I recognise that scream, someone's just cut through their main line instead of their tag end. Great videos Drew, this latest trip is brilliant, don't want it to end!
Drew, thanks for this whole series, been a treat to watch you fish and record your experiences. Love this type of fishing, just wish I could do more of it. Keep up the great vlogs.
There's a small Brook a few miles north of my home town of similar size to yours today. Maybe not quite as fast flowing. I was sat by the edge one spring day eating lunch whilst out for a hike. I'd assumed that because it was so small, water coming off the Moor above and surrounded by conifers that it would be barren. The first thing I saw was a pair of dragonfly zipping about. I then heard a splash just upstream of my spot. I crawled towards the small pool trying to keep low. To my amazement I spied three brown trout. Only 4 to 5 inches long, they were after the early midge hatch. I was thoroughly delighted.
Drew...WTH man! The YETI IS out there. I woulda tinkled the moment I heard that sound, threw all my stuff in the bed of the pickup and raced outta there. Guess I need a refresher course to the man club society! 😃 Another great video!
Haha, I probably would have done the same had I even considered that being something crazy. I was distracted my the fishing lol! This is why my wife required I carry a spot lol!
7/4/24 - Dude - those were some sweet fish for a small stream. Reminds me of fishing for brook trout in Michigan, esp. with a fly rod on a small stream. You got a hat trick. Nice job. Thank you for the time and effort it goes into making your videos.
Drew, you have unbelievable patience fishing these super small, heavy brush streams. I take it that spider at 11:45 wasn't even a distraction with the bears, badgers and whatever else that was lurking all around. Thanks for taking us on the adventure.
Caption; when you have to trout fish so bad that howling monsters aren't a deterrent lol! Hope you brought your bfr out there with. I wouldn't step out of the truck without that thing in the mountains. That howling certainly added a different element to the video. Anyways, you are on a different skill level than the rest of us. After watching you, what I thought was impossible, is now possible. Great creek, tight, bushy and out of the way. Perfect!
Haha, that screaming made for an interesting morning. When I find those tight streams I get excited...they probably don't see much traffic and I like the challenge of trying to get a fly into some of those windows. A lot of times I'm just happy to execute a drift!
Now that's some guerilla fishing Drew! Beautiful colors on those Trout. I love it when Brookies get that dark purplish black mouth. Makes em look mean and primordial. Nice mountain stream Cuttie. And was that a Badger? A rare treat. Great video.
Yup, 90% of the time the streams I fish look like this, just my 7ft 3wt bow and arrow my way up and up, and honestly quite often it's chasing the rio grande cutts! Definitely appreciate the share on this one!!
Cougar will scream. Two of my buddies and I were poling our way up Red's Slough on a fine August afternoon. We were shooting frogs with bow n arrow. When in the thicket ...a cougar screamed. 53 years later I still get goosebumps everytime I think of that day.
Crazy, starting to think it might have been. A sign in the part before this video had a sign that warned of mountain lions and a few others have mentioned...really only thing besides a yeti that might explain it lol!
Spent 4 months in Montana, near Bozeman. We always carried Bear Spray and well as my pistol. Bear Spray is very effective. Worked for the Forest Service. Spot was required. Checked in every morning when we came on duty.
Awesome video and scenery. I'm from Ohio and never fly fished but your videos make me want to learn how. Nothing here looks quite like that! I like your style and will be watching more! Good luck to you, fish on!
Good to see you are using some type of GPS unit. I watch a lot of Canam Missing/Missing 411. I don't typically hike too far into the bush but always leave a note of the area I will be in. Stay safe out there!
Drew, Thanks for the videos. Come back to New Mexico and Southern Colorado and I can get you on plenty of Rio Grande Cutts. Even some big ones. IMHO they do need to be listed under the ESA. It's hard to compete, and prosper when your historic range has been filled with Browns, Rainbows and Brookies.
amazing phase of wild trout... great video ,, those old broken gnarly' pointy like a spear' pine spindles sticking upward or sideways are something to watch out for... thx Drew for a great video..
Great episode, Drew! The wife and I drove to the Little Missouri, below Narrows, last Friday. LOTS of good fish in the Catch & Release section below the dam. I saw one guy fishing, further down, and he said the Pandemic must have pushed folks to fish because they were harder to find (Further down the river) than in years past. They restock in a couple of weeks!
Guess I need to make my way over there one day. Never fished that stream but hear good things about it...just always seems like they have a weird generation schedule or something. Great weather to be out for sure!
Great video Drew! Can't wait to see your Idaho video on Thursday and the ones after. I like to fish small streams in Idaho and usually catch all natives, always looking for a brown or a brookie witch are rare here. It makes me wonder about old fisher management practices compared between Idaho and Colorado. Very interesting!
I'm excited about the Idaho portion of the series...lots of frustration and victory. Didn't find many non-natives so I'd say Idaho did something pretty special back in the day at least with cutthroat. I know there's some tension with some other species.
Always a pleasure watching you catch fish. I find it amazing the many forest lands you visit seem to have much bug killed trees ready for large wildfires.
Great technique with those brushy high gradient streams! I don't know about EDA designation, but Colorado and New Mexico should absolutely consider managing some of these creeks to reestablish the native RGCT.
I'm not sure what the best answer is but I can see where it needs the attention of people smarter than me. Crazy to only catch one in that stream in 2 full days of fishing and less than 20 in 2 weeks on several different area streams. The bulk came from the backcountry hike to a remote stream.
