Reunion Weekend

So I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. It was the weekend of the Clegg and Lancaster reunions in Star Valley. I know what your thinking that would stink to try and joggle both, but I'll tell you what we did it and it was a blast. My little bro Gunner and sis Addie came along for the trip and were tons of fun to hangout with even though they sleep almost the whole drive both ways. We got to the Clegg reunion Friday evening, which was up at the Star Valley Ranch said are hello's, ate some dinner, talked fishing and were on our way to set up camp at the Lancaster's before it got to dark. That night we had a hot dog roast and hung around the fire telling stories and rekindling friendships. The next morning didn't come soon enough knowing that we would be fishing one of my favorite little streams in the world. I woke up at 4 am and tossed and turned until 5 am, when I finally decided to get up and check what time it was. In doing so I woke up the whole camp with the car alarm going off as Addie opened up the door. When Aaron, Gunner and I finally got to the river. I was evident that it was going to be one of those great days on the river. When we finally got to "The Meadow" right off the bat Aaron holds up a nice Cutty that he had landed on one of his first casts. Gunner and I moved over to where Aaron was and I hooked up with a nice Cutt on my Copper John dropper. We ended up catching 9 Cutts in that hole within an hour. The highlight of that hole was the nice 17 inch Cutt that Gunner caught on one of his first cast into the first of the run. It was great to see him make a nice cast and then watch as his top fly shot down and he was hooked up. The rest of the morning we tried a couple more spots and caught another 6 fish, but just as the fish started to key on my top fly we had to leave. In all I caught 7 fish and 4 of those were on my big #2 Royal PMX and the rest were on my Copper John or Hares Ear. It was great to be on the river for at least a couple hours and enjoy the time with family. Its memories like these that make reunions so special. The rest of the day we spent either at the Clegg's or Lancaster reunion for their main programs. To top off the trip we jumped off the bridge into the Salt River with Deon and Scott (which was a blast) and stopped by the Red Barron for one last homemade shake and greasy food.

Humbled, Beat, Tired and the X

So I have been on a lot of fishing trips in my day, but I would have to say that this one ranks up on my list as one of the toughest trips ever. The fishing was hard to say the least. We arrived on the lake Friday afternoon with the hopes of catching a few very large trout. Everything seemed perfect, there was a slight breeze, ok cloud cover and we were marking fish all over with the finder. The only problem is that what ever we threw at them must have not been the right color, size, texture or who knows what??? I first tried Chroniods nymphed deep. Then we threw streamers with all different retrieves. Then tried Dansel dries, nymphs. Then to top off the night we tried to match the midge hatch and catch some of the smaller fish that were rising, but they to didn't want what we had. As the full moon arose over the mtn side. I decided I couldn't be skunked and went and stocked the shorelines with my mouse and streamers, but sure enough the fish were king on this day and Wayne's and myself were left with tired arms and broken spirits. I couldn't believed that it actually happened. Through out the night I just kept thinking what I was doing wrong and couldn't think of really anything else I could have done better. I finally came up with the conclusion that I knew the fish were rising for the occasional midge, so they must be keying on them and the emergence, but they were so random that the best way to target them was with chroniods fished at about 14 ft to imitate the emergence of the larva. So the next morning I did just that and after 2 light bites. I watched as my indicator bobbed twice, I set the hook and the 100s of pounds of sand on my back was lifted off. It wasn't the fish that I was after on this trip, but it was a fish and more than that it showed that when fishing is tuff and the fish are hanging deep because they feed all night I could still figure out a technique to out smart one. After that fish I missed a few more and the morning was over. It's funny, its times like these that I really find out why I love the sport of fly fishing and where I'm at in the sport. Its hard, demanding, technical, detailed, takes knowledge, and skill. Right when you think that you have done your homework and learned all about stillwater fishing, damsel flies and chorniods. The fish don't act like they should and you are right back to square one. It's not just about learning bugs and water types, its about understanding trout and the way they act to certain situations in their lives at the current condition. (ex: I didn't think to factor in the water temp until after we were done. The water was 70 degrees and that is another reason why we needed to fish deeper to get to them in the cooler deeper water) I can look at this trip in two ways, one I can say it sucked and I hate fishing lakes or I can look back on the experiences and learn from what I did right and wrong and put that in my knowledge, so I will be a wiser and smarter fisherman the next time I go out.

