After a few weekends of no water, it was time to get my fix. Jake and I headed up early and found ourselves alone in the frigid mountain air. It was not surprising that no one else was present in the wee hours of the morning as the temperature gauge in the truck read 27°. The morning was slow and cold with only a few willing fish coming out to taste our wares and at mid-day we switched streams and found our luck changing. Over the summer, I had many days logged on this particular creek and have been stunned by the reliable fishing that it provides. Jake and I landed fish after fish, most of which were wild browns around 10-12 inches.
The midday sun warmed the canyon to a mild 60° and took the bite out of the frosty landscape. Small hatches of mayflies were coming off the water and caddis and other terrestrials could still be found fluttering along the banks. The creek was in pristine condition and it appeared to very healthy. Jake and I spotted several monsters that we attempted to target but to no avail. One was well over 20 inches in length and was hanging near the tailend of a large pool. Several casts sent him scurrying letting me know that my presentation could use some work. Another interesting sight was after laying my first cast into a long pool, a behemoth brown launched itself out of the water only a few feet from my fly. After many attempts, nothing I could offer would induce the same action from the fish.
Trudging back to the truck and stepping out of the waders, I realized that this creek deserves more of my time and energy. The quality of brown trout fishing is fantastic and I believe I am only scratching the surface of the opportunities that this beautiful stretch of water has to offer. I hope to have a couple more shots at these browns before the Rim is snowed in for the winter.
A special thanks to Matt Smythe over at Fishing Poet. He sent me one of his t-shirts which I wore while fishing today and I attribute my good fortune and success to him. Check him out at Fishing Poet.
Oooohhhhhh, I can’t wait! I smell some really good brown footage coming out of our upcoming trip.
Blogger collaboration is pretty cool!
Home Skillet
It is going to be a real good time. Looking forward to sharing all that Arizona streams have to offer.
Ben
Interesting about superstitions and fishermen. Your’s seems to be the tee-shirt. Mine is the cup of coffee at Cook’s Station. Doesn’t matter what superstition you have as long as it continues to produce fish. Your’s did well. Nice batch of browns.
Mark
Shoreman,
I know what you mean. I used to sluff off the “don’t bring bananas while fishing” superstition. That was until our fishing charter sank in the harbor on our honeymoon after another guest brought a bunch of bananas on board. Needless to say, I’m a believer. No more bananas…
Ben
Looks like a nice trip. I went up to the rim last week one afternoon and fishing was slow. Two trout in four hours, but it was still worth taking the afternoon off work. Just seeing the changing colors on the trees was alone worth it. Beautiful fish you caught.
Brandon,
The Rim is absolutely fantastic this year to just drive through, let alone fish. I feel that most people don’t bother too much with fall fishing the streams up there, but they are really beautiful this time of year. Sounds like you had a nice time up there too. One of these days, we will have to make a trip of it. Thanks for the kind words. Tight lines.
Ben
Looking good, that mini-hopper has earned its place for sure. Those crawfish in your last post looked damn tasty as well. Nice work. Crawfish, I should get on a few of those…
Thanks for the compliments on the crawfish. Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to throw those once the streams start to swell. We’ll see how they fish in the late winter and spring. Some of our creeks here are just loaded with crawfish and I have been searching for something decent to throw. That pattern just might fit the bill. Thanks for the kind words…
This story is a wonderful reminder of the blessings we have in America! Great writing and say hello to my son Pete, great site!
Visit me at: http://www.LedZeppelinNow.Info Be.Blessed & Peace.ON!
Yes sir. Very nice of you stop by. Thank you for the kind words and I will definitely say hello to Pete for you. We are hoping to get out once I get on Christmas break. Really enjoyed your site. Thanks again for stopping in.