River > Lake

Got this guy to come back after a missed grab.  That doesn't happen on the Truckee.

Did the full Pyramid experience with my buddy Ryan.  Some guys love the Pyramid thing. He's one of them.  I get it.  That said, my first love is the Truckee, and days like this cement that in my mind.  He got a few nice fish while I got pounded on my ladder.  Click to enlarge.  If you look closely, you can see me violently shivering.

Learning & Teaching

Convinced a long time friend and avid vegetarian to come try fly-fishing.  Gary did wonderful, and was a great sport.  Gary is interesting because he used to be a strip club bouncer, and has trained in jiujitsu for a long time...but he also has a real heart for animals.  Never was I so happy to practice catch and release.

Power stance.

Dad hired Gilligan for a half-day session.  He got us into some great fish.  Gilligan is a great guide, and I highly recommend him.  He's direct but easy to be around, and pays attention to you to make sure you learn while you're out.

Been reading through Ralph Cutter's "Fish Food".  Last night, read about Stoneflies dropping out of vegetation that hangs over the water.  Decided to put into practice my "research" and on the first cast, this hefty hen grabbed my stonefly.  Thanks Ralph.

Browns are such a blast to get into, even the lil guys.

Took a friend of mine that frequents Pyramid down to the Truckee.  He was skeptical, but in the first 5 casts he got a hold of this nice rainbow on a midge.  Gotta love the winter colors.

There's many ways to spot a planter.  Worn fins and muted colors are dead give-aways.

Broken Hearted

In the neighborhood overlooking this stretch, I met an old timer that told me about a monster brown that lived down below, that he had named "Hank".  He said he'd hooked him 2 times in 10 years, and landed him briefly one time.  I laughed when he told me the name, but I quickly realized from the cadence and tone of his voice, that this story was no laughing matter for him.  I wondered how many mornings he popped down from his backyard for a date with Hank.

15 minutes after I caught this little brown, I hooked Hank.  25"+ brown with attitude.  Saw him 3 times before he spit the 2-bit hooker out of his mouth.  Lost him when he figured out where I was and headed straight for the other side of the river in fast water.  He darted from big rock to big rock and covered an insane amount of water in about 6 seconds.

I was heart-broken.  I still have chest pains when I think about it.  Some fish really do act like they have a plan in mind in the event they ever get hooked.  Hank was a planner.

Some other shots from this month:

 Par Tolles making it happen.

 Creepiest animal I have ever encountered on the river.  Some kind of fox with 3 legs.

 Swim away dude.

Hook Em in the Heat

Found her in the back of big deep run that gets constant pressure.  This is one of those fish that you feel good about, not because you out-smarted the fish, but because you probably out-smarted the last 20 guys that fished that run.  I'm usually one of the 20.

Brandon Balkenbush with a beast.

Found 3 great fish stacked on top of each other.  Summer does weird things to this territorial animal.

Over.

Under.

 The G6 doesn't discriminate...she loves fish of all colors.  Both the bow and brown above are evidence.  Thanks Gilligan.

 Back to your hole with you.

 Not sure why, but I love this shot.

 Fall brownie.

 Whitefish strikes again.

 Eatin' good in the neighborhood.

Uptown Downtown

 Oliver knows when I start getting dressed properly, that it's time for what he calls "adventures".

 Little brown, lotta fun.

Skipper stone assassin.

Browns must go to some kind of boot-camp before they are allowed to swim around.  Sometimes a 10" brown feels like a 16" rainbow.

 Don't tell anyone but there are serious fish downtown.  Patented Gilligan release.

 Hit the river with Brandyn Rayda, a good guy I went to high-school with.  Was a slow day, so I snapped a few from above.