Its Dry Fly Time!

June is my favorite time for trout fishing. Big fat happy trout snatching up dry flies in gin clear water celebrating spring and summer. This past weekend was the start of the dry fly season. Although none of the "celebrity bugs" were out, there were plenty of small mayflies, caddis and yellow sallies fluttering in the breeze. Plenty of eager trout rising in the runs, riffles and pools. My biggest fish was a 20 1/4 inch brownie that ate a cripple caddis in a small back eddy. The fish was hiding under a ledge picking off cripples in the foam. My fly cruised in the spot and got stuck under the foam and scum. I could see a big bulge suddenly appear in the foamy bubbles and set the hook...the brownie inhaled it! He jumped out of the water and shot out toward the middle of the river. After a good battle he was in the net. I had a little chat with that fish and made sure he was ready to go before I pushed him back into the river. Get a box of dry flies and look for snouts now, this will last for a couple of months and the big bugs haven't started popping yet...the best fishing is still ahead of us.

Paolo

The other day when catching up with a friend I hadn't talked to in a while I updated him that I had just lost my German Shorthair Shelby to cancer. As he expressed his condolences he explained that this was a sad loss for him also. The reason - As my hunting buddies and I got into bird hunting I was the first to get a dog. Each season we would take her out and she would work hard for us. We grew with her, as hunters and people. Each of my buddies saw her grow from a little pup pointing wings in the yard to a hard pressing pointer that could hunt with the best of 'em.

Each season we would get together every weekend and follow her around Nevada. Sometimes second guessing where her nose was leading us, she was seldom wrong. Chasing chukar, quail or sage grouse she was solid.

As I hung up the phone I thought about what this dog meant to me and what I had learned from her. Hunting isn't about bringing home birds and filling the bag although it's a good goal. She taught us that hunting is watching a great dog track down birds and lock on point. She taught us that hunting is a time to get out with friends and spend time enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer. Lastly, that as much as I miss having her around those who hunted with me will feel her loss too not because she was a great bird dog but because she was a great friend.

Coby.

The 2008 Nevada One Fly Tournament is scheduled for June 14th at Knott Creek Reservoir! Knott Creek Res. is located in Northern Nevada near Denio. Early reports have indicated large rainbows spawning near the inlet. Fishing on the resevoir does not open until June 14th this year. This is the 4th time the tournament has been held at this location. The tournament format typically requires entrants to submit a fly prior to fishing and use a duplicate fly for the entire tournament. Entrants can fish until the fly is "broken off" and scoring fish is usually determined prior to the start. Competition is fierce at this invitational tournament which boasts large prizes and swag. Prizes for the tournament are being supplies by:

Glacier Glove www.glacierglove.com

T-Lift LLC., producer of the “T-Lift” www.tliftonline.com

Western Nevada Supply www.goblueteam.com

The last week has been unbelievable here in Northern Nevada. We needed rain in a bad way, and rain is what we got with some areas of the state have received over an inch. Anyone who knows upland bird hunting in Nevada knows that Chukar is our main bird, and anyone who knows Chukar knows that precipitation is what keeps them alive, like all desert animals. Precipitation gives them green up which is crucial leading into the nesting season, it produces more bugs which are crucial for the growing chicks, it gives them more water sources which are important for obvious reasons, and it grows taller cheat grass which ultimately provides great protection form predation as well as being a food source. So, because of this rain I believe the outlook for bird hunting this fall to be much better. For me that doesn’t mean more days hunting because I will hunt as much as possible regardless, but it will mean more birds and for the sake of my dogs that makes me happy.
This last weekend I did something that I hadn’t done since I moved down here from Oregon, and that was fish for Brook Trout. In Oregon I fished the small streams for Brook’s a lot. Part of the reason for this is that it often took me to places where I could also scout for deer and elk, and part of the reason is that I really enjoy that different kind of fishing. Belly crawling up to the edge of a hole, sneaking your fishing rod over the edge, and getting your line in the water without spooking the fish in these small creeks is a lot of fun for me. I kind of feel like I am hunting as much as fishing, and lets be honest, anytime that you are belly crawling in the woods you are having a good time.
I also went out one morning and spent a few hours looking for sheds. Really all that meant is that my dogs got a good long run, my legs got a little tired, and we basically found nothing to brag about. A couple forked horns is all I found, but I have a feeling that someone beat me to the hill that I hiked, as I really believe that there should have been more sheds in the area than the two sorry excuses for antler that I found. Oh well, it was still fun for me, and a great time for the dogs.

Every year at this time we get the news of higher gas and diesel prices. This year is a little different because they we already so high.
Most of us who love to fish use Memorial Weekend to take a road trip to our favorite spot to camp, fish and enjoy the outdoors. With Gas creeping up over $4.00 a gallon we have to rethink our plans.

With a few exceptions all of us have great fishing close to home. So with fuel prices so high its time to re-examine all the great fishing in your backyard. Most cities have parks loaded with planters this time of year or rivers and streams that can hold tons of little brooks and rainbows. The point is dont let gas be the reason you didnt catch any fish this weekend. Get out and enjoy and you'll find out that the fishing can be pretty good close to home.
Enjoy,
Coby