The Grey Reef Float

For the float, we put in at Lusby about 7 miles down from the Grey Reef Reservoir which is just below Alcova Reservoir. This was on private property but the DWR had leased access to the river so that fisherman could launch boats and fish along the bank. We floated to Sechrist for the take out.

Right at the launch we caught quite a few fish and this was one of the spots where the guide would row upstream for us. Another good spot was called Trappers Route and then another was Government Bridge. Nick and I tried to remember these spots so that we could return to them the next day.

The more common float for this section of the river was from the dam down to Lusby. Since it had been raining, the guides from The Reef mentioned they were going to float this upper stretch the next day since by the end of the float the water was getting quite off-color. In fact, later that evening after supper Nick and I went to fish the Government Bridge stretch and the water was really muddy due to the rain. After we got there, it started raining so hard that we just went back to the cabin.

Doubles

On the North Platte river, when we would come to a good run, either where we were catching fish or we could see a distinct drop off in the water, the guide would row us back upstream so we could fish the run again. Rowing upstream in a river is of course, hard work. By the end of the day I could see the blisters on Ryan’s hands. He would use a landmark, like a tree or bush to indicate where the start of the good run was and how far upstream to row. On one occasion, he must have rowed us back upstream 7 or 8 times. Each time either Nick or I would hook a fish. During the course of the day we had many doubles, meaning that we both had a fish on at the same time.

One thing for which we had to be on constant alert was debris on the line. With the high water, plant growth was constantly being washed downstream and would get caught on the hooks or knots. With each cast we would glance at our terminal rig to check for weeds. Even the slightest vegetation would require us to stop and clean it off.

One of the first fish I caught was a brown trout. I thought nothing of it because I usually catch quite a few browns. Ryan told us this was unusual in the Grey Reef section because only 3 % of the fish in this stretch are browns. I felt fortunate for having caught a brown since these are my favorite trout.

One of the fish we caught pooped all over the boat. From this we could see that the fish were not only eating worms and midge larvae, but also snails. Another fish we could tell had been caught before as its jaw was able to open further than usual and looked like a monster jaw fish with a super wide mouth, like a snake.

The North Platte In The Spring

I originally booked a room at the Wolf Hotel in Saratoga but when I called to arrange for a guide I was told that the upper North Platte was blown out. It would not be fishable for at least a month. The Grey Reef section is fishable though. I cancelled my reservations at the Wolf Hotel and made arrangements for staying in Alcova, Wyoming, the start of the Grey Reef stretch. There happened to be a cabin available right across the street from the Reef Fly Shop were I arranged for a guide.

Upon arriving at the river, it was actually quite high and slightly off color. They were gradually letting out more and more water from the dam. The water was up past the grass line. Good thing we would be floating the river. The next morning we met our guide, Ryan. He has a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. He rigged up Nick’s and my rods. The setup consisted of 9 feet tapered leader with 2 or 3 B size split shot just above the knot attached to nine inches of 3X tippet. On this tippet was tied a large, red midge imitation, about size 12. To the bend of the hook was tied nine more inches of 3X tippet and a red San Juan Worm. Then another nine inches of 3X tippet was tied to the bend of it with a dark brown leech pattern at the end. This setup worked quite well with the high, roily water. Once in a while we would change patterns, but this is what mostly worked.

Nick caught the first fish, a nice 17 inch rainbow. The guide told us it was just average. If this fish was average, it was going to be a good day. The sky was overcast with a slight wind. Ryan new this first stretch was a good stretch which held a lot more fish so after getting to the end of the run, he rowed back upstream to the start of the good section. We each landed a few more “average” rainbows in this section. These fish fight hard. They usually would jump a few times at first and then would make a long run. As we would get the fish near the boat, it would invariably make another long run.

 
 
 

My New Net

Last Christmas I got a new net. It is made of wood with a soft, clear rubber netting. Wednesday I tried it for the first time. I love it! Let me mention some of the advantages and compare them with the previous net I was using.
1) It doesn’t have as much resistance in the water. The rubber mesh netting is made with larger holes so the water flows through easily. My previous net was made with soft nylon cloth and had small holes. This caused great resistance when placed under water. What this meant was while landing a fish you would have to thrust the net into the water at the last moment or the current would pull the net and your arm downstream. With the new net you can place it in the water as you get the fish close and keep it there as you get ready to slide the fish in.

2) Flies don’t get caught in the mesh. Frequently with my cloth net the dropper fly would get caught in the material as I landed a fish. Oftentimes this would even cause the leader to break as the fish would flop around. With the new net this doesn’t happen.

3) It doesn’t hold water. With the mesh net I would always make sure I rinsed it well and shook off the excess before placing it back on the magnet on the vest. Even though the nylon mesh didn’t absorb water it would still remain wet. I also worried that if the slime from the fish was left on the cloth it would smell, especially after placing it back in the car. Just one flick of the wrist after using the new net dries it off. I don’t worry about the soft rubber mesh absorbing the smell of the fish.


Note: I will be out of town (fly fishing of course) the next couple of weeks and will not be able to post my adventures as frequently until I get back. Be patient, there will be plenty of new adventures to write about when I am back in town.

Little Yellow Stoneflies

Last Wednesday was a perfectly cloudy day except for the wind. Geremy had joined me on this trip to the Weber. Making our way to the river we noticed the water was quite high and off color. This would make the fishing difficult. I have noticed that right after the water level fluctuates; the fish go off the feed. They are trying to get re-oriented, finding new places to protect themselves from the current and hide. Never the less we gave it our best. We started out with caddis imitations since that is what worked great last week. Within a half hour we landed our first fish, a huge white fish. With the high water there was a lot of debris. I got snagged on the bottom in the deep fast water and lost my entire terminal tackle. Oh well, this gave me a chance to re-rig with something to match the high, murky water, a San Juan Worm and a large pink scud. I caught a white fish on the pink scud and hooked a large brown that got off right after a spectacular jump.

While the fishing was slow, Geremy mentioned that one of the workers at Sportsman’s Warehouse said that yellow stoneflies were working well on the Weber. I remembered seeing these stoneflies last spring but that the insects mostly went unnoticed because of the run off. We excitedly tied on some yellow stonefly nymphs. Sure enough, two casts later we landed our first Brown. Great call Geremy! After this, I tied on a second yellow stone fly. In the next hour we landed several more whitefish. Another large brown was lost as it jumped right after hookup.

Crossing the Weber River is usually easy. During runoff however, it takes a bit more balance. You have to pick your spots carefully. During the runoff is when chest high waders come in particularly handy. During the summer hip waters or waist high waters are more comfortable because of the heat. During the winter chest high waders are nice for the warmth. During runoff, chest high waders are needed because of the depth of water.