Ice Road Fisherman

I don't have much time today for a detailed report or in- depth stories, but I wanted to throw some photos up from Thursday's trip back to the Current. I hoped for some more Browns, but ended up catching nothing but Rainbows (what a bummer, right?). It was one of the good days of winter, and I left smiling and in a great mood.

There is a small population of wild rainbows that successfully reproduce in the stream, and these are always a pleasure and joy to catch. The difference between a wild and stocker is immediately recognizable in most fish, in both appearance and fight. Wildies...those're my drug of choice and completely dictate where I fish.



This male is in spawning colors and proved his bull status as I was unhooking him (see below). This is more than likely a stocker but could be a diluted wild (spots extend heavily below lateral line), but still beautiful in spawn colors.

Teeth! He intended to shred that Slump Buster!

No, I wasn't making coffee and spilled my half-and-half, that's milt from the male shown above. I've been...initiated. I wonder if it's any coincidence that the rest of the fish of the day were all female? Hmmm.

Stocker holdover, but still a pretty girl. The stockers from Montauk are really high-quality and well-bred. If I have to catch a stocker, those from 'tauk are pretty darn good. This one slammed my bugger at the bottom of a very, very deep pool. I thought it was a Brown for sure during the first minute or two until I saw her. She put up one very impressive fight.

She ate that fly!

A little moss forest that covered a log I rested on for a while. Couldn't help myself but to take a photo.

No idea how it formed, but these ice ribbons were amazing. They were just piled up on a fisherman path streamside. Pretty interesting.

It's winter, but there is still life everywhere on the Current.