Took potty mouth and the kids out west for a fishing trip. I was pretty bummed our work schedules didn’t allow a return to the luau as a part of our trip and really missed seeing Lando, dibs, and Joe.
But what I did get to do is show potty mouth some more western fishing, vacation with the fur kids (Nuya and her new rescue puppy Millie) and drive the shoe out there to do it all in. I also got to hang with Nolan, and see Ross which was awesome.
The drive to and from was mostly what you’d expect. On the way there, I was taking Nuya on a morning walk outside of our hotel in Nebraska and a pond right by the parking lot had about 20 full sized tailing carp in one corner. We watched them and Nuya looked at me like “holy shit, is this where we’re vacationing too? Totally worth the drive”. I told her no, where only half way because yer dad’s a trout weenie. And that it’s also private property.
Eventually it started to look like where we were goin
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The first section of river I had high hopes for. Last year for Nolan’s Bach party we had very good fishing there with terrestrials. Like, very good fishing. Good enough fishing where I was saying things like “potty mouth, I can’t wait for you to catch multiple 20” trout on dry fries”
Well it wasn’t as good. It was actually way lower, and clearer. No bank lies were in play, and the trout did not seem happy. At one point I was re-tying potty mouths rig, Millie climbing on me, with oars under my legs while going through the rapids I thought “Jesus fuck what a fuck show, this isn’t how I imagined it, we’re not going to catch a goddamn thing this whole trip”
So I said to potty mouth Wendy “honey, can you please grab Millie, I’m gona switch ya up so we can eventually figure em out, dear” or something that came out just like that.
After adjusting my expectations and our plan after seeing an occasional size 18 yellow sailboat with clear wings float by, we started to get on some risers. God damn is it nice for a midwesterner to see them eat in the sun, when you can actually see em.
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The next day we put in with at least the confidence of knowing how to fish it. We were caught up on sleep finally and this day was the first day it felt like vacation.
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Wendy was quick to capitalize on a pmd. Millie was like “SHIT THIS IS AWESOME!” Nuya was just nodding her head saying “yup, yup, we always figure em out, now beer me, please”
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We then drove to meet up with Nolan and his spouse Lauren. On the way we stopped by Ross’s place and he was gracious enough to provide some shoe-friendly floats.
The first one we fished right behind Nolan and Lauren. Being unsure how 2nd’s would fish- I rigged a twitch bug for Wendy. For those that don’t know twitch buggin, or skunkin; is basically fishing a weightless stiff-rubber legged bugger on a floating line. Best fished into cover just like a hopper but can also twitch it out of cover. Stays more in the film to a few inches under the surface. Nuya says they always eat it on the paws though, so don’t get too carried away with the twitchin’ part.
We came to an undercut bend and Wendy dead-drifted her twitch bug back into the goods. When it almost got snagged she gave it one twitch and a pause , and this fish fuckin smoked it. Making a big “pop” on the surface from how hard its tail swiped. Nuya said see Millie, they love it on the paws.
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Next day I fished with Wendy, Nolan, and the kids. The day began with bug soup. Olives, pmd’s, and what appeared to be an occasional drake. It was a moody, mayfly morning. They wanted the pmd’s, but also bote shy and leader/fly picky. We downsized to 6x and we’re catchin small trout. We positioned on what looked to be maybe a 14-15 incher rising in the tail-out of a pool. I couldn’t help but notice these subtle swirls in the head of the pool that were quickly disguised by the confused current. Then I saw it, a degenerate of a brown, open his mouth subsurface, the tiny pmd swirled down, and the fish turned without much if at all disturbance to the surface. One of those where you’d never see or hear it from a distance, we just happened to anchor right next to it. After getting his rhythm down (would rise 3-4 times consecutively, then turn hard on the last one and take a break for a few mins). After seeing him rise once, I sent a pmd down the confused current seam he was on. I saw him feed a 2nd time before my fly made it and knew my fly would be right in time for the 3rd. I saw nothing but a nose stick out of the water, the white upper-roof of a big trouts mouth, then my fly disappear with zero surface disturbance.
So I rose my rod
and instantly broke him off.
Then after resting him we watched him feed on/off for the next 1-2 hours, minus the part where he eats my fly again, after multiple fly changes. It’s what I get for not checking my tippet after every fish.
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The high winds clouds and rain came and the day turned from a dry fly day to streamer day so we obliged.
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Wendy got all excited and said this looks like good twitch bug water. Wendy was not wrong. Seeing her come up with that idea, do a perfect strip set (and then some, lol), while getting all giddy about the fish in a way only people that love fishin do was the happiest I’ve been in a while. Nuya even said “damn, that was sweet. Ate it on the paws again. Someone beer me” For a lack of anything better to say Millie just stared and said “damn”
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Reflecting back this was my favorite day. Had Nolan, PMW, and the gods all in the shoe. Jokes flowed, conversation came easy, silence also came easy. Just one of those good days.
The next day Lauren and potty mouth went hiking and Nolan, Henry and I chased risers. Caddis this day. Caddis Hatchers. Extra slow-motion sippers, now burned into my brain. Tail walking on the 4-pole. Hell ya. I told Ross that must’ve been my reward for rowing most of the trip.
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That night we met up with steamin, bear, load boy and I cried at the dinner table laughing so hard about the story of bear shittin’ in the river. I guess as bear’s do.
The trip home sucked as trips home do. Car problems made it extra fun, but we made it. Extra thanks to Ross for the invaluable info and kindness. I felt bad for not gettin him in the shoe but I still think I did him a solid sparing him from a boat with an 8mo puppy on board. Really looking forward to fishin with ya in the future.
I also Notched one off the bucket list- taking the shoe out west with the gods and potty mouth. Going fishing with your wife and the gods slows you down. Sometimes significantly. But maybe that’s the point after all
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