Diary of a Fly Fisherman

Tangled Lines and broken rods on the Pecos River...

2011-10-08T23:32:00.002-06:00

October 1, 2011

This fishing trip was reminiscent of many trips we have taken with our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the years.

The Jemez River is where we usually take our great-grandkids Brandon and Kyra fishing, primarily because the Jemez streams are only about 45 minutes from our home. The streams in the Jemez Mountains are running murky and the fishing is slow. The Las Conchas fire this year in the Jemez Mountains has really done some damage to the area. The effects of the fire, as destructive as it was, continued its destruction with the runoff from the rains that finally came after the fire was extinguished. The streams have carried ash and other debris downstream with the small floods that ensued killing off many trout and leaving black sediment in the riparian areas along the stream banks of the beautiful landscape in the mountain range.

We were finally able to get Brandon and Kyra together for a fishing trip with Grandma and Grandpa. I took Kyra fishing on the Pecos two weeks ago and did OK so we decided to fish the Pecos River. When we left for our trip the sun was just starting to rise over the Sandia Mountains. The ride up to the Pecos River was uneventful and we seemed to get there quickly.

After we arrived in the town of Pecos I gazed at the river as we crossed the bridge I saw the water was clearer than is was two weeks ago and as we continued through the canyon we saw fewer people than we did on our last trip. Fewer people and better water is always a good thing. We drove directly to Tererro where we would fish first. Tererro is located at the confluence of Holy Ghost Creek and the Pecos River. There is a camping area on one side of the Pecos river and a general store and riding stables on the other. The camping area is about two hundred yards in length and ends at a hiking trail.

I was getting the fishing gear setup for Grandma, Brandon and Kyra and I noticed my spinning rod tip was broken. It broke at the first guide down from the tiptop so Brandon was able to use it. Grandma, Brandon and Kyra started for the stream while I was getting my fly rod setup.

By the time I got down to the big hole that the guys were fishing Grandma had caught the first rainbow which turned out to be the biggest...well that is Grandma at her finest.

When I finally set up my all my gear I headed upstream to fish the pocket water the narrow braids and the large pools. I tied on a pheasant-tail nymph, size 18 and after a few long casts to the deepest part of the run I was fishing I got a hit and soon realized that the fish were on the bottom for sure. I tied on a couple of dry flies but knew after a few casts that my first assessment was correct...they were on the bottom.

Generally, the clearer the water the longer the casts need to be. I fished for about an hour using the pheasant-tail nymph again and got into several German brown trout and brought several to hand before releasing them. I was fishing another run and Brandon and Kyra came up behind me and informed that Kyra was getting hungry. We hiked back together downstream to where Grandma was still fishing. By then Grandma had brought to hand three nice rainbows and Kyra caught one nice rainbow.

We fished the area a little while longer and since the catching seemed to slow down and Kyra was starving, we loaded up the truck to head down to the Windy Bridge area to have lunch. Brandon and I cleaned the fish and put them in the cooler and about 20 minutes later we were at Windy Bridge setting up a picnic table for our lunch.

When we arrived at Windy Bridge I noticed to tip of my fly rod was broken. I bought this Generation 5 Sage TXL 7'-10" 3-weight rod last year and I was really crushed, this rod casts very smoothly with little effort. A grown man is not supposed to cry, but it was close. I have no Idea how it happened because I am always so careful with all of our gear. But this stuff does happen.

Now back to lunch...

We had some sliced turkey for Grandma and some slice Virginia bake ham for the rest of us with all the fixins', chips and so on. There is something to say about eating out in the woods...the food always tastes better. Another great lunch together, eating, laughing and enjoying each other's company.

When we finished lunch I sent everybody upstream from the picnic area while I cleaned up and loaded everything back into the truck. I broke down my fly rod and put it back in the case and decided I would just take pictures the rest of the day.

By the time I grabbed my camera gear a got to the first big hole I suggested to grandma that she fish the second big hole a few paces upstream. Grandma, Brandon and Kyra fished the hole for an hour or so getting strikes from bait stealers and bringing no fish to hand. Kyra got her line tangled in her reel and asked if I could fix it. I spent some time untangling the line and before I was even finished Brandon asked if I would help him get him line out from under his reel. I told him he had to wait in line and "lo-and-behold" Grandma needed help. After what seemed to be an hour I had all the tangled lines untangled and they were all fishing again while I took a lot photos.

It became apparent by about 3:00 or so that the fishing had somewhat turned off and all the anglers were ready to call it quits. We hiked back to the truck and loaded it for our trip home. We were driving through town when Kyra said, "Grandpa has Grandma had ever seen the Pecos National Monument?" Grandma replied, "No, I haven't." Kyra suggested I take her and I did. After a short visit through the ruins we drove towards the Pecos DQ for the family tradition of ice cream after a good or even a bad day of fishing. After our ice cream consumption we headed for home.

What do think the odds of two rods getting broken and untangling three reels a couple of times in a day of fishing? Actually not as high as you might think. The best part about it is I am probably good for a while. I will clean my reels and put new line on them and take my rods to get them fixed and have them ready for a new trip in the near future.

A man could not ask for more than to spend a day fishing with his wife and his children or grandchildren.

...tight lines...Phil Springer

Finally again...

2011-09-18T21:32:00.005-06:00

Northern New Mexico has been tough to fish for us this year with high gas prices in the Winter and the Spring, high winds in the spring, fires during the summer and ash from the burned areas running off in the late summer choking the streams in the Jemez Mountains area.

The last time we went fishing was in October of last year which is very unusual. My Great-Grand Daughter Kyra has been anxious to go fishing all year. Kyra sent me an email last week which said "Grandpa, do you know when are we going fishing?" Well, I replied "next week." After all, that is my job.

I picked up Kyra Friday after she got out of school and when we arrived at our home we loaded my truck with all the stuff we needed for a day trip to the Pecos River, north of Santa Fe in the Sange De Christo Mountains (Spanish for "Blood of Christ").

We hit the road early Saturday morning and arrived at windy bridge about 7:15 am ready to fish. The water was a little high but clear and the weather was nice. It was evident that it rained the night before. I was hoping to take a lot of pictures while fishing with Kyra so I was prepared for that also. After we setup our gear, we hiked a couple of hundred yards upstream where a large pool formed around a boulder was and began casting in the water with little action for awhile and about 9:30 the fish started to feed.