A lot of the smaller streams can be "saved" by doing renaturation work, it pays out big. A befriended fisheries biologist does this work in northern germany and it only takes 2-3 years to get small creeks back on track with trouts breeding and hatching. For the small stream in Drews vid: keep these gems as they are. Maybe even free of fishing. Greets from germany
You could actually harvest a few of those bigger brook and brown trout for the pan or smoker and you’d be HELPING the cutthroat populations, that they out compete. Nice location!
Wish that were true but keeping a few or even dozens of invasive trout won't help. Others will just push up into the new water and occupy it and still out compete the natives. A stream like this is so bad off the only real way that I've read about in NM and a few other states is to poison the stream and create a natural barrier to keep more non natives from re-establishing from the streams these feed into. There are states that let you keep as many brook trout as u want, not b/c it's helping reestablish balance but b/c the invasive's are almost invincible and there's no point putting limits on things that don't need regulation.
@@LooknFishy true, you’re not gonna save the river alone, lol. Unless you pass regulations:) As someone who enjoys fish and fishing, it’s still a win win to take some if its beneficial to the river, brook trout are tasty. This large lake in Maine was infested with Lakers and they opened the season on small ones, and giant 5lbs brook trout started showing up a few yrs later, so angler harvest can be a good tool…. It’s an interesting point you made on unlimited brookies. Being from Ontario Canada they are our most precious fish, and i ice fish for them and so tasty and beautiful, but in the west they are tasty and pretty invasives,:). I also fished Westslope Cutthroats in BC up to 1-2 lbs many years ago, very pretty too. Cheers
Definitely believe keeping fish helps create bigger fish fisheries. So not surprised to hear big brookies made a come back. It's a common mgmt practice for bass fisheries when the smaller bass get too large in number and stunt the fishery. Seen it practiced on trout streams too to help clean out an over population of smaller trout! Just not a strategy for helping re-establish native trout fisheries.
i was just fishng in that area and caught a large rainbow in a tiny stream. i did see a few rios, pretty amaznig. also i recommend the garmin enreach over the spot
Great video Drew. Like one commenter said, there's only one thing out there in these woods that makes that sound. I have seen it and I don't care to see it again. Bear spray would just make it mad. Other than that, keep up with the great videos. You are fishing in some of the most beautiful areas these Rocky Mountains have to offer and the fish are amazing.
Drew another great video!! I’m pretty sure that was a mount lion screaming in the morning!!! You confirmed that when you showed that sign.. I’d be more concerned with them than bears cuz they will sneak up on people!! Be careful bro!!! And them badgers can be aggressive too..
Yup. I have yet to see a mountain lion. I spend a lot of time in the woods in rural Colorado though so I suspect one has seen me... which is a scary thought
It’s always so interesting to me how different things are where I live in Alberta. These guys are the non native pest that outcompete our native species. They’ve completely wiped out some native cutthroat streams and can be caught in the hundreds. Perhaps they are a different strain. If they are, I wonder if it might be beneficial to cross breed the strain we have up here with the populations that need help over there.
Drew, Been a sub for a few weeks now. Love the vids!..There is only 1 thing in the mts . that is big enough to make that sound carry, as far as it did.I think you know what it is..
Was funny to see that bear scat. The wife and kids and I were heading down to the Kenai Peninsula just past Turnagain Pass (Alaska) and I had to go bad. Pulled over, ran into the woods. I got done and looked over to a very large of still steaming pile of bear pooh. Got back to the car real fast!
Wow! Nice brookies, war scares from exploring and fishing I've had plenty of those in my time. Hey drew try hanging a small bell onto your pack, they make a good bit of noise, maybe it will keep yogi away. It seemed to have worked for me. Enjoyed the video. Until next time. 👍👍👍👍
Have considered the bell...just concerned it would drive me crazy. Kinda like not hearing anything but nature when I'm hiking. Same idea with generators...not sure I could take one camping (others have mentioned it).
Lived and work in the mountains all my life and I've heard that sound many times. Although I have some ideas (cat) I haven't witnessed for certain what it is so I just chalk it up to sasquatch... ;-)
The Rio Grande cutthroat has never been on the Endangered Species list. It's our New Mexico state fish and has never been hands off to anglers. The Gila trout is the one that was recently removed, FYI.
Thanks for the heads up I definitely misunderstood what I read. Appreciate you taking a second to educate me...I'm always open to constructive criticism...and I definitely make mistakes. I'm raising awareness for myself also! I corrected the title to be more accurate.
No problem man. I always take the opportunity to educate when necessary. Our state fish is beautiful and deserves protection but I don't think placing it on the Endangered Species list will help it's status. I think fisherman need to be able to catch it to appreciate it. Both New Mexico and Colorado are doing a pretty good job of trying to reintroduce it into more of it's historic range. 7 Springs hatchery in New Mexico is raising them and they're being reintroduced into waters they were historically in, some of which that were recently wiped out of non-native trout by recent forest fires. They've also been stocked in a number of Alpine lakes in Colorado and in New Mexico. Some of those fish can grow quite large.
Yeah Drew. Amazing scenery on this trip and it inspires us to keep exploring. I appreciate the use of the locating device, causes a dummy like me to think through precautions and safety measures when out in these places. Do you check for ticks? Any other precautions that you take with all the unpredictable bugs and tiny wildlife that could be harmful? Taking lead from you as I’m also passionate and continually amazed by the varied species of trout in the west and their beauty. Special event to tap into ancient trout bloodlines that our ancient ancestors were fishing thousands of years ago. Even the browns in different locations color differently. God I need to get out there more! Do you run a hopper dropper setup on these small, shallow streams ? Do the trout pick the wet fly from the rocks? As in, do you just let that wet fly bounce off the rocks? Is it a nymph? Excuse all the questions and don’t feel obligated to answer all this. I plan to share some of these experiences too. Well done, thanks for sharing, stay passionate about these all encompassing adventures.
