Infected with the Fever

News Alert....Cabin Fever is nearing epidemic levels and is wide spread across the fishing world.  I knew I was infected on Monday when I started making grand plans of driving all over the Country fishing in Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Louisiana...No, not 1 state, I was planning on fishing in all of them in 3 days.  I had a major case of Cabin Fever.  I get this way every March (no matter how much I fish during the year I can't build up an immunity).  It struck me early this year, January!  Luckily, reality punched me in the face and a bad decision got a black eye.  Otherwise you'd be reading about interesting bumper stickers, funny license plates, and getting a traffic report.  **Bad decision is in training and a rematch is scheduled for March!!**  Only known therapy is to get out and wet a line!!

treatment is a nice ~20" Bown - 1st fish

The weather has been down right, spectacular!!  The lows aren't too much fun, low 30's at night, ignore the lows!!!  Focus on the highs...HIGHS were near 70F!!!  All this over a 3 day weekend meant a camping trip wasn't avoidable.  It's only 3.5 hours to Heber Springs and I knew the LRR could treat my fever.  I decided to camp 2 nights at JFK park and reap the full benefit of treatment.  (Ironic since it was MLK holiday weekend)  Relief was almost instant, as I was driving over the dam I was greeted to an amazing sunset.

Only held phone up and snapped w/o looking - got lucky and captured it

 I packed lite so setting up camp was a breeze.  In under an hour, I was sitting by a fire, checking the generation schedule, and drinking a cold one.

Remember when I said, ignore the lows...don't listen to me.  At 5am when everything had a layer of ice on it, I was very much aware of the temp.   Gearing up isn't an option in my 2 person tent and I was dressing for a 30F start, warming to 65F...That meant stripping and redressing in the cold, short sleeves on 1st followed by cold gear to be removed as needed. Coffee not required for a jolt when you have freezing body parts.  

Jumped in the truck and headed to the river.  The COE was not running any water today so I was planning to fish all day.  I would head up river throwing streamers in fast water as the sun came up and nymph my way back after lunch.  Then back to the articulated stuff as the sun left.  It's fun to make a plan...plans are what keep you from being unprepared.  Back to that in a moment.

The morning started just like I planned.  I went to a spot I knew had a deep run and pulled 2 nice Browns from that run before 9am.  My fever was diminishing with every cast and I was feeling great.  I wasn't in a hurry.  I packed up about 9:30 and started up river.  The sun was getting high and the bite was getting slower but I was suffering from streamer fever now and I couldn't put the meaty stuff away.  I knew the areas that would be best for streamer work so I paddled past a bunch of water that would be great for nymphing later.

Throwing streamers isn't the way to load the boat and today wasn't different.  Caught a few more bows but that's it...just a few fish before lunch.  They were some hard fighters and I was pumped to pull 2 nearly 20" browns.

Took a break around lunch time, grabbed come calories.  Checked in at home...just enjoying the day.  When all of the sudden, I feel something crash into my leg.  I turn and there's my kayak, guess it's ready to leave.  The island it had been resting on was an underwater island now.  Confused I grabbed my phone and called the COE...guess they didn't follow their plan and pooped on mine.  They had turned on a unit for 2 hours earlier and that water reached me just when I got to my favorite place to wade.  Thanks for the warning.  I wasn't expecting the rise in water and wasn't prepared...as such I was lucky to be standing by my kayak.

Wasn't the end of the world, some moving water increases feeding activity...at least that's what I read in my library of fishing magazines or watched or was told, can't remember where the knowledge came from.  But plan "B" was in action.  I go into fly fishing ninja mode.  I'm drifting...slinging at the bank, ripping, and stripping wait'n for that monster Brown to eat.  Hold on it's about to get real!!  Envision, full sinking line all over my feet, under the kayak, all up in my rudder...did I say "ninja" mode.  I meant "GB Packer" mode in the last 2 minutes of the NFC championship game.  It was both comic and tragic!  Full sink and kayaks don't go well together...at one point I managed to tie the Cuda in the perfect improved clinch knot.  If only I could do that with my SH's (1 hackle always finds a way into the knot)!!?

So plan "C" if you will introduce yourself...say what...this will be on the fly, fly fishing!  Put the big stuff away and drifted an indicator until I found a place to wade.  So much fun watching my kayak with 1 eye (afraid it would lift and drift).  While watching my indicator with the other eye.  I did manage a few more bows on the way out.  Eventually, plan "C" became plan "D", paddle out and wade below the dam!!

Had a good time below the dam.  Not many people fishing and found a few small bows.  The campground was pretty empty over the weekend.

Made a quick dinner and a new plan for the morning.

Dinner w/ a side of beer can corn

Plan was to head further down river and avoid the water that was projected to run for 4 hours on Monday.  That would give me about 6 hours of low flow fishing.

Started the same as Sunday throwing a streamer in fast moving water.  It wasn't long before I had a beautiful brown in HAND...I say that b/c I had a net when I started wading...it's clearly visible in my pictures...but when I went to use it, it wasn't where I left it.

Wasn't here for long and eased back into the water

Didn't go far and got another eat from this nice bow!!!

The sun got high, a few boats ran through my water, just some excuses on why I didn't pull any more from that great run.  So I opted for the 5wt and nymphed the last few hours and lost count of the stockers.  They were eager to take soft hackles, and midges.

Around noon I started heading back to the truck.  I was about 1/2 a mile away when the water started to rise.  As luck would have it, I spotted my net floating in some slack water.  Nice to have it back!!!  After this weekend I'm feeling revived, not cured!  Cabin Fever has no cure, but when the fever returns I know what I'll need to do...get some therapy!!!
  

Tale of 2 days (Dec 31 and Jan 1)

Family travel over the holidays meant I had a couple days to kill after the gatherings.  Had a grand plan of packing camping gear and getting lost on a new river but after a few phone calls trying to convince the less extreme anglers I hang with, they convinced me to stay local, Little Red again!

Day 1 (Dec 31, 2014)

Monday was a late night, gift opening, festivities, and WAY too much excitement...talking about babies, disney world, what to do with pets over the holidays!  Wasn't long before I was day dreaming about a drift and able to excuse myself from the conversation.  Got in touch with the 1st victim, to make sure we were still rolling.  But the coldish 25f start and forecast of 35f for the high on Tuesday was enough to change his mind.

New plan, solo voyage and need a shuttle.  So I called a buddy (Thx Tom!!) that lives close to the river and he was willing to help as long as I was early...don't have to worry about that...I'm late for some things (ex, anything immediately following a trip)...but fish'n isn't usually one of them.

Day started at 4am, coffee, pack some calories...AWESOME left overs from the celebration the night before.  I'm sitting in my truck at 4:15am watching the ice melt off the window!! Forecast was pretty accurate.  The hour long drive always seems to take 3 hours, but I arrived on time and as predicted...so I guess it's just an hour.  Unload, upload, and we're heading to swinging bridge before 6am.  He drops me off in the empty parking lot, and wishes me luck.  As he's leaving the only other person I'll see on the river pulls up and unloads his gheenoe (those are nice look'n boats).  We'll pass each other repeatedly all day and share relevant fish inTALE!









First thing I noticed after I get started was the water had a little more flow....gonna start with a streamer.  Last trip I had to walk the 1st shoal but not today.  I slide right down past the boulder field and stop at a good fall out.  Had some success here last trip but not today.  Streamer wasn't working, after 25 mins I departed for a new location.  I was set on throwing the streamer for the 1st 3 hours...but it never produced.  Some days you just have to feed'em what they want.  Obvious problem was figuring out what they wanted.

I switched to a soft hackle but they didn't want it.  Managed a few but what I remember most was dropping my reel in the water while releasing a bow and having to reach in elbow deep to retrieve it.  It's a guides icing over, paddle freezing to the webbing, kind of day.  It was a great experience, give it a try sometime!!! Still haven't found a consistent pattern so I switched again....and again...and again.  Finger tips are numb so it's pretty easy and I quickly accomplish this simple feat.  Feeling frustrated, I had no clue what the trout wanted, but I wanted an early lunch and needed to warm my hands up.  Time for an intermission!!

The day needed some chocolate cake.  Was beginning to think cake was going to be the highlight!!

Break must have been the answer b/c after lunch I found a descent midge feed...and decided to feed'em what they wanted.  It lasted about an hour and was very intense...or as intense as drifting a midge under an indicator can be.  But it was working so I kept doing it.

