No place like somewhere else.

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Colorado Cutthroat

2010-07-06T11:05:00.004-06:00

I had only a few weeks remaining on my Colorado fishing license so I wanted to use up the days. Just like having a ski pass you haven't used all season so you go out on the closing day. (thanks for not crowding up the tram) I started my research and found an area that was remote, good runoff flow, and high elevation... there should be cutthroat. I started to drive knowing it was more recon into this wilderness than actually trying to slay some fish... who knew how wrong I'd be.
I tossed and turned all night, being at high elevation gets cold at night, even in July. Waking up with everything covered in frost, shivering, and needing to pee, I realized that my claimed 20 degree sleeping bag is not very warm, it must need to be 20 over 32 to be warm. (pos) So as the sun rose and illuminated and warmed my bag I stopped tossing and turning. I finally fell into a deep sleep in the warm comfort of morning, fishing was going to wait an hour.
Big bugs bouncing from the ground into the air, sunscreen applied, line in the water... lets find some trout. I caught a few browns to start and was told by a polite ranger to not put them back in the water, they were trying to restore cutthroat here... perfect. As it stood, it was my first time purposefully killing fish, it didn't feel that great to do so, and felt like a shameful waste, but after all it was for the cutthroats so I dealt with it. I think I did a lot of conservation that day as there were a lot of brown trout hand grenades tossed around this day.

Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T15:19:00.004-06:00

To wrap this Memorable Memorial Day Weekend up short and sweet: 1,000 miles of recon to learn where not to go and in doing so I tested the 4x4 ability of my truck. 19 off road miles in 4x4 without touching the gas... creepy McCreepster. Then some river forging in the truck too. I dropped my camera in a river. Then caught both my largest and then prettiest Cutthroats ever.

First Fish of 2010

2010-05-10T18:36:00.008-06:00

Out for my first venture in search of fish, beautiful landscape, and adventure. Naturally, my first stop produced many fish, I could spot them from the shoreline. They swam in swarms of flashing red and silver. They owned this high mountain lake. However they were rude, stubborn, and unwelcoming hosts... they would not bite anything! I threw everything at them to no avail. Had I some 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene I would have been scooping them up by the dozen. Short of that, I bailed and headed out.
I happened upon a spot that Yoda had told me about years back that I could never find. A stream about 3 feet wide... and full of fish!

First fish of the 2010.
First fish on a dry of 2010.

After I insured that I would not get a white stripe down my back I headed out in search of slightly bigger fish.

Catch & ...release.

Lately

2010-02-15T09:15:00.005-07:00

I haven't been using my camera as much as in the past but here is what I've been up to lately...

Utah

California

every time I go I never want to leave...

Last Weekend

2009-10-28T02:39:00.010-06:00

The first nights arrival was very late at night and to crystal clear skies. The skyline presence brought comfort as well as solice. An escape from light pollution and the sprawl of suburbia was complete and sitting in awe of all around bliss at 8,900-ish feet was breathtaking.
The morning came briskly with equal ability to take ones breath. Countered with coffee following just behind the frigid air. The river swept past the camp with deafening silence presenting countless opportunities within plain sight. The browns forces were out in numbers, yet their size seemed to shrink over the week. Lots of smaller fish were brought to Brodin, hand and before Cannon. Some other big fish stopped in to make an appearance as well but did so with far less frequency.Day two brought wind and even cooler weather. Less time on the water and again less fish. It took some time for the temperatures to allow even the slightest movement. Locked into the warmth and security of a warm sleeping bag kept time moving slowly. The days adventure ended early but the hospitality offered lingered on. It was both unforgettable and uncalled for, spoiled by friends. Venison chops, venison pasta, coffee, bagels, bananas, and a warm spot to enjoy them on. The sun set and the last night began. Layed down with a book surrounded with the sounds of rain and thunder pattering and smashing against the shell of the truck on night number 3. The thermometer read 38 degrees. Time passed slowly with each flash of lightning and lingering roll of thunder. The pages continued to turn and the temperature proceeded to drop. Within the hour the thermometer read 26 degrees, time to bundle up. A reading of 22 degrees and the rain transitioned to ice and then followed by snow. Eyes drifting, pages closing, sleep commencing. The ice and snow mixture over night along with a 16 degree temperature fluctuation in the downward fashion formed a familiar New England styled layer of ice over everything making it impossible to go outside until the sun decided that it was time to start the day and that the ice may melt. Up early and nearing time to head home; the weather had great success in pushing everyone on down the road and closer to home. The gear was packed, salutations exchanged, and it was time for departure. Yoda was going home, done camping for the year.
Snow is a sign of new life, a new season, of old friends and particular habits. It felt as though the road was coming up through the rear view, as though looking back for something to come into the future ahead...

Dagobah 2009

2009-10-19T18:18:00.009-06:00

I headed back to the Dagobah System to see Yoda, BJ, Izzy and Durf and slay some browns while I was there. It had been since Pioneer Day that I saw him last. (Pioneer Day is a Mormon Holiday (yippie)) As well as a full year since I met him in the Dagobah System. Once again I hit the water at just the right time when it was starting to turn off, or on depending on your perspective. I just wish I could spend the full month there watching it gain momentum, flourish, flower and then die off. Yet, I gotta pay the bills and I like my job so Sunday night brought me back home and Monday morning back to work. It was cold as hell the first night, down to 22 degrees, that's what you get in October at 9,000'. I was well prepared for the cold but cold is still cold. With the days short and being stuck down in a canyon the sun rises at about 8:00-8:30 and sets around 6:45-7:00ish. So, by the time it warms enough to move and get out on the water I had to first de-ice my boots every day.
I ventured out each day and then within a few hours back to camp to eat food, change, and get ready for the cold. As Izzy said, "do you guys want to stand out here in the cold or should we go inside and b.s." we went inside. It's really cool to listen to the stories of these two "old men". The camaraderie between them is encouraging and the bond between good people is inspiring. It really helps to have things put into perspective by people who have lived a lot of life in a short time. Being in your 60s is still young and I plan to fish this spot with these two gentleman for many many years to come. Yet, even with my elder friends hanging around, it still gets lonely and leaves A LOT of time to be by yourself to think. I usually enjoy my activities because my brain is able to shut off and focus on nothing other than the activity at hand. I found myself thinking of somewhere else quite often. As the blog is titled there really is "no place like somewhere else."
The fishing was awesome, spanning browns from 747s to 23+"ers in ankle deep water, so bitchin' like a Camero, or even a Fiero. It's never a bad thing loosing count of your fish in the 40s or 60s after a few hours each day. A fair estimate would be about 210 fish in three days and an average size of 15"s. When looking back on the pictures from last year then this year's I swear I caught some of the same exact fish in the same exact spot, no lie. It only seemed to get better as the day warmed and then would settle out as the sun set behind the canyon walls. My energy level coincided with the temperature, and even though it was only 9:30 or 10:00 I found myself in my sleeping bag, all cozied up with a beer and a book. I had a good b-day gift book to read about the man (not the man man, or the white man, but THE man... J.C.) which kept me entertained until I either put it down or woke up next to it amongst the frost forming around me.
Next weekend promises to be a little better. The stream should be even more prime and the water even more full of my fish friends. Hopefully they'll all be ready to taste the cold sting of a sharp, freshly tied Raggedy Andy...

Move the Furniture

2009-10-12T12:44:00.012-06:00

It has been a life long dream to jump out of a plane... you know to go skydiving. Wanted to go a while back when in Moab but I was instructed to go to sea level and gain the extra 4,000' or so of free fall. I had a trip to California planned and asked my friend if she was interested in jumping. I was really stoked when she said yes.
We headed to Byron, Ca. (www.bayareaskydiving.com)

We were running behind in the morning and my hangover was not helping me out what so ever. The WRX did some proper tearing of the Cali roadways to get us there on time. We were slated to jump from 11,000' but this day they were jumping from 13,000' so a little higher bonus. I was excited from the second Hailey said yes and I never got nervous until we walked into the hanger and then it all kinda changed; the hands trembled, the throat dry, giggles started too. We had some time to kill before the jump so I pounded water to counter the pounding in my head... I'm never drinking again! :-) As we waited the nerves settled and excitement grew to phenomenal levels. We suited up in the one-sies and strapped into our harnesses, received our instructions of what to do and what to expect. We headed out to the plane and loaded up, took off and smiles were seen by everyone. Even the instructors and camera guys smile and giggle, you can tell it never gets old. They were super welcoming and fun, it was easy to see they were a tight knit group which helps to ensure confidence in the rookies. When we got to the jump altitude everyone started high five-ing, pounding fists, wiggle fingers, Borat quotes and the like. The door opened and the single jumpers exited the plane. We slid to the door, stood up and I looked down... I thought "wow... 13,000' is high." (duh) Within a few seconds out went the camera guy, we leaned forward and out the door we went. We did a slight flip and looked back up to the plane above, and we corrected to a face down position. I fixated my vision on a spot on the ground for a few seconds, laughing hysterically.
He tapped my arms and I opened up. We then started spinning flat a few times, so fun! It wasn't a falling feeling as I had expected, your just kinda floating with the earth racing towards you and the wind in your ears. Laughing, screams of joy, etc.
My goggles got blown into my face a bit and the camera guy attempted to fix them.
So blown away at how loud it was. Within 60 seconds the chute opened and I thought, that sucks, too soon. I got to pull the reigns on the chute and do some loops which was really fun with the G-forces and all. We landed smoothly on the ground and I looked at him and said "let's go again." (I couldn't afford to at the moment though) I know I have found a new sport for sure! Between everything else I do in life I have a new hobby, next years plan is to get certified and start getting my adrenaline on as that is the best drug on the planet and I am happily addicted to it! This may sound like complete b.s. but the feeling is the same as dropping a good cliff on a snowboard, racing a motorcycle around, setting the hook on a trout; like a first kiss. It's really a moment, a clip of time, a short burst of tremendous bliss and emotion when all feels right, confused, and millions of butterflies in your stomach.. It's something, a feeling you chase after. I was bouncing around afterwards and still feel above cloud 9.

