Reporting: Again, More fishing per fish!

Gene and Kyle excelled at giving every probable ambush a sound thrashing.  Gene found the "Skunk Off" treatment right off, which is always nice.  Next Kyle hooked into a fish at the back of the boat and shouted, "There is another one, right behind it!"  At the same time my eyes slid over to Gene's fly, lying in the water off the starboard side not 10 ft,  Boom! A flash from the depths, and Gene lifted his rod.  It doesn't get much better than two simultaneous bent rods on the boat!  We netted Kyle's and dropped it in the live well, while securing Gene's fish for the "Double Shot!"

Kyle and Gene continued catching as the wind slid us silently along the cover.  

We had intermittent sun throughout the day.  With each brief window of sun our eyes were scouring the cover.  I'd spotted a fish in ambush behind a tangle of cover and pointed it out to Kyle, telling him to place his fly just to the right of the tangle.  Expertly, he sent the pike a barbed package wrapped in feather and mischief.  Splat!  The pike was not moved!  Kyle began swimming the package.  "He's on it!"  Faster than fast, quicker than quick the pike erupted after the fly.  The pike abandoned her mission in the last moment.  Hearts were pounding and the pike decided not to disappear, but held just off the bow.  Kyle put his fly on the pike again, no love.  But after Kyle's second presentation the pike was now swimming down the port side, right into Gene's presentation.  Gene was persuasive. His fly and the pike had a brief but explosive exchange!  What a FISH!  

"Skunk OFF"

Thanks Gene, this one is always the most important! 

The Brute

 Doubled!

 Young of Year

 Dropfin, landing gear deployed.

 Smiles!

 Waiting out some significantly, gusty moments!

 Thanks Kyle and Gene for putting me on the water.  It was a pleasure and a privilege to fish with such classy cats.  Tight Lines until next time!

By:Targhee Boss
Utah Pike Guide

"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

Eat!

As we drove down the road adjacent to the reservoir we couldn't help but be a bit disappointed with the turbidity of the water.  It was evident that the sight fishing high of last week would not be available today.  The wind was constant with some pretty powerful gusts.  We had one follow at last weeks hot spot that failed to culminate with an eat.  We were forced to seek other spots.  Water temperatures were 41* in open water and as warm as 46* at the back of wind blown bays.  We found fish in all temperatures although it took a few hours of searching to get the first to hand.  

Have you ever been fishing and felt a fish coming?  Not because it is a great cast or a great lie, but just because it is TIME!  Pretty good experience today.  I had that feeling.  I told my father "I can feel a fish coming," immediately, as if summoned from the depths I watched a pike flash out of the turbidity and savage my fly.  I'm not tootin' my own horn here because I "called" it.  Just saying that I like that feeling, a lot! I like it even more when it is vindicated, which often it is not.  

The other "feeling" I had was because of a cast.  My cast straightened out and the fly smacked the water.  I love watching a cast unroll.  I love watching a giant streamer swimming towards me.  Emphasis added, above and beyond the exclamation point, on this next one! I absolutely love watching an eat!

Another interesting note:  My dad threw a spinning rod for about a quarter of the time.  With a big rattling, wiggling lure on it.  I thought for sure he was going to be killing it.  I was surprise that the flies out fished the spinning set up 8:1.
By Targhee Boss
Yuba Reservoir

Combo

Also of note today, I was allotted some time to use my Christmas Echo Ion 7 wt. I like it a lot! I had a Cortland 8 wt. intermediate line with sink tip head loading it. It handled the gaudy steamers like a champ! I put another line on my father's rod that he has not liked much. Cast-ability was much improved.
Take Home:
Mismatch the rod and line combo and you won't like either. And for that matter, you probably won't like your day either. Especially when your buddy has a good combo and is sticking fish that you can't touch.
Rod and line, match made in heaven! Makes for some pretty awesome days on the water. You can't catch fish if your fly is not in the water. The less time you spend casting, your fly is in the water longer.
Given- there good, better and best rods out there, which don't necessarilly corresponds with cheap, average and (take out a second mortgage). No matter what rod you have make sure your line matches your rod!

The correct line makes or breaks a rod

Top Shelf!

We arrived at the boat ramp, prepped the boat and backed her down the ramp into the water. We quickly ran to a bay that I have been watching since ice off. Hoping that the pike would find our timing agreeable with their most pertinent needs.  

Coming off plane at the mouth of the bay, we immediately spotted a small male cruising.  Dad rigged up and I decided that I'd better eat something before getting started.  I am not a pleasant person when I have not eaten, especially when quarantined on a small vessel.  So I spread some PB and Honey on some bread quickly and downed two slices. 

 Dad was asking what fly to use.  I had tied up some mammoth hula bugs that I was excited to swim.  I recommended one to him.  He tied it on.  I tied on a no weight, "slider" style fly.  The description of "slider" used very loosely here.  It was black with various flashabous throughout.  

The slider cast like a dream!  The hula bug, cast like an umbrella!  We switched set ups in short order and Dad fished my Christmas Echo Ion 7wt with a 8 wt line on it and the slider.  We found more fish shortly and Dad put on a clinic.  Slow retrieve seemed to be the key.  

Dad's first ever Pike! 

We continued to fish and catch mostly small males.  My wife called to check in on us and mid conversation I turned and looked over my shoulder, 40 ft of the starboard side was a beautiful voluptuous gal.  Of course, I turned to the stern deck where my father was fishing and conjured up the most flattering description of a heavy, beautiful female I could think of.  "Pig!!!!!"  Lifting my rod parallel to the water in an effort to put Dad's eyes on the fish.  There was no missing it though!
 She was lying there, basking in the sun's radiance.
 "Here I am boys, look at these curves!  Would you be obliged to toss that delectable morsel my way! I know you are more than capable of making it swim just how I like it!  Heck,  I don't care how you make it swim!  Put it in the water any where near me and I'll tear its face off and eat it head first!"
My wife knows me well enough and understood the dire circumstances that had just presented themselves.  I don't recall the dialog but I do know that she initiated the Good-bye.  Ended one exchange with a wonderful woman to begin a dance with another.  I'm a lucky man!
Dad didn't need any persuasions.  He loaded his rod and shot the slider 10 ft beyond the she-pike and perpendicular to her.  As the slider swam, the she-pike began her course of interception. She was as nonchalant as I have ever seen a fish, but had a very certain intention.  Dad was collected and maintained his swim, slow and casual.  With cool intent she arrived at the intersection and in an instant the 8 inch fly disappeared.
I have never been able to determine whether my brain short-circuits at intersections with big fish or if it goes into hyper-drive!  Most likely a little of both.  The fish was secured in short order and we quickly set up a photo shoot.

The curves being held.

Or if you prefer, behold the curves!

 Dad is in love with the Echo Ion rod to say the least.  Family tradition dictates the plastic cork wrap stays on the rod until it has landed a fish.  Thank you dad for shedding the plastic!  Cheers to many more fish on this stick!

 The return home!  What a beautiful state to live in!  

Savoring a successful fishing trip! Delicious!

 Topped off the evening with a Walleye Seminar by Rocky Mountain Anglers at the DNR autotorium.

Good Day!

By: Targhee Boss