Devan S.

I have really struggled with what to do for 2025. I just have almost zero motivation to fish.....I don't have any problem getting out of the local box and doing some travelling and fishing but locally I've just lost motivation. I have multiple National Park trips scheduled with the wife and kids but none that I really have an opportunity or desire to fish on. I think 2025 may just be a get the mojo back year.

I'm hoping to drop down to Ft. Smith or Ozark at least a couple times in the coming months. Hopefully to find a sauger(would like a biggun) but at this point I'd take any fish.

Update on 2024 goals-Likely Final Tally. 1. Utah and Wyoming Cutt-slams, complete Montana for WNTC-Completed both UT/WY, also finished MT and NV along with finally completing Eagle Lake and Northern CA. 2. 1 Arkansas master angler fish. I really want this to be Walleye (9lbs) but we will see. Still no Walleye or Trout but did check off Crappie this year. 3. 10lb Pyramid lake Cutty. Close but no cigar.

If you go back to Austin....its only ~1 hour to Canyon Lake Dam.....there you can catch real "trout"

No ladders for us. We primarily spin fished so we could cast really far compared to fly rod. On shallow beaches they use the ladders to get out from bank but mostly to just get up above the waves and water. The cold zaps you fast. We stuck to the sandy beaches where there was a drop closer to bank. All our fish came right off the drop off about 20-30 feet in front of us. Friday and Monday was empty. Saturday and Sunday were busy at the popular spots that are quick/easy walk from a parking spot. Might be 10-15 people in the "good" spots lined up like a trout park. The deal is the lake is huge with miles of shoreline to fish. There is always spots to fish away from people.

Flew out to Reno on Friday and flew home today. Pyramid lake is becoming an itch I want to try and scratch on a yearly basis. Mostly because its is a 180 degree about face from anything around these parts. Big fish, ladders, cold, big wind, waves, big water nothing locally comes remotely close. Original plan was to land Friday mid morning, drive to Eagle Lake, Ca and fish at the latest until Saturday morning. About this time last year, I was at Eagle Lake and had to settle for a stocked Eagle Lake Rainbow within the native drainage. This would make my 4th trip to Eagle Lake so nothing is guaranteed. Landed Friday to blowing snow and high winds. Temps in Reno were hovering in the mid-30's. Eagle lake sits at 5100 elevation and you have to traverse a pass to get there on marginal roads. We made a game time decisions to head toward Pyramid and fish the conditions. Got to Blockhouse. Big wind blowing right across the drop out in front of the point. Big 1/2oz black HD zig zigs. Big waves crashing into shore spitting sleet and snow. Disclaimer, I had a college roommate fish with me. Has fished before but not a fisherman...beginners luck was strong. First 30 minutes he catches this. Really a short fight for this size fish. My net weighs 2lb on the dot and I brought the biggest net that fits in my checked bag....and it really isn't big enough. It wasn't long and I was catching. I had a yearly goal for a 10lber and this would be the closest I would get. Fish was between 8 and 9 lbs. Did not get exact weight never let the scale settle out perfect-knew it wasn't 10lb and moved on. Caught 2 this size back to back...this one is by far prettier. Friday was the pick day for catching.....Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were much nicer weather and better for fishing. Most fish around this size.....not a numbers game. Quality > Quantity We did fish Eagle Lake.....I will save you all the drama and headache but finally caught an Eagle Lake Rainbow. Its a beautiful lake and area but I think I'll be fine never seeing it again.

Musky on the fly...sweet!

Thanks @Al Agnew this was my concern when I watch videos it seems as if the whole use an outfitter is 95% of the game. Because I want to see and do as much as possibly shacking up in a single location seems boring-Daily flights out seem prohibitively expensive for a week long trip. Maybe someday but not now. Is there places that would just do say short notice day guide trips vs. full blown packages on some of the big name rivers?

Rumor has it there has been some top water activity on the pond to the south.

Could you imagine....dark foggy and suddenly all heck breaks loose- hand to hand combat with a hooked goose 30 or 40 yards up river? Or gunshots? His original post said killed, not found dead so I assumed he knew the backstory or had some proof.

I'm intrigued by the goose killing. Did someone hook it and beat it to death? Was it shot in the dark? Killed and thrown over the dam from the top?

