First backpacking trip of the year

I got home a couple of days ago from the first backpacking trip of the year. As I mentioned in the backpacking loadout post, Coronavirus combined with the weather has kept me indoors for too long. My good friend Kevin and I have made many backpacking and non-backpacking fishing trips but on this particular trip, Kevin's wife also joined us.

The weather forecast looked good, the weather was supposed to be cool and cloudy on the first day but after that, the clouds were supposed to break and the temperatures rise. I am not sure if I did not look close enough at the forecast, or it was cooler than predicted, but the first day it was overcast and drizzly with temps struggling to get out of the 40s. Kevin nor I had brought our waders but had planned to wet wade and with those conditions, neither of us was too keen on getting into the creek. After catching several fish from the bank next to our campsite, the number of bugs hatching and visible rising trout we sucked it up and hit the water. It was certainly bracing and felt a little like getting poked with needles but the bugs were hatching and the fish were biting.

 Certainly not the best picture of me but it was cold.

 

Caught all rainbows with just a few brook trout, like the one Kevin is holding in the pic above. No really large fish but lots of average-sized fish for this stream.

Small golden stoneflies called Yellow Sallys were plentiful and the fish were really keying on them.

Fishing gear for this trip was an 8'9" TFO Finesse 3wt with a Lamson reel and Cortland Peach 444 double taper 3wt line. A great combo and size for this stream and fish. 

The next day the weather was much warmer and the clouds were breaking off. Kevin and I were looking forward to a long day of catching wild trout. Not long into our fishing Kevin unknowingly snagged a limb on his backcast and on the forward cast snapped the tip off his rod. The rod is warrantied and will be replaced by the factory but that effectively ended our fishing trip. It was somewhat of a disappointing end but we had a great time and the rod will be replaced so all is not lost. 

 Catherine, Kevin's wife, really enjoyed backpacking with us, and all though she does not fish she enjoyed getting out into nature. I am sure she will join us on many more trips. 

With this trip in the books, I am already looking forward to the next. 

Thanks for reading, Chris