She has been a quick learner and it is evident when I let her use Grandma's open face spinning reel. I showed her how to use it once and the first time she cast it perfectly. Her Dora fishing pole with a Zebco reel will no doubt be handed down to her younger brother Conrad soon. I guess it is time for her to graduate to the next level. By early spring I will start her working with a fly rod.

And Kyra caught her first rainbow of the day shortly after. The fish were picky to say the least but that did it not dissuade Kyra's stick-to-itiveness. We got several hits but no more fish to hand. When a man and his young son came up across from us and started to fish the same hole we were fishing we decided to go to another spot. So much for fishing etiquette...and a valuable lesson for Kyra.

We decided to fish in Dalton Canyon in the day use area and fished there for about an hour with a few bites from "bait stealers." The fish were there in the stream today but difficult to catch. Kyra asked, "Grandpa, when do think we will have lunch?" and since it was 11:30 I said, "We can eat now, let's go back to Windy Bridge where there are picnic tables." She agreed...

We drove back to Windy Bridge and broke out a great lunch we prepared together while swatting some bees away. Once the bees left we began eating our lunch. While we were eating I told Kyra, "I wish the fishing was better, but just you and I enjoying being together is more important and she agreed." Saying, "You are right Grandpa, that 's what is really important." We say these things to our children and Grandchildren hoping to make easier for them, after all, when they are catching a lot of fish it is more fun...but Kyra really meant what she said.

We finished our lunch and chose to fish the original fishing hole where we started and within an hour Kyra caught a nice German brown. After that, she got several hits but no fish to hand. She finally said "Grandpa are you ready to go home?" and I said "Whenever you are." So we packed up our stuff and drove around the town of Pecos and visited the Pecos National Monument to take some photos and we rounded off our trip with the traditional ice cream cone at the Pecos DQ and started for home.

I used to take Kyra's Mother Valene and her brother James fishing on the Pecos when they were Kyra's age. I was hoping to take Kyra to all those spots where her Mother fished but most of the spots were crowded with other anglers.

Glad to be a Grandpa...

...tight lines...Phil

Chama

2010-10-10T15:42:00.000-06:00

October 2, 2010

Chama Area

Brandon and I have not fished together for a few months. He has been busy with Boy Scouts, school, etc. So I called Brandon’s mom a week before and asked if I could have him for the weekend. She checked his schedule and it was a go.

I booked us a room in Chama and bought a couple tickets for a ride on the Cumbres – Toltec Scenic Railroad for Saturday, the second of October. We left the depot for our train ride though the Southern Colorado Rockies about 10:00 am for a round-trip ride to Osier, Colorado train station. Traveling through the mountains at 10,000 feet elevation in the fall of the year is nothing less than breath-taking. The colors of the turning leaves and the low flowing water of the Rio de los Pinos at the bottom of the wide meadow meandering through Northern New Mexico on its way east through the Toltec Gorge is a sight to behold. And, in my view, there is only one way to experience it and that is with a loved one and on this narrow gage train ride.

We arrived at Osier for our lunch a little before noon. There was a Meatloaf line, a Turkey dinner line and a salad bar in the basement…I just love Americana! The food was great and the buttermilk pie was the best. Brandon had a hot dog and mashed potatoes with brown gravy. It was apparent he liked the mashed potatoes with brown gravy better than the hot dog. I tried to get him to eat some dessert and he simply said, “I’m OK Grandpa.”

After lunch we had about an hour to take pictures and walk around to view the local sites and that we did. At 1:00 pm we boarded the returning train that would soon be on its way back to Cumbres the summit of the railroad and then the final leg of the trip back to Chama by bus. The train normally travels all the way from/to Chama but because of a trestle fire between Chama and the Cumbres summit earlier this year bus travel has become the first and last leg of the trip for Chama. The railroad is projecting the trestle will be repaired by next season.

Brandon and I arrived in Chama went to the Cubres Suites and settled in our room by 4:00 pm. We went for dinner about 6:00 pm where Brandon more than made up for his low volume snack he had for lunch. We had a nice evening together watching TV and relaxing. Having fun can wear you out.

October 3, 2010

Chama River (below El Vado dam)

Some days you can’t even buy a fish...

We arrived at Chama River at the Cooper’s Ranch access about 8:00 am ready for several hours of fishing before heading back home.

Brandon and I hiked downstream to some good pocket water and fished for an hour or so getting some strikes but no fish to hand. The river flow has been running at 900 cfs for some time now but was reduced to 600 cfs by the time we arrive and since then the flow has been reduced to 300 cfs.

We chose to go upstream and hiked to the foot bridge to cross the river hoping to have better luck fishing the other side. There were several nice and deep pockets swirling near the bank and we both fished them hard. This water was definitely not for dry flies on this day. I tried every fly I thought might work for us, such as a Prince Nymph, pheasant tail nymph, peacock lady and a peacock nymph.

Neither Brandon nor I got any hits. About 10:00 am the fish started to nibble a little and sparked our enthusiasm. Brandon was really having a hard time getting much action so I helped him for a while and he started to get a little action but still bringing no fish to hand. I gave him some more tips and I headed upstream.

I tied on a black wooly bugger with a little crystal flash in the tail and after a few casts I finally got a really good drift and then Wham! A nice rainbow was on the other end of my line and was not going to let me bring it in easily. I fought with it for a while and finally brought a 20 inch rainbow to hand. We had decided to take some fish home this weekend and this was the first on the stringer.

I got Brandon’s attention and waved him over to where I was. I helped set him up and showed him how to use a streamer. He and I fished for an hour or so with little more than a nibble or two. I found a real nice pocket of slow water coming from around a large boulder and fished it very methodically. After about three or four casts I got into another nice rainbow. This one was a 15 incher and fat too.

Brandon did everything right but the fish were just not getting the message. I was rather proud of his technique and persistence but still no fish to hand.

We were both getting hungry so Brandon agreed we should go back to the truck for lunch. We sat at a picnic table and had a nice lunch talking about what strategy we should use and when we should start back home. We agreed that 1:30 would be a good time to head for home. I put my gear up and was determined to help Brandon catch a fish. We tried every pocket of slower water we could and still nothing to hand. However, Brandon was not going to give up. He got is line hung up on the bottom and had to break his line. I was sitting at the picnic table when Brandon came back to fix the line and get it ready for more fishing.