I am beginning the process of planning for Alaska most likely year after next. Historically our western native trips involve camping/sleeping/boondocking in the car just as we go vs. a set plan. We loosely plan but generally hotels and the like are just not where we want/need them to be(and I assume its worse in Alaska). My question to those that have gone and done is this method reasonable for Alaska? Tips/tricks/concerns? Target would be Grayling, Rainbows, Dollies, Artic Char, and Lake Trout. The last 2 being "nice to catch" vs. must catch due to logistical challenges. Probably a drive between Fairbanks and Anchorage and back as I think I want to explore and fish the Chena river. Is there something that is a DO NOT MISS? This will be my first time in Alaska but not likely my last.

Thats even worse.

Neighbor down the road blast em like crazy....think they do the cut sunflowers or something....I have power lines zig zagging the farm and several ponds.....boy they really load up the lines over the pond about 2 minutes after neighbor's crew pops off a dozen shots. Haven't seen or heard any shots this year. Have thought about busting 5 or 6 just for some poppers just haven't yet.....

FWIW I pulled the trigger on the outbound short. It was in my cart prior to digging around and finding more options so I will start there.

Historically I have used a 3wt. More dipping and less casting....plus I'm rarely having to cast far. I don't know for my historical usage it matters a whole lot. I had the outbound short selected and then dropped it. If I just go to Rio, SA, ect. and select lets say my givens: Freshwater, WF8F you get 5 or 6 or more options for every selection. I'm second guessing myself. I guess functionally none of this matters......my form is crap.

How do you go about fly line selection? For example: 8wt rod, want a floating line, want something for big streamers for trout if I so choose, maybe a trip to pyramid lake, but most of all good casting ability in early spring chasing top water striper. Fairly confident in WF8F but how do you pick down below that without just banging out $75 over and over and over until you find something?

I have tinkered with the big umbrella rigs and caught some fish. Mostly 4-8lb fish. My boat trolls at 2.8-3.0 mph so that's the speed I pull them at. Big gear, big rod holders, and make sure its all in good working condition. I use heavy metered braid to get my approximate depth of the rig and try to keep it just above anything I see on graph. Common sense but make sure you are moving as you drop them over the side otherwise they go to the bottom, tangle up, and get hung. Most of my fish were caught in locations where top water was present a few hours before.

Overtime: We had about 1.5 or 2 days extra to fish. I had scoped out some Bull Trout locations in Idaho for bonus time but overall we had settled on Yellowstone/Grand Teton and after Grand Teton we were 100% headed that way. In the car we started counting up what we had and making sure we met the second level of the Western Native Challenge. I am down to Alaska and Kern River drainage/Golden Trout in California(I'm going to still get a real Eagle Lake Fish at some point). I have a Pyramid/Eagle lake trip in November scheduled already. @Prifish did not catch a Lahontan at Pyramid lake so he still needed Nevada and a LCT to get him to the second level of the Western Native Challenge. On the fly we formulated a plan for Gance Creek, NV and stream resident Lahontan/Humboldt Cutthroat. Gance Creek comes up often for Nevada LCT but its never really discussed well on how or where so we mostly flew blind. There is lots of discussion about how difficult it fishes and how people miss out on fish and the brush/thorns are bad. We showed up right at dusk and checked things out. Definitely found some nice beaver pond pools that each had multiple fish. They were spooky and took some stealth but they ate.

Yellowstone National Park The only fish we were missing on this stop was Yellowstone Cutts. We setup home base in Cooke City, Mt but developed some side quest. Several river closures and hoot owl restrictions on the NE corner so we needed things to do in the afternoon. @Prifish caught a nice fish on the Lamar. My first fish got loose before a good picture on Soda Butte Creek. So I had to catch another to get a picture. Not chancing it this time. We half heartedly fish Trout Lake. Saw some good fish cruising but no interest in our offerings. Our side quests led us to a small Creek for Westslopes. Pretty fish in small brushy pocket water we like. Too bad it was a mosquito pit. Our final side quest was chasing Goldens at Daphnia Lake just off the Beartooth HWY. Nice little lake and fish were rising but the wind was howling. We did get bites but did not connect on any fish. Wyoming Cuttslam done!

