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6/17/12

Spawning Cutthroat (Different Spot)

Needing to visit another area that we've missed, my family and I drove out to the Wasatch Plateau and enjoyed an afternoon hike, some cutthroat fishing, and some small tiger trout at Huntington Reservoir.

One of my favorite creeks out there showed even more promise than usual and I found an area that was loaded with big spawners, just like my pond from last week.  The only difference was that these cutts were very spooky.

I had a hunch that this particular spot would be prime.  Try and count the dark spots.  Many were between 17-21 inches.  Talk about luck!


At first, they were quick to attack my offerings (jigs), then I had to get a little bit more creative with a failed attempt at flies, then finally connecting on a small brookie pattern Rapala.

The largest of the day broke me off and was quite nice, very thick, and painted with the whole easel.  Such a shame that it didn't make it to my hand and even worse that it has to mess with a jig in its lip for awhile.  Hopefully it can work it out of there and continue to eat well.

There were several that I was able to trick, but I only took photos of the largest ones.


Kind of an odd head shape.

This next one had been caught before.


In one hole, some of them must not have seen me or cared much that I was there, so I took an opportunity to get some quick footage of them in the water.



Nothing special, but it was fun that they stuck around while I messed with them.

On the way home, we stopped at Huntington to test our luck.  The small town along the dam reported very slow fishing, but we were able to get a few tigers to hand, the largest being 16 inches.

It was a great day and we enjoyed ourselves.  I'm really glad my wife caught a fish and feel very fortunate to find such nice cutthroat two weeks in a row.


Happy Fishing, Humans.


(PS: Happy Father's Day to all you Papas out there!)

Some Background...

WHY FISH?

Why not go jogging, hit the gym, start a garden or whatever it is that normal humans do? What's so fascinating about these slimy little creatures that live in the water?

Fishing is a bit more to me than a hobby or a sport. It's an essential part of life that helps me connect with the Earth in ways similar to the long-practiced traditions of mankind. Wherever man has had a water source, there has been fishing.

It's only natural.

Happy Fishing, Humans.