Initially fell into some dead fall in a few few days into this series. Seemed like every few days I'd fall and tear it open again. Got a nice scar to remind me of the trip tho lol!
First time watching your videos. I try to get out west in the back country to fish. Do most of mine in Colorado and Idaho. Any tips on areas ? I'm retiring soon.
Talk about all that in part 18 the day before this video...th-cam.com/video/evxya18Ld3E/w-d-xo.html Also linked in the description is a video of every fly I used on my 8 week road trip.
I heard a super loud aggressive screaming noise once on a forest trail at 7000 ft. Like nothing i have ever heard before . So it shocked me and being the knuckle head i am i roared back 5 times and it did the same ..... Bit it was spooky !
I think so trout should have protection, just such a nice fish to catch and enjoy. Maybe keep one a day and others not at all. I grew up where the is not that many fish so I'm a little persnickety lol
Looked like tough going in that small stream. What type fly were you using. Definitely looked like a badger at the end. While pheasant hunting in South Dakota many years ago and wading through high grass came just ones step from getting tangled up with a porcupine. Never know what you encounter.
Definitely a badger...got some better pics with my dslr on facebook. I was fishing an ant...go thru all the flies I used in a video a few weeks back. It's linked in the description.
Hi drew. Love your videos you made me smile checking in with your wife. When I’m fishing by myself I have to check in every two hours. Lol. On a serious note are you normally fishing a dry with a dropper? And when you’re fishing nymphs do you fish a double nymph or tandem. Thanks. I’m Mike from Depew NY
Orvis ultralight wading boots. Absolutley my favorite. Had to replace them after this road trip and got another pair! Light enough to hike, better traction and foot protection than my hiking boots!
I hate hiking in felt...had some of my worst falls out of the water with wet felt. Definitely a balance. Idaho was super slick and I would have liked felt. I got some screw in spikes to try with my new ul's.
Drew, some nice brookies and the Rio! Love it. Did you bother fishing a dropper in this tight shallow water? If you did, is it a non-bead head so it’s not hanging up on the brush that was in the stream?
I did not, just an ant. But for sure would have gone unweighted on that stream. Fish were pretty responsive to a single dry so there was no need to complicate anything!
Another great video, thanks so much for sharing! You don't ever seem to have trouble with your fly-line running back down into you rod when fishing really close and using mainly leader line. Do you cut off the fly line factory loop and only use a nail knot to attach the leader or have some other tip to remedy that from happening? Keep up the great fishing videos - really enjoying them.
Nope, it happens some but my leaders are usually long enough I can hold my fly with a foot of line out. I don't modify anything...way too lazy lol! I just fish it how it comes!
@@LooknFishy What fly line do you use? It seems that some of the time you are casting just the leader. With a 2X leader and short, 1' - 3X and 4X extensions, you have enough weight in the 2X part to cast very short distances accurately.
@@LooknFishy thanks so much for the reply. One more quick question, I’m looking to get a 4 wt to round out my tackle and was thinking about a 7 1/2’. I fish tight small Colorado streams like you and thought it would be ideal for that. Any suggestions or recommendations? Thinking of the Orvis Clearwater. Really appreciate your channel, content and dialog, thanks for sharing.
@@bradmorrison265 I think a 7.5ft 4 wt would be a great option. As far as recommendation...the Clearwater is a nice rod. I own one in a 6wt. Not sure I'd want it in a 4wt...it's a little too fast for me. I prefer it for windy days or throwing small weighted streamers or sink tip lines. Imo, I'd be looking for a medium action...maybe med fast with more to the med side. You're probably looking to fish dries more or maybe light nymphing, dry/dropper and a fast rod won't load as fast. A medium action will and still give u the ability to throw small weighted streamers. I have an 8.5ft 4wt recon which was perfect for what I just mentioned. I fished it a ton in Idaho. I'm sure there are some other options but the action is what I'd be looking at mostly!
Amazing size trout on such small stream quickwater. Gorgeous, fat brookies! Any stream reared? How is there enough food to feed that many huge trout per mile?
I just have a 7.5ft 3wt and I haven't found a situation it didn't fish. Long enough to stay over. Short enough to stay under and I can maneuver with it in tight quarters.
@@LooknFishy Agreed 7’-6” is about the perfect length. I usually don’t go as heavy as a 3wt in those smaller creeks. I built a 0wt that is perfect for me. I also find that the lighter line tends not to slide back through the guides as often.
@@thetroutking_1 definitely...I like a 3wt for its ability to throw heavy nymph rigs...air locks and 2 beadhead flies...especially helpful in the driftless!
I hate to reply with video links but this video I created goes into way more detail on the 3 I prefer and why...th-cam.com/video/OCPU5lZLtY4/w-d-xo.html
I hear you mention in your videos that 8-9am is too early to start fishing for trout. Being a bass fisherman getting into trout fishing, this is weird to hear for me because I'm used to getting on the water while it's still dark, especially in the summer. What time do you typically begin fishing?
I spent the first 30 years of my fishing life bass fishing. I'm pretty sure I owned 3 bass boats before I bought my first fly rod lol. So let me add some context...you can target trout early especially browns but I travel out west to target fish with dry flies. The lesson I learned during my first trip to Colorado was I could work really hard early and catch some fish. But if I waited till the sun hit the water and warmed it...the bugs would start hatching and the fish would get more active (opposite of bass who get lethargic as the water warms and turn off in the afternoon during the summer months)...especially the larger more educated ones would turn on. So now I wait till the sun warms the water some. The San Juan is a pretty good example, I could start at 7 am switch flies a dozen times for 6 fish. Then a midge hatch happens at noon and you catch fish almost on back to back casts for an hour w/o switching flies.
