rhuseby

Continued from the last Baja post. Nature compensates us, however. I heard about fishing at Puerto Escondido, about 20 minutes drive from Loreto. A really pretty spot that gave me about 30 fish over three short trips, including this cubera snapper. This was my heaviest fish of the trip, about 6 lbs. I had a hell of a time keeping out from the pier pilings and an old wrecked boat on the shoreline. From the exact same spot I landed two pargo amarillo. Beautiful fish and hard fighters like all saltwater types. I also landed my largest leopard grouper there, and lost another on about twice as big trying to get the lip gripper on him. This is the Sea of Cortez in between Loreto and Puerto Escondido. Gorgeous. Reinforcing the driving thing, there are shrines beside the highway almost everywhere. This one is more elaborate than most, but they all mark the site of a fatality. Just above Santa Rosalia, some of the scenery you have to keep you alert. http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz87/rhuseby/abovesantarosaliaSmall.jpg[/iM There isn't much wildlife in Baja, but lots of birds. Meep, meep!!!! This was one of the last fish I caught, a California halibut. I had caught several smaller ones, but this one went to the frying pan. All in all, it was a fantastic trip. I'm already planning the first of several returns (hopefully, given that I'm a fud). Next time, I'll have a brother along and a better camera. If anyone wants a bit of advice, send me a pm and I'll let you know what I learned.

Thank god for a gifted daughter. If it weren't for her, you guys wouldn't be seeing this. At any rate, I crossed the Mexican border on the 28th and headed for San Quintin. At the campground entrance they have a grey whale skeleton. I did my first fishing the next day at Laguna Manuela, enroute to Guerro Negro. This little Pacific Bonito took on the third cast. A couple of casts later, a small spotted bay bass, followed a few casts after that by this bonefish. Even though he's only about 14 inches, my 8 wt was almost to the corks slowing him down. I hadn't taken anything lighter, but I still had a hoot on the small fish. This first session, about 3 hours, I landed over 20 fish of 5 different species. This was my campsite at Mario's in Guerro Negro. A bit barren, but the food in the restaurant was fabulous and there was power, showers and flush toilets; all for $10 US. Driving in Mexico takes attention. 8 foot lanes and no shoulders. Don't drive tired, drunk, or at night and you won't have problems. In the upgraded sections, not common, it's 9 foot lanes and 1 foot shoulders (feels like the Trans-Canada). At Loreto, I hired a guide for a day, my only day in a boat on the trip. $180 for 8 hours, plus $20 for bait, and I gave Jorge $40 tip. Result, 2 minutes into the day was this first fish landed. I had already lost one. These little roosters are a blast, not jumpers but they pull like hell. I landed 6 over the day. Over the day I landed about 15 fish of 7 species, and lost another 12-15 fish. We were the top scoring boat , at least double the number of any boat using conventional gear. Here's Jorge with my agujon (giant needlefish). It weighed less than the rooster. Don't stick your fingers in that beak either. There's a lot of things in Baja to keep your fingers away from. I had planned to go all the way to the East Cape, but Tropical Storm Olaf gave me this little surprise, and I was driving the minivan, so I decided to wait it out. However, this was happening behind me, and the forecast was for more rain, so back to Loreto for a few more days. To be continued.

Three way tie. Watching each of my kids catch their first fish on the flyrod, Sean at Bullshead and Brittany on the Oldman. The last one was one I lost in Baja. I had hooked a fish and it had just popped off, so I started reeling in line when, wham it all started ripping back out. Then a dorado comes flying about 4 feet out of the water, three times in about 5 seconds. Gone. What a memory. If you ever get the chance, hit the saltwater for any species. They all pull like hell. Now I've got unfinished business to take care of.

Twice, both times on cutts. Both times in the last 3 years, so this isn't a case for the good old days.

As well as the brookies, I have taken a few cutts at the mouth of the outlet strem. That was 20 years ago however. Lake Louise was once called the lake of the little fishes by the natives so you can draw your own conclusion as to the size of cutts to expect. Check your national parks regs carefully as some waters are open early in the season and closed later, and others the reverse. At least that was the pattern when I fished there a lot. Oh and make sure you don't have any lead weight in possession while you're in the park.

If you want to fish dry, try a CFF. I had my kids down to the Oldman and Racehorse a couple of weeks agos and they both caught a dozen or so fish on that pattern. Another option is a smaller Stimulator, size 12-14. My go to nymph for all fish is a hare's ear size 14. The fish are there all right, just experiment a bit to find what they want to eat.

Where were these wounds located? Maybe the european bathing attire was revealing a worm like bait.

Those who are ranting about no warnings should arrange to accompany a fish and wildlife officer on patrol sometime. You may get some perspective on everything that is involved in the protection of our fish and wildlife resources. If you insist that massive, maximum fines for every single violation are the only way to go, make sure that you never ever make any kind of mistake.

Canadians may not be chest thumper, and much of the world may be ignorant of our contributions, but where we have been our troops are remembered. As an example, we receive tulips from the Netherlands every year because our troops were given the toughest terrain in Europe to liberate in WW2. As long as we remember what Canadians have done, that's what's important. Here's to the troops, you are the best of us.

