Another Good Day

[LOAH]

Today's plan was to hike to a couple of small ponds that probably don't hold fish (but might...) and check them out firsthand. Of course, if they didn't have any fish, I had a couple of backup plans in the works as well.

My hike began early, as the sun was just creeping over the horizon. With the intent of following a tiny stream up to the first pond, I chugged up the mountain hoping to discover a new sweet spot for massive wild cutthroat or brookies.

It was not to be. The higher I climbed, the trickle of water I was following dwindled. Eventually, I ended up at a marshy flat where the spring was. My ponds were never found, however I believe I encountered their swampy graves along my trek. No matter, it was a beautiful morning and I was afforded a trip to another place I'd never seen before.







With plan A in the books, my new dilemma was to decide which one of my backup plans I'd go with. Deer Creek? Provo River? Strawberry?

Well, I went with Strawberry. Instead of hitting the same old spot I always do, I parked the car at a turnoff and packed my gear into a narrow bay that I've often noticed while driving past.

My first impression was of concern. The water was thick with algae and I hadn't seen a single fish rise. Hesitant, but unwilling to waste the effort I just made to get there, I kicked out into the murk

A worm drifted 2 feet below some small split shot weights and the other rod was rigged with a rainbow Kastmaster. It didn't take very long until I was reeling in my first catch of the day.



Obviously in the slot, I didn't even bother to measure it before its release. It was nice to feel some girth to a smaller cutt though. It fought pretty well too.

The next three hours or so were very stale and I didn't get a single bite. My float had taken me a pretty good distance from my "camp" on the shore and I thought it best to head back and try another water while the day was still somewhat young.

On my way back to camp, I apparently drifted over a big school of rainbows because my worm rig wouldn't hold still for about 20 minutes. Another 5 minutes and I would've been on shore, getting ready to leave. Instead, I was busy fighting fat rainbows with an attitude. As soon as I would get a hit and rig another worm, it was FISH ON within a couple of minutes.

After all was said and done, 3 good sized rainbows got the net and the stinger, the smallest at 17 thick inches, the largest stretched out to 20! Several others were scrappy enough to shake me off on the retrieve. It's great to see some big rainbows again at the Berry after a couple of seasons catching finless dinks.







Nice way to finish a float. Each bow delivered a powerful battle, coming to the net, especially the last. Very strong, very fun from the tube.

So with my backup plan working out nicely, the little fisherman in my head still wanted some wild fish in a stream setting. My next stop would be a creek that I had fished a few times, but only certain stretches, lower in elevation. Up high, the trout spook very easily in this clear cold water.



Finding adequate pools was tough and the fishing would've been easier by reaching down and grabbing the fish instead of snagging rocks in front of them with a lure. Eventually, I found some relief.



Such sweet relief it was. A large, hardly touched beaver dam is tough to find and that's exactly what I did. The dam itself stood almost as tall as me and there was visible action on the other side.



Sneaking up cautiously, I gently tossed my Blue Fox across the pool and watched as the shiny lure bounced between mouths from eager fish. Surprisingly, no fish to hand on my first cast. Upon the second, I pulled in one of the smaller fish that I could see, a pretty little cutthroat.



Back it went and I continued targeting different spots of the pond. These fish were quick to follow and sometimes nip, but the larger fish in the hole wanted nothing of it. They get big for a reason, I suppose. Eventually, I had more thrashing on my line. This time, it was a wild rainbow to hand and not a bad size at all.



A great looking fish!



Although I had just caught some serious thug rainbows from Strawberry, this one was by far more rewarding than all three.



As if that wasn't enough, the beaver ponds continued to stack upstream. More chasers would nip at my lure, but I only caught one more fish, a deeply colored cutthroat.



Nice and golden.



What a place.



Another excellent day of fishing is history and I'm glad I was able to be a part of it.

Happy Fishing, Humans.
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[pkred]

Cool report sounds like fun.
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[Kent]

Great report -- as usual. Curious how one knows that a rainbow is a "wild rainbow"?
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[LOAH]

If the fish was born in the stream, that makes it wild. Most rainbows that are stocked show evidence with rounded fins where they've rubbed against the concrete in the hatcheries. Also, this stream hasn't been stocked in awhile, so most fish in the system will be wild.
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[ParrMark]

Great report - great adventure! [cool]
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[Urfishesdaddy]

There is a little bit of heaven up in the hills. What a place we live in!
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[rctalbot]

Excellent report and great pics of the beaver dam area. Those wild trout sure are pretty!
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[JustJim]

Very nice LOAH! I agree with the "wild rainbow" assessment. A little mountain stream, not next to a road and he has all his fins, I'd call it wild too.

C'mon Kent, a guy can dream, can't he?
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[lavaman]

Now those are some beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing!
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[s-dubya]

The other advantage to "wild" trout is color; both inside and out. Hatchery fish food lacks carotene (among other things) which is a big part of giving fish their vivid colors outside and the deep pink inside. That's why if you catch a recent planter the meat is nearly white.

If a planter lives in the wild long enough their color will improve, but its rarely as good as the color you find with the "natives".

Great report and gorgeous fish and scenery. Thanks!
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Nice report, Loah. Beatiful pics too as always. I don't know if the stream/beaver ponds you were fishing allows bait or not, but if it does, you would have caught a ton more fish if you were using real grasshoppers... Very cool report though. I'm jealous...
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