Ripped Jeans, Waterfalls, and Brook Trout

I went out on my mountain bike today to look at a few potential wild trout streams. The first looked like crap and smelled like it too, the next was gorgeous but fish-less. When you can't catch a fish in a hole like this there aren't any:

Of course there were plenty of other interesting things, including a few quarries and the remains of a canine. I would have assumed coyote had there not been a collar mixed with the bones. Some poor family probably still doesn't know what happened to there pet. 

I got back on the bike, planning to salvage the day on a familiar stream, and tore a humongous hole in the crotch of my jeans. For the rest of the day I would be very cold in that particular area anytime I was going any speed. 

Luckily the ravine creek is a great producer. Heck, it even has a waterfall too!

I had on the Pine Special streamer, and I was using a fast downstream retrieve in a shallow pool when the first fish hit. He chased the fly to me, took, and I missed. He was in sight now and got to watch his reaction and the take. The fight was brief and was soon holding a few ounces of living jewel. Downstream I caught a few more before going to the mouth to see if I could find some anadromous species. 

Unfortunately there were probably not any salmon or Brown Trout in the mouth right now, and even if there were the ignored the bucktails I swung into the deep hole. I wouldn't have been too surprised to catch one, I've had pulls while fish tube flies and streamers in the lower Salmon River this time of year that were either big trout or salmon.

On the ride home it snowed a bit. I love the wackiness of weather this time of year!