May continues to bring above average fishing.  Yesterday was spent with Kc and Kirk fly fishing in Arizona’s White Mountains.  The Whites are like a whole different world from the desert heat of the valley.  There were several times where I asked Kc, ” are we really still in Arizona?”   The high country brings relief to the scorching heat and drab urban life with its panaramic views, green forests, and cool air.

At 3:00 am the alarm sounded and I pulled myself from my comfortable bed.  Within a half hour we were all in the car, inflatable boats loaded, and trout on the brain.  

We arrived at our first destination a few hours later.  As we unloaded the car I realized that I had forgotten the seat to my pontoon boat.  Without it the boat cannot be assembled.  Four hours from home and feeling very frustrated I thought quickly and emailed a member of an online forum who was to meet us later in the morning.  It was a long shot but I hoped he would get it before he came from his home nearby and that maybe he had a spare float tube I could borrow.

I assembled the 5wt anyway and waded out to cast at some fish I had seen cruising close to shore. It didnt take long before I was fast to a 20″ Rainbow. The fish thought my bloodworm fly looked close enough to the real thing and once hooked leapt several feet in the air and then peeled yards of fly line on two separate runs. “Am I in Arizona?”

Shortly after this the forum member showed up and to my surprise there was a blue float tube strapped on top of his rowboat. This was the first time I had ever met him and his help to basically a stranger was humbling and appreciated. The boats were launched and we headed out to productive shorelines around the lake.. we all caught fish. Fishing was not fast but we all hooked up with nice fish which fought well making us remember why we woke up so early and drove so far on a day trip.

After a few years of fly fishing you tend to start to want to catch them the way you want to. Kc is a hardcore streamer guy and was determined to get a big fish on a large streamer. He fished for a most of the morning with this rig with only small fish to show for it. When he was ready to give in and hang flies under an indicator it happened for him. Something big grabbed his fly and forced the rod down and into the water. The line broke and left us all wondering what monster he had a hold of for a few seconds. I’m sure he’ll be back to find out later. Here is one of the brazen little guys that did end up in Kc’s net.

With more water to explore we left the lake around noon and headed to a pretty little creek in the heart of the Whites. The Wallow Fire burned in this area for nearly a month last year. The Apache Trout restoration project literally went up in flames as more that 500,000 acres burned. The evidence of the fire was very apparent as entire hillsides along our route were left looking like spent matchsticks.

We continued on, hopeful that the creeks were spared. Things looked ok when we got there. The fire for sure passed through the area but not all of the trees were lost here and the water looked good. We hiked in about a mile and started fishing. Fish or no fish, it looked beautiful.

The fishing was good. We caught mostly Browns and then fished a nearby creek for Apaches.

Wandering around the higher elevations of Arizona is great. Nature is resilient and though it will be years before the forest is what it was before the fire, it’s nice to see that many good things were not lost in the blaze. I can’t wait to head back up in the coming months.

Every now and then a day of fishing comes along that is as hard to believe when it’s happening as when its over and just a memory. Today was one of them.

In December my wife and I decided to come to St Thomas and spend a week relaxing and seeking out deserted beaches here in the Southern Caribbean. As soon as plans were firm I started planning to fish at least one of the days.

Much of what I read online was discouraging. Talking about how St Thomas was not the place for in-shore fishing, but thats really what I wanted to do. Then I found Captain Rick who runs Swashbucklin’ Tours. His reviews online were awesome and he seemed like a genuine guy on the phone. A day was booked and the anticipation started to build.

Today was the day. I woke up early and made the drive to the other side of the island at our pre determined time. Capt. Rick rolled up to the sand and jumped out of his boat to greet me. I’ve fished with enough guides to know that Rick is a rare breed. No pompous attitude, no belittling comments, just an encouraging good boat captain who really loves to fish.

As we left the ramp I assembled my 8wt and picked out a likely fly. Rick showed me some lures that usually work and I did my best to match them with a clouser minnow from the box.

We slowly motored into world famous Magens Bay and made small talk about growing up in Utah chasing big game around the state.

