The "How was your weekend?" thread...

[Zak]

Happy Belated Father's Day to you dad's out there.

I did a Bucket List check off of sorts. Maybe this 'pails' in comparison (yep...a dad joke) to other lists out there, but it made me happy.

I'd been wanting to spend some time exploring the Gifford Pinchot National Forest so my oldest son and I did a little car camping thing and fished a couple lakes.

Overall the weather was crummy but we had a few hours Saturday morning when the skies were clear.
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This lake had a ton of eager rainbows in it. Most were smaller guys and I should have remembered to bring my 3wt...but there were some 12-14 inch fish that put a bend in my 5wt and sure were pretty

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We moved to another lake that afternoon and my old iPhone battery didn't like the temperature change so no more pic's. I would have sworn this higher lake had been winter killed until my son caught a couple of beautiful browns just before we left (after 3 hours of nothing but wind and rain)

We woke the next morning to a dusting of snow and still chillier temps. My son has an old school tube and was not interested in sitting IN the water all day so we agreed to fish a third lake until noon and then head out. I wish my phone would have worked because some of those brookies were beautiful. Plus, the rainbows in this lake had a green tint that I don't recall seeing before and sure were pretty.

That's it...simple and pleasant...and now I get to start painting a couple sides of the house...yuck.

Anyone else make some memories with your kids?

Mike d

I have fished that top lake. Can't beat the view from the water!

 

[Zak]

My wife and kids got us two of the tekdeck Adirondack chairs that Costco is selling, for our dock. They are nice and it's a game changer to have really comfy places to sit out there!



This afternoon somebody left me a present wrapped around one. Barbed hook, braid, and lead. And can't miss a frickin chair.



They probably cut the line.

Anyway, I've been sitting out there when I can and over the last couple days have been watching an otter crunch-munching, some panfish shenanigans over the redds, and a kingfisher. I'm going back out there now.

 

[Coach Potter]

We broke football camp Wednesday. We had been at it since Tuesday of the previous week…it’s a slog. There is a small group of us that heads out for a few days right after camp. These are great dudes that fish two/three times a year and the fishing is not the focal point. Our compromise is that they fish more than they would if I weren’t on the trip, I fish less than normal, AND I cook steaks both nights.

 

[Tim L]

My wife and kids got us two of the tekdeck Adirondack chairs that Costco is selling, for our dock. They are nice and it's a game changer to have really comfy places to sit out there!

I know that can

 

[Divad]

Spent a week in Flagstaff beautiful place, but I am so very thankful of our fisheries.

 

[wanderingrichard]

So far, wet!! Good news? Goodbye wildfire smoke

 

[Dr. Magill]

Spent a week in Flagstaff beautiful place, but I am so very thankful of our fisheries.

Went to school there
70’s
Fishing was terrific (not too many people back then)
Oak Creek
Ashurst Lake
Lake Mary
Morman Lake (yes - there was a real lake there)
Lee’s Ferry un-discovered
Quite a mix and always productive

 

[albula]

As I speak I had intended to be casting, in the land of the midnight sun, a swung fly to some of the largest wild Atlantic Salmon to return anywhere to their natal river. Instead I sit in a Northern Norway hotel room in one of the world's most special cities waiting for my fishing partner, who some here have fished with, to arrive after being stuck in Montreal and missing connections as his flight was cancelled due to wild fire smoke, weather and the current state of the air travel industry. Instead of casting I have been feasting on some of the world's finest seafood served by the happiest and most wholesome looking beautiful young women on the planet. Just got word that my brother is finally on a flight here out of Copenhagen. Tomorrow it is likely someone in camp will at least hook a 30+ lb Atlantic Salmon. It may well not be me or my brother...... but it might be. It truly is a red-assed world but I feel privileged to still be a part of it. And I know which fly I will tie on first. I am quite sure that I tied several of them.

 

[Fourbtgait]

Today was not bad…. Gave us time to forget the not so good things life has brought us.

 

[Coach Potter]

My little girl married the love of her life. I stayed 100% in the moment for the entirety so I didn’t get any pictures (that’s what the paid photographer is for) but a few nice folks sent me a couple. It was an amazing event that I will never forget.

 

[Dr. Magill]

My little girl married the love of her life. I stayed 100% in the moment for the entirety so I didn’t get any pictures (that’s what the paid photographer is for) but a few nice folks sent me a couple. It was an amazing event that I will never forget. View attachment 73139View attachment 73140View attachment 73141

AWESOME

 

[Kenneth Yong]

Heartiest congratulations to your and your family, Coach!

Kenneth

 

[M_D]

How cool is that??

Happy for you

 

[Salmo_g]

Congratulations! Now, was this a "lose a daughter or gain a son" kind of weekend?

 

[Coach Potter]

Congratulations! Now, was this a "lose a daughter or gain a son" kind of weekend?

It was definitely a "gain a son" deal! This world is so strange and small...his dad was my college roommate and teammate. We didn't stay in touch after college but 25 years later our kids meet....crazy.

 

[Greg Armstrong]

It was definitely a "gain a son" deal! This world is so strange and small...his dad was my college roommate and teammate. We didn't stay in touch after college but 25 years later our kids meet....crazy.

That’s pretty wild. Small world!
and, congratulations to all!

 

[PhilR]

Went to school there
70’s
Fishing was terrific (not too many people back then)
Oak Creek
Ashurst Lake
Lake Mary
Morman Lake (yes - there was a real lake there)
Lee’s Ferry un-discovered
Quite a mix and always productive

Went to U of A, but my girlfriend had transferred to NAU and I spent a lot of weekends and moved up after I graduated. Wasn't fishing yet, but the mountain biking, climbing, and canyon bashing was incredible.

 

[Coach Potter]

I have wanted to do the water/rock slide at Priest Lake since I first heard about it in HS…finally got up there to do it. I’m glad I did but I’m hurting a bit today

There are 2 sets of ropes to keep you from flying off a small waterfall at the bottom. I watched a couple young kids do it and it looked fairly tame. I weigh a little bit more than a small child. I blew right through the first rope and barely caught the second… I don’t need to do that again.

 

[Matt B]

I have wanted to do the water/rock slide at Priest Lake since I first heard about it in HS…finally got up there to do it. I’m glad I did but I’m hurting a bit today

There are 2 sets of ropes to keep you from flying off a small waterfall at the bottom. I watched a couple young kids do it and it looked fairly tame. I weigh a little bit more than a small child. I blew right through the first rope and barely caught the second… I don’t need to do that again.
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Wait, what? You have to grab some ropes or you go flying off a cliff or something? That's pretty nuts. I want to see these ropes!
I've done similar rock slides but always into some sort of a plunge pool. And it always seemed like it was going to be a lot funner than it actually was. The rocks are never really all that smooth.

 

[Coach Potter]

There are 2 small (6" deep) pools that help slow you down...if you actually hit them . There is one rope that spans the length of the "slide" as a safety net/ clothesline and then then another rope about 10' beyond the first one in case one fails...after that it's all bad. You go down the slide in a plastic garbage bag.

I never saw a child come close to being in trouble...almost every adult ran into the rope with quite a bit of force. I was there with a surgeon. He told me some horrific stories of folks he has had to put back together as a result of the slide.