A day of trial and error

by James
(Tucson, AZ)

A week or two ago I went fishing at Rose Canyon Lake on Mt Lemmon. It is a fishing spot about 1 hour and 45 minutes from my house and sadly the closest spot near me. It is no one's secret hole and is usually crowded, but that day it was somewhat deserted. I brought some rods for my fishing company and various lures and plastics for them to use. I myself was planning on trying out some new spinners I had made. I had a spinning combo and my new Kurenai HM63R.

The lake has stocked trout as well as some small wild trout in it. They eagerly took to slashing at a minimal dace variant I tied to more closely mimic the lake's bluntnose minnows. They didn't want to actually eat it so it was spinners or bust. After nearly a half hour of no bites, an aggressive little brown was hooked and brought to the net. It didn't want to stay still at all for the photo (see above photos). Chris, I now understand your struggle with trout photography.

All in all it was a fun day with friends and experimenting. Though I still have not caught my Kurenai fish, it will happen. The spinners worked well and I wasn't skunked. By Arizona standards, that was a great day.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.