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Warning! Not all fly fishing!
After the 3 days we had last year, the 3 of us decided to make a 9 day trip this year. Main purpose- to put meat in the freezer. But this trip really let me know that despite all the planning in the world, sometimes shit just doesn't line up.
We arrived late Friday night to the family cabin. Even in the dark I could see the river was high... very high. This river feeds the watershed we would be fishing. A little muddy water never kept us from catching pike though and spirits were high for the first morning.
Launching the boat at the top of the reservior Friday morning we could tell the muddy river had done a number on the lake. Pushing into our normal holes, we noticed a lack of Pike. Visibility was very low, but we started picking up bass right away and considered this a great omen for the trip.
![Water Cloud Sky Military camouflage Camouflage]()
![Sky Plant Cloud People in nature Tree]()
![Sky Smile Vertebrate Cloud Fisherman]()
![Sky Cloud Water Sunglasses Fisherman]()
By noon we still hadn't spotted a fish so we explored further down the reservior. Finally late in the afternoon we found them. A couple in one shallow by and another in a different bay. The fish had no interest in flies or moving gear though and bait produced the only meat for the cooler.
![Cloud Sky Water Fisherman Plant]()
![Water Cloud Sky Lake Noodling]()
![Cloud Smile Sky Water Fish]()
After such a tough day, we hoped to start dialing this in quickly. But to our surprise, day 2 was even worse. No pike seen in any of the spots we had been the day before and the lake visibility was getting worse. Had it not been for a squaw fish eating a hot dog bait, it would have been a skunk for the day.
![Water Sky Lake Tree People in nature]()
Day three we decided to pursue trout to get our spirits back up. We caught 4 small trout between 2 of us and got some good sunburn. It was enjoyable to be here and wet wade for the first time of the year.
![Plant People in nature Gesture Grass Glove]()
![Water Water resources Natural landscape Plant Lake]()
Day 4 we worked hard. Explored the bottom half of the reservior and tried everything. Shallow, deep, flies, gear, trolling, baiting, and nothing worked. Only a bass and a squaw could be fooled.
![Glasses Smile Plant Cap Black]()
The entire res was mixed up by this point. Took off to a new lake in the evening and found it clear. This lifted our spirits and we planned to travel back here the next morning.
Day 5 was spent casting, trolling, waiting. The younger brother did manage 2 pike in the boat in the early morning, and if it wasn't for finding a couple perch and a sunfish, the rest of the boat would have suffered another skunk. To be honest, I felt pretty beat down about this point. The meat trip was proving to be a bust. We decided to drink it off on this night and get a new plan together.
Day 6 was spent recovering from the previous night. We played cards, ate alot of food and did some plinking. Turned out to be a great day and with spirits rejuvenated we decided to push 2 hours away the next morning to an old familiar lake we knew we could get fish in.
Day 7. The drive was made, the sun was out, the wind was calm, and we were the first people on the water. We started moving around the shoreline and I had a quick take almost immediately. No hookup but we could tell this was redemption day. About another 30 minutes tho and I hooked a tree casting. After pulling up to shore to free my line, the boat refused to start...dead battery. So the boat was paddled all the way back across the lake. 30 minutes later, the boat was back up and running. We pushed around the lake and got another hit but no hookup. Once again the younger brother connected though and finally put a fish in the boat. Not much longer though someone noticed the stringer was missing. Somehow it had come undone and our fish was on the bottom struggling to swim away with only the stringer wrapped in the weeds to stop him. After 15 minutes of fiddle fucking around we finally jigged the stringer back up and got our 1 fish secured. (Well, resecured). We casted all day and never saw another fish. Although another turtle was boated
![Water Smile Watch Plant Goggles]()
. As the thunder and heavy rains picked up we called it defeat and headed home.
It was decided that we had had enough and were heading home on day 8. Cleaning the cabin all morning and planning on heading to trout fish for a couple hours before the drive home. We started back to the previous trout water of the trip and noticed there were people everywhere. After talking for just a moment we realized that we did not feel like battle fishing and we should go hit a small stream neither of us had ever fished but had always eyed.
