Turning

Didn't get out fishing today, but I did manage to get some stuff done around here. Most importantly, I was able to turn a couple of handles for the rods of my future. One is meant for a 8wt blank that I've already bought. The second handle is for a blank I'm yet to buy, but it's not too far off.

Redneck Lathe

Trying to make handles that feel right,
lookin' good is just a perk.

With any luck I'll get out fishing tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes. Hope you can get out and enjoy the water.

Arches

Usually we try and get one of families to do an early Thanksgiving dinner so that we don't have to choose between them. This year, both sides wanted to do a dinner early which left Thanksgiving day open for us to do as we pleased. So we decided to load the kids up and take a day trip down to Arches National Park to celebrate the day.

First things first, upon arrival we had to check out the visitor's center. It was here that the kids encountered a strange relic from the past:

They actually work!

The fog was unbelievable en route, and made the ride considerably longer, but once we were in the park it made for some really nice views.

It almost doesn't even look real

Arches is a great park to take the kids. With a ton of short hikes and plenty of awesome views, our young'uns found some great arches.

Double Arch

Really cool to be able to get right up under them

However, the kids couldn't make every hike. So we ended up settling for the viewpoint when it came to the iconic Delicate Arch.

Not a bad pic from a distance!

Made for a great day with the family, and a great reminder of what I'm thankful for. Tomorrow, I'll get some fishing in.

Thankful

I was so excited to get out after a long week of anticipation. Sometimes it seems like looking forward to these outings is all that gets me through the low points in during the week. This week was especially appealing with the promise of getting to fish for the first time with Courtney from Zip Dog Fly Fishing (who also happens to be my brother-in-law) and the possibility of getting to try out an ITB rod from Risen Fly (the full review will be coming once I get to try it out in a few different situations). The plans came off without a hitch, and I received the test rod Friday. But with so many places that I really want to hit before all on winter settles in, the decision of where to go was unusually difficult and it wasn't until late friday night that we decided to hit the Sevier River. 

There's always a little trepidation when fishing with someone new, especially when they happen to be family, but I felt little of that with Court. From the moment we were out of the car it was obvious he knew what he was doing, and from there on it was just fishing as usual.

First fish of the day, and first fish on Risen Fly's ITB Rod

We found the fish ready and willing to eat gray scuds early, but only in the deeper runs. There are several reds throughout the stream that we were sure to avoid stepping on, but all of these were devoid of fish in the morning.

Cool shot of the beautiful Marysvale canyon

 We slid into a bit of a lull around midmorning, but some adjustments and a red midge pattern pulled us out of it.

Court from Zip Dog Fly Fishing with one of his many

Workin' it

This guy had a chunk missing, must've been a feisty spawn

 The fishing and the company were only out-shined by this great looking canyon, and I couldn't help but keep looking up.

The pics don't do it justice

 We left with some great memories made and even managed to get back to our family shindig just in time. Hope you can get out and enjoy the water.

My best brown of the day

Undoing

So, I broke my 4wt over the weekend, 'cause I'm smart like that. Luckily, I had an extra tip section that I could wrap, but I'd need to reuse the guides and tiptop. So, I broke down the old rod section with some heat and a razor blade to salvage the hardware I needed. After some quick work with the thread, I was epoxying my wraps and getting excited for this weekend. 

I think this makes me look a little crazy

Sometimes I think the best part of wrapping rods, and tying flies, is the anticipation to put them to good use (whether they're for me or someone else). Hope you can get out and enjoy the water.

What you can get.

The work week

Earlier in the week I was able to get out and fish a small pond near my work. It's good to live and work here.

This fish looks better when you
realize it's 5min. from work.

And there are other perks...

This weekend

Anytime you get to go fishing to a new place, it's going to be a fun day. When the guy that you're going with asks that you wear camouflage...well, it makes it a bit more intriguing. 

But lets back up to how this all came about. Just over a year ago I was talking to a friend of mine about a certain pond that he knew of where some large trout lived. No particulars were given, and it was understood that this was his honey hole. Fine. Really, not a big deal. We all have those places that we don't want to give up for one reason or another. 

Anyway, a few weeks ago we got to talking about what we've been up to and I told him about the Cutthroat lake I'd found. I hesitated. Then I told him where it was. Just like that. He returned the favor and gave me directions to his pond. Then yesterday we decided to head there to do some fishing together. 

I honestly figured the camouflage thing to be overkill, but I did it anyway. When someone says to wear camouflage  you just do it. Then we got there and started seeing the fish, and they saw us, then I believed. I tried everything but couldn't seem to buy a fish. I had strikes, and was seeing fish, but I just couldn't seem to put it all together. Breaking my rod was just adding injury to insult, but that was the kind of day it was.

I hate it when this happens

My buddy had his best day yet at this pond, landing three. None of them were the monsters he described, but I saw enough to make me want to go back. 

After our patience ran out, we hit a small stream where we caught several on dries till dark. Sometimes you just gotta take what you can get.

**Remember to sign up for the giveaway on our Facebook page!**

Something else to be thankful for

Time to do another giveaway! We've got a sweet Risen FlySLIM fly box with two dozen flies and three hand tied yarn indicators. 

Let's keep it simple, just head over and like the Kidder Fishing Facebook page, then like and comment on this pic. 

We'll pick our winner on 11/20/13 at 6:00pm. Please help get the word out by sharing this post!

**This promotion does not have a connection with Facebook in any way and is not sponsored, supported or organized by Facebook. Giveaway is open to all U.S. residents.**