Damm, I haven’t written anything for over a week! I’m going to use the excuse that I want to let Richard and Tyson write their own reports. Richard left yesterday, the 18th and Tyson left this morning.
Last night was also the last night for Gerlof’s friends Vill and Richard. For those who may not know who he is, Gerlof is the Dutch kid that is out doing me. I think almost six weeks is good. He will be here for 4 months! They were planning on staying up rather late drinking and remembering their time here. Gerlof planned to sleep in until about noon. Plan was that I’d drop Tyson off about 8:30 for his flight home and fish the airport stream. I’d meet Gerlof around noon to give him some extra maps I have.
The airport stream was fishing very well – not wind! – but I was not catching well. I got onto one nice fish after another but just couldn’t finish them off. I keep going further and further, getting into more good fish and hoping to find my Karma. It wasn’t there to be found.
About 1:30 Gerlof and I finally got connected. Gerlof was still a bit tired and perhaps a bit hung over. He and I have been exchanging information on our GEM locations. He had given me the gravel pit so I owed him a good one. As a spire of the moment trip we decided that we would go out and I’d show him the Upper ET and not just how to get there on a map. Both of us being tired and Gerlof still “tender” as he like to say after a long night or hard day of fishing or both, we throw our gear into my truck and headed off. So what happens on a spire of the moment trip? Stuff gets left behind. For me it was my cane (AKA wading staff) and my camera. For Gerlof it was his lanyard and his camera. Can you glimpse the foreshadowing?
We parked on the edge of the road near the corral and header toward the first waterfall. Right off the bat a tired and tender Gerlof missed the trout that hangs out under the ledge at the end of the plunge pool. No big deal everyone that fished there missed him. I hit the run just above the waterfall. This is the one where Randy got the big fish on the 7th (see post of the 8th for pictures of fish). I got either Randy’s fish or his twin. After my Karmaless morning I feel pretty good. Gerlof got the nice long run that always holds big fish but none that have been touched unless we count E getting a hold of Randy’s leader with a big fish on the 3rd of February! He missed it but got E’s big fish of the 7th two pools upstream. From then on it was just one of those days!
And I mean that in a good way! All the way to the second waterfall we caught one big fish after another! The run under the foot bridge produced a fish about 18 inches. The “Sure Dad” pocket produced a big fish (Editor’s note- On the 3rd I suggested to E that he hit this little side pocket. He looked at me like I’m a fool but did it maybe just to keep the old man happy. He was rewarded and I was vindicated). In fact every pool produced one or more big brown, sometime up to 4. We both caught 10 or more fish in the 18 inch and up range. My trip fish came from a plunge pool half way up the second waterfall. Measuring its length against my rod put it at just about 24 inches!
Of course no pictures since both of us had forgotten to bring our cameras. I bet if we had remembered out cameras it would not have been such a career day condensed into three hours!
It was truly amazing fishing. Tomorrow is my last full day here for this year and I’m not even going to fish. There is no way I could top this afternoon’s trip to the Upper Upper ET!
Yeah, right, the old "I forgot my camera and so did my partner." bit. Good story though.
ReplyDeleteGive a call when you're in SE Wyoming next summer. We could at least share a beer, and maybe wet a line together.
Jim