TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

JR wrote:

Chas Wade wrote:

You're right on the money here JR. The pinks aren't the fighters a
steelhead can be. About 1 in 40 will take you into the backing, ...

1 in 40? Where have you been fishing? It's a rare summer fish on the
Deschutes that won't take you into the backing. I admit fish in some
other OR rivers are less train-like, but 1 in 40?

Chas, ignore the above. The thought managed just now to find its way
into what I optimistically call my brain that you were talking about the
pinks, and not the steelhead.

JR
-shaking his own steel head

Warren wrote:

How do you explain pinks? They can slam a fly, pick it up on
a dead drift and just "hold" the fly or can simply be foul
hooked. I hated how often fish were foul hooked and it was
something that disturbed me. Drifting a heavy fly through
shallow water would often snag a male on the hump.


Do you suppose it would help to tie on a mono weedguard
like on bass and pike flies? It might cut down on fair hookups
too, but it doesn't sound like that would be too much of a
problem.

Kevin,
green with envy

Warren wrote:

I hated how often fish were foul hooked and it was
something that disturbed me. Drifting a heavy fly through
shallow water would often snag a male on the hump.

Now I know how you hooked those few dark pinks on Sunday -- the ones
that weren't taking. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

JR wrote:
JR wrote:
Chas, ignore the above. The thought managed just now to find its way
into what I optimistically call my brain that you were talking about
the
pinks, and not the steelhead.

JR
-shaking his own steel head

My guess is that you're a programmer. Being one, I can sympathize with
folks who manage to see another meaning in what was written.

Chas
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html

Kevin Vang wrote:
Do you suppose it would help to tie on a mono weedguard
like on bass and pike flies? It might cut down on fair hookups
too, but it doesn't sound like that would be too much of a
problem.

Kevin,
green with envy

An interesting idea Kevin. I haven't had much luck with those weed
guards in weeds, and I have had trouble with them getting mangled by
the pike after a fish or two. We were landing 20 or more fish without
retying the fly, and I doubt the weedguard would help past the first
couple fish. I also should add that we weren't snagging many fish. You
can get the drift working for you and the fly will pass through a
school of 100 fish with one following it out of the pod to strike it in
the open. It's a real kick to watch.

Chas
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html

"Warren" wrote

I also noticed something that I haven't seen
before happen. It seemed like in certain areas flocks of
fishermen would congregate on a nice run and fan out for some
combat fishing. The water would be totally open upstream and
downstream for as far as you could see, but people would still
group together like that. We would just keep on going and find
a nice place to ourselves. I still don't understand why that
was happening since there are fish all over the river.


Not that it matters, but I've noticed this for years, and it IS getting more
and more obvious in fly fishing. I have some theories G

Preface:
I am a loner, and have backpacked, hunted and fished alone for all my life,
starting well before I was old enough to drive myself to the Sierra to hike
alone for a week. I'm not a hermit, and I don't "avoid" others, nor do I
dislike being around them, but I don't seek them out, either. I've been
aware of being "different" in this respect since my teen years and before
.... that is probably why I've thought about the "whys" of why people "gang
fish" or "gang hunt" and the very, very obvious trend the last 15 years
towards "foursomes" in fly fishing

Briefly, the theories

(1) Many people, naturally, have a deep "fear" ( can't think of a better
word ) of being alone. In past cultures, time alone was far more common
and more people became comfortable with that aloneness. But this is far
more pronounced in our modern age where many people have had the damn TV or
a radio or a frickin cell phone on nearly every waking moment that they have
not had other humans in sight. ( why do they "need" the cell phone or
walkie talkie?.. often it ain't information sharing, it's to avoid being
alone ) I think our "technoculture" is increasing the level of "aloneness
fear" in many people by very simply never allowing them to practice
aloneness.

(3) More, percentage wise, people are being raised in crowded conditions,
with little or any time really alone. Yesterday I watched the 10 year old
neighbor kid BB gun hunting the counside around here and thought about how
few youngsters today EVER get that far from a crowd and he was only about
1/2 mile from home, but alone

(3) A LOT of people getting into fly fishing the last decade or so have no,
zero, other real outdoors experience, none. From many, mowing the lawn is
a wilderness experience, and big cities are not too crowded.

If you or I head into the backcountry ... alone .... then step off the trail
with the intention of going miles cross country, alone, we will experience,
if only briefly, the emotional attachment the human being has for the
security of other humans and the "man made" ....regardless of our outdoors
experience level. For all of us, to some degree, manmade = secure, Nature =
scary

I KNOW it "sounds stupid" to anyone with real outdoors experience, but I see
people on the stream that seem so uncomfortable outdoors that I bet they are
afraid to enter the "wilderness" between "gang fishers," alone. Heah, think
of the guys that think they need a damn gun to leave the paved road, before
you poo poo the idea G

(4) common ones that have affected all fishermen and hunters at one time
"he's catching let's move over there"
"I don't know the area but everyone seems to be over there, that must be
good"
and the very human
"monkey see, monkey do"

Oh and one more thingG
If, after you "just continued and found a nice place to yourselves" I had
come along, alone, I'd have wondered why you were all in the same damn area
G

Everything depends on perspective.

The picture of everyone in the boat looks pretty claustrophobic to me :-)

"nope" wrote in message

This was your first trip into the Wild Rivers area?

Not my first trip, but it was my first on that trail and my first into the
canyon in several years.

Watch out for the
poison ivy both along the Rio and on the Red.

Thanks! It's a good thing I had long pants on.

We are looking forward to the Juan and seeing your pictures.

bruce h

"rw" wrote

I fish alone at least 90% of the time, very often in wilderness. One of
the things I really like about the claves is the chance to fish with
other people for a change.

Yes, I know ... recently you posted a TR about a place that required a
decent walk and commented that you never see others there.

I think many people avoid these places, NOT because of the work, but rather
because of fear ... subtle fear, but fear, nonetheless.

I spent a lot of "people watching" time in Jellystone this summer and it was
very obvious that the vast majority of people started to feel uncomfortable
the first step off pavement, and very uncomfortable where the "human track"
ended, even if it was in sight of the car.

One weird thing I noticed was several times as many early morning joggers
running the roads near Madison Junction camp, as running the trail along the
Madison ... there has to be a reason ... these joggers aren't afraid of
exercise, why the road?

And, I've read and envy your posts about cross country sking alone, too.

One of my legs points nearly 90 degrees from the other and I can't track in
skis ... simply can't ... can't walk in snoeshoes without getting tangled
either :-((

I tried getting bindings specially fitted but never succeeded .... At this
point, I'm WAY too obese and old, anyway, but never getting to really "do"
winter mountaineering is one of my regrets. I envy you your location and
health.

I may try a "clave" someday, but, maybe not G

Larry L wrote:
Oh and one more thingG
If, after you "just continued and found a nice place to yourselves" I had
come along, alone, I'd have wondered why you were all in the same damn area
G

Everything depends on perspective.

The picture of everyone in the boat looks pretty claustrophobic to me :-)

I fish alone at least 90% of the time, very often in wilderness. One of
the things I really like about the claves is the chance to fish with
other people for a change.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.