He went back down to the water by himself while I was putting away my camera and other stuff when he walked up to me and said, “Grandpa, look”. I looked up and he had a nice fat rainbow on the end of his line. He said, “Grandpa, now I am ready to go home”. He wanted to release the fish and I agreed. We packed up and headed for home. The weather this weekend could not have been better; cool mornings and warm afternoons and very little wind.

… if you are persistent and patient perhaps the day will turn out OK.

…tight lines…Phil

Solitude...

2010-08-22T21:36:00.000-06:00

East Fork – Jemez - Las Conchas

August 14, 2010

Have you ever had an urge for a specific type of food that you just had to have? Of course, we all have…well I digress.

I have not been fishing alone for several years. At my age, my wife is concerned about me hiking and climbing in the mountains and canyons where I like to go for solitude. So we came to a compromise. I decided to go to the East Fork of the Jemez at the Las Conchas day-use area. There is a canyon but the entrance to the canyon is at ground level about one hundred fifty yards from the parking lot. This stretch of the East Fork is about one and a half miles of water back into the canyon to the fence line of the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

The weather was perfect with a crisp cold morning but I knew it would hot in the afternoon. The stream was a little murky but I started with a Royal Wulff pattern and after about three casts I caught a nice small brown trout. There are many large boulders, and tall canyon walls which create many deep pocket water and long runs against the rock walls even this time of year when the water is down some. I was fishing a long run against a tall rock wall, drifting a fly as close to the wall as I could and caught three browns from one run.

Shortly after the run I was fishing some deep pockets and not getting much action. Deeper water…lower visibility to the top…Duh! So I tied on a Prince Nymph, size 16 and on the next cast I got a good hit, you might say it woke me up. So for the rest of the morning and early afternoon I kept using nymphs and they worked well. I used the Prince, Pheasant Tail and Peacock Nymphs all in small sizes and caught several more fish…all browns today.

I fished most runs all the way to the fence line and fished a few spots again on the way back. I arrived at a picnic spot near my truck by the early afternoon. I sat at a picnic table in the shade relaxing, eating some lunch and watching a chipmunk trying to get my attention for morsels of food. When the chipmunk left and I was fed I walked the final leg of my trek back to my truck.

The fishing and catching both went well this trip. It was a very good day and I received the much needed therapy I was looking for.

I was a little measured in my movements on the trails and climbing over the obstacles along the way. I used a wooden walking staff to ensure my footing and it worked very well. I never thought I would ever need any help with this stuff. My best friend Richard Keach’s wife Bette passed several years ago after a bout with cancer. I always thought the world of Bette. She loved fishing herself and went when she could. A few years ago Richard gave me a wooden staff that Bette had carved herself saying that he thought Bette would want me to have it. Thanks Bette, it served me well on this trip and will in the future.

I have been craving a piece of cherry pie for the last couple of days and when I was driving though Jemez Springs on my way home I saw a chalkboard sign at the local diner and it read “Fresh Pies.” Seemed liked an invitation to me. So I made a U-turn as soon as I could. I went back to the diner and asked if they had cherry pie. They did. I ordered the pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and ate the best piece of homemade cherry pie I have had in a long time.

...tight lines…Phil

AGAIN!!

2010-07-19T22:55:00.000-06:00

Jemez Mountains

East Fork

July 17, 2010

Now that the grandchildren are gone home my best fishing buddy and I can go fishing…just the two us. The tradition in this family is on our way home we usually stop for an ice cream. Today will be no different.

My wife and I got up early for a trip to the mountains and were at the Conchas Trail head by 7:00 am. It is a good thing we got there when we did because we got the last parking spot. Fortunately most of the people on the trail are hikers not anglers. It took us a little while to get into our fishing costumes and set up our gear for a day of fishing.

Ella intended to bait fish and I needed to cast my new rod I have only fished with twice since I bought it last year. A Sage 7’-10” 3 weight TXL model weighing in at 2 ¼ oz, the smoothest casting rod I have ever owned, complimenting it with my Ross reel. My wife and I started our hike into the woods.

We hiked in a short distance and started fishing. Ella fishing the holes while tried my luck in the long narrow stretches. My first fly was a light tan Elk hair caddis pattern. The fish were feeding from the top of the water. Very gingerly, I might add. I quickly felt like it might be challenging day because the fish were spitting the fly out of their mouths quicker than I could set the hook. Some fish were popping heads under the fly and diving down to the bottom post haste. I realized my cast will need to be longer, stealthier at a low profile position if I were to catch any fish.

My assessment was accurate. As soon as I assumede the position I got another quick hit and set the hook into a small German brown trout. Most of the morning I was on my knees making long casts to the rising trout. My wife was getting nibbles but not much more. She stared to hunker down and started getting better results.

We hiked in the canyon fishing every hole and run we could with good results. The fish were small, some even fingerling sized but no matter…a fish is a fish. The more fish the more fun, as they say. As we were hiking into the woods farther the temperature began to soar. By 11:30 am it was getting very hot even at 8000 feet elevation. We started hiking back fishing most of the runs we passed up on our way in and catching a few along the way. We arrived at the truck about 12:45 pm and removed our costumes to find a place to eat lunch.

We drove down the hill to the La Cueva picnic area and actually found an empty picnic table to have our lunch together. And after a good lunch Ella headed downstream fishing the Rio San Antonio, which was like chocolate milk. Only bait for this run. Ella found a few nice holes but, no luck. I guess the fish couldn’t see or smell.

By now it was about 2:00 pm and we decided to head for home. ..Just too hot to fish any longer and we were getting pretty tired. Not as young as we used to be I guess. It was a good day together. And the fishing was good today. We have always enjoyed being in the mountains together alongside a stream. A fella could not get any luckier.

We were passing through Jemez Pueblo and saw a house with a sign that said “Tamales.” We just had to stop and a good thing we did. My wife talked for the next 20 minutes about how good the tamale was, over and over. She kept saying, “This is the best tamale I have eaten in years, just like my Mom’s.” And finally she told me that she thought this was the best $3 bucks I had ever spent on her. We finally arrived in San Ysidro intending to stop at the T-Freeze for a much need ice cream and “They were closed!!!” when we needed it the most, hot sun, tamale and all.

Next trip is to the Pecos River this weekend, me and Ella again, alone.

…tight lines…Phil

FINALLY!!!

2010-07-11T11:11:00.004-06:00

Pecos River

July 7, 2010

I have not been fishing since September…last. Why you ask? Well sometime life gets in the way of fun and much needed therapy.

