Death of a Dragon

Since childhood I have admired wild animals, particularly fish and reptiles.  I enjoyed the process of designing terrariums and aquariums that reflected their natural habitat.  I've owned Green Iguanas,  Day Geckos, Dart Frogs, and several south American Cichlid fish species.  Watching and admiring these animals served endless hours of curiosity.  However, I have never been attached to a cold blooded animal until I got my first bearded dragon.  I got my bearded dragon five years ago at the North American Reptiles Breeders Conference which was held in Anaheim. He was a red x yellow sandfire cross, which is a captive bred variety known for vibrant colors. He was merely the size of my palm from nose to tail when I first got him. 

Even when he was young, he would look at me with human-like curiosity.  It is hard to remember that he was this small.

  In his youth he had unlimited energy.  He ran back and forth and followed me as I would walk by.  In many ways, he was more like a dog than a lizard.

Master Chief in his adult form.  Erika called him that because of his quite but strong attitude.  He feared nothing.  Even my cat feared him ever since he tail whipped her in the face.

As an adult dragon, I would let him roam free in my home.  Often times, I would find him basking in the sunlight between my screen door and the shutters.  He would even climb to the highest point of the screen and hug it like the bark of a tree.  The Chief would love jumping up on the couch to climb up my back and perch on my shoulder.  He would ride on my shoulder just about anywhere I went.  Those moments will be missed.  If there is anything that I have learned from fly fishing, it is the respect for wild animals and their wild habitats.  Wild animals should stay wild and condoning a domestic life for these animals are no longer of my interest.  Goodbye old friend, you lived a strong five years.  

May your spirit live on in the wilds of the Australian outback.   

Discovery

Anaxyrus californicus

After years of exploring the local trout streams, we finally see an Arroyo Toad (Anaxyrus californicus).  These toads blend in with granite incredibly well, so well that I would have walked right passed it.  Since these toads are considered a federally endangered species, they can not be handled or harassed in any way.  In fact, one of the management strategies to secure the survival of this species is to reduce trout population.  Apparently,  the trout are eating the toad eggs and tadpoles... Some creeks are going as far as installing fish barriers.  Obviously this Arroyo toad has survived these wily trout despite their abundant population in this creek. Hopefully these animals can work out a deal...

Dudleya densiflora (left), Pellaea andromedifolia (right)

Saturday was a day of discovery.  Not only did we see the federally endangered Arroyo Toad, we found the rare and endangered San Gabriel Mtns. Dudleya (Dudleya densiflora).  We also found a White Globe Lily (Calochortus albus), which is a "fairy lantern" form of one of my favorite local wild-flowers. Only one White Globe Lily was noticed growing along the main trail, while many common perennials such as yarrow and yellow monkey flower were showing off their spring display.

Calochortus albus

 

This was also a day where I was fortunate enough to fly-fish on a new creek in my local mountains.  It was reminiscent of its neighboring streams, however it had a look and feel all its own.  It is always exciting to explore a new trout stream in our local mountains.  It is the kindling that add fire to my tireless search for the "big one" in our local mountains.  The two times that I caught my record fish in these mountains I was without a camera! however, there are two witnesses out there that can testify my catch.  The two largest rainbows that I have caught in my local  creek were on stimulator patterns.  The first rainbow was a fat 13incher with a beautiful rosy pink gill plate and lateral line, the scales were silvery and lacked dark parr marks.  I was fishing with Tuck on this day and when him and I saw the fish, we were stunned.  I felt like I hit the jack pot and I could not even imagine catching a larger fish.  It was almost a guilty feeling when I approached the next hole to cast my fly.  As soon as the fly hit the water I saw a monster head rise to take my fly that ended with one aggressive tail-whip.  The line went tight and the fight was on.  This particular hole was rather small and log jammed with fallen Alder trees.  The fish was going to flee into the log jam and I had to stop it.  Without hesitation I jumped into the hole to quickly net the brute before it made a tangled mess.  What came out of the net was one hefty dark colored rainbow that easily pushed into the 15inch range.  While a 15inch trout may seem average on a big river, it is definitely a "monster" trout in our local creek.  I'm sorry Tuck, I'll give you every perfect run and pool from now on.

The trout that I caught on this new creek were small-average, however they were plentiful and willing to strike dry flies without hesitation.  It seems that nearly every cast produced a fish that day and it was becoming annoying to catch the dinks as I would have to constantly re-dress my fly.  I fished with the same ice dubbed size 18 caddis the entire time without even trying the giant Chernobyl ant.  

Possibly the smallest trout I've caught.  Look at those dark parr marks!

This is an average sized trout for these creeks.  For what they lack in size, they make up with fighting spirit and admirable colors.  These trout resemble the Little Kern River Golden Trout that I caught in the Golden Trout Wilderness.

The beauty of these creeks never tire me. 

Even though I did not catch a Henry Fork 20incher, these local creeks are gems to me that provide countless hours of fun dry fly fishing.  Until then, I will continue my search for the 20incher in one of my local creeks... I know your out there somewhere.

