reevesr1

The watching part! Costa Rica is certainly a possibility, and she's already pretty corrupted.

No

What was the coolest part about those fish, other than the fact you could have stepped on them and they would have just moved out of the way and still kept right on feeding, is how they would take a natural (whatever the hell they were) like 2" away from your fly. You'd see them coming, get ready for the take, and then just shake your head when he rises right next to your poor offering. It was like the presented fly was dragging down whatever it was they were really eating. Freaky. If Dan has that video, he should upload it to Youtube then link here. Very cool.

It was me, and nice meeting you as well. Biggy- The 20/20 shirt will get you tons of girls. My recommendation is to wear it near 8th ave on a nice sunny day around lunch time. Standing next to your Ferrari. With lots of cash poking out of your pockets. You'll be a hit!

Jeremie, if the fish was fun to catch, who cares if it was from a #20 nymph or a #20 trico? It's not like you get a nice handsome plaque for being in the 20/20 club. And if you try to brag about it to anyone other than a dedicated fly fisherman, whoever you are bragging to will just look at you funny. And perhaps most importantly to a fellow of your age (if my son's are any indication), girls really won't care!

Not as good. There was only 1 I saw rising in the pool Uber and I was fishing. There were a few fish on the jam (we probably caught 6 or 8 there), but nothing like last year. But the avg size was way up. Wes took a look from where I took the video last year and did not see a fish in all the deadfall. There were at least 20 hanging out there last year. Strange. Wonder if all the bulls in the area run out the little fish?

So that last picture does NOT do that fish justice. A little background: Dan and Wes are met through there participation in the Highland Games throwing big logs and rocks and *hit. None of us had met before I arrived at the condo. When I walked in I thought "good lord, better not piss these guys off. They'll rip off my arm and use it as a toothpick." These are large men. Glad they were happy drunks! So on to the fish story: Downstream of where Wes is standing is a tree that goes across the river. Dan had seen a fish rising (and in this river, if they are not rising, good luck catching one. Bitchiest cutts I've ever seen). He worked him for a bit and when he was changing flies he gave me a shot. I was fortunate enough to give him something he wanted and he very slowly, very majestically, came up and ate my fly. I waited what seemed like 30 seconds for him to turn back down and set the hook on a solid 16-17" fish. Then a little bull started chasing him all over the pool, which was very cool. Upon closer inspection, the "little bull" was a much, much bigger cutt. We land my fish, and watch the big fish position himself in the middle of the pool. Then the casting starts. I actually did not think we would get him, but a few minutes into the attempts, he comes up and takes a natural. Things are looking up! After who knows how many fly changes, Wes casts and starts the slow drift. Then he sees another cut rise upstream. While distracted, big boy comes up and take his fly. A couple of minutes later, the smiling picture above is the result. Gripped in hands bigger than you think they are! My favorite fish of the trip is this guy: We got him at the end of the first day. I caught this fish last year (at least I think it is the same fish) on the Panorama trip. Both times it took multiple fly changes and both times in the end he took something little and yellow. Tough run to fish late afternoon as you are looking back into the sun and visibility is terrible. He's the fish of 100 casts. Ok, maybe 20. Thanks to Wes and Dan for the trip. I had one hell of a good time, even if I couldn't hook a fish to save my life on day 2. It is fun to fish rivers with not as many fish, but you know every one may hold the fish of a lifetime. I also may go earlier next year. There were a lot of bullies doing there thing. Would be fun to get there before they start.

GPS coordinates my friend. That is all.

I'm staying out of the argument, but I will say that if 1 in 4 victims of shooting are wearing hi-vis, that does not mean that you are 3 times more likely to be shot if you are not wearing hi-vis. You would need to know percentage of people wearing hi-vis to know that. If the ratio was 50/50, then your statement would be correct. However, I don't think there is any way 50% of people wear hi-vis.

Probably heard what a good photographer you are and wanted it's 15 minutes. Twice.

In my experience, they do the opposite. Hotter weather means slower, deeper water becomes oxygen deprived. Faster, more turbulent water is more oxygenated. So in order to breath, they tend to be in faster, and often shallower water. As long as the water is not too hot, their metabolisms are up, and they feed hard. This is great for the fisherman, unless it gets to hot and they get to stressed. Recently, most of my fish have been caught in water I would classify as hauling ass fast. Sure is fun to fish, but you have to cast a lot!

