This is a sample trip from 2007...
September 8, 2007
Jemez Mountains - Valles Caldera National Preserve - Rio San Antonio
Do the words stealth, power, invisible, low-profile, quiet, instant response, sneaky and patience have meaning to you? Well, they have meaning to a fly fisher...
My fishing buddy, Brandon and I were lucky enough to be successful in the fishing lottery for the Valles Caldera National Preserve to fish San Antonio Creek on September 8th for the day. We invited my friend Pat McMahon to tag along with us. I took Pat fishing a couple of weeks ago so he offered to do the driving this time and picked Brandon and I up at my house at 4:45 am.
We stopped at an all-night Mickey “D”s” for an early breakfast sandwich then we were on our way. We had a nice ride to the preserve staging area while Pat and Brandon got to know each other. We arrived at the staging area about 6:30 and got our fishing assignment to beat no. 4. San Antonio Creek is divided into 10 beats approximately 2 miles long each with beat no. 1 being just below the headwaters to the east. The creek flows west through two very large open meadows named Valle Toledo and Valle San Antonio. The creek runs through these meadows like a tightly bunched serpent for its entire length through the preserve. There are a few springs and feeder creeks which add water to the San Antonio along its journey to the west such as Rito de los Indios and San Luis creek.
We were driven in a van to our destination at the upper end of beat no. 4 and hiked down to the creek. After assembling the fly rods I suggested Pat tie on an elk hair caddis and I helped Brandon tie on a yellow humpy. The weather was perfectly calm with fog to the ground and crisp cool air. The fog lifted fairly quickly and Brandon was making his first cast. Shortly after Brandon's cast Pat threw his line to the water. I thought I would wait until I got Brandon going pretty well before I would set up my rod. The water was crystal clear with its dark bottom structure.
We fished for quite a while bringing no fish to hand. After many casts Brandon finally caught his first fish. We fished for an hour or so longer with little luck. These fish are so timid that if you walked to the bank you might as well walk to the next run because the fish would spook instantly and glide through the water forming a wake like a submarine eliminating your chances on that run...this is one cast water. We knew we had our work cut out for us today. We made very long casts using a very low profile and as soon as the fly hit the water the fish would attack instantly leaving little time to react and set the hook.
Brandon and I were knelt down near a run and he made a long cast and was able to set the hook in the mouth of his second German brown trout. We returned the fish to the water and sat for a while. Brandon was watching Pat fishing with no luck and he said, “Grandpa your friend looks like he is having trouble, maybe you should help him.” Well, I did give him some pointers and suggest maybe he try another fly pattern. He did but still no fish for a while.
By 10:30 Brandon and I sat to rest for a little while and had a trail mix snack. Before long Brandon was taking a short nap. We all gathered around 11:45 to have lunch together and discuss the strategy for the afternoon. By 12:30 we were sailing flies through the air again. I decided it was time to rig up my fly rod and tied on a Joe’s hopper. I also decided to let Brandon fish for the rest of the day as much as he could without my help, after all it that is my job as Grandpa to let him spread his wings a little, so to speak. He was doing pretty good…just needs practice to develop proficiency. I found a good run and literally crawled on my hands and knees to the bank then laid on my left side and threw a side cast into some riffles that opened into a long run where there was an undercut and a wave of water moved out from the undercut structure, my hopper disappeared and I set the hook in a 14 inch brown and brought it to hand. I was encouraged at this point. A few casts later I landed a 12 inch brown.
By the end of the day we brought to hand about 14 fish and missed at least triple that many. Man, what a great day with my grandson and my friend, a time we will not soon forget.
I'll see on my next trip...August 30, 2008 with my great-grandson Brandon. We were lucky once again to win a Fall Season spot on the Rio San Antonio at the Valles Caldera again this year. This will be Brandon's fourth time on the stream with me and I am sure we will have a great time.
"tight lines" Phil Springer
September 8, 2007
Jemez Mountains - Valles Caldera National Preserve - Rio San Antonio
Do the words stealth, power, invisible, low-profile, quiet, instant response, sneaky and patience have meaning to you? Well, they have meaning to a fly fisher...
