Okay, I admit to having had such a good time fishing my 7.5 foot, 4 weight rod at Cold Creek last week that I decided to return with my little 6-footer today. I’ve written before that I’ve built two 6-foot fly rods in my life primarily because of Cold Creek. Catching wild 7-inch Rainbow and Brook trout in thin water (or the more obscure trout like Golden, Bonneville, or even Redband wherever they are found) is not much fun on an 8-foot rod, but can be blast on a 6-foot rod. In the early 1980s I built my first small-creek fly rod from fiberglass specifically for tiny water like Cold Creek and Beaver Dam Creek, and replaced it with a graphite version in 2009. I’ve used the new graphite rod to land 16-inch trout and 12-inch bass on Haymeadow Reservoir in the Wayne Kirch Wildlife Management Area (it has more backbone than the fiberglass). I was very, very pleased and impressed by the performance of that rod, although as a 3 weight it can’t cast well the larger flies that I prefer on the big waters of Kirch… even the 7.5 foot, 4 weight has difficulty with larger weighted nymphs.
Unfortunately, recent rains and melting snow ran into the Cold Creek pond creating significant clarity issues. Although I generally favor putting action to subsurface fly fishing (as opposed to suspending a nymph from a buoyant dry fly or strike indicator) and believe the trout’s observation of movement triggers their predatory instincts, they can also sense the movement vibrations through the water if it’s close enough. The trout’s lateral lines help it perform in dark or dirty water as well as locate prey and predators alike, but I believe you have to get the fly closer to the trout when relying on lateral lines rather than eyesight. Anyway, because of the muddy water I was only able to feel two strikes, both of which I landed. One was a plump 11.5-inch rainbow trout. Despite the dearth of fishing action, catching that Cold Creek Pond specimen on my 6-foot fly rod made the whole trip.
It was a beautiful morning, an obvious gift from The Lord demonstrating his creative powers. Romans 1:18-23 says, among other things, through “the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…” Check out the hyperlink if you want to read the quote in context. Or better yet, try reading The Message version if you’re not accustomed to reading scripture.
Nice blog. Don't hear much in the way of fly fishing down by Las Vegas. Keep up the good work.