Boys at Brook Meadow

One of our favorite spots to take the kids is Brook Meadow. This is the stream we took Caleb to a couple weeks after he was born. Katy carried him in a bobby-sling-thingamajig and caught fishies. The boys have grown so much since this trip! One of the keys to keeping the kids interested in fishing is doing other things than fishing when you're out on the stream. Katy and I take turns watching the boys while the other fishes. I like to roll rocks over and we find the bugs that hide below. The boys pick them off one by one and "feed the fishies". Connor's favorite bug to find are cased caddis. We found some fat, juicy ones camping a couple years ago. Connor has been trying to get lightning to strike twice since then...To his dismay we've only found regular sized caddis under rocks since.

Connor is becoming quite the fisherman! It's so enjoyable to watch these guys learn and grow, between the moments of the shear hell that is parenting...

Brown Meadow And The Canyon Below

I took the family on many fishing excursions last summer. But I snuck away a few times for a solo trip to cleanse the sole. On one of our trips past the Brown Meadow, I noticed a dirt road leading towards the canyon section below the meadow. In the past 6 years of fishing this area I never ventured, let alone noticed this access point. I assumed the area was all private land and inaccessible. I tried to quickly fish it, but with Connor in tow and a close call with red-ants, it quickly became apparent I would need to come back on my own for a recognisance mission.

The Brown Meadow canyon kept gnawing at my mind until Katy ordered me to go back and fish it. Oakley and I went up after work and fished the meadow for the evening caddis hatch. But instead of throwing caddis I chucked a ball of deer hair disguised as a mouse. For some reason a trout on a mouse has eluded me and this evening was no different. I've caught most bass on the fly using a mouse and I've had some epic slashing by trout, but never a solid hook-up. I ended up catch one ~17" brown, but not on a mouse.  

The next morning I awoke with anticipation to fish a new section of old water. The spot I had scoped out a few evenings prior was far from what I anticipated it to be. I imagined deep pools full of unpressured fat browns; shallow frog water was the reality. I decided to explore for more access points and found two more.

The water looked great and fished OK. It was a mix of pools shaded by over-hanging cottonwood branches and long torrent riffles. I enjoyed finding this new water but told myself my timing was off; or something. Because I know this water will hunt...someday.  

Inexpensive High Power UV Light

I recently purchased some Clear Cure Goo Hydro and have been whipping up massive amounts of midge larva/pupa goodness. The guys over at Flyfish Food have some great videos on some innovative patterns. I've had light envy because they are rocking the CCG premium light. I've been using a combo of two UV lights, one from Fish Tech in SLC and another I bought from Hook & Hackle. This has been working for me until I got greedy last week and tried to convert the Hook & Hackle light from battery to AC. This little experiment left me with half the LED lights burnt out.

So my dilemma was to lay in the grave I dug by trying to improve my UV curing experience or drop $50 on the CCG premium light. I chose option "C", buy a knock-off version of the premium light off Amazon and hope it works. This light runs off the same battery(s) as the CCG premium (CR123A x2 or 18650 x1 ). I also bought a charger with two 18650 batteries.

Inexpensive UV torch

This light has a 3w UV bulb just like CCG's light and puts off light in the 390nm spectrum. CCG is keeping the specific light spectrum they designed their resin around a secret. But some guy in a random forum somewhere online said most UV resins cure in the range of 385nm - 450nm... so I'll go with that.

The light, batteries & charger cost just over $22 shipped. I received them Tuesday and tried it out and it works great! This light is STRONG. I usually cured UV goo (CCG hydro, Knot sense) at least 20 seconds with my two-light combo. I can cure better in 5-10 seconds than my old system. I can't attest to long-term quality or if I'm burning out the retinas of my eyes. But I'm happy with this light and at about 25% the cost of the CCG premium, that's hard to beat!

Leaves in Two Left Hands

We took a scenic drive to see the fall leaves. I took the boys on the DRZ while Katy fished the small stream that runs down this canyon. The multiple pools from last year had mostly been washed out. But Katy was still able to stick a few.

Rippin' Lips Urban Style

There's an urban pond that open a couple years ago in Cedar City, UT. It's been fun taking the family up for a quick evening of catching. The first year we caught mostly trout. But I think they pretty much got cleaned out of the pond. The boys really enjoy catching the bass and boo geo geo (Caleb's name for bluegill). 

Micro Spring Stream



We went camping above a small lake outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. This was the only camping trip we made as a family last summer. It was a busy holiday weekend and there were few options for camp sites. We encroached on a site with an abandoned camp trailer but plenty of room for more campers. Once the campsite was secure Katy and I took turns fishing the small stream that runs through the meadows. This is a micro spring creek that rewards well with a mixed bag of Brooks and Browns. Much of it is frog water, but with a little stealth and an accurate, soft cast, the fish are willing. It's an intimate occasion spotting the fish and watching it slowly rise to your dry. this is my religion and it nourishes my soul.

The first night the boys allowed Katy and I fish a large stretch of the stream. As light faded we sat around the campfire roasting marshmallows until we gave ourselves tummy aches. Connor lit off Alka-Seltzer rockets and Caleb continued to feed the fire with any stick he could find. The following morning Sam, Jake, and Mary met us near Ruby's Inn and we did the tourist thing.

It didn't take long before Sam and I started grumbling about wanting to go fishing so we bailed the scene and returned to the stream.  





Third Creek Family Fishing

The family headed up to one of our favorite little streams to fish, especially in early spring. The boys are both becoming more independent, i.e. less supervision required which equates to more freedom for both parents and offspring to enjoy the outdoors more. We sometimes avoid taking Oakley with us on family fishing trips because of fear he'll knock the boys into the river. But today was more about getting out the cabin-fever wiggles than fishing.

Connor is coming into his own in regards to casting and catching. I have way more fun watching him stick these small stream trout than doing it myself. He's not much for advice from his old man, but I still get it in now and again and he seems to be listening.