Good day, little fish

2009-10-04T10:00:00.004-06:00

It was a good day on the river, just little fish though. Yes, some were small in size but the total number of fish landed was small. Everyone had their lines tightened at some point but overall the fish were not cooperating. I don't know if was the nearly full moon, the incoming storm and the fall of the barometer, the recent cold snap and snow or what. So much of me thought that these aspects would actually have the fish moving and stacking up to spawn. However the beds were made but no fish were there sleeping in them. The day long hatch may not have helped out either. Also, first time out with Geoff. I really enjoy fishing with new people, especially people that are better than me, or people who are just good for that matter. I really enjoy watching people fish and trying to learn from them. After a while everyone develops their own style, method, and philosophy and its great to watch, listen and absorb all that is around you. I am now at the point where I ask less questions and observe more. So, I think I learned a thing or two and next time will learn a little more. Fishing is one of those things that you never think you have completely dialed in, you are always learning and adapting to new skills, the water and fish, the environment and of course we should never forget the blessings of Jah.

Hatch-a-roo

Never want to run into the cat that made this impression
tighten the linewait for it... wait for it!

Fall Side

2009-09-30T10:35:00.007-06:00

With Fall officailly here and the land of Yoda fast approaching, the secrecy involved in that venture made this was the last weekend I had to fish with the Garside. It has been a fine summer teaching another to fish, and now that the legacy has been properly passed on to the next generation. I feel I am done teaching another person to fish. Sure, I'll take newbies out, but I do not wish to spend another summer season of fishin' teachin' in "Merica". I learned so much from teaching this summer. I feel it not only helped me to improve but also forced me to do so as well. It was a personal test and lesson so rich, rewarding, passionate and profound. I questioned myself, my tactics, my philosophies, my patience, my "prowdness", who I am, what I knew and thought I knew, etc. The experience was a menage of frustration and glory. You want people to progress so much at whatever they're doing and whether it happens quickly or over many years, you still want it to happen. My pupil was awesome and I think she only got grumpy a few times over the summer. Amanda's strength and passion took over most cases of frustration and it was usually solved quickly with a little tug on the end of the line and a fish to hand.
This trip took us around quite a bit. We searched out older rivers we had fished previously and a few new ones as well. We hit new stretches accessed by different routes, roads, trails, and turns. We figured out on the first stretch that we like the other end of the river more. The other end requires a lenghty hike in, and therefore sees less people and less stressed fish. On the second river we figured out the original spot was better than above where we fished the third day. Yet, you have to seek it out to find its bounty or lack there of in this case. Then on the way out we hit another spot for a few hours before we headed south to go home.
Truly my goal over the last few weeks has been my own education in streamer fishing. I have been starting out with dry-dropper, snagging a few fish then switching over to streamers for learning and practice purposes. I am very good at setting the hook now with streamers, however the rocks, stumps, and sticks don't really ever surface. They put up a fight like a Mako shark, but still I can never get the rockfish, stickfish, and stumpfish netted. So... there I was, I mean it was there that I lost a bunch of streamers and nymphs. There was a pool, a glorious pool of enchanting possibilities. It was a magical scene that invoked visions of sugarplums, large browns, and cutts.
I pounded the water for 45 minutes. The pool was deep, I tried a few streamer patterns, some wet flies, some dry-dropper combos and nothing nothing nothing. I thought to myself that this had to be the sticky icky goo-E money honey spot and continued to pound the water, anger ensuing as the trout did not take what I was serving up. Yet, I would not give up... pound pound pound... then.... tie on another fly and pound some more. Not until the gigantic salmon fly worked. I thought really? After everything I throw at you bastards you take a gigantic salmon fly off the top... WTF?
(sometimes fish are jerks :-)
Amanda hooked into some beautiful fish, a few good size cutts and browns. Her excitement of weight clamped onto the end of her fly sometimes gets her too excited and she manhandles the fish to her feet with the strength of a WWF wrestler stacking some dude on a table and hitting him with a garbage can. Then picking him up and throwing him back to the table. Ok, slight exageration, however she is not afraid to bring a fish to shore. She lost two very nice fish because of this and when I offered up the explanation she said "I KNOW!" and sat on the bank to re-tie. I think this was the only moment of poopie diaper and she never lost another fish that way again over the weekend. Another lesson learned.

So, fall is here. Heading to see Yoda over the next few weeks then a possible trip with B.G. in the making to chase big bigg biggg fish the end of October. Snow will soon follow and my rods will lay in rest for pow turns. But that is still a month and a half to two months away...
and did I mention the food? MMM, beer can Cornish Game hen to round out the weekend!

B.F.E., WY

2009-09-23T08:13:00.006-06:00

Had secret black-ops information of a highly classified, highly sensitive nature. Also known as the code of "keep your mouth shut about this place and I'll tell you where it is." Headed North of Utah in search of some bigger river with some bigger cutthroats. The drive was long and arduous, the mileage rolling on the odometer and the worries of live getting farther father away. Once in the woods and back lands of the west life really stops for me and becomes focused on nature. However long the drive on the pavement and the seemingly mundane and endless dirt road it was however also extremely scenic. The leaves had already turned up there into the bright Claude Monet colors of fall. This time of year reminds me of New Hampshire on the 1/8 scale. The magnitude of New Hampshire leaf peeping and the amazing scenes laid out before every tourist driving I-93 throughout the state, stopping to snap photos which can cause major pile ups, and the jaw-dropping vistas of natures canvas spread across the landscape in ROYGBIV is one of the only things I miss about New England. Yet, here in the West it seems no one really seeks out this aspect and time of nature in its utmost brilliance. There are so few people in the back country these days and those that are there are looking to kill some game. So, as it stands we have that in the west but again 1/8 the scale and 1/8 the crowd. I walked around and took so many photos of natures cool off and prep for winter that I probably spent equal time between gazing off, hitting the shutter and actually fishing... Then I caught some fish. The river was big and wide, the fish educated, and the weather was mostly cooperative minus a few bits of hail and rain every night. All in all an equation for good times with no fractions or remainders, solid math like 2+4=6. Solid adventure. I really don't know what I am saying now, so if you followed that malaise congrats, because I didn't. Let's visualize nature & fish:

Four Distinct Moments

2009-09-14T08:32:00.005-06:00

The weekend had four distinct moments. In no order were they termed or decided. They were not ranked or judged. They were just the four distinct moments of the weekend that we reflected upon on the way home. They could not be ranked, they could only be appreciated and remembered. Here they are in no particular order:

First up. As we awoke the first morning we made coffee a few times to charge the system as it was lacking the juice to move. We contemplated where to fish and discussed our anticipation of what each location could bring, the different water types through the different sections of river and the challenge each section would bring. We packed up camp and started driving to spot one. On the way Amanda stated that she did not want to be charged at by a moose. I offered my input as I always do and noted that I never want to be charged by any big mammals... ever! I also stated that there are three things I am afraid of in Utah. Moose, lightning, and rattle snakes. I am the least afraid of the rattlers. So looking into the dark gray North Western skies I thought we may be in store for some lightning. As we parked and geared up, my back to the bush I heard cracking of branches and without looking shouted moose. Down below, directly where we planned to start fishing came a moose. He looked at us non too happy and eventually after getting close enough to make us retreat into the truck took off down the other side of the river. We decided to go in the other direction. On the way home we ran into him again at the same spot, this time he had his special lady friend with him... ahh fall dating!

Next was the exit out of fishing. We fished up for quite a while and decided it would be best to wrap up and get out before it got too dark. We made our way out for a short distance until the choice had to be made; bushwhack or go back and try somewhere else. The decision was to push forward; wrong idea. We wound up walking through one of the gnarliest beaver ponds ever, it smelt horrible. So bad in fact that when we got out we hiked back down the road and into the water to wash the stank off. The area looked like R.O.U.S.'s would be popping out to get us at any moment. You know R.O.U.S.'S? Rodents Of Unusual Size. We had to literally walk on top of the trees and then they would break testing the durability of our skin and the strength of our bones. The best part of the story was when we emerged back onto the road we were maybe 40 feet from the parking area and an easy trail in & out... oh well, it's all an adventure!
Next up, the moonrise. Friday night's moonrise was one of the most beautiful celestial events I have ever seen. Pictures do all the talking and still don't give it justice. You did have to be there to understand this.
Finally, as always the true goal of every weekend from the end of winter till the tram starts turning at Snowbird during the first few snow storms. The Fishing!

