NOT a Wild and Scenic River!

This past week my wife and I flew to Northwest Arkansas to baby sit the grandkids. Although I have been here many times I have never fished -- I have to do my Grandfather duty like do little projects around their house and help with the kids. But this time my wife encouraged me to bring a rod and buy a fishing license. I decided to acquiesce -- there was very little arm twisting, I can assure you! I packed my Daiwa "Snowy Mountain" 36M 32-36 8:2 zoom rod (I bought it for Euro nymphing since it is has a stiffer action than most tenkara rods). It collapses to only 16 inches so it is perfect for my carry on. I did see a guy on the plane with his long Sage rod case. He barely could find any place for it and almost had to check it into the belly of the plane. I showed him my rod and he looked at me like I was from Mars!!

When we arrived I bought a 3 day, non-resident license for $11.00. I did not buy a separate trout permit since I knew that I wouldn't have time to get over to the White River. BTW, the trout permit is $12.00.  Someday I would like to fish the White River, but that will have to wait.

Anyway, I got a few chances to fish some local waters. I pretty much know nothing about warm water species. I know even less about what waters I could fish and what kind of access there was in a state that has mostly private land use. But after some research on the internet I found that I could fish a local river called Little Sugar Creek.

Little Sugar Creek definitely does not have Wild and Scenic River status. It is a spring fed creek that runs from through the southern Ozarks starting near Pea Ridge National Military Park, through a portion of Bentonville and Bella Vista, Arkansas and then north to cross into Missouri. It is surrounded mostly by private land and access can be difficult (like some spots in Idaho) but there is a park in Bella Vista in which the creek passes through. It is dammed and makes Lake Bella Vista. The park is owned and maintained by Bentonville City, therefore the special access and use rules that apply to the other waters of Bella Vista do not apply. I decided to try there.

A portion of Little Sugar Creek 

Below the Lake Bella Vista dam

On Thursday I got to the water at 7 AM. The wind was blowing 15 mph, but with gusts of over 20 mph. It is these types of conditions where I find tenkara frustrating. Since the goal is to keep most of the line off the water, tenkara can be difficult at best when the wind is really blowing -- particularly when the wind is blowing perpendicular to your direction of casting, as was my case. The wind just picks up the line and lifts the fly right out of the water! So, some of the time I was more flying a kite then fishing! To attempt to counter the wind I would lay most of the line onto the water. This, of course, negates all the benefits that tenkara has to offer. Thursday morning I was wishing I had my 4wt western gear instead of my tenkara stuff. Despite the wind, I did catch two fish. I think they were Bluegill.

One of the fish

A cold front came through over night and the temperature dropped from the low 80's F on Thursday afternoon to 38 F Friday morning. I decided to wait until afternoon to try again.

The wind was still blowing but not as briskly as the day before. I fished where the trees were giving me some shelter and casting my 26 foot #5 line was a lot easier then the day prior. My 5th cast I was into a fish. It was just a little guy, but I didn't come here for world record fish. I just wanted to catch some warm water species.

My first fish of day

I kept working the #10 sakasa kebari I had on and over the next 20 minutes caught quite a few fish. One was even a small Largemouth bass.

Bass

Although none of the fish were very big, and the rod I had was way over gunned for them ( I could have easily handled a 3-4 pound carp), I still had a blast! It is a fun place to go and catch a few fish. Next time I'll have to bring some non-traditional (for tenkara that is) flies and go after the Smallmouth bass that are reported to be in abundance in this river. I know this rod could handle them, for sure!

BWO Flies on a Long Level Line

This past week I fished the Portnuef River for a few hours. I typically don't go there until the fall as it is pretty heavily fished during the summer. But today I decided to give it a try with my tenkara rods.

It seems that whenever I fish this stretch of water it is either full blast sunny or windy, sometimes both! Today it was sunny, but there was only a little breeze. The water was clear and the fish were very skittish.