Before long we found ourselves surrounded by Terns and Pelicans diving on bait fish as Bonito pushed them up from below. We trolled though the school and hooked up with a little guy that burned drag from the reel but came off right at the boat. Seeing no Tarpon, Capt Rick decided to take me to an area thats more suited for them.

As we coasted into the bay with the motor shut off I spotted two BIG Tarpon chasing bait over this sandy bottom.

I made a cast, striped the fly back methodically and the big fish turned on it, then turned back away. I picked up and threw back to him. He turned, followed, grabbed the fly and was in the air all within two seconds. Showing my rookie excitement I heaved upward with all my might and the fly flew out of the fishes mouth. Rick kindly reminded me that I need to wait for the fish to turn and then when he jumps, bow to the “silver king”. I just stood there, shaking uncontrollably. Two casts, and a 50 something pound fish was on and off. We motored further into the cove passing mangrove covered shorelines that looked super fishy.

The bay opened up and things started to materialize. Pelicans dotted the bay, a couple of boats were moored to buoys, nervous bait swam skyward and into the air away from some un-seen predator below. Then we saw them. First one, then another, and another… Tarpon rolling in the dark water. I was going to get another chance.

After several casts to fish well within range I saw a huge silver flash and felt weight on the other end of the rod. Nerves got me again! I whiffed on another one and sent the fly soaring over my head. More reminders from Rick on patience. I was determined to do it right if I got another shot. Tarpon continued to roll on the surface.

A fish came up about 60 feet out. I hauled back, waited for the rod to load and then powered it forward with another big haul. The rod shot the line out and landed the fly right where it needed to be. Rick announced that it was a good cast and I stripped line back hoping for the best. Three strips in and the fish ate. I held my ground and did not lift the rod. The rod loaded up and out of the water leapt the silver beast. There is really no way to describe it. All that comes to mind is hooking onto a motorcycle as it zooms by on the road. Pure muscle, mouth wide open, head thrashing violently, trying everything it can to throw the hook…. I bowed.

The first thought I had was, “what am I doing, hooking onto a huge fish like this on a silly little fly rod?!” Fifty-five arm aching minutes later we finally got the fish in the boat.

Cheers and celebration were probably heard on the other side of the island. I hooked, played, and landed a Tarpon on the fly on an 8wt Sage ONE! I sat on the front of the boat, my lap covered in Tarpon slime, in utter disbelief. Whem my nerves finally calmed I cut off the fly, tied on another one and we slowly motored out to where the first one was hooked. Two casts in, along the same beach, the water exploded again. This fish, bigger and much hotter than the one we landed, went air-born several times then straight into the backing out to deep water. There was no stopping it, so we pursued. Rick asked, “you got your sea legs on?”. The blue water out of the protected cove was rough but we played the game of inches. For over an hour and almost a mile from where it started. Props to Rick for expert boat handling and to Sage for such a good stick. I had the thing to the cork, with the drag completely cranked on the reel for two hours total today and to my amazement the rod held up.

I can’t thank Rick enough for such an amazing day. He listened to a goal in my head and then made it happen. I hope to be back, next time with a 12wt rod.

More to come later but…. Silver King on the fly… check.

Had a great overnight trip to Lake Havasu this week. Everet drove down from Idaho and Kevin Krai of Fly Fish AZ showed us around. The weather was ok on Thursday but definitely cool for this time of year. It was nice, though, to fish with two very accomplished anglers. We all worked in harmony and we all put fish in the boat.

Havasu is another of the lakes in the colorado river chain. The waters are crystal clear and almost look ocean like.

This makes for exciting site fishing opportunities. We found lost of Smallmouth guarding beds still. The cooler than average spring has delayed the Largemouth but we were not complaining. Everet even picked up a surprise Striper over some deeper water.

Some of the fish required fly changes but we all had multiple offerings and got the devil eyes to eat.

Kevin was a great host as always. Besides the great fishing we also saw Arizona’s #2 tourist attraction, the London Bridge.