Ressurection

I may need a larger fly tying table..

Several weeks have gone by since I have sat in front of my vice to focus on serious fly tying.  After losing two full fly boxes and uncountable tying time, I have decided to build a new box.  Since my only remaining trout box is getting suffocated with a cocktail of chewed up flies and new flies, I am now overdue for a total re haul.  I am beginning with terrestrial bugs (mainly because I'm tired of small flies) and my first pattern is the Chernobyl Ant.  This pattern is one goofy looking fly, almost cartoon looking.  My interest in this fly is the simplicity of the materials and the high floating nature of the material.  It is basically all foam with rubber legs.  The hook that I am using is not ideal.. I'm trying to use up my TMC 300's and while it is working decent, the fly looks slightly elongated.  Something like a TMC 5263 may be more ideal.  I will try several variations and some other teresstrail patterns that imitate hoppers, ants and beetles.  Then, I will resume the standard dry fly fare and load up on nymphs, midges and emergers.

The box that I am using is a Cliff's Super Days Worth. Since I had a $25 off coupon at Orvis that was about to expire I purchased this box and the Bugger Beast box.  One box was basically free, so I'm not complaining.  The Super Days Worth is interesting because it is a well organized box with a flipping page and a strong magnetic nymph compartment with several dividers.  This box should hold more than enough flies and keep them organized.

After I'm finished with this box, I shall post a more comprehensive review of it.  I just cannot bring myself to loading up on commercially tied flies.  For me, it is a satisfying feeling to catch fish on my own patterns (or my friends), especially when it is your own (or my friends) variation or design.  

To be continued...

Skunked at Yorba

Dead carp, garbage and mysterious white slime.

I ended up at Yorba Regional Park with Jack for another after work session of fishing.  He always sincerely says "just one hour", however it is always at least two.  We have been skunked here the past few times and it has only been about three weeks when we were catching bass on command.  Intense weekend fishing pressure and wacky barometric pressure  may have something to do with it. 

The bass can still be seen guarding the fry however they are not as aggressive as they once were.  The bass fry have grown surprisingly fast in the past few weeks.  Some look nearly 2 inches in length and should be dispersing soon.  Hopefully once the bass are done guarding they will begin feeding again. 

My original intent was to fish top water with a bass popper.  I have been consistently fishing with my sink tip line with streamers and I wanted to try something different.  The wind became fairly strong by the time I arrived and top water fishing was out of the question.  I had several bass pursue my streamer although there were no takes today.  While fishing one of my favorite corners an elder gentlemen approached me. This man was in a wheelchair and seemed to understand the sport of fly fishing.  Apparently, in his youth he had backpacked all over the eastern Sierra to fly fish.  Watching me cast a fly rod must have engaged some nostalgic memory.  We exchanged a few stories and told him that I enjoy fly fishing the Sierra Nevada streams myself.  This man ignited with excitement and remarked that he was going to dig up his old 3wt and 5wt fly rods.  I told him to return in a few months and throw any old trout nymph with his 3wt to catch bluegill.  I finished our conversation by telling him to contact the San Gabriel River ranger district for wheelchair access into the west fork, so he can once again see a wild trout at the end of his fly line.

After nearly two hours of casting and not catching Jack and I called it a day.  The 91 fwy was probably already piling up and a cold front was moving in fast.  The wind was getting violent and it was stirring up the water.  Hopefully this storm clears up by the weekend because I have intentions to explore a new wild trout stream.

   

Cushenbury buckwheat

While this is not a fly fishing post, this small botanic gem shares the same geologic range as the wild trout that inhabit the San Bernardino mountains.  I was fortunate enough to receive this Cushenbury buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum) from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.  So, I did not commit a federal crime and poach it.  This plant is listed as federally endangered and is endemic to California. It's range is restricted to the northern calcareous slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains.  So folks, be careful if you find yourself trekking through the Pinyon Juniper woodland while bushwhacking to find that secret trout stream.

Culturing such a rarity is somewhat of a mystery.  It is impossible for me to replicate the conditions of it's native geographic range.  Since I have never actually seen this plant growing in the wild, I can only assume that it prefers dry calcium rich soil.  I mixed some potting soil composed of peat moss, sand, pumice and dolomite lime (I do not remember the ratio).  The plant seems to accept the soil mixture and the light levels where it grows in my patio.  It bloomed without much care or water and it has been flowering for at least one week now.  The flower arrangement of this plant is an umbel, and each individual flower has a pedicel connecting it to the stem, like the spokes of an umbrella. Each flower is cream-white and approx. 3-4mm across.  The flower is perfect meaning it has both male and female reproductive parts and the anthers are pink-burgundy in color. It seems that the younger anthers are pink and turn burgundy as they age. The leaves are spatulate and tomemtose and measure 4-5mm across.   

