Avoiding the Crowds

[LOAH]

This week, I felt overdue to visit a spot I hadn't been to in a couple of years. The drive was long and there was a hike at the end, but the beauty of the area was worth the effort.

During the hike, it was hard to keep focused on the target water with the many beaver ponds along the trail. The small creek that feeds the ponds cuts through some great land.

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There were a lot of mushrooms growing along the trail. It made me wonder if they were edible.

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The first few beaver ponds were really silted in and only held tiny fish that were very skittish. Further up the canyon, the ponds got deeper and the fish were of catchable size.

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I love a nice little stream in a high mountain setting. Beaver ponds hold a special place in my world.

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Plenty of brookies met the Blue Fox, mostly in the 10-12 inch range, some smaller.

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One pond could've taken me all day to explore, but a handful of aggressive little brookies was all I allowed myself before continuing on my way.

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After spending more than two hours on what should've been one, I finally reached my destination.

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The fishing was much slower than at the ponds, but it was still a nice place to kill the time. The fish were mostly in the deeper water and the rocky bottom stole a couple of lures and jigs from me. On the bait rod, a minnow picked up a decent tiger.

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A worm produced a lot of curious nibbles, but only a few held on long enough to pay me a visit.

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Nice, bright colors on this brookie.

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It was nice to go back to that little lake and revisit the area. A lot has changed in 2 years, mostly the number of trees infested with the bark beetle, but there was a lot more trash on the ground this time. That's too bad.

The hike back down was a lot faster, but I still had to stop for a couple of pics on the way.

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Such a beautiful place. It's always sad to leave the mountains, but a long, drowsy drive awaited me. I watched from the driver's seat as the fading sunlight painted the clouds.

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Big skies over an open road guided me back home, satisfied with another good trip in God's Country.

Happy Fishing, Humans.

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[Deathcricket]

Your trip reports always rock dude. Thanks for sharing these and bringing a smile to my face.

[LOAH]

Thanks for enjoying them!:nod:

[Sombeech]

That beaver dam looked pretty cool.

[paraAdams]

LOAH, your reports are indeed great every time. Those Tiger's look very healthy, like they've been there for a while. Thanks for sharin' man, you rock!:clap:

[accadacca]

Ditto, ditto, ditto. Love those Tiger pictures! :cool2:

[ibenick]

Awesome! :2thumbs:

[Jaxx]

beautiful as always. Although some of your fish look a little big for my catchable size. I am happy to catch anything.

This one is about my average :roflol:
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