Hmmm. 2 Billion people infected, 1/3 of the world population. 1/3 less of the population out fishing. GO SWINE FLU!!!!!!!

I know it can add up in a hurry when you start trying lines and you're buying them. If you have friends who are flyrodders, try some of their lines, even if it's on their gear. At least you can get a feel for how the lines feel on a rod. It will also let you see what overlining or underlining a rod does, as Taco was describing. Although I've never taken a rod to a shop to try a line, some of the shops have let me use my own line to test different rods. It can't hurt to ask. A general rule of thumb for windy days is to use a heavier rod and line outfit. Because we get a fair bit of wind around here and I hate having to overpower a rod, my go to outfit for the Bow is a 7 wt. That makes me lazy at heart, but I'm okay with that.

Ohoh, the can of worms is opened. I think that you'll find many different opinions as to what lines work best in various conditions, but I think that you'll find most people do the bulk of their fishing with one floating line and one sinking line for each rod they own. They will own and use other lines but there is one combo they use the vast majority of the time. This usually a line they find works well for that rod and their personal casting style. As a general rule, weight forward lines are preferred by guys on this board. I'm in the minority in that I like a double taper for my floating lines. I feel that they offer easier mending and roll casting, hence better line control, plus you get two lines in one. Others will differ in their opinions, and they will be just as right for the way they fish. The nice thing about using one line and learning how to cast it in all weather and water conditions is that life is much simpler and you don't feel you have to change lines when conditions change on the water. In short, try some different lines, pick one you like and just fish it. All of the major brands (Cortland, Scientific Anglers, Rio, etc.) offer a variety of excellent lines. My personal choices are a Cortland 444 SL double taper all my trout rods. I use different lines for pike and saltwater. For streamers, I use 250 grain integrated shooting heads for all trout fishing, whatever brand is recommended by store staff when I buy.

Both are good fighters in my experience with the overall edge going to the rainbow. However the absolutely most explosive fish I've taken have been browns. They're the ones that hit the air five times in the first five seconds and rip off the entire flyline before slowing a bit. Most of the browns are a slower paced fight than the average bow, but it's those occasional dynamiters that keep you guessing. I usually feel just a little more cagy about fooling a big brown, so I'd say that browns are my favorite overall.

I think you have a first there, the first golden bone photo on FFC (carp that is). I keep hearing they're a great flyrod fish.

I have the line-leader connection inside the guides almost everytime I land a fish and I have never had a problem, even with a last second surge. Drop the tip if a fish runs and let the connection flow out, then raise the rod again. My experience anyway.

Sundance, I'm not sure about you adding them yourself, but Fish and Wildlife have stocked natives in this province for a long time. Cutts in high mountain lakes, walleye in the prairie resevoirs and lakes with collapsed fisheries, even pike and perch have been on the stocking list at times over the years. Check with them and see if they can help you.

Sundance, I'm glad you know what you want in the fishery. My only point was that if fishing of some sort is all that was wanted, then adding pike was a simple and inexpensive solution. If the community wants a trout fishery, then indeed you have to deal with the perch.

The method used by fisheries biologists for accurate determination is otolith sectioning. The otoliths are essentially small spherical bones in the fish's ear. They are removed , slices, stained and the rings counted. The method becomes less accurate on extremely long-lived fish. Fish ages vary widely from species to species, as do growth rates. For example browns and rainbows in the lower Bow will grow much more rapidly than fish in the upper Bow, due to access to more optimal water temps and much larger food supply. Because of where they evolved, these two species prefer warmer water, and can tolerate greater levels of pollution, than the native cutts and bulls, which need very cool and pure water. A highly interesting topic to discuss with a biologist.

Shortening a rod results in a stiffening of the action, often needing a heavier line to work it properly. If you take some off of the butt, it softens the action and you may need to drop a line weight. Either way the action is very different from what the designer/builder intended. With lifetime warranties, I can't see where a spare tip is much of an advantage.

Really simple solution - chuck a few pike in and wait a couple of years. Of course, the trout may not do so well, but you'd have big perch and some chubby pike to fish for, and no stocking needed. All depends if you just want fishing or if you want fishing for stocked trout.

Long handled forceps, and be quick. I'm not sure how much damage they'd do to you, but I don't want to find out.

Maybe, maybe, maybe. If this has worked, here's my first ever photo post, of a red ocotopus that took a clouser last fall.

Try and tell those girls that whitefish aren't gamefish!!

Whities are just as much fun as trout in my book, and other than an awkward shaped head have the same general body shape as a trout, inhabit the same water, and each most of the same food. So obviously, it's in the eye of the beholder. Although I don't have a lot of saltwater experience yet, surfperch are just as much fun as coho. Same idea. Every fish has its good points and weak points, let's just appreciate them all. Just like people!

Bow, Crow a few times, foothills brownie streams, teach the kids how to flyfish, foothills cutts, Vancouver Island for pinks, and the grand finale BAJA for a month in late Sept-Oct.