jeep.ster
jeepster
Cold temps are coming to the arizona high country. I had a chance to fish a few days before it gets too cold for my old bones. The bluebird weather was awesome even though it snowed the night before I got there. I saw elk and a bald eagle on the river. Lots of stocked apaches caught and released but no wild ones to be found.
I fished my two favorite headwaters for nary a trout. Not even a rise or a flash. So I went below the native fish barriers where I hiked a section of stream in search of wild browns. Nada.
I headed downstream to bigger water where the put and take stockings have ended for the year thinking maybe there's a few leftover apache's. There weren't. But further down from the popular stocking spots I finally found them in a stretch of the river proper where I caught over a dozen in a great afternoon of fishing.
I fished my circa 379 the entire trip. It casts a dry dropper so nice as long as the dropper is a soft hackle. As soon as I put a bead head dropper on it becomes a little finicky.
On the way home I stopped at ditch creek near town where large trout are stocked for catch and release this time of year. With less than a couple hours of sun left and a full parking lot I decided not to hike to the upper section. So I took my rigged circa to a spot on the creek near the parking lot and see rising fish everywhere. I put on an ehc and catch several nice apache and a fat 19" rainbow to finish my trip. The rainbow is the biggest fish caught on my circa and prolly will be for some time. Bent double it played a 6x tippet so well on those fish release was fast but muddy, as usual. I have a love hate relationship with that ditch for years. But this time dry fly fishing at sunset on the way home, I love that ditch.
I fished my two favorite headwaters for nary a trout. Not even a rise or a flash. So I went below the native fish barriers where I hiked a section of stream in search of wild browns. Nada.
I headed downstream to bigger water where the put and take stockings have ended for the year thinking maybe there's a few leftover apache's. There weren't. But further down from the popular stocking spots I finally found them in a stretch of the river proper where I caught over a dozen in a great afternoon of fishing.
I fished my circa 379 the entire trip. It casts a dry dropper so nice as long as the dropper is a soft hackle. As soon as I put a bead head dropper on it becomes a little finicky.
On the way home I stopped at ditch creek near town where large trout are stocked for catch and release this time of year. With less than a couple hours of sun left and a full parking lot I decided not to hike to the upper section. So I took my rigged circa to a spot on the creek near the parking lot and see rising fish everywhere. I put on an ehc and catch several nice apache and a fat 19" rainbow to finish my trip. The rainbow is the biggest fish caught on my circa and prolly will be for some time. Bent double it played a 6x tippet so well on those fish release was fast but muddy, as usual. I have a love hate relationship with that ditch for years. But this time dry fly fishing at sunset on the way home, I love that ditch.