2008 Frenzy Recap

This years Frenzy was like no other...or wait maybe it was? How would I know this was only my second year particapating as a true F'er. Before I get into any details I need to give a quick background of what the Frenzy really is and how it came to past. The Frenzy was started 7 years ago as a few choice fisherman decided they needed to leave life, marriage, kids, and work and enter into the unknown world of a fish bum for a 5 day adventure that would change their life. Since the first Frenzy had such a deep effect on these men they decided to make the last week in May an annual occurance. This year the Frenzy started well before its offical date (June 12-16th) with the advent of trash talking emails and bragging rights posts to the Frenzy blog. The anticapation was thick and I don't think anyone really got anything done at work in the week leading up to the Frenzy. The 2008 Frenzy began as little groups started merging together and migrating to a little town up north we like to call Rexburg. Dave Hancey, Brent (Hoss), and myseft road together in Dave nascar truck. After what seemed like a short drive, we arrived to Chubbs private lake to be greeted by a 20 minute down pour of rain. That didn't stop Hoss though. He got out and was ready to hit the lake as Dave and I hung out in the dry truck. There must have been some karma in Hoss's actions, because right off the bat he saddled up a hog Bow and was the first on the board. We were greeted by Gene and Hoss jumped on with him. So the match was on! Dave and Travis vs Hoss and Gene. It was fun everytime someone would hook up with a Bow that boat would would let out a confident yeeehaaaa!!! We all caught tons of bass and each of us hooked up with a big bow that satified our hunger for large trout. But like most hungry boys we needed some Craigos, "all you can eat pizza" to fullfil that craving. So we meet up with the rest of the F'ers for the official Frenzy 2008 kick off dinner. (Travis and Dave received a penalty for getting salads) After rolling out of Craigo's we hit up the local Wal-Mart of Rexburg called ???. To get zingers, energy drinks, and I guess a little bit of normal food and more zingers of course. On this Frenzy we were going to live in style. Hoss got us all top of the line frenzy appearel (Hats and Shirts) to match are top of the line f'ing attitudes. The next stop was Chubb's Island Park cabin where we got unpacked, set up the XBox, hungout and waited for Dave and Hoss. (They stopped and fished Henry's Fork for a chance at some caddis) That night Hoss, Dave and I tied flies as the rest of the crew Chubbs, Gene, Jake and Yetter played some serious boxing. Jake, must have been tired, because he moved just as much as the player he controled.

The next morning we woke up before I shut my eyes completely to go to sleep, at least it felt like it. We had one thing in mind and that was the world famous Madison River below Hegben Lake. We raced as fast as we could to get there. At least that's what Dave was thinking when he passed Chubbs and the crew going 130 MPH. The river was a little high as expected, but the water was crystal clear and perfect for some early moring nymphing. We each found our battle grounds on the river and right off the bat started hooking up with fiesty Rainbows, Whities and an occasional Brown. My favorite spot on this trip was the back point of the island. There was a nice run and a big deep eddy right below. I spent as well as the rest of the crew alot of time there catching fish after fish on San Juans, zebra midges, copper johns and ap emergers. On the other hand Hoss and Dave crossed the river (Crazy!!!) and found their own little unfished honey hole where hoss caught 5 fish in a row on a green caddis. As we all started getting hungry we made our way to West Yellowstone, stopping to throw a couple casts in Hegben and then off to the Beartooth for some tasty BBQ and cheese fries to die for. With some advice from Bud Lily's Fly Shop we decided to hit the Box Canyon for the chance to hit the coveted Samonfly hatch. Just like last year, by the end of the float we were mad, confidence shattered, 100 flies short and ready to write off this section of the Henry's. Hoss even got a "Thumbs Up" from a guide when he asked him how the fishing was. That made Hoss's day. I'm just glad they were far enough away that Hoss couldn't swim over there to beat him up and eat him for dinner. Since our confidence was gone, we (Hoss and I, Dave was too tired) decided to stop by the Buffalo River to get some of it back. It was just what we needed little Brookies and Bows on dry flies. After a handful of those and a taste of the beautiful scenery. We were ready to return back to the Cabin for some hamburgers, hot dogs and of course some Zingers and a Monster. Since we hadn't had enough fishing for one day. Dave (Who wanted to go) , Hoss and I stopped by the Henrys Lake Outlet to check it out. No fish, but we limited out on a stunning Island Park sunset.

