Piru Experience (submitted By Darrell Kunitomi)

Good ol’ Piru Creek. Get bit, on flies and by no-see-ums. Itchy, itchy.

High water and snow pack in Sierra  will probably keep Pyramid dam releasing a good rate through summer. This is a good thing after many dry years. And as most fishers who keep an eye on water matters know, the West is still packed with snow (wet snow),  packs are far above normal and temps have remained cool. Runoffs may become scary if not downright dangerous this summer in several areas -- what? Runoff in summer? Skiing on the 4^th? True.

Piru fishes excellently at the moment, but take your repellent. Biting Diptera, black flies, no-see-ums the little bastards, whatever you choose to call ‘em are active and looking for your ears and elbows. Knuckles too, where I took itchy bites that took two weeks to calm. And I used spray. Must have been the releasing of fish that rinsed my protection away. Shorts not recommended, too many biters and poison oak (bumper crop this year).

Piru Creek is an excellent place to learn our sport. You  use a variety of casting techniques, from rolls and sidearms in  hemmed-in spots, to classic dry fly heaves on long flats that look like the typical western spring creek.  The first trout below came up for a #18 CDC & elk on a 50’ cast upstream. Just for fun. Felt great to cast that far just 45 minutes from Fishermen’s Spot.

Hydropscyhe caddis – the house-building net makers – are present, and lots of Baetis nymphs, many ready to pop. Guys at the Spot will direct you to PT nymphs and caddis larva (who drift and who make easy targets for trout). #18 in tan and lt. olive on the caddis,  #18 on the Baetis, fish both with an indicator set shallow as takes are quick and sure in the shallow waters of the creek. 2’ will work.  Caddis dries and emergers, and small mayfly patterns will also take fish on ol’ Piru. The fish don’t seem to get picky until Trikes fall, or at dusk when caddis emerge or spinners fall. Then they act like real trout.


Piru has caddis. The one loose fellow on the rock (last shot) appears to be a Rhyac, the free-roamer, but it’s a net-spinning Hydro who seems to have been interrupted by me when building his house.  Three dark head segments ID the Hydro versus two on our Rhyacs.

Piru has the baetis, and in many colors. Several here will be popping soon if not already spawned-out and eaten by trout.

One memorable day Spot regular Marcelo Tubert and I fished an overcast day. This was in neoprene days and I said, Hey look, they’re walking down your thighs. Baetis females had landed on Marcelo and were walking south on his waders, entering the surface to lay eggs. We looked and there were egg masses on the neoprene.

They may be of many colors and ages, but the #18 PT nymph will work fine.

Scuds are found in Piru too.

Larger fish don’t appear till late. But even the small rainbows at Piru will be well-formed, colorful things. And leapers. Very fun to catch. Take your repellent, parking pass, water and a small box of patterns. No need for the whole Scout outfit here, mobile is best.

Darrell Kunitomi

It Takes All Kinds

John Dietsch of Hook.tv shared with us a photo of a nice local Largemouth Bass that he took with one of our bass flies.

Covering for Steve and Ken who were off playing hooky at Hot Creek, Dean and yours truly entertained the inquiries of several hair stylists and cosmetologists who have discovered the Spot a source for their grizzly.

Brian O'Keefe of Catch Magazine at The Spot in December

Brian O'Keefe of Catch Magazine will be at the shop on Sunday, December 12, 2010.

Brian has been serious about fly fishing for the past 40 years. During the past 30, cameras have played a significant part in his outdoor lifestyle.

At age eight, Brian’s interest in fly fishing was born while spending summers in Montana with his grandparents. There he was taught the art of fly casting and fishing by his grandfather, a dry fly purist. From those first years fishing the waters of the Northwest and Montana, he has spent the majority of his free time fishing and taking advantage of all the outdoors has to offer. On family vacations, Brian would often go off alone to fish a nearby stream. His interest in photography began as a means to back up with pictures, what his family thought might be just “tall tales”.

Brian started fishing the world in the fall of 1973. He began with a solo trip through New Zealand and Australia, and a brief trek into the Himalayan Mountains to fish for brown trout. After returning from this two-year adventure, Brian spent his summers guiding in the Northwest and Alaska for trout, salmon and steelhead. During those years he accumulated quite a large collection of slides, occasionally selling one to a flyfishing publication. At age 30, he began his career as a fly fishing tackle rep. Brian is also an accomplished fly caster, earning the title of Master Certified Fly Casting Instructor from the Fly Fishing Federation (FFF). He has also placed in, and won many fly casting competitions.

Brian has traveled to some of the wildest and most remote angling destinations in the world, including: Bikini Atoll, the Seychelles, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tonga, Cuba and Kashmir. He has also traveled to more accessible locations, such as: the Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Chile, New Zealand, Christmas Island and more. In many of these locations he again chooses to venture off the beaten path, hiking, floating, sea-kayaking or taking a Zodiac into the backcountry.

Brian lives with his wife and fishing partner, Judith in Powell Butte, Oregon and continues to work as an angling and outdoor photographer, having had photographs published in periodicals such as: the Los Angeles Times; the New York Times; the Miami Herald; USA Today and many others. He has had cover shots in: Field & Stream; Outdoor Life; Fly Fisherman; Fly, Rod and Reel; Fly Fishing Salt Waters; Fly and Fish Magazine; Outside Magazine and Mens Journal. In addition to photography, Today, you could just as easily run into Brian on his way to a slide show presentation at your local fly fishing club, as you could in an airport on his way to some island in the Pacific.