Now is the beginning of our monsoon season until mid-August and usually this is the hottest month of the year to go fishing in New Mexico. Mother Nature usually does a good job of preparing our mountains and streams for great fall fishing and hunting.

Our great-grandchildren Brandon, Kyra and Conrad have been with us for a few days and we chose Wednesday as the day for fishing. I knew we would get some rain and I also knew it would probably not be until the afternoon. I have not taken the kids to fish the Pecos River yet so Great-Grandpa,Great-Grandma, Grandma and the kids were up at first light to hit the road for the Sangre de Christo Mountains to go fishing.

History Lesson: Spaniards arriving in the region in the late 1500s were impressed with the southern Rockies as reflected in their place names. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Spanish for "Blood of Christ," are an awe-inspiring backdrop to fishing in the Pecos River and its tributaries. The Sangre de Christo mountain range is one of the most beautiful areas of New Mexico with cool clear freestone creeks and streams and deep canyons spattered with green flora at every turn.

I spent many days with the kids’ mother Valene and her brother James, our first grandchildren, fishing the Pecos when they were young.

We arrived at one of the first turnouts and set up Great-Grandma and the kids’ with their fishing gear and got them on the water in first order. Grandma and the kids were fishing while I set up my fly rod. I tied on an elk hair caddis pattern and quickly hiked down to the water. The water was very clear with perfect flow. I walked upstream from the rest of the gang and found a long run with a slight riffle to it and hauled my first cast.

Great-Grandma and the kids were not doing very well in the catching department. There were fish in the water but mostly jumping out of the water but ignoring the bait on their hooks. During my second cast there was a sign of life at the end of my line so I set the hook into a nice sized brown trout. I called for Conrad, age 2 to help me bring his first fish to hand.

We fished the spot for awhile longer and started driving on to Cowles. We made a brief stop at Terrero for a glance at the water conditions. We had to stop just past the Terrero Store for a few minutes to wait for a beautiful young mule deer get off the road so we could pass. After about a 800 foot elevation climb over the next 12 miles we arrived at Cowles. The Grandmas and the kids took a short walk downstream to the Cowles pond and the Pecos River and I hiked upstream on the river. I tied on a Prince nymph and started casting were ever there was a run or pocket of water, upstream, downstream and across. Over the nexct 45 minutes I fished several runs catching several small browns.

By noon the kids and the adults were hungry. We all gathered at the truck to have a nice lunch. While eating our lunch we saw the clouds starting to gather for the anticipated afternoon rain storm. It took us about a half-hour to eat our lunch and shortly after we were finished it started to sprinkle down rain a little and we started our tek back down. The further we went downhill the further behind us was the upcoming storm moving very slowly. We found a nice turnout and pulled over to fish a large wide hole I used to fish with James and Valene when they were young. We were able to fish for about forty-five minutes and the rain started to catch up with us. So we jumped back into the truck and drove down to a small parking lot at an area named Dalton. Great-Grandma and I both fished as long as we could in the rain and finally decided it was time to head for home.

On the way back to the town of Pecos we got bombarded with hail and traveled carefully on the road which looked as if it was snowing. By the time we reached town we were encountering some flash flooding.

The fishing was not great, as I expected after a holiday weekend and with the rain storm. However, I received some much needed therapy and had a great time with the Grandmas and the kids.

For more information about my experiences on the Pecos River, read the information on the "About" page and read "A New Old Picture and the Pecos" on the lower half of the Pecos Watershed page. My web site is http://www.flyfishnm.com/. Hope you enjoy it as I have over the years.

My wife Ella and I are planning a trip to the Jemez Watershed next weekend to fish the East Fork and the Rio San Antonio.

…tight lines…Phil

Brandon and Pop

2009-09-15T21:50:00.004-06:00

Valles Caldera
East Fork

September 12, 2009

Brandon and I have been looking forward to going on our trip to the Valles Caldera to fish the East Fork up to its headwaters. While driving on the road to the staging area we crossed the East Fork and we stopped for a look at the water conditions. The fishing access is from the stream crossing to the headwaters is about 6 and one half miles upstream. About one third of the way Jaramillo Creek converges with the East Fork.

After our orientation at the staging area we chose to hike along the fence line to the East Fork just below the confluence of the two streams. Fishing is the best from the fence-line to the headwaters. My friend Noah Parker from LOE Guides told me a few days earlier that the water was very low. Fortunately, it rained every day for a few days and the water had started moving again and was clear.

The East Fork is a little more challenging than the Rio San Antonio but not by much. The fish here are more skittish, if that is possible. Basically, if you can see the water the fish can see you even if you are fishing upstream.

We started with a yellow Joe’s hopper pattern for Brandon and I tied on a black hopper pattern. We quickly realized there would be no standing today. We both fished on our knees making 30 foot casts and we still spooked the fish. Next lesson: Lower profile and longer casts. This was one-cast water today. Brandon got a class on how to keep his line in the air until he was ready to land his fly gently on the water. It took awhile but he made some improvement along the way. The fish just were not taking our lead.

I know orange is a good color so I tied on an orange stimulator to my tippet and Brandon’s. I hobbled on my knees, trying not to lose my balance, to a long narrow stretch of water with high grass over-hanging on both sides and gently lowered my fly to the water and within a foot of drift a resounding splash occurred and a 13 inch wild fat rainbow swiftly came to hand. “Now we know what to do Brandon, I proclaimed.” Brandon agreed.

I found another spot a short pace ahead and same technique different fish; another nice rainbow to hand. We continued upstream for a mile or so and fishing was getting better. The further we went the better the fishing.

We both were so busy stalking and fishing our lunch time was passing so we found a soft piece of ground to set our table for lunch. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with shoe-string potatoes and cool water and topped that off with a beef stick each and some nutter butter cookies for desert…it doesn’t get much better than that. While eating our lunch we saw a thunderstorm brewing to the northeast. We had planned to fish to the headwaters and were only a couple of miles of stream away but decided it would be in our best interest to start the trek back to the staging area fishing along the way. The lightning storms in the part of the state can be electrifying. Pardon the pun.

Fishing continued to be good and fruitful, as they say. Do you know what you have when you set the hook in a fish too quickly and a very small fish smacks you in the face?

