Frustration

The title says it all.. almost 2 solid weeks of constant rain has really put a damper on spoons, muddy water requires bait.. I don't use bait.. I don't catch fish- I did hit the necanicum by klootchy creek and the water was spoon worthy for the first 3 hrs. Early on I had a denial that I watched with dissapointment, then 2 hrs later I had back to back denials to a usally productive spoon... so I figured I have a line issue, so I came home and re-spooled but dropped down to 10#, I personaly fish 15 lb with spoons, the fish typicaly don't seem to care, but I guess when it gets dirty it must really show. So on a good note the rain has turned to snow so I will head to Big and Gnat creek in the morning to see what they look like.... but this time I will have my flyrod, just in case the water is out of wack... I know how to fish bad water with a flyrod.. so I guess we will see- Tight lines

There Here!!!

I'm as exited as a 5 yr old on Christmas eve, test spoons from a major tackle manufacturer have arrived and I can't wait to roll them through a rock garden. The testing is on the paint and finish, hopefully achieving a better bond and a longer lasting paint job, They also down sized the split ring and put siwash hooks on them, but I'm gonna change them to mustad hooks because that's what I prefer. Originally the spoons have only come in paint on silver, but they have built me 20 that are on brass or copper... and if my theory's correct... the copper is gonna slay. I had planned on heading over to the John Day for the day tomorrow but time won't allow it so I'm gonna head to the nestucca, where I believe the best odds of banging a 15+ pound er currently are.. hope to post some fish pictures tomorrow nite!.......... wish me luck!

A little help-

So my blog has had almost 400 views, but no comments, Not that I really need the comments but kinda wondering if its not allowing them, and does my slideshow work? it just perpetually loads when im on.... so, if anyone feels like giving some input, I would appreciate it- email me at halibuthitman@yahoo.com I really appreciate any input- Brad

Blue Moon River Alaska

Well I haven't been fishing in a while, rivers are blown out and Im in the middle of a decent size home improvement project, so heres another old fishin day-

On the Alaska penisula on there is an anchorage named port Wrangel... there isn't a port there.. long ago halibut schooners used it as a saltry for herring bait and at one time there may have been a cannery there, but now.. just a good place to anchor for the nite. Sitting on anchor one nite Ray and I decided that in the morning we would check out what appeared to be a river on the chart... un-named, we thought.. hey, mabe a secret trout river perhaps, so in the morning we set out for the possible mouth of the river. It was raining like the second coming, we were soaked by the time we managed to find a route into the river, a heavy swell rolled in off the shelikof strait and it was somewhat hairy crossing the small bar into the deep cut entrance. We ran upriver for what seemed like 1.5 to 2 miles through amazing canyons that reminded me of the snake river country then an open valley and the river shallowed up and we had to abandon our livingston for foot travel. another mile up and in and we started to fish, Ray threw pixies and I opted for a black bunny leech on the flyrod.. my second cast I hooked up with an 8-10 lb chrome brite fish that acted an awfull lot like a steelhead, moments later Ray landed an amazing 6-7 lb dolly.. then I got a couple 14-18'' dolly's and a handful of humpy's.. the rain started coming down in sheets that frothed the river and we started to get a little worried that the lump would come up and trap us at the mouth. I had brought 1 blue moon beer that Caron had given me a case of for my birthday.. we shared it, smoked one of only 2 smokes that had survived the trip in and headed back for the boat.. when we got to the skiff the tide had gone out considerably and we had to drag it 50 yards to deep enough water to run in.... we got back to the boat shared our story and dubbed the un-named jem, the Blue Moon River-

A Great Start

Well thanksgiving is the day I re-start my steel head year, so on Friday morning I decided I should head out and see what I could stir up, It was raining cats and dogs as I headed up hw 30 at 5:00 am... and it was cold... I was a little worried I was wasting my time. I arrived at river X ( too early in the season to give up spots that are fishing ) and started to fish, water was a little murky and not the best fly water.. so I started casting spinners. Started out with a brass blue fox and didn't raise anything so I switched to my go to spinner for river X a mepps glo in white and pink. I hooked two on it but lost them.. little fellers. After an inspection of the hooks I determined they were too dull and not having a stone with me decided to switch to a new out of the package tear drop spoon.. 10 minutes later in two feet of water Bam! fish on... I knew he was a good fish but after he jumped once my heart started to race, thought he was an early native and seemed like he could go 20 pounds! I couldn't control him for the first five minutes, but then out of fear I let him work down river with a loosened drag for about 50 yards to a spot I could land him.. ( by now I had determined he was a hatchery fish.. and I was really exited!) let him hold against the opposite bank for a bit occasionally pulling on him to burn him out.. walked out into the river and reached down and tailed him and he was mine.... what a day.. and what a start to my favorite time of year to fish.... winter.

