Tag Archives: rainbow trout

ignored fish can be the best (or, how to not to spend opening day elbow to elbow with other fishermen)

May 4th, 2012 by Patrick Konoske | 4 Comments
If we were counting — and my son and I certainly don't — we were both winners this delayed Opening Day weekend.Mostly, it was great just to get outdoors and chase trout once again. And get out we did, and away from any crowds.Eleven miles out, to be exact. R. Creek is a tiny thing, a small stream I am sure is barely given any notice by the few folks crossing the small stone bridge. We'd certainly have never taken note of it, much less visited, were it not for two older fishermen who took a liking to our catch-and-release ethic and, in a quiet whisper, described this crick full of small wild and willing rainbows.We made to R. Creek sometime after eight o'clock. It was one of those so-called 'bluebird days' of a California spring, when everything is still green. Just as expected and hoped, we were the only ones on the creek.The water was running a bit high, but it still looked about as inviting as a small creek can be. A few casts in the usual spots suggested that like the fish, we'd have to adjust to the higher flow if there was to be any catching.We headed upstream, testing each pocket, pool and riffle. Sean was nymphing. It was a dry/dropper combination for me; a size 20 Parachute Adams trailing a similarly sized Flashback Pheasant Tail.A bit of strategic thinking is required when it comes to accessing this creek through thick stands of pine, oaks and streamside blackberry bushes. Felt-soled wading boots don't help and my elbow can attest to the lack of traction afforded on a mat of pine needles and oak leaves.Then I found it. That picture perfect bend, with a half sunken log offering shade and shelter to a small pod of trout. It was a deeper pool than usual on this creek, about three feet deep. My first cast revealed that depth wasn't an issue when a six-inch rainbow rocketed from the depths to grab the Parachute Adams.[caption id="attachment_2787" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="R. Creek rainbow on a dry. Beauty!"][singlepic id=1196 w=600 h=450 float=left][/caption]Now, I'm still very much in touch with my inner caveman when it comes to fishing — I like to catch — and will use what works. But when a dry fly works, there truly is nothing like an aggressive take on the surface, regardless of the size of fish.I had landed a beautiful ten incher and missed a few more strikes by the time Sean found me. We let the pool rest and ventured upstream. We would return later and we both hooked a couple of fish.As happens with days during which the fishing and catching are good, time lost meaning and any argument to leave quickly fell away amid furtive glances to promising water. We decided to venture downstream into unexplored territory. Dismissed two years ago as a fool's errand, it was clear we were mistaken. The shallow braided water soon regained the manner of a proper stream offering countless possibilities.Sticking with the dry/dropper combo — it was too much fun to not try a dry — I found a long run of riffles that again offered the shelter of a fallen log. Shadows darted after my fly as it rushed downstream. There was no false casting here, just a quick whip to get the fly back upstream.Sean and I would leapfrog one another as we explored further downstream. Sean would end up landing more fish, but I daresay that I was one who had the most fun. R. Creek is becoming a favorite place.We fished another creek, learning after the fact but evidenced by our catching, that it had been hit hard, legally and otherwise, on and perhaps before Opening Day. A detour on the way home secured some half growlers from Snowshoe Brewing Co.It was a good day. And the next day would be even better for Sean.[nggallery id=83]
This entry was posted in Family, Fly Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Sean, Sierra Nevada, Twain Harte, Vacation & Travel, Wild Trout and tagged , , , , , , , .

say hi on Opening Day, but with my cast it’s unwise to approach from the rear

April 27th, 2012 by Patrick Konoske | 3 Comments
The general trout season opens tomorrow here in California and though I’ll likely be awake before sunup, it won’t be to beat the freezer-filling crowd to streamside.Work’s got to get done if there’s any hope of having time to wet the line on any unfamiliar waters, and I’ll be helping a new group of students learn some of the ins and outs of fly fishing before heading for the hills in the afternoon. Perhaps more accurately, my casting will be an example of what not to do for these novice fly fishermen.This is the fourth year that Opening Day has been more of a casual affair. Admittedly, I am itching to get out there with the fly rod; but it’s become a ritual not to be rushed, knowing that my son and I will likely be the only people on a small stream just far enough out a Forest Service road that most folks will give up and turn around about a mile short. Google Maps shows another creek a couple of miles further that just might be worth a try.The maximization of our fishing time will include a few roadside spots as well, and on Monday, after the weekend warriors have left, we’ll slink down to some stocked waters trusting that we’ll be able to hook the dumb smart fish that didn’t fall victim to power bait or shiny objects.If you’re out in the Sierra foothills this weekend, look for the guy with the funny cast. That’ll be me.
This entry was posted in Beer, Brown Trout, California, Casting, Family, Fly Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Sean, Sierra Nevada, Twain Harte and tagged , , , , , , , , .

it’s amazing I don’t have a big head, and what does ‘technical’ mean when applied to fly fishing water?

