Spring Trip to Lake Alice, Wyoming

When you are fishing high country lakes and get into a competition to see who could find a hook that doesn't catch fish, you know you are on a trip to remember!  This was definitely one of those days.  This trip was with my brother in law, Cody Anderson, of Richmond, UT and his son, Thayne, in late May.  The weather in Logan, UT that day was quite warm and we left the valley prepared for colder weather but hoping for the best.  We got into the snow about the time we passed through Cokeville, Wyoming and it just kept coming down. By the time we reached the trail head we were into some deep, fresh snowfall.  Although it was late afternoon when we arrived we decided to take the short hike into Lake Alice.  We were glad we did! When we got to the lake we could see clusters of cutthroats balled up right on the shoreline and they were as aggressive as cutthroats ever get. A modest estimate of the number of fish we caught that afternoon was 60 fish.  None were of any significant size but we had a great time pulling in one after another.

That night, after hiking all day in the falling snow, we were unable to get any dry tinder for a campfire and ended up sleeping in our wet clothes.  To say it was a long night is an understatement!  The next morning, still chilled to the bone and soaking wet, we decided to go back for more. The lake was absolutely beautiful after the snowfall the night before. Once again, the fish were stacked up against the west side and very aggressive. We caught fish on everything we threw in the water! Jigs, spoons, spinners, nymphs, dry flies... it did not matter!  I had a great time with Cody and Thayne and hopefully we can line up another trip this spring.

The Trip that Started it All

We hadn't fished lake trout much this winter at Flaming Gorge until we had heard that some friends had caught a couple great fish through the ice in an area that we had been waiting for to freeze over.  Our schedules finally matched up and I was able to talk my little brother Tony into getting out on the ice. Tony and I are very competition when it comes to fishing but no matter what we always have a good time.

 The first area we fished was slow but we saw a few fish moving through the area.  I had one good hit right off but the new knot I was testing to connect my monofilament leader to my braided line snapped at the hook set.  We readjusted with a new knot and got back to work in no time flat! Tony's fish locator also wasn't working quite right and after a few hours of not catching fish and fighting a steady 30 mph wind we had enough.  We decided that we needed to get the "skunk" out of our sleds and spend some time focusing on rainbows. After a few more hours with no hook ups we almost gave in and went home.  Good thing we didn't. The place we were fishing rainbows was near an area that I had scouted out while fishing in the boat a few years earlier and I remembered we had seen a lot of fish in the area.  Unfortunately, we didn't bring the GPS and couldn't find the exact numbers so we just started wandering around on the ice in the general direction we thought the spot was in.   Eventually we found an old hole someone had drilled days before. After checking the depth and terrain of the area with the fish locator I decided that we might just be close enough to the area I initially set out for. 
(A good trick I learned years ago that saves your strength and keeps your auger blades sharp is to take a water bottle with you and just pour a couple teaspoons of water on clear ice and put your transducer directly to the ice and let it transmit.  Usually you can transmit through the ice to get an idea of the depth you are standing over.  I will often write the depths next to each spot I check to get a feel for the underwater terrain and to find rises or drop offs.  Believe it or not but I have actually been able to see fish near the bottom when transmitting through the ice! Go Humming Bird fish finders!)

We dropped our gear and we immediately had fish move in all around us. This was somewhat surprising due to the lateness of the day but seeing that many fish was encouraging. Both of us started getting bites immediately but we just could not hook up. For some reason the fish weren't taking our jigs right. I reeled up several times to check the jig body expecting to find bite marks but every time they came up unmolested. They seemed to be just grabbing the tails below the hook or just slapping them with their tails.  Finally, around 4:30 in the afternoon I hooked up this good fish.  We continued having hits until just before dark but we weren't able to hook into any more that night.  It was just amazing to see the number of fish in that area that continued to move through for hours.  Sometimes eight fish would come by in one big group.  You could see them chase your jigs as you would real up and drop back through them but they just wouldn't attack like you might expect.  All this turned around in a huge way on the next few trips that we went to in that spot... Stay tuned! 

Fishers of Men: Dominion Over the Fish

Calintaan, Mindoro Isand, Philippines

Sundays are a day for me to go to church, relax, and spend time with the family. Like many of you I try my best to keep the Sabbath day holy and to focus on others.  I rarely, if ever, fish on Sundays as my way of honoring the designated day to rest from our labors.  I also enjoy reading from the scriptures and other inspirational literature which I strive to do every day but especially on Sundays.  Often I run into quotes that strike me and cause me to ponder.  A recent one was from the Book of Genesis. In the first few chapters we learn about the creation of the earth. From Genesis 1:20-21 we learn, "God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life... and God saw that it was good."  God decreed it and it was done; He made the fish in the seas.  In verse 26, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea..."       Now, isn't that interesting?  The very next phrase that God spoke after he created Adam was in connection with his responsibility and stewardship to the fish of the sea.  I don't know about you but I think I will see to it that I will follow that charge and exercise my dominion over the fish of the sea!  Fishing pretty much comes down to obedience, really.  I'll tell that to my wife next time I want to go fishing!