Yet another great episode! I love setting a challenge for myself too, just knocked off 3 species I can't catch at home last month on a trip to the Rockies (Alberta). Only have Rainbows, Browns and the odd Brookie at home so I went after Cutthroats, got a Bull trout and spent 2 hours hiking up a mountain to the only lake in Alberta that has Dolly Varden and got one on my 3rd cast 😀👍. Really glad to see your search paid off too, congrats! Absolutely love this series of videos man, gorgeous scenery and I'm living vicariously through you until I can get back out to some decent waters 👍
Wow man that sounds like a great time! It was definitely fun to find 1 native...I had pretty much given up with the amount of non-natives in the stream.
Hope you’re able to find some bulls when you’re up here in Idaho next week! If you do, I’ll trade you a six pack or a box of chocolate for your secret spot! 😉
@@LooknFishy honest looks like a bear cub, see if you can screen shot and zoom in, have seen Cubs up trees before, looks similar,may have been calling for momma. I could be wrong, but that is a rando black blob up an otherwise bald and dead tree?
I could sense I was as close as he was gonna let me get. He'd retreat but come right back out of his hole and looked prepared to defend it if necessary. Was cool to see for sure!
Something to do with the endangered species act? The DWR killed all of the brookies and browns in our private lake and planted native cutthroat. Seems to me they killed fish that can survive and replaced them with fish that cant. My grandpa called that more college than farm. They just didn't get a chance to develop any common sense!
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I recognise that scream, someone's just cut through their main line instead of their tag end. Great videos Drew, this latest trip is brilliant, don't want it to end!
Now I recognize it...just sounds different when someone else makes it lol!
Drew, thanks for this whole series, been a treat to watch you fish and record your experiences. Love this type of fishing, just wish I could do more of it. Keep up the great vlogs.
So great to hear it! I will for sure!
Great job picking up sasquatch howls. You know you are in the right place when you hear that..
Another great one. The beauty of it goes beyond the fishing. The sounds of that water is intoxicating to me. Bonus wildlife. Bravo my man.
Thank you, yeah those few days were some of the most memorable from my trip!
There's a small Brook a few miles north of my home town of similar size to yours today. Maybe not quite as fast flowing. I was sat by the edge one spring day eating lunch whilst out for a hike. I'd assumed that because it was so small, water coming off the Moor above and surrounded by conifers that it would be barren. The first thing I saw was a pair of dragonfly zipping about. I then heard a splash just upstream of my spot. I crawled towards the small pool trying to keep low.
To my amazement I spied three brown trout. Only 4 to 5 inches long, they were after the early midge hatch. I was thoroughly delighted.
Gotta love big beautiful brookies out of tiny pocket water. Great stuff, Drew!!!
Glad to you got a Spot...one of the best on the market. Bet the wife is happy.
Definitely, it was a requirement for the trip!
Drew...WTH man! The YETI IS out there. I woulda tinkled the moment I heard that sound, threw all my stuff in the bed of the pickup and raced outta there. Guess I need a refresher course to the man club society! 😃 Another great video!
Haha, I probably would have done the same had I even considered that being something crazy. I was distracted my the fishing lol! This is why my wife required I carry a spot lol!
7/4/24 - Dude - those were some sweet fish for a small stream. Reminds me of fishing for brook trout in Michigan, esp. with a fly rod on a small stream. You got a hat trick. Nice job. Thank you for the time and effort it goes into making your videos.
Drew, you have unbelievable patience fishing these super small, heavy brush streams. I take it that spider at 11:45 wasn't even a distraction with the bears, badgers and whatever else that was lurking all around. Thanks for taking us on the adventure.
haha yea I guess so bc I didn't even see that. The one I remember was hanging off the bill of my hat...threw that hat a long way lol!
Nothing better than a small creek , with nice fish ! 🤠
That logic is sound!
Caption; when you have to trout fish so bad that howling monsters aren't a deterrent lol! Hope you brought your bfr out there with. I wouldn't step out of the truck without that thing in the mountains. That howling certainly added a different element to the video. Anyways, you are on a different skill level than the rest of us. After watching you, what I thought was impossible, is now possible. Great creek, tight, bushy and out of the way. Perfect!
Haha, that screaming made for an interesting morning. When I find those tight streams I get excited...they probably don't see much traffic and I like the challenge of trying to get a fly into some of those windows. A lot of times I'm just happy to execute a drift!
Now that's some guerilla fishing Drew! Beautiful colors on those Trout. I love it when Brookies get that dark purplish black mouth. Makes em look mean and primordial. Nice mountain stream Cuttie. And was that a Badger? A rare treat. Great video.
It was! Super cool to find near camp. I hadn't seen one in the wild before! Got some great pictures I need to post to Facebook!
What a rugged fast water creek... takes some skill to drag fish out of that! Livin the dream you are!!
Definitely livin my best life!
You sure have a knack for finding some awesome trout. Thanks for sharing!
Surprise myself most days!
Yup, 90% of the time the streams I fish look like this, just my 7ft 3wt bow and arrow my way up and up, and honestly quite often it's chasing the rio grande cutts! Definitely appreciate the share on this one!!
That definitely sounds like a good way to spend a weekend. So many of these small, over grown streams go untouched!
Cougar will scream.
Two of my buddies and I were poling our way up Red's Slough on a fine August afternoon. We were shooting frogs with bow n arrow. When in the thicket ...a cougar screamed. 53 years later I still get goosebumps everytime I think of that day.
