Gorge and Stuff

[LOAH]

Yesterday (5-24) was a long day full of road hours, new sights, rain, fishing, and a bit of a surprise.

The plan was to meet a friend from work at Sheep Creek Bay around 9:00am. Having never been to Flaming Gorge before, I made sure to have the family loaded and out the door by 5:45.

We took the I-80 route to the northeast, as suggested, and arrived just a little after we'd hoped to (which is pretty good for us, as a troop). It wasn't too long before we were on the boat and enjoying the striking beauty of Sheep Creek Bay and some of Horseshoe Canyon.







What I wouldn't give to get dropped off out here in my tube! The sheer canyon walls and fascinating rock formations could entertain me for weeks, fishing aside.







Just awesome.





The people we went with had been there for two days already and had only tallied a total of 1 rainbow the entire time. The weather was very unpredictable with heavy rains at one moment and sunshine the next.

I long-lined a Cripplure with bright pink sides while occasionally casting a rainbow kastmaster toward the cliffs, sometimes swapping one for the other. My wife did the same, when possible. The down rigger had a pink squid about a foot behind a small dodger at about 35 feet down, where fish were being marked. Another rod had lead core line out about 10 colors, trolling a gray sparkle tube jig.

None of us got a bite.

After letting my long-line sink for a bit during a brief stop, I reeled in to see one fish following my rainbow kastmaster about 20 feet down in the crystal clear water. It looked like a good sized rainbow or kokanee (not too sure) but it lost interest once it got closer to the boat.

We ended up going back to the dock after a couple of hours for a break and realized that our hosts were quite tired and ready to go home. While munching on some tasty chicken salad wraps I had prepared, we bid them thanks and farewell.

We were very grateful for the opportunity to get out on the boat with some people who knew their way around the lake. It's too bad the weather wasn't cooperating and the fishing hadn't been better for us.

The day was still pretty young and we debated our next move. The shoreline was already littered with people and the rain started falling, so shore fishing there didn't seem like the best idea. Hitting the Green below the dam sounded fun, but it didn't seem like much of a family activity, plus there was sure to be a crowd to tangle with.

We knew there were plenty of waters on the way home if we were to go through Vernal, so off we went with an open agenda.

Let me just say that the drive through the far eastern edge of the Uintas is a real treat for the eyes. What a great area to take a drive! The tall evergreens and higher altitude helped to subdue the bitter, skunky taste in our mouths that the Gorge had left us with. Add to that a couple of sleeping kids and, well, it was a really pleasant trip.

Coming down the mountain and overlooking the great expanse of land below, we could see some water in several directions. We decided to have a look at Red Fleet and were awed by the incredible landscape of the surrounding area:











What a neat place! If I were a dinosaur, I'd live there too.

I must admit that I hadn't planned on driving this route and hadn't studied up on the waters. When we rolled up to the pay window at the State Park, I asked the attendant what species were present in the lake to which he responded "Mostly bluegill".

This was a bit of a turnoff since I was after trout, plus I remembered the situation with the invasive mussels at Red Fleet. Turns out, the attendant steered us wrong since rainbows are stocked every year there. Like I said, I was unprepared and hadn't done my homework to know better. We didn't fish at Red Fleet.

Just down the road, I turned in to Steinaker State Park, where I specifically remembered reading about rainbows being stocked. With the fee paid, I set up shop near the boat ramp (wife and kids stayed in the car while it lightly sprinkled rain).

In hopes of catching ANYTHING, I pitched a brass kastmaster. It's never a bad lure to feel out a new lake with since it can entice a strike from almost any species and it can cover a lot of water.

The rain started coming down pretty hard, but I was at a juncture where my "give-a-damn" was history and fishing was the only thing that mattered. Within a few minutes, the rain subsided and a lucky cast brought in a tiny planter rainbow.

At last, a fish on the line! It may not have been big, but it was something to chase off the skunk and it was appreciated. A fish of this size was destined for release, but as I brought it closer, something funny caught my eye. A little blue tag hung from the back of this fish, right behind the dorsal. Peculiar...

Closer inspection told me that I'd found a lucky fish! The tag said "Winner" on it and I had apparently stumbled into a contest that I wasn't aware of.

Cool!





After catching and releasing another tiny rainbow, the rain came back with force and it was time to see what this little fish had in store for me.

It seems as though a local radio station in Vernal had a little contest going on and the prizes are mailed out at a later date. I'm unsure what this prize may be, but it's kind of exciting to win something, especially after a day of such dismal fishing. My info was taken down at the State Park booth and after my initial prize, my name will also be entered into a drawing for something bigger, which will take place in late August.

By now, my wife was quite tired and just wanted to get home. The rain chased us off and I couldn't talk my lady into letting me hit any other spots on the way home. The journey came to an end after taking a gigantic loop around the Uintas.

Our huge day trip left us thrilled with all of the new country we saw, tired from all the travel, optimistic about our surprise contest entry, and our odometer 419 miles older.

Happy Fishing, Humans.