Beach near Naic, Philippines

The Perfect Day with Dad

It's not every day that you get to spend time on the ice with one of your hero's of all time.  Over the years I have had some great fishing trips with dad. Trips in both Alaska and on the flaming Gorge have been burned into my memories. On this particular day, I took a day off work in the middle of the week to go on this fishing trip because my family had incredible success fishing just a few days before.  My little brothers and dad caught a pile of great Lakers in an area we just started fishing toward the latter end of the freeze.  I had sent some of my rod set ups and my fish locator with them one day when I had to be at work. Of course, that was when they really layed into the fish. They caught over 10 fish that day (which is the focus of another post) and they sent me text messages and pictures all day.  It was killing me!  It's one thing to be out-fished by your brothers but when they were using your gear and were fishing in the exact holes you were fishing in a few days before while you are at work... that's just wrong!   I couldn't handle it so I made arrangements that day to have people fill in for me at some meetings at work the following day and I took it off. 

That was one of the best decisions I have made this year! When we first got on the ice dad immediately dropped in the hole he fished the morning before.  I returned to the hole I drilled a few days earlier and I set up my Humming Bird fish finder and dropped a line.  Seconds later my fish finder started beeped and shut off!  I was dead in the water!  Without a good fish finder I felt handicapped and on this day I just couldn't afford any delays. I had my honor to defend!   Right then, I mean as soon as I pulled my fish locator apart to change the batteries,  dad hooked up on a good fish and he started hoopin' and laughin'... just rubbing it in.   I fumbled with the locator and had it back in action in no time.  A short time later I finally got my first hit of the day.  I was so tense and pumped up from the self-induced competition with my brothers that my wrists and forearms snapped quicker than a rat trap. Unfortunately, my reel had iced up without me noticing and when I jerked to set the hook my rod doubled over, my reel not slipping enough drag, and crack! It snapped in two!  That was a brand new rod just on its second day out!  The funny thing about it is that when it snapped I instinctively grabbed the line by hand and tried to set the hook again but to no avail.  The fish was gone.  I learned long ago to always bring a backup rod so this little setback didn’t cost me much fishing time. 

To make a long story short we caught 7 fish: two around 5 lbs, three in the 15-20 lbs range, one at 25 lbs, and one toad that came in over 35 lbs.  I still think that fish might have been pushing 40 lbs but we threw them all back.   I had a great time with dad and don’t let him tell you anything different… he got out-fished by his boys two days in a row!  Thanks dad lets go again soon!

To Put it in Perspective

Sometimes pictures just don't do any of us justice.  Such is the case with this big Mac until you compare it with my 3 year old daughter, Carly. Laying next to the same rod makes it easier to gain an appreciation of the size of this fish.  Carly is a good sport there is no doubt about it.  Oh and she weighs in at 30 lbs and about 4 inches shorter than this fish.  By the way this fish appears to be bleeding from the gills, I assure you that the diluted blood is actually coming from the location where he was hooked just inside his upper jaw.  He was only out of the water for about 15 seconds total and took off like a rocket once he hit the water!

 

Also, my hand spans almost 11 inches from the tip of my little finger to the tip of my thumb.  Oh and that is a 10 inch hole we pulled him out of and released him through.   Whats the formula for the circumference of a circle? C= d*3.14?  If so that would put the girth of this fish some where in the upper twenty to low thirty inch range.

On Thin Ice

After several attempts, Paul and I finally were able to get together and make in out on the ice. The ice was about five inches thick but after a week of warm temperatures and a strong breeze the quality and strength of the ice was deteriorating quickly.  We fished for just over an hour when we decided that our safety was at stake and we called it a day.  Good thing we left when we did because on the way back the ice had cracked and begun to separate.  The thrill of catching great fish like these can be taken away by a tragic accident or a cold swim in icy water. Fish hard but be safe!

 

 

2/17/2014 "Todd took me out fishing for lake trout. The ice was questionable, but Todd reassured me the risk would be worth the reward. The ice seemed fine as we walked out. We got to Todd’s spot and he showed me how to correctly jig for the big lakers. Todd handed me the rod and said to keep jigging while he set up another pole. I had only been jigging about 10 minutes when I felt that unmistakable tug. I’ll never forget the feeling of setting that hook and feeling the weight of the fish down below. After about a 15 minute fight, we were able to pull him out of the hole. It was an incredible experience, one I will not soon forget. Now back to the ice… after about an hour of being there the ice really starting popping. Cracks were running past us and we decided it was time to call it. As we were walking back to the trucks the ice got worse, a pressure ridge with now open water had opened up that we had to cross, there were some tense moments, but it was all part of the experience! Todd’s knowledge of catching big lake trout was truly a sight to see. Thanks Todd"

-PRJ

 

Mine's so big I have to hold it with both hands!

43'' laker at the Flaming Gorge! This beauty was in the 40+ lbs. range and no I was not using jack russell terriers for bait...

Big Lakers and Little Ice Hole's

Ice Fishing Middle Piney, Wyoming Range

Ice fishing with Kolby and Dru Rollins on Middle Piney Lake. Bitter cold, windy, and clear skies, it just doesn't get any better than this! We caught 28 lake trout while fishing at 130 ft.  Gear: Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Reel, Power Pro Line, Gitzit Tube Jigs, Humming Bird Fish Finder, Badlands Backpacks, Jet Boil...