Gone to Hail

Finally able to get out and do some fishing this past weekend and I knew right where I wanted to be. Up in the hills chasing some cutts and, hopefully, some brookies. Storms were a possibility so I planned accordingly and headed out. It was a little disappointing to find another car at the trailhead but I didn't want to go anywhere else and just accepted that I wouldn't be alone. An uneventful hike through the mud was soon over and I found a few different people fishing the small lake. No big deal, I tried to be friendly and find out if the guy closest to me had figured out the fishing. He was still working on it but told me that yesterday the fishing was great, and that Loah (Utah Water Log) had been there and had great success. 

Nice lookin' Cutt

The saying, "You should've been here yesterday" seems like a cliché but that doesn't mean it's not true. We found a few fish that came to a variety of flies before my temporary fishing partner Jim had to leave. 

Check out that jaw

After he was gone I tried some different areas and tactics but found the fish right back where we had been fishing together. The cutts are getting ready to spawn and while they weren't feeding on anything in particular, eggs, pink & olive scuds, and some olive chironomids all produced for stretches. I hooked into a couple of quality fish, including a nice brookie that managed to break me off in the logs. Too bad, the brookies in this lake seem to glow.

Best fish of the day for me

About the time that I started thinking about making my way back to the truck and heading home the skies opened and it hailed pretty hard. Typical spring weather in the mountains, from shirt-sleeve weather to freezing in a hail storm, you've got to be ready for anything! Hope you can get out, be safe, and enjoy nature.

- Kidder

I'll be back soon