My Weekend

2009-09-09T09:35:00.005-06:00

Headed South of Evanston to a small little mountain stream in search of more Cutthroats.

With the extended weekend I had plenty of time to explore. I walked up a few of the tributaries flowing into the main stream and found some really tight technical holes to cast into and pulled some nice colorful but small Cutthroats out. More of a test of finite casting than anything else.

After finding the Cuttys I decided to moved on to another spot in search for some browns in a bigger river, in much depper holes and water. Unfortunatly I could only muster up a bunch of little ones, the bigger browns that I could see in the pools wanted nothing to do with me. After hitting this spot for a day I left again and traveled to another spot.
The 4WD and clearance of a stock Tacoma is awesome. Yet, after about 8 miles of rock crawling trying to get to this high mountain spot I was denied by very very large boulders and a downed Pine tree. Being forced to turn back down the 4-wheeler sized trail I crept down the trail in reverse because there was no room to turn around. It became a 3 hour adventure all for not, but you never know what will be at the end of the road if you never take the chance to drive down it.
Where will next weekend bring me?

Small fish, small flies

2009-08-31T10:11:00.004-06:00

Hit a small stream with some small flies. Little Grumpies and Raggedy Andy's. I really love the small, intimate streams, the solitude they moslty provide because people always seem to chase the bigger fish in bigger water while I prefer to just catch fish. Always fun.

Apres Work, few hours to fish

2009-08-26T13:02:00.003-06:00

Busted out of work and headed to the water as fast as possible. I knew my next few weekends were going to be fishless so I had to get a few before I headed out of town at the end of the week. Only got a few Browns in the short time I had. It was a scenario of pay your $15 dollars for the room, hit it, and move on to the next. I had a lot of fun in doing so, felt kinda dirty and learned a thing or two about a thing or two. Tried throwing streamers but it didn't quite work out for me... practice practice practice.

Football on Sunday?

2009-08-23T11:52:00.007-06:00

Headed back to Football Creek with Amanda. My god, teaching someone is difficult, especially when they slay it so fast! Not to say she is killing it all over, but the learning curve is, well bending. The enthusiasm is really her biggest asset. I think the same went for me when I first started, you quickly figure out if this "sport" is for you or not. You find yourself either saying this sucks, it's fun for a few weekends a year, or you envision the remainder of your life in search of the beauties that live just beneath the surface. For me, this is an old man's game, being that I will be playing this game as an old man, and as Amanda stated she will be an old women slaying trout.
Amanda learned today why it is called Football Creek, she caught a football. It was funny. I was dabbing a streamer through a hole when she said "I'm on". I looked into the hole she was fishing and saw the monster rise, I exclaimed "HOLY SHIT" and yelled for her to lift her rod up high, reel it in and let it run. She knew whatever was on the other end was heavy but had no idea what she had clenched onto her fly until it got really close and rose next to her, I think her reaction was similar to mine; "holy shiz-nit". She fought the fish well, it made several runs up but never down, lucky her. We got it into the net and the look on her face was somewhere between shock, fear, joy, and happiness, a collage of emotion. We got her to pick it up and started taking pics, after a few we got in back into the net and had her take of few with me holding it so we could better see the beautiful monster football Cutthroat. It was then that I looked at her and she wasn't yet taking pictures, her hands were shaking so much it made me laugh. I "yelled" at her to take pics and she snapped a few before the shaking and adrenaline took over again. That was enough, we let the beautiful Cutt go back into the depths. I looked at her and said "Do you realize what you have just done? You may never catch a fish like that again, ever! That may be a once in a lifetime catch." Not bad for fishing a handful of times... ahh, the teacher so proud of the student!
Garside's cutthroat
(me holding Garside's fish)
Good times Garside

700k for Cutthroat Searching

2009-08-17T11:32:00.009-06:00

700 miles of driving around Utah in search of Cutthroats. Well, I had to put my money where my mouth had been. The taste was not good; sour leading to bitter with a touch of irony in the background, and a long weak finish. I had been told about some new water to go explore and I set out to check on it. I wanted to target a specific species. I was in search of Cutthroats, and specifically Native Bonneville Cutthroats. So, I had to test the waters, the pavement, dirt, and soul. Getting there seemed as difficult as the first lunar landing probably was. The map was useless and I was heading into the utmost unknown. Usually the Utah DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer is spot on, not so in this grid. It was pretty much useless and if times got rough it would have been the perfect fire starter. The landmarks I was told to look for were all in place but the map numbers, road numbers and names, and geography were all wrong. Making the trip extra difficult and the final location impossible to find. Well, not impossible cause I did find it. However, 10 years of being absent... my source proved to be the catalyst of change. The stream was down an easy 3 feet. The riverbed rocks long exposed to sunlight had burnt the mossy cling-ons that once flourished in the bottom of the stream on the rocks and they had turned a bright sun bleached white. There was no way 8-10" cuttys still lived here, and I was correct... they don't. I headed to the other stream just on the other side of the mountain range and again, water too small, bad map, lots of driving, etc. etc. New plan....

I packed up camp, got in the truck and headed out to yet another location, scene 3. Again, searching for more cutts. I pulled down a road where I had once fished years ago with B.G. I knew where the secret turn off after mile marker "xx" was, you know behind the OK Corral... but wait... a fence... a gate... a sign... private property? WTF? Denied again! STRIKE 3!
Feeling frustrated and seeing the sun was no longer going up or suspended for a moment in the sky, it was working its way west, and going down sooner than I'd like it to. I had to make a break for it to avoid another search by navigating the star chart at night, landmarks are difficult to see at night(if you didn't know). I arrived at the spot after dark no less, the area was crowded by hunters and 4-wheelers... perfect these fools don't fish.
So, it wasn't the desired spot. It wasn't the second days spot either. Nor was is by chance spot 3, no I was in the bonus round now, and spot 4 was going to deliver!
No disappointment the fourth time around... fours a charm? I did finally encounter the Cutthroats I was in search of. The lesson to be had was simple... when in search of specific things you may not always find them or find what you are looking for. Amazingly, this is the first time I have ever searched out a water to be denied on its bounty... times three. Yet, the drive to find the cutthroats didn't end, I persevered and after 700 miles from Friday to Sunday I may call the adventure just that, an adventure...
Where to next? More, bigger, fatter cutts next weekend? Who knows? I do know I will not be returning to spot 1,2,3 anytime soon. Time to bust out the maps and start the search again, for when the search stops so does the adventure and expansion of skills, heart, love, knowledge, solitude, and life... shit, what else... trout hunting.

A Journey North of Salt Lake City

2009-08-14T12:34:00.009-06:00

Mark came in for his annual visit to Utah and the Western States to slay trout. I sadly missed his trip last year and would not make the same mistake again this year.

I fortunately got the time of from work and hit the road with:

Grizz
Chilli
B.G.
Mark
me (photo by Mark)

We headed North of Salt Lake City in search of monster trout in the remoteness of a grand mountainous forest.

All stacked up, like being on the Provo.
Still not sure if this net was truly big enough.

Once there it took no time to realize I was slightly over my head. The three in the group are all excellent sticks, and I found myself intimidated by them, their skill and prowess. Nothing they did intentionally intimidated me, it is just the difference between fishing their whole lives and me just a few years into a lifelong game... I was the top seeded amateur amongst the pros. :)

Mark navigating the holding monsters.

I know I am solid in my method of fishing, but my method did not meet the standard necessary to hook and land these behemoths. I did catch some nice cutthroats off the Raggedy Andy and some dry flies, and any other day in which you catch an 18" cutty is good, wait no... it's great. Yet, on this trip they did not measure up. The satisfaction sought by all was much bigger than a few little cutties.

Wild berries for natural energy boost.

I have never truly fished in the way we did, nor have I ever made a journey just to target a specific species. I now know that has changed. I really enjoyed the challenge of targeting just one species and the absurd lack of satisfaction in catching fish that you were not actually after. Usually any fish caught is a good thing, just not this go round.

Native window art.

The other aspect of true satisfaction, and possibly a test in my theory of fishing and adventure was the self realization that I needed to improve a very big portion of my game. There are aspects and styles that I want to improve and this trip shed a bright light on those aspects.

The test in theory was that of not catching fish but still being happy where you're at. I was exceptionally satisfied with the location, geology, forest, water, landscape, remoteness, friends, fish, and the time spent in the car driving.

I can honestly say this was a trip where I did not land a lot of fish but was more than plainly content, I was ecstatic to see my friends doing well and to acknowledge my own limitations and be completely satisfied with taking a back to seat to those guys and watch and learn. I felt like a drugged up child with severe A.D.D. I loved staring off into the mountains, clouds, trees and water basking in their greatness, with full appreciation of the surroundings.

So, my theory of catching fish being icing on the cake holds true, as I am so looking forward to returning to this spot in the future, with a bag of new found tricks and skills and testing the waters with said skills and slaying it!

Gourmet food on the fire, so good! Thanks everyone for taking their turn on the fire and food.B.G. through the trees.
Mark dresses for success and the ladies everywhere he goes.

