Kid and took the back seat. Good stuff happened and the kid had to sweat the 6x.

Dad gets a decent cutt.

I am going to have to call this fish a Colorado Trophy! Best wild cutty I've ever bumped in to.

Measured 21 1/2 and fat, just fat!

Make them a little smarter and send em back.

Thanks, to the Cutthroat for making my afternoon, and Thanks to Dylan, for fishing with me, taking great photos, and ultimately making my day.

Flow Chart Shmo Chart

Went for an adventurous, brush crashing hunt for some wild Brown trout.. It's been too long..

I have been thoroughly fed the jolly's of "lake fishing during runoff". Now I must be on my way to the River, where I can think, put some things together and with any luck at all, catch a fish... or two.

The section of water that I chose today, has many interesting facts about it. The first one is, You cant "check the flows" you have to go with the gut, See, a giant canal dumps in about a mile up river, it should have a "flow chart", of its own because it doubles the size of the river, or more.

Now, just a half a mile down stream there is a large canal leaving the river, leaving the flow of the river almost what the USGS says is leaving the dam, not counting the other irrigation ditches that come and go, fields are starting to flood as well. It's just flat, "touch and go" "shoot from the hip", old west, gangsta style. It's up to the "water users" (sorry I feel like putting things in quotes"") to decide how much water flows through these canals, sometimes leaving me with my hands in the air.

It looked OK on the way up so I went for it... On the water it Took a little while to get things sorted out. I basically started, fishing tiny stuff, but with the water being off color and with all of the changes happening to the river, I had to gradually move up in fly size until It matched their attitudes. Plus the last time I was able to fish this section it was mid winter, don't exactly know "what they're bitin".

I finally got into the "good sized" fish, not in numbers, but I was able to land three fish, 2 in the "just shy of 18 inch range". and one smaller.

Here are the Pics....

The fish above was hooked just at the turn of a swimming drift, (just over my left shoulder) on a small streamer. walked it like a dog, right back up to me.
This one (above) a little bit smaller, still willing to make me work, took the fly mid drift, I was able to sneak it under a grass under cut that went back about three feet or better, then swam the thing right into it's mouth.

The fish above was one of the longer ones, taken on a small streamer again, right at my feet at a dead drift.

This is the best one of the day, and better than average for this little stream. Sitting pretty, in a 16 inch net.. Taken on that streamer.

What streamer?... CLICK HERE Hot flies.... click over there >>>>>>>>--^

Of Fathers and Days... with Fish

It looks like no fishing today. Tools to do so will be in arms reach. Instead of playing a sad song, I thought I would write a little bit about some past Father's day's.

Here is a photo for each of the last three years on Fathers day.

Above- Fathers day 2009. My son Dylan and I fishing streamers in Montana. Hunting trout. Dylan landed 9 fish in the 20 inch range in 4 days of fishing. His Dad tied a lot of knots and drove the net.
Above- This Photo was Father's day 2008. Dad and I floating the big Mo just down from Craig Montana. The photo below Was a Great brown, who fought me so long, my Dad floated away and I had to take another, self shot, missing tail pic.

Below-Later that day it decided to rain bullets, so we cowered under a bridge and cried ourselves to sleep...... Not! I put a 50 cent poncho on and stood up for a solo sail ride, no life jacked I might add..

Below- This was a timer shot of my dad and I on Fathers day 2007, floating the upper Madison above Inness lake. The "high five" completely speaks for it's self. That house is in a pretty nice location huh?
Happy fathers day to all you who Fish... And remember these words...

"Your relationships are only going to be... what you have made them".

Now that's done! I changed my mind!! going fishin somehow!!

Summer On The Fly #2

Another joint Post with Ayearonthefly

Sulfur Emerger

hook-Tmc 200r, slightly modified, bent and re-tempered

thread-tan

abdomen-brown flex floss

tail-saddle hackle fibers

thorax-tan and cream antron dub

Joel originally posted this fly April 25Th. Since that day, I have really wanted to tie/bend up a few. I don't know why its so mesmerizing to me, But there are a few rising trout waiting to help me out with that, for true.

Tied with the hook point facing a way that registers to the mind as a complete illusion. The way that its bent, actually makes the eye and the point line up just like you want for a good set.

(Warning bending hooks is usually a bad idea)

They don't always break, until you set the hook. Leaving you with a "para eye"

Tip... Get that sucker red hot, dip it in sugar then right into used motor oil....

The look on your face right now... is priceless!!!!

the red hot, destroys the temper of the steel, bending it ruined it to begin with,, the sugar makes it springy again and the motor oil makes it hard.. I know I'm crazy, if you know your crazy, are you? cause if you know your insane, then you aren't.