Qaurtz Creek Alaska

A lot of guys love to tell the story of the trip that was a lifetime experience, we tend to tell mostly our story's of victory.. well, here's one that wasn't.

Homer was getting kind of old in august, the Anchor River was fishing poorly and the only good fishing was up towards kenai/Soldotna, so I got up at 3;30 a.m and started the drive up to the Kenai, as I got near the big river it started to rain so I decided to head up to Quartz creek and score some dolly and hopefully a trophy rainbow action, well.. the river started to swell and then cloud up, so I pulled a couple of small rainbows and a few larger Dolly and pretty soon I needed such large shot to get down I just headed off to Johnson lake for the rest of the day. Here's a couple shots from before the monsoon started-

Atka Alaska Dollys

Well im gonna use the next couple days to catch up on some summer adventures, so heres a trip from Atka fromaugust. It was forecast to blow 55-60 kts for a few days, so we layed up in martin harbor. Ray and I knew of a small stream just teeming with fat little dolly's, so not being one to shy away from some trout action we put ashore in a gale and headed up the little creek. Action was immediate, first cast with a washed out 6mm bead and fish on! mostly little guys, but a couple 16-18 inchers around. We headed up the creek further and encountered a Native and his son, brother or who knows.... doing what alaskas first people do best... snagging silvers.. the young kid looked at my flyrod like I was holding a unicorns head or something... and asked me " how ya gonna catch a fish with that" it was my browning medalist 5 wt.. a junker I use when I think we might dump the skiff, next thing you know his partner snags and hauls up about a 7-8 lb trophy dolly and laughs... and throw it in the weeds! ohhhh man... I was a little pissed but hey.. it their island so keep up the good managment... I also inclueded a shot of the fourwheeler they rode right up the creek bed and left sitting in the run.. all in all about a 50 fish day and a nice rainbow to promise us that we would get to go to work soon-

MY CREATION Results

Well I got to field test my Rainbow Bugger.. Tried it on Qaurtz creek a tributary of the Kenai river... and wow.. the dollys loved it, but even more suprising the sockeye went just nuts for it, but I only had one so 15 dollys and 6 sockeye later she was gone... gonna have to tie up 20 of em and try them on some Big Creek steelhead in a few weeks.

Drift Boat Renovation

well, its done... well actually its been done for quite a while, I just haven't posted about it. So I did sea trials at a spot called trojan ponds.. here a photo of her.. battleship gray.. I like!

MY CREATION

This winter I did a personal challenge to fill my tag with spoon only caught steelhead. It went pretty good although I didn't reach my goal. Carons work got busy, Mike got married the 1st weekend of the month. ( mike is my wifes brother ) so I only fished 3 times after setting the goal, but 1 spoon jumped to the forefront right from the begining. It was a teardrop Rainbow Plastics steelhead spoon in a Green yellow white and orange design. It just saved every trip and caught extremely large aggressive fish. So now that im back to fly fishing I decided to mimick it inan egg sucking leech pattern..... wonder how it will do on those Alaskan native steel.

Drift Boat Renovation

Well Ive been trying to fix up my drift boat before my April 1st departure to Alaska. My hopes were to have it tuned up with a shave and a haircut for my trip to Plumas co. California in June, the Pit and Hat creek have been begging me to float them. But I just haven't been able to get even the old paint off, or even pick a new color.... battleship gray perhaps??? its a 1986 Don Hill drifter, that had been rear ended and had to have 1' taken off the stern and replace.. so now its 13'... lucky unlucky number perhaps? Ive been considering naming it ole' 13#, the boat catches fish, hope tuning it up does't kill its fishiness.

It is what it is.

Im not sure what this blog is really about, one day.. about 32 years ago at a place called Deep lake, in Ne Washington I caught an 18" native westslope cutthroat.... and the rest has been history. I fish, for fun, for a living, for no reason at all... mabe im obsessed, but its me, who I am, Im writing this blog for my son, and my Friends, if you choose to follow it I must warn you.. it is not an advice forum, there are no secrets or knowledge hidden within... just a place to smoke a ciggarette I guess.