[VFB] Been fishin...

[smokeater734]

Hey everyone,   Sorry for not responding to anyone's emails for the past couple three weeks, it's been a little hectic at work, (worked 174 hours in a two week period), so last week I said the heck with it all and went fishing for a week up on the San Juan River...   Got off work last Tuesday morning, loaded up my SUV and was at the campground by 3:00 that afternoon, (had to stop off at a friends house and drop off 3 sets of 30 flys each that he ordered from me as presents for some of his friends...  That's another story)...  Anyway, set up camp, had dinner and a few barley pops, then commenced to get a nice UNDISTURBED full nights sleep, (about 10 hours worth... LOL ...)...  Was up and got coffee brewing by 4:30, made some breakfast, and was in the water fishing by daybreak @ 6:45...    Flow rate on the San Juan was about 345 cfs with the water being a little on the murky side, but visibility was about 2 1/2 feet...  Not bad for the winter...  Fishing was pretty slow and had to fight with the ice forming on the guides to my 9' Sage throughout the morning, but by noon I had about 14 in the net, (Bows, all ranging from 18" to 22")...  Had lunch and was back in the water by 1:30...  Quit fishing around 3:00 after C&R'ing about 4 more 18" to 22" Bows...    The rest of the week was just about the same...  Talked with several other guides and they were doing about the same with daily catch rate of about 12 to 14...  So I guess it just wasn't me that was having a slow time at it...    Saturday morning I think was the coldest it had been all week long...  The wind had changed directions and was coming off the dam to the lake, so it was COLD...  The tips of my fingers really started hurting from the cold, (froze my fingertips several years ago while on the Ski Patrol up in Colorado), and it seemed as though every 5 to 10 minutes I had to knock the ice out of my guides, my line kept freezing inside them where I couldn't cast...  But I was able to C&R about 8 really nice Bows and I did keep one 28" really fat football sized buck...  Circumference was too big to circle my hands around it...    Had an excellent time, just too bad I had to enjoy it by myself...  Got home around 7:30 Saturday evening, unloaded the SUV, took a shower and went to bed because I had to be at work Sunday morning for another 48 hour shift, which I just got home a couple hours ago...  So I'll respond to the other emails and such separately...  Just wanted to let you all know that the fishing is still ongoing here in New Mexico...     Rodney... NREMT-Paramedic Life is too short, enjoy it, go fishing...