2013 Trips???

Frigid weather has prevented me from wetting a line thus far in 2013.  I know, it's a travesty, but so far I've not been inspired to take up ice fishing and the local creeks are covered with too much water......in its solid state.  This weekend everything may change.  Yes, I might actually get out on the water instead of dreaming about it for a change.  The list of possibilities is ironically strongly correlated with the list of tailwaters within reasonable day trip distance.

Many of you have not been suffering through the same lack of fishing as I have and have already put in some great days on the water.  I'm interested in hearing about your plans for the upcoming year.  Notice our new poll to the right and vote on how many days you are planning to fish per year.  For the sake of this poll, I'll consider any fishing time as a day meaning that those 30 minutes during your lunch break count.

Also, comment on this post to let me know if you have any awesome fishing trips planned for 2013.  I'll probably be jealous when I hear about that incredible New Zealand trip your planning for next month since I'll still be freezing here in Colorado but I would still love to hear your plans.

For me, I'm hoping to head up to Yellowstone in early June.  With any luck, the Firehole will be in the middle of prime time, and perhaps the Gibbon and Madison as well.  With a bit more luck, I can stay around long enough for the Salmonflies on the Madison but that may be a stretch.  Of course, lots of fishing throughout Colorado will help make this an awesome summer.  I'll put in plenty of time over on the West Slope as well as closer to home.  Finally, rounding out my current plans, spring break 2013 is in Tennessee where I'll be fishing the Quill Gordon and Blue Quill hatches as well as some caddis and stonefly hatches.  Best of all, I get to see lots of friends and family that I miss the pleasure of seeing since I now live in Colorado.

And that, my friends, may be the best part of any trip.  Sure the time on the water is always great, but it's the people you run into that often make or break a trip.  Naturally, a giant brown or two never hurt so please don't misunderstand me, but sitting around a campfire with longtime fishing buddies or perhaps someone you fished with for the first time that day is generally where the lasting trip memories are made.  So, here's to trips in 2013! I hope everyone has a banner year!!!

Major Landslide

The easy connection between Tennessee and North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains, Newfound Gap Road, is closed and will be for some time.  According to the National Park Service,

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) due to a landslide which undercut the road near mile marker 22 between Collins Creeks and Webb Overlook at 9:40 am. The slide is estimated to be a 200 foot section of road extending 1000 foot down slope, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known. The closure is expected to be in effect for an extended period of time.

This is a major slide, and I'm guessing it will take months to get the road put back together.  Right now, I'm just thankful that I'll still be able to access Little River during my Spring Break trip home.  Let's hope there are no more major slides in the Park and that everyone stays safe with all the high water!

Meanwhile in Tennessee...

While we are locked down with frigid temperatures (-4 degrees fahrenheit this morning), Tennessee is dealing with some epic flooding.  Not record flooding or anything but still scary high.  Little River in the Smokies is high enough to keep even the most hardcore anglers away since 99.9999999% of the fishing right now would simply be an exercise in futility.  Could you still catch a fish?  I suppose it is at least conceivable but only a fool would try.

My buddy Jayson graciously allowed me to use a couple of his pictures on here.  The pictures look more like something from runoff out west after a big snowpack meets a heatwave.  To put these pictures in perspective for my tailwater fishing friends, this is approximately equivalent to the amount of water flowing down the Caney Fork on a two generator release!!!

 Jayson Alexander Photography

 Jayson Alexander Photography 

With more rain forecast, its definitely possible that the streams will rise further.  Let's hope that doesn't happen as a good number of people live quite close to the river and high water will not be good for them.

Right now I'm in the planning and anticipation stage of a spring break trip to the Smokies to fish the early hatches and perhaps even land a trout or two.  I'm not sure how this water situation will affect my fishing, although if history has proved anything it is that high water events on Little River are fairly common and do not seem to have any long term effect on the fishing unless the high flows occur shortly after the spawn.

I'm confident that, barring poor weather conditions during my visit, the fishing will be about as good as usual.  Of course, its the chance of something great happening that keeps me going back.  Every fishing trip is an adventure and this spring break will be no different!

Someone Is Fishing

Today I was glad to see that someone is getting out on the water.  Ian and Charity Rutter are apparently fully enjoying the more relaxed winter season and took a break from guiding by getting some fishing in for themselves.  The highlight of the trip was a beautiful brown caught on a.............drumroll........dry fly!!!  Yep, browns on dries in January.  It doesn't get much better than that...  With any luck I'll get out in another week or so but in the short term, my prospects look bleak.  At least I can enjoy reading about others' trips!

