Black Canyon Trout
- Thread starter BeanMan
- Start date
S
sneak
Guest
Nice fish. I haven't hiked down in there in several years. How are the 'bows doing at this point? Used to be phenomenal down there, but I heard WD really hit them hard, and it's mainly a brownie fishery now. Looks like you tagged a pretty solid fish though. You spinning for all of them?
Also, how are the "crowds" now? I used to go in in the mid-to late 80s and literally never saw another human for 4 years running, then it seemed a few articles in the Denver Post and national magazines and everyone and their dog was hiking even the most obscure trails in there. I finally started chasing greener pastures in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
Also, how are the "crowds" now? I used to go in in the mid-to late 80s and literally never saw another human for 4 years running, then it seemed a few articles in the Denver Post and national magazines and everyone and their dog was hiking even the most obscure trails in there. I finally started chasing greener pastures in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
BeanMan
Long Time Member
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Sneak,
My brother and I have been doing a yearly trip for 17 years now. we always go in the National Park section (used to be national monument). There are fewer people in the NP than the BLM trails. The steeper and less accessible trails are best, ones like the SOB can be pretty busy these days. The rainbow fishery is pretty much gone. 17 years ago the catch was 90% rainbows, now it is 95% browns.
we usually go the last week in Sept or first week in Oct and have always had it to ourselves.
Yes I am using spinning gear, with the barbs bent down. Some day I plan on becoming a purist but it hasn't happened yet. My little bro is a pursist now and he rags on me all the time.
Beanman
My brother and I have been doing a yearly trip for 17 years now. we always go in the National Park section (used to be national monument). There are fewer people in the NP than the BLM trails. The steeper and less accessible trails are best, ones like the SOB can be pretty busy these days. The rainbow fishery is pretty much gone. 17 years ago the catch was 90% rainbows, now it is 95% browns.
we usually go the last week in Sept or first week in Oct and have always had it to ourselves.
Yes I am using spinning gear, with the barbs bent down. Some day I plan on becoming a purist but it hasn't happened yet. My little bro is a pursist now and he rags on me all the time.
Beanman
S
sneak
Guest
Beanman:
Thanks for the update. I used to go down the nasty stuff all over the monument many times a year from about 1986 until 1995 or so. I think my last trip in was the summer of 1998, and it had been a bit between trips at that point. I have files full of slide film I shot down there, and in our younger days we did some amazingly stupid things to get to some of the more inaccessible water down there. Good memories.
I used to experiment with flies and lures, and back when the 'bows ran the show, I found that spinning gear would catch a far higher percentage of browns than any flies I used, including streamers. It could almost get the catch percentage to 50/50, and man were there some HUGE browns down in there. I assume the species composition is all that has changed and that the biomass and catch rates are still impressive.
I never made it into the canyon after August, though I have flyfished the kokanee run up near Almont several times. I imagine a fall trip in the canyon would be spectacular. Again, thanks for the update and sharing the pics.
Thanks for the update. I used to go down the nasty stuff all over the monument many times a year from about 1986 until 1995 or so. I think my last trip in was the summer of 1998, and it had been a bit between trips at that point. I have files full of slide film I shot down there, and in our younger days we did some amazingly stupid things to get to some of the more inaccessible water down there. Good memories.
I used to experiment with flies and lures, and back when the 'bows ran the show, I found that spinning gear would catch a far higher percentage of browns than any flies I used, including streamers. It could almost get the catch percentage to 50/50, and man were there some HUGE browns down in there. I assume the species composition is all that has changed and that the biomass and catch rates are still impressive.
I never made it into the canyon after August, though I have flyfished the kokanee run up near Almont several times. I imagine a fall trip in the canyon would be spectacular. Again, thanks for the update and sharing the pics.
BeanMan
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LAST EDITED ON Jan-23-06 AT 07:35PM (MST)[p]Sneak,
I know what you mean by amzingly stupid things. i still do some of them but not others. At 46 I'm starting to feel gravity and whole host of other things catching up with me. Ever been down this stupid trail? took the picture last winter from the south side.
The first one hundred yards is the hardest.
Beanman
I know what you mean by amzingly stupid things. i still do some of them but not others. At 46 I'm starting to feel gravity and whole host of other things catching up with me. Ever been down this stupid trail? took the picture last winter from the south side.
The first one hundred yards is the hardest.
Beanman
A
Archer16
Guest
Thats one fat rainbow, looks like you caught him on a shad rap.
S
sneak
Guest
YES!! And I was even crazy enough to go back and do it again. Amen to the first 100 yards--sort of like you're totally committed at that point and don't even think of backtracking. What's really fun is to "break in" a new guy on something like that--the stories they tell afterwards catapult you to legend status!
BeanMan
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Sneak,
My younger brother is pretty gregarious and he used to always bring some newbie. After carrying a couple of packs out in addition to our own I got him to quit that.
The climb never worried me much. Some of the stupid leaps of faith trying to get to more fishable river have got me shaking my head sometimes. I jumped a big gap last year onto a slippery rock and got a big bruise on my hip and a sore neck that took a month to heal when I slipped.
Two years ago we witnessed two guys trying to float/fish/camp who were on boogey boards in wetsuits dragging dry bags. They stopped for some hot coffee. The had tears in the wetsuits and bruises all over and weren't enjoying themselves anymore.
Cool runnings,
beanman
My younger brother is pretty gregarious and he used to always bring some newbie. After carrying a couple of packs out in addition to our own I got him to quit that.
The climb never worried me much. Some of the stupid leaps of faith trying to get to more fishable river have got me shaking my head sometimes. I jumped a big gap last year onto a slippery rock and got a big bruise on my hip and a sore neck that took a month to heal when I slipped.
Two years ago we witnessed two guys trying to float/fish/camp who were on boogey boards in wetsuits dragging dry bags. They stopped for some hot coffee. The had tears in the wetsuits and bruises all over and weren't enjoying themselves anymore.
Cool runnings,
beanman
S
sneak
Guest
Oh man!! A boogey-board float trip down the Black Canyon?!? You could do one of those AMEX "Priceless" commercials on that. What an image:
Boogey boards: $125
Camping gear and dry bags: $250
Wetsuits: $75
Watching two clowns voluntarily float gear down Class IV rapids on Boogey Boards for 3 days surrounded by un-climbable vertical canyons...Priceless
I do hope you have a photo to share on this....that truly out-classes any stupid thing I ever tried to do down there, so I'm feeling like I moved a few notches up the intelligence ladder!
Boogey boards: $125
Camping gear and dry bags: $250
Wetsuits: $75
Watching two clowns voluntarily float gear down Class IV rapids on Boogey Boards for 3 days surrounded by un-climbable vertical canyons...Priceless
I do hope you have a photo to share on this....that truly out-classes any stupid thing I ever tried to do down there, so I'm feeling like I moved a few notches up the intelligence ladder!
BeanMan
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Sneak,
I wish I had taken a picture of the duo. Kicked myself after they left. They said it was their second time doing it. First time the river was real low at 350cfs and they said it was fun. This time it was 650cfs and kicking their butts.
Sorry,
BeanMan
I wish I had taken a picture of the duo. Kicked myself after they left. They said it was their second time doing it. First time the river was real low at 350cfs and they said it was fun. This time it was 650cfs and kicking their butts.
Sorry,
BeanMan
huntjock
Active Member
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Brings back some good memories... of when my dad and 4 brothers and I made the trip. 1991 or '92 I think. Dad was in his 60's. Talk about nearly virgin territory. The 'bows were VERY healthy then. My brother (ex-collegiate football player and serious cook) even took in AND OUT a griddle to cook'em on. We had another guy with us who knew the route. He had lost his good friend there a few years earlier - yes, we gotta respect mother nature, particularly in places like that.
Btw, we still get dad (75) out on deer and elk hunts. Got perhaps his last buck up in Region G (WY) 2 years ago. Planning another traditional fishing trip to the Madison in May...
...all makings of great memories and traditions.
Btw, we still get dad (75) out on deer and elk hunts. Got perhaps his last buck up in Region G (WY) 2 years ago. Planning another traditional fishing trip to the Madison in May...
...all makings of great memories and traditions.