When I arrived there was no one else on the river. I started getting ready and as soon as I was set to cast there came a guy, his daughter and grandson. This guy walked right in front of me and cast his bait setup right into the stretch of river I was planning to work! He then lit a cigarette and just sat there looking at me as his grandson ran around on the bank. I rolled up my line and walked away. The vast majority of water I fish is, thank goodness, not frequented by bozos like that guy, but I guess that is what I get for trying to fish heavily fished water.


After I walked some ways I came to an area that had some fish rising. I worked the pool on the far side of the river with a sakasa kebari but I didn't have any takers, so I changed over to a #18 Bunny Dun and used a 21 foot #4 level line with 6 feet of tippet tapered to 6X. That was the ticket. I could see a few small beatis duns on the water and I suspected that is what they were taking. Within just a few casts I was into my first fish, a nice rainbow. I worked the pool and foam line with the BWO dun imitation and took a number of fish, one was even a cutthroat -- of which I have not taken from the Portnuef before. The cows watched as I caught fish.

The curious cows watch as one of the fish takes to the air.

A nice rainbow

The cutthroat

After I little while I went further downstream. I could see some fish rising in midstream so I stalked carefully towards them. It was challenging since they seem to move just out of casting range every time I moved. If I had my trusty 5 wt I would have just shot more line out but as it was I never could reach them as the water got too deep to wade.

Fish rising just out of casting reach.

What I learned is that this is not classical tenkara water. It is a whole lot different from the freestone streams that I usually fish. I'll be back and try again, for sure. I just need to modify my techniques, and maybe my lines.

Brookies While Waiting for the Climbers

Autumn mornings in the Tetons are cold but beautiful. This morning was nothing different as we drove up Teton Canyon towards the Alaska Basin trail head. I know this place well. I have been here year after year, and I worked in the canyon for a summer at the local Boy Scout camp in the early 80's. I hiked and climbed all over this side of the Tetons back then; I even carried a 17 year old girl off Table Mountain after she was rendered comatose from high altitude cerebral edema. A friend of mine and I found her in a dangerous level of unconsciousness, unresponsive, contracted pupils, nystagmus, shallow breaths with a rapid weak pulse one day when we were hiking the mountain. She was with friends and they didn't know what to do. It was a typical summer afternoon with thunderstorms building up in the west and heading our way. I didn't know much wilderness medicine back then, but I knew enough that we needed to get her to lower elevations and quick! Being far above timberline, Hopper, as my friend was called, and I took all their hiking sticks and jackets, made a stretcher, and sent them down the mountain to get help. We loaded the girl onto the rickety stretcher and started walking down the mountain.  To make a long story short, after surviving heavy winds, rain, sleet, and lighting we got her down. She turned out to be OK after dropping a couple thousand feet. Ya, I know these mountains.

Teton Canyon

Close up of the Grand and Middle Teton (right). Table Mountain, covered in snow,  is seen here in front of the Grand.

Well, today I was taking my daughter and new son-in-law up to some of the granite outcroppings so that they could do some climbing. The morning was cold and cloudy. We parked at the trail head and walked the short distance to the granite face, where I had, so many years ago, learned to rappel. They set up and started climbing. I watched for a while then decided to drive back down the canyon a ways and fish Teton Creek.

On belay!

The granite face

Teton Creek, like many of the creeks on the western slope of the Tetons is not a great fishery. Most of the streams get dewatered lower down every summer due to aggressive water rights practices by the ranchers in the valley. This practice limits the creek's ability to grow a robust, diverse population of trout. Still, it does have fish in it and if you are stealthy you can have some fun.

I parked off the road and geared up. The water was so low that I didn't even put on my Hippies. At first I went with a #12 JuJuKebari, working the deeper spots of the creek. Nothing. I walked up stream. Not a fish did I see or scare. I thought: "bummer".

