Slow today. Water is still "stained", but fishable. Flows are low. Two takes, one to hand. New personal best! measured 23". Pic isn't great, but I really wanted to get this dude back in the water. Fished thru a brief rain shower ... that was cool! Other was a 13"(??) holdover that made a brief, but ambitious run upstream, jumped about two feet out of the water, and threw the hook.
..and don't forget the obligatory, new personal best, happy dance/dork shot!
"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
tried spawn cluster today, couldn't get to first base.
this guy took me for a fun ride though...no complaints!
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"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
Nice fish! When taking photos try to either keep the fish in a few inches of water or at least on some wet vegetation, dry rocks and gravel strip away the protective slime coating...not good for the fish.
I'm with you Cappy! The wind made the upstream roll tough. I finally have the right combo of gear to keep warm so it wasn't too bad on that score...Holy Smokes, never thought getting the layers, wool socks, and a good pair of boots taken care of could make such a difference!
I agree Packrat. You know, I can't help but get a little defensive when I see a response like that ... so I'll just say ...I agree, point well taken. It's hard to take the high ground. Nobody likes defending their landing/releasing practices.
"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
hey guys im new to the boards here! Congrats on such a nice fish. I grew up fishing the putah but have since been living in So Cal fly-fishing for tuna and yellowtail Im mnoving up to Napa next week though and look foward to seeing you all out there. By the way though that guy was right never pull a trout out on the dry rocks. Dry rocks=no bueno!
Very nice fish! I must admit that it took me many, many years before I nailed a 23 incher so you're doing a lot better than me. I bet that's a fish that you will never forget regardless of how many more pigs you catch from Putah.
Ya know, work is a grinder right now ... so don't take this wrong ...I'm a big boy... believe me I'm NO TROUT JUGGLER (if you remember Steve Martin's Cat Juggling, you're old enough to know where I'm coming from) ... I was safely releasing trout in remote streams before it was "fashionable" to do so.
The second image in this thread is a shot posted by another poster on the board giving me advise about taking release pics. I don't see a down pillow under that killer fish.
Not only do I not look like Brad Pitt, but I don't swim like him. I must say that my fish sunday, hit my line in open water, and despite my best effort to keep his head up stream, he ran me down stream through a difficult riffle and made me climb over a log in 3ft of water to get back in the game. By the time I got him to my net (the opening of which is a little more than half his length) I didn't have much left, let alone the fish. I was talkin trash to it like it was a 15 round heavy weight title defense!
I use a trick my dad taught me to get ready for the shot, I use my net sort of like a "live well" in 12" of water, while I get my camera out of my pocket. I lifted this fish onto this spot, (you'll notice LOOKING at the ground, it's not DRY, it was raining for crying out loud!) shot, stowed my camera, and had that fish back in the water in about 10 seconds.
I held this fish in a shallow pool for a couple minutes while it caught its breath, amazing critters! Once it saw the open water, he took off like a barracuda.
I think its great to remind the hords that read these threads about responsible release practices, so please forgive me if I feel the need to defend my knowledge of the same. Note the last photo I posted...
"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
CHRIS-dude ... the boot in the shot was a total accident! but I hoped you'd catch that ... SO much nicer than my last set up! Thanks for encouraging the purchase! That was first day I wore em ... not too heavy...they'll be good! Thanks!
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"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
Don't ya just love it when a fish wears you out ! What kinda boots did ya get Ed ? I'm gonna need a new pair the soles are starting to come off on mine.
hey lahontan nice fish bro, congrates on your putah personal best. man its been a while since you and me got together. maybe we should plan something soon, thats after i get rid of wanting to fish for steelhead. hahaha
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
Yup, Simms Freestone. Sturdy, but not too heavy. Got em with studs. First better boots I've owned. I'm liking 'em. Thanks again Chris.
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"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
HEY BC! 'Thanks! I like reading your stuff! Yeah, my windows to fish have been REAL narrow lately! I don't get a lot of warning when I'm getting out. As my kids are getting a little older, their demands change. They're priority numero uno, but fishing is like... # 1.25 .....
I envy you chasing steelies! Thanks for the updates.