Please Help If You Can

Longtime Sierra Pacific and Federation member and superb fly fishing teacher Robert “Kazy” Kazahaya has passed away after his battle with cancer. It is unfortunate and heartbreaking that his affectionate boxer dog, Lucy, needs a home.

Lucy is a young 7 yr old - she loves people and kids. She is housebroken,
spayed and micro-chipped and is about 60 lbs. Lucy is on medication for
incontinence (which solves the problem) and she also has a little arthritis in her back leg but that doesn't stop
her from playing and being a dog. The only thing that Lucy doesn't like are
cats and other dogs. She is very protective of her home when people come to the
house. She sometimes barks until she meets the people and then she is ok. She needs to be in a
home where she is the only dog.

See the attached photo.

If there is anyone who is interested or knows someone who would like to adopt or
even foster her until we can find her "furever" home, please contact her current foster home, Bruce Altrock. 805.3731079 home, 805.2312978

Global Rescue Living Up To Their Name

The letter below from my contact, Don Causey, at Global Rescue illustrates the need for the services they provide world wide. Something to consider if you are traveling to remote areas for fishing or other recreational pursuits.

"Dear Ken,

As this issue of your bulletin is being written, Global Rescue is handling another medical emergency for a member of the hunting community. As more and more hunters and fishermen sign up for memberships, the number of evacuations we perform for those that face medical emergencies continues to grow.

The latest incident occurred in Namibia late last month, where an American hunter, a member of Safari Club International and Dallas Safari Club, was bitten on the foot by an Angolan cobra (Naja annulifera anchietae) that delivered what could have been a fatal dose of venom. The Professional Hunter killed the cobra and rushed the hunter to a local hospital where he was administered an anti-venom. To save his lower leg, physicians performed emergency surgery that completely removed the skin from the top of the man's foot. This was necessary in order to prevent severe, life-threatening blood infections. At the conclusion of surgery, an attempt was made to graft replacement tissue to the wound.

After a thorough review of the medical records and images performed in conjunction with local physicians, it was determined the efforts to re-graft the skin had been unsuccessful. Global Rescue's medical team and Johns Hopkins specialists agreed that his foot should be operated on in the United States. He was immediately flown to Washington, D.C., via Amsterdam.

Global Rescue even secured the necessary permits to have the member's hunting rifle transferred in Amsterdam and cleared for carriage with him all the way home.

Once in Virginia, the skin on the hunter's foot was re-grafted to allow him to recuperate in his home hospital of choice.

This story, I think you will agree, points up the depth and sophistication of the Global Rescue operation. No medical evacuation firm in the world can perform like we do.

Yours in good hunting and fishing,

Don Causey

Senior Advisor to Global Rescue"

Massive Clearance Sale

We just marked down a boat load of products to make room for all the new goodies that will be arriving soon. Now is the time, if you are looking for a great price on clothing, rods, reels and lines. Stop by and check out the deals.

Note: some of the products have shop worn packaging but the item itself is in as new condition.

Outcast Wave 9 Pontoon Boat (Floor Display Only) Reg. $525 Clearance $399.95

Galvan Spoke Reels 30% off MSRP

Hardy Cascapedia & St. George Reels 30% off MSRP

Hardy Canvas/Leather Satchel 40% off MSRP

Greys Streamflex & XFlite Rods 30% MSRP

Selected Simms Shirts 40% off MSRP

Greys Platinum Boat Bag 60% off MSRP

Sage 4580CF Reel 40% off MSRP

Rio Spey and Skagit fly lines 40% off MSRP

Ex Officio Boxers and Briefs 40% off MSRP

Redington CW 7/8/9 reel 40% off MSRP

Greys GRXI Cassette reels with 3 extra spools 40% off MSRP

Bauer JM1/JM2/Rouge Spools 50% off MSRP 50% MSRP

Galvan OB Spools 50% off MSRP

Ross Evolution Spools 50% off MSRP

Loomis Venture 7 Reel 30% off MSRP

Simms Freestone Zippered Wader 30%off MSRP

Simms Blackfoot & Freestone Wading Boots 40% off MSRP

Chota Rockloc Wading Boots 50% off MSRP

Simms Pursuit shoes & sandals 50% off MSRP

Gone Fishing Polarized Sunglasses Values to $39.95 Clearance $19.95

All products are limited to stock on hand.

Fall Pilgrimage 2010

For many years my partner Steve & I have made an annual trek up Hwy 395 to the Eastern Sierra Nevada. The beauty of the area never ceases to please the eye and the prospects of fine fishing, old friends and good food outweigh the drudgery of the 4 1/2 hour drive. This year the weather and the fish gods were in alignment and our trip was a rousing success. Our first day was spent with the ever energetic David D'Beaupre from Sierra Trout Magnet fishing the wild trout section of the lower Owens River. After a long summer of high flows, over 500 CFS, the stream was running clear and flows were a manageable 250 CFS and the trout proved willing on small 18-20 baetis nymphs. Although I had fished the Lower O. many times before David showed me a few new spots and we must have been having fun because the time flew by.

The rest of the week was spent with a group of old friends at Hot Creek Ranch and the Baetis hatch was in full swing. Each day, beginning at around 10:30 a.m., the wild residents of this world famous creek began rising to a robust hatch of BWO aka. Baetis. Below is a slide show with pictures of some of the trout we caught and the sights we enjoyed. EnJoy!