It took us about an hour and a half to get back to the fence-line fishing most of the way. Brandon gave me quite a compliment on our way back while we were hiking up a hill beyond the fence line and half way up the hill Brandon asked, “Grandpa, can we stop for a minute to catch our breath?” My response was, “You just made an old guy feel good,” and we continued to the top of the hill for an extra breath for Brandon. In no time we were back to the truck, braking down our rods and packing our reels away getting ready to go home.

The storm was still brewing and getting closer. We drove to the entrance to the preserve and I took several pictures of the landscape and the coming storm and started for home. We stopped at the T-Freeze in San Ysidro for an ice cream cone before continuing on with our last leg of our trip home.

By the way, the answer to the question is a happy young boy enjoying a wonderful experience.

…tight lines…Phil

Girls 6…Boys 0

2009-09-06T23:31:00.035-06:00

Jemez Mountains

September 5, 2009

I work out of town and my boss decided I needed some therapy and who am I to question his judgment. I will be working in our local office for the month of September and I intend to get caught up with chores and some much needed time with my family.

A few weeks ago Kyra had to stay home with a tummy ache while I took my wife Ella and Kyra’s brother Brandon to fish in Northern New Mexico (previous post below).

Today is Kyra’s day for fishing…

Holiday weekends are usually very busy in the Jemez but I know a couple spots we could go if we get there early enough. One spot is hiking along the Rio San Antonio upstream from La Cueva above the San Antonio Campgrounds. We arrived at 8:00 am and started upstream and to our disappointment, after about a quarter of a mile there were “Private Property – No Trespassing” signs prominently displayed.

The area has always been private property but access was never a problem. As it turns out, recently all the owners decided to close all access…can’t say as I blame them.

The etiquette on public and private lands today is certainly not what it used to be when I was a kid. A few years ago I was fishing in thigh deep water and a guy actually lifted my fly line and passed under it to make his way through. Mortified and speechless was my response...I am convinced that our country might be losing its decorum.

We went back to the truck and drove to my other spot at the Las Conchas trailhead, on the East Fork. There were no parking spots left but we found a spot to park about a quarter mile up the road. We knew most of the people who use this area are hikers and not anglers, so were not concerned.

There was a full moon the night before and the water was off-colored so the girls chose to use worms for bait. I tied on a hopper pattern and slapped long stretches of water with not action at all. Grandma and Kyra were not doing much better with live bait. I was thinking how could a fish resist a worm even on a slow day?

After hiking and fishing downstream about three-quarters of a mile Ella got the first fish…then the second and we continued downstream. I was fishing the long wide stretches and the girls were fishing the deep pockets and big holes. I tried a yellow humpy, a red humpy and finally the red humpy got me a little excitement when the white mouth of a small brown trout lipped the fly and spit it out as quickly as it broke the surface of the water.

I changed to nymphs. A Prince nymph got a couple of nibbles…would not even call them strikes. I tied on a Peacock Lady fishing the nymphs deep in the pocket water and deep holes…nothing. It was as if I had never done this before. Taking that hint I figured that taking pictures and helping Kyra might be more productive.

The further we hiked the better the water structure. Kyra found a deep pocket, no larger than 2 foot in diameter in-between small logs and other debris. She slowly lowered her line to the bottom and within seconds a nice rainbow trout took it and she caught her first fish of the day. She said, “Grandpa, I always catch rainbows. I wonder why?” I told her she was just lucky.

The weather was changing a little. The sun was beginning to hide behind the rapidly forming clouds, not threatening just normal mid-afternoon rain clouds. By now we had come across a very large deep hole. The water was still murky but Ella and Kyra did not allow that to discourage them from fishing it very methodically a section at-a-time. This worked well for the next hour or so. The girls caught and released many small fish only keeping some nice ones to take home for dinner.

By mid-afternoon we were all getting hungry so we hiked back the truck.

We drove in the direction of Jemez Springs to get ahead of the clouds and find a place to pull over and eat our lunch. We found a place near La Cueva with some shade. There is something great about a sandwich, shoe-string potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, some fruit and a cold soda-pop out in the woods. They always seem to taste better in the woods than in the comfort of your own home.

After lunch we were driving down the road to Jemez Springs, and realized how crowed the Jemez Mountains actually was and passing the water of the Jemez Creek, muddy from the runoff of the day before, we also realized it was time to get home. We stopped at the T-Freeze ice cream place in San Ysidro for our customary ice cream cone before our final leg home.

We had a lot fun today, and the girls could not be more proud of their "Girls 6...boys 0…"

Saturday September 12 Brandon and I will be fishing the East Fork on the Valles Caldera Preserve. We were planning to go to the Rio de los Pinos but decided to wait until October depending on the weather conditions.

…tight lines…Phil

Fishing Red River

2009-08-16T12:38:00.020-06:00

July 31 – August 1, 2009

Summer Fishing in Northern New Mexico

Friday…

It has been awhile since my fly rod has sliced through the clear air of Northern New Mexico shooting a replica of an aquatic insect to land on the cool clear trout waters to lure a brown trout to my creel. Much needed therapy was awaiting me on our arrival to Red River, New Mexico. I rented a cabin for the night for my wife Ella, my grandson Brandon, his sister Kyra and me.

With the truck packed by 6:00 am, we were ready to leave on our trip, and Kyra got a bad tummy ache. Kyra and Grandma decided it would be best she stay home and wait for the next trip, which was upsetting for me because Kyra loves to go fishing with us so much.

We were on the road by 7:00 am, arrived in Red River about 11:00 am, and went to check in but could not until 1:00. We drove up and down Red River to check the water condition, which was higher than normal but crystal clear. The weather was great. We went back to town to eat lunch then walked around to do some shopping. We all agreed it would be nice to enjoy the day in town and fish all day tomorrow.

By mid-afternoon, we in our cabin and the daily summer rain came down for about 45 minutes…a slight drizzle but rain none-the-less. Brandon was concerned about the stream becoming muddy and I explained to him because of the bottom structure of this stream it will be clear by morning.

Brandon and Ella left the cabin for a while in the late afternoon to do some more shopping and by 6:00 pm were eating a great dinner that Ella prepared for us. We crashed in the sack by 9:00 pm awaiting a great day of fishing Saturday. Early to bed…early to rise…

Saturday

The early bird gets the worm… Literally, in Ella’s case because she likes to bait fish. We checked out of the cabin and we were fishing the river early. We fished the Red River downstream fishing every good spot we could access down to the town of Questa. We then drove to the Red River Fish Hatchery and went downstream to fish the Red River box. The fishing on the upper Red was slow today but fishing was about to get much better in the canyon.