Then I came to a bend in the river where the flow caused a deeper pool. There had to be fish in there. I couldn't cast normally due to the firs right against my back so I roll cast. I watched the line as it drifted from the current tongue into the pool. It moved "funny" and I lifted the rod tip. Fish on! I worked him quickly and brought a 12" brookie up on the bank. He was big enough that his mouth had already turned black. What's up with that?!

The pool with the boulder

 iPhone photo, sorry. He was just big enough to be getting that "black mouth" brook trout thing.

I worked the pool a little more and took two other, smaller brookies out of it.  Next I turned upstream and saw a large, flat section of the creek. The crystal clear water allowed me to watch 7-8 fish work the pool. One appeared to be a cutthroat, but the others were definitely brook trout. It was hard to judge their size but likely 10-12 inches.

I cast the kebari just upstream from them. Nothing. I didn't even see any of the fish look at the fly. I cast again, and again. Nothing.  I pulsated the fly like a good tenkara fisher should. Still nothing. Since they were clearly ignoring my fly, I decided to abandon the tenkara "one fly" philosophy and changed over to a #14 parachute Royal Wulff. I lengthened the 5X tippet and cast again, around a riverside dogwood and just upstream of the pod. Because the water was so smooth and clear I could see everything perfectly.  Within  seconds of the fly softly hitting the water one of the fish rose and took it! I actually didn't set the hook prematurely but fair hooked the fish. The Daiwa LT36S-F that I was using had plenty of backbone to keep the fish out of the fallen tree snags that were on the edge of the pool.  He was a funny looking 10-11" brook trout. He had the look of a teenager; you know that, sort of lanky looking, "like a 17 y/o boy that hasn't yet grown into his skeleton", look.

"Teenager" brook trout. 

I dried off the fly, applied a minuscule amount of Dry Magic (the best floatant in my opinion -- only a tiny amount is needed, even works on CDC) and cast again. The fly landed just to the right of my previous cast. This time the fly floated about 10 seconds then Bam! Another brookie. He was also 10-11 inches but more normal in proportions.

More "normal" looking brook trout

Finally, I cast a third time. The fly rode low in the surface film, but its post was still visible. A third trout took the fly and once again I was able to steer him away from the snags. He too was about 10 inches. He looked more like me -- he was getting a belly!

Number three

There's the pool; dogwood, snags and all. Look how clear the water is! I cast around the dogwood upstream and to the left.

It was time for me to head back up canyon to pickup the climbers. It was good that I did; they were freezing after climbing on that big chunk of frozen granite! I was pretty pleased that my little fishing excursion turned out so well. I was surprised that I didn't catch more little brookies. It has been my experience that where there are brookies there are a bunch of 4-6 inch guys that hog your fly. Not so today. 10-12 inch brook trout aren't records by any means but they are pretty decent. They made fishing Teton Creek fun!!

AMEN!!!

If you haven't read the recent post by Chris Hunt at Eat More Brook Trout then I would recommend you do so. He writes about the precious nature of Public Lands in the US. There are political movements underway in many states that could eventually change the nature of and access to public lands.

He does a better job of writing than I do so I'll link you to his post:

Eat More Brook Trout: Public lands... Our Birthright

I love his last two lines :  "Remember, it's our land. We have a say, and it's time we used it.

You can sell my birthright ... when you drag my corpse from it." 

To that, I say AMEN!!!

Backcountry Travel, Butt Sliding, and Wild Trout

It is getting colder but no snow as of yet, even on the high country. I took the opportunity of the nice weather to drive up and get the cabin ready for winter. While I was there I decided to do some backcountry travel and hit a hard to reach section of one of my favorite rivers.

