Well, our first trip to Broken Bow after the flood produced mixed feelings. Always seeking fish and fishing excitement, we went north to catch the first fish of the year. Accompanied by our dear friends Dawn and Jason, it was FishOn the fly time. Cody likes Broken Bow fishing; I, however, do not fish the area well, and I am not sure why. I stocked up with flies from TailWaters Fly Fishing to add to my trout box and adopted a "can catch fish" attitude.
We checked in to our Pine Meadows Cabin, now minus the teepee, cranked the temp to 104 degrees on the hot tub, rigged up our nymphing rods, and headed to Lost Creek for about an hour of fishing. Cody nymphed below the bridge getting several hits. Unfortunately, my favorite rock, on which I have always stood, and the only place I have ever caught fish in Lost Creek, no longer exists. Great. I skipped over the next hole, since a dad and son occupied it, and began to nymph my hot pink San Juan Worm with a Flashback Hare's Ear dropper. Lo and Behold, I caught a fish on my third drift! I could not believe it, and while I wanted to shout out to Cody Bell, I refrained. I figured I caught the last fish of the year, but out of at least 10 trips to Broken Bow, this was about my seventh fish ever to catch. Sad face for Cody, though; no fish Thursday night. We met up with Dawn and Jason, ate, enjoyed the hot tub, and hit the sack to get ready for Friday's fishing.
Oh, the Fishing Gods looked down on us and laughed heartily! We fished lower Spillway Creek with absolutely no luck. I had one hit. Cody spotted a hole that actually had fish, but the spillway just upstream of the hole but a bend in the line that deterred a straight sink, and I was using a 150 grain sinking line on my 4#. Cody came to the best conclusion, with the lower foot bridge gone, stocking trucks can no longer access farther upstream, and most of the fish are caught at Upper Spillway Creek at the dam's tailrace, so there seems to be few fish. I know I did not see anybody's pole bent, not even the bait chunkers using PowerBait. There are beautiful pools, lots of fast-moving water, but oh-so-few fish. We did learn Dawn hooked up with a fish--Dawn's first nymphed fish, and that was the catch-of-the-day.
Not to let the lack of fish deter us, Cody previously made dinner reservations for Abendigo's. We dressed up, enjoyed one another's company, reveled in the delicious six course meal--filet and snow crab legs. Cody Mood even ate the third course's Peach Rum Sorbet; yes, you read that correctly, Cody Mood Bell III ate a fruit! It was back to the cabin for some hot tub, champagne, wine, and ginger ale, and the fishing video EASTERN RISES. Oh, yes, Kamchatka is still on my want list, right behind #1 Mongolia. I would love to spin some deer hair and create some mouse patterns for eastern Russia! With Auld Lang Synes exchanged, it was off to bed for the "first fish of the new year." For us, catching that first fish of the year means good fishing luck for the rest of the year. The pressure was on.
Cold Hole, Lost Creek, and the start of Evening Hole changed dramatically after the flood. Personally, I am not a fan of the new Lost Creek, especially how it empties into Spillway Creek. I used to love to fish the end run of Lost Creek, and work my way back up the Canyon to the relatively quite Cold Hole. Auld Lang Syne to Lost Creek, the Cold Hole, and fishing along the Canyon. Evening Hole's beginnings are a nice improvment--good gravel bars and a nice run with trout holding. Unfortunately, those are some wise trout. I watched many people fish, and regardless of what they threw, the fish, ever-so-politely may they be, gracefully slid out of the way of the fly and returned to their spot after it/they passed by.
GirlieBugger catches Rainbow |
Getting frustrated, I decided the one place where I could catch fish--on a dry fly at that--is what we affectionately call Jonathan's hole (after DFF member and friend Jonathan Gonzalez, because he can always catch fish there), which is the second bridge below Sid's and just upstream from the Powerhouse. I was giving up on the Spillway Creek,/Lost Creek/Evening Hole area, I left Cody a note on a napkin and started walking. I made it to the Evening Hole bridge, and no one was fishing below it, it looked good, so I thought I would give it a few quick casts and be on my way. What a time to pick a spot. Using my 4# with 150 grain sinking line, I tied on one of Cody's GirlieBuggers. Third cast--FishOn, baby. Oh, yeah, the curse was off my back. Hyped from my catch, I cast again, and bigger FishOn! Rainbow had its photo snapped, but my macro feature focuses on the background, but the fish was landed. Two more casts and third FishOn! Oh, yeah, an excellent detour. I left the hole because dusk emerged, temps dropped, and my fingers were so red and numb, I kept having to look at them to see if they were there. I wish I had caught a fourth, then I could say one for each of us, and the day was good for all, but I didn't. We went in to Broken Bow to eat, watched TCU win, and planned strategy for Sunday. Still suffering from cold, I needed the hot tub, and then, I retired early. Dawn challenged us to be on the water before the sun to maximize our time.
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