Another Adventure by the BilletHead's UTAH!

[BilletHead]

6 minutes ago, ness said:

There's some crazy stuff in this here thread. Sorry for my part in creating it. 

Now, Utah cutt slam -- that's pretty cool. And you did it in the first few days, right?

Man, I've got to find some space in this cluttered up life  of mine to get out more while I can still walk. I've got Greenback, Colorado River and Rio Grande on the life list. I'm ashamed to say how long it's been since my last one. I'll just have to live vicariously through you two for now. 

When's the next episode? I'm on the edge of my seat 😄

         Soon buddy, soon I will post again.  Yes got the slam done in the first four days.  So Ness the Mrs. Goes back to work tomorrow and I take over being boss while she is at her job. So when do you want to go? Locks may be changed and damage control to be dealt with upon returning if we survive and I don't have to drag your carcass out of the woods . 

  BilletHead

[Johnsfolly]

42 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

        Just trout,  ha ! it is more likely where we are catching them .

BilletHead

What's another great looking fish or beautiful scenery. I've been following this just for the food photos☺! This is the what's cooking thread isn't it?

[BilletHead]

        Let got this show on the road .  Fishing at Star lake,

        Peeking over the bank it was like WOW. Looking down into the water it was deep and clear. We both ties on simi seal type leeches. A few casts later nothing? Humm I was thinking then it happened. A scream from the Mrs. FISH ON. I drop my rod and go over to net it. It was our first ever tiger trout. One of the most beautiful fish we have ever seen. 

  

  The very tickled angler with a grin from ear to ear,

  She said as she was stripping in the leech two fish were swimming by. When the fly got into the fishes vision one took off and slammed it. Like other hybrid fish we have caught the fight was a good one. This time the angler won but the fish was revived and released for the next person to enjoy.  We kept up casting with no more hits in this part of the lake. We than worked around the lake taking in the scenery,

    

        I was beginning to think was this one fish a farce? Will I get my chance? Yep finally I did get my first tiger,

   Found some chanterelle mushrooms but they were too far gone,

 

   Soon another fish on the streamer for me. Nothing visually hitting the top but as slow as it was I knew we needed a change up. I tied on a small deer hair hopper with a birds nest dropper. This was what they wanted. more fish were caught but only one took the dropper. As soon as I changed and caught the Mrs. did too. 

        Working all the way around the lake we found a spot to rest, eat a snack, fill water bottle and rehydrate. Off to the dam again for one more try before dropping back down into camp. A few casts later the prize of the day came out of the water like a great white on a seal. I kid you not these fish are very aggressive. When hooked they jump, jump high. Best fight and aerial show of any of the trout species we have caught. Twenty inches of muscle right here fellows,

       Our trip down from Star Lake went like a breeze. Reliving what we had just seen and done. Ten tigers was the catch tally. Have I ever told you what a great fishing partner/ spouse I have? Lucky man I am ! We gathered our wits and got ready to eat the real meal of the day. Time for grilled mallard breast, straight neck yellow squash and tomatoes from the BilletHead garden ,

    Another campfire but we did not stay up late. In bed before the sun set as we were spent from the big day. There will be another move in the morning. Where are we going next? The Boulder mountains,

  BilletHead

[BilletHead]

       Forgot to add to the post above the search was still going on with helicopters. Then when back at camp eating our duck dinner we hear a high pitched sound like a hummingbird on steroids. Look up to see a large drone high in the air. This would be approx. four or five days when the guy went missing.

   BilletHead

[Johnsfolly]

BH those tiger trout were fantastic to see in all of their glory! Only thing that mught have made them better would be underwater photos. You'll have to convince the Mrs that you will need an underwater camera to satisfy your throng of Billethead adventure followers☺! Did they ever find that guy?

[BilletHead]

26 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

BH those tiger trout were fantastic to see in all of their glory! Only thing that mught have made them better would be underwater photos. You'll have to convince the Mrs that you will need an underwater camera to satisfy your throng of Billethead adventure followers☺! Did they ever find that guy?

      Our little point and shoot cameras have underwater capabilities. Have used it before but did not this time. Water was clearer in Utah in most places we have ever fished too. Should of tried it .

  BilletHead

[Foghorn]

Enjoying the photos and the story detailing your trip.