This spot is really difficult to get to. There is no easy way to get to this creek; you have to work for it. First you travel for 15 miles on dirt roads. Then you either hike or, in my case, drive your Rokon Scout, for 2+ miles cross country on an old abandoned, tree infiltrated, road grade until it ends. Next you cross country ride through the fir forest until you get to the edge of the canyon. Finally you hike your way down 600 feet at a 45-50 degree slope (sometimes you do some serious inadvertent butt sliding) and at the bottom is the creek. It's hard to get to but worth it. There is not another person for miles, but there are wild cutthroat trout a plenty.

My Rokon Scout. It's an amazing all-terrain conveyance

A look down into the canyon

The other morning it was 51 degrees F on top of the canyon, but only 31 in the creek bed. There was ice around some of the rocks! Winter is not too far off, for sure! The sky was crystal clear; not a cloud around, but not to worry, the sun never hits the water this time of year -- the canyon is too deep and the walls too steep. I hiked in my wading boots and carried my Chota Hippies in the Zimmerbuilt Guide Sling. I wore my Handi Pak Insta-Net on my belt. This setup seems to be good for doing this sort of high intensity fishing. All of these items are compact and easily worn or carried while hiking through trees, brush and maneuvering around rock outcroppings.

Another view into the canyon -- you're about half way down now. The creek is just visible at the bottom.

The creek was beautiful. The water was a little low but not bad. It was gin clear though. Because there can be some nice sized fish hidden in there I used the Daiwa Kiyose 43MF. When fishing kebari I used 4X tippet, but when using dries I went with 5X. I started with a two fly kebari set up. I took three small cutthroats in the first 10 minutes. Nice start!

A view of the creek from the steep slope

You're finally down. Look at that nice water. Oh, and look at that slope you just came down!

The first fish -- a small guy.

After about 30 minutes of no other fish, while working my way upstream, I came upon a nice broad pool. There was one fish sporadically rising in the eddy on the upper end of the far side, so I decided to change over to an attractor pattern dry. I went with a #10 Grumpy Frumpy. I began working my way slowly up the pool. Using the 43MF in its fully extended configuration I easily could cast a 20 foot level line (plus 6 feet of tapered tippet) to reach all areas of the pool without scaring away the fish. I took 4 fish and missed that many as well. In clear water, when I can see the fish rise up from the depths to take the fly, I tend to pull the fly out of the fish's mouth! I need to say "God save the Queen" before I set the hook!

The pool

One of the fish

Since the attractor worked so well I decided to keep it on. I worked my way up to the next pool and took 4 more cutthroats. All were about 10-11 inches.

Another section of the creek

Another fish taken on the Grumpy Frumpy

About 2 pm I decided to head back downstream to where I entered the creek. When I got there I noticed a fish rising in a large pool just downstream, so I had to try for him! I slowing crawled to the top of the pool and hid behind a large granite boulder. I cast the Grumpy Frumpy to the top of the pool and let it ride the current tongue into the pool. Wham!  I set the hook set and pulled a 12 incher to hand. Two casts later produced another but smaller fish.

A few casts later, after the fly was beginning to get water-logged, I hooked into a nice fish. The fly was cast 45 degrees down and across and then slowly swung across the current. Since it was water-logged it was acting as a large gaudy wet fly. At the classical point in the swing, directly downstream of me, the fish took the fly.  I fought him in the pool but then I realized that I'd have to bring him up through the current tongue because I could not go downstream to him.  Remember that boulder I was hiding behind? Well, it blocked my way. There was no way around it. Despite 5X tippet, the 43MF brought the fish in sweetly and I measured him at 17 inches. Nice fish!

The large pool

The best fish of the day. A healthy 17 inch Yellowstone cutthroat.

So, after releasing that nice fish it was time for the slog out of the canyon. The hardest part is getting started. I swear the lowest 20 feet of the slope is a 60 degree pitch! After a whole lot of grunting and backsliding I finally got up to where the slope was an easier 50 degrees. Thirty minutes later I was on top of the canyon. No heart attack this trip! My GPS waypoint directed me to the Rokon and after resting a bit and drinking some water I rode back out to where I left my pickup truck.

