Winter Outing

Was able to make it out on Rapid Creek in town yesterday. The weather was nice and the fishing was great. I was experimenting with French Nymphing and finally started to get the hang of it. Started about 10:00am and fished until 1:00pm. Got several fish on a small bead head pheasant tail tied Czech style with a hot-spot behind the bead.

Most of the fish took this hot-spot pheasant tail. A couple were fooled by an orange hunchback scud. By noon midges were hatching and in the slower runs fish were rising steadily to the freshly emerged adults. I was able to fish dries for the last half hour of my outing. Several fish hit an size 18 olive F-fly and a size 20 griffith's gnat also had a few takers. All in all it was a very successful trip. Hard to believe that fishing this great took place on a stretch within the city limits only 5 minutes from the house.

Spearfish Creek Trout

There are a bunch of them in Maurice Intake. It isn't out of the ordinary to catch several fish, but most of the little stinkers continue to feed right at your feet. They ignore countless imitations of midge larvae and baetis nymphs- even though you can pick up a rock just upstream and see nothing but small black midge larvae and baetis nymphs. They have to be eating something awfully close to our imitations. Nevertheless, it's cast and switch flies, cast and switch flies...

And I'm not complaining. A small strange part of me actually enjoys getting snubbed by the majority of the fish. It is what fuels all night tying binges. Several good patterns have resulted from those bleary eyed tie fests. There have also been far too many disasters- of the variety that you hope are never seen by your angling pals. These are promptly razor bladed and the hook recycled.

The fish in the picture above were about four feet away and ignored most of our offerings. We had a good time anyway. It was fun to watch all the fish feeding. We did manage to catch a few on bubble backs, WD-40's, and Scuds. One of the fish was a beauty- 16" and fat. A great Spearfish Creek Rainbow.

The same fish?

Tony Rhodes, a guide for the shop, shot this photo one snowy day. He sent me an email after seeing the rapid creek rainbow post (see a couple posts back). This might be the same fish. It is much brighter colored here, and a bit more orange. Take a look at the photo from the previous post and take a close look at the dorsal fin. They have the same irregularity. Nice eye Tony.

Beautiful Basin Rainbow

This is a picture I had to post. It was taken earlier this spring down below Pactola. This fish was gorgeous. Not the biggest of the day, but it won out in terms of looks. I love the leopard spots offset by the golden olive of the body and the rose red stripe. I look forward to finding this fish again. Hopefully it will be in the same spot lazily sipping in baetis emergers. We shall see...