June 2005 Short Reports
compiled by
This month is a real mixed bag from salt water sails to a river running dry (read on if this sounds cryptic). Since you are all getting out and about, please keep the short report in mind during your next outing. Take a picture or two and email them to . Memories go a lot further when you share them with others!
Bobbi and Sailfish on the Fly
San Jose, Guatemala, April 10 – 15:As you can tell from the front cover of this month's website Bobbi Armor adventured down to Guatemala with Lori-Ann Murphy for some amazing sailfish action. According to Bobbi, they were fishing 14 weight rods! Bobbi caught a 150 lbs sailfish, "accidentally" using a 12 weight. I don't know but I'd say they need a bigger boat.
Kelly on the Feather River
North Fork Feather, 28 – 29 April Every spring when the rivers run crazy, like they are right now, the secret to successful fishing is: tailwaters. Find a river that has multiple dams on it, and fish below them. That's what Kelly was doing to pick up this beauty somewhere on the NF Feather. It fell for a small pheasant tail drifted under an indicator.
We fished Saturday and rough camped on the banks of the river so we could get an early
start on Sunday. The river was high, but not impossible. One interesting fact is that
the fish bite best when the sun is off the water. Because the Feather is one huge canyon,
anglers actually get more "shade time" that just sunrise/sunset would imply.
– Rodney
Victor and Judy At Pyramid Lake
Pyramid Lake, NV, 23 – 24 April I got this fish on the San Jose Flycaster's annual fish out at Pyramid. The PFF should consider an annual trip too.
Fishing Pyramid is an adventure at the very least. The season starts in the winter, very much like steelhead and the water and air temp is very cold. The best fishing seems to start around April, as the air temp starts change and also the lake starts to turn over.
Fishing is usually done on ladders to (1) get out of the water to stay warm, (2) to allow you to cast a little further, and (3) to get a better vantage point for looking into the water as the Cutthroats are notorious for following your offering right to your feet. Most of the fishing is done with 6-8 wt. rods coupled with a shooting head like a type 4 to 6 or even lead core. Fly's are woolly buggers ranging in color from the typical black and olive to hot pink or chartreuse. Others methods are fishing in close with indicators and midge type patterns or nymphs like PT's or Hare's ears. Another way is a full floating line, long leader and very slowly strip in a nymph; this method works well when the water is very calm and still.
Weather in April can run the gambit from sunny
and calm to rain, hail and snow then back to sunny and warm again -- all
in day's worth of fishing. The fish that I got this trip taped out to 28"
and a lot of the fish we wheregetting are in the 22 - 24" range.
– Victor
End of a Great River
Half Moon Bay, 15 May We close on a sad note. As mentioned earlier in these pages, The Great River Company – the area's most customer-friendly fly shop – closed its doors at the end of March. Since he clearly has Irish blood, owner and PFF member, Kelly Mitter, held a wake for the company at his place in Half Moon Bay. Nearly 40 former employees, customers, and fans showed up to help cry in the (wonderful) beer.
The words on the company tombstone say, "There comes a time when even the greatest of rivers runs dry." It is a great loss and many of our current members actually learned about the PFF through events like the shop's fly tying classes taught by Harold and Dave. For me dropping by the shop gave me my weekly fix of fly fishing gear and gossip. Please join me in wishing Kelly and MJ every success in the future.
Keep those reports and photos coming!
Rodney