The next morning started out alot like the former except we sleep in an hour longer. Which was needed. We hit the Madison again and this time we knew what to expect. Everyone caught plenty of fish and just as always. The Madison didn't disapoint one bit. It was fun to hook up with Yetter, Gene and Jake as we all fished the Island and all caught and released some nice Bows and whities as the rest of the crew that crossed the river were getting into their own fish. On the way out of the canyon we stopped at Randy Harrops shop and got to talk to him and get some of his wise advice. He told us about Cliff Lake and how it was fishing well, so we had to try it out. As we pulled up to the lake we were stunned at its raditant ocean blue water and green pine tree back drop. About 30 seconds after Yetters first cast he hooked into a nice bow and then another. Then Gene landed three in a row. It was looking like it was going to be a fast action day, but the bite slowed down after that for our boat. Hoss won big fish honors with his 22 inch bow and the other boats caught fish too. The highlight of Cliff Lake wasn't the fishing, but the huge rope swing that caught our attention. We were bugging a couple girls about going off, when they dared us to go off. We said ok and next thing we knew we were half stripped down( well some of us, Chubbs?) flying through the air and into the icy high mtn lake. It was a blast and a much needed break. To top of the experience we gave the two Montana girls a ride back to their camp on the drift boat, while finding out that they had just recently done Acid and while in the boat smoking up a bowl of Pot with Yetters help.(one heck of a wind stop yetter) Pretty dang amazing who you will find in Montana! After fishing and breaking my fly rod, we packed up the Island Park cabin and headed to the Victor manison. Pretty nice place for a bunch of dirty, stinky fishermen. When we arrived at the house it was pretty late, but we still had enough energy to try the pond that was in the backyard. After fishing mice and streamers with no love we decided there were no fish in the pond and went to bed.

As I woke up the next morning I was determined to catch a fish out of Chubb's pond, but just like the night before no bites and not even the sign of a fish. That was just fine cause we had the South Fork on our list today. The water had dopped from 18,000 cfs to around 13000 cfs, but compared to the Madison it was raging and a little off colored. We had three different boats on the water. Travis's, Slice of Lime, Dave's Aluminun Dory and Yetter's White Water Machine. I fished with Hoss and Dave on this float (Dam to Conant) and just like the master fly fishermen they have become we started catching fish on big streamers right off the bat. Later in the day we switched to a deep nymphing rig to get our flies down to where the fish were hanging out. The flies of choice were large rubberlegs, yellow sallies nymphs, san jauns and glow bugs. The highlight of this float was the adventure down one of the small side streams. We almost died trying to stop, then out of no where Chubb's hooks up with a monster Cutt-Bow that takes him and Gene down the river to try and land the monster trout. The real fun came when Hoss spotted a large redd with actively spawning Cutts. These were big mature colorful fish that had one thing in mind, getting it on! Over the next hour Hoss, Dave and I caught and released a haft dozen of these magificent creatures. It was amazing to watch the fish swim into position to intercept the glowbug and then fight like mad. The rest of the float everyone caught and released plenty of fish, but the surprise of the trip was when Hoss hooked up with a 10# Sucker that we invisioned being a trophy Brown. It gave him an awesome fight and was still a trophy of a fish, even though no one will say it is. To help out with Fish and Game we decided that we were going to keep all Rainbow trout we caught, so with 5 Bows in the cooler we were set to have a fish fry that night. Which I hope was good because I cooked them and no one threw up or got sick. Later that night as the rest of the crew was playing boxing and watching some crazy show. Dave and I snuck out to the upper pond that we knew had fish in it. (we saw one at least jump) This was by far my favorite part of the 08 Frenzy, because it was scary, wild and proof that putting in the time sometimes pays off. So we got to the big pond as it was dark 10 pm. I put on a PMX after about ten casts, I saw a big splash where my fly was and I had a big fish on for about 3 seconds. I thought, ok now we know there are fish in here, now I have to find out what they are eating. After one other bite on the dry. I had a hunch to try a black bugger that I really like. It was the ticket! On my second cast I hooked into a fat 17-19 inch Cutt-Bow that fought hard. After that it was all over I caught and missed several Cutts in that same age class for the next two hours. Dave was getting mad at me cause his luck wasn't going so good, but on the last bend it all changed as he landed a nice Cutt to top off the night.

