Archive for August, 2009
Watch Out Fish, He’s Coming Back
Aug 21st
So I haven’t done this in the past, but I think a cool new feature would be to have an anglers spot light post every once in a while. You know give props to exceptional fly fishermen that can teach use all a thing or two by their story.
So my first spot light is my little bro Jordan “The Scientist” Gillespie
Growing Up: Jordan grew up seasonally fishing Utah’s famous stillwaters (Berry, Fish Lake) with his grandfather and family. From an early age you knew that Jordan had something special when it came to fishing. Unlike most kids that had their dads do everything for them. Jordan didn’t want any help. He wanted to figure it out and do it himself. This also rang true as Jordan unlike the other kids his age spent countless childhood hours roaming the Utah Lake shoreline (only mins from where he grew up) catching giant catfish, bass, walleye and monstrous carp.
Stepping up a level: Similar to his introduction into regular fishing, Jordan was introduced to Fly Fishing at a very 
young age. Learning and studying from his older siblings, Jordan quickly learned the secrets of fly fishing as well as tying his own flies, by the time he was 9 yrs old. Over the years of fishing with his older bros and older sis. Jordan learned to hold his own and like I 
stated before he liked to do things his way and by himself. I don’t know what exactly what he thinks, but fly fishing to Jordan is more than just a social event, it is a time to learn and grow within himself. Jordan is always the first one ready and on the river. He prefers solitude over company and if you try to fish with him he will usually slip away and find another hole or out fish you until you have had enough and leave. But there are those rare occasions that he walks the river with you and is the best fishing partner around, pushing you to be better the whole way. (Trust me there is never any brotherly competition, not!)
Skills: Jordan is known as the small stream killer. There is no small stream that he hasn’t figured out or can’t. He is a 
fanatic when it comes to using big ugly bugs and catching over sized fish with them. His favorite and most effective is a Mouse fished late at night. Apart from 
big ugly bugs, he is one of the best big dry fly fishermen I have fished with. No matter the time of year he can entice a large trout (or White Fish) to rise after his trusty PMX. The last of many skills I could mention is his casting ability. Long or short, he can hit the perfect spot followed by an effective drift. His casting proves itself every time we are out on the drift boat. He catches 3 times more fish than everyone else using the same flies and he is sitting in the back! Plus he is one heck of a fish dog trainer
Trouphy Fish: 10 pound bow caught in UT, 8 pound Walleye, 25inch Tiger Trout, 24 inch Brown on the Green River caught on a dry fly, 23 inch Cutty on the SF.
Home Waters: Provo, Green, and all surrounding small streams (condo stream)
When not fishing:Hanging out with his dog Cash, Wakeboarding, golfing, softball, b-ball, hunting, 4 wheeling, hiking, and anything else outdoors.
Coming Back: For the past two years Jordan has been off in the corn fields of Iowa serving an LDS mission. That doesn’t exactly mean he hasn’t been able to fish or make new ff friends in the Midwest. On his days off he has been able fish local bass ponds catching LM bass, walleye, crappie, sunfish, and some nice carp. He even made a friend that helped him build his first fly rod and as a gift gave him a matching Pfueger Summit reel. Come next week he is going to be back putting a hurt on Utah’s trout, like he never left. He already has planned two days on the Provo and 4 days on the Green for the first week he is home. I think he is a little excited to be back in the Rockies…
Iowa Bass
Jords Custom Rod: “True Disciples Fish”
Hear ye! Hear ye!
Aug 20th
My good friends over at the Frenzy asked my to put this up. There really was no need to ask, I am always willing to help out. Please read and help out if you can.
Frenzy Nation,
We have hesitated putting this up on the blog due to the fact we don’t want to over step our bounds, but we do think using our Frenzy Blog and networks on Facebook and Twitter to do good is something that most will understand.
We are trying to help raise money for the International Rett Syndrome foundation. Bill Farnum, a friend of ours has a daughter with Rett Syndrome. Rett Syndrome is a unique neurodevelopmental disorder which begins to show its affects in infancy or early childhood and is actually a condition that has the potential to be improved or cured. We, along with many others are attending a fly fishing event August 27th & 28th in Teton Springs to raise money for International Rett Syndrome Foundation and to help bring awareness to this cause.
We are asking anyone willing to please donate $10 to the cause. Please visit www.casting4acure.com to read more about Rett Syndrome and how Bill is doing good in this world.
If you want to donate we can send you a money request via PayPal, you could send a check or click the donate button below. For anyone that donates the International Rett Syndrome foundation will send you a donation receipt in the mail.
Again, please understand our intentions are to promote a great cause using the resources of the web and social media. We do understand things are tight in this economy and appreciate you even considering.
