Arizona Fly Fishing: Summertime Small Streams (Part 2)

Morning on the Rim
Morning on the Rim

I woke to the beauty of the Arizona sun, rising across the canyon and beaming light into  every corner of the forest. Breakfast rivaled dinner from the night, and the eggs, hash browns, homemade breads and coffee provided us with plenty of energy to break down camp and get things under way.

Small Stream Brown Trout
Small Stream Brown Trout

The morning started slow with the temperatures climbing and warming the water we were fishing. We opted to take a look at another stream, but things did not seem much better. When the fishing slows, there is only one place to go…Creekside. After burgers and rehydrating ourselves, the sky darkened in a matter of minutes and thunder and lightening began crashing all around us while rain and hail fell from the sky. We waited patiently and the sun reappeared although the temperature had dropped dramatically. Pete, Erin, and I headed back out to one of my favorite streams were the brown trout were hungry and willing to take the dry fly.

Horny Toad
Horny Toad

After a while, Pete and Erin took off and I fished my way down and back up the creek picking up fish in all the good looking spots. Nothing too huge, but the fish were gorgeous with bright spotting and creamy colors.

Brown Trout
Brown Trout

I appreciated the intensity of the weather and the awe inspiring power that comes with an Arizona thunderstorm. It always amazes me to see how vital the rain is to the ecosystems here in Arizona. It was great being able to see Pete and Erin and I enjoyed fishing with them immensely and look forward to meeting up with them again soon.

Thunderstorms in the high country
Thunderstorms in the high country

6 Responses to “Arizona Fly Fishing: Summertime Small Streams (Part 2)”

    • azwanderings

      Yeah, they never let me down and eating on that leaning porch certainly adds to the charm of the place. Great burger and rueben there.

      Ben

      Reply
  1. David G

    Those fish are WAY COOL! I know pictures never do justice to fish, but wow! Great spotting! I get hungry after every post of yours…

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      Thanks David. These fish in this particular creek have a real creamy color to them with some extremely vibrant spots. They typically are small but really beautiful. I get hungry too when I look back at those steaks on the fire…

      Ben

      Reply
  2. Barry aka long ago

    Ben, give the new landmark a try for grub. It’s a little pricey but good stuff. I gota give your mini-hoppers another thumbs up. Fished them this AM on a little creek and they were attacking them.

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      Glad to hear that Barry. I’ve saw the landmark up there the last time. I’ll have to give it a shot next time I’m there. Glad the minis are doing the trick. Gotta love the small stream fish…

      Ben

      Reply

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