We hiked in a about a half mile and came to a large deep hole and I told Brandon that I would guarantee him that he would catch fish in this hole. This is the hole where my daughter Denita caught her first fish when she was about 12. She was at this hole and said, “Daddy, I just can’t seem to catch a fish.” I told her where to cast and how to drift the bait and she caught a 15” brown and that’s all it took to give her the confidence she needed. I gave Brandon the same instructions and he caught a nice brown and as it turned out…would be the largest catch of the day. Grandma caught a nice rainbow shortly after Brandon caught his fish.

I was thinking how this is usually what Ella does…first and biggest. Well it was Brandon’s turn on this day. Brandon is always bragging about how good of an angler his Grandma is. Last year when he and I were fishing in the Valles Calera and talking about how nice it would be to have Grandma with us he said, “Grandpa, it seems as if she could wave her arms and the fish would just jump into her creel.”

Well I digress…I caught a few small ones on the old reliable…peacock nymph. I would not fish Red River without a peacock nymph or black grasshopper patterns especially in late July or early August. Prince nymphs and pheasant tail nymph’s work very good as well. This water is good for dry fly fishing but I have always preferred to fish nymphs and streamers here. I guess is just goes back to bait fishing when I was a kid.

We fished several holes downstream and you could say it was a good to fish the Red River box. Clear water, great weather and hungry fish. We got back to the truck by 1:00 loaded our fishing stuff into the back and drove to a sheltered table for a nice lunch. We sat in the slow cool breeze having lunch and discussed where to go next.

We talked about going to the Rio Hondo near twinning but finally picked the Rio Grande near Pilar. We arrived to find the river off-color but easily fishable. We went Ella’s favorite spot to fish. It was very hot by then and with the water low, the water temperature was making the fishing slow. This is the spot where Brandon caught an 18-inch brown when he was 5 years old. He did not even want to touch it, but that is ancient history now. It was apparent that catching an 18 inch brown was probably not going to happen today. We fished for a couple hours longer and it was becoming obvious the water temperature would be too high until evening rise. We chose to head back home.

We arrived home about 6:30, unpacked the truck and headed for the showers. Brandon won first spot. I guess it was his day.

I plan to take Ella and Kyra to Pecos on August 29 to go fishing and Brandon and I are going to camp and fish on the Rio de los Pinos for a couple of days the weekend of September 12. It is about time I get him up there...he is 12 already. We will be fishing, wading, and trying to bring trout to our nets that are not easy to catch. This will be fun.

What a Great weekend…

…tight lines…Phil

Fishing in the Jemez Mountains

2009-05-31T20:07:00.005-06:00

May 30, 2009

I cannot go fishing without taking Kyra (Brandon’s sister) or my wife for that matter. Saturday morning we all got up at 5:00 am to go fishing in the Jemez. My wife Ella and I with our daughter Stephanie and her daughter Valene and Valene’s children Brandon and Kyra along with her youngest son Conrad loaded up in two vehicles to go to the Jemez. Conrad is now 1 year old and soon will be my next pupil and fishing companion.

We arrived at the Las Conchas trailhead for our first try at fishing for the day. I got Ella’s fishing gear setup so she could get to the task at hand in short order. Within a short time we were all fishing the East Fork of the Jemez. We all fished for quite awhile without even a nibble…well except for Ella, of course.

About 10:00 am we drove down to the La Cueva day-use area to fish there for the rest of the day. Ella and Brandon were the first out to the water while I helped Kyra try to catch some fish. But I could soon see this was going to be a slow day. The weekend before was Memorial Weekend and there were few fish left. This area is basically put-and-take water and they were put and took the weekend before I guess.

I tried an Elk hair caddis, yellow humpy and yellow stimulator and after awhile I tied on a Prince nymph and nothing. Brandon basically used the same stuff to no avail. It was tough fishing, to say the least.

By noon I was getting hungry and so was everyone else. Upon Ella’s return she revealed she caught a fish. This is not unusual…

We sat at a picnic table, in the shade I might add, and had a great lunch together…a feast you might say. All of us were stuffed at the completion of this banquet. By mid-afternoon we had about all the fun we could stand for the day and stopped at the country store at La Cueva for ice cream before we started our trek back home. This was a real slow day for fishing, unusual for us. Sorry for the cliché but just being with people I love the most is what it really is all about.

I will be back again soon and will owe my wife Ella a day in the mountains…just me and her.

…tight lines…Phil

Rio San Antonio - Valles Caldera

2009-05-31T19:59:00.013-06:00

May 29, 2009

I took off work for a few days to go fly fishing with my wife and my grandchildren and do some household chores. Well, there were more chores than spare time but I was still able to go fishing. The last time I went fishing was October 2008 with my wife Ella and Brandon and Kyra, our great-grandchildren.

I set up a spot on the Rio San Antonio on the Valles Caldera for Friday May 29th. I picked reach 3 which is about 2.9 miles of water. We left home at 4:30 am and arrived at the main gate at 6:00 am. The valleys were thick with fog and the temperature was 30 degrees. We were there about 10 minutes and an employee opened the gate for us. This year you can drive out to the fishing reach rather than in a van to your spot. This is nice for a number of reasons.

I was excited to go fishing with Brandon and also anxious to try out my new Sage fly rod and Ross reel. This year is the first year Brandon fished with his own rod while I fished with mine. We were on the water about 8:00 am to make our first cast. The water was a little off-color but this is not such a bad thing…the fish do not spook nearly as easily.

We each started with a Prince nymph and after about 3 casts I set my hook in a nice brown trout. We fished for awhile longer and I tied on an elk hair caddis and fish it for a few casts to no avail. I fished at the edge of the water where the water was clearer and still nothing. I put the Prince nymph on my line again and got another fish immediately. We set up our lines with a strike indicator about 18 inches up from the fly and that seemed to be the best.

We fished all the riffles and long runs but most of the fish were in the deep bends of the stream. I was up to my 9th fish and Brandon asked if he could bring it in and of course "yes" was the answer. That got him fired up a little. He had yet to catch a fish. I used to set the hook in a fish and let him bring them in and last year he caught his first fish on his own so I decided this year was time for him to cast and catch fish on his own with his own fly rod.

By 11:30 it was time to eat our lunch...peanut butter and jelly, of course. At this point Brandon had not caught and landed a fish on his own. Well, that was about to change, big time. While eating our lunch we traded war stories and I was explaining casting and other techniques to help him.

