Fly of the Week....... 2/24/08

Double Midge

Body-------------Black 8/0 thread and twisted black antron for the extended rear
Hackle----------Grizzly
Hook------------Size 18

Wyoming is going to be great this year..........

A typical Brown from this stream.
















Mike with a decent Wyoming Brown.















Here is what the area looked like just a year ago.















Not alot of snow last year, but things look promising for this year.














Wyoming is a great state to fish. Prolific Hatches and all the solitude that one can enjoy.













I've been in this area in the past with only sparse snow at best
in other years I have fished this river.












The river supports great fish that I have landed in the past and I hope the heat doesnt stress the fish to bad this year.

Brown Bonanza.............Jan 08

Nothing beats fly fishing with good friends. Mike is no different when it comes to jabbing and joking on a drive anywhere. I had got a call from him earlier in the week trying to decide on where to go. We quickly decided and met up on a Saturday Morning. Corey which I have fished with in the past had joined us as well. I have fished with Cor one other time and Mike has fished with him on a number of outings. Mike had just got back from a deployment to Iraq and he wanted to get out and jump right back into fishing as he did before he left. While on the drive up we talked about some of his experience over in Iraq and the seriousness quickly led to some joking and jabbing which isn't unusual when we drive together on any outing. The day started as a bluebird day and no wind to speak of. I had a feeling that this day would be very different. I couldn't put my finger on it but its was something I couldn't explain. Once we got to or destination we quickly met up with Bryan, Chris, and Cary. We spoke for a bit, exchanged some flies and we decided to fish upstream while they would fish below us. Only later did we find out that Chris had broke his ankle and they left. Chris I hope the leg is feeling better and your out swing'n your stick. It was nice to met you guys.

We rigged up at the truck and walked upstream to our 1st hole which has always produced for us. I wasn't finished rigging so once we got to the spot I put on a Blood Worm and a Glow Bug. Being that these fish were in the post spawn mode I knew they would be hungry. Mike and Cor decided to look over the run and said they thought they seen about 60 Browns stacked up tightly in this short run. Now I usually don't start with any Glow Bug but something told me to do it so I did. While Mike and Cor were finishing their rigging I jumped in to the back edge of the run and made a cast. I was rewarded with a nice 17" brown on the first cast. It had took the Glow Bug. I was somewhat surprised and I knew it was going to be a killer day. Mike was up next and he caught his first..a nice 24" pig. Then Cor caught one as well. We fished this run for about 2 hours before deciding to give the run a rest and we would return after fishing upstream. We did well on some of the other pools and riffle water and returned late in the afternoon and gave it another shot. This time Cor decided to climb up the opposite bank where there was a cliff and he could see down the run and all of the fish in it. As I was casting Cor would direct me on where the school of Browns were located and I adjusted my casting to his directions. Mike got into the run and got a few as well. After a few more fish Mike decided to climb up to where Cory was sitting and he decided to climb down and get a few more also. It was a great day with friends for sure. Below are some of the day caught on film by Cory. Thanks again guys and we'll do it again soon!

Photo’s courtesy of Corey K.


Mike's Brown
Mike's 24" Pig!
The Release!

The End of the Day.

A Glow Bug victim.
From Corey's vantage point.
Another nice Brown.
Solid Fish Mike!!
The 24" Beast

Walking up to the next hole.
Spotter.
Afternoon Brown.
Another Nice one!

Egg Eater!

Mike's Nice 24" Brut.

4 weights........the arsenal.

4 weights have been a large part of my evolution as a fly fisherman. Since I first picked up a fly rod some 30 years ago. I remember the first rod that I saved and bought was an HMG Fenwick 8ft 2 piece 4 weight. Thats all I have ever fished and thats what I love to throw.

When I was a young boy I prefered to fly fish over any other way to catch fish. When I lived in California I would always string my Fenwick and leave everything else aside. As a teenager I often went after Bass and Bluegill till I couldnt take it anymore. I had some highschool friends that flyfished as well so we always had so many things to talk about in class that's if the teacher didnt catch us while he was talking. As the years went by the Fenwick was lost in a move to Utah back in 1982.

After recovering from that Fenwick loss my next purchase was from a local fly shop here in the Salt Lake Valley called Western River Fly Fishers. I noticed online that they had a used SAGE RPL+. Well I went down there and looked it over and took it outside on a cloudy and rainy day. I dont fish with it much and I dont know why but I still have it and I break it out now and again.

Well about 3 years ago I had heard about the Sage XP. I talked to a few friends and other anglers about this rod and what the rave was about it. I had casted a friends 490 XP and loved it. I soon bought one and use it often and I really enjoy the fast action of this rod. The only regret I have about the XP is that I wished I had bought one in 4 piece.

Last year I had the chance to buy a Loop rod and I jumped on that chance to see what this rod was about. I've only fished it once this year but I know it will see more playing time as the year moves along.