On other forums we tend to have a running thread with current trips, outings, projects. Made me think it may be a fun topic here.
I’m planning on fishing tomorrow, I will take some pictures and post a short summary on this thread. Please feel free to add anything and everything in this catchall thread.
I am in a phase of my tenkara where I am returning to a familiar large western canyon river, the Colorado in Glen Canyon. I have fly fished there over umm, 30 years having caught a thousand or two big river rainbows. I’m returning now with a big tenkara rod and it’s working!
Not like I thought it would…
I have a guide drop me off at a favorite place with my packraft ant I camp, sleep, goof around and fish, blow up my raft and paddle back to my car a few miles to go home.
Until the blow out is over (400% of our snowpack this year) I’ll be fishing in this canyon.
During the summer, tenkara in small mountain (alpine) streams.
I had a trip planned to New Mexico for bikepack camping, fishing and Baja’s El Picacho del Diablo for Mexican trout but my day job threw a big curve ball at me that just about knocked me the eff out. So those adventures will have to wait till next year.
Looking forward to reading about your fishing. I enjoy reading stories about people fishing. Much more so than even professional writers.
Headed out around 9:00, with all the water really high and off color there is not a lot of choices. I went the a spot that always offers good fishing only to see the parking lot full.So headed up stream where there tends to be less people because it’s pretty overgrown and only holds smaller fish. Luckily no one was parked up that way, yeah! I started with a small bead head as it was cool and the fish were siting on the bottom.
Worked up the stream to pool I usually do well in and caught 6 small browns.
I then noticed the fish becoming a bit more active so I switched to a kabari and immediately hooked up several slightly nicer fish, 8-10” range. I decided to get a shot of one of the browns when I noticed my phone was gone! I searched and searched no no avail. So I decided to go back to the last spot I took a picture in the center of the stream and there it was under a foot of water completely inundated. I though well there goes that phone, pulled it out and she’s works!!! It had to be under water for 20 mins at least.
So all well that ends well, it’s a beautiful day and I didn’t get skunked!
Buggy guys that seem to be working with our muddy waters lately
Fished for an hour at lunch today at a hole I always catch a few small browns. I had 3 takes but no hook ups. It was really windy and I think my fly was being dragged too fast.
Well had a slow but great day. Went to the upper Owens today and caught several nice fish. The weather was terrible (windy) but temperatures was nice. Caught two small native rainbows then hooked a nice brown that got off. Fished the hole I hooked the brown from 15 mins more when I hooked a beautiful rainbow, 20”+ probably a good 3lbs deep red sides just amazing fish. Since this was a breeder going up the river to breeding grounds I did not get the fish out of the water and once in hand underwater the fish was easily unhooked and back up the river. What a beautiful day. I fished my Oni 1 all day and fell even further in love with this rod.
You are in some beautiful country.
A decade and a half ago i had opportunity to fish some water slighly south west of that area for some golden trout. I supspect that those are probably your stomping grounds. Do you target the golden trout often?
Yes I love back country fishing. This year will be tough as the snow pack is still so thick. I have a golden trout spot that gets zero pressure and the fish bite just about anything. But it’s a 8 mile hike in.
Sounds aweome!!!
I think I fished the treasure lake area. This was pre tenkara for me. Just beautiful. One time my buddy and I got snow dumped on us…on an august day…where the day before it was 90 degrees in bishop.
If your ever in the area again you have an open invite. I live in Bishop.
Thanks. Someday i would dig returning.
Was a good day even with the wind.
Opener of general trout season opens tomorrow, so I won’t be fishing 
too many idiots on the waters, too many people abusing fish with no regard to the welfare of the environment.
That illustrates the interesting thing fishing this evening.
In the past several times I have hooked fish, and had other fish of the same species swim up next to them as I tried to get them to hand. Kind of a - “Oh no. Where’s Sally going? What’s happening?” moment.
Today was a bit different.
I went to a local lake to fish. Not my favorite place, I prefer fishing rivers, but sometimes it is just convenient or something different to do. At this lake you can keep any species of fish you catch, except bass. All bass are C&R.
Anyway, casting next to a boat launch dock, where I suspected many fish, maybe some big ones might be sheltering. 3 times I hooked onto a Bluegill or Sunfish. [ some small, many prime examples of why they are called Pan Fish. About the size of a small frying pan]
I was surprised the first time when immediately two or 3 large bass darted out, biting at the hooked fish. I don’t recall ever seeing that before. Not in person. It happened two more times before I went home. But they had showed their hand. I managed later to catch a couple of them, but not the larger of them. A much larger kebari may have helped entice them out, but I did not have one.
I have seen some fun youtube videos where a seal or bear rushed out to grab a fish just as it was about to be landed. Even one where a Bald Eagle swooped down, grabbed a fish and flew off with it as it was being reeled in. Even one video where an eagle took a fish away from an osprey in mid air flight. But never had it almost happen to me with a hooked fish.
I was fishing with an Etsuji Katayama type kebari, using the yellow-green Spiderwire Stealth line Stephen sent to me. I like it. It is a lot like the Fujino straight line imo. Cast about the same, and no need to remove line coil.
I’ve not done much fishing yet this spring.
I need to get away to the family vacation house four hours away. To get away from the - I want you to dig up my flower garden this afternoon. You need to remove the mower deck, remove, and sharpen the mower blades. You need to trim the lower limbs off the trees, and so on, and on. If nice weather holds on, I do plan on making that trip later this week or early next week. Stay for a couple of weeks or more. Only need to return in time to pay some bills, before heading to Topsail Beach, NC, for 9 days .
Speaking of Topsail Beach. Anyone else seen this recent news story?
https://weather.com/news/news/2019-04-23-megalodon-shark-tooth-north-carolina
She found the megalodon tooth at North Topsail Beach, the place we stay is at the other end of the island, which I think is just called Topsail Beach.
There is something about having a fish struggling on a line that is the dinner bell for predators. When other fish school on a struggling fish, I think it may be a sort of reaction that is slightly different…Like how a fish might runoff after grabbing a meal a bit too big to finish. Like dropping a large piece of cracker into a school of bluegill. One fish will usually claim it as a prize and try to run off with it. Even if you do the same with a stick or something that is not food or have a food scent. When the fish snatches it and runs…the whole school follows. They follow in hopes of scraps or to steal the prize.
In terms of megalodon…here in the northeast the gw population has been booming and their are several accounts by both strangers and friends with their encounters with them while striped bass fishing.
One story I heard…a guy unknowingly hooked one from his kayak and it towed him around for a while and once he figured out what it was, he cut the line and started to paddle in…to his horror the shark finned and followed him all the way into shore…hahhahhaha. Once one shore the shark lingered crusing back and forth in front of where the kayaker landed.
Good to hear that you dig it. I have been using the level braid and a handmade tapered version…using the 60 20 20. I like the tapered a lot but I will occasionally have the line or tippet hang up on the knots in the taper. Probably a sign or a sloppy cast or just the challenge added with wind. So, I recently went with a 60/40 that removes one knot from the equation and that seems to cast just as well. I need to experiment with lighter versions of the same taper…to see how far the envelope can be nudged.