Having one more day to fish, it was decided to hit Canyon Lake on Saturday. The weather looked bad and had dropped another 15 degrees from the already cool week we were having. These Idaho people sure bring the cold with them haha. We decided to fish anyway and were on the water at Canyon around 2:00 pm. Although cloudy, we did not have the wind we thought and we remained hopeful for good Bluegill fishing.

I was able to test out a new reel from Red Truck that I paired with the ever reliable Sage LL. More to come on that later.

Catching was good. We both ended up with about 40 spunky Bluegill and Green Sunfish, most of which came on surface flies. Fun fun.

All in all a great weekend. I’m lucky to have such close friends that are as passionate about this as I am. Looking forward to an annual spring trip with these guys from here on out.

I could hardly stand the excitement as I tied the last big bugs for the morning trip. I was heading to Saguaro Lake with Manny the Master.

We met in Gilbert in the dark then drove the short distance to the lake. The forecast said 87* but it didn’t feel like it as we loaded the boat and charged up the lake at 57mph. Within minutes we were miles from where we started, trolling motor down, slowly picking apart the shallows for signs of fish on beds.

Before long we had our first fish in the boat. Although small, they were fired up and charged the flies that fell in front of them. Manny kept saying, “Oh here’s one and he’s spicy!”

As the sun climbed higher the shallows lit up allowing us to selectively target fish… bigger fish. We both got a couple between 3-5lbs weighed on the boga grip

What a morning! The thumb took a beating and the rod got a workout.

Manny said there was one more spot we had to hit. We slid in and scoured the water for dark shaped near the bottom. Manny spotted a fish and got really excited. She was deep, maybe 12 or 13 feet down but we stayed on her. We both took turns and changed flies many times. Manny finally found what she wanted. He set hook hard and in an instant she was up on the surface throwing water in every direction. I yelled, “I think she’ll go 10!”. Manny said nothing, he kept constant pressure on the giant and laid out for a quick grab of an enormous mouth. As soon as he did we both lost it. He quickly weighed her. Right at the magic double-digit mark.

Back to real life… I’m posting this from our home in Arizona. The past few days have been crazy. We flew up to Northern Utah on Tuesday for my little brothers wedding and flew back last night. Yesterday was spent in Utah’s Backcountry with a great friend and an epic day on a special creek.

The creek we fished is an anomaly. It contains the normal Browns and beautiful native Bonneville Cutthroat, typical of sub alpine creeks and rivers in Utah. But as it tumbles down a steep canyon it picks up lots of oxygen and thus contains many species of stoneflies. These protein-packed bugs are the life blood of the creek. The trout eat them and grow big and strong. The reason you put in the huge effort to access this rugged place though is because of the Rainbow Trout. The Rainbows in the creek are few and far between but i’ve never seen a small one and they all know how to fight.

So up we went. Three miles and 1,500 feet of elevation change.

The arrival.

We tied on a large stonefly nymph and a dropper below that. I chose a smaller but still substantial Prince nymph. Keoni opted to drop a Higa’s SOS to imitate the many midges coming off. Right away we were into fish. Lots of Browns, some pretty Cutties, and a good 18 inch Rainbow.

The day passed quickly and I had a plane to catch. This whole adventure culminates in the last major pool in the canyon. Keoni was catching lots of fish in the pocket water but I hurried him along as I knew the last pool would be worth skipping some water.

When we arrived we saw fish feeding along the edges, there were a lot of them and because of this pools remote location i’m quite sure we were the first people to throw a fly at them in months. The fish responded. Keoni pulled three fish right away out of the bottom of the pool. I caught two right after. We kept casting a few feet further up pulling fish on nearly every drift. Most were smaller fish but some good ones came to hand. Sixteen was the final count by they time we finished working the entire pool.

