Archive for March, 2009
2008 Big Fish List
Mar 18th
There are many reasons why I choose the fish I do for my big fish list. Some are huge, others have a huge story and others are so beautiful they seem bigger than life itself. So here is a look back to at some of the biggest, most beautiful fish I was privileged to witness. Congrats to those that made the list and to those that didn’t, hold the fish out farther and you might just make it in 2009.
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Dr Gillespie’s Flies
Mar 15th
- Beginner Selection (Proven flies that will catch fish)
- Dry Fly Selection
- Nymph Selection
- Emerger Seletion
- Provo River Selection (Choose the season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring)
- Green River Selection (Choose the season or hatch)
- Weber River Selection
- Cache Valley Rivers Selection
- Tibble Fork Selection
- South Fork or the Snake Selection
- Henry’s Fork Selection
- Madison River Selection
- Southern Utah Selection
- Small Streams Selection
- Back Country/Alpine Lakes Selection
- Stillwater Selection
- Terristrial Selection
- BWO Selection
- Midge Selection
- Micro Selection (Tiny #22-26s)
- Upon Special Request: Rodants Selection
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Dr G’s – 2009 Fly Fishing Gear Review
Mar 15th
Every year like all fly fishermen I make a mental wish list of gear that I wish I had. Each year I get a few new pieces of fly fishing gear that I had been wishing for and dying to get.
he Rockies have to offer. They are top of the line waders that Pro Guides use world wide. I owned the Pro Guide 2′s for two years until they finally sprang a leak in the inter leg seem. I sent them to Orvis for repair. (Under Life Time Warranty) And to my surprise they sent me a brand new pair of Pro Guide 3′s. Orvis takes care of and treats their clients better than anyone in the business, PERIOD! The 3s are everything I want in a wader. Very comfortable, breathable, lightweight and durable. The highlight of the waders is that they moved the leg seem from the inter leg where it wears from walking to directly behind the leg to stop the fix that common problem. They also added a stretchy fabric to the top part of the waders to add flexibility while casting and moving around. To top them off, the built in hand warmers are awesome in every way. So with the Orvis name you know you are getting a top quality product and company that will do anything to keep your business for life…They got me! 
. Or how about the way a felt sole falls off after a month of fishing 5 days a week. I can now say that after wearing my Korkers Streamborns for a month I will never go back to cheap Hodgmans again. My Korkers fit extremely comfortable(like reg boots), they have great installation for the winter and the water release holes are a great idea, especially for keeping water out of the drift boat. I like that they are tall to stop rocks from entering. But most of all you can beat the versatility of the replaceable soles to meet the needs of your environment. If your going to stand on your feet all day you might as well have comfortable boots, right?
d lakes, as well as summer caddis hatches and perfect for the drift boat. Like the streamborns they are versatile in the way that you can replace the soles of the environment. (they come with a rubber and felt sole, but you can even have golf and sailing soles if you want) I love the idea of only taking one shoe to hike and fish in. With the light weight design and tough look. They are the best Wet Wading Shoe/Hiking shoe on the market. 
uilt-in measuring tape, its extremely light weight, and the ability to extend (telescopic) the net when needed. One down fall is that hooks get caught in the nets material and are a pain to get out. I wish the netting was rubber, like my drift boat net. But for a personal wading net it is hard to beat for the price and the light weight. 
Pflueger Summit Reels 7/8 and 5/6: Best reel for the price, Period! In the past year I picked up three of these reels and I love them more than my more expensive reels. They are smooth and the disk drag is amazing. The gold color gives them a royal feel and large arbor pulls in line twice as fast. Great Reel
Price: $59-$79
use mine as my main fly box. It has all the flies I need for the Rockies and my favorite streams.
per slit. Great for the average joe or for certain situations and waters. I have two of these boxes and they beat most other boxes on the market. I use mine for a Alpine lake box and green river box.
Price: $25
Simms Fishing Shirts: Comfortable fishing shirts that can be worn in the office or on the stream. I found a great deal on these shirts, so I picked up 5. They all fit great and I love the long selves for cooler days and sun protection. I wear the more stylish ones to the office all the time.
boxes. I love the comfort of the pack. (It fits very firm) Highlights: Big back pack, water blatter compatible, lots of pockets, rod holders (2), removable front pockets. Cons: Small front pockets, heavy. I have been wearing these pack for a couple months now and I love it. I am always prepared with the gear I need and can carry. Great pack at a great price! Umpqua 7X & 8X Tippets: I’m usually a fluoro guy, but I like the strenght and low price of this 
fine lined tippets. I have notice much greater strenght with these tippets. Now I am not afraid to stick it to a midge eating brown. Plus the roles they come on are the best for a lanyard and keeping the line under control.
Boot Dryer Rack: I got it as a present and installed it in my garage. It allows you to hang your wet boots up for quick drying. Yes, it does work. I have noticed my boots dry much quicker now then sitting in a corner some where.
Gink Floatant: I have tried a couple other brands out there, but Gink has given me the best results. I like the simplicity and long gevity of the floatant.
ability, floatation, and movable. These things do them all and are by far the best thing that has happen to nymphing since Pheasant Tails were invented. 
“Suck, I Missed The Big One!!”
Mar 14th
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Ever time I am out fishing I hear the same fishing lingo. “Are they rising?”, “What fly did you get him on?”, “What a sweet take”, etc… However there is one phrase that never gets left out of a day on the water. “Suck, I just missed the big one!!!” is a staple for all fly fishermen in the world, its meaning can make some mad, happy and others heart broken. But in some complex way it must feel good to say it, because we say it a lot. To admit to others that you had the chance to catch a big fish and you blew it. I guess we do it because in fly fishing half the battle is getting a fish to take and in this case a wise old fish. So when we shout out “Suck, I just missed the big one!!” we are really saying “That was awesome, I just tricked a big smart trout into finally eating my fly!” So today we had one of those days on the Provo where the famous phrase was very prevalent. Hancy and I met up to fish the Midge Hatch that we knew would be coming off at a certain location between 12-3 pm. Just like clock work the big pool turned from a fish rising here and there to a boiling pot of water. Right off the bat we were hooking into fish on small midge adults. The fish were a little picker today then last weeks, (maybe the bright clear day) but we both seemed to be content with the days results.
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The fun thing about today’s fishing was the way I would hunt/target a certain fish until it would fall victim to my fly or be put down. I would spot a large fish and key in on his feeding lane. I didn’t want to waste any time with the smaller fishing rising all around. This technique proved true as I spotted a large brown trout sipping midges in the slow seem. After changing to smaller midges #26. I was able to hook and land the beautiful big spotted 19 inch brown.
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On the other hand Hancy and I both shouted “Suck, I just missed the big one” about ever 10 mins, but none of them were worst then the hog brown that taught me a great lesson. I spotted the brown as its big dark back came out of the water to eat a cluster full of midges. I though that has to be over 20 for sure. After 30 or so casts to this over sized fish I decided to give it a break and try for some easier fish. After a nice 15 incher I was ready for another try at the brown that haunted me. As the flies landed I thought “NO, I casted to far”, but to my surprise I saw a little halo in the water right where my emerger had landed, I jerked my rod back in hope of resistance…and like a lightening bolt of energy running through my body, I was in a fight up with my target. Right off the bat he took me deep and up stream to the safety of the big boulder. The fight only lasted for only 20 seconds leaving me on the bank flyless, shouting “Suck, I just missed the big one!!!”
HB 187–Bye BYE!!!
Mar 9th
I personally want to thank Bryan, Lonnie, Cor and every other supporter of
Utah Water Rights…Thank you so much for all your hard work and dermination in this noble cause…It is people like you that make me proud to be a fishermen in the great state of Utah.
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HB 187 ….DEFEATED TODAY….FINALLY!
After (3) substitutes Bills, (20) amendments, the Bill failed in the House, a 43-31vote today, March 9, 2009.
The public did the unthinkable, again. Not only did they sink the Bill the first go around, but they did it again for the second time today, 3/9/09. A great deal of determination, spirit and integrity stood up and brought down HB 187 AGAIN!!!!
HB 187 has been defeated once and for all!A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who wrote their Representatives, called, lobbied, informed, spoke out, went with out sleep, work, food and fishing to fight for something we believe in…time and time again. Even though we encountered a few bumps in the road, we all stood together to see it through till the bitter end. Today our elected Representatives spoke on behalf of the people and once again, today, the people were heard! Everyone played a big roll in this victory, congratulations and bravo for sticking it out.The next phase will be working to get a respectable Bill passed that meets on common ground, one that is reasonable to the Utah Supreme Court Ruling, and fair to all citizens. We must remain motivated and watchful in our attempt to protect our waters. Value our freedom and civil rights by taking care of our resource for generations to come.We have (2) more request.
1. Please write your Representative(s) and thank them!!. We sent thousands of emails and they answered hundreds of our calls, we need to extend our hand and say thank you! They worked hard for us; let them know you appreciate it.
2. Please use our precious resource with respect, humility and pride. Pick up that trash, repair that broken fence, mend the relationships with landowners and respect private property. We will be looked at very closely this year, let make sure we show them we are Guardians of the water and Stewards of the land. This year it’s extremely important to abide by the law and make the effort to lend a hand to landowners. This is just as important as eliminating the Bill.
Thanks again everyone, it wasn’t easy and we appreciate your honest efforts. My hat is of to you all!!!! We all came together with a unified voice…. residents and non-residents alike, extraordinary work everyone!
Well done!
See you on the water!
“EPIC DAY”
Mar 7th
So I’ve been doing some thinking about what makes an “EPIC DAY” on the water. Is it the beautiful scenery one witnesses, the time away from real life, the fish caught or is it simply the friendships we gain and share? I guess it really just comes down to who you talk to and how they see their life. To me an “Epic Day” is something personal that I keep deep inside my soul, it is the one thing that I can have that no one else can take away or share. Its very personal.
So on that note, today was what some might call an “Epic Day”. With the OK from the wife and a few texts later, I had a crew of four die hard fishermen and fisherwomen, excited to hit the Middle Provo in the morning. We arrived at our destination at 8:45 am to the surprise of complete solitude. (Weird for the provo on a Sat.) Isn’t it funny how a little cold weather forecast will scare off most anglers. As we approached the river we instantly saw little rings of joy that would make any anglers heart start beating a little faster. After tying on some little Midges (#20-22) with 7X tippet, Mallary struck first with two quick hook ups. After that was the highlight of the outing for me. I casted my flies up the shallow riffle and WHAM! on the first cast I was hooked into a fat leaping brown on 7X tippet. It tried everything possible to rub or throw the hook, but after the air show was finished the big fish came into the net. It measured a true 21 inches with a great healthy girth. I was stoked! I could have ended my day right then and been completely content. 
The key was in the presentation!!! Accurate, soft casting was crucial to get the tiny flies to a trouts feeding lane without spooking them. 
With the late addition of Big Hoss to our team. Hoss, Wayne, Mallary and myself had a blast catching feisty 14-17 inch browns until our arms were sore and our confidence was through the roof. But just as we knew it, great days must come to an end and the hatch was over and the fish went back to their beds. All we could say was “that was an amazing hatch”. So what makes an “Epic Day”? Well it’s all in the eyes of the beholder…