Cutthroats, Browns and Flowers

2009-08-04T22:17:00.008-06:00

I took Amanda to Football Creek. I knew that I had to bring her somewhere that she could catch fish. I know all too well the frustration that builds when learning to fly fish, spending days on the water without catching anything. I wanted this day to be different for her, her fortunes had to change. After hitting the Provo with no fish we had to hit a spot where I knew fish where active.
Football Creek is a minimum 12+ hour day of fishing, hiking and driving. She was a champion about it and was rewarded with lots of fish... of course there is "the one that got away" but I saw it, she hooked into a very nice cutthroat but it broke her off.
It was a really good learning experience for both of us. For me teaching someone and trying to think of a hundred ways to convey the same thing but differently until it clicks for the person. For her, it wound up being a lesson in casting, hook setting, and landing bigger fish. Not many people catch fish like she did her fourth time out.
It was great to have someone I could play fishing baseball with. Catch a fish and it's a hit, next batter up. Prick three, miss three, hook up and loose it and your out. Fortunately she was also catching fish so we each got plenty of at bats each and plenty of fish were brought to hand.

Unreal

2009-07-30T22:25:00.012-06:00

Last November I was alerted to a potential hot bed of fly fishing by Master Yoda.
We made a hasty plan to meet up around Pioneer Day... July 24 for you non-Utah persons.
I was not given any information about this spot other than it was East of Salt Lake. The fishing was amazing and that it was a small stream. Both Yoda & I prefer the small streams.
So when time came to throw down Izzy e-mailed me a map of no names, arrows, circles, mile markers, and FR road numbers. From this I deciphered where I was headed, and began to make plans to leave.
I didn't do any research into the area I was about to set forth upon. Yoda keeps this place very secret. While there he explained to me that to give the location of this spot to anyone else was to void the friendship we had created. In short he said; "you would be dead to me." (so don't ask)
Along with this he also dialed me into another creek that we will fish next year when his foot has healed. The bonus to all this was he dropped the beans on a few other choice spots here in Utah.
So, I packed my truck up for 6 nights of camping and fishing.
I didn't know the species of trout, the elevation, the terrain, the weather or anything at all about what I was getting into. Just location. I knew the secrecy Yoda holds this place in and I thought the less I knew the better. Even now, I still don't want to research the area. It was pristine and I want to keep that way. Ignorance will be my bliss.Therefore I truly was venturing into the unknown.
I left Salt Lake late in the evening and after stopping to get my out of state fishing license and food I arrived at the circle, circle, dot, dot, mile marker 45 on the map at about 5 am.
There on the FR road was a sign with an arrow pointing down with my name on it; my new home for a few days.
Drove down, parked and went to sleep in the back of my truck. With the sun about to break and the sky just turning a dull blue I passed out. It would not be long before the heat of the sun would wake me.
I awoke hot, sweaty, hungry, in desperate need of coffee and almost feeling rested. I was astonished to wake up to a breath taking canyon full of magnificent rock formations, thousands of aspens, so many different conifers, and a beautiful small stream.
What I would learn over the next few days was that this was very close to mecca, or at least a fly fishing paradise. The Holy Grail of spots. Not for size, but for the amount of fish, the cleanliness of the stream, and the miles the stream covered.
Now many people go after the big guns, I just like to catch fish... well trout.I caught more fish in 6 days than most people probably catch in a life time of fly fishing. I am not being cocky, I just happened to land an insane amount of fish. Also, one of the agreements and conditions of me fishing here with Yoda was that I had to pinch the barbs on my hooks and be barbless. Truth be told it was a blessing. I would not have caught nearly as many fish had I had a barbed hook.
The smallest fish measured in at just about double a Grumpy Frumpy, the largest being about 8-10"s.
It was not a matter of quality over quantity, or even quantity over quality.
It was a balance of small fish, pretty fish, remoteness, scenery, and an easy estimate of thousands of fish per mile of stream.
The final tally was just 7 Rainbows... and 582 Brookies. My best day was 189 fish in 180 minutes and totaled out at 201 for the day. That equates to 1 fish every minute and five seconds for three consecutive hours. With that type of action leaning to insanity I questioned the legality of catching so many fish. This just had to be illegal.
There is no doubt there will be a return trip next year.
As always in the end catching fish is just the bonus to the adventure, scenery and experience. The solitude and time to think was immense. So glad I brought some books along with me otherwise my little mind would have been going 100 different directions rather than the usual 20.

Hog Hotel, Kerplackistan, Utah

2009-07-13T23:37:00.003-06:00

The Park City Food and Wine Classic took a lot out of me, my liver is still a tad bit angry. I was supposed to fish with my boss and some suppliers but found myself not wanting to get out of bed... ever. It was the right move to stay where I was. So, when B.G. sent the text to go fish Sunday I was all in. It had been almost a full year since I had fished with B.G. and I was not going to pass up the opportunity to go. B.G. taught me how to fish, and when a Jedi Master asks you for something you do it!
It was also nice that he wanted to head out at 8 in the morning. I remember being up at 6, 5, or even 4 in the a.m. to meet up with B.G. and get after it. Honestly I see 4 am through the night now more than waking up to see it. We hit the road and headed to Kerplackistan. On the way I reminisced about the weekend past and the great time I had had at the P.C.F.&W. Classic, and how I was still kicking myself over some of the events of said weekend... a whole other story not to be told. As we hit the water it began to get hot hot hot. The fish were not holding in the usual places one would think to find them. As B.G. and I would figure out rather quickly they were hiding in the holes and cut banks along the edges. B.G. quickly referred to these as "Hog Hotels" as they were just that. Hogs hanging just waiting for the biggest fly one could chuck their way. Then, kerplack! They would nail it hard. We fished one stretch with good results. The fishing was not on fire, but when you did hook up it was onto a good size, fat, strong fish. We ended the run and relocated. Same story, different stretch. We got to about the end of our day but I had the mentality of "come on, I just want to get one more, just one." So, on the last portion of Kerplackistan, 'bam' a hit, I set the hook but let go of my line and it began to spool out. Caught it, gathered it in and snap, fish gone... poor hook set. We worked hard for all our fish and it was well worth it.
Needless to say I cannot wait to hit the water with B.G. again soon!

Happy 4th

2009-07-04T09:46:00.004-06:00

Could not make up my mind... stay home and party all weekend or go camping and fishing. Well, I split the time and took an all day fishing adventure. Spoke with B.G. before heading out and took his direction on where to go.
Once there and rigged up I began the hike, I looked at my watch and decided 30-45 minutes of walking would be sufficient river to fish. On my way down I walked bye another person on the ridge looking down into the river and we only exchanged a nod... I think we were both surprised to see each other. I got down into the water and started fishing back to the truck. (about 6 hours of fishing back) It seems every time I fish it is a minimum 12 hour day.
The fishing was slow, and I couldn't figure out why, throughout the day I threw everything at them. 4 different stimulators, Grumpies, Green Drakes, Stone flies, every color combo of the Raggedy Andy, and I think I also through the kitchen sink at them. They all seemed to work at different times, but nothing consistent.
So, as I made my way along I noticed three fish rising in a pool, then I noticed a man sitting in the weeds, smacking on a pipe. He came down to me and started to talk about the next hole and he was giving it a break. His name was Scott, very nice, used bamboo rods and has the same thought process about fishing I do... keep it safe, keep it secret. He too was having a tough day and said he had fished it yesterday and it was on fire, phenomenal, and unrelenting. What a difference a day makes. We both agreed to jump each other for the rest of the day and share the river, and give each other the peace and solitude we both desire on a river. Some people are just so cool when they "get it."
As I said the fishing was sporadic, total count was a dozen fish, so about two an hour. The best was a measure 23"-er that kicked my ass. I made three runs down river trying to land him. Fell into a deep whole and got my socks wet, then got him into the net. So glad to have landed him, the highlight of the day.

Another day a few fish

2009-06-15T23:20:00.009-06:00

With all the rain we have been having it has been hard to find something to do outdoors. Can't climb in the rain, can't fly a kite in lightning, can't fish in lightning, snowboarding is over, and people get all poopie-diaper when you mountain bike in the mud, kind of like Verting in the skin track. Which I would like to add is retarded. It's a mountain. bike, get it dirty, ruts are fun! So, Saturday I cleaned the house, watched baseball (Mets & Yankees... yuck!) and ventured out to take some photos, all in all boring, non-eventful and a waste of a day off. Sunday had to be different, it just had to.
I awoke Sunday to clear blue skies, a cool temp, and an itch to catch some fish. So I through all my gear in the truck and headed out. Drove about 2 -2 1/2 hours away... into more blue skies.
The approaching storm.
By the time I got to where I was going the skies turned grey and began to rumble. I quickly rigged up and started to fish. I was able to trick about 7 fish into my net in an hour and a half until... flash... KABOOM!
I saw a quick flash of lightning followed by an instantaneous thunder shockwave which made me duck like I could avoid lightning and jump out of the water. I thought to myself this must be "gods" way of telling me to go home. I made it back to the truck in a hurry and sat in the back just listening to the rain patter off the shell, the wind whipping, the thunder roll, and the lightning crash. It was very peaceful to just lay there for an hour or so and relax, get mellow, and chill.
Shelter from the storm.
On my way out I stopped to check out another hole and noticed just how much rain had fallen as it turned the water into chocolate milk.
Nestle Quick chocolate milk water.
I am ready for another fishing adventure soon! Hopefully the weather will start to turn but not too hot please, I hate 100+ degrees and I am very much OK with this extended spring type weather.
It was a great day for the tag team of the Raggedy Andy and Grumpy Frumpy... my all time favorite combo... the everywhere slayers. These two flies together are unstoppable.
Raggedy Andy.
Grumpy Frumpy.
Raggedy Andy through the Ghost Net.
There were some other creatures lurking around the water. Tons of tiny little Yellow Finches ( I think). Very hard to get an in focus shot of these little guys as they fly around a lot. Same with all the Hummingbirds I saw. Also saw a deer and another fisherman.
Tiny deer.
Yellow bird.
Unknown fisherman making a splash.

