December 2005 Short Reports

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Reports from the field has been pretty scarce this fall but we now have enough (read at least 3) submissions so I can run a decent column. I'm hoping that you all get waterproof digital cameras for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and any other gift-giving holiday so that in 2006 everyone can take pictures of their friends engaged in their favorite pastime. This includes drinking, eating, sleeping, falling into rivers, fly tying, fishing, and, every now and then, catching. Scenery shots are also good.

Tom on Lake Alpine

Lake Alpine, CA, 6 October Tom caught this big rainbow which he estimates at more than 5 lbs in Lake Alpine using a green wooley bugger. He says that many could be seen crusing around at about 3 ft, including even bigger fish!

John in Idaho

Snake River, All summer long John Margaroni has this great schedule. He disappears all summer and then suddenly reappears with the first fly tying class in November. He finally produced the following clues as to his whereabouts during the summer. He's catching these great fish in Idaho on the Snake River. (Fishout please?)

Paddling Around Beardsley

Beardsley Afterbay, 5 Nov With the regular trout season about to close, we took one last trip to the Stanislaus. The Beardsley Afterbay is fast becoming my favorite place to hook into big brown trout. To my surprise, dry flies actually out-performed my 'ol reliable wooley buggers. We fished just about everything from foam hoppers with zebra midge droppers to stimulators. Actually, the fly that worked the best for me was a standard Royal Wulff. When I think back on fishing this year, one of the most vivid memories will be casting my fly 2 feet in front of a tailing brown and watching the tail first disappear and then my fly vanish a second later. Here's the result:

Well that's all for 2005. I wish everyone a safe holiday and a spectacular 2006!

–Rodney