Trout would popcorn the surface for 20 mins and rest for 10 mins or so before repeating.  I managed to sneak out far enough that I was nearly in the middle of the action.  Fortunately, I found a few browns...and missed a good one.  So my interest in indicator drifting stayed hi.

Next gen. brown

That bite went stale.  Jumped back in the cuda and changed the venue.  My interest in eagle eyeing an indicator was giving me a headache.  So I opted for a small streamer and managed a few more bows.

  

Began to notice that my attention was more on my surroundings and not fishing.  Sure sign it's time to paddle out when you start taking pictures of the bank and other scenic views.  Thankfully, I avoided scoping out vegetation...nothing wrong with that (if it's your thing)...but I'm more of a fish guy.

Had a mile or so to paddle and this to summit so I started the journey back around 2pm.

The "Summit" (dragging is for quitters - carry it on your head!)

Packed it up and headed to the in-laws for more calories and a warm-up.  

Day 2, (Jan 1, 2015)

Started much the same way day 1 started, sketchy weather forecast, calling for near freezing temps and 100% chance of rain all day.  My brother was day 2 victim.  But he pointed out the fine print (fair weather fisher) in his fishing buddy contract and opted out.  I went to bed New Years eve thinking I would just play it by ear and see what it looked like in the morning.  Woke up and it's all wrong...no rain...temp 38f...overcast and fishable in every way!!!  So I loaded up and got on the road faster than firefighters responding to a fire at the Playboy Mansion.  My wife even mention my fish brain, as she gave me a hug she noticed I was already shaking with excitement.  It was 10am and I was just now leaving...that's not excitement, more desperation to get gone, b/c I only had half a day to fish.  An hour later and I was RUNNING my cuda and gear down the "summit".  Plan to paddle up to where I left off last trip and float back throwing streamers in the overcast afternoon.

New net I purchased from BP with gift cards

Didn't take long to get gone and the rain started soon after.  Paddled into a crazy midge frenzy and spent a little time auditioning unsuspecting trout.  

Camera does its own thing sometimes, sorry.  Just turn the computer upside down.

Not many pictures b/c of the time I had on the water but it was easily a fish every cast afternoon...until I needed to paddle up river so I could float back as it got dark.  So I left fish in hopes of finding that 1 good fish!!

Message on a can (better than a message in a bottle)

Stopped to rest a few times and enjoyed a cold beverage...speaks to me for sure!!!  Noticed a few river dwellers but not another sole on the river, 2 guys at the walk-in access.

River Otter playing in the river

Deer crossing the river

Not sure why there weren't any other people on the river.  The weather was perfect for fishing and I was rewarded for getting out.  I covered 2.5 miles of river and was ready to start throwing at timber.  It's getting dark and the rain has gotten heavier...just the terrible weather I was hoping for.  Attached the meat whistle to the end of 6ft of 2x and presented to some heavy rock formations across the river.  Few casts in and I had a good brown on.  It wasn't meant to be and he spit the hook.  Drifted down and hooked up again...this time it's a monster.  I presented beside a large root wad and saw a giant flash dart out.  I set and he runs under the root wad...a moment later...snap, he takes the meat whistle, must have wrapped me!!  It was fantastic, only regret was throwing the 5wt and not my 8wt...just didn't have the backbone to pull him out of that cover!!  He schooled me!!

Nice brown.  The bows earlier were 12-14 inches...to give an idea of its length

I Kept drifting and slinging 4"s of fluff at the timber.  It's always more fun to hook up...but getting the follow and the subsequent "stank eye" from a few more nice browns was awesome and I would have gone home happy with just those few events.  But it was a streamer day and the last fish was icing on the cake!!  Same pattern...timber and quick strips away from the timber.  If you hung around long enough, you get to see the worst picture of the best fish!!!

Quick get away.

Last brown was ~19"s, wouldn't fit in the net easily.  I attempted the grip and grin, but he was ready to go.  I only hold fish over water and use a light grip.  So as soon as he started to struggle I had no chance of holding him w/o hurting him...this is the picture I have...I love it!!!! 

Paddled back in the dark and pouring rain and carried everything back up the "summit", fun!  The afternoon ended splendidly.  I'm ready to do it again, and in worse conditions!!  My wife thinks I need an intervention b/c I "believe" I'm having fun.  I love streamer fishing, and I know it's fun!!