The last day of the Frenzy was a bitter sweet day. On the positive side we were going to fish the South Fork again from Byington to Lorenzo, but on the negative side it was going to be over before we knew it. On this float I fished with Gene and Jake who were great company and who sure could catch some fish. In fact everyone caught lots of fish this float it was just one of those days when the Cutts, Browns and Bows were feeding the whole day. We estimated that between the three boats over 100 fish were landed in the short 5 hours that we fished. I will never forget pulling up to the endless supply of log jammed runs that were perfect for catching big browns. Which we did on 8 accounts in the same spot or Gene trying to fight a big fish as we went down the bridge rapids. Too bad we didn't have enough time to fish the last 5 miles of river. This was a great float and a picture perfect ending to such a remarkable trip that symbolizes friendships, appreciation of nature and all her beauty and a feeling of freedom from such a heckic world. So after all this when people ask me how the Frenzy was, I answer back with a smile and a "thumbs up", because they would never really understand how great it really was.

PMDs, Caddis and Gunners First

This outing was set up by Brent to give Steve and Jason a little taste of what the Provo has to offer. Well it worked out, but in a way I didn't think it would. I was planning on spending most of the time with one of them, but instead I invited my little Bro Gunner for his first Caddis Hatch and the chance to catch his first fly fishing fish on the Provo. I picked up Gunner at about 6:30pm and we headed straight for the river. Brent and the crew would meet up later. We got to the river and it was practically empty. A hunch said go to the island riffles so we got to the riffles and the PMDs were everywhere. So we strung up Gunner with a Para PMD and a Killer Caddis as his dropper. The fish weren't really rising with much contestantly, but on Guns first cast he had a hit and then the second cast missed another. Finally on his 20th or so cast he hooked into a little Brown that marked his accomplishment of catching a fish on the Provo. He hooked up one other time and missed quite few other takes. After coaching Gun I decided it was time to give him a break and fish a little. I hooked up with two large Browns on the north end of the Island, but they both out smarted me and somehow spit the hook. As it started to get a little darker we moved up to the east side of Hoovers. (my favorite spot) Right away Gun hooked into his largest fish on a fly rod. It was a 20+ Brown that jumped and then went on a run that all most made Gun crap his pants. Instead he held onto the line and broke the monster off. After a quick lesson on fighting large fish on a fly rod. Gunner was hooked up once more with a big brown. This time he was ready and after 3 hard runs he brought the bruiser to the net. It was awesome to see his excitement and accomplishment in his eyes as he fought the large trout.


The rest of the night was the Travis Gillespie show staring, that's right ME! I don't know if it was something I ate, but I landed several hog Rainbows that wouldn't stay off my Killer Caddis. The second to last fish of the day was the largest Bow I have landed out of Hoovers . It was a sweet fish with a tuff attitude.

It was a great hatch with very large tan Caddis flying everywhere. We stayed out on the river until 11: 15 pm. It was a great time with my little brother Gunner who is going to become a master fishermen. Down the river Brent, Steve and Jason all caught fish and had a great time. That's what the Caddis hatch does, it makes people have fun in a wild, rugged, scary, dark way. Can't explain it, its just amazing.

Study 1: Damsel and Dragon Fly Research

So from now on I am going to pick a subject of study each week and post my favorite findings here so others can partake and I can have them as a quick index.

Study One: Damsel and Dragon Flies

http://www.flyfishersrepublic.com/entomology/others/damselflies/

http://bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/bugs/damselfly/damselfly.phtml

http://www.flyfishusa.com/flies/damsel-dry.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Damsel-Flies-and-Fly-Fishing&id=714326

http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/flies/spence_damselflies.aspx

http://www.flyfisherman.com/rmwest/gtdamsels/index.html

http://www.flyline.com/entomology/

Grand Canyon, So Grand!!!