E
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"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
you got my number just give me a call. i normally have thursdays fridays off, and sometimes mondays and fridays. ill be out there this friday if you can make it give me a call.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
I'm with you Cappy! The wind made the upstream roll tough. I finally have the right combo of gear to keep warm so it wasn't too bad on that score...Holy Smokes, never thought getting the layers, wool socks, and a good pair of boots taken care of could make such a difference!
I agree Packrat. You know, I can't help but get a little defensive when I see a response like that ... so I'll just say ...I agree, point well taken. It's hard to take the high ground. Nobody likes defending their landing/releasing practices.
Cheers!
-- Edited by Lahontan at 17:56, 2008-01-21
Touché! I know it makes me look like a hippacrit posting a photo of what I just said shouldn't be done but that photo is about 4 years old before I knew any better.
Nice fish Lahontan! Did Captain and I hear you honk at us on Sunday as you drove past? I fished that same fly all day Sunday to no avail. Glad it worked for you!
Yah, and thanks...Emerger that was me! I thought about joining you guys, but wanted to spread out a little.
Hey Packrat ... No Harm, No Foul ... you're a gentleman. Thanks for the thoughtful response. I was in a mood yesterday.
Somebody on the board once said we all get like a bunch of old women sometimes ... (no offense flygirl) ... I prefer "clucking chickens" ... when in doubt ... go fish.
E
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"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".
How do you guys decide what size boots to buy ? I think best would be to take your waders somewhere and try boots on with the waders, But i dont think most small fly shops are gonna stock a variety of sizes to try on. In the past i have bought 2 sizes larger then my normal shoe size worked once and didnt work once. Every brand sizes are different. Tend to get a better price ordering online but a pair of boots is something i'd rather feel and try on first. Are you guys using studs ?
just get the size that you would normally where, it is already sized to fit waders. so you where a size 11 get 11s, you can always get a 1/2 bigger, but wouldnt recommend it.
pm sent back to ya cappy.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
Your best bet is to go to a fly shop and try the boots on with your waders or try on a pair at the shop. I generally recommend to people to get one size larger than your shoe size to accommodate the bootie and the thick socks. Its best to try them on, but if you can't, I'd get the size larger since you could always put on more socks, and when it gets cold in the winter you may need the extra layering.
As for studs, I use them all the time. Well, almost all the time, only when I'm in a pontoon. I wouldn't fish Putah without them, the studs cut through the crud on the rocks and traction is just so much better. Downsize to studs is that if you are doing a lot of climbing over really smooth rocks they slide right off.
My experience is that my Simms are the same size as most of my shoes, they are designed to have room for the wader foot. Maybe different with other brands, tough...
You know guys I've been working in Men's retail for over 20 years. My shoe size goes up and down, as does the width, depending on whether I'm walking a sales floor or riding a desk. Managing or selling = walking floor...bigger size... right now buying = desk = smaller foot (and bigger gut!)
I did the freestone 1 size larger than my normal size. I wear a 9E-10E (wide) depending on make. I did 11 in my boots. My waders have a neo booty, and I wear em with a heavy wool sock! I'm stoked! Feel good!
I've bought a lot of "stuff" online... fly fishing and otherwise . BUT I really like to help/SUPPORT local business though. If I have to shop online, it's usually an item I couldn't find elsewhere, or a time/convenience thing.
I'd been looking at boots and a rain jacket for a while, just couldn't bring myself to do it online. Did the boots at Chris's dads store in Pleasanton (just found it and sad to see it go), and the jacket from Creative in Pleasant Hill ... they take good care of me!
Studs ... I wasn't sure on this ... but really like them after just one outing. About 2 months ago I started using a wading staf. Between the staf, and the studs/boots I feel much more sure footed and that I am wading MUCH safer than before.
... PS >>> Yo! Whipper Snapper believe me I don't need any help getting myself in trouble! FlyGirl "es no old"? She's not pretty young, she's pretty and young ... only met her once ... I meant the chickens were old! do I get the save?
-- Edited by Lahontan at 22:30, 2008-01-23
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"You tell yourself that it will be both educational and spiritually uplifting, as all imaginative excuses for goofing off are." John Gierach, "Music of the Spheres".