DocSpotty
05-08-2012, 02:08 AM
Due to scheduled surgery on my right forearm (for severe, chronic “tennis” elbow….up here we call it “flyfishing” elbow) in 2 weeks I had today off and decided there was a need for me to prove beyond any doubt I really needed the surgery. Managed to get a hold of a guide friend of mine who was taking his first trip out today so I tagged along. The only river which was open….ice out….and had any clarity was the Talkeetna about 120 miles north. Got the early start, met Mike at his place and we finished the drive together with another game fisherman from California.
While putting on my new wader boots, I came to the realization that I could not wear my heavy, thermal knee socks as the boots were too tight. Real sucky as I usually only wear shorts ..... the water was so freaking cold it was probably ice the day before. So I end up clad with only shorts and some light, socklets under my waders….a bit chilly but I did have 2 shirts on.
The raft was put on the back of a jet boat and we were taken several miles up river and dropped off…..nice, sunny picture….
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file.jpg
That’s our jet boat escaping in the background….and “no” that is not white sand on the shoreline….I stepped of the boat and went flat on my buttkus right off the bat.
I was already rigged with my 5 wt and the generic spring, white buggy eyed fly. Almost immediately I was into a nice dolly varden. Ted and I both tagged nice dollies….from 16 to 21 inches for the next 2 hours or so. Ted was really pounding them with a big bead egg imitation so I switched to it also. That side of the river tapered off so we rowed across and fished the other side. In this pic we are looking back over on the side we fished first…..the clear water is another creek entering the Talkeetna…..Clear Creek, of course….
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-3.jpg
We fished the seam where the two waters came together and into the clearer water by the shore. When I found the right spot I took 5 in a row including this dolly of 24+ inches….
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-1.jpg
When Bob, the jet boat skipper, ferried us up river he said there probably wouldn’t be anyone else on the water today……HA…..fortunately we were up there early and had just changed sides when not one, not two….nope 4 other boats showed up within 20 minutes of each other. Of course they were all relegated to the water he had pounded for the first 2 hours…..ya snooze, ya lose.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-2.jpg
Periodically there was a need to get out of the water and temporarily defrost the lower appendages…..especially the one right between the legs. Didn’t take many pics cause it was chilly and I didn’t want to be bothered. On the clear water side we caught several rainbows with the dollies. I had one on which was well into my backing without slowing down before I unintentionally long distance released him (what a sportsman I am….didn’t want that big ole spawner to get tuckered out). About this time it was after noon and we had covered exactly zero distance in floating down the river….so we took a lunch break. It was a real Alaskan mans’ man lunch……a little rice, a cod filet, a massive hunk of moose steak and a couple of giant sausages….I’m sure my arteries are hardening as you read this….all this with a Pepsi chaser (fortunately there was really no need to ice the pop down).
After lunch we fished for another 1 or 2…..Ted caught his best dolly…
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-4.jpg
Not long I landed my only decent rainbow….these Talkeetna bows are very white background with intense spotting almost like they had been coarse peppered…..
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-5.jpg
I conveniently removed my head from the picture since it gave a very disturbing picture….not sure what I was thinking. So we had spent our first 5 hours fishing at the mouth of Clear Creek and had not gone anywhere. But Ted and I had managed to catch and release about 40 dollies and another 10-12 rainbows….great action this early in the year. After that we pretty much just hopped in the raft and floated down to our get out….no other stops but we managed another 6 or 8 fish while on the drift. Packed up and took off for home…..took my feet an hour under the heater before I could feel them. Lots of fun.
But I did prove what I set out to find…..by about the 3rd time I set the hook the pain in my forearm was excruciating….I lost many fish simply cause the pain wouldn’t let me keep the line tight….guess the surgery will go through. Dang surgeon said I was not to pick up any kind of fishing rod until August…..man…..I'm gonna need lots of sedatives….
Brian :roll:
While putting on my new wader boots, I came to the realization that I could not wear my heavy, thermal knee socks as the boots were too tight. Real sucky as I usually only wear shorts ..... the water was so freaking cold it was probably ice the day before. So I end up clad with only shorts and some light, socklets under my waders….a bit chilly but I did have 2 shirts on.
The raft was put on the back of a jet boat and we were taken several miles up river and dropped off…..nice, sunny picture….
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file.jpg
That’s our jet boat escaping in the background….and “no” that is not white sand on the shoreline….I stepped of the boat and went flat on my buttkus right off the bat.
I was already rigged with my 5 wt and the generic spring, white buggy eyed fly. Almost immediately I was into a nice dolly varden. Ted and I both tagged nice dollies….from 16 to 21 inches for the next 2 hours or so. Ted was really pounding them with a big bead egg imitation so I switched to it also. That side of the river tapered off so we rowed across and fished the other side. In this pic we are looking back over on the side we fished first…..the clear water is another creek entering the Talkeetna…..Clear Creek, of course….
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-3.jpg
We fished the seam where the two waters came together and into the clearer water by the shore. When I found the right spot I took 5 in a row including this dolly of 24+ inches….
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-1.jpg
When Bob, the jet boat skipper, ferried us up river he said there probably wouldn’t be anyone else on the water today……HA…..fortunately we were up there early and had just changed sides when not one, not two….nope 4 other boats showed up within 20 minutes of each other. Of course they were all relegated to the water he had pounded for the first 2 hours…..ya snooze, ya lose.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-2.jpg
Periodically there was a need to get out of the water and temporarily defrost the lower appendages…..especially the one right between the legs. Didn’t take many pics cause it was chilly and I didn’t want to be bothered. On the clear water side we caught several rainbows with the dollies. I had one on which was well into my backing without slowing down before I unintentionally long distance released him (what a sportsman I am….didn’t want that big ole spawner to get tuckered out). About this time it was after noon and we had covered exactly zero distance in floating down the river….so we took a lunch break. It was a real Alaskan mans’ man lunch……a little rice, a cod filet, a massive hunk of moose steak and a couple of giant sausages….I’m sure my arteries are hardening as you read this….all this with a Pepsi chaser (fortunately there was really no need to ice the pop down).
After lunch we fished for another 1 or 2…..Ted caught his best dolly…
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-4.jpg
Not long I landed my only decent rainbow….these Talkeetna bows are very white background with intense spotting almost like they had been coarse peppered…..
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j32/DocEsox/Alaska/2012/Talkeetna507/file-5.jpg
I conveniently removed my head from the picture since it gave a very disturbing picture….not sure what I was thinking. So we had spent our first 5 hours fishing at the mouth of Clear Creek and had not gone anywhere. But Ted and I had managed to catch and release about 40 dollies and another 10-12 rainbows….great action this early in the year. After that we pretty much just hopped in the raft and floated down to our get out….no other stops but we managed another 6 or 8 fish while on the drift. Packed up and took off for home…..took my feet an hour under the heater before I could feel them. Lots of fun.
But I did prove what I set out to find…..by about the 3rd time I set the hook the pain in my forearm was excruciating….I lost many fish simply cause the pain wouldn’t let me keep the line tight….guess the surgery will go through. Dang surgeon said I was not to pick up any kind of fishing rod until August…..man…..I'm gonna need lots of sedatives….
Brian :roll: