Plan B

[LOAH]

This week, I set off with the intent to discover a beautiful, secluded place where I would be sure to find large fish with a willing bite.

Well, good thing I always study the area for a backup plan, just in case. Turns out, my need for a 4x4 and some mapping software for my GPS kept me from reaching my goal. This is always a risk when I decide to go and check out a new spot without asking around too much though. Part of the game.

What limited info I got from Forest Service officials proved to be slightly inaccurate and the locals...They didn't seem to be very pleased with my presence, let alone asking about their spot. Go fig.

After traveling a good distance on a bumpy dirt road to find that I couldn't reach my target, I had no choice but to explore the immediate fishing possibilities. This was limited to a very small stream with very difficult access in most places. The spots where water was reachable were full of tiny fish that would spook and dart off as soon as I came to within 15 feet of the bank.

The wary little trout proved to be very hard to catch, aside from the challenging conditions. Finally, I spotted a good pocket, backed up by some deadfall. On my hands and knees, I crept up to it. There were about 20 little fish stacked up in it and I didn't want to spook them, so I stayed low then elbowed in a gentle toss to the far side, near the spill. My spinner landed right where I wanted it and a tiny brown was my reward.



It was pretty neat to catch a fish in such a small pool on such a small creek, especially since they were so finicky. My pint sized conquest put a smile on my face and allowed me to take in the surrounding majesty.

The pool:



A rare open spot on the creek:



Airing out the wings:



Further downstream, I thought I'd take one more stab at fishing the creek. Once again, access was spotty amongst the bushy barriers that surrounded this meager flow of water.



The only pool that I found was in such a tight spot that it made my last fish's home seem like a mansion in a field. Somehow, on my hands and knees again, I was able to pitch an underhanded cast into the wash and pulled out another hungry brown.



Here's a better look at where it came from:



After that, my focus shifted to plan B. This was a bit out of my way, but it would have to suffice. At this point, what's another 30 or 40 miles?

Making my way up the canyon, I was distracted several times by its river, which had carved some very inviting holes. A diversion area provided me with a couple of fish, but encouraged me to search for something bigger.

Odd looking tail fin for a brown. Maybe it was planted.





Moving up the canyon a bit, the fish were all strong enough to fight their way to freedom. I watched as several larger browns took a shot at my spinner, only to shake free within a few seconds. It was still nice to try new water though. Pretty river.













A curious lizard watched as I continued to miss bites.



The river was fun, but I still hadn't gotten any still water action. My map-hounding memory vaguely recalled a few lakes in the area and it was time to give them a visit. The first one was pretty shallow and weedy, but fish were surfacing all over the place.



Despite many swipes and bumps, no fish met my hand. I didn't feel too bad, since they were planters, but still would've like to catch at least one.

Second lake, also shallow, but there was no sign of any activity here. After about an hour of casting several lures, I hadn't caught anything and only received a couple of light hits, which may have just been rocks. I knew there were fish, I just didn't give them what they wanted.





Third lake was kind of crowded, but I stopped anyway. The water appeared to be much deeper and by now, I just wanted to catch something from a lake. Eventually, I got my wish...sort of:



It was better than nothing, but it wasn't really what I was looking for either. My last trip provided way too many nub-finned hatchery rainbows for me to feel good about this one. Ah well, at least I was in some pretty country seeing new sights:





Notes taken and hopefully I'll be able to actually get to plan A, next time around.

Happy Fishing, Humans.

[theking648]

no names?? no location??


jerk!

i love this shot :

looks like a great place to fly fish.

[LOAH]

Thanks!

(That's the Beaver River, BTW)

If I hadn't busted both of my fly rods recently, I'm sure I would've been dredging the bottom of that hole with a heavy sculpin pattern.