LOAH
09-28-2008, 02:48 PM
A couple of guys from the old DWR forum (FLYFSHR and Brookieguy1) and I had a pretty good day on Saturday.
We left very early to fit in as much fishing as possible, despite the long drive. It's a good thing, too. We arrived at a great overlook just in time for a brilliant sunrise:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2945.jpg
Some time later, we arrived at our lake to flawless, glassy waters:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2949.jpg
We noticed a bunch of splashing below a big pine along the shoreline and realized that a squirrel was way up in the branches tossing pine cones at the water.
The surrounding aspens ranged from bright yellow, to a deep, almost pinkish orange. It set the ambiance for some crisp autumn fishing in the high country.
FLYFSHR and BG1 were quick to pump up their tubes and get on the water while I stayed on the shoreline for a moment and gave some attention to some nearby ripples.
I usually don't fish with jigs, but I've toyed around here and there previously. The only real luck I've had with them was up in the Uintas last year, so I'm glad that one of my first casts resulted in a decent fish (sorry, bad pic):
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2952.jpg
That one didn't have a lot of red, but it was really dark and the spots were well pronounced. I hoped that was a sign of good fishing all day.
BG1 scored one shortly after that, but he was too distant for a photo. He said it was about 16" and fat. I hurried and got my tube in the water and it wasn't long before I got another brookie to hand. This one wasn't so long, but pretty porky:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2954.jpg
BG1 continued to pick them up here and there and I heard the exclamations as FLYSHR lost a good one and missed a couple of bites. From the other side of the lake, I could tell he'd finally hooked up with one that made it to his hand.
Now, we'd all caught fish and could relax a little.
Another thick brookie paid me a visit:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2955.jpg
They were pretty good fighters and were quite a pain to get onto my apron without a net. I'm glad my 4lb line held up to the thrashing they gave it.
The water was really cold, but the temperature was just right most of the time. The day couldn't have been much better:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2962.jpg
A breeze would blow by from time to time, dropping colorful leaves all around us and onto the surface of the water.
The catching had slowed a bit for a couple of hours and it was nice to break the silence:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2965.jpg
FLYFSHR still wasn't getting much action for some reason, despite the fact that he was using the same jigs that were working for BG1 and myself. The last time he and BG1 jigged for brookies, it was just the opposite. It's weird how some days, the sun just doesn't seem to shine the same for everyone.
A colorful male showed up for BG1:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2973.jpg
FLYFSHR and I decided to hike to another lake that was pretty close and see if we could get some fish from there. When we arrived, there was already a small group fishing it and they didn't seem to happy to see us, as it was a very small lake.
It was really shallow and the grass along most of the shoreline made it very difficult to fish. The other people were fishing the only real "hole" that was easily accessible form the shore.
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2975.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2976.jpg
We didn't fish on top of them or anything, but they were quick to question our fishing etiquette. Can't please everyone, I suppose. Respectfully, we kept our distance (as we would have anyway) and left them to do their thing as we explored the grassy end.
There wasn't much foundation under the grasses and churning toward the edge of open water proved quite the task. I took a bad step and was fortunate not to fill my waders as I dropped in up to mid-chest level. After working my way out of that mess, I was extra cautious with future steps.
FLYFSHR was on the other side and reported spooking some smaller, but very colorful brookies.
I figured that the jigs were good for deeper water, but I've always done best for brookies with spinners in shallow ponds like this. I switched to the only Blue Fox I brought with and had a nice sized follower bite while I watched. Too bad I missed the hookset, but I got a good look at the deep red sides of it.
FLYFSHR found some cooperative brookies under a wood pile and fought a couple. I missed another bite and then fought a small scrapper to hand before it slipped out of my grip.
The skies were starting to darken with threatening clouds and we figured it best to get back to our main spot and BG1.
We got back on the water and didn't have much luck for another hour or so before some frozen rain started to land on us. It didn't rain hard or for long, but it was warning enough for us to bug out. Those high mountain storms can make for an ugly exit hike, so we didn't mess around.
Luckily, the weather left us alone as we made our way back to the lower valleys. There was plenty of sightseeing along the route:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2980.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2981.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2983.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2984.jpg
It's very spectacular to see the dramatic change in landscape in relation to the altitude as you overlook a desert valley from the high country:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2988.jpg
We spooked a good looking young buck in the road and it turned to pause for a couple of shots as it left:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2995.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2997.jpg
After driving out of the area for awhile, we came upon some inviting water and decided to utilize the remaining daylight for the possibility of other species.
It was very slow for the first hour and the sun beat down on us while we were dressed for cooler temperatures. We were just about ready to leave when I finally scored a 17.5 inch tiger trout on a Jake's lure:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2998.jpg
That prompted us to stay a bit longer and try for more and I got a bronzy little tiger with a hunchback:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP3001.jpg
Unfortunately, BG1 and FLYFSHR weren't shown any love for this lake.
It was getting late and we still had a long drive ahead of us, so we called it a day and head home.
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP3012.jpg
It was great to breathe the cool mountain air and get out with Brookieguy1 and FLYFSHR again. The smallest fish of the day was a 13 inch tiger and my largest was my biggest brookie to date at 17 inches. We all had a lot of fun and shared a lot of laughs for an overall fantastic day of fishing in the great state of Utah.