What a day. I love this place. It is so isolated and peaceful. It was a hard slog but worth every thigh-burning minute! I'll be back next year, and the next............

Trash talkin'!!

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that I like the Net Holster from Smith Creek. I use it all the time, and I think it is the best way to control a wooden net.

Well, Wayne at Smith Creek has just released another very cleaver item that has made my life on the stream just a little more simpler. The item is called the Trash Fish. It is a waste fishing line holder that fits in your pocket and simply does what it is supposed to  -- hold used line!

I have used a MonoMaster but it is relatively bulky for pocket use and it slaps around as you walk or cast, if it is hanging from your vest or chest pack.  It is easy to use though. I have also used a Fishpond Piopod Micro-Trash Container, but it suffers from the same bulky design as the MonoMaster. They are better than nothing but, I like my fishing equipment to be simple and effective -- sort of like tenkara!

The Trash Fish is a thin, beautifully designed metal "key" that has a foam rubber gasket which captures your used line and holds it until you can properly dispose of it. Because it is thin it fits in your pocket and is essentially "invisible" until you need it.  It has a micro parachute cord tag to help you find it in your pocket.

When you have extra line or tippet material that is unused just wrap it around the Trash Fish logo making a loose loop. Next just pull the tippet loop and Trash Fish fish cutout in opposite directions and the line will slide quickly next to the rubber gasket, thus being captured securely! What a neat, simple and elegant design! It is one of those simple things where after you see it work say to yourself  "I could have thought of that!".

Look how thin it is -- Yes, that is micro parachute cord!

The Trash fish with loop of tippet material in place.

When you get home you just cut the loop with scissors and dispose the line in the trash. Cutting the line also makes it into smaller pieces so that it is less dangerous to animals (like the rats and gulls at the city dump).


Impression: I really like this little tool. It is well made, functional, aesthetically beautiful and it has made my on-the-stream time better by helping me capture waste line and tippet easier -- without a bulky plastic trash can handing around my neck! Once again kudos to Smith Creek!

Fall Fishing -- video

I had some footage of a fishing trip from a few weeks ago that I decided to edit into a short video. If you haven't been able to get on the water lately, or of you just want to fish vicariously, then watch. I've tried to make it a bit more interesting than my past videos by adding music and saying less. Hopefully that formula works.

The rods are a Tenkara USA Ebisu and an AllFishingBuy Hirame-ML-3909. The line is 13 feet #3.5 with 20 inches of 4X fluorocarbon tippet. The fly is a #10 UKB.

Cheers!

Big Fish Zoom

Are you tired of reviews yet? If you are, sorry, because here is another!!

I have always liked the idea of zoom rods -- two rods in one, what's there not to like? Zoom rods seem to be the best option for fishing waters that have different obstacles and challenges, and what waters don't have varying challenges? But zoom rods in theory are not always like zoom rods in real life. I have owned three zoom rods to date and they are all different.

Recently I had the opportunity to test a new, to me at least, zoom rod. This rod holds the unimaginable promise of being lightweight, big fish friendly, similar casting actions in both configurations, and economical. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it. Well, bare with me and I'll see if I can convince you.

Chris Stewart of Tenkara Bum sent me the rod to try after I had emailed him regarding disappointments I had in one of my 13' rods (not one of his). He had fished the rod a few times and thought it was a promising rod for larger waters and larger fish. I happened to received it on a morning that I was heading out to my favorite cutthroat river so I figured it was a good time to check it out.

