In pursuit of the little guys

Having finished the Yakima float with the brothers by 10 am, I was left with a decision - head straight home, or head home by way of a small mountain stream. Yup, you guessed which route I chose. In the realm of some of our "on-the-way-to" trips, this was just a mild detour that only doubled the 90 minute drive home, but a detour well worth the time for the solitude of a small mountain stream and the beauty of westslope cutthroat trout. For me, big trout are fun, but there's something about small streams with their small fish that holds a special place in my heart.

Monkeyflower along one of the few flat stretches of this little mountain stream

I'd visited this stream before, finding reasonable numbers of small cutts, so I figured I'd try a couple different sections to see what I could find. Same as my last visit, I found beautiful cutthroats eager to take a dry as it floated by. The size ranged from a few inches up to about 8 inches. It's so fun to watch them rise to the fly in the crystal clear water.

A very good sized cutthroat for this little stream

Same as my last visit, I didn't find large numbers of fish, which seems to be limited by the lack of pools or substantial riffles in this fast falling stream. When I finally climbed out, the view upstream was white water as far as I could see, which it had been for much of the stretch I had fished. But when you found a nice little pool, you would almost always find a fish or two. You can't complain about an afternoon like that!

Tom Remembers Why He Bought a Drift Boat...

After Rob's guided trip on the Yakima with his son-in-law Brad, Brad decided he'd like to go more often and volunteered to get the flat tire fixed on Tom's drift boat trailer (it has been flat for years). With the tire fixed, we decided to make a Merrill boys trip to fish Friday evening and Saturday morning. We can call it Rob's birthday celebration.

We met at Red's to pick up a few flies and arrange for spotting the vehicle at the takeout and were on the river a little after 5 pm. Tom and I immediately questioned the wisdom of letting someone with double vision row first when a short time after the launch Rob took us straight over a good sized boulder just under the surface. However, that was the only mishap and we soon were catching fish and all was forgiven (next time we'll let him row the last turn when it is so dark you can't see the boulders anyway).

It was typical Yakima fishing, tossing big bugs (Chubby Chernobyls) close to the grass banks with a stone dropper about 12 inches below. Fairly consistent action throughout the evening, with numerous 10 to 14 inch rainbows and a few in the 18 to 20 inch range. Rotating the rowing duties, we all managed to find at least one of the big guys before getting off the river at about it's-so-dark-I-hope-we-don't-miss-the-ramp o'clock.

After a short night at a motel in Ellensburg, we were on the water again a little after 5 am, and found similar action as the evening before throughout the morning float. Little guys to keep it interesting while waiting for the big one. You never know how they're going to hit. Rick's 19.5-inch rainbow on Friday hit with an explosive splash, which was good because he was fishing blind with the fly directly in the reflected glare of the evening sun. He set the hook by sound. Rob, on the other hand, had an 18-inch rainbow that took the fly with nothing more than a little dimple as it drifted right next to some overhanging brush. Rick, who was rowing, watched the fly quietly disappear without a splash and was surprised when Rob said he had a nice one. The take looked like one of the little ones we'd been catching.

We all caught nice fish, but Rob owned the morning, catching at least three that were over 18 inches. A great little trip to bring the brothers together. Maybe now with the flat tire on the boat trailer fixed we might get together like this a little more often...

Bradzilla Rocks the Rainbows

Brad and I headed to Ellensburg Wednesday night and planned to fish the following two mornings with Shan from Red's Fly Shop, with whom we've fished numerous times.  (Yes, that Shan--see our Alaska Adventures from September 2019 and other previous entries for more details.)  After a short night's sleep we got up to the alarm at 3:45am to get ready, grab some breakfast at McDonald's drive-thru, and meet Shan at Red's Fly Shop for our 4:30am start.

July 2

It started somewhat slowly as we began the canyon float--Brad had to wait until his second cast to hook a fish.  We fished large dry stonefly patterns in the slowly increasing light.  Brad's fly was larger than mine.  Punching it in close to the banks and being rewarded with--my fly floating over the top, apparently appearing like an appetizer, and then Brad's larger fly coming up second and being eaten by the fish.  What's with that?  Front end of the boat usually gets more strikes--which is why Brad took pity on me and let me fish in front.

I finally got a good solid fish and after a nice fight was able to get a photo, then release him.  Brad may be catching more, but I found one that was photo worthy.

A beautiful Yakima River rainbow

Brad didn't wait long until he too found a photo worthy fish that tried to attack his fly as it floated by and missed.  Brad, ever the one of steely nerves, saw that the fish missed and hadn't eaten the fly and just kept the fly floating in the drift along the seam line in the current.  We watched with amazement as the trout circled back around, came downstream and sucked in the fly, at which point Brad set the hook and the chase was on!  

Brad's biggest Yakima rainbow ever
(up to that point)

We added a stonefly dropper as the day brightened and found fish on both the dry and dropper.  We continued to enjoy the beauty of the canyon--lots of eagles, deer, and other assorted wildlife--and found fish throughout.  Finished after floating a few hours and had a great morning!   What would tomorrow bring?

July 3

We arose to a brisk outside temperature of 48 degrees so it was going to start a little cool.  We met again at Red's at 4:30am.  (I don't know if Shan sleeps.)  We were concerned that the low overnight temperatures might slow down fishing if it reduced insect activity.  Brad started with the stonefly dry/dropper setup we'd had yesterday and I had a single dry fly to cast.  Once again, Brad deferred the front position to me, and I tossed the fly toward the shore as we began the float.  It floated all of about 20 feet until it was slurped in by a nice rainbow.  A great start to the day!  