Secret to surviving the holidays is....!!?? LRR - TR

Found some time over a busy weekend of last minute shopping and visiting with family to sneak away and spend an afternoon on my favorite Ozark tailwater.  Here's how it all unfolded.  I got a call from my uncle Thursday afternoon, he wanted to go float the Little Red River, and wanted to know when I was going again.  I didn't have anything planned until January but since it was a family event, figured I could convince my wife it was a good idea.  All she asked was that I spend Saturday with her in North Little Rock finishing our shopping.  That may not sound like much...but trust me, it's a fair trade.  I hate traffic, shopping, and crowds...multiply that x100 on the weekend before xmas...and I made a real sacrifice.  Seriously, ever been in Toys-R-Us, 5 days before xmas...I think it's possessed...normal people do CRAZY things in that store.  I maintained my sanity (relative, I'll admit) by keeping my mind completely focused on one thing...FISH'N.  That's my secret.

Having narrowly survived the mass of insanity on Saturday.  I was rewarded and cherished a great day of fishing on Sunday.  Nothing like the hustle and bustle of a congested city, to make you appreciate the quiet and solitude of nature.  

The plan was to meet my uncle at Libby walk-in at 5:45.  Load his kayak into my truck and drive up river and float back to Libby.  So that's what we did.  No issues on the shuttle.  Arrived and got started right on schedule.  I started catching fish right away.  I wasn't interested in nymphing so I tied on a small streamer and worked the deeper fallouts behind shoals. It wasn't fast but my first fish was a healthy brown of about 15"s.  Few casts later and had a fat bow in hand.  Caught several in that 1 spot.  After about 30 mins, we had a "guest" show up and he wanted to fish the same water.  No biggie, I was ready to try something new so I let him have it.  

My uncle doesn't fish much so I checked in on him before we left.  He had gone to BP and spoke with someone who told him he needed 5x tippet material for his spinning reel...not a joke!  As you can imagine I felt terrible for him b/c he couldn't cast his spinning rod 10ft.  The good news is he saw how much fun the fly can be and decided to invest in a new beginner set-up.  I'm going to help him out...1st advice I gave him was, "avoid BP."  He still had a great time just being on the water.  

Back to the fishing.  Moved down a little and found a good spot with good water moving.  It was a min. flow day, so finding moving water and no other people on it was the key.  This location looked perfect for swinging soft hackles.  I went to work and brought several more bows and a small brown to hand.  Also, managed 3 that were about 4"s...the thought crossed my mind to let them struggle in the current and maybe enticing a large brown to feed (Not my idea, watched a Kelly Galloup video where he had a large brown lock on to a small bow and followed up by catching it on a streamer).  Decided against it for now but maybe next time!!  

Saw a few fish rising in a fallout so I worked to them and landed a dozen more bows.  Must have gotten a homeowners attention b/c more "guests" descended on me.  3 guys emerged through the trees...but didn't encroach!  They kept their distance, until I broke off and had to walk to my kayak (upriver from them) to tie on a new soft hackle.  I watched as they nearly fell over themselves getting to my recently vacated location.  Lesson learned, get a sling and wear it when you leave the safety of your yak!!!  It's cool, my uncle had moved down river so I needed to catch up anyway.

Found him and he say's, "man where did all these bugs come from."  Say what...yep, nice hatch on the river.  Parked the yak, tied on a midge, and caught several including the best brown of the day.  It put on a great show for us...jumping several times and making long runs. 

The constant sight of rising fish was enough to get my uncle really interested in trying the fly rod.  I gave him a short lesson and pointed out a few fish...he had a few takes which was very exciting for him but was slow on the set...understandable since I hadn't explained that part.

It was around lunch time and it had been a great day.  So we decided to wrap up the day and head for the vehicles.  I couldn't resist a few fishy look'n spots and was able to catch a few more...but also penalized for not following the rules of the paddle out.  My last presentation to a fish was flagged with nice big birds nest.  I could have probably taken a few minutes to work out the knot...but knew I wasn't playing fair so I cut the fly off and put the TFO away.

I know my wife is going to ask me to help wrap gifts.  I already figured out my response, "Sure, I'll go get the bows."  I might survive this holiday season.