DonO that is the best story I have heard. I would love to have been there; the more you told how hard it was the more I wanted to go. It defiantly sounds like a guided helicopter trip. I am going out to get the stuff for the fly, the smallest hook I have is a # 14. I just looked and I have the green wire, cool. Thanks again DonO. Please post some pictures.
Steve Clark Moreno Valley, Ca. http://www.deepcreekflyfishers.org/ The only difference between a good day and a bad day is our attitude. ><((((�>`�.����`�.�.���`�...�>(((�> .���`�.><((((�>`�.��.���`�.�.���`�...�><((((�> -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of DonO Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 9:45 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [VFB] Secrets- I'm back I'm back. Had a great trip to the Shoshone Nat. Forest and have a fishing report on Byard's 'secret fly'. But you'll have to read to the end to find out. Spent most of the time on rough 4x4 and atv trails, but we did get to fish a little. We tried to make it to Christina Lake but the roads were snow-blocked about an hour up the trail. Really rough ride to no avail, and it was supposed to be open. (I have my suspicions now. I told the person that told me it was open to "go on up- it's all clear") So that about shot Tuesday's fishing chances, as the ride back to the lodge and getting back to town took the rest of the day. Christina Lake is known for large lake trout (mackinaw) that will take flies. The miracle of modern medicine! As rough as the ride was, crawling over bolders going up mountainsides and bottoming out in a few places, the 'ol back came thru in flying colors. That's with open back surgery just two months ago. Twenty years ago, when I injured it, I would have been in a body cast for 6 months. The atv trails beat my whole body to smitherines, and I was waiting for that 'ol tell-tale shock in the small of the back, but it never happened. Everything else is sore, but the back is well. Doc did a good job. Yesterday we tried to get way up to Shoshone Lake, known for monster brookies in the 5lb range. The only way to it is to hike or take the 'atv only' trail for the last 10 miles, after a brutal 4x4 trail for 10 miles. I found out when it says 'atv only', it means experienced riders. They don't rate the trails, but it wouldn't be a bad idea. We took one alternate atv trail, and turned around when the trail (a very rugged one) went straight up a mountainside over a boulderfield. My son, who is pretty experienced in atv'n, said it was the toughest course he's ever seen, and felt we'd both flip over backwards if we tried it. So we turned around and continued up the 4x4 'road' towards the lake (the long route). About 15 min later we hit the forest and the road through it was really bad and then got worse- completely washed out rock-bed roads. I was keeping an eye on my back, as the jostling I was giving it was pretty severe. I stood up as much as I could, but the steep side angle was a real stress on my knees after an hour of that. We were only half-way to the start of the 10 mile atv trail when we hit a mountainside road that was darned near straight up and nothing but shelf bolders. It looked like a Rubicon course that they would have on TV, with 9 out of 10 vehicles wrecking. I told my son that after the day before and what we'd been through already that day, that I better not test my back that severely to try it (and probably die in the process). I would hate to think of the ride back to the truck had I injured my back again that far back in the boonies on so rough a trail. So, disappointed but sill healthy, we turned around and headed back. We did manage some videos and a few pictures. When we got back to the truck, I was relieved that my back survived the trip down in good order, which was my chief concern. From the GPS, we had ridden about 20 miles over some of the roughest terrain I've been over without being on a horse. So we decided to take the main road up through the switchbacks to the top and visit the lakes there, which were road accessible (but rough on truck tires). So we atv'd about 10 miles to the top (about 8500'elev) and visited all the lakes and tried to fish a couple. The afternoon alpine wind had come up by now and was making fishing difficult, so we decided to go look for some streams protected in the woods. We found one creek that look good- but well fished- and decided to try it, since it was so early in the season. My son started fishing while I napped for a minute. Just a little ways from where we were parked, he spotted a nice cutthroat working a pocket of water, in full view. He's not a flyfisher, so he tried a lure and then a worm and nothing doing. This fish has seen it all- wasn't going for it. So he gave up on him after 10 minutes and worked his way downstream. So I let him rest a little, got up from my nap, set up my fly rod, and lightly touched down a size 16 parachute dun over his nose. He swam up, took a look, and turned back down. Two more casts and the same thing, only less interest each time. A #18 Adams parachute brought a similar instant rejection. So I checked my box out and spotted Byard's secret fly that I got in a swap! I thought "If he won't come up, I'll go down to him', and tied on Byard's little #18 secret fly. It wouldn't sink right away, so I drowned it in a different pocket, then cast it back at the cut. The water swirled it around and brought it in behind where he was stationed, but I saw him agressively spin around and head for where I thought the fly to be. I hesitated for a second, the raised the rod tip. He was on! A little spat later, and the 16" cut was in my hands, taking a nice portrait. Too bad my son didn't see me outfish his worms. He did show up just in time to help me land him and take a picture. So we headed back for the truck and got in late last night. Next time we'll take the canoe and work those lakes. I want to see if Tony's Chili Pepper can take those lakers. DonO ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Byards 'Secret Fly' What can one do to see this fly? Steve Clark
