Take a look..

 at this fancy goldfish x common carp I caught on fly today. Funny thing is , I have seen this fish around this section for about 3 or 4 years now. Its growing about about 3 or 4in a year since I first saw her. This was the first time I had ever had a good shot at it up shallow and feeding though. It had some odd, Mirror like scale patterns on both sides too. I always thought that if I ever feed it a fly that those big waving fins would certianly handicap it but not so..This fish pulled like a son of a bitch and pulled out all the tricks with Concrete chunks, wood, weeds, current and undercut banks. With the shitty access I had it was quit the ordeal landing this damn fish. Suprisingly fast and agil for such an odd creature too!!  I'm guessing 12-14lbs..a really thick healthy fish.

Here is another shot ...Fish ate an Egans Headstand

Dragon flies are thick right now

Hit this milky blue pond today for two good shots. Blew both!
 

Yesterday a good friend and I went north about an hour and half. Floated a lower slow moving section of river in kick boats and cast streamers for nada. Pulled out and wade fished farther up stream for a good number of bites nymphing on into the evening. I lost a very repectable Bow! I'm not much of a nympher but I had a blast! We caught a number of pretty little wild Coastal Bows and I ate about a pound of wild berries. It was an interesting morning! Looking forward to getting back up there!

Carpin..

Reserviors have been been fishing slow as of late. Hot water on the flats and sluggish, spooky fish with dropping levels so I moved my operation for the mean time, to the creeks and small rivers..Better average quality and rarely do I run into anyone. Anyone fishing that is.  Down side is Poison Oak is everywhere I want to be. Mid morning seems to be when they move up out of the deeper holes and work over the shallow runs till about 4 and then i'm losing good light anyway. Getting one to eat is tough, but with consistantly getting good shots and being persistant one can expect a grab or two. The fish are averaging 10-15lbs with a few pigs n the high teens low 20s so the pay off can be nice. The real challenge on these creeks is landing one with the very steep banks and river bottom substrate, with a few exceptions is soft and not wadeable. Especially the closer you get to the SF Bay.  I did land a pretty blonde fish of about 12lbs the other day and broke of an absolute pig about a week ago. Horsing these fish will almost always result in a lost fish. 7-8wts are mandatory.

She stands out against a darker fish

There she is up close



I had the chance to spend the morning with Loren Elliot of http://www.lorenelliottflyfishing.com/  on the Central California Coast for Surf Stripers on the fly. I had a blast and took a pretty solid beating by the surf in the process. Ive never spent much time in the Surf despite how close I am. I'll be back for sure! I learned a lot about reading water and what not to do in just a few hours with him. The rest is just mechanics and proper gear and I can sort that out. If you find your self in the SF Bay Area during the summer give Loren a shout. He's a good angler and dude. You won't regret it! Almost time to give the Carp a rest and hit some Fall Stripers and Bass for a few weeks. Maybe throw in another Sierra trip or three. Boats have been sitting a lot this summer and I'm starting to miss being ON the water as apposed to near it.

Recent fishing

Carpin remains steady and I snuck away to the high country for Goldens and Brookies. All in all a good week!



Were pretty fortunate here in California that one could fish the surf for Stripers in the morning and be in the Sierra backcountry by dinner..This week I spent a few days in Sierras, and for the most part the fishing was ok for this time of year. With a 4wd and willingness to to hump some hills one can find some good fishing and few humans. The fishing wasn't wide open but we caught our share and had a great time. Primary target was Goldens on some small lakes but found the Brookies were looking up and the size was very repectable for Brookies in the 10,000' range. All in all a great trip!

First light

Break on the trail

Struck gold!