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| Volume 12 • Issue 10 • October 2007 | ||
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Below the Mason Crossing
The chuckles sprinkled throughout our September monthly meeting as various members told of new "sweet spots" for catching fish following all or the rain and flooding we have had over the past spring and summer. After one tall tale popped up, the inevitable question of "Where were you fishing?" arose. The quick response was, "Below Mason Crossing." Thereafter, whenever someone tried to pinpoint where one of these treasured spots for some really nice fishing action was located, the answer was an automatic–"Below Mason Crossing."
We were all ready to laugh even before a response to a tale of fine catches left the lips of whichever proud angling friend currently held the floor. And so it seems that "Below Mason Crossing" has come to mean, "...none of your blankety-blank business." This little episode raises some interesting considerations. Just how much does a fly-fisher owe to friends and acquaintances in revealing some of the best places to fish?
It seems reasonable that stretches of water that are fished by a lot of anglers contain some areas that contain more and/or larger fish than the rest of the river. If such locations are quite popular, the chances are that anyone who fishes these stretches soon finds out where the most strikes will occur, so it would be no big deal to point out good locations to newcomers unless they appear to be the type who would keep everything caught to the point of being a fly-fishing hog. Fly-fishers could be expected to be mostly catch-and-release anglers. But that leaves parts of the river that require an angler to be an explorer, inquisitive and adventurous to take a path less traveled, one where the wading is tougher, the banks thicker with brush, the depth of the water unknown, the surroundings spurring thoughts of cotton mouths. On the other hand, the off-the-beaten-track waterway may be quite innocent; it may just look "fishy," thus, rarely explored.
Now here's one way of looking at such a situation. If someone wants to know where a successful angler caught his fish in such a place, a good reply might just be, ". . . below Mason Crossing." For the adventurous, exploring fly-fisher who searches out some really productive water on his own, it would not seem unreasonable that he or she should reserve the right to keep such a spot as a treasure for one's self, only to be shared with a trusted friend or two who would be thoughtful to put this special place in a locked vault within the mind. It just might be considered quite healthy and sporting for an angler to have a nice collection of special fishing places that hold such value as a reward both for the success of this angler's efforts and for the preservation of his or her sense of peace and privacy in being so absorbed in the nature of our fine sport.
If anyone gets too pushy about where such a place is located, we have a ready response–"below Mason Crossing."
–M.A.
"H-m-m. People ask me a lot. When they do I'm stuck for a ready answer.
"Favorite fishing places are not like husbands or wives or girlfriends or boyfriends; you can have several and still not get into any real trouble." Paul Quinnett in Fishing Lessons: Kansas City, Andrews Mcmeel Publishing, 1998.
October Meeting: October 18, 2007, 7:00 P.M, at The River Nature Center on Francisco Lemos Street on the north side of the river across from the west end of Tranquility Island of Louise Hays Park; Business: Reports and Items of Interest; Program: Member Show & Tell.
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North Clear Creek
From Danny Wheat's Fishing Journal
North
Clear Creek crosses Colorado State Highway 149, about 24 miles west of
Creede, Colorado, or about half way between Creede and Lake City.
I fished on August 23, 2007, on the section of the creek below the Continental Reservoir about three miles west of SH 149. The creek winds through open, rolling grasslands and is about thirty feet wide and not too deep or swift. It fishes well from the banks and has many bends with deep sections that hold fish. North Clear Creek drains into the Rio Grande near Creede.
I started about 9:00 A.M. and fished about two hours. There was no surface action and only a few insects flying above the stream. I decided to try dry flies first even though there was no apparent hatch. I used my three-weight rod, rigging a #18 Parachute Adams dry fly on a four pound tippet. Right away I began catching small rainbows and brown trout, all about six to eight inches long. I had good action for about one hour. Then things slowed up and I decided to try a nymph.
I rigged a size #18 Bead Head Flash Back Pheasant Tail on the same four pound tippet, in place of the dry fly. I did not use an attractor fly, nor did I have a dropper, but I did attach a strike indicator about four feet above the fly. I began to cast the nymph into the deeper sections of the creek along the outside bank on the curves and in the middle of the creek in the areas below the riffles. I caught several small browns. I kept thinking that there was a big one hiding somewhere.
I noticed a broken beaver dam that was washed away on one side and had a deep run around the remaining section. On one side there was a good swirl that moved downstream about thirty feet, and then the water curled back upstream toward the broken dam. This looked to me as the likely spot for a big trout to be hiding. I began to cast into the swirl from downstream, letting the bead head nymph move downstream with the current on the bottom and then back upstream next to the bank. On about the fifth cast, I finally got the strike I was hoping for. A nice big fish took the nymph and headed for the beaver dam upstream. I saw him roll under the water, but did not get a good look at him. I knew he was big because he really hit the nymph hard and bent my three-weight rod almost double. I was afraid I was going to lose him in the sticks of the dam before I really got a good look at him. He swam under part of the dam. Then he went upstream taking off line. I turned him, and he came back into the deep pool where I had first hooked him, then went to the bottom. I was sure it was a big brown because I saw a flash of yellow on his body. He repeated this pattern for the next ten minutes, moving upstream by the dam, then back downstream to the deeper water. One time he got tangled on a rock that was underwater. I feared that I had lost him.
