11-01-2004, 02:48 PM
Started off with a late start thanks for a well-deserved hang-over that decided to follow me home from Las Vegas. Go figure.
Arrived at 11:00 AM and caught one 18 inch cutthroat right off the bat from the North side by the lower parking lot. Casted around for 2 more hours with no bites. The snow was coming down but I was ready for weather. Casted around just south of the inlet with no luck. Spoke to another float-bound fisherman and he had been working the area since early morning and he hadn't caught anything. About an hour after we spoke I saw him land his first cutthroat which was about 17 inches or so.
I continued to cast around and caught 1 13 incher. Casted around a bit with no more luck so I decided to head up the springs a bit to chase some brookies. I found a hole with about 20 brookies in it ranging from 8-20 inches or so. I put on a Hairs Ear fly on my line and worked it for about 30 minutes so the nymph would go under the tree debris where they were hiding and thump, had a taker, I worked this one for about 10 minutes enjoying the fight from this nice sized brookie and landed the sucker on the bank. Brilliant maroon colors on the fins and bright spots and some size too, measured just shy of 20 inches then I let this one go so he could continue his spawning ritual.
I then went back to the inlet and found someone else fishing who had been casting around with no hits. He gave it about 30 minutes then came over to check to see if I had caught anything and I told him how slow it had been for the cutts. He told me he fished this place regularly and you can usually tell how it will be the first 30 minutes of being there then he left.
It was about 5:00 PM so I moved over to the South side and worked my way to a cove where hustler898 and I had some luck a week prior.
Casted around and had a few bumps then something magical happened......
Suddenly the water turned to glass and the sky started dumping HUGE light flakes of snow, visibility was approximately 50 yards... I casted my first cast since the reservoir glassed over and boom, landed a good 19 inch cutt, then I casted again, and again, landed another nice 20 incher, then I casted again, had a hit, a big one, my line was zipping, worked him a bit then got him in and it was a MONSTER cutthroat! Measured in at 27 inches, easily pushing 8+ pounds. FAT! This was one magical moment, after landing that beast I continued casting and landed several more cutts in the 17-20 range. All easily within 20 casts. Then the snow stopped, the wind picked up and they quit biting.
By now it was dark so I worked my way to the car and made my way home. Glad I held out. I had the lake to myself and a magical moment that was simply surreal. What a time.
October 31 was when Little Dell closed for the year for fishing and won't re-open til after the Cutthroat spawn early next year.
Fish count was 11 Cutts, and 1 Brookie.
[signature]
Arrived at 11:00 AM and caught one 18 inch cutthroat right off the bat from the North side by the lower parking lot. Casted around for 2 more hours with no bites. The snow was coming down but I was ready for weather. Casted around just south of the inlet with no luck. Spoke to another float-bound fisherman and he had been working the area since early morning and he hadn't caught anything. About an hour after we spoke I saw him land his first cutthroat which was about 17 inches or so.
I continued to cast around and caught 1 13 incher. Casted around a bit with no more luck so I decided to head up the springs a bit to chase some brookies. I found a hole with about 20 brookies in it ranging from 8-20 inches or so. I put on a Hairs Ear fly on my line and worked it for about 30 minutes so the nymph would go under the tree debris where they were hiding and thump, had a taker, I worked this one for about 10 minutes enjoying the fight from this nice sized brookie and landed the sucker on the bank. Brilliant maroon colors on the fins and bright spots and some size too, measured just shy of 20 inches then I let this one go so he could continue his spawning ritual.
I then went back to the inlet and found someone else fishing who had been casting around with no hits. He gave it about 30 minutes then came over to check to see if I had caught anything and I told him how slow it had been for the cutts. He told me he fished this place regularly and you can usually tell how it will be the first 30 minutes of being there then he left.
It was about 5:00 PM so I moved over to the South side and worked my way to a cove where hustler898 and I had some luck a week prior.
Casted around and had a few bumps then something magical happened......
Suddenly the water turned to glass and the sky started dumping HUGE light flakes of snow, visibility was approximately 50 yards... I casted my first cast since the reservoir glassed over and boom, landed a good 19 inch cutt, then I casted again, and again, landed another nice 20 incher, then I casted again, had a hit, a big one, my line was zipping, worked him a bit then got him in and it was a MONSTER cutthroat! Measured in at 27 inches, easily pushing 8+ pounds. FAT! This was one magical moment, after landing that beast I continued casting and landed several more cutts in the 17-20 range. All easily within 20 casts. Then the snow stopped, the wind picked up and they quit biting.
By now it was dark so I worked my way to the car and made my way home. Glad I held out. I had the lake to myself and a magical moment that was simply surreal. What a time.
October 31 was when Little Dell closed for the year for fishing and won't re-open til after the Cutthroat spawn early next year.
Fish count was 11 Cutts, and 1 Brookie.
[signature]
