Fall Fishing

Its that time again. Its cooling down and that means its time to Try to get that Big Trout that you have been looking for. They are getting ready for the winter and Just wanting to eat as much as they can before the food starts to dwindle. The browns and brookies are getting for the spawn so they really aggressive on the feeding right now. Personally I love to fish this time year not just for the chance to catch some really great trout, but also to enjoy the changing colors and the beauty of the canyons and rivers. I would recommend using nymphs, streamers, and mouse patterns. The fish are going be turning on each other as food a bit more as it continues to cool and so anything that looks like a baitfish is going to be great. Have some fun and enjoy the fall fishing.

Lunch break fishing

One of my favorite things about living here in Utah is how close the fishing spots are. There are even places you can fish on your lunch break.
A lot of these are the small community fishing ponds or even the rivers going through the valley. I would even recommend for people to fish little cottonwood river in Murray Utah right next to Intermountain Medical Center. Its right next to main roads but it also has a nice park and walkways up and down the banks. For the community ponds I head over to Kidney pond or over to the Sandy fishing pond. Its not far from city hall and south towne mall.

What a great day to be out fishing

The weather has warmed up and it is a great day to be out fishing. Ants are going to be the go to fly right now. For some reason trout love them. I would also recommend having some unweighted foam beetles. Get out and enjoy this great weather and fishing while it lasts.

My Favorite Fly-fishing Reel

I have to say that my favorite fly reel is an antique automatic that was my great-grandfathers. What makes it even more unique is that I still have braided nylon fly line that is still good on it and I have more stashed away.
The reason I love to use it is first that it means a lot to me to have it. Secondly, I like to play the fish while holding the line rather than reeling it in like I was bait or spinner fishing. I know that you can't do that if the fish is too big but as I don't do it with salmon or saltwater fishing I think I'm ok. I also really like to use the bamboo rod that he had as well. They are well balanced together and work great for me. I may not be able to cast as far as I would with newer equipment but as I am on smaller streams and rivers with a lot of cover I don't need to.

For Our Nations Heros

I have started a petition to allow disabled vets to hunt and fish for free. They have sacrificed and paid for it with more than money. Let them enjoy this nation that they worked to defend.

http://www.change.org/petitions/allow-disabled-veterans-to-hunt-and-fish-for-free

Hints from a guide part II

How many flies should you carry?
This is something that people really need to look at before each day fishing. That being said there are some guidelines that can help you stock your fly box for success on every trip. Also I am going to go over some ways to save your flies if they get smashed and the hackle isn't sticking out anymore and how to keep them working until you loose them on the river.
First when it comes to how many flies you should carry on a trip, unless you are a dry fly only type, you should carry 3-4 times as many midges and nymphs as you do dry flies. The reason for this is simple. You tend to loose more nymphs and midges than dry flies because of getting caught up on different subsurface obstacles like weeds, logs, rocks and you could loose it fighting a big fish. With the dry flies you are less likely to loose them that way because you have them on the water rather than under the water.
So when you're out and using your nymphs make sure you have enough of them and various sizes of each.

If you feel like you are unable go match the hatch and your starting to become frustrated you may want to just start pounding the water with wooly buggers. Its not as pretty or as satisfying as matching the hatch but it will save your day and allow you to catch fish and enjoy the day on the water.

If anyone is looking for any other tips or tricks for fly fishing go ahead and leave it in the comments or email me and I'll address it in another posting.

Fly of the Week

This week we are going to show a great summertime pattern that I love to use. I have caught more trout on it during the summers here than any other dry fly. I have several sizes that I like to carry. This is the Elk Hair Caddis.
Recipe:
Hook: size 10-20 dry fly
Thread: Tan
Hackle: palmered reddish to dark brown
Wing: cream or bleached elk hair

ISE

I spent the day at the International Sportsmans Expo and I really enjoyed it this year. I wasn't there as a exhibitor just a casual looker and there for fun. I have to say that the expo has continued to grow year after year. My favorite parts were, of course, the fishing demos, equipment vendors and the guides. My sons on the other hand was the dock dogs, the baby bears and the fishing pool.
Of the various fishing tackle suppliers I think I was most impressed with a small lure company that operates right out Utah here. Kokanee Creek Tackle Company makes some really cool lures using the latest in ultraviolet and glow in the dark technology on their lures. Their web site has a store for you to look at what they have as well as some tips on how best to use it.
Hope you have a great ready of the weekend and good luck out there.

Fly of Week

It seems like spring has already sprung so I'm pulling out a great fly that works on some really stubborn and pressured trout. Its the grey gnat. It works great for anyplace that has the little grey gnats and mosquitos. It's great for being a dry fly but also can work like a nymph.

Recipe:
Hook: size 24-16 dry fly
Thread: grey
Hackle: grey palmered
Thorax: grey dubbing
Tail: grey hackle fibers
Wing: grey hackle fibers upright and divided
Good luck and tight lines.

Fly of the Week

The Muddler Minnow. A great streamer for trout as it imitates the sculpin a favorite meal of large trout. It can be fished right along the surface and even used like a jig to test the deeper waters.
Recipe:
Hook: streamer sizes 2-14
Thread: 3/0 brown or black
Tail: matched Turkey quill slips
Overwing: matched Turkey quill slips
Body: Gold tinsel
Collar: Natural deer hair