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Post 20 Sep 2022, 18:52 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
September again, and not a single backpack or high mountain trip to show for the year.. really start questioning my life choices at this point. Ha.

In an attempt to stave off getting even fatter and more breathless, signed up for a trail half-marathon in the Red Desert of WY. That seemed perfectly reasonable back in March. Of course the distance is just an easy-moderate ramble for Odonata or paveglass or others of our high country troops, still it is a bit intimidating for me. Finally one week before the race, came a day where I could get up to the mountains. I didn't want to do my usual 5-6 miles up into Indian Peaks and kill my legs for the race. Instead here's what it is like fishing in the shade of the freeway.

The first creek is up at 10 000ft or so. Driving there felt like cheating. The freeway noise is bothersome while walking out to the stream, once on the water with riffles and falls making the water music it's barely noticeable, only the big trucks gearing down and unmuffled motorbikes came through. The stream was skinny not to say bony and much colder than expected.



Wet wading in trail running shoes gave me numb feet. That was fine while wading and thinking about fish, not so great walking back out on a couple lumps of wet frozen meat slowly thawing.

Rumor had it there were cutts up here, above the brookies, browns and rainbows of the lower reaches. Now come to think of it you could do a driving day of fishing and gun for the little slam of all four species from the same stream. Hm maybe next time.
The rumor kept me fishing as I know cutts can thrive in unexpectedly tiny creeks particularly when the water is sufficiently cold. From that little falls pool above, he liked the olive softhackle behind the foam hopper. How nice. Yes, there are hoppers at 10 000 feet, kicked up a couple on the walk in.



Plenty of barren water while nearly every little hole deeper than a foot had a resident or so. No brookies left, only cutts.





After that last pool there was a largish (in mountain stream size) tributary coming in. Above it fishing was to wet rocks, mostly. Walked back down and noticed a big beaver dam near the parking lot. Plenty fish in there, with their antennae fine tuned to the approaching fisherman.. rose two at the softhackle without hooking either. Good enough for who it's for, really.

Next step was a mountain lake at 12 000ft, parking lot at 11 200 and a 1.5 mile walk in. Expected traffic crowds and a zoo at the parking lot and was not disappointed. Inserted my truck into an angled inclined spot between a Tesla and a BMW which didn't have enough ground clearance for my spot. Plenty of company on the trail all of whom asked me about the fishing. On the way in I could tell the truth- never been here, no idea, without faith and hope I'd never leave the house. On the way out I lied steadily and consistently, just on principle.



That lake is private. On the way down it was ringed with rises. I waved..



There were a couple big submarines patrolling the dropoff, cutts of 18" or better. No response, not so much as a spook away from my spinners and small minnow lures. The fish held to their patrol line and speed, commendable in your military troops, a little disheartening to the fisher. Tossed out the hopper and softhackle to drift around while drinking a contemplative lager from Upslope brewery in Boulder. They do 1% of profits to Trout Unlimited. I drink a lot of Upslope.



The drift around nearly always works. Nearly. Fished around to those rocks on the far side to no effect at all, tried a variety of flies and lures on a couple more patrollers.

Back toward the inlet had been crowded earlier in the day. As evening descended it thinned out enough to cast a fly line. Here there was a small shoal of 8-10" fish with a patroller keeping watch below the shoal. That's a behavior I've never yet seen in high lakes, both the shoal and its accompanying patrol submarine. The little ones did take a small Smith Niagis spinner on the baitcast finesse outfit.



Often on these lakes with only a floating line I've wondered about bringing a spin/BFS outfit to plumb the depths. Well that didn't work, at least not today and here. Took a couple more of the little 'uns on a #18 Adams then called it a day. Back at the truck with another lager, the parking lot had gone quiet and the mountain sounds could be heard. I was looking at those dense forests and thinking how glad I was not to be attempting an elk hunt this year. Another sign of gathering age no doubt.

Soundtrack is Jackson Browne, The Pretender.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ROK1-VvOQ0
Quote:
Caught between the longing for love
And the struggle for the legal tender

sometimes I do feel like that happy idiot, when it gets to be September and the mountain's calls went unanswered.


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Post 21 Sep 2022, 08:07 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
The poetry and siren song of the mountains draws us out, long hikes or not. Good stuff.

Last weekend I was similarly doing a couple of dayhikes, just been too busy with work to even post the pics yet.


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Post 21 Sep 2022, 10:37 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Great report!


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Post 21 Sep 2022, 15:19 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/07/18
Posts: 428
Location: US-MA
Enjoyed the write-up and pics. Good to get out and catch a few and explore new places. Just listened to that song yesterday and was enjoying the lyrics, especially the one you quoted. Took next week off with no plan yet, but time to break away from work for a bit and enjoy a fantastic time of the year.


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Post 21 Sep 2022, 19:08 • #5 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/04/18
Posts: 397
Location: Belair Maryland/Swanton Maryland
When the Mountain is your Mistress you answer her call..
Way to pick up that call and head out Doug ..
Is that a custom Fenwick your rockin?
Great report


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Post 22 Sep 2022, 09:23 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 01/10/16
Posts: 186
Location: Parkersburg, WV
Great report/photos and I can sympathize with walking on blocks of ice - I hate waders.