Crazy, starting to think it might have been. A sign in the part before this video had a sign that warned of mountain lions and a few others have mentioned...really only thing besides a yeti that might explain it lol!
Awesome video! That was some serious wilderness bushwhacking rewarded by the Cutty & the badger.
Thank u definitely a great day when u get two treats!
Spent 4 months in Montana, near Bozeman. We always carried Bear Spray and well as my pistol. Bear Spray is very effective. Worked for the Forest Service. Spot was required. Checked in every morning when we came on duty.
Very cool. Good to hear about the spot...put a lot of trust in it!
@@LooknFishy The thing with the spot you must have a clear view of the sky because it must triangulate with the satallites
Awesome video and scenery. I'm from Ohio and never fly fished but your videos make me want to learn how. Nothing here looks quite like that! I like your style and will be watching more! Good luck to you, fish on!
Awesome video! Sounded like the squatch screaming at you!
Haha, maybe it was whatever left the prints on my back glass lol!
Barred owls can make some pretty human sounding noises… Love your channel!!!
Good to see you are using some type of GPS unit. I watch a lot of Canam Missing/Missing 411. I don't typically hike too far into the bush but always leave a note of the area I will be in. Stay safe out there!
Definitely important and the first thing I tell anyone when they ask how to go about getting off the grid...let someone know where u are!
Drew, Thanks for the videos. Come back to New Mexico and Southern Colorado and I can get you on plenty of Rio Grande Cutts. Even some big ones. IMHO they do need to be listed under the ESA. It's hard to compete, and prosper when your historic range has been filled with Browns, Rainbows and Brookies.
amazing phase of wild trout... great video ,, those old broken gnarly' pointy like a spear' pine spindles sticking upward or sideways are something to watch out for... thx Drew for a great video..
My fav type of fishing, well done!
Such a good time!
Great episode, Drew! The wife and I drove to the Little Missouri, below Narrows, last Friday. LOTS of good fish in the Catch & Release section below the dam. I saw one guy fishing, further down, and he said the Pandemic must have pushed folks to fish because they were harder to find (Further down the river) than in years past. They restock in a couple of weeks!
Guess I need to make my way over there one day. Never fished that stream but hear good things about it...just always seems like they have a weird generation schedule or something. Great weather to be out for sure!
Great video Drew! Can't wait to see your Idaho video on Thursday and the ones after. I like to fish small streams in Idaho and usually catch all natives, always looking for a brown or a brookie witch are rare here. It makes me wonder about old fisher management practices compared between Idaho and Colorado. Very interesting!
I'm excited about the Idaho portion of the series...lots of frustration and victory. Didn't find many non-natives so I'd say Idaho did something pretty special back in the day at least with cutthroat. I know there's some tension with some other species.
Always a pleasure watching you catch fish. I find it amazing the many forest lands you visit seem to have much bug killed trees ready for large wildfires.
It's crazy the damage they have done and the range they have done it!
hope you’re staying safe and comfortable wherever the next adventure brings you.
Doing my best to balance safety with adventure but not being careless! Thanks for the good vibes!
@@LooknFishy anytime man, these films bring me peace.
Great technique with those brushy high gradient streams!
I don't know about EDA designation, but Colorado and New Mexico should absolutely consider managing some of these creeks to reestablish the native RGCT.
I'm not sure what the best answer is but I can see where it needs the attention of people smarter than me. Crazy to only catch one in that stream in 2 full days of fishing and less than 20 in 2 weeks on several different area streams. The bulk came from the backcountry hike to a remote stream.
A lot of the smaller streams can be "saved" by doing renaturation work, it pays out big. A befriended fisheries biologist does this work in northern germany and it only takes 2-3 years to get small creeks back on track with trouts breeding and hatching. For the small stream in Drews vid: keep these gems as they are. Maybe even free of fishing. Greets from germany
You’re putting that fly in some pretty tight spots. Impressive!
I find some trees to lol!
You could actually harvest a few of those bigger brook and brown trout for the pan or smoker and you’d be HELPING the cutthroat populations, that they out compete. Nice location!
Wish that were true but keeping a few or even dozens of invasive trout won't help. Others will just push up into the new water and occupy it and still out compete the natives. A stream like this is so bad off the only real way that I've read about in NM and a few other states is to poison the stream and create a natural barrier to keep more non natives from re-establishing from the streams these feed into. There are states that let you keep as many brook trout as u want, not b/c it's helping reestablish balance but b/c the invasive's are almost invincible and there's no point putting limits on things that don't need regulation.
@@LooknFishy true, you’re not gonna save the river alone, lol. Unless you pass regulations:) As someone who enjoys fish and fishing, it’s still a win win to take some if its beneficial to the river, brook trout are tasty. This large lake in Maine was infested with Lakers and they opened the season on small ones, and giant 5lbs brook trout started showing up a few yrs later, so angler harvest can be a good tool…. It’s an interesting point you made on unlimited brookies. Being from Ontario Canada they are our most precious fish, and i ice fish for them and so tasty and beautiful, but in the west they are tasty and pretty invasives,:). I also fished Westslope Cutthroats in BC up to 1-2 lbs many years ago, very pretty too. Cheers
Definitely believe keeping fish helps create bigger fish fisheries. So not surprised to hear big brookies made a come back. It's a common mgmt practice for bass fisheries when the smaller bass get too large in number and stunt the fishery. Seen it practiced on trout streams too to help clean out an over population of smaller trout! Just not a strategy for helping re-establish native trout fisheries.
i was just fishng in that area and caught a large rainbow in a tiny stream. i did see a few rios, pretty amaznig. also i recommend the garmin enreach over the spot
Can u give some more info on it. Always curious what others use. I really like I can do month to month service with spot.
