10/14 Thunderhead

[NDuncan]

I couldn't sit through work on Friday afternoon, so at noon left early and headed to the park. I got to the top of Tremont road at about 2 pm and headed up Defeat ridge manway to thunderhead prong.

The manway was covered in leaves:
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae158/Nathan_Duncan/2011%2010%2014%20Thunderhead/P1000880.jpg

The fishing was pretty, good, caught mostly smallish rainbows about 1/2 on the dropper and 1/2 on the dry, but what they lacked in size, they made up for in quantity....

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae158/Nathan_Duncan/2011%2010%2014%20Thunderhead/P1000879.jpg

Another one:

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae158/Nathan_Duncan/2011%2010%2014%20Thunderhead/P1000882.jpg

Biggest rainbow of the day, about 8 1/2":

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae158/Nathan_Duncan/2011%2010%2014%20Thunderhead/P1000890.jpg

He somehow ended up with the pink weenie in eye socket... :eek:. Fortunately the barb had been smashed down (as always) so I was able to remove it with tearing the eye up... looked pretty painful though.

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae158/Nathan_Duncan/2011%2010%2014%20Thunderhead/P1000889.jpg

[Stana Claus]

Nice report & pics. That one hooked in the eye made me flinch.

If you don't mind me asking, how far up did you go? Usually when I go up that way I've gone on up to Sam's Creek and I've often wondered how Thunderhead fished higher up. I know if you stay on the Defeat Ridge trail after it turns away from Sam's it connects back with Thunderhead somewhere around Shut-in Creek. What I don't know is if it's worth skipping Sam's to fish Shut-in or higher up Thunderhead. Any ideas? If we don't get rained out, my son & I might head up that way later this week.

[NDuncan]

I know right now, Defeat ridge is so covered in leaves, it is hard to make out where it is and isn't. When I was walking back, the whole thing looked unfamiliar to me even though I have made that exact trip multiple times. I have fished Thunderhead above where the trail crosses the second time before it goes up to Sam's creek and it is about the same as below where the trail crosses. The water gets somewhat smaller and the fish are mostly small rainbows. If I had had more time on Friday, I would have gone up to Sam's to view the brookies in all their fall spawning colored splendor!


I forgot to mention in my first post that the big eye hooked fished was caught on Middle prong proper, right next to the parking lot.

[flyguys]

great post and pics. How was the water level up on thunderhead?

[ifish4wildtrout]

Looks like a fun day and the fish still seem to be hitting the weenie. The weenie has slowed down a lot the past month or so for me, so I have been fishing hair's ears, pheasant tails, copper johns, etc.

[NDuncan]

How was the water level up on thunderhead?

It would compare it to normal for early to mid summer, it is probably lower now, I went when it was still closer to its highest point after last weeks rains.

Looks like a fun day and the fish still seem to be hitting the weenie. The weenie has slowed down a lot the past month or so for me, so I have been fishing hair's ears, pheasant tails, copper johns, etc.

Clearly that pink weenie is 'eye candy' :eek:

[Stana Claus]

Clearly that pink weenie is 'eye candy' :eek:

Boo, hiss! :biggrin: