Alpine Fishing: Slate Creek

As some of you may know by now I was away in Colorado for the past week and a half chasing elk around the Eagles Nest Wilderness of Summit County. While the elk hunting wasn't a complete success it did allow me to spend some time chasing another illusive species that I had been craving, wild mountain trout. The watershed we fished was approximately 8,500- 9,000 feet above sea level. A small difference from the 16 feet of elevation I currently live at.. Slate Creek gets legs from Upper Slate Lake (12,000 Feet above sea level) and flows through the Slate Creek Valley, which happened to be within walking distance (3 miles) from our hunting camp. 

We decided after one of our longer, more excruciating excursions into the wilderness that it was time for a break and to see if we couldn't catch a couple fish. It was exactly what we needed, the fishing was excellent the weather broke, and you couldn't imagine a more pristine backdrop. The three mile hike in seems like nothing when I finally was able to break my troutless streak. 

Lucky for the photographs the Brooke Trout were beginning their spawning cycle and boy were the colors vibrant. Bright sunrise orange bellies with dark black mouths brought me back to Alaska and their cousins Dolly Varden. It truly was a trip to remember and this little fishing trip in the middle of it was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Fish weight calculator

Fish Weight Calculators Have you ever wondered how much your "catch-n-release" trophy weighed? How many times  have you wished you could find or had taken your scales to weigh a nice catch? Why not try  this? Carry a measuring tape - a cloth one that can be bought in any sewing/craft department.  Take the measurements as described below, and use the following Fish Weight Calculator for  fish in general, trout, bass, pike and walleye. If you really goof up and forget or misplace the measuring tape, just use a couple pieces of line to take your mesurements and get the actual numbers when you get home. Be sure to somehow  mark one so you'll know which is length and which is girth. Remember that no length/weight formula can ever replace an accurate scale. However, the  following calculators should enable to you to get a fair estimate that's within about 10 percent  of the actual weight. Trout Calculator = Length x Girth x Girth / 800 Bass Calculator = Length x Length x Girth / 1200 Pike Calculator = Length x Length x Length / 3500 Walleye Calculator = Length x Length x Length / 2700 If you don't feel like doing the math yourself and want a quick answer, visit http://www.myoan.net/fishing/weight_calc.html Be sure no matter what species of fish, measure from the lower jaw to the tail and measure the girth at the widest part around the body.  Make sure that at no time should your tape measure or other  measuring device go under the gill plate or into the gills!

Fly of the Week: Sucker Spawn

http://www.questoutdoors.net/skills/ftying/patterns/eggs/sucker_spawn/

HOOK: Daiichi 1530 #10 THREAD: 8/0 White BODY: Angora, White/Pale Yellow or Antron Yarn Sucker Spawn is a simple and very effective Trout and Steelhead pattern. This fly was originated in centeral Pennsylvania at least 40 years ago, although not as a Steelhead fly. Sucker Spawn was first fished in the Lake Erie tributaries around 1980-81 by Chuck Farneth.

Start a thread wrap, cover the entire hook shank. This will prevent the yarn from rolling over the shank when tying.

Cut a piece of Angora yarn about 8", fold in half.

Tie yarn in from the "tag" ends creating a loop.

Leave your thread towards the back of the shank.

Place a couple thread wraps over the yarn loosely.

Pull the "long" end of the yarn until desired loop size is attained.

Make a couple more wraps to secure.

Repeat making loops until shank is covered.

Trim off remaining yarn, half hitch or whip finish.

The Intern Strike Back!

For those of you who wondered where Brian is, he is archery hunting for elk in Colorado.  No word on how he has done yet, but I'm sure if he has a good story he will share it with everyone.  A big thank you to Harry Tomlin on his photo submission or a recent brown trout caught on Spring Creek.    

"Hey guys fished spring creek on labor day.  This fish was last cast.  You can tell by the head it was big.  Forgot the Nomad net and had to take a quick pic and release. Really was last cast on a less than productive afternoon.  My favorite little bwo emerger floating behind a stymie. Above the pink trailer in a log jam,  thought I had hung everything up as planned." 
 Thanks and peace.

The intern,

Harry Tomlin

Nomad Net Review

Nomad nets were kind enough to send us a hand net and a boat net.  For me the hand net has been a perfect solution to all of the trout fishing that I do around Central Pennsylvania.  I've had numerous large trout that I wouldn't have been able to land if I didn't have a quality net.  I know from talking to Brian that he has nothing but positive things to say about the boat net.  It has made his life a lot easier netting the variety of large ocean species.  

The combination of carbon and glass fibers produce an extremely light and durable net.  Having a light net is valuable when an angler that has to travel a significant amount on foot to get to their fishing destination.  Or if you are on the water for a prolonged period of time, you won't even notice that it is attached to your body when you're not catching fish.  Another component of these nets is that the netting is composed of rubber.  When you're out of the water the rubber netting does not get caught up on briar's or other types of brush.  If you are fishing a small stream the net will easily slide past overhanging branches or any type cover.  Another crucial factor is that the netting gives an angler a deep pocket to keep the fish inside the net without wiggling to begin a second fight.  In my mind the netting is unlike anything I've had the opportunity to use.  If these benefits aren't enough, the net floats with ease like a huge Kamchatka mouse pattern.    

The bottom line is that this net is manufactured the right way.  I will recommend Nomad nets to anyone who is looking for a strong, lightweight, durable product.  Their prices are right and their nets look good.  If you're thinking about purchasing a net, or upgrading an old beat up one, make the right choice and go with a Nomad net.           

Bonefish Submission

Captain Darrick Parker sent me this photo of a nice 6-7 Pound bonefish caught in the flats right outside off the coast of the Ocean Reef Club. Shown here is Abbey Kissel Hallingby with her biggest bonefish ever. She looks pretty pumped, but I lets be honest I would too if I caught a huge bonefish like this. 

Spruce Creek Monsters (09/02/2012)

Spruce Creek provided me a day on the stream that I will remember for some time to come.  It was a mixture of all types of sizes of fish but this post will highlight the two best fish of the day.  

I've gotten to know the public section of Spruce Creek pretty well over the course of the last decade and I'm always amazed at the new fish that show up from year to year, or the ones that finally decide to show their faces from their respective "hiding" places.  The first fish pictured was completely hidden by faster moving water and a submerged tree until I hooked into another brown trout.  While I was playing out the brown, I caught a glimpse of a gigantic silhouette following the trout that I had on the line.  

Once I saw this fish, all I could think about was getting the brown off the line to begin casting at the fish that I watched following the other trout.  After a few casts I started getting anxious because I didn't know if I was going to be able to hook into this fish.  Next thing I know the fish takes my fly and after the initial run, I saw the incredible girth of the fish.  As you can see in the pictures, the fish was a beautifully colored male that looked like it had been using performance enhancing drugs for years.  

The next fish would be a easier to hook into as I saw it about 20 yards below the first fish I hooked.  I caught this trout and it flew completely out of the water once it realized that it had been hooked.  The fight was fast paced and I was convinced it was going to tear me off on any of the countless overhanging brush along the stream.  After a few minutes I finally got it's head out of the water and I was able to carefully bring it into my Nomad net!  

These two fish will be etched into my mind for some time to come and I hope you enjoy the pictures posted below!