Bourbon, Flies, and Lies
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Well, where to begin hmm let’s see let’s start with it’s all about the adventure!
I have
fished the Fuego River for several years and she has never ceased to amaze me,
but today she raised the bar.
I grabbed my
custom Rainshadow IF1086-4 – 10’8” 4pc (6wt) rated for 275-375 grain weight
window. I slapped on a 375-grain max
short 20’8” head Skagit along with it a “don’t laugh” 10’ salmon steelhead
sinking leader 2”/sec. This is the same exact setup I used in Montana. I used 3 feet of 8-pound test floro for tippet
(the three feet was added so I am less likely to blow my anchor).
I did not
hit the water until about 1400. The overnight low was just above freezing and
so for me there was no point showing up any earlier.
I drove west
like Fieval to get to the Fuego River. I arrived to the urban jungle and got ready.
People looked at me like they often do like I have a screw loose! Chuckling, I
headed to the river.
I found her
to be very low for this time of year and with most of the reel steelheaders up
on the tribs I was assured to have this all to myself.
I got there
and saw ppl enjoying the sun and the nice weather. Our winter this year has
been mellow. We will pay the price in the summer while the west is on fire we
will join them with our drought.
A former friend of mine Marc Crapo made me a nice fly wallet that I decided to bring with me today. It’s been a while since I have used my fly wallet.
I start covering
the traditional holding waters for any warm water fish species.
I did not care
if I hooked any fish today. It’s been a minute since I have cast one of my two
handers. I cack handed “look up that
definition lol” step casted downstream for about 100 yards and with no love I
went elsewhere.
So, at this
point I had been casting for maybe 40 minutes. Then I made a move down stream
by maybe 10 miles.
Well, what I
did not know until just now they stock rainbows in this section of the Fuego
River. So, although it was on the swing
I thought it was really rare, but apparently knot!
The pattern
was pretty basic tied on a number 1 2220 Daiichi streamer hook. The body is white schlapen “wide palmered to
be sparse”. Then tye in a sparse collar of flashabou and then a heavy palmered
collar of mallard flank.
This is as simple as it gets, I think for a swinging minnow pattern and lol if this one head gets any bigger it’s going to need two zip codes! So, funny thing this is also my gar fly pattern! The streamer hook is other than being a huge hook size for trout, it is 4X long!!!
I got to my
second spot and waded out a third of the way out to the river. Onlookers are
like what in the world is he doing?
This perch was looking over downstream a slick in the river. A slick is
a piece of water that is relatively flat in the middle because it’s between two
tailouts!
So, at this
point its been over an hour since I started to drown flies. In reading the
water I put down stream mend in my cast to sed the fly screaming across the
river. From what my friend has told me
who fishes out west in Oregon for saltrun steelhead this will trigger fish if
they are present!
Holy
snickers it happened! My line went stiff
mid current! I put side pressure on the fish and he/she did not like that! The
fish leapt out of the river and I bowed to it like my Pap taught me.
This would
be the moment I realized it was a trout I hooked! A trout how in the sam hell
was this a trout and how in the hell did it get here?
The fish
fell back into the river and snuggled with the gravel digging in. I rotated the
rod to be perpendicular to the riverbank and the trout did not like that at
all.
The fish
tried to dislodge the hook, but that number one streamer was buried deep in the
jaw!
I brought
the fish to hand and treated it with all due respect and turned him/her loose
to fight another day. I would hook two more and broke them off because I was genuinely
worried others would see me hook these fish. Later I learned that these fish were
stocked lol!
I will be back
again someday for another challenge!
Be well,
Sonder
Friday, March 15, 2024
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Pre-Spring Swing
Hello folks,
Well winter
has been strange to say the least and on February 10 I am going to swing flies
in northeast Ohio in 50-degree weather.
Meanwhile there are states in the Pacific Northwest that have only 50%
of the snowpack for the season.
Today’s
outing of swinging flies was more for exercise than anything else. I headed way
up stream on the Grand River. I found the river to be running a little low for
swinging at 340 cf/s and she had a solid 24” of visibility today.
I brought my
Scott switch rod (2H1157/4) and I have it strung up with a SA 440 grain skagit.
My tip of choice today was a 1.5”/sec sink rate leader. I also chose a more subtle and natural
colored fly.
Its spring
and the majority of the fish have either spawned or are actively on gravel. I
have no desire to fish for bedding fish.
I made my
way up the riverbanks that are budding with life already. The wild rose bushes
were turning back to green after being dormant over winter. They should still
be in their dormant state, but these temps over the several weeks have changed
that.