The first cast after lunch for Brandon was the beginning of a great day for him. I noticed he was gaining more confidence in his casting and it was evident with his setting the hook and landing more fish. He and I seemed to catch fish for the remainder of the day almost in unison.

We both caught and released a lot of fish. We quit counting after awhile. If we would have only fished to the pockets of water in the bends of the stream we would have covered a lot more water and caught even more fish. I am very proud of Brandon for his improvement. The first time I took him to the Valles Caldera he was 7 years old. He is 12 now and this was his first year needing a fishing license which is an important milestone for him. It is very gratifying to see all the improvements in his fishing technique over the last few years.

We had a great day of fishing but just being together, as he told me, is just as important.

…tight lines…Phil

The last hurrah of summer…

2008-10-26T22:30:00.006-06:00

My wife and I wanted to take our grandchildren Brandon and Kyra fishing. The extended warm weather this fall has given us another chance to fish again before the cold weather sets in for winter. (click images for a larger version and click the back button to return to the story)

The kids spent the night with us on Friday and left for the Jemez Mountains at 8:00 am. We first stopped at Mickey D’s on the way for a quick and convenient breakfast for the road. We arrived at the La Cueva day use area to fish the Rio San Antonio. Nobody there, clear water, perfect clear weather.

The air and water temperature was low. We were all dressed in layers to be removed as it got warmer during the day. Ella and the kids went downstream to fish while I crossed the river near the parking lot to fish a large hole. I tied on at Prince Nymph and that seemed to be the right fly. My first cast I got a soft hit. I called the rest of the crew over the spot where I was fishing. I casted the prince nymph into the same spot in the hole again and set the hook in a nice small rainbow trout. I wanted to give Kyra her first lesson in retrieving a fish with a fly rod so I instructed her how to bring the fish in. She did very well for her first time. She gets so excited when she catches a fish. I don’t know of anyone who loves to fish more than these kids as you can see by the expression on Kyra’s face.

We fished for a while longer with no luck so we left for another spot up stream on the East Fork. We stopped at the Las Conchas Trailhead, one of Ella’s favorite spots. She always catches fish in this spot. Ella and the kinds fished for an hour or so with nothing more a couple of 4 inch long rainbows. Ella caught them, of course.

The kids were getting hungry so we decided to go the Las Conchas day use area for a mid day picnic lunch. Grandma and the kids couldn’t resist fishing for about an hour while I took some pictures of them and the surrounding area. We finally ate lunch and by the time we were finished it was about 2:15 pm.

We drove down to Jemez Springs for the traditional ice cream from Mi Tienda Store in town. We then continued down the road and fished the San Diego canyon area and the Big Bend area without a hit. By then it was 4:00 pm and time to go home.

The fishing was not great today but the day sure was. We sure had a lot fun together. Excellent weather, good water conditions just very little cooperation from the fish population. But I guess it is always a good lesson for the kids to realize even Grandma and Grandpa doesn’t always catch a lot of fish some days.

I will be going south to work for another ten days and when I get back if we still have good weather Brandon and I are planning on a short fly fishing trip. We’ll see…

…tight lines…Phil

How to read Trout Waters

2008-09-17T13:49:00.014-06:00

Most of my angling has been in northern New Mexico streams and I primarily fly-fish. My grandson Michael told me one day that he thought I was a great fly fisherman because I always know where to find trout. And one of the many questions I'm asked by people visiting my fly-fishing web site is "How do I learn to read trout water?" Michael's comment was very nice and my response was, "It's simple, it just takes experience." This may seem like a simple task for us seasoned anglers but my answer has always seemed to me to be the appropriate one, then I remembered it took me a long time to learn how to read water searching for fish. Click on the Stream Diagram to the right to see a typical streach of trout water.

Four things trout instinctively need to survive in a stream?a source of food, current flow, a place to hide and opportunity. Trout lie near deep runs, deep pocket water and large pools with moderate current flows while occasionally cruising in open water. The colorful hues of all species of trout create a natural camouflage in the riffles and in the reflective movement of the water, even in the clearest water. However, in slower moving clear water and pools the fish will seek cover such as large rocks, downed trees, dark freestone stream bottoms and other debris in the water and the depth of the water.

Trout feed on the bottom, middle and on the top film of the water primarily based on the temperature, location of food and the clarity of the water. The bottom will carry nymphs, larvae and worms. The middle will be productive with baitfish imitations such as streamers, spinning lures or emerging insects. And the top will, of course, carry the adult insects that have hatched or are about to hatch. A natural drift of your artificial fly is essential in all cases.

Feeding is triggered by lunar position, water temperature and most importantly of all; opportunity. The best time of the day to fish for trout is generally early in the mornings and in the evenings until darkness. During the warmest part of the day trout are often inactive. That's why we all have lunch at noon and take a nap until 2 o'clock. You will note that in the late afternoons and in the evenings trout may be feeding from the top because insects have been hatching after an afternoon of warmer water temperatures. I look at it this way; after the water temperatures raise so do the fish. My experience has been that rainbows are most active in water temperatures between 45 and 52 degrees with German brown trout being most active in water temperatures between 48 and 60 degrees. Above and below these ranges trout appear somewhat disinterested. I have found in many streams browns tend to take a hiatus as soon as the sun covers the water in the late morning and come back in the evenings when the sun moves off the water. However, don't forget, trout ARE opportunistic.

Very slow wide shallow pools or shallow flats of water and very fast water are not the best water to fish for trout and I generally pass them over. However, at the tail end of these pools and flats where the water narrows I just can't resist a cast. The best trout water is deep current, which will carry aquatic insects, worms and baitfish in a natural movement through the current. Look for narrow to wide deep runs of water. The fish will be near the center facing upstream, generally slightly angled to the left or right of the center awaiting an opportunity for their next meal.

Pocket water is another resource that holds trout. Rocks or debris are usually present to form small to medium pockets of water. The fish lie at the head near the rocks or other cover and at the tail of these pools where the current is stronger. Deep pools with moderate current are also a good location for trout. Rocks and debris also create this type of water, which will form larger pools usually with eddies or effervescent water on one or both sides and usually in the middle for cover. The fish will lie in slower water just below the rocks and at the tail of the pool.

