Arizona Wanderings

Arizona Turkey Hunting: Sabotage

May 6th, 2013

9 Comments

I am still looking to bag my first Merriams gobbler here in Arizona. I had a tag in two previous seasons and had a great time hunting them, but truth be told, I’m still learning so much every time I get into the woods after these birds. This season proved to be the most action packed couple of days in the field, but one of the most disappointing and unfulfilling hunts that I have ever had.

I drew a tag with my hunting buddy, Austin and we set out after work on a Friday. We drove the five hours to camp and set up camp in the dark. After only a couple hours of sleep, we donned our camouflage and heated water for instant coffee before bumping down the road in the darkness to see if we could find some roosted birds. After a couple of stops to crow call, we were able to elicit a shock gobble from the darkness only a couple hundred yards from the truck. We had about an hour before daylight, so we sat in the truck sipping coffee while waiting for the sun to lighten the sky. Nature called and we both got out of the truck and went our separate ways to take care of our morning business. The sky began to show signs of lightening so we quietly grabbed our gear and made our way into the woods.

We set up on a large pine tree with a decent view of the ridge in front of us. I was covering the right while Austin covered left. As the light came up, we began to call and as neither of us had ever seen before, two hens and two gobblers made a beeline for us. The one gobbler moved in quickly on Austin’s side and he waited as long as he could before taking his shot. The morning exploded with a boom as his turkey went down with a thump.

After congratulations and a couple quick pictures, we could still hear gobbles from in front of us. So, we set up quickly about 25 yards ahead and started calling again. Within minutes another gobbler and hen moved in on our decoy, but were always just out of range or behind heavy brush. They circled to our right and I figured that they would be making a loop back around to check out our setup. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind, a loud gunshot echoed to our right, not more than 70 yards away.

We could not believe it. Another hunter had set up just on the other side of us and shot a bird no more than 50 yards away from where we were. We walked over to speak with the hunter and see the bird he had shot. His story was, they had seen our truck parked that morning, seen that the radio was on inside the truck, as we were out with the call of nature, and instead of moving on, decided to set up a hundred yards down the road. They had seen and heard us shoot the first bird, and instead of then identifying that they were there with us, remained where they were and shot in our general direction at a bird that we called in. Here’s the kicker – one of the hunters was an Arizona Game and Fish Employee.

Not wanting to escalate the situation and realizing that nothing good was going to come of standing there and talking about it, we opted to head back to camp and make a game plan for the afternoon. The wind picked up the rest of the day and made it difficult to locate any turkeys. As the sun went down and turkeys started to get back on the roost, we did a bit more calling and found two birds off of the one ride. We marked the spot for the following morning.

Morning came early, and anticipation was high. The first bird was unresponsive, and after an hour or so of calling, we bailed on him to go and try the other bird that we had located the night before. We walked about a mile down a small two track, and sure enough, two gobblers sounded off at our hen calls. We made a quick set up about 50 yards of the track and started calling. As if on a string, the gobbler came closer and soon enough I saw a red head moving up the small ravine in front of us. Through the brush, I could see him in full strut at about 50 yards in front of me. He was moving through some trees and I needed him to walk about ten more yards for a clear shot. As that thought went through my mind, I heard the sound of a truck bouncing down the two track and my heart sank. The turkey turned to look at the road and then moved off into the trees, taking my chance at a gobbler with him.

The truck continued towards us and stopped parallel with where we had set up. A hunter clambered out of the truck in full camo and started to cluck on his call. We made our position known to him and he hopped back into his truck and continued down the road. Seriously, who is driving around at 7:15 am hunting turkey from a truck? We called for another 10 minutes and decided to throw in the towel.

I truly do not know if I have ever been so disappointed on a hunting trip. Even as I write this, I can feel my blood start to boil. We made our way back to town and I knew that with the craziness of work and life, that I would not be able to make it back up to fill my tag. Every minute in the woods is a learning experience and I was grateful to have been able to be there. Here’s hoping that next year will have some different results.

Rambling Review – Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line

May 2nd, 2013

3 Comments

Rambling Review – Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line

Why:

I was invited on an April trip to Pyramid Lake in western Nevada. Although nymphing under an indicator is fairly successful on Pyramid, many fishermen prefer to using a heavy sinking line and strip different flies back along the bottom of the lake to tempt the big Lahontan Cutthroat that live in the depths. While doing some research on different lines, I came across the Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip fly line which appeared to be the perfect fit for my 8 weight fly rod.

First impressions:

The specs – The Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line is a heavy sink tip shooting head with an intermediate running line. I was able to get my hands on the 200 grain line which Cortland recommended for my 8 weigh tand the type of fishing I would be doing at Pyramid Lake.

