Best Brookies -- My First
Well, how to begin such a great day out there in these beautiful surroundings and the day that unfolded is a little hard to describe. Darvin and I set out a little earlier than we originally planned (around 9:30) so, we left around 9:15, I think and in no real hurry to head into the area beyond Road Canyon and the ultimate goal of Regan Lake 6 miles on 4 wheeler roads beyond. A total of some 1-1/2 hours of driving west from the campground.
Shortly before our turnoff of route 149, Darvin spotted some activity out in the valley to our left and we pulled off the road to get our binoculars out and look out at two herds of some 20 or more Elk in each herd -- seemingly spooked by something (maybe a mountain lion in the brush near the river). After some 10 or 15 minutes of watching their movements, we headed on to our turnoff to Road Canyon Reservoir and then our subsequent branch off to Regan Lake.
The road to Regan Lake seemed to be in slightly better shape than my trip there last year -- more rain from recent weather patterns moving through perhaps. As we headed up the road we stopped once to inspect some skeletal remains near the creek running through the valley and as we climbed back up to the Jeep, Darvin's keen eyes spotted a group of 5 Elk moving above us on the other side of the road. We checked them out for a few minutes and then moved on (I think they were checking us out too).
After 4-wheeling the approximate 5 miles to the lake, we drove to the far end and Darvin grabbed his gear and a walkie-talkie as he headed farther into the drainage area above the lake to check for signs of Elk and possible antlers. I headed for the next parking area back down the shores of the lake and where two neighbors from the campground were already fishing (saw them leave more nearly to 2hours earlier).
I checked with them and one of them had caught a few fish and the other guy had no luck at all. I decided to fish a little to their right and got out my backup rod with a float and fly on it -- made half dozen casts and then tied on a Panther Martin. The two guys left while I tied on the lure -- too crowded for them (3 people fishing the same lake, I guess).
After they left, I fished the same area and managed to catch 3 Brook Trout -- thought they might be brown trout or one Kokanee Salmon but, Darvin clarified that they were actually Brook Trout. He had returned from some 2 hours of hiking -- right on time, I might add.
Then, we drove back to the end of the lake and a small branch road to the east near the end of the lake where I hoped to fish around a point I had seen last year but, had not fished (though I would have liked to). After a short hike over a small rise to the other side of the point, I climbed down to the edge of the lake below after sharp drop down -- there I thought there should be a good drop off and a good hole to fish. My first cast got me another nice 13 inch Brook trout and two casts later, I hooked this 17-inch Brook trout that just made me want to yell in absolute delight (after I landed him).
We did a quick stop by Road Canyon Reservoir to see what it looked like at this time of year and since the wind was whipping white caps on the water, we just turned around and headed back toward South Fork. On the way back from Road Canyon, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye and I stopped to see some 5 big horn sheep at the edge of the creek to our right -- just below the dirt road.
What a full day of seeing wildlife and catching such beautiful fish. The absolute best -- so far.
Shortly before our turnoff of route 149, Darvin spotted some activity out in the valley to our left and we pulled off the road to get our binoculars out and look out at two herds of some 20 or more Elk in each herd -- seemingly spooked by something (maybe a mountain lion in the brush near the river). After some 10 or 15 minutes of watching their movements, we headed on to our turnoff to Road Canyon Reservoir and then our subsequent branch off to Regan Lake.
The road to Regan Lake seemed to be in slightly better shape than my trip there last year -- more rain from recent weather patterns moving through perhaps. As we headed up the road we stopped once to inspect some skeletal remains near the creek running through the valley and as we climbed back up to the Jeep, Darvin's keen eyes spotted a group of 5 Elk moving above us on the other side of the road. We checked them out for a few minutes and then moved on (I think they were checking us out too).
After 4-wheeling the approximate 5 miles to the lake, we drove to the far end and Darvin grabbed his gear and a walkie-talkie as he headed farther into the drainage area above the lake to check for signs of Elk and possible antlers. I headed for the next parking area back down the shores of the lake and where two neighbors from the campground were already fishing (saw them leave more nearly to 2hours earlier).
I checked with them and one of them had caught a few fish and the other guy had no luck at all. I decided to fish a little to their right and got out my backup rod with a float and fly on it -- made half dozen casts and then tied on a Panther Martin. The two guys left while I tied on the lure -- too crowded for them (3 people fishing the same lake, I guess).After they left, I fished the same area and managed to catch 3 Brook Trout -- thought they might be brown trout or one Kokanee Salmon but, Darvin clarified that they were actually Brook Trout. He had returned from some 2 hours of hiking -- right on time, I might add.
Then, we drove back to the end of the lake and a small branch road to the east near the end of the lake where I hoped to fish around a point I had seen last year but, had not fished (though I would have liked to). After a short hike over a small rise to the other side of the point, I climbed down to the edge of the lake below after sharp drop down -- there I thought there should be a good drop off and a good hole to fish. My first cast got me another nice 13 inch Brook trout and two casts later, I hooked this 17-inch Brook trout that just made me want to yell in absolute delight (after I landed him).
I went back to the Jeep and showed Darvin my catch which amazed him as he thought it was the biggest Brook Trout he had ever seen. I fished a little off a couple big boulders near the beach close to the Jeep and lost one lure there. Then, I put the two recent catches in the cooler and tied on a third and different Panther Martin lure and headed back to the other side of the point to see if the trout would be hitting that lure too. Sure enough, I had another 13 inch Brook trout to toss in the cooler after just three casts. Could have stayed and probably caught my limit of 10 but, decided to head back.
What a full day of seeing wildlife and catching such beautiful fish. The absolute best -- so far.
posted by Ray at
8:57 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home