Saturday, July 01, 2006

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

The Bowels of the Gunnison are for the extreme hikers. A whopping 2660 ft. climb tested us to the max. The results were rewarded with the pictures below.

It all begins somewhere. The anticipation of what lied at the bottom was such a thrill that we had to control ourselves not to hike to fast.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado was absolutely amazing. It took 2 hours to hike down and 3 hours to hike up. Not a trip for amatures. It was one of the most amazing trips I have been on.

Looking down into the bowels of the black monster.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison (cont.)

By this time we could hear and see the river. Tired but still full of excitement.


The sheer rock walls of the Gunnison were breathtaking. These pictures do not do justice.

Talk about a steep climb down. This wasn't to bad compared to some other areas. A few slips here and there and finnally we made it to the bottom of the canyon.


Having a great time on a Gold Medal river.

The SalmonFly hatch was awesome to see. They love to climb all over you when you walked through the bushes. They averages from 1-3 inches in length. Look closely on the rim of my sunglasses.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison (cont.)


My first morning on the Gunnison just as the Salmonfly hatch was starting to show its face. I had no idea about the great fish we were about to hook up with in the next few days. It was awesome!

This male brown wasn't the biggest fish in the hole, but I wouldn't tell him that. He put up quite a quarrel.

This is an 18 inch brown that played dead....only for a moment because once he saw the man with the net he bolted. I was so excited to land this guy.

Here I am with the 21 inch bow that took all I had to hold him in two hands. It was a moment I'll never forget. Thanks Dave

Black Canyon of the Gunnison (cont.)

This was my first catch on the Gunnison. It was 15 inches but I'm pretty sure he thought he was a moster the way he fought me.

My brother - in - law Dave pulled out this 21 inch rainbow. When it slid into the net the victory was sweet. The sure gerth was breathtaking. Nice Job Dave. This big guy earned Dave the Snap Shot of the Week on KUTV's Outdoors with Doug Miller.

This male brown was a fighter. The amuzing thing was that it was caught with a jimmy rigged fly rod. Only the best can land one like that.

This was one of the first rainbows caught on the trip and it started something big. Always fun to hook up with a beautiful rainbow....in a river it only gets better.


My attempt at the hamburger hold. A great day of fishing on the Gunnison. This will be a place dear to my heart for years to come.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Backpacking the Uintahs

Most anglers enjoy backpacking. There is nothing more thrilling than to hike your home into the wilderness and spend some time fishing and hiking. I hope to join a few of these guys along with some new ones again this summer to adventure the same great areas in the Uintahs mountains of Utah.

Heaven....here it is. Can't get any better than this.

Best time of a trip, the quiet silhouette of the campground and enchanting sounds of insects and animals.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

The Wind River Range

The Beautiful Golden Trout fingerling. A jewl for any angler.

Here we are at 12,000 feet in the Wind River Range. What a beautiful view from all angles.


The gang...ready to start an adventure of a lifetime.

This lake we stayed at for a couple of nights. We were snowed on for several hours straight...in the middle of August.

Again at 12k feet. It looked like we were in Alaska or something. It was so quiet at that elvation.

There is something empowering yet humbling about the Wind River Range in Wyoming. When planning your trip be sure to plan for an expeirience of a lifetime.


Oh the majestic power of the Wind Rivers Mountains in Wyoming. The golden trout is native to California and usually are very small in nature. Our group went deep into the backcountry of the Winds and had some great experiences. Our friend Mark hooked into this Golden Trout. If you knew the regular size of these trout, then this one would be compared to catching a 30 inch rainbow. The Wind River Range will take your breath away.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Utah Fishing




The blue ribbon waters of the Provo River produce exciting catches. These two brown trout were caught in February on small nymph patterns.



This 23 inch cutthroat was pulled out of Strawberry Reservoir. The funny thing about it was that a man offered me $20 for it. I took it and went out to dinner.

The Uintah Mountains in Utah are spectacular. The great trout lakes are fairly easy to hike to. If you really want a fabulous experience in the outdoors with not a lot of sweat poured out in getting there, then the Uintahs are for you.
Hayden Peak / Moosehorn Lake



Utah is home to some of the finest troutwaters in the west. The high Uintah mountain lakes will allow you to explore almost every speices of trout. This is a 15 inch brook trout that was caught on a olive scud. He was cruising along the shore.