A lot of these areas up here on the river are low lying areas and prone to flooding. I did notice some type of swamp plant that was also coming out of its dormant stasis.
I found my
first perch and covered the water to the best of my ability. I worked the casts
long and short to cover the holding lies well enough in the hopes of making a
fish rise.
After over an
hour I began my mile plus hike back to the car. I could hear turkeys going off
in the distance. I heard deer snort at me I yelled out “whatever”.
I got back
to the car a little less for wear and headed to the “jawbone River”.
Here I would settle in once I made the over mile trek to the river and make a pot of boiling water for my coffee press.
The river
here was nothing like her easterly cousin. Here is river was green and had exceptional
flow for February. I keep coming back here to see her to hopefully one day she
will grant me the experience of hooking a steelhead in her river. I made my coffee
and continued to traverse the river. I swung every part of that river that I
thought could hold a fish. I tried to redefine the definition of insanity but I
failed to do so and called it a day. Battered and beaten, but with a smile on
my face I turned the car to the east and drove home.
Friday, February 9, 2024
Swinging Flies
Well, it’s February and in the past I didn’t like fishing until the spawning fish are out of the rivers. I need to get some exercise and get my casting arms a workout. I will be headed to the Grand River and the “Jawbone River”.
I will start up high on the Grand and then traversing down to a middle section. The overnight low is supposed to be 50 degrees with a south westerly wind with speeds up to 8 to 11 miles per hour. There is no reel reason to get here before first light. I will be in the gorge area and it will take some time for any sunshine to warm up the river valley.
There should be less fish and idealistically less people up in this stretch of water too. I long for the old days of seeing less people and I know it’s the popularity of Mr. and Mrs. Instagram to take their hero shots. We are all guilty of it at one time or another in our journey of life.
With the weather forecasts being this who would not want to go out and swing some flies to relax.
I will then turn to fish the “Jawbone” River. Here I will fish down low in the hopes of connecting with a drop back fish. Hell, who I am kidding I want more than anything to just hook a fish!
Stay tuned, I will have some new videos and photos to share.
Be well and get outside
Sonder
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Saturday Fitness
Hello folks, well our winter is not over but this has been again for us here it has been lack-luster for the most part.
I am
starting to get my rear in gear for getting back into shape for the upcoming
fishy season! I am ready last year I
missed spring fishing all together because of the move.
This is not
going to happen this year and I have started to hike. Its just getting motivated
and getting out is the hardest part. I know I always develop a bit of depression
when the winter months come, but it’s natural being single and having an
extremely tiny circle of friends.
I went out for a little hike, and it was 3.2 miles there and back. There were plenty of deviations in elevations.
I wanted to take some photos and videos in the gorge. So that I could enter the creek I put on my waders and filled my backpack with gear. When I was walking from my car the looks, I got were priceless.
I started
out at an elevation of 926 and ascended into the creek gorge and ended up at
elevation 730.9.
The water was at summer-esc flow and was very navigable. There are new multi-tiered falls that have been created by the recent high-water moments.
I am sure
for the folks that saw me down at the bottom of the gorge thought I was some kind
of crazy person down there.
I made AeroPress
coffee while I was down there also. I was nice to sit with my thoughts and
listen to mother nature’s symphony. I hiked
up the same way I came and 14% - 16% grade up hill was not to terrible on my
legs as I thought it would be.
I can’t stress enough how much I enjoy my Garmin 64sx handheld device. I has been one of the reasons I have been able to enjoy my adventures and mis adventures so much. I also enjoy it greatly because when the cell phone does not work this works like a hammer!
I hope you
enjoy the photos and videos.
Be well,
Sonder
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Making field coffee on the trail or creek side
I have
always had a love for coffee. I also
have a need for a good cup of coffee. Well, I thought in all these years of
life I was doing it right. Then along came my friend Jim.
He told me
to try this and try that. I of course have
not done either for years. Then my friend gets me an Aeropress This gift has opened my eyes and my brain.
This simple coffee press has elevated my coffee experience. Jim also beat me over the head about using
bottled water. I of course stupidly
discounted again his words of wisdom. I thought to myself how much better could
it really be?
Well
needless to say I am a bottle or purified water believer. The coffee I am making now has ruined me in a
good way.
So, Jim once
again attempts to tell me I need to grind my own beans!
I once again
tell myself just how much better this coffee could get. Well, I purchased a conical grinder per Jims’s
instructions, and I am now a ruined man. There is not a place on Earth that serves
a better cup of coffee than in my kitchen! Lol
In the field
I use a small camping stove and a Seatosummit XPOT
This works well and has a pouring spout and this makes my hikes and creek crawling so much better.
You can see the field set up in the attached videos