Cathedral Range Myth 9-8 to 9-18, 2012

9-8,9
Beneath Potter Point.
We, Mary and I,
plot along.

Along the trail,
Limber Pine shade our climb.
Two Kestrels call,
kiting high behind.

9-10,11
Perched above our camp.
Amelia Earhart,
sentinel of Ireland Lake.

Mourning Cloaks and Sliver Checkerspots.
Flutter and dance,
as we climb.

Spotted fishes,
red and blue spots irradesent.
Swim and rise,
evening caddis glow.

9-11,12
Evening Coyote call,
Scorpious rises,
like Evelyn's Sierra Steelhead.

Wool socks,
three days on the trail.
Ripe in the tent.

9-13,14
The bountiful basket,
Foxtail pines wave in the breeze.
Nestled aquatic hermit.

Range of the Lohaton.
Your speckled sides,
cathedral of granite and water.
Walls of talus your fortress.

Your myth our fortune.

Leopard of the lake.
Lying ambush in the depths,
ant, thread and feather, my fly.

Gliding within its Cirque,
Wings of dexterity.
Aquila chryaetos' watchful eye.

9-15
Last Columbine,
delicately burning white skyward.
Within talus slabs.

9-16
Orion low in the east.
New moon, shooting stars.
Fox tail pines, siluetted night.

9-17
Hiking here and there.
Lake to Lake.
Mary, me and the Clarks Nutcrackers.

Canyons and Peaks,
Granite of U-shaped grace.
Receded ice.

More Cathedral Range photos

Yuba-Ku 8-31-2012

Mars and Saturn Set.
Fruits of the rise, Salmonoids tail dance.
Once in a blue moon.

Steak and Eggs:

Yuba River, below Parks Bar Bridge
Clear and sunny weather, windy
Water temp 52 degrees, air temp 85 degrees
Flow 1000cfs
Hours fished, 10:30am til dusk
Zero bug activity
9'5wt single handed rod and 5wt graphite switch rod
13 fish total, 4 on dry fly, 9 on swung soft hackles
Successful flies: Black and orange Stimulator size 8,
Partridge and pheasant soft hackle size 14,
Partridge and copper soft hackle size 14,
Golden Stone nymph size 2

South Fork and the Monarch.

Tumbling freestone glides,
hidden Iridocytes hover in place.
You,
veiled in shimmering opalescence.

The gateway guarded,
Sentinel looms.
Fish of the Monarch.

Steak and Eggs;

South fork Kings River between Hotel Creek and Roaring River
Et; 4 hours, wet wadding.
18 fish total, 8-15 inches, 15 Rainbows and 3 Browns
flow 200cfi
gear; 3wt 7'11" sage SLT and 4wt 9' bamboo switch rod
flies; Goddard Caddis,Tasty Bite,Mac & Cheese, HS Stimulator and Partridge and Orange.
Beer; Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Mammoth 395 IPA

Yuba-ku 6-8-2012

Your scales, dappled light.
Reflecting spectrum I wish to hold.

Mano-a-Mano.

The Mac and Cheese;

Yuba River above Parks Bar Bridge
Hours fished: 9:30am to 8pm
9 fish total: 1@20" 1@18" 3@10" 3@8" 1@4"
Water temp 53 degrees, flow 1650, air temp 91 degrees
Method: Spey cast slack nymphing, and Spey cast swung wet flies.
Gear: 6wt 11 foot Bamboo spey rod 350 grain scandi line, 10 floating polyleader.

Flies: Isoperla stone "Tasty Bite", Caddis puppa "hydropsycho" and infrequens CDC emerger "spitznatz"
Observed insects, Yellow Sallies, sporadic PMD's and Spotted Sedges.

Hydropsycho

Spitznatz

Tasty Bite

Prototype 6 wt Yuba Swing Boo

Since i've been catching some really nice fish on the Yuba river lately i though i should have a photographer take some nice photos of the 6 wt spey rod and the tube before i gets to banged up from fishing.
last week i caught several nice rainbows one 18 and a 19 incher on the swing with variants of north country soft hackles. At the end of the day i landed a super, riffle charging 22 inch spring run chrome that really made the bamboo yahoo!
The Spey rod I wrapped in Olive Gossamar silk and tipped in black Gossamar silk. The guides are all Snake and H&H that i gun blued. I made the ferrules all of Brass on my lathe then those were gun blued as well. The bamboo was impregnated and after the guide wrapping with 4 coats of satin spar.
The rod case i built as a prototype for the rod is fabricated out of a product called PlyBoo from Smith and Fong. Its a 1/4 inch plywood, i then built the hex tube and the leather straps i crafted to hold the tubes top. the small acorn top i made on the lathe to match the ferrule toppers as well gun blued brass and maple.
Here are some pictures.

Swing Boo with the 22 inch chrome on the other end.

Yuba-Ku 5-13-2012

Teal and cream,
swinging to the swallows swoop.
spotted rainbow friend.

Riffles woosh then glide,
from snowmelt,
              rolls then boils.
In my hand,
             she,
                  spring bright.

Steak and Eggs:

Yuba River above Parks Bar bridge, east side
hours fished; 8:30am until 4:30pm
6wt 12 foot Bamboo spey rod, and 5wt graphite rod
Wet flies, Nymphs
Blue Note size 18, Teal and Cream size 14, Tasty Bite size 4
11 trout landed, sizes; 1@22", 1@19", 3@ 18", 5@16, 1@12
5 trout on soft hackles, 6 on nymphs
river flow; 2300 cfm
water clarity; Gin clear
water temp 50 degrees F.
air temp 85
bug activity; pink PMD hatch 9am until 11:30am & lady bugs in afternoon.
slightly cloudy

Putah-ku, 5-4-2012

Riffles run 454.
Planting moon rises like isoperla.
Putahs guarded secret.


Regulus and salmonoids,
        converging,
                 my rod's bent,
like the Alders sway.

Steak and Eggs;


Access 3,  
fished for 6 hours
landed 5 fish, one 19 inches, two around 12 inches, two 5-6 inches
flows 454 cfm
method; high sticking and swung at end of drift.
flies, size 18 zebra John, size 16 yellow birds nest, size 4 hot wired red worm.
weather; sunny slight breeze, high stratus/cumulus clouds.
water clarity;  clear/slight green tint  10 feet visibility.