Happy Fishing, Humans.
We left very early to fit in as much fishing as possible, despite the long drive. It's a good thing, too. We arrived at a great overlook just in time for a brilliant sunrise:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2945.jpg
Some time later, we arrived at our lake to flawless, glassy waters:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2949.jpg
We noticed a bunch of splashing below a big pine along the shoreline and realized that a squirrel was way up in the branches tossing pine cones at the water.
The surrounding aspens ranged from bright yellow, to a deep, almost pinkish orange. It set the ambiance for some crisp autumn fishing in the high country.
FLYFSHR and BG1 were quick to pump up their tubes and get on the water while I stayed on the shoreline for a moment and gave some attention to some nearby ripples.
I usually don't fish with jigs, but I've toyed around here and there previously. The only real luck I've had with them was up in the Uintas last year, so I'm glad that one of my first casts resulted in a decent fish (sorry, bad pic):
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2952.jpg
That one didn't have a lot of red, but it was really dark and the spots were well pronounced. I hoped that was a sign of good fishing all day.
BG1 scored one shortly after that, but he was too distant for a photo. He said it was about 16" and fat. I hurried and got my tube in the water and it wasn't long before I got another brookie to hand. This one wasn't so long, but pretty porky:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2954.jpg
BG1 continued to pick them up here and there and I heard the exclamations as FLYSHR lost a good one and missed a couple of bites. From the other side of the lake, I could tell he'd finally hooked up with one that made it to his hand.
Now, we'd all caught fish and could relax a little.
Another thick brookie paid me a visit:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2955.jpg
They were pretty good fighters and were quite a pain to get onto my apron without a net. I'm glad my 4lb line held up to the thrashing they gave it.
The water was really cold, but the temperature was just right most of the time. The day couldn't have been much better:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2962.jpg
A breeze would blow by from time to time, dropping colorful leaves all around us and onto the surface of the water.
The catching had slowed a bit for a couple of hours and it was nice to break the silence:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2965.jpg
FLYFSHR still wasn't getting much action for some reason, despite the fact that he was using the same jigs that were working for BG1 and myself. The last time he and BG1 jigged for brookies, it was just the opposite. It's weird how some days, the sun just doesn't seem to shine the same for everyone.
A colorful male showed up for BG1:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2973.jpg
FLYFSHR and I decided to hike to another lake that was pretty close and see if we could get some fish from there. When we arrived, there was already a small group fishing it and they didn't seem to happy to see us, as it was a very small lake.
It was really shallow and the grass along most of the shoreline made it very difficult to fish. The other people were fishing the only real "hole" that was easily accessible form the shore.
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2975.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2976.jpg
We didn't fish on top of them or anything, but they were quick to question our fishing etiquette. Can't please everyone, I suppose. Respectfully, we kept our distance (as we would have anyway) and left them to do their thing as we explored the grassy end.
There wasn't much foundation under the grasses and churning toward the edge of open water proved quite the task. I took a bad step and was fortunate not to fill my waders as I dropped in up to mid-chest level. After working my way out of that mess, I was extra cautious with future steps.
FLYFSHR was on the other side and reported spooking some smaller, but very colorful brookies.
I figured that the jigs were good for deeper water, but I've always done best for brookies with spinners in shallow ponds like this. I switched to the only Blue Fox I brought with and had a nice sized follower bite while I watched. Too bad I missed the hookset, but I got a good look at the deep red sides of it.
FLYFSHR found some cooperative brookies under a wood pile and fought a couple. I missed another bite and then fought a small scrapper to hand before it slipped out of my grip.
The skies were starting to darken with threatening clouds and we figured it best to get back to our main spot and BG1.
We got back on the water and didn't have much luck for another hour or so before some frozen rain started to land on us. It didn't rain hard or for long, but it was warning enough for us to bug out. Those high mountain storms can make for an ugly exit hike, so we didn't mess around.
Luckily, the weather left us alone as we made our way back to the lower valleys. There was plenty of sightseeing along the route:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2980.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2981.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2983.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2984.jpg
It's very spectacular to see the dramatic change in landscape in relation to the altitude as you overlook a desert valley from the high country:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2988.jpg
We spooked a good looking young buck in the road and it turned to pause for a couple of shots as it left:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2995.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2997.jpg
After driving out of the area for awhile, we came upon some inviting water and decided to utilize the remaining daylight for the possibility of other species.
It was very slow for the first hour and the sun beat down on us while we were dressed for cooler temperatures. We were just about ready to leave when I finally scored a 17.5 inch tiger trout on a Jake's lure:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP2998.jpg
That prompted us to stay a bit longer and try for more and I got a bronzy little tiger with a hunchback:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP3001.jpg
Unfortunately, BG1 and FLYFSHR weren't shown any love for this lake.
It was getting late and we still had a long drive ahead of us, so we called it a day and head home.
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii272/justisaurusbucket/IMGP3012.jpg
It was great to breathe the cool mountain air and get out with Brookieguy1 and FLYFSHR again. The smallest fish of the day was a 13 inch tiger and my largest was my biggest brookie to date at 17 inches. We all had a lot of fun and shared a lot of laughs for an overall fantastic day of fishing in the great state of Utah.
Happy Fishing, Humans.