A Grand Adventure Part 1- Oak Creek, AZ

Day 2 March 12, 2012

Sore legs, broken fly rod, and tough trout are a few words to sum up this so called vacation.  For my 30th birthday i set out to explore Arizona and its trout environs. This is the first time i have been to Arizona since child hood and i had forgotten how mountainous northern Arizona was.  In many ways it reminds me of the 395 and the eastern Sierra.  A seemingly endless ocean of desert sagebrush, rabbit bush and creosote welcomed me for at least 200 miles to Flagstaff... and i was pleasantly rejuvenated with snow capped peaks, ponderosa pines and cold mountain air. With darkness approaching, there was no chance for me to fish the afternoon hatch and the dark downward descent into oak canyon began. 

Oak creek canyon flows through beautiful red rock sandstone canyons from its headwaters near Flagstaff through Sedona.  The water was low, clear and cold.  I hiked what seemed like 1/4 mile from the red rock slide area until i reached a large deep pool that halted my upstream exploration.  Being my stubborn self, i managed to hug the canyon wall and side step across a thin ledge to reach yet another giant pool and dead end.  I was fishing with my RDP Custom 7'-6" 3wt fly rod in hand and i was reminded why this placed is called "slide rock".  I took an ugly spill into the creek and crushed my rod in two sections.  This was only two days into my vacation and my 3wt was dead. My lovely girlfriend Erika tried her best to re-assure my frustrations and together we sat on a boulder and patiently watched over the pool for rising trout.  

This section of the creek seemed to be void of anything living.  I decided to leave and scout a new area, i searched downstream and eventually found a pool that held what looked like a baby shark.  It was difficult to determine if the trout was a brown or rainbow however it looked  at least 20" in length and another in the 14" range.  I rigged Erika's Redington 5wt and tied on a size 14 Stimulator and a size 18 Z-midge dropper and made my way down into the gorge.  The pressure was on and i knew it.  I was unable to find trout in the lower section of Oak creek near cathedral rock the day before and this 20 Incher  would be the curing remedy to kill the skunk.  I had to use stealth to approach this large and probably wise trout.  With a decent casting angle, i began my first cast and left false casting to a minimum. After several casts and no takes, i figured that i blew my chance.  A crowd was beginning to form on the ridge above looking down at me and a few bait anglers were coming down.  It was my Que to find a new spot.

I decided to drive up to the west fork of Oak creek.  I have always been a fan of fishing a confluence and in tributaries.  It seems to me that the water is more oxygen rich and carries more aquatic insects to feed trout.  It was also the tail-end of winter so i thought i may be able to find some large post-spawn trout still lingering in the area.  After hiking several miles up the river trail, i was quickly discouraged of how shallow the tributary was.  The runs were less than a foot deep and the pools were maybe 3-4 feet.  Snow still laced the creek bank on the northern exposures which may still be nursing water into the creek.  For the most part, i fished the deepest sections of the creek with a size 18 parachute bwo.  

With zero takes or even sight of a trout i decided to hike back to the confluence.  On my way out, i met a friendly fly fisherman from Michigan that showed me some pictures of steelhead caught in some outlet of Lake Michigan.  While these steelhead looking trout were giant, i am not entirely sold that they are biologically "steelhead".  From what i have read, true steelhead are sea-run rainbow trout.  But i wont argue, its still larger than anything i have ever caught.  I parted ways with the fellow fly fisherman and began scouting the main stem of Oak Creek just below the confluence.  It is here where i sighted multiple large trout in the 16-18" range and most likely browns by their dark appearance.  The creek was still super skinny and shallow here and the trout seemed on edge.  After several blown attempts in this stretch and nightfall approaching i decided to call it a day.  At least watching Erika cast some tight loops into the fading sunlight was rewarding in its own right.