Price trip #1
Anyone interested in a good fly fishing story....................here's a long winded one for ya......
Saturday: June 6th, 4:00 am found me driving northward to meet Joe from work in Spanish Fork to head to the river that winds down out of Scofield reservoir (Lower Fish Creek also known as the Price River). We got there at the first hint light and started walking down into the artificial-lure-only zone.... I put on a white woolly bugger and casted, while at the same time walking downstream, into the riffles and pools allowing the fly to drift down, then stripping it back....I hooked a nice little brownie first cast...he escaped. It was so cold that the eyelets on my rod were icing up and my hands wanted nothing but the big, warm pocket in the front of my neoprene chest waders. We continued to walk down toward to the "Good water," about a mile downstream, not taking too much note to the fish rising to small mayflies almost constantly. Finally, we couldn't stand it any longer and decided to stop and throw flies for a while at the risers.... A size 20 parachute adams did the trick, but after a couple bent hookes and misses we decided to head down river. As it got lighter, a sweet mist began to rise from the river and the air was amazingly crisp and beautifully FALLISH as the yellow sunrise began to show over the ridge Then,.....it happened! 150 yards or so behind us......! An elk bugled!!!!!!!!!!! It continued to bugle for the next ten minutes as we stood in awe, looking at each other dumbfounded each time the bull spoke. T'was amazingly unusual for June and yet it was totally appreciated! We walked past the slower section of river about a mile from the dam and finally reached the first riffle and white water that I hadn't fished since I was sixteen. On a previous March scouting trip (not fishing trip due to low flows) I had done my homework, flipping over rocks and collecting bugs for patterns to tie at my bench. I now tie all my own bugs. Sow bugs (aquatic species of potatoe or pill bugs) were definately the predominant bug in the river. I had previously tied some up using carpet from my brother-in-law's bedroom as dubbing. The pattern seemed perfect and the color was precise. With a dozen or so sow bug immitations in the fly box we head back to the story...... We got to the end of a large hole and proceeded to "nymph" using the newly tied carpet bugs with a strike indicator acting like a bobber. What happened next can only be described as "bliss and utter happiness".... We began to nail monster chubby rainbows, browns, tigers, and cutties for the next five hours, as we moved slowly up the river. We were catching around ten fish per hole and they were so big that we would have to follow them down river everytime because they were pulling so dang hard !!! It was a rod bending / drag pullin' frenzy!!! I loved it!! Now to the best part of the story......As I got up to a really fast section of the river I almost didn't cast because of river's swiftness, but decided to give it a try anyway.... I casted, mended my line, and watched as my strike indicator stopped. I set the hook calmly but quickly upwards and downstream. I initially thought I was snagged up because "it" felt so solid..... then "it" decided to fight! Wahoo!! The fight was on! He ran fast and hard downstream, using the current to his advantage..... Florescent green fly line flew and my chrome reel buzzed as he made several long spirited runs. I ran as fast as I could down the river to keep up! After a long sustained fight and a few minutes later, he finally gave up to his master and I had him in my hands.... I had just caught one of my best all time brownies on a fly! Way long....WAY fat ..... the exact measurements didn't matter, but the small details caught my eye.......the yellow-gold of the fish's sides and potatoe chip sized fins, the deep red and white ringed spots, the amazing pearlescence of his scales, the sky blue of his gill plates. How beautiful are the creations of our God! AMAZING!!! It was a trip to remember. It was a fly fishing highlight and I am addicted to the sweet sound of the "slurp" caused by one thing........fly line being pulled off the water as a hook is set into the lips of a monster trout!
Life is a fly fisherman's paradise.
Saturday: June 6th, 4:00 am found me driving northward to meet Joe from work in Spanish Fork to head to the river that winds down out of Scofield reservoir (Lower Fish Creek also known as the Price River). We got there at the first hint light and started walking down into the artificial-lure-only zone.... I put on a white woolly bugger and casted, while at the same time walking downstream, into the riffles and pools allowing the fly to drift down, then stripping it back....I hooked a nice little brownie first cast...he escaped. It was so cold that the eyelets on my rod were icing up and my hands wanted nothing but the big, warm pocket in the front of my neoprene chest waders. We continued to walk down toward to the "Good water," about a mile downstream, not taking too much note to the fish rising to small mayflies almost constantly. Finally, we couldn't stand it any longer and decided to stop and throw flies for a while at the risers.... A size 20 parachute adams did the trick, but after a couple bent hookes and misses we decided to head down river. As it got lighter, a sweet mist began to rise from the river and the air was amazingly crisp and beautifully FALLISH as the yellow sunrise began to show over the ridge Then,.....it happened! 150 yards or so behind us......! An elk bugled!!!!!!!!!!! It continued to bugle for the next ten minutes as we stood in awe, looking at each other dumbfounded each time the bull spoke. T'was amazingly unusual for June and yet it was totally appreciated! We walked past the slower section of river about a mile from the dam and finally reached the first riffle and white water that I hadn't fished since I was sixteen. On a previous March scouting trip (not fishing trip due to low flows) I had done my homework, flipping over rocks and collecting bugs for patterns to tie at my bench. I now tie all my own bugs. Sow bugs (aquatic species of potatoe or pill bugs) were definately the predominant bug in the river. I had previously tied some up using carpet from my brother-in-law's bedroom as dubbing. The pattern seemed perfect and the color was precise. With a dozen or so sow bug immitations in the fly box we head back to the story...... We got to the end of a large hole and proceeded to "nymph" using the newly tied carpet bugs with a strike indicator acting like a bobber. What happened next can only be described as "bliss and utter happiness".... We began to nail monster chubby rainbows, browns, tigers, and cutties for the next five hours, as we moved slowly up the river. We were catching around ten fish per hole and they were so big that we would have to follow them down river everytime because they were pulling so dang hard !!! It was a rod bending / drag pullin' frenzy!!! I loved it!! Now to the best part of the story......As I got up to a really fast section of the river I almost didn't cast because of river's swiftness, but decided to give it a try anyway.... I casted, mended my line, and watched as my strike indicator stopped. I set the hook calmly but quickly upwards and downstream. I initially thought I was snagged up because "it" felt so solid..... then "it" decided to fight! Wahoo!! The fight was on! He ran fast and hard downstream, using the current to his advantage..... Florescent green fly line flew and my chrome reel buzzed as he made several long spirited runs. I ran as fast as I could down the river to keep up! After a long sustained fight and a few minutes later, he finally gave up to his master and I had him in my hands.... I had just caught one of my best all time brownies on a fly! Way long....WAY fat ..... the exact measurements didn't matter, but the small details caught my eye.......the yellow-gold of the fish's sides and potatoe chip sized fins, the deep red and white ringed spots, the amazing pearlescence of his scales, the sky blue of his gill plates. How beautiful are the creations of our God! AMAZING!!! It was a trip to remember. It was a fly fishing highlight and I am addicted to the sweet sound of the "slurp" caused by one thing........fly line being pulled off the water as a hook is set into the lips of a monster trout!
Life is a fly fisherman's paradise.
Price trip#2......
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