The Perfect River
Aug 12th
This past Saturday with the colder than normal weather, I took a break from the wakeboarding and hit a stretch of trout water that I can now call one of my new favorites. Its scenery is breathtaking, I only saw one other angler all day, it comprises most of native trout, its water is crystal clear and the fishing can be as technical as you want it. So what more can you ask for in the perfect stream? It really is a special place and needs to be preserved and respected. This is about as perfect a trout stream gets here in Utah. The weather was less than ideal for big dry and dropper, but that didn’t stop the hungry mountain trout from devouring my PMX and PT. I had always wondered what this stretch of river had to offer, but always found myself either fishing before it or below it. I guess that’s what most of the fishermen do by pure negligence to the other great waters that surround it. I started the day walking about 3 miles of the river to get away from anyone and everyone. I wanted this day to be me, the river and the fish. I don’t know why, but sometimes I just get that way. I really wanted to fish for Cutthroats with dries and everything else came second hand. As I approached the first decent run, I cast my flies into the lower section of the run and bam! A fish caught me by surprise as it launched itself after my floating flies. I had done it! 
I had fulfill my days desire exactly like I wanted to. After that I worked my way upstream working all the fishy spots catching Cutts and Browns along the way, but a few hook-ups stick out a little more than others.
The big surprise of the day was right at the base of a little waterfall. There was a little open slot (maybe 2×2) between big boulders that looked like they could hold a fish. Bubbles covered the surface, so as I went to lift my rod to recast I notice some pressure and then a big head came out of the water. I instantly realized I had a huge cutty on. It rapped me around the rear by log, then shot across the stream and wrapped my fly line around my pole and then like a train it shot down stream and snap! It was easily pushing 20 and an eye opening experience to be under control from now on. (because this stream does hold some surprises) The next cast to the above run produced a very nice brown. Go figure…
As I was working my way up stream I noticed a nice little run on the opposite side of the stream. It wasn’t very deep, maybe a foot, but it had an off color bottom and overhanging bushes making it likely that a fish would hang out waiting for the next grasshopper or beetle to fall in. I got into position, made an OK cast and just like it should of , a nice cutty rose slowly and inhaled my PMX. It was as picture perfect as you can get.
The next bend in the river presented what once was a very large beaver dam that had been blowout creating the best hole in the river. I as 
analyzed the hole I noticed what I though was a log, was really a fish sitting about haft way down in the water column. I crawled up the bank to get a birds eye view and with a better view I noticed that the hole had two nice fish working its main current. After studying them I decided to give my dropper a couple more feet and with that I casted my flies into the run. As they drifted over the feeding fish, one of the fish moved up, instinct set in and I set the hook and had a nice brown on the other end. After letting the run settle for a min I could see that the other larger fish was still working the upper end of the run. I tried to make multiple casts at the fish but only catching the side of the old beaver dam and breaking off my outfit. After a new outfit I cast my flies to what I thought was too far left in the eddy, but out of no where the larger fish moved over and grabbed hold of my pheasant tail and gave me a great fight through the old logs of the beaver dam. It ending up being the most beautiful native cutthroat I had caught all day. As it danced in the water the reds, oranges, greens, and tans were as brillant as they were intended to be. 
I would have to say that the highlight of the trip was some of takes I had while site fishing my way back. The first was a cutty in really shallow flat water, it was sitting on the bottom of the stream. I thought my cast would for sure spook it, but just like some of the other takes it moved up a couple feet to eat the dropper and the fight was one and off with in seconds…The last was just before I got back to the car. I spotted a rising fish and as I got closer I saw what I thought was a nice cutty. I casted up to it, but only had a take from a tiny fish. I tried a couple more casts in different seams, but with one last desperation try I cast back to where I saw the fish. The water turned and the large trout hammered my pmx in less that a foot of water. As it raced by me I noticed it wasn’t a cutty, but an oversized brookie. I got all excited, but it was short lived as it ran under a log and snapped the line. It was OK…I was fulfilled. It really was a perfect day of fishing on a perfect little trout stream.
Picture of the Week #3
Aug 12th
Picture of the Week: My older Bro Jeremy Gillespie got this awesome picture just before my last cast on a high country lake…Props Bro!
Quick-N-Easy
Aug 12th
I haven’t done much lunch fishing over the years, but an afternoon on the river is a great stress reliever when things are sometimes not going as planned or maybe you are just jonesing to fish a local pmd hatch, either way its a great way to spend a lunch break. Last friday I was able to sneak away from the office and spend an hour up on my favorite afternoon section of the LP. The Bikini hatch was thicker than the PMDs and Caddis, but that didn’t stop a couple hungry trout from making me look good in front of a couple hole crowders. 
Gotta love some fishermens eithics, when it comes to how close is too close, but maybe they hadn’t caught anything all day and want a few tips??? Who knows, its not for me to judge…In fact after they asked what the trick was, it was a rewarding experience to share with them a couple flies and ways to fish shallow riffles as I had to run back to the office.
Product Of The Week #2
Aug 12th
Product of the Week #2
The Torrent combines the breathability and lightweight comfort of a sandal with the support of an athletic shoe. With a closed toe and a protective heel counter the Torrent is built for action. Sporting quick drying, breathable air mesh uppers, the Torrent will keep your feet feeling cool all day, despite warm temperatures.