My fishing buddy, Brandon and I were lucky enough to be successful in the fishing lottery for the Valles Caldera National Preserve to fish San Antonio Creek on September 8th for the day. We invited my friend Pat McMahon to tag along with us. I took Pat fishing a couple of weeks ago so he offered to do the driving this time and picked Brandon and I up at my house at 4:45 am.
We stopped at an all-night Mickey “D”s” for an early breakfast sandwich then we were on our way. We had a nice ride to the preserve staging area while Pat and Brandon got to know each other. We arrived at the staging area about 6:30 and got our fishing assignment to beat no. 4. San Antonio Creek is divided into 10 beats approximately 2 miles long each with beat no. 1 being just below the headwaters to the east. The creek flows west through two very large open meadows named Valle Toledo and Valle San Antonio. The creek runs through these meadows like a tightly bunched serpent for its entire length through the preserve. There are a few springs and feeder creeks which add water to the San Antonio along its journey to the west such as Rito de los Indios and San Luis creek.
We were driven in a van to our destination at the upper end of beat no. 4 and hiked down to the creek. After assembling the fly rods I suggested Pat tie on an elk hair caddis and I helped Brandon tie on a yellow humpy. The weather was perfectly calm with fog to the ground and crisp cool air. The fog lifted fairly quickly and Brandon was making his first cast. Shortly after Brandon's cast Pat threw his line to the water. I thought I would wait until I got Brandon going pretty well before I would set up my rod. The water was crystal clear with its dark bottom structure.
We fished for quite a while bringing no fish to hand. After many casts Brandon finally caught his first fish. We fished for an hour or so longer with little luck. These fish are so timid that if you walked to the bank you might as well walk to the next run because the fish would spook instantly and glide through the water forming a wake like a submarine eliminating your chances on that run...this is one cast water. We knew we had our work cut out for us today. We made very long casts using a very low profile and as soon as the fly hit the water the fish would attack instantly leaving little time to react and set the hook.
Brandon and I were knelt down near a run and he made a long cast and was able to set the hook in the mouth of his second German brown trout. We returned the fish to the water and sat for a while. Brandon was watching Pat fishing with no luck and he said, “Grandpa your friend looks like he is having trouble, maybe you should help him.” Well, I did give him some pointers and suggest maybe he try another fly pattern. He did but still no fish for a while.
By 10:30 Brandon and I sat to rest for a little while and had a trail mix snack. Before long Brandon was taking a short nap. We all gathered around 11:45 to have lunch together and discuss the strategy for the afternoon. By 12:30 we were sailing flies through the air again. I decided it was time to rig up my fly rod and tied on a Joe’s hopper. I also decided to let Brandon fish for the rest of the day as much as he could without my help, after all it that is my job as Grandpa to let him spread his wings a little, so to speak. He was doing pretty good…just needs practice to develop proficiency. I found a good run and literally crawled on my hands and knees to the bank then laid on my left side and threw a side cast into some riffles that opened into a long run where there was an undercut and a wave of water moved out from the undercut structure, my hopper disappeared and I set the hook in a 14 inch brown and brought it to hand. I was encouraged at this point. A few casts later I landed a 12 inch brown.
I caught up with Pat and gave him some more pointers and he started catching some fish shortly after. Today’s conditions and methods were good fishing lessons for all of us. We used yellow humpies, Joe’s hoppers, black hoppers and elk hair caddis flies and the fish appeared to be attracted all these patterns. I don”t think it was the fly pattern as it was about presentation, stealth, power, response and patience.
Brandon learned a lot today and got a lot of casting practice as Pat and I did and we will all be better fly fishers for it.By the end of the day we brought to hand about 14 fish and missed at least triple that many. Man, what a great day with my grandson and my friend, a time we will not soon forget.
I'll see on my next trip...August 30, 2008 with my great-grandson Brandon. We were lucky once again to win a Fall Season spot on the Rio San Antonio at the Valles Caldera again this year. This will be Brandon's fourth time on the stream with me and I am sure we will have a great time.
"tight lines" Phil Springer
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