The shooting head is a dark gray line while the intermediate running line was green. The color of the running line varies, depending on which weighted grain sink tip you get from Cortland.

Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30' Sink Tip Fly line Taper — Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line Taper

Field Use:

Pyramid Lake is unlike anything that I had ever fished before. Standing on a ladder in 4 feet of water while the wind howls around you can be some very difficult and technical fishing. Although I started with floating line and an indicator, my ADD took over and I switched to the Cortland Quick Decent line to strip streamers. If this tells you anything, I fished for 3 days with the Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line and I never went back to the floating line.

This line just flat out casts. Mind you, the wind is often in your face and you are chucking big #4 and #6 size buggers by your head. I learned pretty quick that once the shooting head is past the last guide, you release that line and just watch that running line zip through the guides. With a slight tailwind, I could lay out a good portion of the 125’ of line. For a small stream guy who rarely casts more than 40’, I was ecstatic. The Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line is finished off with Cortland’s Dur-A-Slik coating to keep it smooth through the guides and casting farther.

The one strong selling point for me on the Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line is the intermediate running line. Many sink tip lines are designed with a floating running line and work well on rivers or from a float tube. On Pryamid Lake, I wanted my line to be uniformly sinking so that I was in constant contact with my flies. The intermediate running line eliminates the giant hinge in the line often seen with floating line and keeps those flies on the bottom.

5 - Lahontan — Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line

I have used quite a few different lines from Cortland, and I have bantered back and forth with some buddies about Rio vs. Cortland and the supremacy of one over the other. Hands down, I believe that Cortland line has stood the test of time and makes some of the most durable, affordable, and versatile line out there. My one issue is availability of information for the different types of line that Cortland makes as well as the availability of the lines themselves. Cortland has a whole slew of different fly lines for different fishing situations, but it is tough to find information about them.

Here is what I was able to find out from the head of the Cortland fly line department

For matching a QD line with graphite rods your usually want 1.25-1.75 times the AFTMA line rating 30’ grain suggestion for you rod in sizes up to 10 wt. Experienced anglers may choose a sinking head line with a head weight outside these ranges for certain applications, but these windows will serve as a great starting point to make sure that you are matching your rod with a sinking line that will help it perform properly and make less work for you. If you know you will be fishing with particularly big flies or making very short casts and presentations, look for a line on the heavier side of the window.

Example:

5wt rod (AFTMA 140GN) 175-245 grain suggested window.

6wt (AFTMA 160 grain) 200-280 suggested window.

7wt (AFTMA 185 grain) 230-325 grain suggested window.

8wt (AFTMA 210 grain) 265-375 grain suggested window

9wt (AFTMA 240 grain) 300-420 grain suggested window

10wt (AFTMA 280 grain) 350-500 grain suggested window

11wt – could handle 400-750 grain

12wt – could handle 450-800+ grain

Cortland is in the process of building a brand new website with more fly lines and information available to fly fishermen. I for one am extremely excited to see the great things that Cortland is doing and am looking forward to seeing the continued innovation in the fly line industry.

Pros:

Integrated heavy sink tip and shooting head

Intermediate running line eliminates hinge in the line caused by floating running line

Available in different grain sink tips for a variety of situations

Color-coded running line to differentiate between different grain sink tips

Dur-A-Slik finish on line to keep line casting farther

Welded loops for easy rigging

Cons:

Lack of information about pairing grain weight to fly rod weight, as well as sink rate statistics (soon to be changed by their new website)

Prognosis: I really like the Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip fly line for its castability and for getting line down quick and would highly recommend it. I think this is a perfect sinking line for Pyramid Lake. I’m looking forward to getting to the California coast sometime in the future to see how it performs on the ocean.

* Disclaimer:

The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. The Cortland Precision Quick Descent 30′ Sink Tip Fly line was provided for the purpose of this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.

Fly Fishing Arizona: The White Mountains

April 29th, 2013

15 Comments

The brown trout are fat and healthy, but greedier than ever. This season has started out rather well for me, and I’m excited to try continue trying new water to see what Arizona holds. Fly fishing in Arizona truly can be a rollcoaster ride, with ups and many downs. One thing that I have learned by fly fishing Arizona is to always adapt, try new patterns, and patience, lots of patience.

Arizona Turkey Hunting: NWTF Juniors Turkey Camp

April 26th, 2013

4 Comments

Last year, I had the honor of heading up to the Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Hunting Camp which was hosted by the National Wild Turkey Federation. At the camp last year, I was able to see first hand how the National Wild Turkey Federation partnered with multiple other organizations like the Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona Elk Society, The Phoenix Varmit Callers, and many more, to provide a positive and safe learning environment for young hunters just entering the world of turkey hunting.

Since last year was such a positive experience for me as a mentor hunter, I jumped at the chance to help out again. Rich Williams of the Arizona Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, pours his heart and soul into the Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Hunting camp. The camp provides the youth hunter and an accompanying adult (free of charge):

A mentor hunter
Free food (courtesy of the Arizona Elk Society)
Several seminars on turkey hunting and other outdoor skills
Prizes for each youth hunter in camp
A fully equipped archery range

4 - NWTF Youth Camp — Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Hunting Camp

10 - AES Food — Food by Arizona Elk Society

13 - Phoenix Varmint Callers — A seminar on predator hunting by the Phoenix Varmint Callers

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been working with the species specific organizations (like NWTF, Arizona Elk Society, etc.) to help create camps that pass on the heritage of hunting to the next generation. The AZGFD has a full list of the mentored hunting camps that serve not only youth hunters, but adults as well. They can be found on the Outdoor Skills page of the AZGFD website

I was able to head out with a father and his two sons on Saturday, and we were able to get into some gobbling early on Saturday morning. Although we were never able to seal the deal on the birds, several other youth hunters were successful over the weekend. Being a part of something like the Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Hunting camp is extremely for me as an outdoorsman. Between the camaraderie of camp and the passing on of the hunting heritage, I look forward to participating with the National Wild Turkey Federation Juniors Camp for many years to come.

12 - Colburn Turkey — Parker Colburn with his first (of many) Merriams

Rambling Review – Linekurv Stripping Basket

April 24th, 2013

11 Comments

Rambling Review – Linekurv Stripping Basket

Why:

This year, I had the opportunity to do a bit of pike fishing along with a trip to Pyramid Lake. Several people I talked to recommended a stripping basket for both occasions and it was not until I went that I really understood why. Stripping baskets help to keep line from tangling while hand stripping fly line. I found out that a quality stripping basket is worth it’s weight in gold. Here are my thoughts on the Linekurv Stripping Basket. The Linekurv baskets are made in Denmark where “linekurv” means stripping basket.

First impressions:

Solid – The Linekurv stripping basket is built rock solid. There is nothing fragile about the basket or the heavy duty nylon belt.

The fit and feel – Right out of the box, I tried the Linekurv basket on, and with a simple cinch of the belt it snugged right around my waist. There is a slight curve on the backside of the basket which allows it to hug your body. Some of the homemade stripping baskets I’ve seen are almost too boxy and look uncomfortable. Not so with the Linekurv

Field Use:

Although I needed a stripping basket for Pyramid Lake, I had the opportunity to try out the Linekurv stripping basket on a bit of pike fishing in Northern Arizona. I debated on even taking a basket along, but I at least wanted to practice with it before getting on the water at Pyramid Lake. When I showed up at Upper Lake Mary, I was more than happy to have the basket along. Fly fishing for pike involves heaving big flies tied with rabbit strips and then stripping line as fast as you can to shore. The banks of the lake were muddy and nasty, but instead of line being piled up at my feet and getting stepped on, line was coiling neatly in the stripping basket. I truly learned the value of having a stripping basket for keeping your line clean.

The main reason that I even looked into stripping baskets was for fly fishing Pyramid Lake. Pyramid is a windy lake in Nevada known for holding big Lahontan cutthroat. One of the main ways to fly fish the lake is with a heavy sink tip shooting head and lots of running line. Large amounts of running line, piled up at your feet is a recipe for disaster.

The cones at the bottom of the basket keep the running line from tangling. So as you are casting the shooting head, the rest of the running line zips through the guides without knotting up and ruining the distance on your cast. The smooth design also cuts down on any line snags on the basket. I was using a 200 grain shooting head and with a bit of a tailwind, I was laying down casts farther then I have ever cast line before. I believe much of that comes from using a stripping basket.

The Linekurv also has two notches cut into each side which hold your fly rod perfectly when you need your hands free. On Pyramid Lake, I had to fight the urge to start stripping my flies in before they had sunk to the bottom of the lake. What I liked to do was to cast out my heavy sinking line, lay my fly rod in the Linekurv, put my hands in my coat and count to 30.

As I mentioned in several posts on fly fishing Pyramid Lake, Landon, the Pyramid veteran of our group, stayed on the ladder longer than any of us. While I was taking a break, he asked to give the Linekurv a try. This was probably a mistake, because he almost did not want to give it back.

The one thing that I went back and forth with on the Linekurv basket was the lack of holes for draining water. While pike fishing, it did not matter, as I usually was not more than knee deep in the water. At Pyramid, we waded out to chest deep before putting our ladders down and climbing up. Often times, when landing fish, we were wading in water up to our bellies and water filled up part of the Linekurv, making it awkward to move around and necessary to drain. After doing quite a bit of reading, I think that it is a matter of preference for the fishermen. Some guys like to have drainage for their baskets for a rogue wave, while others who do more deep water fishing prefer to have a basket that floats on the water. The jury is still out for me. It did not take much effort at all to give the basket a quick flip to drain water, but I think it would be cool to have two drain plugs that you could open and close depending on the situation you are fishing in.

Pros:

Lightweight

Durable material designed to be rugged in very cold and warm conditions

Nine cones in the bottom of the basket to minimize line tangles

Comfortable

Built in rod holder

Sleek design that reduces protruding edges

Cons:

No drainage holes

Prognosis: The Linekurv stripping basket is a top of the line choice if you are looking for a high quality, well designed stripping basket. The Linekurv is an excellent tool for adding some serious distance to your cast.

* Disclaimer:

The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. The Linekurv stripping basket was provided for the purpose of this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.

Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 3

April 22nd, 2013

2 Comments

By our third day of fly fishing Pyramid Lake, we were settling into a rhythm. We woke early and were the first ones on our beach. With headlamps on we waded out chest deep and set our ladders in hopes of tying into one of the really big 10+ pound fish. Although we landed several nice fish along with many other regular Pyramid Lake Lahontans, the big ones proved elusive.

Around 10 we pulled our ladders in order to check out of Crosby’s, and after a quick bite to eat, we scoped out several more beaches before landing on one that had very few fishermen on it. With the day coming to a close we continued to bring fish to the net. With the daylight fading, we called it a day and broke down our fly rods. As we drove away, I realized why all the “Pyramid guys” talk the way they do. The lake is something pretty special and I cannot wait to get back up there and plop my ladder back down in the sand and start stripping flies for big cutthroats.

2 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

3 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

18 - No Fishing — Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake

6 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

20 - Ladder Line — Ladders as far as the eye can see

28 - Black Beetle — Can you tell which one they liked?

30 - Splash — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

31 - Jake Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

33 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

1 - Pelican Beach Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 2

April 18th, 2013

15 Comments

1 - Early Morning Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

Day 2 of fly fishing Pyramid Lake came very early. Based on what we had seen and experienced the first day, we headed out really early to get a spot on the beach. Ultimately, we found ourselves in the center of the action and began hooking up at first light. We found that during our time at Pyramid, stripping flies on heavy sinking lines was the ticket for consistant action. Fly fishing Pyramid Lake was unlike anything I had ever done before. I had worried on the way up that my small-stream-ADD-mentality would make the monotony of lake fishing unbearable, but hooking up on big, hard fighting Lahontan cutthroats was extremely rewarding.

We were able to hold some very respectable fish and left the water happy and satisfied.

2 - Ladder Line — Pyramid Lake Ladder Line

7 - Landon Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

8 - Black Bugger — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat on a Black Bugger

10 - Lahontan — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

12 - Kyle Lahontan — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

13 - Kyle Fish — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

14 - Popcorn Beetle — Another Lahontan falls for the Popcorn Beetle

15 - Black Bugger — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

3 - Hooked Up — Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake

18 - Black Beetle — Pyramid Lake Lahontan Cutthroat

Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 1

April 16th, 2013

8 Comments

A few months back, my good buddy Kyle, who writes over at Sleep When You’re Dead, started putting the word out about a possible fly fishing trip together for Pyramid Lake. When everything finally shook out and the final preperations were made, the trip consisted of Kyle, Landon, Jake, and myself. We loaded up my Tundra with ladders, gear, and a healthy dose of optimism and left the Valley of the Sun around 6 PM. We drove steadily through the night, talking about the places we fished and the places we hoped to fish, and arrived at Pyramid Lake just as the sun was rising over the mountains. The growing sunlight exposed the dramatic landscape, and we quickly donned waders and layers of clothing to keep out the cold. We quickly rigged our fly rods and soon casting our lines into this monstrous lake.

Unbelievably, my indicator was the first to dip and pretty soon I was holding one of the beautiful Lahontan cutthroat trout that grow in Pyramid Lake. At first, we focused on drifting big flashy nymphs under indicators, but we soon found that stripping flies on heavy sinking lines to be more productive (and less boring).

We fought fatigue from our all night drive and after switching beaches, we were all on the board with multiple fish brought to hand. Although the goal at Pyramid Lake is to catch a fish over 10 pounds (all the way upwards of 20), we were exctatic to be pulling fish in the 20-27″ range.

We called it a day as the sun dipped behind the mountains, and after a dinner of corndogs and french fries, we crashed for the night in preperation for an early morning on the water.