Her Majesty

[LOAH]

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Well it only took six days of being away from the Energy Loop area to get me twitching and shaking for more. Last week's adventure of flat tires and slow fishing left me in the mood to get to some of the lakes I'd hoped to, plus I could check on a few other things I'd been wondering about as well.

Thankfully, the drive to the top of Fairview Canyon was without incident this time. Conditions on top were cloudy, as in, driving through the clouds. That was pretty cool, although the low visibility prevented me from seeing the usual spectacle of the Sanpete sky-scape.

The forecast called for rain throughout the state and I was sure to get wet, but I really don't mind the rain that much. It's peaceful and keeps the crowds away.

First stop was Gooseberry Reservoir, since I'd only stopped in for a few minutes a couple of times previously. I fished the shallow end for about 20 minutes and brought in 3 small cutts. They were really pretty and one was very colorful.






This one was really nice to look at...



...and look at:



Nice place. Like everything else, it's nice and green right now. Gooseberry is definitely worth more of my time in the future.

Back into the clouds for the summit and down the road I went, unable to resist the call of Huntington Reservoir as it was passing by. The high water mark is drowning and the water is getting somewhat discolored. It was actually snowing for the first 10 minutes or so.



Nothing ever made it to hand after trying for about 20 minutes and figured I'd get going to Cleveland Reservoir, where I hoped to find something with a little fight to bite.

It took awhile, casting all over the place, but I eventually found a couple of fat rainbows to play with. No picture of the second, but it was a little bit smaller than the first:



Cleveland is still spilling over.



The fishing was slow after the 2 rainbows, so I thought I'd take a stab at the Left Fork of Huntington Creek.



Before I lost the only lure I brought along (just a quick stop), I was able to bring in a little brown and spook some nicer fish, just upstream.



Once I lost my lure, I took a drive to Miller Flat Reservoir, but got distracted and had to mess with a little cutthroat along the way.



Miller Flat is another place that I have mostly ignored while at play in the area. Like Gooseberry, the only times I had stopped were only teasers, never staying long enough to pull anything in.

The Blue Fox wasn't doing the trick after walking the length of the dam, so I switched to a Chrome Jake's Lure and caught three pretty quickly, losing a couple more. This one was the most colorful:



Potter's Ponds was next on my list. It's mostly a put and take spot with finless rainbows, but it's a nice place to burn an hour.



The higher pond is pretty murky right now and I didn't cast out more than a handful of times. The lower pond is much clearer and the holdovers were after the Jake's Lure, wherever they were schooled. Here's an ugly little fat one that couldn't resist:



Last weekend, I didn't spend very much time on Miller Flat Road due to the spare tire and it was great to see the high mountain valleys coming to life from the recent thaw:







If only I had the time to come here whenever I wanted to...

Moving on, I wanted to get in some stream fishing and I found just the creek to have me for the next while. The willows at the water's edge made it hard to find a good spot, but I hit it on the money once there was a clearing. A good presentation was almost guaranteed a strike and I was able to cash in on some gorgeous cutthroat.





In one hole, I kept seeing a flash with a bright red cheek when my fly stripped through the top of the eddy. It kept swiping, but wouldn't take, so I switched to my trusty Blue Fox and hooked into one with some sass.

It fought way bigger than its size and kept trying to take me into the twiggy roots and willows, using the current every chance it got. After the surprising battle, I was able to pull in the bold male with a well earned smile.



It wasn't very big (about 17), but it fought like a real hog and really made me wonder if my 4lb line would handle its runs to the underbrush. It almost tore its lip off trying to escape. This was the highlight of my day by far. Beauty of a cutt.



With the afternoon fading away, I bid farewell to this marvelous land, satisfied with a day spent playing in the rain. This deer didn't seem too phased by my presence as I drove away.



Driving back, the summit was still a fog and I noticed some freshly fallen snow, still clinging to the asphalt. Once my elevation dropped below the clouds, Fairview Canyon required much more travel time than normal. Not because of hazards, but because I couldn't keep the camera in my pocket!

The low hanging clouds shrouded the hillsides, drifting between the treetops. The ambient light really brought out the deep hues of green all the way down the canyon. The magic of these mountains touches me every time I visit and this would be no exception.







So cool. Like a jungle scene in the movies.



How fortunate I was to take such a road on such a day.



It was a great day, all day. Catching beautiful fish in a beautiful place, surrounded by Nature in all Her Majesty is about as good as it gets for me. There wasn't another person in sight for most of the day and the serenity was much needed.

Happy Fishing, Humans.

[tanya]

I thought you were talking about a WOMAN!


But a fish?

Gotta love outdoors guys.

[accadacca]

Excellent!

[LOAH]

I thought you were talking about a WOMAN!


But a fish?

Gotta love outdoors guys.

Yep. Married man with a daughter. Gotta fish to escape the fems in my house.

[tanya]

That is really sad! I want a man that wants to be .......


so WITH the fem in his house!!!!!

[LOAH]

I'm just teasin'. Had it been sunny and mild, my family would've been with me.

[offpiste]

great trip thanks for sharing

[akman76]

That is a nice collection of photos. Those are some beautiful trout.

I have a suggestion. Would it be possible to take a pair of dikes and remove the treble hooks from the lures? Then, attach a single hook and bend down the barb.

This will allow you to still catch fish and reduce the number of fish inadvertently killed trying to remove three barbed hooks from the fishes mouth. Also, by bending down the barb, you make it so much easier to remove the hook from the fishes mouth and reduce injury and bleeding to a minimum.

I think you will find that you will lose fewer lures with a single hook as well.

Keep a tight line on those beautiful fish.

Adios amigo.

AKman

[LOAH]

Yes, it is possible to modify the hooks on the lures. I personally don't like to alter the lures I use. Change the hooks, change the action of the lure.

If I have to keep a small fish, due to a deep hook, so be it. I'm usually aiming to keep larger ones and the mortally hooked dink is pretty rare.6