[BilletHead]

   Up and break camp, on to a new place,

    Don't fret we will be visiting the high Uintas again on this trip. We dropped out to Heber to do laundry and make a plan of attack. Decided to visit the Boulder Mountains. Had been reading some on the fishing there. It is located in the Dixie National Forest. Fishing is managed there for quality and quantity of fish in specific lakes ponds and reservoirs. So supposedly there are places with less and larger fish to places with smaller fish in large numbers. Broken down there are slopes around the mountains and then to boulder top called the Aquarius Plateau. We arrived at the base of the East side, drove up there to Boulder Town for the night. Boulder town is dinky. A bar and grill, another restaurant / lodge. A gas pump or two and a Podunk motel. Late as it was we decided to partake of a sandwich at the grill. Whew, high priced burgers and fries but we did get one each. Thirteen and fourteen bucks each. We are not cheap but do not do this at all. Eccentric place and actually the food was excellent. Next morning the same except we hit the restaurant. Good food and again eccentric menu , high priced. Breakfast prices same as the grill. Topped off the tank with the highest price gas of the trip we were than off to the plateau. Took the only road to the top. "Hells Backbone Road" Long slow trip, switchbacks, climbing fast on dirt and rocks. Found a bridge across a gorge,

    Don't let the bridge road fool you. This was the nicest eighty yard stretch of road and then it went to crap again,

  At Bridge looking off into the Box Death Hollow Wilderness,

   Seen a few grouse. Had read a pamphlet where there is a lake/ pond that held big grayling. So this would be our nights destination. Got off onto a four wheel drive only road. Farther we got worse it got. One way now it was no turning back. Not sure what we would of done if we met traffic coming down the road .  Mrs. BilletHead was guiding me from the road at places. Rolling rocks out of the road. We did some boulder moving together too. I know to some it doesn't look bad but this is the only place the pucker factor slacked off for pictures,

 

   In four wheel low you don't move too fast. Finally we hit a crest in the road at a dead end at blue lake, not far from purple lake . So many water sources up there I guess they had to get creative with names. Got turned around and parked. Set up.

 View out the window,

  Fished some then it rained and we took a break wondering about the road we had just came in on. 

    Seen fish hitting some. missed a strike or two. Fish flashes looked like small fish. During our break it was chipotle venison meatballs on a bed of mashed taters and tomatoes on the side,

     After the rain we hiked to purple lake, same thing no catching and smallish fish on top hitting some. I did miss one. So as we were returning to the camper at blue lake I see a couple people fishing there. We went for a visit. First thing the guy said was is that your rig up there? Yep. You know what? Huh. You guys are crazy! We would not drive a road like that. I don't even like to drive up here with my ATV. I told him we were not too smart being from Missouri and all. There was some laughing and a long visit as we watched them fish. He and his Daughter did not catch either. Said probably froze out during the winter and had been restocked recently with small fish. Said he had caught what he thought was a record grayling two years before right here. So much for the BilletHead luck this time around. They left and said it wasn't too late to pull camp so they could watch us make it out and camp with them a bit lower. if not he said they could pick up the pieces another time they came up here! Funny nice guy. Rained more during the night but no problem crawling down the road slowly  the following morning. Down and up another 4WD road to another Boulder top lake. Came by this sign,

   We ended up at Raft Lake. Supposed to have fair grayling and trophy Brook trout. Again skunked but fish hitting without abandon  right dead center of the lake. We had been told a float tube sometimes is a must in places. This was one of those places. Right down cool up there,

   Windy too! So we figured we would go down the Western slope recommended by our new found local think Missourians are mentally touched. Maybe the BilletHead's are ? There was a road and sign off the main road to a lake called Miller. So off on another rough 4WD we found a place with fish dimpling the surface. 

  More to come got to load photos ,

 BilletHead

[BilletHead]

      Oh yea on the plateau there were turkeys,

   Set up another camp at Miller. Went to fishing until it began to rain again. Caught rainbows, not big but quite a few. They liked little dries,

     During rain we dinked around camp and ate again. Spaghetti with chanterelles and summer vegetables!

  Did a little shrooming behind the camper in the aspens,

 Big bolete. You would be surprised what you find that had been lost off of vehicles bouncing down the road. We found a magnetic key box that had been rattled off a Toyota, And a new use for someone's glasses,

  Rain done again we fished some more. Tigers and rainbows,

  Tigers here prowled along the shore in shallow water. You would see one and throw as close as you could without spooking him. If the landing was right they would attack. Next morning coming down off the slope more fishing and the fish get real pretty!

  BilletHead

[Ham]

Go Tigers!