Moab bike, climb, camp

2009-06-11T09:34:00.008-06:00

Hit Moab over the weekend with Brock, Wendy & Bill & their 2 kids. Did some camping, biking, climbing and then headed to work on Monday and Tuesday while they went off into the desert to do some climbing while I earned a paycheck.

We headed out along the river looking for Fat Bastard... the climb that we could all do with the two kids not being exposed too much. Good times, and not a bad climb for my 4th climb since I was a pre-teen back in N.H.

Me starting to climb.
Brock.
Wendy.
Bill.

We camped above the Slick Rock trail head which is below the Porcupine trail head. Brock and I were saddled up to ride Porcupine which we were told is amazing and it is. The climb is very techincal with ledges ranging from a few inches to a few feet. After riding the ridge along the top of the plateau we finally got to the single track section and it was game on. Both Brock and I got bucked from the bike a few times donating some skin to the rocks. We finished the ride quicker than we were told we would which was nice, can't wait to get back down there and slay that trail again. The views are amazing.

At our camp site we were at the base of a large cliff. The full Moon rose and illuminated the sky so brightly. You could see stars but the Moon was so bright the sky remained blue. I was able to geek out a bit with the camera and take some of what are to me a few of the best photos I have ever taken.

Night time and blue skies.

The Moon Rise.

First Time of O-Nine

2009-05-17T22:41:00.005-06:00

Headed out on the first fishing adventure of 2009 this morning. Once again solo... last minute bailouts... you bitches! They missed out.
6:30 comes too early, I wish they could push it back until like 9. The drive brought back a lot of memories. The ones of driving to go fishing, the scenery of the adventure, the warm sun, the people, the time, the feeling of life and just purly being alive. I have fished this water with every single person I have ever fished with at least twice. It is a comfortable stretch that is not too dangerous to fish alone. The road was dusty, the air dry, the water fishy, the landscape grand, and the forest moose-y. Needless to say I was in the mood and the mood was set well.
I went back to old reliable. A place where one may cast wildly with violent arm movements, shakes, shanks, slices, slaps, worm burners and chili peppers. You can murder the art of a good cast here and still not hang up in the branches. Well, at least at first. As you travel along it gets more technical, tighter, and precise. I was happy to have all the early open room for my back cast as it was rusty. I shook it off in about 1/2 hour to the point where I could deliver a fly to the proper spot(-ish) where fish should live. I at least DO have a good excuse to my lack of fishing for say the last 6 months. That is due to the fact that the last time I touched cork not from a wine bottle was back at the Dagobah System and we've had 600+" of snow since then, so it was high time for me to get mellow and get myself to the liquid form of water.
I hit the water running, literally. I dove right in and started flailing line about the air in reckless abandon. Within a few casts, boom fish on! Needless to say I am once again addicted! Here is the first of hopefully many many more days of fishing in 2009.
this one fell away mid shot
first fish of 09

Pipeline, Snowbird

2009-05-16T17:53:00.000-06:00

PIPELINE

I finally hit the K12 (from the movie Better off Dead) or Pipeline. It is the iconic chute of Snowbird's back country access. Unfortunately it is only open in the spring, never really in pow conditions. I have been at the bird since 1999 and without Kristians motivation I still wouldn't have done it. It was ideal corn spring conditions. Went with Donnie & K-Dog, a short hike to a mediocre but fun ride down. From the top of the tram on Hidden Peak the Pipeline looks steep, slightly narrow and long. From the top of the Pipeline however it is not narrow at all, plenty of room for school bus parking all the way down. I can not imagine what this would be like on a pow day, well actually I can, it would be awesome. Maybe some snowmobile poaching will have to be done next season, like bombing Alta mid season... which I have never done, they can keep it.
Donnie & Kristian hike the ridge.
Looking @ Timp from the top of Pipeline.

Really cool mossy rocks at 11,000 plus feet.
The view down Pipeline.
Kristian & Donnie on top waiting for the corn to form.
The Wastach Range looking North East.

Ready to fish

2009-05-11T10:45:00.003-06:00

Got all my Raggedy Andy's in a row, ready to fish. Runoff should end shortly with the warming temps and a little more upper elevation rain, streams are ready and so am I!

Napa, CA

2009-04-25T21:17:00.016-06:00

Oak barrels being being prepared at the cooperage we visited. Very cool.
Some amazing stain glass at Beringer Estates.

Old old hand carved barrels in the caves behind Beringer.

The award winning blend B.A. (Bad Attitude) by Brett & Andy at Chateau St Jean. We took the 5 varietals that go into the Cing Cepages and made our own blends. We won!
All the tools for the perfect blend, BA.

Got to go on another vineyard trip. This time to Napa and Sonoma, CA. Bitchin' for sure!

It was an experience for sure, maybe one in a life time. If I had been treated this well my whole life you might be calling me Ceasar. Really, Beringer/Fosters/Limestone out did any experince I have had before. Thats not to say any trip before this was not spectacular, it was just different. It was the attitude of the people we met, their attitude towards life, wine, friendship, and all else...cool, like the other side of the moon. Excited to go back for sure.

Washington Wine Country

2009-04-10T17:37:00.008-06:00

I am truly lucky. Not everyone gets to say they love their job. Well I do. The rare trip to wine country is just candles on top of the icing on the cake that you do indeed get to eat.
Chateau Ste. Michelle
We flew into Seattle & headed to the tourist trap along the water to watch people throw fish, eat fried fish, and enjoy the scenery. The people in the area are included in the scenery.
A serious commitment to barrel. They hand stir the lees weekly... every barrel. F'N' crazy!
A short time later we boarded the vans and headed to the winery. Upon arrival we got a tour of the facility in which they make the white wines.
"Training"
After that we sat down down for some official training. The cool thing about the wine biz is that training is actually drinking. Ok, not really, it is tasting. I sat at the table with 15 wines in front of me, to drink them all would turn me into a frat boy, or just an ass, and probably cost me my job.
They even have trout at the winery, should've brought my rod!
So its a spit, swallow, spit, spit, spit process. Besides, the next stop was dinner at the winery, 7 courses I believe, all paired with wines of which I did drink.
The day ended at the hotel with beers and wines in the lobby bar. It was an early night, about 11pm, we had to be up early for the 4 hour drive south througt the Cascade mountains to the Columbia Valley AVA to tour the red wine facility, then Col Solare on Red Mountain, followed by another epic dinner, all paired up with great wines of which the 2001 Col Solare was my top choice.
I am lucky enough to be traveling to Napa for round two in late April. Hopefully budbreak is underway. I have only seen vineyards before budbreak and right at harverst time. Seeing all the cycles will be very educational.

One thing for me with all this is actually seeing the vineyards the AVAs, the geography and geology of the area. I guess its the same as seeing Paris, or just seeing pictures. You can never fully appreciate or even understand until you see it for yourself.

Thank you Chat. Ste. Michelle!

Southern Utah Day 3, 20d

2009-03-25T16:42:00.008-06:00

These were the shots over the 3 days from my new Canon EOS 20D. It was my first time shooting with it and I have so much to learn! I really enjoyed the experience the camera is great! I am sure I will only get better with practice and a little help from my friends with similar passions.

Being alone camping at night is boring, you can only drink SO much PBR. So playing with the camera is a good way to pass the time.
the Big Dipper
sunrise

sunset

what a great view from my tent to wake up to
sunrise

That is right I do have the longest legs in the West
filming the sunrise
I hope you enjoyed this post and the others from Southern Utah. I only hope to get better with my cameras, get better shots, and even better vistas.

Southern Utah Day 2

2009-03-24T22:24:00.004-06:00

Native American Granaries

Day 2 in Moab. I spent Saturday running and shooting. Some good shots came from it that I was happy about. I saw the most beautiful, awe inspiring sunset I have ever seen in my life. The sunset shots are not edited in anyway. No photo shop, no auto correct. Pure, raw, and amazing. It popped up out of no where. It was very cloudy and the sun set behind the mountains. I packed up my gear and started the hike back down then I saw the pink glow appear on the horizon, then I started running back to the top. By that time the sky started to turn red. I really learned the meeting of hurry up and wait, then hurry and wait again. It truly was breath taking... Hope you enjoy:

God damn right it's hard being a gangster!

Southern Utah

2009-03-23T16:08:00.006-06:00

My drive into Moab.

With a fellow employee moving onto a new job the Moab market was open. I begged my boss for the Moab area, well I really just asked but was prepared to beg if need be. He said I could have it if I could get down there in the next two weeks, so I left for Moab 4 days later. Work was fun, the people of Moab are great. My play time was even better!

