Fishing Megathread: Looking For Big Girls Who swallow

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

8 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

We’ve been looking at a second place for last 18 months or so.  Been struggling with Tx coast (life dream) vs land vs house in Co.  Those pics beat the fuck out of Texas midcoast and south Texas scrub brush.  

It's ungodly expensive up here. Has to be one of the most expensive places on earth. Worth it, but got damn.

[fattyflattie 4639]

1 minute ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

It's ungodly expensive up here. Has to be one of the most expensive places on earth. Worth it, but got damn.

Yeah, it’s definitely not cheap.  But can you put a price on this fucking blast furnace down here?  I’ve had time to fish the last several weeks for the first time in awhile and it’s just too damn brutally hot.  Gives me the same dreary feeling as mid-Feb when it’s too bleak to do anything. 

[troph 24810]

6000 sf lot

5400 sf home

not new construction / not a house I'd even enjoy

aspen (in town)

$11,500,000

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/720-W-Bleeker-St_Aspen_CO_81611_M16653-14776?from=srp-list-card

granted, there are other places, some more remote, etc. but even land in other parts will run you as much as $3M for 30 acres with zero improvments.

I think you can find a trailer for just under $1M though.

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by troph

[fattyflattie 4639]

25 minutes ago, troph said:

6000 sf lot

5400 sf home

not new construction / not a house I'd even enjoy

aspen (in town)

$11,500,000

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/720-W-Bleeker-St_Aspen_CO_81611_M16653-14776?from=srp-list-card

granted, there are other places, some more remote, etc. but even land in other parts will run you as much as $3M for 30 acres with zero improvments.

I think you can find a trailer for just under $1M though.

 

Just need to be within a decent distance and treat it like the coast.  Few hours here, few home. 

[troph 24810]

1 hour ago, fattyflattie said:

Just need to be within a decent distance and treat it like the coast.  Few hours here, few home. 

Enjoy the blast furnace. 

[fattyflattie 4639]

10 minutes ago, troph said:

Enjoy the blast furnace. 

No, I’m saying where we’ve been looking in Co isn’t prohibitively expensive. It takes me 2.5-3 hours to get to the best areas on the Texas coast I fish now. If you apply the same to there, it becomes more doable. 

[troph 24810]

2 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

No, I’m saying where we’ve been looking in Co isn’t prohibitively expensive. It takes me 2.5-3 hours to get to the best areas on the Texas coast I fish now. If you apply the same to there, it becomes more doable. 

Ah I see sorry I thought you meant 2-3 hours from where you are now. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

21 minutes ago, troph said:

Ah I see sorry I thought you meant 2-3 hours from where you are now. 

I mean, if you can afford an $11M house, you can afford a Netjets membership. Then it’s about 3 hrs

[troph 24810]

5 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I mean, if you can afford an $11M house, you can afford a Netjets membership. Then it’s about 3 hrs

How much is in the wreath  fund ? 

[fattyflattie 4639]

27 minutes ago, troph said:

Ah I see sorry I thought you meant 2-3 hours from where you are now. 

No, should have been more clear.  I’m 2-5 hours from my fave spots in Texas. You can get into SW Co for not mind blowing money (we’ve been looking hard around Durango). Driving a few hours from there to hit a few days fishing isn’t dissimilar to what I’ve done my whole life. But yeah, that powerball hits and hello Aspen. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

First time I flew up there to fish with @DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt we fished pretty much right off the end of the runway at the Aspen airport. I bet we saw $500M in private jets taking off that day. Just unreal. Looked like AUS after F1 weekend. 

[Chewbacca 7780]

It's ungodly expensive up here. Has to be one of the most expensive places on earth. Worth it, but got damn.

Even Grand County is absurd these days. The pandemic really fucked CO mountain real estate up.

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

Heading out Monday for my annual bull trout chase. Fish camp is always better with barbecue, so spent the afternoon smoking two racks of pork spare ribs.

I always buy packer cut and then trim 'em up St. Louis-style (plus the "knuckle"), a la the great @hornian. The trimmings get eaten along the way or reserved for taco meat and ramen/noodles/stir fry.

Hopefully, the precursor of a wonderful week to come.

 

 

[troph 24810]

Godspeed to you. 

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

Thanks.

I know ribs don't belong here but they are for fish camp ... and I'm just stupid excited. Camping at this place is my favorite thing. Unfortunately, I've missed the bulls the last two summers, but hope springs eternal.

Worst case, it'll be a few days catching lovely westslope cutthroats, non-resident sub-adult rainbows, and mountain whitefish.

[troph 24810]

10 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Thanks.

I know ribs don't belong here but they are for fish camp ... and I'm just stupid excited. Camping at this place is my favorite thing. Unfortunately, I've missed the bulls the last two summers, but hope springs eternal.

Worst case, it'll be a few days catching lovely westslope cutthroats, non-resident sub-adult rainbows, and mountain whitefish.

I believe the full experience belongs here. Ribs and all. Fishing isn’t just fish, it’s outdoors, gear, friends, rituals, celebrations, all of it.

[troph 24810]

Today is our last before having to pack and go. Trying to figure out where to go, the hike we were planning seems ill advised for today given the next 4 days - I’m already sore from tennis and then a full day packing and a 2-3 day ride back (EV takes longer) seems like a miserable life of 50 year old soreness.  Looking at the map now. Decisions. 

Edited July 29, 2023 by troph

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

PSA: Orvis has the Hydros fly reel on sale for $199-$249 depending on side. That is a great deal on what was already the best “budget” fly reel on the market. Little Rojo has a Hydros IV that’s caught 4 permit, a few small tarpon, and a ton of upper slot and bull reds. Really, really smooth drag for that price point. 

[troph 24810]

7 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

PSA: Orvis has the Hydros fly reel on sale for $199-$249 depending on side. That is a great deal on what was already the best “budget” fly reel on the market. Little Rojo has a Hydros IV that’s caught 4 permit, a few small tarpon, and a ton of upper slot and bull reds. Really, really smooth drag for that price point. 

hey you have a pin drop by chance of that spot on the crystal that you and HW fished?

I can't do an alpine creek like I want to today, hips, heels, back are all too sore from tennis. about to head to the fly shop and the ranger station, ranger station won't be much help but I owe them a field report from last weekend.  I have pics of the spot and I'm sure the fly shop guys will know it but just in case...

 

[Kennythetiger 9388]

13 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Thanks.

I know ribs don't belong here but they are for fish camp ... and I'm just stupid excited. Camping at this place is my favorite thing. Unfortunately, I've missed the bulls the last two summers, but hope springs eternal.

Worst case, it'll be a few days catching lovely westslope cutthroats, non-resident sub-adult rainbows, and mountain whitefish.

Why in the hell doesn’t camping food belong here?  

2 hours ago, troph said:

I believe the full experience belongs here. Ribs and all. Fishing isn’t just fish, it’s outdoors, gear, friends, rituals, celebrations, all of it.

See what I mean??!  

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

Departure was delayed a day--leaving in about an hour. Y'all assholes have fun and catch some fish.

[troph 24810]

1 hour ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Departure was delayed a day--leaving in about an hour. Y'all assholes have fun and catch some fish.

You need to carry the thread. I’m done for a month. 😕

bass fly float day trips are planned working on my reds at the coast for the fall but august is marriage rehabilitation month. At least the sex should be good.

 

[troph 24810]

Separate question - Devils river - who to go with?
 

All water guides is backed up and they do a deal where you stay on a working ranch. Cool.
 

others camp on the side of the river which sounds awful and amazing at the same time.
 

curious on thoughts on how to do it and who to go with ?  

[hookemATL 11739]

2 hours ago, troph said:

Separate question - Devils river - who to go with?

[hookemATL 11739]

Heat was brutal but hopper season is hopper season. 

[Shaddie 1651]

Ok.  So my CR trip just got cancelled by friends who “I’ll do anything to go” to well let me check my schedule. Ughhhhhh

Need some bay fishing guides in Port A recs. 
 

 

[Born to Run 6569]

Wrapped up West coast escape the blast furnace for a month with 6 days on Kodiak Island. Fantastic weather! even swam one day in the strait after we had full boxes. Not my dream trip but it was amazing bottom fishing with a great group of friends and family. Me and the boy are bringing back 200lbs of Halibut, Ling Cod, yellow eye, black sea bass, and silvers.

Hoping to go back next year for river and hike in fishing. Amazing place.

Outdoor workout Friday morning is going to suck

[MalibuSheriff 1090]

Spur of the moment cannonball run to the New Mexico high country with the kid…

First order of business was kid’s request  -Black Mesa hike to Oklahoma high point on the trip out.  Beautiful, vast empty mesa country brimming with all types of wildlife.  Hotter than hell and no shade but worth it.  I’d recommend this hike in cool seasons - Very nice Nature Conservancy property at trailhead.

 

On to the destination - High country of the northern New Mexico Sangre de Cristos and lots of Rio Grande cutts.

 

 

The Land of Enchantment still very enchanting.

[Johnny Chimpo 478]

You had me with the stream pics but that last one is the piece de resistance. 

[troph 24810]

it's actually an A paper in the class on how to report back to the group.  geography, fish, celebratory dinner. could add more re: techniques and gear/flies used but quality work, definitely setting the bar for the rest of you numbskulls.

[Kennythetiger 9388]

1 hour ago, troph said:

it's actually an A paper in the class on how to report back to the group.  geography, fish, celebratory dinner. could add more re: techniques and gear/flies used but quality work, definitely setting the bar for the rest of you numbskulls.

And boobs. Got an A- from me. 

[Mac8111 2107]

We had 11 boats on the water on Saturday in POC for work group trip.  Fishing has just been really tough overall.   Our boat wade fished and ended up with 5 trout and very few boats beat us on total keepers.  Those that did catch a couple more fish were jettie boats but nobody came close to limiting out on anything.  

 

Boats were absolutely everywhere.  No tide movement.  Hot. Hot. Hot.   

[troph 24810]

50 minutes ago, Mac8111 said:

We had 11 boats on the water on Saturday in POC for work group trip.  Fishing has just been really tough overall.   Our boat wade fished and ended up with 5 trout and very few boats beat us on total keepers.  Those that did catch a couple more fish were jettie boats but nobody came close to limiting out on anything.  

 

Boats were absolutely everywhere.  No tide movement.  Hot. Hot. Hot.   

Sounds like it’s just time to wait the summer out. Work on our marriages or some shit like that. Feel bad for guides, hot as fuck and no one wants to go out. $$$ has to suuuuck right now.

[Mac8111 2107]

No. Guides were all very busy. I had to replace one of the guides and had a tough time finding someone last minute. They are definitely feeling the stress of trying to find a way to keep their clients busy with action.

[4th and 5 4914]

Yet another bad POC report. My buddy caught some decent black drum last weekend but that was it and didn’t see much at the tables 

[fattyflattie 4639]

3 hours ago, Mac8111 said:

No. Guides were all very busy. I had to replace one of the guides and had a tough time finding someone last minute. They are definitely feeling the stress of trying to find a way to keep their clients busy with action.

Another 35 days and the poons will be in the pass... 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

On 8/5/2023 at 8:41 PM, MalibuSheriff said:

Spur of the moment cannonball run to the New Mexico high country with the kid…

First order of business was kid’s request  -Black Mesa hike to Oklahoma high point on the trip out.  Beautiful, vast empty mesa country brimming with all types of wildlife.  Hotter than hell and no shade but worth it.  I’d recommend this hike in cool seasons - Very nice Nature Conservancy property at trailhead.

 

On to the destination - High country of the northern New Mexico Sangre de Cristos and lots of Rio Grande cutts.

 

 

The Land of Enchantment still very enchanting.

there's simply nothing better than catching wild fish in wild places on dry flies. thanks for the pics. 

[MalibuSheriff 1090]

3 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

there's simply nothing better than catching wild fish in wild places on dry flies. thanks for the pics. Thanks and I totally agree.  That is definitely my scene!

We caught all the trout on Rio Grande Kings, Lime Trudes, Sparkle Duns, and X Caddis that I tied last winter.  We probably could have caught even more fish with hopper-dropper but in cutthroat water, I only fish dries.

The little Rio Grande cutts will bite anything but they have to be one of fastest takes in fly fishing.  If your hook up rate is 50%, you’re a world class angler.  Mine was in the teens.

New Mexico Fish & Game has done a fantastic job in recovery efforts with this fishery.  If anyone is interested, PM and I’ll give you details.

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

On 8/7/2023 at 12:23 PM, troph said:

it's actually an A paper in the class on how to report back to the group.  geography, fish, celebratory dinner. could add more re: techniques and gear/flies used but quality work, definitely setting the bar for the rest of you numbskulls.

Fair. Consider me properly chastised.

Camping/fishing trip was a blast, but we missed the bulls. Again.

Buddy managed to land the smallest chinook I've ever seen our first evening. He also hooked into something huge with a massive kype but it self released before we could determine what it was.

That was it for exotics. The rest of the trip consisted of small- to mid-sized Westslope cutthroats and small rainbows.

What set this year apart, however, was how finicky the cutts were. In previous summers, they'd take virtually whatever you threw at them, so I typically rock a hopper/dropper rig. This year, however, they were keyed in and, despite constant rises, it took me two days to figure out on what. The only hatch I observed were skwalas, and they refused those imitations.

Turns out, blue-winged olives were close enough. Things got a lot busier after that.

Here's a shitty video from the trip. Most of it was shot directly below the campsite, but we actually covered many miles of water over four days, including a three-mile hike upstream in hopes of locating bulls. (No luck in that regard, but we did cross paths with a badger--a first for me. Larger and wider than imagined.)

Apologies in advance for the camera angle of the solo-filmed content. I need to work out a better system. The standard chest mount interferes with my fishing, however.

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Braff Zacklin

[HouTex 1878]

Yikes, please keep those trout wet (in the water) while you unhook and release them.  

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

All fish were returned to the water unharmed and in good condition, so you can kindly STFU. Thank you.

[HouTex 1878]

2 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

All fish were returned to the water unharmed and in good condition, so you can kindly STFU. Thank you.

This isn’t hard.

https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/video-catch-release-tips-keepemwet#:~:text=Use a net with a,it's ready to swim away.

[HouTex 1878]

2 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

All fish were returned to the water unharmed and in good condition, so you can kindly STFU. Thank you.

And my post was in response to Malibu Sheriff’s post—especially regarding the fish in the grass.  Big no-no.  I didn’t even look at your post.  

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

 

6 minutes ago, HouTex said:

This isn’t hard.

https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/video-catch-release-tips-keepemwet#:~:text=Use a net with a,it's ready to swim away.

At no time were the fish ever out of water for long, none of them were mishandled, and it's quite clear from the footage that they all swam away briskly.

2 minutes ago, HouTex said:

And my post was in response to Malibu Sheriff’s post—especially regarding the fish in the grass.  Big no-no.  I didn’t even look at your post.  

Your post was immediately after mine, so maybe use the quote feature going forward.

Instead of dropping by to condescend to people willing to share their stories, maybe step up and do the same. You will almost certainly receive a better response than what you've given today.

Better yet, if fish health so motivates you, put your money where your mouth is and buy every license, permit and stamp available ... and then DON'T FISH. It's the only way to support the industry while also ensuring that you 100 percent do no harm to any of them.

[HouTex 1878]

Just now, Braff Zacklin said:

 

At no time were the fish ever out of water for long, none of them were mishandled, and it's quite clear from the footage that they all swam away briskly.

Your post was immediately after mine, so maybe use the quote feature going forward.

Instead of dropping by to condescend to people willing to share their stories, maybe step up and do the same. You will almost certainly receive a better response than what you've given today.

Better yet, if fish health so motivates you, put your money where your mouth is and buy every license, permit and stamp available ... and then DON'T FISH. It's the only way to support the industry while also ensuring that you 100 percent do no harm to any of them.

Lighten up, Francis.  

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

Oh, the irony.

[HouTex 1878]

2 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Oh, the irony.

Lol.  Cuts both ways. 

[Braff Zacklin 13600]

[Mac8111 2107]

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

20 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Fair. Consider me properly chastised.

Camping/fishing trip was a blast, but we missed the bulls. Again.

Buddy managed to land the smallest chinook I've ever seen our first evening. He also hooked into something huge with a massive kype but it self released before we could determine what it was.

That was it for exotics. The rest of the trip consisted of small- to mid-sized Westslope cutthroats and small rainbows.

What set this year apart, however, was how finicky the cutts were. In previous summers, they'd take virtually whatever you threw at them, so I typically rock a hopper/dropper rig. This year, however, they were keyed in and, despite constant rises, it took me two days to figure out on what. The only hatch I observed were skwalas, and they refused those imitations.

Turns out, blue-winged olives were close enough. Things got a lot busier after that.

Here's a shitty video from the trip. Most of it was shot directly below the campsite, but we actually covered many miles of water over four days, including a three-mile hike upstream in hopes of locating bulls. (No luck in that regard, but we did cross paths with a badger--a first for me. Larger and wider than imagined.)

Apologies in advance for the camera angle of the solo-filmed content. I need to work out a better system. The standard chest mount interferes with my fishing, however.

 

You can tell how healthy/happy those fish are. Wild fish, man. Love'em!