A hollow-head saltwater streamer with dark spot suggesting an eye. More realistic (hard) glued on eyes take a beating when angling on a beach with abrasive sand and stones, and often come off. A soft eye impression is a more durable/permanent trigger point…
A streamer pattern. I only tie them when I’m planning a saltwater trip and such trips are infrequent/rare, and therefore I’m not very good at it. Most of my limited saltwater experience has been spent sight-fishing the Sea of Cortez for Roosterfish on foot. I made four trips several years ago. Each trip of two weeks duration. That adds up to about two months experience pursuing Roosters which are the most challenging species I have ever cast a fly to and the most physically demanding and thrilling angling that I have ever done. Although I learned a lot about the Sea of Cortez and Roosterfish while walking the sand dunes and surf line of Baja, my time there in the grand scheme of things was brief. If North American Borders stay open I’d like to return, pick-up where I left-off, learn more and hopefully get the opportunity to entice a large roosterfish to take a fly that I tied. I’ve been practicing tying streamers on 3/0 and 4/0 hooks. Here’s one tied during the Winter Solstice that I’m pleased with…
Shadows are long mid-afternoon. Transition time (Autumn) tends to be swift at latitude 49 degrees. It roars in. There are more leaves on the water than mayflies. The Brown trout are on redds. Dry fly angling is almost non-existent on the rivers I frequent. Maybe there are a few more good days left? Maybe. Probably just wishful thinking.
Shadows are lengthening; shadows created by light…
Crisp in the mornings. Sun is arcing low. Noticeable long shadows mid-afternoon. Still windy. Still mainly hanging out in the mountains trying to escape the wind. Still fishing dry flies. Did spend one half day on a tailwater river out on the Plains sight-fishing a slightly sheltered back bay.
Some October photos…a lot of shadows.
WIND. It has been making rivers out on the Plains challenging. Top water angling out in the great wide open has been poor. So I’ve been looking for calmer conditions, some shelter and hopefully some sight-fishing opportunities up in the forested mountain valleys. Here are some nice cutthroats and hybrids (cuttbows) found in some sheltered streams caught on olives, small and mid-sized drakes, and beetles…
When you head out to a river for a day or evening of angling you often have a set of parameters that you operate by. For some people these criterion are broad. For some they are very narrow. The longer you’ve been at something like fly fishing, or any other pursuit, the more you have probably refined the way you practice it; the way you go about it; the path you chose to take. Over time you focus more intensely on some things and discard much of the rest.
Here are some fine trout fooled with small dry flies: mostly ants, beetles and pmd’s in contrasting landscapes and rivers. Some wide flat flows in open austere terrain and smaller clear ones in a treed mountainous landscape. Trout, from the Plains to the Rockies…
Due to the drought and intense heat, local reservoirs have dropped significantly. Agricultural irrigation (the aqueduct system) is the priority not main stem stream flows. Low reservoirs mean whatever is released to the rivers now often contains silt which of course affects sight fishing and fishing in general. Two of the three tailwater rivers I fish have been affected.
The good news is we just had a solid 24 hours of rain and lower temperatures. There is even some snow in the high peaks.The intense smoke is gone at least for now.
I’ve been walking a variety of rivers (contrasting water and terrain) and spotting some rising trout….they have been selective, especially on tailwaters…
I was told:
“Go try this creek. Take this dirt road then the turn off which is a bumpy smaller dirt road. Follow it for awhile. Eventually you’ll reach this very noticeable road marker. Park there and drop down the steep incline to the creek. Leave a colorful visible ribbon or tape creek side. Then hike back up to your car and take this nearby trail which will eventually take you way downstream. Then spend the afternoon fishing up to your visible marker and hike back out to your car. ”
The creek fishing was as good as it gets: crystal clear water, thick strong Cutthroats and some Cuttbows, character water and solitude.
My source… a wellspring of angling knowledge and always “spot on”.
trout on dries 