This past week my dad and I headed up to the Pine Forest range just south of the nevada/oregon boarder to hunt my antelope archery tag. The number one lesson learned from this hunt. Don't camp on a good fly fishing lake when you're supposed to be puttin on miles up in the hills chasin antelope. We arrived late Saturday night and I felt that a few beers were in order. The next day those beers stuck with me and my desire to go hike in the heat was about zero. Instead, on day one, I sat around camp and tied up flies to match the dense damselfly hatch. While the fish were surfacing all day here and there, throwing dries had minimal results. This is one of those lakes that people will talk about dry fly action all day long. Unfortunately we were there when the lake was turning over and it just about killed good top water fishing. Sunday evening was the first time I got out on the water and the reports from other guys floating the lake weren't all that good. I don't know if luck was on my side but that night landed about 10 fish in 2 hours, lost about as many and missed about as many strikes. Stripping a Midnight cowboy wooly bugger off the shooting head was hot. This tactic was pretty much the name of the game the whole trip. The last two hours of the day, fishing was good. I would go out and hunt then return to get on the water by 6 and fish til about 8 or 8:30. There was an old gent out there by the name of John Evans who was having some luck on a brown bugger as well but started to favor that midnight cowboy once he learned of it. Here are some photos of the fish!
This guy dropped by while I was tieing in camp. Had to take a pic.
Here's an example of the standard size of the fish at Knott Creek res. This one's a cuttbow.
And a nice tiger trout
Here's a nice rainbow
This was the big fish of the trip. 5lb Rainbow.
And from another angle just for good measure
Knott creek res is one of those lakes that, at this time, doesnt produce 10lb fish but you can go out there and catch 16 to 20inch fish until your arms fall off. Just bring some gas because its no short drive. Quickest way still covers about 115 miles on dirt roads. Good dirt roads, but dirt roads none the less.
