Arkansas in pixels

The weather? Marginal.

The fishing? Memorable.

The company kept- exceptional.

she fishes

Had more fun standing in witness while the kids held forth.

I could not be more proud of my best girl.

townies

Outside of Cafe Dawn

family affair

Toughed out the weather yesterday. BWO's cooperated but the angler hatch was out as well.

Note to self: bring 5x tippet to the river.

road trip

Salida or bust~

arkansas in pixels

Wanted to make sure I got this up before that trip got lost in the annals of awesome.  Makes me happy~

ark wrapup

Wulffpack alpha male in his natural habitat

 So Thursday we lollygagged around Salida, hoping for BWO action.  Getting settled into the river's rhythm and getting caught up with the folks meant Thursday was really the shakedown cruise, the act of fishing of primary importance, catching less so.

young pup getting it done

Friday was our first serious day on the water.  My folks and I huddled together over breakfast, comparing notes on our understanding of best water combining ease of access and wading for the folks, above the main body of the hatch, offering a good chance of an emergence in its own right.

ole guy's still got it!

 We settled on that public water either side of Texas Creek- the water and canyon walls spread out a bit, offering a good heat sink for the sun's rays.  In my experience, TC has nearly always sprung an early emergence, even when the main hatch remained stalled downstream. 

tres amigos

 Friday this again proved to be the case- with both fly shops reporting the main emergence down around spike buck and 5 points, 2.30 showed a moderate emergence at TC, enough for all of us to trade out our subsurface rigs for dries.  While the rising fish were far short of gangbusters, they were numerous enough to offer a consistent stalk for a solid two hours.  With the risers on the wane at 4.30, we headed back to camp, sated on maybe 30 fish for our efforts, largest only around 14"

With the strengthening emergence at TC, Saturday we were primed for bear.  We headed out late to allow the emergence to get on started, our arrival at the river was greeted with the first caddis skipping off, and fish rising in pursuit.  I set both my folks upstream, set about tying the boy's rig up fresh, how he manages those birds nests in a blink of an eye I will never know.  

calm before the storm

I look up just in time to see Mom floating down a channel, having slipped off her perch into fast water.  You fish often enuf, you've prolly been there before yourself- lost your footing, now floating, shipping water like the Titanic, the speed of the current preventing you from regaining your feet, your eyes wide as saucers as you scrabble fruitlessly for purchase.  No matter that water is only 30" deep, you're heading for the wrong side of nowhere fast.

Will deftly nets Gramma's flotsam, while I get dug in, get her float arrested, set her aright on a nearby boulder.  Holy Moly!  That was something huh Mom?

she lands her own fish too

She's a bit flustered for a while, but none the worse for wear, just soaked to the bone, the only thing dry was her hat!  A good dry in the 80d sun, a quick run back to camp for dry clothes, she's back at it landing the two biggest fish for the day.  Boom!  That's how you do it right there.  What a trooper!

Meanwhile the hatch kept strengthening, my Dad, Will and I circle around the area stalking pods or risers. Once caught or put down, we'd search for the next pod, then eventually work our way back around the circle to the initial pod to begin the cycle again.  Wash, rinse, repeat, that was our afternoon on Saturday.  

arkansas river gold

Aside from Mom's morning shenanigans, the rest of the afternoon was like that proverbial walk in the park.  Only with a rising fish behind every riffle, in every pool.  I could not have scripted a better day for we four, anglers all in their element.

Saturday evening's fishing proved off the hook for Will and I, fishing the egg layer evening rise.  Looking over the word count above, I guess that's a story best left for another day.

this fish never stood a chance

Til next time- mike

and so it begins

Yep, it's now official: spring has sprung!



HT: those good folks at the Taos Fly Shop

Guess that answers that age old question: if the Rio Grande Caddis hatch kicks into gear and yours truly is not out giving chase....yep, all the makings of a 10-year hatch, just you watch.

Sigh.

stoke

What with runoff once again just starting to churn in the Rocky Mountain West, May has traditionally been a mountain bike month here for the Dry Flies & Fat Tires crew. This year's been no exception, lack of local snowpack notwithstanding. 

 

To better balance May's mtb Yin with some fly fishing Yang, you might think a guy could try his hand at stillwater fishing. But if you're much like me, anything short of tearing it up on a lake makes for tedious, even boring fishing.

Bleh, amirite?

Oh yes, I remain an unabashed moving water kinda guy, seems my own circadian rhythm rises and falls with the coursing of my favorite streams.  No apologies, no retreat, never surrender.  ;-)

So while I'm out laying down tracks this month, I thought I could appease the Dry Flies fanbase out there (hi Mom!) and break the glass on the emergency fly fishing StoKometer.

From April's snowy trip up on the Ark- Salida, CO: release the hounds!

weird, huh?

Xterra/laundromat

snowcamp

worthy adversary

frosty morn

emergency fly-tying field station

smorgasbord

my favorite- on cell phone no less!

last call

Found a way to make my way down into the Gorge to chase the caddis hatch one more time, before done.

Jumped down in that stretch between John Dunn and Wild Rivers Rec Area.

Found good numbers of caddis streamside, with caddis hatching out from 2.30 to dusk.

I swung a larva + pupa for a while, to no effect.  Kept getting distracted by the fish rising in the softer water against the bank.  

Ditched the pupa, tied on a dry, and that's all she wrote!  Caught every one of my fish on the dry this day, that is indeed a banner day on the Rio.

Nothing too large, still plenty of dinks, middlings.  But when the dry fly action is so hot on an otherwise stingy river, you somehow don't seem to mind.

Stalked fish along the bankside boulders during the golden hour.  Spooked 3 separate fish that pushed 18" to 20", actually had the opportunity to cast over a solid 18incher rising steadily in the pillow fronting a boulder.  Talk about buck fever!  Was not to be as my first cast was rebuffed, repeated casting just put him down, bummer.  The big ones are in there tho!

Fun day, especially given the (caddis) key to unlock the Rio's potential.  I'll be back.