My plan was to shoot photos and video. Then, shoot more photos. I was amazed to see just how many shots I took. Lets just say about 5GB in total before deleting the bad ones. I hit a National Park for these shots. I ran all over the park with my camera bag, camelback and tripod. My goal was to see everything there, and figure out locations for good shots for the future. Light is so important down there, well anywhere for that matter, but especially scenic southern Utah. I have UV and PL filters for all my cameras but it doesn't always cut out all the atmosphere you need them to. So that was Saturday. Sunday I took my mtn. bike out for a 20 mile loop, fun, scenic, and scoping for more shot locations. I ended with beer and eggs for breakfast. Sitting around in shorts, flip-flops, sunglasses, and no shirt was great All in all I am happy with my results, and look forward to returning to Moab for work and play. The bus-cation rules.

Day 1, Friday morning sunrise then back to work for the day.
(Canon A590is w/0.5x52mm wide angle)
Days 2 and 3 still to some with another of just shots from my Canon EOS 20D which I took out on its maiden voyage... it was high time I learned how to shoot with that.
However, I really love my Canon Power Shot A590IS.

White Pine 3/14/09

2009-03-16T18:29:00.015-06:00

Got the text from Micah, headed to White Pine in the a.m. and I responded with a "hell yeah!"

The Bird was played like a Boys & Girls Club 4-square ball.

Micah & Forrest had no issues hiking the established boot pack up the White Pine Ridge.
The Pfeifferhorn, taken from White Pine.
We continued to hike the ridge in the well established boot pack. Red Baldy would prove to be a different story all together.
Micah scales the bulletproof ice along the ridge.
I think you get the theme, hike, hike, hike... earn your turns.
Red Baldy. We hiked the ridge from the trees on the bottom right back up to the main chute. The snow was rotted, sugary, and offered no traction. I would have welcomed ice or a post hole or two, we were not that lucky. We all struggled, Micah the least, me the most. It tested our minds for vocabulary words that contained more than four letters... fun? Yes.
Timpanogos.
Red Baldy.
Micah on top of the Wasatch.
Forrest down Long John Silver.
Forrest down Red Baldy.

All in all, a very fun day of firsts for me.

Forbidden Zone, Snowbird, Utah

2009-03-15T09:42:00.009-06:00

I never dropped this cliff before this season. This was just the second time. It is off Upper Cirque @ Snowbird. Probably the 1st, 2nd or 3rd biggest cliff I have ever hit. The photos are a little grain-y but it is what I got. They are in order, if you look closely, and click through the pics you can see the whole thing. Thanks for the sequenced photos Ryan Mitchell. Adrenaline is fun!

Winter photos

2009-03-01T10:09:00.005-07:00

been tying a lot of raggedy andy's lately, a sane/safe way to keep my mind occupied

Just some winter photos from the last two months...

What a day...6 stitches and a tetanus shot.

2009-02-03T20:21:00.003-07:00

Glad I didn't injure my eyeball...

Inversion

2009-01-23T11:07:00.002-07:00

Inversion is gross! I think I am getting "the black lung".

Day after the day after the storm

2009-01-04T16:43:00.004-07:00

A beautiful, frosty day! It was so cold it was quite, you could hear pine needles hit the snow.

The air was so clear and pure, it felt like a great day to be in the mountains for sure.
It seemed colder at the bottom than the top and ridge lines.
Tyler Andersen visits the white room.
The snow became very variable over night, with patches of soft, fluffy snow to piles of hardened death crust. Alta was fun though, soft over there all along the ridge line and wind lips. It all then boiled down to chips, good ole' chips, the constant friend, and walk on trams all day! Another day to smile for

12 inches of fresh

2009-01-03T19:27:00.005-07:00

fs cab 5 almost there
solid method
I don't know how or why I grabbed there, but it threw me off, ok it was the jumps fault too!
12" of fresh snow fell over night. Today turned into the best day of the season for me. Really good lines, good snow, good friends, good jumps, etc. I was trying to spin on everything and I landed my first fs cab 540, yeah for me! I fell 2 of the 3 times I tried, redemption manana. The day started off early, especially after my late night. Then, I picked Kristian up @ 7:20. We headed to the canyon and:stuck behind the plows the entire way up.

It made us miss first tram, but we got the 2nd one, which was better b/c by ten they had opened up Great Scott and the cirque. The rest of the day went with Krisitan and I switching back and fourth with the camera. It wrapped up with a meeting of a few minds in the Tram Club.

January 1, 2009. A Fresh Start?

2009-01-02T16:52:00.003-07:00

Well a year has come and gone. Januray 1, a day in which we decide to make certain changes; A Fresh Start, hopefully that just means more Fresh Snow is coming! My resolutions have already paid their dividends. Karma has treated me well these last few weeks.
tWas a cold, blustery day, the front is moving in more snow for the Saturday & Sunday shred-tacular, much needed.

12-28-08

2008-12-28T17:04:00.005-07:00

Today was a good day, double grab fs 3 felt really good. It put this smile on my face:

Then I pulled off into the trees

to find a special treat left by Santa, he didn't forget about me after all,

and I enjoyed a candy cane.

Walk on trams are awesome!

12-27-08

2008-12-27T14:55:00.003-07:00

A beautiful day looking across the valley to the west.

With all this snow and little opened yesterday, we headed back to the Bird for some early morning pow searching. Things were slow to open again, but once the Cirque did it was fun fun and more fun. The tram line was long as usual, but not bad for a Saturday during the Holiday season in which Mineral Basin, Baldy, and Road to Provo have all still not opened.

Kristian Jelm and Jessica Wastell wait for another tram.

Kristian and Jessica getting a little air time.

December 26, 2008

2008-12-26T17:42:00.004-07:00

Solitude Sunrise

Snow totals were in the 1.5 to 3 foot mark across the Wasatch. Little Cottonwood was closed so we headed up to Solitude until the canyon opened to traffic. We got four chairs in at Solitude when we got the message that Little was opening at 10:30. We finished out our run and headed to Snowbird.

This is not the first time I have hit two resorts in one day, and again I was not denied good snow. Snowbird was typical holiday cheer, with tram line equal to the festivities; too long. :-) Then, electrical problems on the tram shut it down and everyone headed for the chairs. Half-hour later the tram reopened along with now being able to get silver fox, and other gems. As well as walk on trams, boo-yah! It was no wonder why they delayed the opening of the Peruvian side, there were wide spread avalanches on all aspects. The chunder was everywhere you had to ride through it to get anywhere and it hurts to fall on, so I didn't. Baldy, Cirque, Andersons, Black Jack, Who Dunnit all slid out. Beacons on in bounds this season.
With only about half the mountain open today, Saturday is looking very promising.

Kristian Jelm makes some pow move.

Bring in the Year

2008-12-25T12:03:00.005-07:00

Merry Christmas everybody. I hope it is treating you well. The holidays bring people together and usually brings out the best in people. Lately this has been mostly true for me. Some incredible people have been in my life recently and they have turned my soul. I think now that most people are good, and sometimes they behave bad, but in everyone is good. I've learned many lessons in 2008, and I feel I am a much better, more rounded, understanding, and rational person. I have learned empathy, I have learned how to let things go no matter how harsh the consequences I have learned to accept fate and destiny. I think all things do happen for a reason, and I believe that life is round like out planet. Things rotate around and eventually come back full circle, a new sunrise perhaps. Sometimes they return in different packages, and sometimes just the same as you left it but now refreshed, polished, strong and smiling. I have been to some great water this year with just a hand full of people. I have snowboarded with great friends and some great 6 month winter friends. I have drank some great wine, and through 2008 I have had some great times. I have spent time with family. I have opened new windows and doors that have been shut for a very long time.
Though, like any year in any one's life I have had my struggles. Yet, I don't feel downed by my struggles, I feel empowered. I feel the time of change and revelation. I feel stronger and more focused. I feel I learned in 2008 how to attack my struggles, to face them head on and make the changes that need to be made. Old things can be fixed, changed, and reinvented. I invite you to reflect back on 2008 and recall your best and worst times and enjoy them, look for the lesson or lessons you learned from your experiences and ask yourself what you gained and learned from those experiences and continue to apply them to today, and tomorrow. Hope 2008 was great for you and 2009 even better. Make some resolutions you really want and make them happen. I know I have mine :-).

-Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We need snow!

2008-11-29T17:35:00.004-07:00

We need more snow, no more High Pressuse please. The riding wasn't horrible, Gad2 was really fun. All I want for Christmas is deep deep pow.

High Pressure Blues

2008-11-18T13:54:00.001-07:00

High Pressure has set in here in the SLC. First day of the shred was, well, OK. The upper mountain was fun, the bottom was so East Coast, more survival than riding. Oh well, I guess that is what you get from one snow storm so far this year. Pray for snow, do a snow dance, or kidnap Mother Nature and make her make it happen!

Snow Time is Here

2008-11-11T14:51:00.003-07:00

Almost four feet of snow in one storm and more snow to come for months on end, oh yeah! Snowbird is open, time to pick up my pass and go!

This is Alta, click on the picture to see ALL the tracks, not bad for less than 12 hours after snowfall.

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

2008-11-02T11:43:00.016-07:00

This time around I got Friday off from work, so I headed out Thursday night to the Dagobah System, and this time I had three days to fish. The first weekend was not a battle for fish by any stretch of the imagination. I averaged 20 fish an hour for the first two days. These three days I think it got down to about 10-15 fish an hour. The fish seemed to be tired; having sexy time will do that. They were not hitting just any fly; they were more selective this time around. I played with a lot of different patterns but when it all broke down the Raggedy Andy was there to produce.

A really cool story about the Raggedy Andy... The Raggedy Andy came to be because I was fishing a small stream, turned over a rock and saw something I hadn't seen, nor did I have a pattern that matched it, so I went home, and with my minimal tying skills tied as close to what I saw as I could remember. The result of my efforts turned out to look nothing like what I had aimed to replicate, but all the same I brought it back to the original stream and it worked. Over the last few months that little nymph turned out to have some legs, then wings, then legs and wings. I started fishing it everywhere and it worked everywhere as well. Even though many people scoffed at the fly, it's raggedy look, and messy tie, it worked to their surprise, yet to my confidence I know it is a fly that works... everywhere. At the end of my first weekend I gave Yoda a few flies, the ones I had used that weekend that worked. Yoda gave me the three flies he uses for that stream, the three he has used for years. As I awoke Friday morning and spoke with Yoda he showed me a fly he had been tying during the week... the Raggedy Andy! He liked the legs and look, the small amount of flash, and he never has used bead heads before. His version of the Raggedy Andy looks more like the 'Tidy Andy', all clean and neat looking, like someone knew what they were doing when they tied a fly. He also told me he fished it, and that it had fished well. He said he now has four flies for the stream; the Raggedy Andy was on the guest list. For me, this was one of the best compliments I have received in fishing. I may have a sloppy cast, whack style, small knowledge, and a distorted view of my skills, but as I tell people, "I am not really good, I just enjoy fishing, and I just catch fish." But I know my bag of skills is a small one, I know, but to have someone who has got the skill set and know-how to fish, tie, and live the sport to take my little fly and duplicate, and then use it, and then swear by it, it was a wonderful compliment. Maybe I am reading too much into it, big deal... someone tied the fly you created, but for me it felt great.

Back to the Dagobah System. I now followed my routine, wake up, Mountain House eggs and bacon, which contain enough sodium and cholesterol to kill a stable of horses, coffee, and rolled out. My plan for the three days was to try and hit all the water I could. So I started at the end and over the next three days I fished up. As I said the fish were not as active as the weekend before. You could still stay put and catch fish, but now it was even more little guys, so when something big came along I pounded them until they took it. Yoda told me if I want the fish don't give up just keep casting, and eventually it will hit. Well, he was right, you could cast at a holding trout 20, 30, 80 times and eventually "bam" they hit it. I don't know why... I think they finally just get tired of you bothering them and hit it so you'll just go away; well that works for me. The weather was beautiful, and got warmer throughout the weekend. I hit most of the river, but didn't get to all. I slowed down as the fish slowed down. By third day the weather made a turn, almost 70 degrees, and very very windy. It's hard to cast a small rod, light line, surrounded by casting obstacles like trees, bushes, branches, my backpack, and other things. It got frustrating with the wind challenging me, and I don't need extra challenges.

Now this part of the story is both legendary and unbelievable. At the end of the second day I had my usual rap-up with Yoda and we swapped stories. He told me how he had broke off on a fat 20+ incher, and lost a Raggedy Andy. I told him that I was going to fish that section Sunday and that I would get his fly back for him... ha-ha. Now, something strange happened. As I was walking down the dusty dirt road to the stream a big hawk flew overhead and bellowed out a "caw-caw." Every time this happened to me in the past it turned out to be a great day, a great omen of the things to come. Well this was no different. I saw what I thought was a big fish hanging in some tail water; I made a cast... good drift... and nothing. So, I cast again and slapped it onto the water hard just a few feet ahead of him and BLAMO!! He hit it hard and running. I brought him back from the undercut bank, and then pulled him out of a log pile. As I brought him near to my feet I reached back, pulled my net and scooped 'em up. As I did I saw something small twinkle, and falling leaf through the water, I thought I had knocked my fly out of his mouth with the net, but nope, still attached. So I removed my fly, snapped a few shots and sent the fish on his way. I looked into the water where I had seen the twinkle and no B.S. there was Yoda's Raggedy Andy, I had got his fly back for him, and landed the fish that broke him off. At the end of the day, we wrapped it all up and discussed the upcoming week's weather and it looked like it was going to turn, and if it did Yoda was heading back home, and I wouldn't not be coming back if it looked poopie. As I turned to walk away, I said "oh yeah, I almost forgot, I kept my word, here is your fly back." We both looked at each other with a smile, and said goodbye. We agreed to keep in touch over the winter, and I was invited to meet him next summer in another state, at another secret hole, he didn't say why he invited me to his summer spot, but I am going, he said small fish, but a lot of them, and it was fun. If I know anything about Yoda it is that he only tells you some info, and 1/2 of it is a white lie, so I will be headed out next summer to meet him and probably catch some small stream monsters!

Here are a bunch of pictures from weekend two: enjoy...

Episode IV: A New Hope

2008-10-28T22:03:00.015-06:00

haha, two for one

"Yoda"

The Dagobah System, where one goes to find Yoda, and learn the ways of the force. We use Star Wars references to keep the identity and location of the people and places located in this Dagobah System a secret. So if you know where this "System" is located, please keep it to yourself. :) (thank you)

Headed out on a great adventure. I fished this spot the first year I started fishing, all 3 years ago and knew then that it was something very special and equally awesome. I didn't get to go last year because of some reason or another, so I was very excited to be going back, just like Luke, going back to complete my training. The first time here Bryan G and I met "Yoda". Yoda is an older guy who loves to fish the Wild West. His life is dedicated to fish, tying, his wife and family, and about living a purified life. When I pulled up the dirt road and made the turn and saw his red truck I knew I was blessed, the fishing was good, and Yoda was home. He spoke of this place so secretly and it is no wonder why he wants to keep it that way. So why did he tell us you might be asking if it is such a secret. Well I did ask him that and his immediate response was; "I still don't know." He told me what the fishing had been like recently and told me where I should head to in the morning, I listened well to the advice, started a fire, ate some dinner, drank a few PBRs, a sip or two of delicous Redwood Creek vino and hit the thermarest.

I awoke in the morning a bit cold, a low of 27 will do that to you. I got my breakfast of freeze dried eggs and bacon, plenty of coffee and headed out. I had an idea of what I was in for, but what I expected was unlike anything I have experienced in my short years of fishing. If I could put a song to it I would play "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen. You know; "Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow" (i hope by now you are singing it)

Standing in one spot and not even shuffling my feet, casting away, I would catch fish after fish. They were angry and smacking most anything that came even near their way. I used a variety of dries which produced. Some big hoppers, stimulators, and a few grumpy frumpys (i could've used more, thanks cheech). As for the nymphs olive hares ear, black hares ear, and wouldn't you know it the raggedy andy. Actually, when things stopped working I went to the R.A. and never looked back.

I fished from the time I took in calories and caffeine in the morning until sunset everyday. Not much else to say about the first weekend in the Dagobah System other than when I was fishing I was focused on the water and the rest of the time my mind was free to wander, ponder, and reflect.

Still to come in November, the Dagobah System

2008-10-27T11:27:00.002-06:00

A distant, mist-shrouded swamp planet, Dagobah does not appear in any modern starcharts. It is a forgotten world, and it was the home of the last remaining Jedi Master and Council member from the waning days of the Republic.(yoda)
The planet is covered in gnarled trees and fetid swamps. Huge lagoons are home to fearsome snakes and other creatures that swim in the murky waters. Leathery-winged avians take to the fog-filled skies. Though the planet has no signs of technology, its life form readings register as massive.(from: http://www.starwars.com/databank/location/dagobah/)

Coming in November

2008-10-21T19:17:00.002-06:00

Snow daze

2008-10-13T16:09:00.004-06:00

Snow, October, awesome! Some of us are ready, even anxious about some freshies, other would like a few more months of warm weather. As for me I am neutral, I know it will snow and I will be patient, besides I still want to do some more fishing without freezing my hands off, but making a deep pow turn could be fun too! This was the second snowfall of this fall, but much more than before, even snow in the valley.
I wanted to get away, be by myself, to be in a peaceful environment and be alone with my thoughts. Fishing can give me total enlightenment, a sense of calm and understanding. My mind meandered through loads and loads of information and thoughts. It was a great day to enjoy nature's beauty, to think, to reflect, to realize, and to learn.

Devastating Loss

2008-10-05T10:38:00.003-06:00

No pictures to go with this blog entry. Friday was a sad day, one of those things where things just go wrong all day. It started with my computer, it gave me some strange code and would not boot windows up. Brought it to my computer guy and it was the hard drive... gone. Every photo, work document, music, everything gone. Close to a thousand pictures and tons of music gone. Every document for my job, and whatever else I haven't thought of gone. Then, I went to the store and bought myself a soda, opened it up and *pop* explosion of Coca~Cola all over me. Went home, changed, and headed back out to finish off my day. Then bought a 6-pack of liquor store beers, got home and while I was walking to my front door the cardboard 6-pack holder broke, my beer fell to the ground with a smash, 2 of 6 beers down. I have been told that bad things happen in 3s, lets hope because Friday was a devastating day, things can always be worse, but please, no more, I have had enough for now...
The moral of the story is to go and buy yourself an external hard drive. I got a 500 mg external hard drive for under $100. I will never have to live with this pain again, and the funny thing is I had intended to buy one this week, I even wrote a note to myself to "buy external hard drive to back up photos, music, and work documents". All a moment too late and a dollar short. I could go to a "forensic computer doctor" and for about $2,000 have the possibility of salvaging my info, but I don't have the scratch, so a smaller $100 investment will cure my ailments next time. So, don't wait for it to be too late, act now! I am a dumb ass...

End of September

2008-09-28T10:18:00.007-06:00

Waking up early in my tent I looked at the time, 4:00 am, 38 degrees, brrrr cold. I rolled over and waited for my alarm to wake me up. Two and a half hours later and awake I quickly dressed myself in all my warm clothing and started to make the juice of life... coffee. Followed by oatmeal and rigging my gear for the day.
All geared up and ready to go. It got into the high 70's, then it rained, hailed, wind gusts and even snowed slightly.
the colors of fall
the pig of the day
same pig
last one of the piggy
the only cutty of the day

A Starburst bag of colors
Fall is here, thanks to a storm in the east and sunset in the west the light was great for this shot!

Fall views

2008-09-26T09:55:00.004-06:00

Went to a new body of water. The fishing was sporadic, it took 1/4 of the day to find the fish, another 1/4 of the day to find where they were hiding, and the other 1/2 was hit or miss for mostly small fish. Lesson learned, but the scenery was amazing. The fall colors of Utah give me the slightest reminder of New Hampshire fall, they are close but so far away on every level. I love all the colors that nature can provide our eye, it is visually the best time of year... until snow comes of course.

September fishing

2008-09-22T10:25:00.009-06:00

I left the house a little after 6am.
I was excited to hit the water, I was not excited about waking up or driving, so the snooze button was utilized once, or actually twice.
Hit the pavement with plenty of coffee, donuts, lunch, and watched a beautiful sunrise.
Arrived at the spot, and better yet all alone.
My goal of the day other than having fun, catching fish, enjoying nature, avoiding large mammals, and not falling in was to catch a few fish big enough to use my new net that I got
for my birthday.
All objectives were met.
I got home closer to 9pm, very long day but so worth it!
Great Success!

Finally!

2008-09-17T08:34:00.005-06:00

Quality not quantity. I've been trying to get a picture of this fish from this body of water all summer. Every time that I forgot my camera I'd catch one, every time that I remembered my camera I'd get blanked. Finally all things came together!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-03T20:49:00.013-06:00

Ahh, Labor Day weekend.
It just wouldn't be the same without four-wheelers and hunters. I love them all, tear it up!
I love them (again) because they are not fishing, but they are all so very friendly.
They all ask the same question; "how's the fishing?" and my learned response is; "OK, a few little ones", a lesson I learned from some very angry stares I got from two 'characters' once when I responded to the same question as "great".
I was hooking up constantly, sometimes we'd split the two forks of water and we'd both hook up. We literally lost count somehwhere in the 20s... each. The count didn't matter, at all. We were in the middle of no where, all alone, and we were both catching fish.
The weather was great for fishing, during the times we were fishing, the rest was a constant wind and rain, followed by very heavy rain and extremely strong winds with even stronger gusts and downpours, I thought for sure we'd get smacked by lightning or a falling tree. The lightning was so intense at times it would wake us up from the flash through out sleeping eyelids. We managed to stay dry, give it up to the Big Agnes tent, it is awesome!!!

The fishing is always "OK", and "just OK" or something to that tune, it is never "great"!

bottom line
I LOVE THIS &^$#!!!

Football Season

2008-08-25T14:55:00.011-06:00

Smiles and fishes.
Face-shot

Damn hunters make deer run crazy
Football season is here, and this is NFL size ball
Nerf ball

Football season is almost here. With that comes more people sitting on their couches watching football all day Sunday, less people on the water, more people out hunting, and the water levels are just right... and it also means football sized fish are hungry and active!

Durango

2008-08-19T08:02:00.012-06:00

Colorado Rockiesno more moo
sadie cold chillin'
Dad & Sadie
Wheezy & I
Sydney & I
Louise, Sydney, & Alan chillin'
Went down to Durango, CO for a family gathering minus my brother, two step-sisters, and one table dancing granny, next time I hope they're all there. Got to see my new niece Sadie and her older sister Sydney, my sister Michelle and her husband J.R. and my dad and Wheezy!

New Water, New Friends

2008-08-12T08:44:00.004-06:00

A day of firsts... first time on this water, first time with new friends, first time in a drift boat, and the first zero of the year. I hooked into a few but just couldn't land them... live and learn I guess. Overall I had such a fun day and I hope I am invited back and I will do some time on the oars next time I promise. (thanks nick)

VIVA LA MEXICO

2008-08-04T13:53:00.024-06:00

Went down to Mexico for B-dog's bachelor party/surf extravaganza.
Although Tiajuana is the definition of ghetto, and leaving the country is filled with sad faces and people peddling a bunch of crappy... well crap, the gated community we were in was more than awesome. We surfed and threw down mightily for the extended weekend. Some of us were able to shed old nicknames and some of us gained new ones.
Overall it was a great trip and it was great to be together with some friends that used to kick it constantly and now don't kick it as often as we'd all like.
Special thanks to Keith, Kristian, Loren and Jason for making this all possible, and congrats to "Brendsey".

The Crew: Andy, Eddie, Keith, Brendan, Jason, Kristian, Loren

JC is always watching
Beach Flower
The crew entering the water for a session
Ground-eye view of the crew paddling out
A view down the line
B-dog hurting the next morning
Andy and Jason
B-dog is ready
Dotts can rock the axe
Brendan and Keith
B-dog & Dotts
Eddie rocked out too hard
Cash money; "I keep the big bills on the outside, like this five spot"

Solo trip

2008-07-27T14:58:00.013-06:00

Pioneer Day weekend, went on a solo camping trip hitting the water, traveled more than 600 miles from Wednesday night 'till Saturday night. The weather was not very cooperative though, with a low of 42 and a high of 90, with an average in the high 70s low 80s it rained the entire time. It was a good test of my gear, the tent was water tight along with my new raincoat I stayed 'almost' dry. This was the first time I have ever been camping alone and it was a great success. There are just a few people in this world I wish I could've shared this trip with and I wish you had all been there with me.

The storm was fast approaching:
With clouds overhead the rain was here, W&J raincoat to the rescue:
A beautiful flower:
Hmm, what's that? The "raggedy andy" strikes again, and again:
This is why they call'em cutthroats:
A little blown out by the last day:
The cutthroats in this area are phenomonal, so colorful!:

A picture worth a thousand words:

Good Water

2008-07-20T22:31:00.028-06:00

Hit some good water again. I found myself unable to sleep so at about 5 am I started out driving all by my lonesome. Was headed to the Provo and then asked myself why? So, I flipped the script and headed in a different direction. Hit some water I only recently discovered (or was shown to me). I walked with a swift step as though I had a purpose. Finally got to where I looked into the water and saw a hole: "a fish has to be holding there" I thought to myself. I sat down, rigged up, slurpped a Red Bull and chewed down some beef jerky. 9:01 am, time to start fishing.

Part of fishing is the adventure, be it getting lost in the car, getting lost on foot, falling down, getting back up and observing everything around you. As I snapped this photo of a very interesting flower a deer ran behind me up the hill and a large bird cawed circling the sky above me, all signs I thought would lead to a good day... the signs did not fall short of a great day on the water.

My day was ended early, this shot doesn't truly show the lightning strikes and down pour that chased me away.
The first hole I saw did not produce, but it was operator error... I missed. This was off the next cast above the first hole I butchered. I only used two different dry flies and they both produced.
Smile for the camera Mr. Trout.
mmm... this was just in my mouth.
The Longest fish of the day. This one kicked my ass up and down the river, thanks to the bank being accessible I was able to RUN down stream and land him. Very nice.
They kept taking dries, so I would take the "Raggedy Andy" off and nothing. Put it back on and boom a hit on the nymph, then all they would hit was the dry. So I'd take the nymph off and nothing. After a few times of adding and removing the nymph I finally just kept it on and continued with both.
Cutthroat.
Indian paint brush.
Mas cicadas.
The fattest fish of the day, a.k.a. hog.
Another off the dry.
I really liked this shot with 1/2 shadow and 1/2 in the light.
Fish hitting dries bigger than your head!
Another shot I really liked because of the angle, sorry I am geeking out.

The Second fattest fish of the day.

Marks favorite place

2008-07-17T23:06:00.011-06:00

The moon rise was awesome
The hog of the day, the rest were 4"-10"s. Got a few on the dry.
It turns out when you create a fly someone else will name it for you.
Got this one of the Raggedy Andy. (corrected by BG)
(thanks Nick)
hatch, hatch, hatch
mmm... dinner

July 14 Sunset

2008-07-14T21:24:00.003-06:00

A beautiful sunset from the East Bench of the Salt Lake City Valley, thanks to the California wildfires the sunsets have been amazing. Hopefully more pictures to come from other days.

July 4 Hands on Fish

2008-07-04T23:05:00.037-06:00

Happy fourth of July.
Hope you not only enjoyed the holiday and your independence from England.
As you can see I did!
Thanks Bryan, Nate and Nick, good times!