Fishing season is officially here in central Arizona!

[papaguss]

Alright, I know that in a lot ofthe country fishing gets scarce, but down here in Arizona the stocking starts. IN fact the urban lakes ahve already been getting stocked with catfish, and this week we're getting trout. After a large hailstorm that ripped through here a couple of days ago the water temp has gone down, meaning my favorite fish, bluegills, crappie and bass, are looking for food and getting ready to spawn. fishing at it's best.

I love fishing the summer months when they have to be teased mercilessly to take a hook, but now is when they get their fighting gloves on...

In addition, the rivers and lakes close by- the Verde and the Salt- are ready to be fished as the tubers put their stuff away, the added waters there simply ad a little speed to the flow throught eh rapids. and the fishright below tthem should be itching for a fly....

[papaguss]

Note to self.... Don't take a new type of pole to the water without knowing what you have....

Took the kids to an urban lake nearby. Red Mountain park is gorgeous and not nearly as fished as some other urban lakes in the area. My two year old was skunked, which is what happens when you chuck the entire pole at the blue gills... My son took his grandfather's Ugly Stik fly rod and just took the fish to town on an olive #12 bugger. seriously... the lake hasn't been stocked with trout yet, but he landed a 13 incher, followed up two casts later ( he hadn't ever cast on water before now) with a 15 inch bass, then the bluegills came t play. They were lunch. and my camera took a swim... Next paycheck brings a new camera... and Saturday, we're taking to the Verde River under GRanite Reef Dam. Gonna borrow a camera for that one.

BTW, I took my grandfather's old unknown fiberglass rod, my step mother's pflueger reel, and a line on it that is still a mystery.... I was skunked, tangled and confused. I missed my TFO.

[papaguss]

The urban lakes out here just have been stocked again with channel catfish- and yes you can get them with a fly- copper Johns, or a deep- running leech or wolly bugger will do the trick, channel catfish have fantastic eyesight.

They also stocked the lakes this past week with an assortment of sunfish- over 16,000 bluegills and nearly that number of juvenile non keeper bass. PLus a rtout stocking coming up shortly being a whetted hunger to the plate....

When the trout come to the lakes they will also be stocking the Salt and Verde rivers with rainbows. catch and keep those suckers before they get ready to breed, I say... more of them on our plates the less will interfere with the breeding of the Gila trout, a local endangered trout that is gorgeous and deserves a place here far more than the rainbows.

Plus, I've heard stories of northerns coming out of the woodwork in my favorite reservoir lake- the Saguaro lake.... Interesting fact, in this state Northerns are strictly Kill and Keep or release. Not sure what that means, but they are a fish with no limits... makes me excited- those fish are fun to catch.

That's all I got. I swear I want to open a shop right near the rivers so I can give more information about these rivers... They re my only link to the fishing of my childhood up north in the Laramie river and such

[Betty Hiner]

What?? Wait!! ... The Laramie River?? You holdin' out on us???

[EdD]

What?? Wait!! ... The Laramie River?? You holdin' out on us???

Hey Gorgeous, did you ever ask him?

Ed

[papaguss]

no, I am not holding out, yes she did ask me, and yes, I was in Larmie until I was eleven and my first journeys to teh rushing waters to fish ws in teh sweetwater outside of Rock Springs where my grandfather was the rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal, and The Big and LIttle Laramie rivers, while my father was getting his bechelor's in education at UW.

I never caught Jack... my dad only took me along becaue he was fishing, so no real lessons...

I keep thiking abt how nice it would be to take my son up through the rivers and streams of Wyoming so he could see where it was I learned how to start a fire, what crawfish were, and how to successfully navigate a river waist high while trying to coax a garter snake out of your swimming trunks ( That's a long story and no.. there was not a dare involved the danged thing was out for a swinm and wanted a rest i guess....)

my rivers are not the VErde River and the Salt River, which are undeniably gorgeous, as I found out this past week when I took my parents fishing- didn't get in though because my dad forgot his wader boots. and I don't fish with waders, only a kilt and my gear... I'm poor dang it!!! took them to my lakes though, he complained that it wasn't his type of fishing and that his sage 3wt couldn't ever fish in an urban pond right... ( I htink he should talk to RickZ and some other warm water boys tha would loudly disagree)

So I have no pictures of the Gila trout or the Apaches, rainbows, cuttys or browns that we were going to stalk. NOr of hte pikeminnows or other varying finned fanatics that would like to swallow our offerings. I did catch a juvenile bucketmouth. was only about 8 inches long and fiesty as all get out, but alas, poor yorak forgot his camera andthe phone camera was crap....

Today was carping in my canals... Got bupkiss... I am seriously researching carp flies and tactics. These things are so easily spooked it makes trout seem fearless.... The challenge has been issued- yeah, I know they are carp.. but dang it! I se them! I watch them ignore the furtailed leech and the soft hackles and emergers like they are the plague, and if I false cast anywhere over the water they sprint! Man or man.... Gauntlet recieved...

Game on yaugly bastards!

[vmabuck]

I grew up near Sedona and used to fish the Verde and the Oak Creek a lot.

You should make it a point to take a trip to the Black River for Smally and Trout (West Fork) fishing if you have not already.

It is sick up there, well, it was when I was a kid...

[papaguss]

I love trout season at the lakes. here's today's breakfast. I caught it on some unknown fly from a cheapo Martin set up I got from Sportsman's warehouse Just In Case someone wants to try it out.1216000932.jpg
First trout on this old Herter's 4wt of mine.

[papaguss]

LEt's start with the reasons for sishing today- my lady busted her herself up in a car accident and I have to drive her because it's painful for her to move her neck.

Let's start with who was skunked. My son- with two rods, a heavy 7 foot catfish slayer, and his 8 ft black Ugly stick with awide assortment offlies. he picksim, he slings im. he's pretty independent. Me. Fly fishing all the way with my fiberglass herter's rod.

Who scored big- My TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER!

We dropped off Mommy at the office and ranoff to Tempe Town Lake and met up with a friend of mine who has a boat. my daughter and i went in the boat and my son wanted to do his own shore stalkingthing on the shore, docks and fishingbridge. Fine... off he goes, we get into teh boat and take off- by that I mean we're rowing out until the electricmotor can't be heard. The boat is wierd, the trollingmotor he has is built into the bottom of the boat and stillhas the foot pedal all that... jsut.. not on teh front orback to dropdown-I think it's weird.

My daughter, as I said, loves fishing. She uses the top two sections of a 3piece 6wt martin cheapo tenkara style. and her bait was a San Juan. She would flip itout and watch it sink, making the worm twitch on it's way down, then she pulls it out, whips it back then shoots it back to the water. I was using a tinsel thing tied like a furled tailed leach. pounding the shores and such, bring it in whipping itout.. lots of fun.

Well I got a shoadow on the fly, it was following it, but not striking. I gotitnearlytothe boatwhen it sawthe flourescent orange san juan twitching at the endofmy daughter's line, and as shewaspulling it out to recastit struck. HARD. my bby lurched forward,teh rod took a great "U" shape and then she spoke. " oh My! Fish!" Fish alright, after she jerkedit and held on tight as she could we got aneton it and pulled itout. 32 inches of northern pike. In a lake that is supposed to ahve catfish, bluegills bass and rainbows.

sc003b854d.jpg
I think she's hooked. and my buddy is ' so gettin a TFO'.