Trillium trout and softhackles

[Irishrover]

Last week one of my granddaughters gave me a call and asked if I would be able to take her and a friend of hers fishing on Suday. That was a no brainer for me, this grandkid can fish. She is 13 and fishes like she has been at it for years. I told her my old boat has been sold and my new boat is still getting the motors and electronic installed, but if she wants we will head to Trillium with the drift boat and fish. She was up for that so up there we went. When we were hooking up the boat in Sandy it was sunny and semi warm, when we reached Trillium it was a bit over cast a slight breeze and chilly (Cold). Other than a few folks fishing from the platform by the boat launch we had the lake to ourselves. Now the whole world knows the best fly for that lake is a green crystal bugger tied by our own OnTheFly. He has been fishing that lake for years and has it dialed in. I tie on the crystal bugger and a size 14 green body soft hackel as a dropper on a sinking line. With that set up fishing mostly in the north end of the lake my granddaughter hooked over a dozen fish and landed five. All the fish she landed were on the size 14 softhackle. I think after the OFF fishing event that OnTheFly put on the week after Labor Day weekend, those trout recognized that crystal bugger and wanted no part of it. (Still my favorite fly on that lake). My granddaughter had a fun day but after four hours of the cold we called it a day and came home off the mountain and back to Sandy. Her friend had fun too but didn't want to try the flyfishing thing and got skunked. I had a fantastic time, sharing time on the water with my granddaughter and netting her fish!

 

[eggs]

Good stuff! Yea it was nice down here kn Sandy but I can see how the mountain would have been chilly.

 

[Raincatcher]

You are a very good Grandpa! :hi: What more can you hope for than to have a teenager actually ask you to take them fishing!? How fun!!

 

[OnTheFly]

Your granddaughter certainly picked a perfect day to hit grampa up for a fishing trip. Good call on the soft hackle and catching all those fish. It won't be long before she's telling you how to fish. Lately I've had more luck with a peacock carey special than the OCB and I think maybe it has a similar action like the soft hackles. Hmmmm.....maybe you're on to something.

 

[troutmasta]

Now the whole world knows the best fly for that lake is a green crystal bugger tied by our own OnTheFly.

Real Talk.

Congrats on a great day!

 

[JeannaJigs]

Wish there was a Trillium closer to home...man I'd be out there all the time! Sounds like a fabulous day with the grandkids! This year I couldn't keep them off the black bugger and then it was the carey special

 

[lilsalmon]

Wish there was a Trillium closer to home...man I'd be out there all the time!

Me too...with my toon....

 

[OnTheFly]

Wish there was a Trillium closer to home...man I'd be out there all the time! Sounds like a fabulous day with the grandkids! This year I couldn't keep them off the black bugger and then it was the carey special

Awww...don't remind me. A large fish took a black bugger there at Trillium and kicked the living **** out of me. I was in my float tube and I had gone all the way down to the far end of the lake. I briefly set my rod down to take a couple pictures of (Mecca) jimmy as he was canoeing through the lily pads. I only had about 8ft. of line out the end of my rod and while I took snapshots, all it did was sink straight down. As I reeled in, it felt like I was stuck in the weeds just below me as my rod bent downward. Then, like the time eggs hooked my lab in the ear with his caddis fly on the Deschutes, my line just whizzed off the reel. This fish was yoked. Lucky for me my thumb was out of the way of the reel handle because it probably would have felt like getting it hit with a hammer. The runs were brutal. As they happened, all I could do was point the rod at the fish and hold on. During my struggle, I thought about the take. The fish must have been sitting directly below me when a black and red crystal bugger on a #10 streamer hook came gently and conveniently floating down within inches of it's mouth. Later, jimmy said the fish was probably chewing on it for awhile as I was still taking pictures. Jeez. I never got to see the fish. The closest it got was when I could see about a foot of leader above the water where it was tied to the butt section in the line. The released hook immediately triggered a common reactionary response when a fisherman loses a big fish after such a tough fight; head tilts back, eyes closed, and belching out OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

 

[Irishrover]

Oh man that's beyond frustrating! Still time to get back up there and hook him up. We lost a nice fat fish right at the boat, hope that fish makes it through the winter and is around next spring.

 

[JeannaJigs]

Awww...don't remind me. A large fish took a black bugger there at Trillium and kicked the living **** out of me. I was in my float tube and I had gone all the way down to the far end of the lake. I briefly set my rod down to take a couple pictures of (Mecca) jimmy as he was canoeing through the lily pads. I only had about 8ft. of line out the end of my rod and while I took snapshots, all it did was sink straight down. As I reeled in, it felt like I was stuck in the weeds just below me as my rod bent downward. Then, like the time eggs hooked my lab in the ear with his caddis fly on the Deschutes, my line just whizzed off the reel. This fish was yoked. Lucky for me my thumb was out of the way of the reel handle because it probably would have felt like getting it hit with a hammer. The runs were brutal. As they happened, all I could do was point the rod at the fish and hold on. During my struggle, I thought about the take. The fish must have been sitting directly below me when a black and red crystal bugger on a #10 streamer hook came gently and conveniently floating down within inches of it's mouth. Later, jimmy said the fish was probably chewing on it for awhile as I was still taking pictures. Jeez. I never got to see the fish. The closest it got was when I could see about a foot of leader above the water where it was tied to the butt section in the line. The released hook immediately triggered a common reactionary response when a fisherman loses a big fish after such a tough fight; head tilts back, eyes closed, and belching out OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I can see the reactionary response now LOL

 

[Raincatcher]

The released hook immediately triggered a common reactionary response when a fisherman loses a big fish after such a tough fight; head tilts back, eyes closed, and belching out OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I just groaned, too...Wheezer even gave me a dirty look for waking him up! :lol: