Our yard is under siege by robins and starlings today. I wonder what they are getting under the snow? I don’t imagine there are many worms out in 20F weather and we don’t have any berry bushes. I will post again if they start breaking through the windows like a Hitchcock movie! Better get the shotgun ready… – Posted using BlogPress

My last post featured a stellar outing on the Provo River with great success deep nymphing a cranefly larva pattern. I don’t think there are many places that sell a cranefly larva, so you may have to tie it yourself or pay a buddy to do it for you. This fly can be tied in a number of different color variations. I favor patterns in the light gray, light tan, and light olive range. I like to tie on hooks with a slight bend to give the larva a bit more natural look, such as:

• Tiemco 200R
• Dia-Riki #270
• Mustad C53S

I think to imitate a cranefly larva successfully, you need to make sure you have a few things in your fly, a short marabou tail, a lighter colored body about 2/3 to 3/4 the length of the hook with a good ribbing, and a darker thorax/head. For the body I like to blend my own dubbing using some synthetic and some natural fibers like angora. You want a body that can frizz out a little bit to give the impression of a semi translucent body and I like to tease out the fibers a little bit with a small hooked piece of Velcro. Additionally I like a few colored fibers such as blue, red or green to give it a rich colo. For a rib I use wire (heavy gold or copper) and ostrich herl usually just a natural gray. I also add a few wraps of lead under the body so that this fly gets down deep.Here are a couple of color variations that I fish. The top fly is a little more tan … Continue Reading

I had a great outing today on the Lower Provo River in Provo Canyon, UT.  It started off rather sketchy as the day was really snowy and I wasn’t sure if my 20 year old Honda Accord was up to the task, but I figured if I just took it easy I could get there without any issue.  My usual 40 minute drive was more like 80 minutes, but once I got there I found I had the whole stretch to myself.  I went to Vivian Park and fished up from the bridge.  Given then weather I determined I would be nymphing.  It was about 18-20 degrees Fahrenheit and a constant snow was falling.  I had in mind to fish a fly I haven’t used in a while; a big, juicy cranefly larva pattern about size 6.  I trailed it with a size 14 red fox squirrel nymph.  For weight I used a BB size split shot and an 8 ft leader with 5x tippet.  On my fifth cast of the day, I took a nice brown trout about 15 in long.  It took to the air straight away after being hooked.  Once I landed it, I could see that he had eaten the cranefly larva.  Over the next 10 minutes minutes I landed two more fish both were mountain whitefish of decent size and both foul hooked.  I think they were taking the cranefly and I was hooking them with the RFSN.  The cranefly was big enough they couldn’t fit it in their tiny mouths.  I hooked 3 or 4 more browns ranging from 11-14 inches and all on the cranefly.  The fish of day had to be the 18 inch rainbow that was a healthy slab of … Continue Reading

A couple months ago I went fishing on the South Fork of the Snake River with my cousin. He brought along a killer addition for a snowy day, ThermaCare heat wraps for our lower backs. We happened to be fishing on one of the few snowy days in October. We were floating with a guide which usually means a lot of casting giant streamers. This tends to be pretty exhausting on my lower back now that I am getting old . The heat wrap kept me going all day without any problems and had the added benefit of providing some heat to my waders. Last week I picked up a couple of boxes from Wal-mart since I knew I would be fishing today. I put one on before leaving my house and by the time I got to the river it was nice and toasty. After a few hours standing in the cold I was very thankful to have deployed my ThermaCare Lower Back Heat Wraps. Pick up a few for your next cold weather trip!

Today while taking out the trash I spotted a flock of about 30 Cedar Waxwings sitting in my neighbor’s tree.  I could hear their unmistakable winter whistling.  Seems like the only time I ever see these birds is winter time and I can only spot them after hearing them.  Despite their pretty splashes of color, they are pretty hard to spot in leafless trees against the winter sky.  Nevertheless, I always enjoy seeing them when I can, from their crests, their buff colored bellies, paint tipped red flight feathers and similiarly yellow tipped tails, they are real beauties.  Read more about them here: Cedar Waxwing.

During the recent Thanksgiving holiday my family and I visited my wife’s family in Arizona. My father-in-law is an avid fisherman specializing in bass of all kinds. We usually take his boat out at least once while during a visit. This year we went to Saguaro Lake in pursuit of Yellow Bass. Up until last year I had no idea that such a fish existed. They are small and resemble a White Bass, but have a yellowish tint to them. To catch these little guys you have to find a spot where hey are grouped and jig for them. They tend to be in about 20-40 feet of water and you can really only catch them if they are on the bottom. Suspended fish are too hard to catch. The secret jig we use is a 1 oz lead weight painted white with a faint pearly fleck and a treble hook attached to the bottom. Such a simple jig has turned an amazing variety of fish in my last two trips for yellow bass including a channel cat, a largemouth bass, two bluegill and of course lots of yellow bass. Here are photos from the last trip: Possibly the smallest ever yellow bass taken on a hook. Also you can see the jig here.Photos from 2008:This is a pretty standard … Continue Reading

Here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. We had a good one. I got a sweet Nerf dart tactical assault weapon an some great illustrated books. I got two of my favorite books from my childhood, Homer Price and The Centerburg Tales, from my favorite illustrator/author Robert McCloskey. Also I got the awesome coffee table book compilation of Charlie Harper works by Todd Oldham called Charlie Harper – An Illutrated Life. Very inspirational! Thanks to my awesome wife Crystal and my fantastic kids who make Christmas a ball.

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I am always on the lookout for big fish stories and found this great one from the Salt Lake Tribune. This woman caught an enormous lake trout on a fly in the Wind River mountains in Wyoming:http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_14027915I am always jealous of stories like this. I never seem to have issues catching fish but they never have much size to them…hopefully soon!

I recently got an iPhone and really enjoy the camera. I like the colors it captures. I have recently taken a few outdoor themed photos that make nice wallpapers feel free to download them if you like.This photo is some grass from my frontyard covered with hoarfrost.This is one side of my nymph box…This is the other side.- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Today we got a pretty good snow in the Salt Lake Valley. About 4-5 inches I would guess are on the ground at my house. I had to go run some errands tonight and it was pretty slow going, but got most of what I need to done. I am hoping to get out fishing next week after Christmas but snow doesn’t bother me too much. I recall one winter fishing outing where the outer fabric of my neoprene waders froze solid at the knees as I was standing in shallower water. I had to gingerly hobble back into the river to thaw the ice and then remembered to keep moving!