After
a lengthy struggle, when several times I thought he would throw the
small hook, I was able to get him to the surface and see that it was a
really nice rainbow trout, looking to be about eighteen inches. He made
several more desperate runs upstream and then back into the deep hole
before I could get him to the surface and guided into my long-handled
landing net. I lifted him out onto the bank and let out a holler. He
was a beauty. I took two pictures of him before I put him right back
into the water without ever touching the magnificent fish.
He turned over on his back with his belly pointing skyward, and I was afraid he would not make it. I panicked. He was in calm water next to the bank, and I was able to reach my net under him and then able to move him into some swift water while pointing his nose upstream, again without touching him. After about fifteen seconds, he gave a flip with his tail and swam out of the net into the moving water. I breathed a great sigh of relief.
I made a mental note of the deep hole with the swirl next to the broken beaver dam because someday I hope to come back and hook him again. He fought a heroic battle and really provided me with a most enjoyable fishing experience. That's what fly-fishing is all about for me. I like to eat them, but I also like to leave a fish in its territory and hope to come back and try to outsmart it again. He really gave me a battle, with the outcome in doubt until the very end because of his size, the light tippet, the small hook and the beaver dam right there in the middle of the stream that reduced the space to work the fish.
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A Back Cast of Memories
The September issue of The Back Cast initiated a look back in time to what was going on with our club and its members and projects over the past years. Events running from fall 1994 through 1996. In this issue we will cover a couple from1997.
1997
February
So Far, So Good at Bear Creek Crossing
"It has worked well. The grand experiment with the stocking of rainbow trout at Bear Creek Crossing has measured up to just about all of the best scenarios imagined. Those silver slithers popping up here and there along with the telltale circles show that the old Guadalupe is full of life and beckoning fly-fishers on and all to pull out the long rod and hang into one of the silver flashes. A day of wading the waters from the bridge to the rapids and casting a graceful line with the reward of a sudden bolt of electricity at the other end might just be about the most splendid way a person could enjoy a fine Texas Hill Country day.
"The fish have survived; the location has proved to be superb as a wade fishing area; the bait fishers have not posed an invasion. What we have is a quarter mile river stretch right at our doorstep that will serve as a fly-fishing playground from now until the midst of May when warm water will draw a curtain on the time of the trout."
April
One Fine Gray Day
"After a few days of delightful sunshine, the wet weather that fuels colorful spring flowers and panoramic scenes of greenery moved in to do its work. For some anglers, the gray, damp, drizzly surrounds turn thoughts of fishing to be delayed until a brighter day. Nevertheless, some of fishing's finest moments occur when dark skies are hanging low and the ground is soggy and droplets of rain are falling from the hat's brim. Ironically, according to many experts, such times provide ideal conditions for catching fish.
"Our club officers gave some consideration to postponing our March meeting/outing until the waters winding their way through River Hills were covered by blue skies, but the words of Shakespeare prevailed:
'There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.'
"Well, maybe it wasn't all that serious, but by George, five or six of our tried and true anglers took advantage of several hours of good fishing and fine fellowship. Danny Wheat was our host, and Dennis Glenewinkel our guide. Dennis and Robert Edmonson set the pace with a bass apiece ranging in the 2 to 2 ½ lb. class. Bill Emshoff had something big on his line, but the bruiser got away. Dick Steele was making beautiful casts that paid off with a bluegill or two. Donnie Bunch was the quintessential fly fisher as he pulled out a few of our piscatorial pals. Your editor, while trying to capture some of the scenes for our newsletter, managed to claim one large bluegill. All the while, our host, Danny, worked in a few casts before firing up the grill for some savory burgers that would warm both our tummies and our spirits as we gave in to the darkness and relaxed in the hospitable surroundings of Danny and Carolyn Wheat's elegant and graceful home. Both Danny and Carolyn furnished all the ingredients for a perfect evening, and to them we give a hearty thanks."
HCFF Calendar Update
| October | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Board Meeting |
| 13 | Preston Weatherred has cancelled the saltwater trip to the coast. |
| 18 | Monthly Meeting–Riverside Nature Center, 7 P.M. – Program: Member Show & Tell |
| 19-20 | Oktoberfisch in Junction on the Llano. |
| 26-28 | Trip to Broken Bow Oklahoma (trout fishing on the Lower Mountain Fork River) check with Dianne Williams |
| November | |
| 5 | HCFF Board Meeting |
| 13 | Cookout in Louise Hayes Park. Check with Danny Wheat. Don't miss it! $6 to $8. 3 PM till end |
| 15 | Monthly meeting. Collect 2008 dues and sign up for TROUT LEASE. The trout lease will be limited to 80 fishermen and the cost will be $125 per person. Rick Wilson has ordered the trout so don't be left out! The first 80 people get preference. |
| December | |
| Christmas Party. Place, date, and cost, tbd. | |
From FFF ClubWire. . .
Book Review:by Bruce E. Harang
Woolly Wisdom
By Gary Soucie
Frank
Amato Publications, Inc.,Portland, Oregon 2006--232 pages, softbound,
illustrated, color and B&W, suggested price $35.
If you thought there was a Woolly Worm and a Woolly Bugger and other than the difference in the tail, that was it, you are in for a surprise. This book presents 400 Woolly patterns covering numerous variations. There are standard Woolly Worms and Woolly Buggers, Buggers without hackle, Buggers without tails Buggers with bodies of yarn, fur, hackle, ersatz, as well as the traditional chenille. There are Buggers that sink, and those that float. There Buggers with foam heads, foam bodies, bead heads, cone heads, dumbell eyes, foam eyes, as well as Buggers with short tails , no tails, extra long tails made of just about any material that can be used as a tail material. If it can be tied Bugger-like and used to fish for any fish that swims in cold, warm, or salt water, there is most likely a pattern covering it here. So this is a pattern book of woolly creatures of a vast variety. But it is also a book of inspiration for tiers to create even more, and hopefully better, Woolly Buggers to meet even more fishing situations. At once, both a history of what is, and a springboard for what can be, in the world of woolly flies. Besides being a pattern book, it also teaches a whole quiver full of methods and tips that will allow you to tie better Woolly Buggers–flies that swim better, have more movement in the water, and stand up to more fish before having to be retired. Also included are fishing tips by the creators of many of the patterns and explanations of how the particular pattern was developed.
The book is beautifully illustrated and written. In fact, it is a very easy and pleasant read. The stories, tips, and notes by the pattern creators are well worth the read and the modest price.
The Tying Corner
The Drowned Ant
Article by Eric Schubert–North Idaho Fly casters Club; Illustrations by Adrian Jund–North Idaho Fly Casters Club
One of the most important food sources for trout is the lowly ant. Ants can be found around rivers and lakes throughout most of the year. They are easily blown into the water by the wind and then swept downstream by the river currents and consumed by hungry trout. Aquatic biologists confirm this finding by examining the stomach contents of fish; ants just seem to be in great supply.
Author Edwin O. Wilson, writing in The Naturalist has this to say: "By my estimate, between 1 and 100 million billion ants are alive at any moment, all of them together weighing to the nearest order of magnitude, as much as the totality of human beings."
Like all insects, ants have six legs, and each leg has three joints. The legs of an ant are very strong; they can run very quickly. If a man could run as fast for his size as ant can, he could run as fast as a race horse. The folks who study ants also tell us that an ant brain has about 250,000 brain cells; the human brain has about 10,000 million. That means that a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same sized brain as a human. Ants have a life expectancy of about 45–60 days; perhaps this statistic is impacted by voracious trout.
Because ants are such an available food source for trout, fly-fishers will generally carry an assortment of ant flies in their fly boxes. Our Fly of the Month, the Drowned Ant, isan effective design from the vise of Grant Sapronoff, a fly tier from British Columbia. Grant began his fly tying under the tutelage of his father and uncle. His patterns were refined after fishing them on the west arm of Kootenay Lake as well as on the Columbia River in British Columbia. Grant is currently assisting his friend , Joe Warren, with the Canadian portion of a book which features fishing strategies and flies for the Columbia River.
When tying the Drowned Ant, use Daiichi #1273 hook, or equivalent, sizes 14-16. The body is composed of three glass beads, the two rear beads being the same size; the front bead is smaller than the rest. Position the beads onto the shank of the hook an secure them with thread and a coating of epoxy. Be sure to leave some space between the two larger and one smaller bead. Tie in two brown hackle tips for the wings at the area between the large and small beads. Complete the fly by wrapping several turns of black hackle in front of the area where the wings are tied in.
Fishing ant patterns is relatively easy. I fish most ant patterns at the bottom of a multiple fly system, with the "wet style" ant being at the bottom. The fly of choice for the upper portion of this rigging system would generally be a soft hackle type. You might even try a dry fly style ant instead of a soft hackle fly at the top. Fish your patterns around weed beds, banks and especially under brush that is overhanging the water's edge. Many ants are blown into the water from overhanging branches and the trout position themselves to intercept the ants that drop in.
If you are interested in researching Grant Sapronoff's other fly designs, they can be found in a book entitled Contemporary Fly Patterns of British Colubia, authored by Art Lingren in 2006.
Check out http://fedflyfishers.org/ClubWireArchives/TheFlyBoxDocs/DrownedAnt.pdf for more information.