I have come to realize that pools, pocket water and deep runs tend to repeat with very similar structures many times as you travel up or down a stream which helps in reading the stream. Explore when you fish; such as picking up rocks from the stream bottom to see what bugs are present and look for bugs in the air or on the stream banks. Be observant with the activity of the trout you do see and the structure of the cover where they might hide and you will become a more successful angler. Finally, these are guidelines and you should always experiment when you fish and perhaps you will come to some of your own conclusions about fishing for trout.

...tight lines...Phil

Valles Caldera National Preserve

2008-08-31T23:31:00.011-06:00

August 30, 2008

Rio San Antonio

My 11 year old great-grandson Brandon and I were fortunate to win a lottery pick to the fish the Rio San Antonio again this year. The Preserve holds a lottery for the spring, summer and fall fishing seasons every year to fish the stream. Lottery tickets are purchased for $5.00 on-line or over the phone and if you are picked you pay a rod fee to fish. The rod fees are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for children. The stream is divided into 10 beats. Each beat is approximately 1 mile with about 2 miles of actual stream length.

The water meanders through the very large open meadow like a serpent along its journey. The majority of the water is narrow with large wide runs and pools at most of the bends. There are undercuts and over-hanging grasses near the banks…a perfect habitat for these wild German brown trout. The fish are very skittish to say the least. This is one-cast water and must be fished quietly with a low profile and sometimes very long casts.

Brandon and I have been aware of the trip for about a month with anticipation of another great trip. We have done this before but each trip it is a new adventure.

I picked up Brandon on Friday and we planned to get to bed early for the trip. He got to bed early enough but not I. We left home at 4:00 am for the trek to the Jemez Mountains. We needed to be at the staging area at 6:00 am where a driver and a van take us on a 45 minute drive to our assigned beat. The driver leaves us with a radio for communication and will pick us up at 2:00 pm. Along the way we are fortunate to see many herds of elk grazing. There 6 or 7 herds with 40 to 50 animals in each herd.

We were on the water and made our first cast by 7:00 am and with success I might add. The fish hit so fast is startled me. The fish tend to be small from 6 to 9 inches in length with an occasional fish being 12 to 14 inches in length.

There are fish in every run and each pool and if you fish with a low profile and distance yourself away from the bank you can catch a lot of fish.

In most of the runs we fished, once the water was disturbed the fishing for that run was over. You had better make each cast count. Brandon was fishing one pool where he caught 3 fish, which is highly unusual. I guess this kid just lives right.

The beat that was drawn for us was beat 2. Beat 2 has a portion of it through a small canyon unlike most of the beats. This was good for us because we were able to eat our lunch in the shade which is not the norm.

After lunch Brandon and I continued to fish every run we could with a great deal of luck. Brandon is still learning to cast with proficiency with an occasional fly pulled off in the grass and slapping the water to hard…you know, just like the rest of us. But he is a good student and takes direction well.

Brandon whispered “Grandpa, look at this nice run”. I told him to get down low and away from the bank and cast the line in the air to the length he needed and make one soft cast to the water…he did and immediately set the hook in mouth a nice brown trout and brought it hand.
After releasing it I could tell he felt a great deal of accomplishment. And he should with a perfect cast, textbook presentation and set the hook like a master. I am very proud of him. To do that takes a lot of work and patience. He turned and walked to me, put his arm around my waist and said, as he has before, “Grandpa, I love fishing with you.”

We continued to fish until it was time for the van to come pick us up and hiked to the road.
We caught a lot of fish today, some with a size #14 Joe’s hopper but caught the majority of the fish using a black hopper pattern.

There are a lot of fish in this steam and you need to be prepared to set the hook as soon as the fly hits the water and we did a lot of this today. I must say we probably spooked as many fish as we caught with is almost unavoidable.

This was one of my most memorable trips I have taken with Brandon. He seems to have matured a lot more this year than in previous years. Man, this going to be so much fun growing up again with this kid.

…tight lines…Phil Springer

Trip to Red River, NM

2008-08-26T16:18:00.004-06:00

July 23, 2008

Red River, NM

My wife Ella and I have been planning a fishing trip for about a month. We decided to go to fish the Upper Red River.

We arrived at our lodge in Red River on the afternoon of the 23rd and after getting settled in we took a long walk through town and had a very nice dinner at Texas Red’s steakhouse before going back to our room in the late afternoon. We sat and relaxed for the evening strategizing how and where we would fish on Thursday.

July 24, 2008

After a good night’s sleep we got up early, put our fishing costumes on and headed downstream from town and started fishing at the first access we saw. We both quickly realized the river was still high from the winter runoff and summer rains. This river was very difficult fish because toe pools were virtually gone with the water roaring down through the narrow canyon. Where the river widen the water was a little better.

By 11:00 am we had only got one fish each to go after the end of our lines. We headed back for town for a late breakfast and I suggested we drive through bobcat pass and fish the Cimarron River in Cimarron canyon. We were fishing on the Cimarron by 1:30 pm. The water in the Cimarron was clear but a little higher than normal, but much better than Red River.

Ella hadn’t been to the Cimarron before so this was a treat for both of us. The fishing was much better the Red. We fished the Cimarron until late afternoon bring some fish to hand but release them all. We got back to the lodge long before dark. Ella cooked us a real nice dinner and we relaxed for the rest of the evening. We talked about checking out early and fishing the Rio Honda and the lower Rio Grande near Pilar on Friday. We both thought it was great idea.

July 25, 2008

Arroyo Honda and Pilar

We checked out early Friday morning and on our way downstream from Red River we tried to find a good spot to fish but there were none. We continued on to Arroyo Honda to fish the Rio Hondo and it was running higher and swifter than the Red so we continued on to Pilar.

We arrive at Pilar by late morning and drove back into the canyon to see how the water was running in the Rio Grande.

All the places we stopped very high and the water was murky…almost chocolate colored and we both decided we should call it a day. We stopped in Pojoaque, NM west of Santa Fe and entertained ourselves for a couple of hours and proceeded for home in the late afternoon.

This was one of the toughest fishing trips we have been through together because Ella and I both usually catch a lot fish and Ella almost always catches to first, the most and the largest. Having said that, I must say this was one the best trips we have been on together. We spent a great deal of time together just having fun and we both enjoyed it… that’s what it’s really all about in my opinion.

“tight lines” Phil Springer

Jemez Mountains in north-central New Mexico

2008-08-25T16:53:00.010-06:00

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.

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

Welcome to my blog...

2008-08-25T16:36:00.001-06:00

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my fly fishing trips in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.