The most expensive of all the ideas to date. Divorce is costly.

Interesting issue. Not sure what side I would come down on.

My wife and I, and possibly the kids, are planning a vacation to somewhere south (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, etc), probably in mid Jan to mid Feb. We have never done this type of trip as our vacations have always consisted of visiting far flung family. So I'm looking for ideas. I want to go to Honduras, but the wife does not like the fact that it looks like an overnight in Houston to get there. I haven't given up on the idea yet, but it doesn't look good. So basically, I'm looking for someplace where there is a fishable beach pretty close to where we would be staying. She would be ok with me sneaking out in the morning early, but I don't think that she is going to be down with an all day trip, unless of course I can talk her into the boat ride. Really, the trip is more for her, but anyplace with reasonable fishing opportunities would be welcome. Cuba is out for me due to US citizenship (I know there are ways around it, but the ex-military in me won't let me go). Thanks in advance!

That's who I ended up using. The boat was great. You can either pick it up, or they will drop it off to you and shuttle. I was very happy with the service.

In New Zealand maybe? Or Patagonia.

I've been to some of these places, particularly Lake Travis near Austin. Shocking to see how little water is left. If no information comes up with the pictures, click on the "Show Info" button on the top right. This has been an historic year for high temps, combined with no rain. It is hard for me to believe it hasn't even rained in Houston. Really, in a normal year, it rains several times a week in the summer. You can tell time by the afternoon thunderstorms coming off the gulf. Between the droughts and the fires, my home has had a rough year. Texas Drought

Nice article. I love this quote: "Trout fishing is supposed to be challenging, but I am quite content with the dumbest, least neurotic trout available if there is no hatch to even the odds." I will add my own corollary: "I am quite content to watch others fish for the most challenging trout while I fish for the dumbest, least neurotic trout."

I was on a central alberta stream on Saturday with my son and Troutlover. Long drive from Calgary followed by a 2 hr hike to the start of the fishing. We worked our way upstream and fishing was good, but it suddenly turned off. As we round a corner, we see 3 guys fishing the run in front of us, and we figured that was the reason for the shut down. We were fishing water that had just been fished. Now what to do? We could have hiked up the ridge, jumped past them, and fished in front, but that didn't seem very sporting of us. So we cycled back down river to where we started, figuring that no one would have touched the runs in the last couple of hours. Worked out pretty well for us. And hopefully for the guys in front of us as well. Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is just another manifestation of the golden rule. Just treat others the way you would expect to be treated. I would have been choked if I had been those guys and someone had jumped past me. We had driven and walked a long way to fish that stretch, and were not exactly thrilled when we saw the other guys. But they probably drove and hiked a long was as well. It certainly all worked out in the end.

Jay's point about mentally breaking down the river is spot on in my opinion. The truth of the Bow is if a run looks like it holds fish, it almost certainly does. If you find yourself catching smaller fish, it could be a couple of major things: you are not fishing in the prime holding areas or your presentation needs some fine tuning. Instead of giving up on a run and moving to the next one, try to work every piece of the run with different styles. Nymphs, hopper dropper, dries, streamers, etc. Work every piece of the run. Remember, the Bow has a LOT of food and the fish don't have to move far to eat. So they don't. I've heard they won't move more than 6" or so. I know that is not always true, but it is good to keep in mind when 'gridding" the water. Getting a walk and wade guide can certainly help out in a big way. Also, if you have a friend that fishes the Bow a lot, tag along a few times. It will help. Good Luck!

I gotta contribute more to Southbow? Dave, I'll help out as well if you need anything.

Click here if the movie does not play. Watch the trailer to feel good about what Michael and Nike are doing. Read the comments to be depressed.

I agree Rev. I was shopping at Lululemon when I read Taco's post and was frightfully offended. I did get some nice slimming tights though.

That's a great story. Don't know how I missed it. I'm the farthest thing from an expert, but if they were spawning, I can't imagine they would eat your nymph. But good for you for stopping. Would have been hard for me to do so, I must say.

Not bad on the whole story telling thing. Next time man up and hike in!! Looked like a fantastic time Chris. Your family knows you well!