Ashurst Lake 8-18-18

[Flyfisher20"]

It was a great morning. Landed five big Rainbows and lost one scary pike at my toes. All Rainbows were about 18". The Pike was closer to 24". It literally pulled my float tube around in a circle. All fish were hooked on a variety of streamers. Brown, black, and silver. All fish caught in the far southern end of lake. Water quality poor. Algae and large beds of weeds. Lighting and rain ran me off about 12:30 pm.

[JBatina]

Mark, is the water clear or is it like chocolate milk like it has been?

[Flyfisher20"]

John, the water is not brown. It is full of floating algae and weed beds. Small particles of green slime. I fished two weeks ago just off the east camp ground area and never got a strike all day. Camp host said I should try the far southern end, in front of the rocky dam, if that is really a dam? Water the same everywhere I went. The fish were biting on the south end this Saturday. Used a Teeny 200 sink tip, and cleaned my fly off about every cast. Big fish!

[JBatina]

Thanks Mark. I want to head up there this fall

[MeLikeFlyFish-FlyFishGood]

beefy!

[Bucksnort]

Flyfisher,

Judging by the clarity of the water around your flippers, it doen't look too bad. So it appears the trade off here is a bit more clear water for a lot of veggies.

[Flyfisher20"]

Yes. Southern end of lake was the most clear I saw. Still cleaning my fly almost every cast. Pulling up reeds every fifth cast. I was in approx. 9' of water and my fly down in the weeds every cast.

[Bucksnort]

Flyfisher,

I have a saying that goes like this. "When you're not fishing, you're not fishing". What that means is when you are BSing with other anglers or eating lunch or dropping a deuce or draining the main vein or untangling knots or cleaning gunk from your hooks or knocking ice from your guides, you are burning good fishing time. Of course, you understand none of these events have ever happened to me. I know, there is a little tongue in cheek here but I think you understand what I'm saying.

And, I've always lived by three rules. 1. I don't fish when I am constantly cleaning ice from my guides. 2. I don't fish in electricity. 3. I don't fish when I'm constantly cleaning gunk from my hooks. You caught some nice fish from Ashurst but I would easily become discouraged by your situation.

I have walked into Cheesman Canyon many times to catch rainbows and browns who have been watching football and eating chicken wings and I've also walked back out of the canyon and given up catching these beasts because of too much vegetation. It's a personal thing. At 74 and a half years old and after forty years of fly fishing, I've earned the right to complain about fishing conditions.

But the bottom line is, I would love to have been in your position on Ashurst.

[Flyfisher20"]

Bucksnort, thanks for the words of experience and wisdom. I am about 15 years your junior and I can only hope I am still bouncing a grand kid on my knee and flinging a fly at 74. Hope your next trip is a good one!

[Bucksnort]

Flyfisher,

Thank you for the wonderful sentiment. I will go as long as my back, knees and hips allow me to do so. My will is strong and I can only hope I die on a stream or lake, somewhere. After back surgery in 1993, I will always remember what my orthopedic surgeon told me when I asked him what I can't do. He said, "do whatever you want until you can't do it any more". That has been my mantra since.