http://youtu.be/aLOcluCVtp0 (http://youtu.be/aLOcluCVtp0)
My boy consumnfire had been working too much and not fishing near enough. I lured him into coming out Saturday. And to make it easy on him, I agreed to visit "his" stream. Even though it has not been kind to me. We met at the water at 7 am. The pics:
Bellflower
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gBAMi5XeTiEqhe7HtK8Nl7xrC3zcyB9L7LI6Iqv4NWU9=w846-h634-no)
Dodder.
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AEzdED3ZxFSEyqKYeFtoA2c7tzMmqaYK05VLhW9sHMNo=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/l0qFhrBtJjwBY8EfSSn0YmJn9JxXRQKoRkB6CFbfRpP4=w512-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lORjihpUxZSA_Ywy4pp-uMc2DGueLb1tTYL8Mlh-Xhsq=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3u6J-EEHGYWRTFjv_bL7TOePs2GSVxrAIwn1-vi8LWXe=w476-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qZfBdYnIhc9MJvPaN6v8MixaT7wiER4GvOeGMFk3kefP=w1020-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tHlTIFKglIiJj1n-4wV3ewmairZ395lDEJcJTMwTGecm=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d_Cw0vzcS2Yj6M5kbBC0CVVIrNHeBcs2gKEEFMn6acJg=w852-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/39zVD2cmXg9X9OBfFldOG59uU6Ft0qtPnHWhLinOnSgI=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MNrTmxzNa0Qq3Hpn6oIR9bchlqb04oVlXptU3KeXqoOJ=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GWQw5NXgJ1nBok2RxpBpFgvIqZigWqm6uXuL2fO1DlVC=w846-h634-no)
Hop-hornbeam
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/coLmA-HvN3au82O_eTFA19CvN-5R259Rbb2vrbsfpjfQ=w476-h634-no)
After some dick moves by some rank amateurs we came upon, it was decided to get the fuck out of there. Scott had lost a really nice fish after a good fight and we were both annoyed about that, too. We beat it back downstream and started back in at a spot we were sure no one else had covered. After just a couple of fish on good looking water, I was ready to move on to stream B, which I can hit on the way home. I left him to flog on and scooted around to an old favorite.
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BIHsaWWRQPqS_kebCdyDokXIpGgx2nmfasC1Cahq0p6f=w508-h634-no)
As soon as I started in, I was struck by the appearance of the stream. It had changed completely since I was last there in June. I knew the area had intense rain from some of these scattered storms, but holy shit! The stream bed was scoured and disrupted, large rocks had been moved, log jams were gone or moved, new trees had been uprooted and added to the mix. I got in the water and could see the water level had come up 4'. I fished for about an hour and a half. Basically learning the stream all over again. All of the algae, moss, leaf packs, etc. were gone. Behind new logjams were great beds of sediment. How much bug and fish life was destroyed?
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bgtIJDfzKZEn2Ru6l5wUt8crZckczu_CGfNk3dgyyoWL=w846-h634-no)
I started getting into fish straight away, though. Little rainbows. I switched to a bigger fly that has worked good on here before. Maybe the 3-4" fish will leave it alone. Ok, upgraded to 5-8" fish. I targeted some runs that bigger, smart fish would have relocated to. Bang!
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xCPUus1sP1f4vXxFvwNUGHaU8GsHgjovexRLZTzFWoO3=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_Gv0O3XqIuus49yV0n_wih9VqjFEkn3_UIYfLgPupBTM=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t1CXwYu5bp1AHG51Jsld8jg8iU0VhwzpELLP_DmHGOZI=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uC1hWSVITvwlf7N3uFajFkYNLIBhl9AWe9y81WU1Gl4w=w892-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ONk8s9CHqDANoxkNJVoYsE6Y1fgwQVW4VEetc6YTK-ln=w839-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RM1ccF2N-OuhgdSUnfJkIUGf1-CSvWJleGwLW1KyhAXG=w846-h634-no)
After I lost the fly to a greedy tree on a backcast, I checked the time, climbed out and popped a cold one for the stroll back to the truck.
I am dying to go back higher and seeing the changes there. The upper reach has been a mutha to navigate. What does it look like now? :o
Boogied home to start on the loot from a bottle store stop from Friday.
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/85FXNBtzP2d_oN3W8pJjU3qcS_rVtlrpAT7Fcp1pJGz9=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zKTqnIBbB0QS2yuxYzSYtLw3sOsCPj74eajfUJjR1H15=w846-h634-no)
0:0
Looks like a good day, and some nice fish for this time of year! Those fish will adapt, those gullywashers are just a fact of life in the mountains. A lot of the high-gradient streams around here have permanent scour zones around them, but still hold loads of fish.
Nice report Doug. I didn't take a single picture, so I have nothing to contribute. I wonder if that p;- guy broke his leg or got into a hornets nest?
That was mean of me to wish on him. :laugh: n!n
I seem to have a talent for screwing up my camera settings. Fixed today.
And the fisherman/photographer was not 100% on his game.
Good stuff doug.
Love that bright pink cheek on the last rainbow.
Doug.
Damn, I'm itching to get on a trout stream.
Quote from: Dougfish on August 02, 2015, 14:21:19 PM
That was mean of me to wish on him. :laugh: n!n
I seem to have a talent for screwing up my camera settings. Fixed today.
And the fisherman/photographer was not 100% on his game.
The pictures were fine to me. But that hop hornbeam is actually American hornbeam,
Carpinus caroliniana. ;D * runs and hides under rock*
You are on it Yaller. 'c;
I should drink less before posting. Dang Ostrya curveball.
V:;
Dropped back in for a couple of hours of exploring at the end of the day at stream #2. Curiosity had the best of me. I had to get upstream a bit. So I walked. And I hoped in.
The fish came a little slower. I jumped around, explored. Amazing how a stream can change so much in the blink of of an eye. This is the stream that in the spring of 2013, when everything, EVERYTHING, was blown out for weeks, was still fishable. You gotta love and respect nature.
Need to go further, but will wait until water levels come back up.
And I find a homie to join to me in the gorge. :o
This is a new downed tree. Skinned clean by rushing debris. Yikes!
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QKS5A8l_hGWar2wbHO6Kj1_hw1u55RxfMMvOU9MaBRp8=w476-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ltzZXGDRnx7CFYVBLgtRLkrCEeT3wjchFQCrgk_c6Mhg=w846-h634-no)
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OeiIilg4QXM7bObZoKKX0JFq6HnRNUNvU_zG8KmF07fh=w846-h634-no)
Old school. 60's Featherlight, 50-60's Bristol 64 reel.
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LwmzmStaVBRvTQW5ZtL7vgkea3Ex14qH00eeiE6TpSiH=w476-h634-no)
Cheers. Kick your ass 11% ABV. Old as dirt Medalists.
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fi4-r7ETvoex-FYk0bp7EfRcPHiJEvWYnRnDSwGXSsao=w846-h634-no)
Stuffed peppers, FTW.
(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G7rPB1lhun4Vs7_toslfvOBdGHw_qcjWKqIbxu16Flvm=w846-h634-no)
Beat my day.
Nice bows, and those stuffed peppers look great!