Softhackle fun.........

Usually this time of year I usually reflect back from the year and try to improve on patterns I've used or in this case, havent used as much. I'm suprised I dont carry more of these with me but I think I need to start. Here is a couple of patterns I tied last night. Enjoy!!

Fun with Marabou....for a great cause.

I got an email from Cardiac aka Alan from the Utah on the Fly site to help out on a Christmas Box for a fellow board member that has battled cancer for most of the year. I knew I couldnt pass up the chance to help a fellow flyfisher so I jumped on the chance and since Dennis enjoys stillwater flyfishing I thought I'd tie up a few patterns for him. Thanks again Alan for letting me participate in your gift to Dennis.

1/2 day on the Middle

Normally I dont get that chance to fish under the week but since I had plenty of PTO I decided to hit the Middle Provo. Being that I dont fish the Middle to often I was under a time restraint and fished somewhere close. I got a call from Mark and we decided on meeting in Midway and we decided to hit the Hoover's Hole area. It was damn cold too. mark hooked up imediately on a nice 12 inch brown. We walked up stream and just hit a few holes on the way up. Mark was using a small size 20 black Pheasant Tail and was doing well. I could see him for the most part of the day. I couldnt land anything for the time we were there but it sure was nice to be out again though. What was nice is that this section is usually crowded and we didnt even see another person the whole time we were there. Ice was getting tough to deal with which comes with the cold temps but it was again nice to be out instead of the office. Thanks Mark for a little break.

Back to the Five Dollar Footlong

Nick and I got to talking about doing some fishing and we decided to hit the the Five Dollar Footlong. The last time I was here it was back in June with Mike and Jer. The drive up was quick. I met up with Nick at the Starbucks on Wasatch Blvd. and we headed out. Again it took about 2 1/2 hours to get there and there was no one in sight. The morning was cold but is was tollarable. The water was super low and from the flow charts that I had earlier read mentioned that we should expect a 70 cfs. Boy was that way off. Anyways Nick started below me and I was nymphing alot of nice water but nothing was seen. I worked a couple of holes that have produced earlier in the year, but no fish could be found. I finally met up with Nick and he scored a few browns on streamers so we decided to walk upstream. We found a couple of brown still on the redds. Nick was spotting me up on the opposite bank but from my vantage point I had a tree limb that was giving me grief and I didnt have a great shot at the 2 fish that were busy. I was either too short or too far right. I finally dropped a great cast up above them and one of the browns took off with my fly. He swam downstream from where I was standing and I could take the slack quick enough to get into him and lost him. Again we walked further upstream and found a school of browns fighting for dominance. Nice fat and healthly browns were going at it. Nick dropped into the water and hooked a couple of nice fish and decided to move up and give that hole a break. Nick fished ahead of me and when I got a visual on him he was fishing the spillway at the dam. I did manage to pick up another brown there that ranged in the 20 inch class. By this time it was early afternoon. We decided on leaving and go to another stillwater location that I have heard plenty about but never fished. Got to our destination and quickly rigged up. Nick walked the opposite bank from where I was and he mamnged to bring a Fat Tiger to hand. I had some success with throwing a few streamers. I got hooked up on a nice Tiger following the fly in and I saw him actually take the fly, but it wasnt enough and he shook off. The wind started to pick up and we decided to leave at that point. It was great to mix up the day with some moving water than hit some stillwater. Thanks Nick lets plan on some more outting next year man.