This is not a plant that most people would regard as a garden plant, however it does have some ornamental value.  The compact nature of this plant would lend itself well to the shrinking urban environment.  The prostrate growth habit would do well as a ground cover and the silvery tomentose leaves would contrast nicely with certain plants.  As a purist, I would not mix this species with plants outside of its native range.  If I were to plant this I would create a rock garden with a mild-steep grade.  The plant composition would be simple and sparse, allowing the rocks to be the main showcase.  Some other herbacious-woody plants that I would incorporate would be Abronia nana, Erigeron parishii, Achnatherum hymenoides and Artemesia tridentata.  I would limit the trees and shrubs to only a few which would include, Arctostaphylos glauca, Juniperus utahensis and Pinus monophylla.  I would finish the rock garden by sowing annual wild flowers common to it's wild habitat.

Sage Flight 690-4

 I have owned this rod for about half a year now and I have been thoroughly pleased with its performance.  This is Sage's mid level rod placing it somewhere between the Vantage and VXP.  It was formerly known as the FLi however Sage has re-incarnated this model with some improvements.  The rod now utilizes Sage's G5 graphite technology which is used on the VXP and Z-Axis.  The upgrade in graphite tech has made this a lighter rod with faster recovery, crisper cast with reserved power.  

 During the time of purchase, I was looking for a "go to" rod that would be suitable for trout fishing on medium-big rivers and lakes.  I also wanted a rod with the power to cast heavy streamers and bass flies.  This was going to be my work-horse rod and I did not want to spend my mortgage payment on it.  At the same time, I really wanted a high end 9'-0" 4 or 5wt for spring creeks.  My practical judgment lead me to buy the work horse and I don't regret it.  This rod really does cover a wide range of fishing conditions that can adapt to delicate dry fly fishing to bulky streamer fishing with ease.  I have fished this rod on big freestones, spring creeks, lakes, and surf.  It is light enough to allow a 12" trout to fight and heavy enough to show a 3lb bass who's boss.  Now if I had a 8-10 lb bass on this rod, It may start sweating.  

This rod is a fast action rod although I would consider it on the slower spectrum of fast action.  It can still generate high line speed when demanded.  This is a great intermediate level rod that allows the caster to unlock hidden potential within themselves and from the rod.  I have definitely grown with this rod in the six months of fishing with it and it feels like I can push it harder every time. Aesthetically, it is what you would expect from Sage.  The blank is a nice rich copper color and changes depending on the light level.  The thread wraps are done in a similar shade as the blank and margins are slightly darker.  The epoxy is also masterfully applied.  All the hardware is of nice quality and the reel seat is titanium anodized aluminum with walnut diamond wood inserts.  

My fly lines that I am currently using on this rod are Rio Gold WF6wt and Rio Outbound 240gr sink tip.  Both of these lines compliment this rod well.  With these lines I can cover a gambit of fishing challenges.  The only time that I felt under-tackled was on the open ocean at Catalina Island.  My 240gr took way too long to sink to a reasonable fishing depth.  I would have to go back with at least an 8wt with 300gr line.  However, with this rod and these lines I can fish for just about any fresh water fish in the west. 

 

Lamson Litespeed 2 15th Anniversary Edition

I had originally purchased the Lamson Guru 2 15th Anniversary Edition and fished with it only a handful of times.  Unfortunately it was stolen out of my truck while fishing at San Antonio Creek.  It was a great reel that had a ported arbor and further machining overall.  I would have purchased it again, however the guys over at stillwater flyshop were able to get me the very last LS 2 AE from the Lamson Waterworks factory out of Boise, Idaho.  I couldn't turn it down.

The main differences that set this reel apart from the standard LS is the higher level of machining done throughout the reel.  The Type-3 anodizing is also the same as the Vanquish, Lamson's highest end model.  When compared with the standard LS, the finish is definitely different and in a better way. Darker and more polished looking is the best description that I can give and the hard alox coating is supposed to shrug off scratches.  The drag knob is also less bulky which snags less on the fly line. 

   Another detail of change is the burnt orange anodized drag cassette, the color contrasts beautifully with the storm grey colored body.  The last detail is the AE production number inscribed on the bottom of the reel housing.  My reel is 259/500. 

 There is something just cool about having something one of a kind.  It is simply a beautifully crafted fishing instrument that showcases the talents of American craftsman.  As far as I can tell, the drag system is the same as the lower end Guru.  From what I have read, the entire Lamson lineup shares the same conical drag system whether is it the Konic or the Vanquish.  The only difference being the quality of housing parts and machining.  That is great news to me because I am a huge fan of their drag system.  It is ultra smooth and maintenance free.  The drag is also fully sealed which means all of their reels can be used for salt water fishing. 

Just remember to rinse the reel off with freshwater before switching spools and after fishing.

I have only had the opportunity to fight off the reel once while fishing for large-mouth bass.  The drag was smooth and the outgoing click was not overbearingly loud.  I can't wait to fight a fish to put this reel to the test.  It looks like I'm going to have to book a trip to Alaska to find some King Salmon.  Or maybe I'll just have to settle with carp in one of my local sewage ditches.  Overall, I am happy with this purchase and highly recommend any reel out of Lamson's lineup.