Daiwa 43M-F along side my Tenkara USA Iwana-12

Rod designation

The rod is a Daiwa Kiyose 43M-F (have this page translated for some laughs). It is a cousin to the Kiyose S-F rods that Chris already carries, but unlike them this rod is a zoom from 380 cm (12' 5.5") to 430 cm (14' 1").  It is a significantly stout rod that is beautifully finished in a deep metallic blue. Even though the rod is substantial, it is remarkably lightweight -- coming in at only 83.2 g! A 14 foot rod that weighs only 83 grams; holy cow! That is remarkable, but I have come to expect this in Daiwa rods. Now that I have fished them for a while I have become very sensitive to the weight of a rod; Daiwa rods have spoiled me! Lightweight rods is one of the things that attracted me to tenkara. I still love my Tenkara USA Iwana-12 since it is so lightweight.

My rod came in a plastic carton as is usual with Japanese rods. I did not take a picture of the carton, sorry. The rod does come with a rod sleeve. My rod also came with a tip protector. The handle is corkless and the butt cap is plastic. There is rubber on the inside of the butt cap so there is no clicking when the rod is collapsed.

Daiwa tip protector

butt cap -- there is a drainage hole, you just can't see it in this image

As I stated, the rod is a zoom rod. It easily extends from 380 cm to 430 cm with just a pull of the second segment. When collapsed, the second segment is held tightly in place.

The first and second segments. Its not much to grab but it works well.

So what about on-the-water performance?  Well, the other day I fished with this rod as well as my Sagiri 39MC so I can, at least, compare the two. The 43M-F is a much more substantial rod than my Daiwa Sagiri 39MC (also a zoom rod). Casting it in 380 cm mode has an easy flow with the rod tip moving through the air without effort. The action feels stiffer than the Sagiri but about like the Daiwa LT36SF. Extend the 43M-F to 430 cm mode and it is a big, long rod! It still casts well but as you would expect with all that carbon fiber moving through the air it does feel different. It is noticeably stiffer than was my Tenkara USA Ito in either of its two configurations. I'd guess the 43M-F rod is likely a 7:3-6:4 in its respective 38-43 lengths. I did not do any tip deflections tests, I'll let Chris do that.

I used a 13.5' #3.5 line with 24 inches of 4X tippet and two flies in a traditional (not New Zealand) dropper configuration. The rod casts nice tight loops, but not too tight to handle two flies. Hooking fish was easy since this rod is definitely not a 5:5 rod. And fighting power? Oh yes, this rod has power! The largest fish I took were both 14 inches. That's not very large I know, but they were in full stream current and both ran downstream over some plunging cascades. Yet despite their best attempts to escape, I easily turned them and brought them to the net. Not at any time did I feel the need to chase them.

I am sure this rod could handle a larger fish without much issue. Chris thought maybe the 43M-F was comparable to a Yamame and Amago in one convenient rod.  I have never fished a Yamame so I don't know. I have fished an Amago and I bet this rod could keep up with it on fish size. So maybe it is a Yamame-Amago rod all in one -- if so, that is quite a compliment because those rods have an excellent reputation!

My two flies: #10 UKB (0X dropper) and a #10 JuJuKebari (4X end fly)

A 14 inch native Bonneville cutthroat

A 14 inch rainbow

The rod is fun with smaller fish too. I caught many fish in the 8-12 inch range. The rod never felt too over gunned for these guys since the tip has excellent sensitivity.

A smaller cutthroat

After fishing the 43M-F for a few hours I can say that I liked it better in the 380 cm configuration, but it sure was nice to be able to reach out at 14 feet and hit a few more pockets without having to move. It handles well (cantilever effect) for such a long rod. Its weight is excellent. Its collapsed length is good, and it is very pretty!

When I got home I sent an email to Chris giving my impressions. I then asked him if I could buy the rod! He kindly said yes and now I can add it to my collection. He stated that he plans on ordering more, so if you are interested in this rod send him an email. He can give you all the particulars of price and availability.


Daiwa Kiyose 43M-F Overview (* poor, ***** excellent)

Ease of purchase                       *****
Quality of materials                   *****
Fit and Finish                            *****
Physical Characteristics            ****'
Fishability                                 ****'
Overall                                       ****' (4.8 out of 5 stars)