It was Rad!

4th Of July At The Green

This year we decided to create a different kind of firework show. In the spirit of Independence Day we decided to leave all friends and family behind and explore the wild side of the Flaming Gorge wilderness. Liz and I left Friday morning about an hour behind schedule, but that was just fine. This was more of a vacation than a rushed fishing trip. We reached the river at 11 am and right away. I started hooking up with all the little planter Bows they had planted the week before. We left the launch and started floating to the best holes that I wanted to explore this trip. I used a Cicada most of the day with a few fish that wanted to play, but the majority of them would swim right up to it and laugh, then swim away. One of the coolest experiences I have ever seen happened was on this float. Right as we were about to enter a rapid my rod that was just sitting in the back of the boat with its flies dangling 5 feet behind, started screaming as the line zinged out. I quickly looked back thinking I had a snag, but to my amazement there was a huge Rainbow fighting for its life on the other end. I grabbed the rod and horsed him into the net. It was the big fish of the trip and one I will soon not forget. (it hit my big PMX) The rest of the float was highlighted with Liz's amazing rowing job. She was a natural. She took over the oars for the last 2 miles and let me fish. Which was so much fun considering this was the most I have ever been able to fish out of my own boat. With the weather turning overcast and a little windy I tied on the crystal and ginger buggers and had fish hitting it right away. I hooked up a few times, but the bigger browns would hit it and I was having a heck of a time trying to keep them on. I must have missed 20 or so good hits. But that was all right...It was just fun to be out with Liz and having a good time together. After the float it was about 5 pm so we got the bikes unloaded and hit a 3 mile trail that takes you to an awesome lookout point of Flaming Gorge Res. With our hearts pumping and our legs tired we decided it was time now to find a camp and hangout of the night. We found a dirt road right off the main highway drove up it about 500 yards and had our own private campground that rocked. It was tons of fun to set up the tent, blow up the mattress, gather firewood and make a killer fire to cook our dinner on. This made me think how much I enjoy and miss real camping. Its funny now a days there so many ways to camp like cabins, timeshares, condos, and hotels that people forget what it is really all about. Too bad for them they are really missing out. The menu for the night was Liz's special Chicken Tin Foil dinners with delicious smores for dessert. The only bad weather we had all trip was later that night when it decided to blow really hard for about ten minutes and give us a light summer shower. Liz woke me up while she and I quickly zipped up the windows of the tent. The next morning we were charged and ready for another great day out on the river. I was full of anticipation of rising trout and lots of hook ups. Where Liz was glad to see we had another sunny day in front of us. The float started out a lot like the first day with lot of little bows right by the launch with a few larger ones mixed in the bunch this time. Liz ended up rowing most of the day and did a great job navigating a couple large rapids, while letting me try and catch some beautiful trout. We stopped and hung out right below roller coaster rapid and like the day before were surprised with another unexpected Bow that hit right as we ready to stop. I fished the hole pretty hard, but when I switched to two ginger buggers. I had 3 hard hits and finally landed a nice male brown on my new streamer rod. (9 foot, 8 wt) The highlight to the fishing was definitely when I stopped right below mother-in-law rapid. I hooked up my first two casts and ended up catching 6 fish in about 30 minutes. It was awesome and a needed confidence boost. I noticed that the fish in the last 3 miles were a lot more active with the light hatch of PMDS coming off. I fished the hole with about a 14 foot leader, San Juan and PTs right down on the bottom. The rest of the float I tried hucking the meat again (buggers) but the smart browns would chase, but weren't to hungry or it wasn't really the right conditions for them. Little sunny and early in the day. Both days I hitched rides back to the dam with fellow fishermen, instead of paying $84 bucks witch I personally think is totally rapping people. In all it was an awesome experience that Liz and I will never forget. I love going on trips with her where we can both be ourselves and let our love for nature and the great outdoors roam free like the wild trout we were catching. I am so lucky to have such a cool wife that loves the outdoors as much as I do, because there it nothing better that sharing experiences together that last in your memories forever.