Great video Drew. Like one commenter said, there's only one thing out there in these woods that makes that sound. I have seen it and I don't care to see it again. Bear spray would just make it mad. Other than that, keep up with the great videos. You are fishing in some of the most beautiful areas these Rocky Mountains have to offer and the fish are amazing.
Haha I hear ya!
Living life as it should be lived. I envy you.
Doing my best to for sure. Thank u!
Drew another great video!! I’m pretty sure that was a mount lion screaming in the morning!!! You confirmed that when you showed that sign.. I’d be more concerned with them than bears cuz they will sneak up on people!! Be careful bro!!! And them badgers can be aggressive too..
Thank u much!
I agree
Yup. I have yet to see a mountain lion. I spend a lot of time in the woods in rural Colorado though so I suspect one has seen me... which is a scary thought
No mountain lion sound. That's for certain.
idk ive heard similar sounds like that in the CO back country when i know there is not people around. Gotta be a squatch haha
Haha...looking for some jack links!
It’s always so interesting to me how different things are where I live in Alberta. These guys are the non native pest that outcompete our native species. They’ve completely wiped out some native cutthroat streams and can be caught in the hundreds. Perhaps they are a different strain. If they are, I wonder if it might be beneficial to cross breed the strain we have up here with the populations that need help over there.
Drew, Been a sub for a few weeks now. Love the vids!..There is only 1 thing in the mts . that is big enough to make that sound carry, as far as it did.I think you know what it is..
And I don't want to ever meet it!
Was funny to see that bear scat. The wife and kids and I were heading down to the Kenai Peninsula just past Turnagain Pass (Alaska) and I had to go bad. Pulled over, ran into the woods. I got done and looked over to a very large of still steaming pile of bear pooh. Got back to the car real fast!
Haha...gives a whole new meaning to public restroom!
Wow! Nice brookies, war scares from exploring and fishing I've had plenty of those in my time. Hey drew try hanging a small bell onto your pack, they make a good bit of noise, maybe it will keep yogi away. It seemed to have worked for me. Enjoyed the video. Until next time. 👍👍👍👍
Have considered the bell...just concerned it would drive me crazy. Kinda like not hearing anything but nature when I'm hiking. Same idea with generators...not sure I could take one camping (others have mentioned it).
Lived and work in the mountains all my life and I've heard that sound many times. Although I have some ideas (cat) I haven't witnessed for certain what it is so I just chalk it up to sasquatch... ;-)
Haha I hear ya. I'm careful not to bring any jack links with me!
Love your videos, what an adventure
Starting at 12:06 that's a million dollar view up the creek....wow
That creel was special and I imagine not many have seen that view!
Awesome video!
Appreciate it!
I'm from Wisconsin and that was a huge badger
That was the first I'vd seen. Wasn't as big as the ones around the capital in Madison lol!
The Rio Grande cutthroat has never been on the Endangered Species list. It's our New Mexico state fish and has never been hands off to anglers. The Gila trout is the one that was recently removed, FYI.
Thanks for the heads up I definitely misunderstood what I read. Appreciate you taking a second to educate me...I'm always open to constructive criticism...and I definitely make mistakes. I'm raising awareness for myself also! I corrected the title to be more accurate.
No problem man. I always take the opportunity to educate when necessary. Our state fish is beautiful and deserves protection but I don't think placing it on the Endangered Species list will help it's status. I think fisherman need to be able to catch it to appreciate it. Both New Mexico and Colorado are doing a pretty good job of trying to reintroduce it into more of it's historic range. 7 Springs hatchery in New Mexico is raising them and they're being reintroduced into waters they were historically in, some of which that were recently wiped out of non-native trout by recent forest fires. They've also been stocked in a number of Alpine lakes in Colorado and in New Mexico. Some of those fish can grow quite large.
Yeah Drew. Amazing scenery on this trip and it inspires us to keep exploring. I appreciate the use of the locating device, causes a dummy like me to think through precautions and safety measures when out in these places. Do you check for ticks? Any other precautions that you take with all the unpredictable bugs and tiny wildlife that could be harmful? Taking lead from you as I’m also passionate and continually amazed by the varied species of trout in the west and their beauty. Special event to tap into ancient trout bloodlines that our ancient ancestors were fishing thousands of years ago. Even the browns in different locations color differently. God I need to get out there more! Do you run a hopper dropper setup on these small, shallow streams ? Do the trout pick the wet fly from the rocks? As in, do you just let that wet fly bounce off the rocks? Is it a nymph? Excuse all the questions and don’t feel obligated to answer all this. I plan to share some of these experiences too. Well done, thanks for sharing, stay passionate about these all encompassing adventures.
Great video, thank you man
Thank u!
Sounds a little “ Squatchy” to me !! Lol. Great vids!
Beautiful little creek that opens up a little as you go... love it. What happened to your leg? Fall into a stump?
Initially fell into some dead fall in a few few days into this series. Seemed like every few days I'd fall and tear it open again. Got a nice scar to remind me of the trip tho lol!
Splendid!!!
Thank u much!
Prob a rabbit screaming. They do that when they are caught by a predator. Great video series 👍🏻
At 9:15 you fish in a very tight spot with a lot of branches around you and in the water. Did you see the fish there first and decided to go for it?
Are you sight casting lots of these fish? That’s was is clear enough that I’d think you are most of the time. Great video as always.
A few but generally just targeting the likely holds.
First time watching your videos. I try to get out west in the back country to fish. Do most of mine in Colorado and Idaho. Any tips on areas ? I'm retiring soon.