Montana-Westslope As previous discussed, Montana has rules about "fishing contest" therefore they only count stocked locations for the Western Native Trout Challenge. I had picked out Elk lake for 3 reasons. 1. You could drive right too it. 2. Location compared to Yellowstone NP 3. Large Westslopes, Grayling, and Lake Trout. We showed up mid-day. It was hot, the lake is deep, the easy spots to fish were shallow and weed choked. The deep spots had nearly vertical brush lined sides. We saw zero fish cruising and zero surface activity. The lake is 280 acres much to large for us to fish the whole thing. We gave it a try and raced back to phone service to make a new plan. What ensued over the next 24hrs was nothing more than scrambling. We headed north towards Butte, Mt. We fished Homestake lake right off the interstate and the water was very dark stained. Zero confidence and sketchy people milling about. We bailed. Maney Lake, it was stocked in the last month. People fishing/swimming having a good time. 1 bite but a local said normally he tears them up on a white rooster tail and confirmed stocking recently. Others caught fish. We stayed the night in Butte. Back at the lake first thing. I managed a nice Brook trout. The best of the trip. My only claim to fame. @Prifish ends up seeing a fish surfacing near a log. Ties an elk hair caddis on a spinning rod and dips out a westslope. Ticked off and scrambling I start to consider finding stream fish. We head toward Bozeman. Stop at White Hall, Mt and fish the community pond. Stocked last month immediately I catch a fish. It might be the ugliest Westslope ever to exist....no way I am submitting this fish. Onto Bozeman and just south Big Bear Lake.....Did not drive all the way to lake. Hiked last mile due to road. Glad we did as it made us stay longer than we would have since we were scrambling. Success for @Prifish on the fly. Lots of short strikes on jigs in same area. Finally one hammers it on a steady retrieve. @Prifish wanted to try for a better fish on jig. Took a few casts and said last cast. I said take 5 more. If no bites we can leave. Last cast and he catches this. Pretty darn good upgrade. We hiked back down just as it started to rain. Montana done! Onto Yellowstone to finish up the Wyoming Cuttslam! Definitely on pace to finish early.

Wyoming Snake River-Grand Teton NP We had both really looked forward to this location. Scenery and rumor had it Lakers could be caught in the river and potential for big Cutthroat. It also gave us a chance to sling jigs. I quickly caught 2 decent Cutthroat before @Prifish could get rigged up. He showed up and put on a clinic. I don't recall the final tally but know he caught nice browns, lakers, and Cutthroat. I probably had more cutthroat but he caught more fish overall than I did by a mile. He caught a really nice cutthroat but I do not have the picture so he can share if he wants. Oh did I mention scenery? From here on out I had one concern. The funny rules of Montana and could we catch Westslope in a pond. Since it concerned us, we bailed early on Grand Tetons with intent to come back later if we got done in time. We probably only fished about an hour in total.

Wyoming Colorado Cutthroat: Heading on up further into Wyoming. A neat little place-Tri-Basin divide. The road in from the west runs for miles along Smiths Fork which contains Bonneville/Bear River Cutts. Flowing North off the divide is Greys river which has Snake River Cutts. Flow southeast is La Barge Creek which has Colorado Cutts. We drove along side the Smiths Fork for miles and it looks incredibly fishy and we saw very few if any people. Never mind seeing another fisherman. We did not travel on down the road to the Greys River but my assumption would match Smiths Fork and La Barge. Lots of places to fish all within a couple miles down desolate dirt roads. Medium size stream with enough challenges and hiding spots to spend a whole week exploring. We moved on from here and fish the Gros Ventre briefly but did not catch anything. Also stayed the night on the side of the road in a mosquito pit.

Wyoming Bonneville Cutthroat Heading North we passed right along Salt Creek. We both enjoyed and caught multiple fish. I am fairly certain @Prifish wore a dozen out in one hole. Maybe even some whitefish on top. Also this is where things really get dicing with our picture taking. Streams and fish begin to all look the same. Date and time stamps tend to get mixed up when downloading/saving/sharing from Google photos. We both enjoyed this creek. Easy to fish and full of fish and as far as we could tell, the only ones around. 10/10 would return.

Utah Bonneville Cutthroat- Up early and had to wait for the gate to the park to be opened. I had a really nice fish swipe on Cutler Creek in a plunge pool below a culvert that I just couldn't get to commit. Up over the ridge and we were off to check the last fish off. I have to get my digs in here. @Prifish generally caught fish before me on every stop and in every case but 2 he caught much better fish(bigger) than me. I am a bull in a china shop...he is much more deliberate in picking spots and approaching the river. This is his fish. Utah Slam Complete + Tigers and Whitefish. Off to Wyoming.