Most emergers have a hook blocking the view of the abdomen, I think us tiers subconsciously pretend its not even there. we will hold a fly in out hands and admire the colors and shape and keep the hook neatly pinched between the fingers to hide it from our own eyes. I wish we could catch em with out the help from a hook. How often is the hook, 50% of the material and the look of the fly?

a fish, staring at the surface, moving in to position for a look at a bug, coasting backwards looking up at my fly, deciding weather to refuse or use. How does a fish see this version of the emerging mayfly.

So after many tries to get it right I managed to get a shot of the Sulfur Emerger, through a wine glass, full of water, looking up, like the fish sees it! (I, want to eat it)

Click on Ayearonthefly to see a painting of the Sulfur Emerger.

I have a prize for you

Not you,, this time I'm not talking to you! This one is for "big Brownie"
What kind of Prize?........... A sir-prize!!


If you cant beat em Join em. Those big, mean, brown trout that venture into deep, dark, sometimes, warmer water, you all know the ones I'm referring to.. Those fish have attitudes.. and habits that the angler must adjust to a great deal in order to get one to submit. In fact I think It intimidates most anglers to the point of "no part of it"

Ahhhh...The subject of trout fishing- A topic that usually refers to people with a lot of stuff hanging off of them, rear deep in a stream, waiting for them to "start bitin".. Once a few days are spent on the water,, one begins to look around a bit, noticing bugs flying through the air, birds circling overhead, and of course the occasional skip of the heart when a rising trout is heard. Quickly rigging up a dry fly to match the natural.. fishing till sunset, loosing count of trout that take a fly. finding peace with yourself each time you and a fish communicate. A place where no trouble can follow you. These are all things that make the sport fun, these are things that occupy an entire day of a fly fisherman... Go back the next ,to find out, it's like you were never there.

All is fine, fun and good but, back to the Big Brownie!!! always keep a streamer rig with you. not a streamer a streamer rig.. this is the tool you will posses for hunting that one!! the one who you will never meet, unless you work!! Correct me, if you think I'm wrong.... but I feel, its safe to say, there are a fair amount of big browns living in average size streams, that just aren't going to eat a size 24 midge, I mean they would, and could but there too mad.. as a matter of fact that same fish probably isn't going to bother with a nymph either, unless your in Montana in the spring and can fish a size 10 prince... That 10 pounder ate two mice, and a bat last night , it only needs 8 more 6 inch brown trout fingerlings to call it a good day...

That's worth a hundred or two casts with nothing more than a half a rabbit, a pinch of deer, and some metal. but of course go ahead and make a hundred casts with the little stuff and Clean things up a bit before.

Watch for another joint post with Ayearonthefly on Friday.

Summer On the Flies 1

A Joint Post with AYearOnTheFly...
Fire Bead Soft Hackle Ray Charles
Hook- Mustad S80-3906 size 16
Thread- Tan or red 8/0
Head- Red Glass Bead
Body- Sow Bug Dubbing
Flash Back- Pearl Mylar Tinsel
Ribbing- Black Wire
Soft hackle- Hungarian Partridge

Joel, over at A Year On The Fly and I are teaming up for a little Summer time blogging fun. Involving Tying flies, taking up close pictures and Capturing The beauty of a fly through Joel's artwork.

I have been admiring Joel's work for some time and if I remember right I was the first follower of his blog. Through Joel's work and his passion for "The Fly" I, myself have been inspired to tie and to research the patterns that he posts. (from the other side of the country)
With this, I suggested to Joel that he and I do a little blogging Together. and he gladly accepted. Although I had to choose our first fly, I plan on posting one of his coolest flies next.
Click this link A Year On The Fly To see a Painting of The Fire Bead, Soft Hackle, Ray Charles.

When you see "Summer On The Flies" Watch for the links to A Year On The Fly to see the artwork.

Its A Fish Eat Bug World

Here is a picture that supports that thought.... sorta.

High Mountain Still Water

Spent some time at a high mountain lake.. in search of a Brook trout that would better 16 inches... This is the only time of year that I can really go for the brookies because the browns keep me so busy during the summers..

and one that betters 16 inches is considered a small trophy, for me that is.

we got In to a whole lot of trout, about 60/30 rainbows to tiny brook trout.. Once I got a small handle on the brooks attitudes I was able to target mostly them.. On the second day, past noon I finally got the rod to pulse from a wild brook...

Hot flies... Red Chronamid, Rubber leggers and wollie leaches...
k now clear up so we can do some real fishing..

Red Butt High Voltage Midge

Poachers, be ware!!!

Hook- tmc 2457 size 20

Abdomen- Wire, red and blue

thorax- peacock dub/

head- Black glass bead

puff- white Mcflylon (pretty new stuff) check it out.

poached this fly from Joel Dejongs painting... Now I'm gonna fishit

Thanks Joel!!