Spring Consumed!

Well I mowed the lawn yesterday.  Spring is finally here, but not final.  It snowed today! The trees we planted last year are starting to blossom!  I'm simply happy that they didn't die during the winter.

Busy! Busy! Busy!  I was already chasing spring way back in Dec. in pursuit trout.  We definitely took care of the itch during the cold season.  If I could give any advice to cold weather anglers to make your outings more pleasurable, it would be to keep a pair of  "hand warmers" in your pockets.  They are cheap and so effective at conducting heat into your hands.  Also of note, I camped out a handful of times this winter. The next best thing to having your loving companion next to you, is to sleep with these hand warmers.  You will likely end up tossing your warmers out of your bag, removing your hat or sleeping bag hood.  When you have these guys in your bag the chore changes from attempting to maintain heat to regulating it!  What a wonderful problem to have in below freezing temps!

Now I'm sure your are more interested in this winters photography records.

New ball cap design I put together, SOLD OUT! Thank you all!

My buddy who sticks fish and puts together some Sweetness in Graphics, he is called Mike Larsen.

Seam Shot! by Jordan Gilbert of Crimson Jaw

 This Little Piggy! Photo by Jordan Gilbert

Runnin' Shot by Cortney Boice

Carp Photo by Scott Jackson

 Photo By Phil Tuttle of OutSmartingFish.com

Bloody Pike Photos By Colby CrossLand of TheTroutSmith.com

 The Crimson Duo haulin' slabs!

 This Photo by Jordan Gilbert of Crimson Jaw

Photo by Jordan Gilbert

The Gall

Check in with CrimsonJaw.com for a solid Steelhead Post!

Good Day Sir!

A great day on the water and I was lucky enough to have a great camera dude on the boat as well.  David Komatar of Way Back When Pictures, was present to collect our experience.  The angler is a dude we call Colby Crossland.

Kudos Dudes! Thanks for furthering my cause!

Without further ado!

Out with Dad

It had been a little while since Dad and I were able to hit the water together.  We exchanged schedules a handful of times and we weren't able to sync.  Well,  things came together and we put a day on the calendar.  I picked dad up at his place in the late morning and we hit the road.  I was hoping for thunderstorms in the late afternoon, and the forecast looked promising.

In the truck we talked; work, family, and of course fish.  We chugged up into the mountains and slipped down into Pineview Reservoir.  We started seeing fish in the usual spots.  Dad was throwing a massive, gaudily gorgeous fly. My rod was rigged with a relatively small, plain fly. 

I could see the tip of a tail peeking out from beneath some structure.  Unable to determine what fish I was looking at, I cast to find out.  My rig hit the water, strip, strip! The fish shot out from its shelter and ate!  

Fish on!  I really put the wood to the fish for two reasons.  

First to keep the fish from breaking me off in the structure.  

Second, the water temperature has really climbed.  

Fish generally tolerate being hooked in the face quite well if they are handled properly and quickly. But if high water temperatures are present being caught can be a real downer for a big fish!  

Dad netted the fish in short order.

We snapped a few pictures and sent the fish on its way.

We continued to fish.  We caught quite a few crappie and one nice little Smallie.  This smallie was by far the heaviest (by fight, not weight) smallie I have ever caught.  I thought is was definitely a musky until it showed itself at the surface.  What a stud of a fish!

Thanks for being Awesome Dad!

Utah Fly fishing Guide

Targhee Boss

"He's on it! He's on it!"

Never have I experienced more fishing, in pursuit of a single individual fish, than I have with pike. 

As we drifted the brush line I spotted a Pike bathing in the shallows. A shadow, a horizontal minority contrasting a vertical majority. 

The cast would be difficult.  The fish had found comfort among the tangles of submerged foliage.  Tyler loaded his rod and shot the fly into the the mess.  "Splat!," said the fly as it hit the water 2 feet in front of the pike. 

For those unschooled in the vernacular of the fly world, SPLAT!, is an expletive.  The human equivalent would most likely be along the lines of , "Oh @%#*!"    

The pike was not moved. 

Tyler swam the fly.  

In an instant,  a berm of water raised the calm surfaces and the pike had disappeared from it's lie.  In that same instant the pike appeared just before the fly, aborting it's path of chaos. Quicker than quick and faster than fast, the fly remained untouched.  The pike vanished.  

We knew it's original position. We continued to drift past and then circled back wide, replicating the initial drift.  Tyler loaded and shot the fly back into the calm aquatic forest, hoping to provoke more of the same chaos.  I, being precarious perched on the edge of the bow and slightly higher,  first spotted the pike that had again materialized just behind the fly. 

"He's on it! He's on it!"

Tyler responded and quickened the retrieve.  0-30 mph later, the pike found itself inseparably attached to a gaudy, biting demon. 

This prey proved immensely stronger than the pike's initial assessment.  The pike's viscous thrashes, rolls and razor teeth had no effect upon this opponent's stamina or strength. The pike found itself netted and drawn from it's water world where giant, scaleless ogres hefted, admired and documented it.  Upon retrieving the demon from it's jaws it was gently returned to the cool of the water.  It found it's next station in ambush.  As the drift commenced an emphatic, "What in the Hell?!," bubbled up to the surface.  

"What in the Hell?!"

Dad with a healthy "Skunk Off" treatment!

I found this guy day-dreaming in the sun, immobile.  Tossed a foam trouser worm over his shoulder and

stripped it up to his nose and let it drop.  He tracked it for 2-3 ft and decided he was hungry.

Trouser-ed!

Thanks to Flycarpin.com for designing an awesome fly!


By: Targhee Boss

Photography by Drake Munson

Drake sent over some photos from a few weeks back.  Thanks Drake!  Skilz with the Lenz!

Report: Frozen Fingers to Warm

Cold Start this week!

Two Old boys getting it done!

 First pike smiles!

Report: Steely Nerves and Short Circuits

Great sharing the boat with Drake this past Thursday.  Drake had some engagements early in the day. We met up and found the water at about 12:30pm.  It was apparent early on that the fish were in for it this day.  Drake throws monster flies as well as he throws tight loops.   The wind was up and about, as it always is, so we put it to work.  We found fish quite consistently throughout the day.  Spotted a few females in the shallows.  The males were dogging them eager to make a contribution.
We found a location with enough water clarity that we were able to sight fish.  There comes a point in a fisherman's life that he may think he has seen enough eats to close the deal with a fish, despite its zealous rush upon the fly.  Let me tell you it is difficult "as all get out" to maintain composure when a pike rockets from 0 to 30 mph in an extremely small distance and explodes all over your fly.  This all culminates at your feet and I will be the first to say I lost it. With all this happening faster than fast, it is difficult to NOT react in a like manner.   It was such an exciting moment that I ripped the fly from the water as quickly as the pike reached it.  It is impossible for the hook to find flesh in this scenario, as it jumped from the water millimeters in front of the fish.  To much, too fast = short circuits! We laughed and enjoyed the moment.  Had this fish been monster, laughs may have been replaced with expletives.  Good day indeed!

 Snake

DROP FIN AND SWEET MAC

SWEET MAC!

 Slow start.  Windy. Rainy.  It took us a while to find the fish today.  But once we did it was a fairly good bite.  We were able to bring 15 to hand, none of which had a lot of size to them.  It seems as if a few of the females have already dropped there eggs. Dad is now convinced the Echo Ion is the Shiz-nit! He wanted to buy it right there on the boat. I really like the rod.

 DOUBLE!!

 Today's biggest. Love the drop pectorals!

 Optimus Prime Leader of the Phelix Legions has been coming along quite nicely in fishing etiquette. 

By: Targhee Boss

Rocky Mountain Pike Conclave

Here I sit reflecting on the past two days on the water.  Day one we drove through wind and rain to arrive at the same on the reservoir.  We geared up quickly and hit the water in anticipation of large, hormonal, piscivorous fish.  Bouncing across open water was brutal.  With every wave we bounced over I was soaked.  The wind blew each hull splash over the gunwale and into my face.  We ran quickly to a sheltering cove where we found another group of fishermen huddle around a camp fire.  Brent must have been itching for a pike pretty bad, because as soon as the bow of the boat hit ground he was off and throwing shots from the shore.  Shane did the same from the stern deck and beat the surrounding cover soundly.  The storm subsided enough to venture out of our sheltering cove and endeavor a search of the larger bay.  Brent and Shane fished hard, wet, and most likely hungry!  Real fishy dudes here!  I think the only thing they stopped casting for all day was to ensure that their waders didn't become too "pleasantly warm/wet."  We were rewarded.

 Find Shane Thomas' report here, Fish Hunter Chronicles.  Find Brent Wilson's report here, Uprising.

Photography: Brent Wilson

By Targhee Boss