April 20th, 2012 by Patrick Konoske | 4 Comments
Actually, I do. I wear a size 7¾ hat.But that’s not the point this week.When I decided to step into the light and embrace fly fishing a few years ago, certain waters came to my attention. Many were governed by regulations limiting fishing to un-baited, single-hook, artificial lures. Others were specifically deemed zero-limit barbless hook fisheries. It was exciting.A relatively short section of a certain Sierra Nevada creek was particularly alluring. Tales abounded of big browns and hefty rainbows. Most important to a novice fly fisher, only a few fly-eating trees follow its course. All this was gleaned from photos.Then I read the associated article, and shuddered. It took only one word, an adjective often casually thrown around by old timers, to stop me in my tracks: ‘technical.’ I immediately visualized streamside judges waving numbers in the air, giving low-digit scores to my casting.My discouragement mounted as the research piled up. There was no consolation to be found in other articles, books or discussions with more experienced fly fishermen. Much of the season this creek requires accurate sight casting, with presentation made difficult by heavy weeds that limited the ‘natural’ drift of your fly. In a nutshell, I was told, it was a creek only to be fished by those who had paid their dues.But there I was, still in my first year of fly fishing, standing on its banks. I was asked by a more seasoned fly fishing club member to join him on this creek. He was one of the guys who had taken me under his wing, and it seemed to me that a refusal of the invite would have been rude at the very least, and would call into question my ability to absorb the knowledge he had thus far imparted.The creek wasn’t as wide or as deep and I had envisioned. Most places one could cross in three or four strides without the water rising much above the knees. The water clarity fit that timeworn description ‘gin clear.’ We’d set out for his favorite spot, and I was upstream a few yards.On the trail we had discussed flies. He told me he’d be using dries but that I’d be fine with a dry-dropper combination and lowering his voice, added that a lot of guys might have a fancier cast, but this fishery often rewarded the spirit and stick-to-itiveness of an angler, not the casting. Fish don’t judge casting.It wasn’t until I landed that first brilliant rainbow that my fear fell away. Sure, it took more than a few casts to find the lane, but the abundance of trout ensured that any adequate presentation wouldn’t be ignored.[caption id="attachment_5606" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="That first rainbow that rewarded this fly fisherman with a strong fight and great colors."]Rainbow on That Creek[/caption]In the end, both my dry fly and nymph elicited strikes. I had taken on this Creek of Fear and won. Recently, one guide went so far as to say this creek is a good place for novices, a place that demands hard work but quickly rewards. I’ve since fished this creek half a dozen times. I netted nice brown and rainbow trout each time, but only after putting in the work, even if just sitting, watching and learning the day’s lesson before the first cast.I’m still a bit intimidated when good casting or technical prowess is mentioned as necessary to success in any fishery. But perhaps I am not as unaccomplished ( [uhn-uh-kom-plisht] adj 1. not accomplished, incomplete; 2. certain angler of the Pacific Northwest*.) as I think, though there will be lot of learning before I too can "snicker at the new guys."
* Kirk's Kickstarter campaign is funded! He and Olive must feel so accomplished! Now the real work begins. To help Kirk feel less unaccomplished, join in the Kickstarter campaign that could launch his book character Olive, the Woolly Bugger and friends into the digital world with an iPad app. There's only three days left. (In full disclosure, I’ve contributed in the hope of getting my complimentary copy of the app, so I’d also appreciate any contribution that would get me something out of this deal.)
This entry was posted in Brown Trout, California, Casting, Crowley Lake, Fly Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Sierra Nevada and tagged , , , , , , .

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February 24th, 2012 by Patrick Konoske | 2 Comments

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A desire to declare striped bass, buy Zithromax online cod, Where can i buy Zithromax online, introduced from the East Coast, as a ‘native’ California species, where to buy Zithromax.