Got a video on here "secrets to finding remote streams"...might be worth a watch!
I love your program
Just a question Drew, what species needs to be protected? Of the browns the brooks, im ass ha ha suming the brooks?
It would be fun to know what you're casting for these fish. What's working for you. Thanks.
Talk about all that in part 18 the day before this video...th-cam.com/video/evxya18Ld3E/w-d-xo.html
Also linked in the description is a video of every fly I used on my 8 week road trip.
I heard a super loud aggressive screaming noise once on a forest trail at 7000 ft. Like nothing i have ever heard before . So it shocked me and being the knuckle head i am i roared back 5 times and it did the same ..... Bit it was spooky !
Sounded a little bit Squachy. Be safe.
I left my jack links at camp jic lol!
I think so trout should have protection, just such a nice fish to catch and enjoy.
Maybe keep one a day and others not at all.
I grew up where the is not that many fish so I'm a little persnickety lol
Looked like tough going in that small stream. What type fly were you using. Definitely looked like a badger at the end. While pheasant hunting in South Dakota many years ago and wading through high grass came just ones step from getting tangled up with a porcupine. Never know what you encounter.
Definitely a badger...got some better pics with my dslr on facebook. I was fishing an ant...go thru all the flies I used in a video a few weeks back. It's linked in the description.
With the sound of the water and concentrating on the fish, have you surprised a bear or vice versa?
I'm pretty sure I did during this trip. Heard bushes crashing but never saw what was heading away from me.
Hi drew. Love your videos you made me smile checking in with your wife. When I’m fishing by myself I have to check in every two hours. Lol. On a serious note are you normally fishing a dry with a dropper? And when you’re fishing nymphs do you fish a double nymph or tandem. Thanks. I’m Mike from Depew NY
Beautiful trout bud
“Hey bear”. Lol. What boots are you using to hike and wet wade?
Orvis ultralight wading boots. Absolutley my favorite. Had to replace them after this road trip and got another pair! Light enough to hike, better traction and foot protection than my hiking boots!
@@LooknFishy felt soles?
Ah looks like only option is rubber.
I hate hiking in felt...had some of my worst falls out of the water with wet felt. Definitely a balance. Idaho was super slick and I would have liked felt. I got some screw in spikes to try with my new ul's.
Drew, some nice brookies and the Rio! Love it. Did you bother fishing a dropper in this tight shallow water? If you did, is it a non-bead head so it’s not hanging up on the brush that was in the stream?
I did not, just an ant. But for sure would have gone unweighted on that stream. Fish were pretty responsive to a single dry so there was no need to complicate anything!
@@LooknFishy So did you get some refusals on the top shelf hopper so you switched to the ant?
Nah, I like the ant just as much for these smaller streams. Easier to tie so I don't mind putting them in compromising positions lol!
Another great video, thanks so much for sharing! You don't ever seem to have trouble with your fly-line running back down into you rod when fishing really close and using mainly leader line. Do you cut off the fly line factory loop and only use a nail knot to attach the leader or have some other tip to remedy that from happening? Keep up the great fishing videos - really enjoying them.
Nope, it happens some but my leaders are usually long enough I can hold my fly with a foot of line out. I don't modify anything...way too lazy lol! I just fish it how it comes!
@@LooknFishy What fly line do you use? It seems that some of the time you are casting just the leader. With a 2X leader and short, 1' - 3X and 4X extensions, you have enough weight in the 2X part to cast very short distances accurately.
Orvis pro textured. A lot of times I'm using a water haul or holding the fly in my fingers and pulling it free on the cast to help load it.
@@LooknFishy thanks so much for the reply. One more quick question, I’m looking to get a 4 wt to round out my tackle and was thinking about a 7 1/2’. I fish tight small Colorado streams like you and thought it would be ideal for that. Any suggestions or recommendations? Thinking of the Orvis Clearwater. Really appreciate your channel, content and dialog, thanks for sharing.
@@bradmorrison265 I think a 7.5ft 4 wt would be a great option. As far as recommendation...the Clearwater is a nice rod. I own one in a 6wt. Not sure I'd want it in a 4wt...it's a little too fast for me. I prefer it for windy days or throwing small weighted streamers or sink tip lines. Imo, I'd be looking for a medium action...maybe med fast with more to the med side. You're probably looking to fish dries more or maybe light nymphing, dry/dropper and a fast rod won't load as fast. A medium action will and still give u the ability to throw small weighted streamers. I have an 8.5ft 4wt recon which was perfect for what I just mentioned. I fished it a ton in Idaho. I'm sure there are some other options but the action is what I'd be looking at mostly!
What rod did you use in that tight stream space? Great video the Badger at the end had me on the edge of my seat. I thought mountain lion! "Whew"...
Orvis superfine carbon 7.5ft 3wt. That was super cool but it didn't cross my mind it could be a cat. Really thought marmot.
Amazing size trout on such small stream quickwater. Gorgeous, fat brookies! Any stream reared? How is there enough food to feed that many huge trout per mile?
Was a good day for sure. Yea best of my knowledge everything in this stream was wild!
@@LooknFishy WOW! Wish I had streams like that in my backyard.
Drew, what length rod do you use on those small creek? Do you go shorter if fishing that size water if it has more stuff hanging above you?
I just have a 7.5ft 3wt and I haven't found a situation it didn't fish. Long enough to stay over. Short enough to stay under and I can maneuver with it in tight quarters.
@@LooknFishy Agreed 7’-6” is about the perfect length. I usually don’t go as heavy as a 3wt in those smaller creeks. I built a 0wt that is perfect for me. I also find that the lighter line tends not to slide back through the guides as often.