We had pretty steady action on both the dry and the dropper.  If my timestamp is correct on the camera, Brad landed this photo worthy fish at 5:21am.  He looks pretty awake for that time of the morning.

#1 for Brad

Okay, now to just find me another photo worthy fish.  We each caught more rainbows, on both the dry and dropper, with neither fly really prevailing in preferences.  About an hour later, Brad hooked another nice trout.  Into the net and . . . yet another fish for photo.

Yet another

Okay, now to really just find me another photo worthy fish.  We both continued to catch more rainbows, on both the dry and dropper, again with neither fly really predominating.  About ninety minutes later, Brad hooked yet another nice trout.  Into the net and . . . another fish for photo.  I'm sensing a theme here that wasn't what I was expecting. What about the guy in the front getting more fish because they see the fly first?  What about letting the old guy get the nice fish?  Not to be today I guess, but I was happy with the action and pleased to be able to have these two mornings with my son-in-law.

Who's idea was this trip anyway?
Bradzilla rocked the rainbows!

As always, a wonderful guided float with Shan, ever courteous, knowledgeable, and skilled. Great friends, great river, great fish.  Happy Independence Day!

Summer Solstice (more or less)

Rob and I got together for our mostly annual summer solstice celebration, fishing until dark as close as we can get to the summer solstice. No, we don't do any other weird things like put on long robes with hoods or masks of animal heads or anything, we just fish until dark.

Rob came down my way this time so we could visit my home stream. It turned out to be a good choice. Water level had dropped about 25% from my last visit a week and a half ago, which brought it to what I consider the perfect level to fish. Still high enough for water to be deep enough that fish will be found in the shallows at the sides of the stream (where most people would walk), not so fast that they won't be found in some of the flat riffles.

We both double psychoed the whole time. Fishing was good. Really good. Rob didn't even try to fish a renegade.

 

We found fish. Lots of fish. More in the 8 to 11-inch range than I've ever had before here. Rough estimate of 70 to 80 fish to hand. Each. Probably 75% were 8 to 11 inches, only 25% in the smaller range. A few to 12 inches.

Some runs had lots of fish and we consistently found some fish all along the way. Lots of flies attacked in water less than 6-inches deep. Lots of frustrating indicator strikes (they love to do that on this stream). Couldn't have had a better evening. Well, it could have been a couple minutes longer if we could have done it on the actual solstice...

Fish and Flowers

My Friday off, I did things in the right order - fish first, then flowers. Back to the same spot as two weeks ago. Flow is down to 130 cfs, about half what is was two weeks ago. Still a little high compared to my normal summer fishing levels, but wadeable and fishable this time.

A nice little 10-inch rainbow

The first run is a little narrower and faster. The floods earlier in the year ran 10,000 cfs through this stretch, stripping the banks of growth and moving a lot of gravel around. Fish are still there, though perhaps not as many. A lot of changes further up, tends to be more flat gravel, but it did make one new long run where I found quite a few fish. Fishing was slower than normal, but I did manage about 80 to hand, so I won't complain. Most were 6 to 9 inches, about a dozen in the 10 to 11 inch range. All on the psycho, size 12 and 16 or 18. Could be fewer fish after the floods or could be the higher water is moving the flies faster. I'll have to come back in a week or two and see how it fishes with lower water.

Just shy of 11 inches, looks like he might have had an encounter with a bull trout

After onion rings and a cone from the local drive-thru, I still had time to run up the nearby mountains to snap some pics of wildflowers before heading home just ahead of yet another thunderstorm.

Purple broomrape and Douglas' buckwheat

The Creek and Stream 141 for Rick

Rob has been slumming it at The Creek three times a week since it opened (you'd think he'd be home brushing up on his Spanish and reading scriptures all day while he's waiting for Peru to open up so he and Mary can start their mission...) and he invited me up to join him this morning. I was happy to oblige - who doesn't like a clear stream in a beautiful desert canyon full of little redband rainbows?

One of the few open areas on this creek

This is such a happy place - memories of many trips with Dad and brothers, the smell of the blooming mock orange filling the air, grass hanging over the stream and sending out clouds of pollen when you brush by, sneezing, runny nose - OK, not all happy, but I can put up with the allergies to fish this little gem.

Fish found our renegades, most 7 to 9 inches with fat bellies. It was a little "slow" for the first hour, as the sun got higher in the sky the fish seemed to also warm up. By the time we were ready to climb out and walk back to the car, we had each probably had 40 or 50 to hand. I guess not too slow.

Nice rainbow, mangy lockdown beard

Now the fun. Stream 141, We stopped where a side stream came in from a spring up a side canyon. It could have enough water...A short distance up, there was a small fall with a deep pool in the basalt. Tossed the fly in, and a small rainbow hit it as soon as it hit the water. Stream 141 was in the books. Thanks for the picture Rob!

Stream 141 where Rick has caught trout in Washington, an unexpected addition today

Returning to the car, an osprey was posing for pictures in a tree above the creek.

 

Just love this place.

Flowers and Fish

Spent the day with my daughter Sarah taking pictures of wildflowers, then stopped to check out my local stream after waiting out a thunderstorm. Still running pretty high (about 260 cfs on the nearest downstream station). I could only comfortably wade up the side halfway up the first hole. Found 7 fish in about 20 minutes on the double psycho prince caddis green. Size ranged from 6" to 11". The floods earlier in the year have changed the stream quite a bit. It will have to drop a little more before it is fishable.

About the average size

Slow shutter on the phone...this one was 11"