I think I know that lake and, if I am correct, I had the same experience. I saw "submarines" cruising but could not get them to look up, no matter what I threw at them. I assume they were meat eaters.

Your description of the trailhead and hiking above the private lake reminds me of a lake I visited a few years ago. Is the lake named after a certain coin? If so, I saw some nice fish in the lake above it as well.

Chris


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Post 22 Sep 2022, 17:10 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
ottobahn wrote:
Is that a custom Fenwick your rockin?


someone else's build on a FL90-5 blank.. decent build, though I dont' care for the handle and may reshape it. The finish is epoxy so have hesitated to rewrap..
Really enjoy the rod, perfect stream rod I think.

wvbrookie wrote:
If so, I saw some nice fish in the lake above it as well.


yep, that's the one.. I was stubborn, thought surely I'd be able to get one the submarines to make a mistake, and didn't get to the next lake up..
threw the BFS minnows spoons and spinners at them, that didn't work either. So they might be nocturnal feeders given the crowds around the lake.


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Post 23 Sep 2022, 05:56 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/23/18
Posts: 614
Location: Eastern Wa
Thanks for sharing!! Well done. Its been too long since ive been to 11k+ feet. Forgot what its like.

A couple weeks ago i drove non-stop 14.5 hrs home from the WY Red Desert (for antelope). Beautiful stark country i have never seen before. Listened to 3 different Bob FM stations on the way home. Reminded me of my college years on all night drives to flyfish Montana.


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Post 30 Sep 2022, 13:47 • #9 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
wow mike - that's a difficult tag to draw for antelope..
every time I'm up there, we see lots of big buck pronghorn.. did you find one ?

here's the race, at about mile 10.. what isn't visible is the 30mph wind directly in our teeth for six miles..



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Post 30 Sep 2022, 15:22 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/09/05
Posts: 2524
Location: US-CO
Looks like a great trip! I figure the reason that the high country summer is so short is so that we don't kill ourselves going up there for months on end. Above timberline always takes its toll...good training for that run, however. Now, that is something I don't really understand....were there trout at the end waiting to be caught?!?


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Post 30 Sep 2022, 15:53 • #11 
Guide
Joined: 02/23/11
Posts: 238
Location: Tulsa, OK
Sounds awesome! Wish I could have made another trip up to cutthroat country this year but doesn’t look promising. I’m questioning my life choices as well.

Thanks for great report to live vicariously through.


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Post 30 Sep 2022, 17:27 • #12 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/23/18
Posts: 614
Location: Eastern Wa
doug in co wrote:
wow mike - that's a difficult tag to draw for antelope..
every time I'm up there, we see lots of big buck pronghorn.. did you find one ?

here's the race, at about mile 10.. what isn't visible is the 30mph wind directly in our teeth for six miles..



That race must have been tough Doug. 30 mph headwind!

Staying on topic my last two visits to wyoming were in the vicinity of the Green River (west of Pinedale in 2015 where i archery harvested a moose, and east of Rock Springs where i harvested an antelope this year, my biggest). Both trips were 14pt cashouts.

Both times I kicked myself for not bringing a fly rod!!!!! Im going to make a trip next year with maybe a quiver of vintage fly rods to cover the whole spectrum.

Stark and beautiful!

Sunrise and sunset




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Post 30 Sep 2022, 17:30 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/09/05
Posts: 2524
Location: US-CO
Doug in co wrote: "wow mike - that's a difficult tag to draw for antelope..
every time I'm up there, we see lots of big buck pronghorn.. did you find one ?"

If you put in for the doe/fawn permit, the out-of-state tag costs $50. That is what I have done.

And do take your fly rod. Wyoming has some great trout streams. The wind will be blowing...take a 6 wt.


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Post 30 Sep 2022, 20:43 • #14 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
And please remember, we are here to discuss fishing not hunting. Too much hunting, etc., discussion might draw the attention of the corporate web filtering services. That would eliminate work access for many forum members. Please, let's not go there.


Tom


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Post 30 Sep 2022, 20:59 • #15 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
Just returned from an 8 day jaunt through Southern Colorado...alas did not use the 7'9" 4 pc Silaflex I brought along, but fished my old Sage 1 wt spl rod for one session on the Gunnison and landed a few small fish on it. A couple of older Scott 4 wts got my friend and I through most of it. Really enjoyed fishing an old school Scott G Series 8'8" 3 pc I had not picked up in a while....really slow and sweet.

Fished the Upper Animas above Silverton, as small creek out of Durango, some private water on the Conejos, and the Gunnison River..drove through gorgeous country along many rivers at a nice time of year.


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Post 01 Oct 2022, 11:23 • #16 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/16/05
Posts: 2537
Location: Georgia
Cool. Can be a good idea to keep checking the real accessible places. I think Yogi Berra said of a restaurant, “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”


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Post 05 Oct 2022, 12:19 • #17 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
fishhuntmike wrote:
Both trips were 14pt cashouts.


ah that would do it.. congratulations on both !
Cashed in 11 Colorado points on my last time, it was successful but does rather make one think.. a lot of years to get there..

I usually don't take a rod on those trips, it seems too much like hubris.. need to focus on the job at hand..

paveglass wrote:
were there trout at the end waiting to be caught?!?


well we extended the trip, to find some trout ;-)





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