Winter Sun

Yesterday I managed to get out and do some hiking.  It wasn't the fishing trip I had originally hoped for, but since the local creek was still mostly iced up it was better than staying indoors all day.  I always enjoy carrying the camera around and hiking below the Flatirons was no exception.  Most of the time I did not feel particularly inspired but the sun preparing to drop behind the hills was beautiful enough to bring out the camera.  Of course the picture does not do the scene justice, but let your imagination do the rest...

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!! Hope you have a great 2013 and are able to spend a lot of time on the water.  Anyone have any big fishing plans for 2013?

Take Better Fish Pictures!!!

How many times have you caught a great fish and were able to get a picture?  In this day and age, probably most people are carrying some type of camera with them on the water.  You've seen lots of how-to articles on taking better pictures.  We've all seen the Rule of Thirds and other tips on better composition.  This means that often, when you pull out your iPhone or post the picture of your trophy on a blog or online fly fishing forum, you sit back and wait for your buddies to pat you on the back and discuss how you're such a great fisherman.

Enter the fish nazi.  We've all run into them, and truth be told they do a great job of reminding us how to handle trout.  You know what I'm talking about; the random person that always has to rain on your parade by suggesting that you had the fish out of the water for too long, or maybe you were squeezing too hard, or, gasp, dry handing the trout, and let's not forget the ultimate sin of laying the poor fish on dry ground for a photograph.  Are you tired of listening to the complaints?  Have you given up on sharing those trophy pictures because of all the criticism you receive?  As we approach the New Year, the Trout Zone is working hard to bring you a better fly fishing life.

With that in mind, let me introduce the Photarium from the Wild Fish Conservancy!!!  Ever had anyone tell you that you should never take a fish out of the water?  Now you don't have to, and you still get a great shot of that trophy you are so proud of.  Imagine getting out with your buddy on a float trip and when that nice fish is landed, you just ask the rower to dump the netted trout into your Photarium for a quick picture.

Photo Courtesy of the Wild Fish Conservancy

Imagine how impressed your friends will be at your concern for the well-being of the fish, not to mention the ultimate pleasure of seeing your favorite fish nazi speechless next time you share that shot of your most recent trophy.  Only catch dinks?  Not to worry. The Wild Fish Conservancy has three sizes for all types of anglers and has even been known to make custom extra large boxes perfect for those anglers fixated on size.  Make a New Years Resolution today to treat trout better in 2013 and start the year off right with a Photarium!!!

 

Hey!!!

What are you looking at???

Crashing Surf

My vacation in Maine has been enjoyable and relaxing and was made extra special with the large dose of snow we received yesterday.  There's nothing like staying home all day and watching the snow come down.  The feeders were a big hit with our feathered friends, and I spent plenty of time trying to photograph them from the comfort of the warm indoors.

Today we made it out to two well-known spots in the Portland, Maine area, Two Lights and Portland Headlight.  The first is a state park on the coast complete with rocky shoreline while the second is a famous lighthouse.

My camera has been kept very busy the past couple of days.  I have tons of pictures to sift through and it will take some time to finish that process.  In the meantime, here are three pictures that caught my eye at first glance.

Merry Christmas

Things have been quiet on the fishing scene for me the past few days.  Thankfully I'm in full Christmas break mode which involves a lot of relaxation (much needed I might add) as well as time with good friends.  Yesterday was a ski day, and as it was only my third time ever, I'm a bit sore today (okay really sore today), mostly in one or two spots that I repeatedly fell on.  Apparently the ability to cast gracefully with a fly rod on liquid water does not translate into grace on frozen water.  Still, I had a great time and am already planning a trip in Colorado when I get back home.

Once I return, I'll be kicking into high gear on the fly tying scene.  A fishing trip or two may also be in the works although probably not too many of those will happen for the next 2 months.  Stories of BIG trout being caught over on the Frying Pan have me considering a weekend trip, maybe sometime soon during the cold but quiet off-season.

Yes, this has been a great year for me and next year is looking like more of the same.  I hope that all of you are as blessed this Christmas season as I am.  Merry Christmas to each of you, and here's to another great year in 2013!!!