California Fish & Game Commission’s then-Director Daniel W, Buy Zithromax Without Prescription. Zithromax canada, mexico, india, Richards summed up the issue:

Another great comment that I heard today was this issue of what is native. [California Department of Fish & Game] Director Bonham and I had great conversation just yesterday about this, buy Zithromax from canada. Taking Zithromax, We are regularly, and just several months we were being challenged with a frogs and turtles matter of non-native species…it’s controversial and there’s both sides to it, Zithromax natural, Zithromax duration, and these striped bass have been here for 130 years. At what point in time do we…and some of the analogies we gave I thought were terrific, Zithromax long term, Cheap Zithromax no rx, especially when you take it down to the human level, who’s a native Californian and who’s not, generic Zithromax. Buy Zithromax Without Prescription, I thought it was really very apropos. Cheap Zithromax, I mean, they’ve been here 130 years, australia, uk, us, usa, Zithromax images, that’s, I don’t know, buy no prescription Zithromax online, Zithromax cost, what is that, that’s three or four generations I think you’d probably call that, Zithromax dose. Zithromax from mexico, [Striped bass] starts to be fairly native to me.

After that, then-President Jim Kellogg, Zithromax no rx, Japan, craiglist, ebay, overseas, paypal, after pointing out that he worked on the first pump station on the Delta (1966-’69) and saw the numbers of fish those unscreened pumps dumped into the canal announced in his last act as president:

…because nobody’s got an answer as to how this is done, or who declares it or something like that, ordering Zithromax online, Zithromax samples, I’m going to declare the striped bass a native species in the state of California.

Central to the proponents of the new regulations painted striped bass — asking it be considered an invasive species — as largely responsible for the decline of the state’s salmon stocks. Opponents cited striped bass’ long history in the California Delta (declared a sport fish in 1935) and its coexistence with salmon and Delta smelt over that time, purchase Zithromax. Zithromax without a prescription, (The definition of ‘coexistence’ may be considered ill-defined in the absence of any hard, long-term, Zithromax treatment, Online buy Zithromax without a prescription, historical data.)

While most will agree that these proposed changes to the striper regulations was a thinly veiled water grab, it does bring to light a conflict that can arise between native and now wild populations of introduced fish, particularly without a firm scientific understanding that can overwhelm any argument from either side of the debate. And while the predation of introduced species changes ecosystems, there’s no scientific model to predict the consequences of eliminating such a long-entrenched species, Buy Zithromax Without Prescription.

In the short span of our lives, does ‘native’ becomes anything that was here before us. Big brown trout and competitive rainbows have so well supplanted Lahontan cutthroat trout — it and the Eagle Lake Rainbow were once the only trout in the Easter Sierra — that rarely does one hear of an angler landing a decent Lahontan, expect those in Crowley Lake and the Upper Owens River. And it’ll be a shame when Lahontan cutthroat no longer exist in California, which is likely to happen.

But it’s hard to label the non-native trout that provide us so much recreation as ‘invasive.’

In any case, might these naturally reproducing fish populations better fit a status similar to that of ‘historical (living) landmark?’ Is there an appropriate measure of time before anyone can declare an introduced species to be a ‘naturalized citizen?’ And will the difference between native and naturalized fish populations eventually become indistinguishable, legally or otherwise.

Regardless of the answers, I’ll be the one overlooking the illegal immigration status of the trout that eats my fly.


If you’re interested, the video recording of the meeting can be found here; click on the link for Feb 2, 2012 and fast forward to about 1:35:00 for the start of the striper discussion..

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This entry was posted in Bass, Conservation, Fly Fishing, General Discourse, Government, Salmon and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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November 19th, 2011 by Patrick Konoske | 2 Comments

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Last weekend was my end-of-the-trout-season trip to the cabin and the Sierra foothills, Flonase over the counter. Flonase pics, But we’ll let a few photos tell the story…

[caption id="attachment_4989" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Fall on the on a Sierra foothill creek."] [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4989" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="No big spawning browns, but this’ll do."] [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4989" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="A really cheeky rainbow."] [/caption]

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This entry was posted in Brown Trout, Fly Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Sierra Nevada, Twain Harte, Vacation & Travel and tagged , , , , , .