Hopefully the same Kings of Leon song is going through your head as mine while I departed on this journey last Friday after work. Last summer and this spring I had spent some time fishing in Southern Utah and the opportunity came knocking for another trip so therefore it happened.
We arrived at camp after dark the first night so it was nice to have previously been in the area to have an idea of where to set up camp. The following morning after a couple mile hike this was the scene.
10,000 feetThese were the fishClean release with a midge in the back
After catching more fish then we could count and discovering both of our waders were leaking which is a little chilly this time of year we decided to warm the blood and hike to another lake.
Still cold here
The original plan was to spend another night at 10,000 feet, but we kinda didn’t want to freeze through another night so we took off to a lower elevation. After taking some real good beer drinking roads we arrived at night two’s camp well after dark again. This place however was new to me so we had to spend some time on figuring out a spot to camp.
We awoke to thisWe fished for theseLots of wild trout on hoppersThe definition of pocket water
After catching more fish then you could shake a stick at we thought the only topper to this trip would be catching a hog.
So we went hereWe caught thisand another one of these!?!And a couple of hogs on streamers
Then we went home, but it was a three day weekend for me so I grabbed the dogs and went out for another day.
Tala fell off this rock ledge in the background, but was obviously unscathed.I was fishing this hole until these guys showed upThe kids let me catch some fish, but I'd have to shoo Bandit out of the water when I was trying to land the fish because he kept on chasing them down in the riverAfter a while they become good fishin' dogsUntil next trip...
After having a little bit to much to drink in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the alarm startled me awake a little early Sunday morning for another fishing day trip. By the time we arrived at the river, the sun was already shining high with not a cloud in the sky. However, we saw a Brown Trout chasing a chub right away so we thought streamer fishing might still be hot. However, this was not the case.
Evan trying to figure out what the fish were eating
Eventually, the fishing turned on or we started to figure the stream out, but we began pulling them up on Caddis, Hare’s ears, micro Mayflies, and Juju betas nymphs.
One caught on the micro mayMan and his pupAnother reason to believe the streamer fishing should have been better
After several miles of hiking and countless hours of fishing, pulling up Browns, Rainbows, Cutthroat, Tiger Trout, and quite a few chubs the sun began to tuck below the mountains and it was time to rip some Streamers. With all the chubs in the water, I thought a white Peanut Envy would do the trick.
Notice not only did this trout eat my streamer, but it already had a chub for dinnerTuckered out pooch enjoying the days last raysEvan with the fish of the day, at the end of the day
Sanibel and Captiva Island geologically formed roughly 6,000 acres ago. Early humans inhabited the area as early as 2,500 years ago; these indigenous peoples were known as the Calusa. While many local pirate legends are recounted, the first failed attempt at settlement was in 1832 and again in 1862. The now famous, Sanibel Lighthouse was finally completed in 1884. In May of 1963, a causeway linking the mainland was opened; combined with the post war boom, a real estate gold rush kicked off. Extensive local controls on growth have helped the island to resemble “Old Florida,” with buildings no taller than two stories and few fast food chains on the island.
Spey Cast at Sunset
Getting There
This trip was coordinated for Mark’s thirtieth birthday party; in this man’s opinion, there is no better way to spend the big three zero than fishing, eating Conch Fritters and enjoying a few “Man Sodas.” Departing on an 8 AM JetBlue flight out of Newark, we arrived in Fort Myers by 11:30 AM. This left enough time to fetch a rental car, purchase fishing licenses, secure drinks and wade out into the water. A perfect plan, combined with windless blue sky days is exactly what is required to catch a fish.
Sanibel Island has a Wild Side
Targeting Snook
Snook are a tropical fish; Florida is on the northern part of their natural range. Warmer water makes for very active Snook, cold spells can result in mortality. They winter in the back bays heated by the sun, pass the spring along the beaches moving out to the in the ocean in the summer, come fall, they return along the beaches headed to the backwater.
Early AM Beach Blue Fish
What To Throw
The species, as an apex predator, will eat anything that fits in their mouth and cannot consume them; feeding in a manner similar to the Old Bucket Mouth (General Lee) residing in the farm pond out back. Mark and I stumbled to the beach around 5:30 AM; he netted roughly two dozen Green Back Shiners, we hooked them to our circle hooks. Not too soon later, I had a Snook on the end of my line. I hustled out into the flats chasing after this top water splashing Snook. Unfortunately, as I reeled him to shore he popped off the hook. The key lesson from this experience is to use a fly that matches the widely available baitfish in size and color. Looking back, the two flies I would select are the Chartreuse and White Lefty’s Deceiver along with a similarly colored Clouser Minnow. The aggressive Mackeral surely enjoyed Norm Zeigler’s signature Crystal Schminnow as well.
Gulf Toadfish on the Fly
That Saltwater Taste
The majority of what you have read here on Moose Knuckle is about targeting Trout. This Sanibel Island adventure is a new direction for the blog. Beach fishing has its perks; don’t get me wrong I love where Trout live. Nonetheless there is something good to be said about Fly Fishing, waist deep in 80 degree water while beautiful women stroll on the beach. Not to mention, the fish are huge and it’s a crap shoot what you might pull up. Further, the Lazy Flamingo’s Conch Fritters washed down with a pitcher of Yuengling is heavenly.
You must be logged in to post a comment.