@@thetroutking_1 definitely...I like a 3wt for its ability to throw heavy nymph rigs...air locks and 2 beadhead flies...especially helpful in the driftless!
Sounds like s mountain lion scream. Search YT for examples. I heard it outside my tent one night last fall. Pretty freaky sound.
Someone else mentioned that...gonna check it out!
Have you ever heard a Marmot? They are sometimes called whistlepigs because of their scream.
No, never heard that. Seen one once but it didn't make a sound. Guess I'll google that too!
On streams like this that I use my Tenkara rod.
ive always been told if you hear something screaming in the woods, odds are its a mountain lion.
Bigfoot screaming
LOL: I thought the same thing!
Never even considered that...fish brain for sure lol!
We all have scars from banging up our shins.
Better than tattoos!
I know you’ve said it before but what indicators do you use again? Also will they float decently heavy nymphs and shot?
I hate to reply with video links but this video I created goes into way more detail on the 3 I prefer and why...th-cam.com/video/OCPU5lZLtY4/w-d-xo.html
I hear you mention in your videos that 8-9am is too early to start fishing for trout. Being a bass fisherman getting into trout fishing, this is weird to hear for me because I'm used to getting on the water while it's still dark, especially in the summer. What time do you typically begin fishing?
I spent the first 30 years of my fishing life bass fishing. I'm pretty sure I owned 3 bass boats before I bought my first fly rod lol. So let me add some context...you can target trout early especially browns but I travel out west to target fish with dry flies. The lesson I learned during my first trip to Colorado was I could work really hard early and catch some fish. But if I waited till the sun hit the water and warmed it...the bugs would start hatching and the fish would get more active (opposite of bass who get lethargic as the water warms and turn off in the afternoon during the summer months)...especially the larger more educated ones would turn on. So now I wait till the sun warms the water some. The San Juan is a pretty good example, I could start at 7 am switch flies a dozen times for 6 fish. Then a midge hatch happens at noon and you catch fish almost on back to back casts for an hour w/o switching flies.
@@LooknFishy Makes total sense. Thanks for your reply and great videos!
@@LooknFishy It's the old rule of the best time of day for you is the best time of day for trout, temp wise for dries.. ala Doug Swisher.
@@dxradioman6351 that explanation is way faster than my long drawn out explanation lol!
Was the first trout a brown?
Help the Cutties.. Eat the Brookies
You can't eat enough to help the cutties!
It’s probably a bobcat or cougar. They make some crazy screams at times.
Time for Idaho fellas
What kind of gps hot spot do you use to let your wife know you are ok? Love your videos. I’m wanting to do what your doing.
Yet another great episode! I love setting a challenge for myself too, just knocked off 3 species I can't catch at home last month on a trip to the Rockies (Alberta). Only have Rainbows, Browns and the odd Brookie at home so I went after Cutthroats, got a Bull trout and spent 2 hours hiking up a mountain to the only lake in Alberta that has Dolly Varden and got one on my 3rd cast 😀👍. Really glad to see your search paid off too, congrats! Absolutely love this series of videos man, gorgeous scenery and I'm living vicariously through you until I can get back out to some decent waters 👍
Wow man that sounds like a great time! It was definitely fun to find 1 native...I had pretty much given up with the amount of non-natives in the stream.
What is that signal device you use to check in?
It's a spot. I chose it for the month to month subscription. I only pay for the svc when I'm on the road.
@@LooknFishy thanks, I'll have to look into one for some of the fishing and hiking I do!
Definitely Bigfoot. Screaming with joy after catching some awesome trout.
Haha, I can relate!
I'd say that the screaming is coming from some sort of cat
Just glad I never saw it lol!
Cowboys and Indians might of been having a roast deep in the backcountry
Have you ever fished the West Coast?
Not yet!
You need some shin guards, Drew!
I definitely do! Someone asked my why I never wet wade in shorts. Hope some of these vids answer that question lol!
Hope you’re able to find some bulls when you’re up here in Idaho next week! If you do, I’ll trade you a six pack or a box of chocolate for your secret spot! 😉
Didn't look for them. Was super warm and had plenty of cutthroat to target. Gotta leave something for the return trip lol!
Sounds a bit like coyote to me. Heard similar things over in WY near Green R. Lakes few yrs ago.
4:23 looks like a bear cub up that tree, double check that when you are talking into the camera off your shoulder.
Dude for real...I mentioned in another comment I thought I heard something running away in the brush but never saw anything!
@@LooknFishy honest looks like a bear cub, see if you can screen shot and zoom in, have seen Cubs up trees before, looks similar,may have been calling for momma. I could be wrong, but that is a rando black blob up an otherwise bald and dead tree?
I looked and it did. Crazy that wasn't where I heard something running off in the brush but might help explain the screaming in the beginning!
Bigfoot, hear similar sounds and experiences on certain mountain streams I fish
Badgers, 2nd only to a wolverine for meanness.
I could sense I was as close as he was gonna let me get. He'd retreat but come right back out of his hole and looked prepared to defend it if necessary. Was cool to see for sure!
Something to do with the endangered species act? The DWR killed all of the brookies and browns in our private lake and planted native cutthroat. Seems to me they killed fish that can survive and replaced them with fish that cant. My grandpa called that more college than farm. They just didn't get a chance to develop any common sense!
Eat the non- native trout whenever you can. Limit out on them to help the cutts prosper.
Where is this at? Like state wise? Do you usually always fish and hike in the same general areas?
This is part of a 7k mile road trip thru NM, CO ID and WY. This was my last day in CO before heading to ID which starts Thursday.