Nice Hatch Tonight

 Dalt caught one on his first cast...

 Here he is in all his glory. Not 100% sure what these suckers story is but we always seem to catch at least one. Maybe they are more prevalent along this stream?

 Had a first tonight. Caught a rainbow...

 Beautiful colors and that means there are Browns, Cutty's, Rainbows and Suckers in this creek...

 This was the fish of the day...

 He was a jumper and Dalt caught him in some shallower water.

 Nice little Brown.

 Another nice little Brown.

 Struggled getting the fly out on this one.

 There we go

Really nice fish!

We saw Caddis coming off for a short period this evening. Along with the ever present midge. We saw several rises throughout the night and it seems summer is very close. Caught probably a dozen and the fishing was on. 

Thanks!

Chris Giles

Worth Posting Some Pictures

 Caught this beauty after a hands and knees stock. 

 Good way to start the weekend.

Thanks for the photo Frisch!

Chris Giles

Dancing Cranes

 When I was gearing up I could hear the familiar sounds of calling cranes. I scanned the field below me but I couldn't spot them. I forgot about them as I rigged up and as I was walking down to the stream they scared the hell out of me as I was walking....

 They were very close to me and they didn't spook so I sat and watched as they tried to impress each other with their moves.

 They were hopping up and down flapping their wings making lots of noise.

 Once they realized I was watching they starting strutting away all the while doing their dance. Pretty cool to sit and watch all of that unfold. 

 Fishing was okay and I caught a sucker in the first hole and this handsome brown in a faster run.

 Very fat and healthy.

 He seemed to fight pretty hard diving for undercut banks. It took a while to get him in.

 There are some great fish in this small creek but they are very hard to catch. I ended up with two browns and that sucker and I consider those numbers a successful day on this stretch. 

 I noticed there was another guy following me with his two dogs. I fished for a solid half hour and as he closed the distance between us he realized he was fishing behind me. As I worked a bend he sneaked by me and started fishing a few holes up ahead of me. It must have been his first time out though because where I am from you should at the very least walk further up stream to leave some water for the guy that was already fishing. What a Dick!

 This stream does not produce well under pressure and as a result I didn't even get another bite. I called it a day and walked back to the truck.

Nice water but again very tough fishing. Glad to get out and get a good one though. The Cranes were also very cool to observe.

Thanks,

Chris Giles

Fly Fishing For Browns in Red Rock Canyons

 Over the weekend my family and I went to Moab. We went right around this time last year and we took a walk through town on a path along Mill Creek. During that walk I couldn't help but look at different runs and pools and wonder if trout could carve out a living in this desert stream. Before this years trip I did a little research and found out that trout do reside in the creek. That's all I needed to know so I packed my gear just in case I got an opportunity to throw a few flies.

I took the family up to the trail head so we could hike around for a while. As I drove up I noticed a sign that said "ATTENTION ANGLERS". This was a cut and dry sign that people did fish the creek and I felt myself getting stoked....

 A shot of one of the clear pools...

 Me side tracked looking for rising fish...

 Looking down stream.

After our hike we went and played at the park and then out to Potash Road for a picnic. We then headed back to the motel for naps. Ashley, very sweetly suggested/implied that I could go fish if I wanted while the kids took naps... So I loaded my gear and took off (Thanks Babe!).

 Fully entrenched in Derek Grzelewski's "The Trout Diaries- A Year of Fly-Fishing in New Zealand" I sat up on this cliff intent on spotting a rise or a sitting fish...

 Same cliff looking upstream. I didn't see any surface activity and I surmised that with such clear water they probably have to keep a low profile. Just then the unmistakable sound and site of a King Fisher zoomed past me noisily make his call, working his way up stream.... Looking for a Brown on the beach I am sure. 

So I changed up my thought process on rig selection and settled on a mini indicator with three feet of 4X tippet with a size 16 bead head nymph. 

 As I was working the first hole I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye and when I looked down I spotted a Craw Dad at my feet... Look close.

 I hooked a small one in this pool and lost him. It felt amazing though and I was excited to feel the thrill of hooking into a fish on a new river.

 I caught this one in the next pool. The rig seemed to be working and it was a hard fighting fish.

 It wasn't tiny either...

 Looks fishy heh? See the mini indicator and the fish fighting in the pool?

 Snapped a few pics while we fought.

 Another beauty...

Pretty light skinned with vibrant dots. In an desert environment like this only the lightest survive... Over a few decades you a have a population that tends to be lighter? The more I fish in different colored water the more I think that is true. Could be something to it... Maybe not.

After naps I took the family back to this same stretch and we all took a swim in the deepest hole we could find. This water is clear and cold run off from the La Sal range and it makes for perfect swimming on a hot day. It also makes for great fish habitat...

What a trip casting for Browns in a red rock canyon. I can only imagine what hopper season would be like on this hidden gem. Highly enjoyable and I would recommend finding a spot like this during your travels.

Thanks,

Chris Giles