And finally, it felt like a reward. I caught two beautiful cutthroat in the 15 to 18 inch range and my friend hooked up with 3 and landed one in 2 hours.
![Water Shorts Leg People in nature Flash photography]()
It was the best fishing of the trip and wet wading new water was the perfect end.
Sometimes things don't go as planned but after this trip I will always appreciate good fishing even mo
![Cloud Sky Mountain Water Ecoregion]()
re. We saw a lot of elk, some crazy UFO clouds, and a lot of new areas.
![Cloud Sky Mountain Ecoregion Plant]()
Drank plenty of good beer and whisky and plenty of shitty beer too. Glad I had my 2 favorite fishing partners to share my sorrows with and have never seen a group work so hard for so little day after day. To the next trip- Cheers!
After the 3 days we had last year, the 3 of us decided to make a 9 day trip this year. Main purpose- to put meat in the freezer. But this trip really let me know that despite all the planning in the world, sometimes shit just doesn't line up.
We arrived late Friday night to the family cabin. Even in the dark I could see the river was high... very high. This river feeds the watershed we would be fishing. A little muddy water never kept us from catching pike though and spirits were high for the first morning.
Launching the boat at the top of the reservior Friday morning we could tell the muddy river had done a number on the lake. Pushing into our normal holes, we noticed a lack of Pike. Visibility was very low, but we started picking up bass right away and considered this a great omen for the trip.
After such a tough day, we hoped to start dialing this in quickly. But to our surprise, day 2 was even worse. No pike seen in any of the spots we had been the day before and the lake visibility was getting worse. Had it not been for a squaw fish eating a hot dog bait, it would have been a skunk for the day.
Day three we decided to pursue trout to get our spirits back up. We caught 4 small trout between 2 of us and got some good sunburn. It was enjoyable to be here and wet wade for the first time of the year.
Day 4 we worked hard. Explored the bottom half of the reservior and tried everything. Shallow, deep, flies, gear, trolling, baiting, and nothing worked. Only a bass and a squaw could be fooled.
Day 5 was spent casting, trolling, waiting. The younger brother did manage 2 pike in the boat in the early morning, and if it wasn't for finding a couple perch and a sunfish, the rest of the boat would have suffered another skunk. To be honest, I felt pretty beat down about this point. The meat trip was proving to be a bust. We decided to drink it off on this night and get a new plan together.
Day 6 was spent recovering from the previous night. We played cards, ate alot of food and did some plinking. Turned out to be a great day and with spirits rejuvenated we decided to push 2 hours away the next morning to an old familiar lake we knew we could get fish in.
Day 7. The drive was made, the sun was out, the wind was calm, and we were the first people on the water. We started moving around the shoreline and I had a quick take almost immediately. No hookup but we could tell this was redemption day. About another 30 minutes tho and I hooked a tree casting. After pulling up to shore to free my line, the boat refused to start...dead battery. So the boat was paddled all the way back across the lake. 30 minutes later, the boat was back up and running. We pushed around the lake and got another hit but no hookup. Once again the younger brother connected though and finally put a fish in the boat. Not much longer though someone noticed the stringer was missing. Somehow it had come undone and our fish was on the bottom struggling to swim away with only the stringer wrapped in the weeds to stop him. After 15 minutes of fiddle fucking around we finally jigged the stringer back up and got our 1 fish secured. (Well, resecured). We casted all day and never saw another fish. Although another turtle was boated
It was decided that we had had enough and were heading home on day 8. Cleaning the cabin all morning and planning on heading to trout fish for a couple hours before the drive home. We started back to the previous trout water of the trip and noticed there were people everywhere. After talking for just a moment we realized that we did not feel like battle fishing and we should go hit a small stream neither of us had ever fished but had always eyed.
And finally, it felt like a reward. I caught two beautiful cutthroat in the 15 to 18 inch range and my friend hooked up with 3 and landed one in 2 hours.
Sometimes things don't go as planned but after this trip I will always appreciate good fishing even mo
