December Tigers...

Private water can be just what the doc ordered when its 15 deg outside. We have a place close to home that we have become quite fond of. Its not your tipical pelet fed pond. The water is derived from a natural spring that holds constant year round. Even on the coldest of days the water does not freeze. The water has been stocked by the owners with Tiger and Cuttbow trout. I brought in a tree branch that i was snagged on the other day, which gets meto the best part of the place by far. Scuds, scuds, and more scuds, This place is loaded with them. They do not ever feed the fish. Judging from the tree branch and the size of the fish, they dont go hungry. We fished streamers, and found that a very slow presentation was the ticket. I actually switched to a floating line and a long leader because my sinking line required me to move to fast.

24 inches of ogden

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Check out this little treasure we took off the ogden thanksgiving morning. He was hold up in the bottom of a deep run, probably suckin up bugs when we spotted him. It did not take long for him to accept our offering.

Weber river: Hot

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

We had one of the funnest days of the year. The fish where taking Red cpr johns, sow bugs, and egg patterns. There is still a lot of spawning going on, but there are plenty of fish that seem to be done and ready to feed.

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Chasing that fall spawn

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

We had a good day on the Weber. Nothing huge, but it was nice to throw standard patterns and pick up nice rainbows. I also caught a real nice Cutt today. Matt (Localwaters) has a good picture of it.

Streamers and Ice

, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

It was cold today on the weber. The large streamers turned fish, but the smaller standard stuff like a natural muddler hooked up very well.

Boulder Mountain Bad Boy

BoulderMtns, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Brook Trout, Boulder Mountains, and BS

This past week i enjoyed a few days of fishing with my brother (Randy) and Matt Guymon from Localwaters website as well as Paul Swint from William Joseph. While we had an absolute perfect fishing trip I find myself wondering if it will be possible to enjoy these things in the future. Im not an the activist type, im just a fisherman, thats it. While on our trip our host Steve Stoner told us about the forest services efforts to start draining lakes and removing trout, specifically Brookies. Supposedly they want to return everything to how it used to be and reintroduce more native fish in place of brookies. Let me just note that my oppinions are my own and that those who were with me may or may not share them. These lakes are beautiful and just fine how they are, they provide some awsome fishing oppertunities. enviros have taken our 4 wheeler trails, our oil, our water for crops in california, and apparently now they are going to get our fish. I love our Cutts but i dont want to catch them everywhere i go. The Uintahs and Boulders could have many of the thousands of species of trout. It could be one of the coolest places to fish ever. We should be looking to make the fishing more interesting in these Lakes where fish are locked in. Now if there are brook trout that are stunted or that are harming something else im good with fixing the problem. But brookies in high lakes that are trapped are not hurting anything and they provide us with the oppertunty to catch a beautiful fish. The lake we were catching 20 brookies in the forest service is about ready to drain. I think its a big lose if this all happens. Im not looking forward to catching Cutts everywhere. I want variety. Meanwhile here are a few pics of what we may lose. Huge thanks to Steve Stoner, Boulder Mountain Guide, he made this the perfect trip. Also please let me know what im doing right and wrong with the photos, im trying to get better but i need feedback.

More Brookies

Localwaters Box (hand tied)

Localwaters Box (hand tied), originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

Matt whipped up a box full for our run down to the Boulders.

Flygirl

I had the oppertunity to go to the Trout Ranch in Wyoming this weekend to take some pics for a flyer they are doing. I took my daughter with me and we were able to do some fishing after the shoot. It was so fun to watch her learn to cast and fight and even land some really nice fish. She wanted to do it all on her own and she did a great job. I dont think there are to many 7 year olds as interested in, and as good at fly fishing as she is.

Trifecta on the Weber

So you will have to forgive the photos today, i was fishing alone. I was able to catch a Cutt, a Bow, and a Brown on streamers this evening. I was only out for about 4 hours and i must have turned at least a dozen fish. I was able to land only 4 of them. The river was high today for whatever reason and it really pulled the streamer along. I think this caused a few of the fish to wiff and miss the business end of my streamer. I am really looking forward to the next few weeks.

Randy and Matt Doubles

Browns, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

A Matt Guymon pattern in the mouth

What did he eat???, originally uploaded by SoftHacke.

One Last Chance

With a winter storm set to come in on wednesday we knew Tuesday was our last chance to have a stellar dry fly day. Matt and I set out for our favorite little stream equiped with hoppers and the Purple Haze. The water was perfect and the Kokanee salmon were finishing their spawn. We even had a few of them slurp up our dry offerings. The hoppers turned out to be a little too much, but the Purple Haze had their attention and ours. I will let the photos tell the rest of the story, a day on the water i will not soon forget. http://www.flickr.com/photos/flynphotos/ .

William Joseph

Just thought this pic was seriously cool. My truck full of William Joseph gear.

Cast and Blast 2009

This weekend we were in Star Valley Wyoming for the 2009 Cast and Blast Challenge. It was a weekend of trophy trout fishing, horse back riding, skeet shooting, and a great bird hunt. The event was organized by Justin and Cody Hyde and it went off without a hitch. Five star dinning, first class service and a heck of a lot of story telling all made this an awsome event. The keynote speach was delivered by Mark Eaton, former Utah Jazz All Star Center. Mark spoke of the value of noticing and appreciating those around us and the team concept. Mark was a captivating speaker, his website is http://www.7ft4.com/ . Thanks to the Hyde brothers for inviting me to participate in the activities. Sponsers included Browning fire arms, Hyde drift boats, and William Joseph fly fishing gear. Also a huge shout out has to go to the Trout Resort, they know there trout and there food. If you would like copies of any of the pics let me know at softhacke@yahoo.com . Additional photos of the event can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/flynphotos/sets/72157622414238084/.

William Joseph W2O Wade Boots

In full disclosure i must first say that William Joseph sponsors my fly fishing habit. They provide me with gear to test and wear out on the river. All that aside, this is the most comfortable boot i have found yet. I had been wearing the simms that i had reviewed earlier on my site. These are more comfortable and have a much better fit. I do put an additional insert into all the boots i wear for comfort. The W2O have a wide lace area which allows you to really crank them down for a snug fit. Im also really liking the Drynamics waders. They have been very durable as well as comfortable.

American Fork Canyon

I have been wanting to hit this piece of water for some time now, today was the day. I had heard it held brookies, but they were not to be found. Rainbows and browns however were quick to take a dry in every pocket found. Matt was throwing a big turks tarantula thingamajig and i was working a Rainys Hopper. The thing that really stood out to both Matt and I was how pretty the browns were. The browns had such a deep dark chocolate like color. American Fork creek has to be one of the prettiest creeks in the state. The scenery was amazing. However it was a very challenging creek to wade.