I have never done so much fishing in September before. This year has been one outing after another and it has let up this month either. September started out down in the Red Rock Cliffs country of Lake Powell in search of Striper boils, Smallie's on crawdads and anything that would take the bread fly. This years fishing at Powell was on the slow side, but the glassy wakeboarding water more than made up for the lack of fish. It was a great trip like always!!!
For the past week I have been fishing the Provo a lot. In fact I have been there 3 times (Tues 16th, 18th and Fri 19th on Middle) already this week and plan on going again tonight for some Caddis action. On Tues night I noticed that the fish were rising on the west bank, so I changed sides and caught a few and missed a lot. (I was out by 8:30pm)
Thurs night was a ton of fun fishing with some great friends. It was the first time I was able to fly fish with my great friend "Elder" Brandon Carter. We had talked about fishing together while we were serving a mission in the Caribbean, but never found the time until now. As for the fishing it seemed like it was going to be fast when Carter missed one on his first cast and I hooked up on my second. The hatch didn't come on like we hoped, but we all managed to catch a few fish between the misses.
(Rick was rocking the Bows) The highlight of the trip was Carters crazy Bat hookup. He had mentioned beforehand that it would be cool to catch a Bat, but as unbelievable as it is he hooked one mid-air as he was retrieving his backcast.
It was the perfect crisp fall night that all true Caddis fishermen would hope for. (Rising Trout, friends, and a challenge)
Today I woke up restless knowing that I had until 2 pm to do whatever I wanted. I really debated about hitting the Weber, but decided against it in favor of the coveted Middle Provo.
Today I wanted to fish Hoppers and only Hoppers. So after a few fish on nymphs in the morning I switched to a tan Hopper and busted the banks. It was hard work, but I was rewarded just as I hoped.
(Porcupine trying to steal my hole)
September to me is the best time of year to be in the outdoors. The rocky mountains come alive with a breath of crisp mountain air. The mountains show their true beauty as the leaves change into their colorful natural state. As I walked the banks I couldn't help but stop and think of how lucky I am to live in such a magical place. The inter feelings I get when I'm in the mountains are overwhelming, it brings out who I really am and where I come from.
This years hunt was one to remember it started with Gunner sleeping over cause we were getting ready for the annual Youth Waterfowl Hunt in the morning. We woke up at 6 am and got to the secret pond after a bit of trouble with getting lost then forgetting the shells. Right off the bat a nice big duck was flying towards us. Gunner knocked down the male Mallard it was like a 50 yard second shot across the pond. Cash being the amazing gun dog. Went into the weeds and found the duck!!!! It was truly amazing that he did cause I didn't think we had a chance of finding it. Then Gunner missed a couple other ducks and then knocked down a Blug Winged Teal that flew right into our decoys 5 ft away. He was so proud he hit it on the take off!!! Then he missed some more and more, which is all part of the fun of it!!! Then as were almost ready to go, a flock of 4 Green Winged Teal came in right at us and Gunner pulled up the gun and on the first shot knocked down two it was cool!!!! Then missed the others as they flew away kocking himself almost to the ground on the shot. In all we shot a box of shells and killed 4 Ducks. (whick was double from last year). 
It was a ton of fun to see Gunner so excited and do so good. (even though he missed a few) Cash did more then great. He brought back all the downed birds and minded very well. 
On Sat afternoon Gunner and I build a sweet duck blind that sits up about 5 feet out of the water and it about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide it should be very nice compared to standing in the mud. It was a great outing full of laghts and hi-fives...the one thing that was missing was having Jeremy and Jordan there. Its so much fun hunting all together as brothers. Now Gunner is as cocky as ever with his success and war wound brouse! 
Just a quick recap of last years youth hunt 2007: Gunner got his hunter safey a week before the hunt so Jeremy and I took him out to our secret spot on his first ever Duck hunt. The weather was hot until a storm blew in and made some ducks fly. Gunner shot two Teal and missed a couple others. It was a awesome to see him do so well on his first time shooting a shootgun. We had to leave early so he could get to his baseball game. Jer and I were pretty proud. Busting the trail to the spot was crazy in the Jeep. Here are some pics of last years hunt: 
I noticed a few Caddis flying around and that made me feel a little relief. Then as we made our way down the steep hill, through the tress and into Hoovers hole we were greeted by a splashing Trout, which made us all excited. We quickly tied on our outfits and right off the bat Griff on his 4th cast ever with a fly rod hooked into a nice 15-17 inch Brown on his Para Adams. With his excitement he poled the fish right out of the water and just like that it spit the hook. As the sun went down and night fell upon us Jeff got into a few nice fish, but the as luck has it they some how eluded his Caddis flies and swam free for another day. (That's fly fishing) Gunner also hooked up but was never able to bring one to the net. The rest of the night was owned by the beginner himself. Griff hooked up again with a nice 14 inch Brown which he brought to hand for a quick release. 
But the highlight of the outing was when Griff hooked up for his third time of the night. I guess third times the charm...This time he said with a shaky high voice "I got another one and he is big" He fought the huge Rainbow as it made multiple runs and leaps. 
Finally as the large fish tired his brought it to the the shore like a seasoned veteran fly fisherman. The Rainbow was a nice 18-19 inch fish that was fat as a pig. It was an amazing experience to see father and son so excited as they gazed at their trophy. 
It's experiences like these that make me realize why I am a fly fisherman and what it does not only for myself, but for all those I fish with. It is memories like these, we share that build friendships that last a lifetime...We all shared in the success that night...What beginners luck
The highlights of the trip were:
The action wasn't red hott like I hoped, but just being out with my Grandpa in my boat made up for all the time in between the few bites we got. It's the stories (old and new), experiences and conversation that makes a trip like this so priceless. I really enjoyed every second of fishing with my grandpa. The fish were just the icing on the cake...
Provo Canyon on the way home 
Goose and Duck Season just a day away! 
Brent and Shawn were having equal success as Brent coached Shawn into a very nice Rainbow and they both missed plenty of other takers that just spit the hook. "DANG IT, I MISSED HIM" (You know the feeling) 
The highlight of the night for me was the largest Rainbow I had hooked out of Hoovers. It hooked up just feet away and went on a 50 yard torpedo run, before swimming upstream and back to where I could land it. It was a beautiful colored male, about 20" and shaped like a football. It totally made my night!!! PS Did I mentioned how dang hard it is to take a pic of yourself while holding a big fish...You'll see
We topped of the outing with a late night run to McDo for a little Chicken on a bun. So why do I fish the Caddis Hatch? You won't understand until you try it yourself...