We had forgotten to eat anything for hours. Tired and hungry we decided to sit stream-side and eat our lunch. The last time I had fished this pool I hooked a giant rainbow in the deepest part. I tired the fish as another buddy ran up river to net it. He didnt make it in time and the fish popped off right in front of me. We decided to let the pool rest while we ate and chatted then make one last attempt to catch the big rainbow we hopped would still be there. After a short 15 minute rest I make a cast and hooked a small Brown. Keoni followed and what happened next was something i’ll never forget. Seconds into his drift he set hook and the water exploded with silver as a huge stream bred Rainbow shook its massive head on the surface. That was followed by a series of gator rolls. Then the fish got serious and started rushing around the pool always staying on the bottom. Smaller trout were swimming almost out of the water along the edges trying to get away from the beast. I tried to net her at one point, she wasn’t having that and rushed back to the head of the pool. After several minutes of constant pressure on the rod she tired and I scooped her up with one quick dip of the net. We celebrated, yelled, high-fived and then took a few quick measurements and photos. She taped at just over 21″ and almost 15″ around. These measurements put her at around six pounds.

Keoni released the fish and she swam off strongly. It was good to get back home for a few days and spend time with family, friends, and backcountry waters. A big thanks goes out to all that made it happen.

Had the chance to get out on Utah’s Lower Provo River this afternoon and test out a new 9′ 4 wt from Rise Fishing Company. It’s a really pretty rod who’s color I would describe as chocolate burgundy.

I had hopes this rod would be long enough to be a good light nymphing rod but have a toned down action to make any fish a joy to play. The rod proved itself very well. On my first good drift I picked up a nice Provo Brown on a small nymph under an indicator. The fish posed for a quick picture and shouted “RISE FISHING for all”

The fish turned downstream and bent the rod nicely. I liked that it bent most of the way down the rod but still had plenty of backbone to bring the fish back up river to hand. The extra length helped mend the line in the changing current.

As the temperature climbed a degree or two and the sun was at its highest point, out came the bugs. First a few here and there, then dozens. Soon the water had many medium sized blue-winged-olive mayflies littering its surface. The fish took notice and started crashing the top.

The rod preformed excellently throwing the dry flies with tight reaching loops but delicately placing them in the feeding lanes. It was just the initial voyage of this trout rod but it will get some serious use in the future. My very favorite thing about it was that it felt like a 4wt. Not too fast, not too slow. Some power but no broomstick feel by any means. Just exactly how I picture a 9′ 4wt to feel. This is something that I feel has been lost as graphite fly rods have improved.

Finally the packaging is great. The rod tube has individual compartments for each piece, thus eliminating the need for a rod sock and saving time when assembling and disassembling the rod. Good good stuff.

I just renewed my second year subscription to this organization.  It’s something I believe in and feel others should check it out as well. The beautiful lakes of the White Mountains in Eastern Arizona have the potential to be trophy fisheries.  An extra long growing season and short winters mean annual growth of trout in these lakes is amazing.

The problem is that these lakes have fish kills every other year.  The white mountain lakes foundation aims to stop this, at least in a few waters, and provide some quality, long-term trophy fish for all of us.  They have already been successful at Becker which is now pumping out 22″ fish with regularity.  Next on the list is Crescent.

Please visit their site, read about all the work they are doing, and donate the small fee.  In the future, when we are all enjoying the benifits of their hard work, it will feel good knowing we were a small part of it.

http://wmlf.org/

The Colorado River is so vital to the Southwest. Our “Mississippi”, it provides vital water, clean power, and recreation to millions of us in this part of the country. A couple of us took advantage of the recreation part and spent the weekend catching the Southern-most wild trout of its 1,450 miles.

It was a great few days. A huge thanks to Kevin for dragging his boat up and showing us the ropes on the river.

Eighty miles north of my home exists what feels like another world.  The land goes from arid, parched Sonoran Desert to thick, tall Ponderosa Pine.  A large escarpment  of rock known as the Mogollon Rim creates elevation change and cool creeks fall south from its slopes.  Here, in creeks with names like Tonto, Haigler, and Canyon, live the closest wild trout to me.

Yesterday, a friend of mine joined me and we headed up to one of the lower elevation creeks in search of small wild Rainbows and Browns.  We arrived at our destination high above the creek and scrambled down to our target.

The slot canyon style creek was beautiful but we were not having any luck…

We continued on and eventually found some more level water and some small, full finned wild trout.

It was a fun morning and I felt fortunate to be trout fishing in 60 degrees in February while most of the country still sits in wait under winters cold grasp.