Grayling

     After our Kings peak trip we were done for the year, I was a little disappointed that I didn't go in as far as I had originally planned. I was just beginning to hone my backcountry skills. I had many hunting trips trough out the area and even tried chasing those rotten Ptarmigan in another place that didn't work out. It was still quite enjoyable to see different parts of the Uintas, but just not a fulfilling as going with Coltin. Winter dragged by and summer seemed to take its time, while waiting for the snow to thaw I continued reading and scouring over maps looking for possible fishing opportunities. I did manage to locate a few possible locations for some larger Grayling. You'll have to bear with me if I have dragged you to the lake I am about to describe simply because I have visited it several times; with few different people. If that is the case, I didn't ask your permission so I will just refer to you as my buddy. Anyway, I believe I did check it out the first time by myself and I caught a 12" Graying. For the Uintas that is pretty good and as crazy as the weather gets up there I didn't stay long as I wanted and didn't need to because when ever you catch a nice fish, the euphoria can last for days and I had plenty.

     I even talked Heater into going to this lake and being that it is only three and a half miles in I knew she could handle it. When We reached the trailhead the clouds were rolling and Heather didn't seem to thrilled about the prospect of getting wet so we just fished at another lake near the trailhead. We fished for a little while and caught a few fish, she sure is fun to be around and she likes to fish with me.

One of the fish caught was a small tiger trout and we decided that we would refer to them hence as "tigger" trout because they liked to bounce in and out of the water once hooked. Below is a picture of said "tigger" trout, it was her very first tiger trout and up to that point the one I had seen caught. A tiger trout for those that don't know is a cross between a Brown and a Brook trout.

I had a blast hanging out with her that day and now that I am writing this, I have the desire to drag her fishing again. I just have to wait for her summer job to conclude and then it's fish on!

      I dragged Coltin to my favorite Grayling lake and we managed to hook a few and I was finally able to take some pictures of the Grayling caught. Here is some of the shots taken on the trip Coltin and I took it to the lake.

This shot is actually of my fish but since Coltin was freaking out after catching his we didn't have it on shore long enough to get a picture. As you can see they are not quite as pretty as a Brook, Cutthroat, or Rainbow. They have their own unique beauty though, its hard to see but their large dorsal fins have purple and almost a florescent blue hue to them. They are quite pretty on a bright sunny day, not to mention incredibly fast. One of my favorite things to do when the waters are calm is watch the lines that appear out of nowhere and shoot across the lake. It is caused by their fin as it breaks the surface while they are zooming around the lake. If any of my readers would like to take up fishing and aren't afraid to strap on some boots I extend an offer to take you to some of the lakes mentioned here.