Adventures From Down Under

I had the opportunity to visit Brisbane on a work trip. I didn't have time to do any fishing on this trip, but I still got to do some exploring. What an amazing country Australia is! I went turbo tourist, and saw quite a bit in just a few hours. I used the city cat (water taxi) to get around on the Brisbane River. You can see a lot just riding up and down the river. I'm really hoping I get the chance to come back down and spend more time (make that 24 hours of travel time one way a little more tolerable).

 

Driving on the left side, gotta be learned...

Fruit bats. All the proff I need that Vampires are real.

The Kookaburra. One of these guys woke me up one morning with their call.

Koala Bears are softer than I thought they'd be.

The face of Austrailia.

This Salty looks content.

Tasmanian Devil.

South bank on the left, and down town Brisbane on the right.

Made made beach on the South Bank.

Mosaic's like this lined the South Bank boardwalk.

Maritime Museum.

Clear day on top, downpour on the bottom.

Going into the City on the Brisbane River.

Thanksgiving Adventures

Turkey day is always a favorite of mine. It's a time when most of the family gets together, and good times are had by all. This year we met at my brothers house in Page, AZ. It was so much fun hiking around and seeing all the kids have a great time together. Pictures simply can't do justice to the spectacular views that are offered when hiking the trails. I can't imagine there are many places like this in the world.

On the drive home, my wife and I took a detour to check out Bryce canyon. This was the first time my wife had been. It was great seeing her reaction as we walked up on the first overlook. I literally heard her let out a small gasp as the view took her breathe away. We did a really quick trip to see some of the major overlooks, and we are planning a trip back down in the Spring to do some hikes.

 

Glen Canyon Dam

Yoga with a view.

Kings and Queens of the hill.

A view of the Dam from the bridge.

A view looking down on the Colorado from the bridge.

Exploring one of the many trails around Page.

The only thing brighter than the red cliffs that surrounded us.

Horseshoe Bend.

What a view!

Looking out over Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell.

Chelsea's first trip to Bryce. Made the stop on our drive home.

Bryce is one of my favorite parks. 

Silver Lake Hike

My wife and I recently made the 2 mile hike to Silver Lake up American Fork Canyon. The weather was perfect for November with sunny skies and a slight breeze to keep you cool while hiking. I have made many trips to this lake over the years. It's usually decent fishing for Brook Trout, and an occasional Grayling. This was Chelsea's first trip. 

When we made it to the lake, I was surprised to find it full. The lake is usually a puddle this time of year. We took in the views, and I fished for about a half hour, before making our way back down to the truck. This is a great little hike if you only have a few hours and need to get a nature fix.

Burbot Wrangling at Flaming Gorge

This past week I took a day off work in the hopes of catching one of the last remaining species in Utah that I haven't caught. Native to Wyoming, Burbot were illegally introduced to Flaming Gorge 15-20 years ago. There is a catch and kill policy in place for them now, and there are Burbot tournaments held yearly with the Burbot Bash being the most popular.

 

The first view of the Gorge heading toward Buckboard Marina.

 

 

This was my first time going after them, and I booked a trip with Ashley Bonser with Addictive Fishing to increase my chances. I had followed Ashley for a few years where he's made several appearances on TV shows like Hooked on Utah and KSL Outdoors. I was excited to learn first hand the techniques of catching these fish.

A view from the ramp at Buckboard Marina.

Ashley and I were treated to a spectacular sunset as we started fishing.

I met Ashley at Buckboard Marina which is on the Wyoming side of Flaming Gorge.  We headed out around 5 pm. The fishing started out slow, but picked up some as night fell. Ashley taught me what to do and how to rig up, and a short time later I had my first hit. They hit once, and then your rod will load, that's when you set it and forget it. They fight similar to a catfish where even the little guys are fun to catch. Burbot are on the bottom, so you want you jig 1-4 inches off the bottom at all times occasionally jigging you bait. We fished in 30-40 feet of water.

While jigging for Burbot, I got a few surprise Kokanee Salmon that were on the bottom spawning. There are two spawns at the Gorge. An early and late spawn. The early spawn koke's run up the tributaries to spawn while the late run koke's spawn in the lake. I released the two Salmon I caught after a quick picture. They were a great bonus to the trip.

My first ever Burbot! Another species down.

Hen spawning Kokanee caught while going for Burbot.

Buck Kokanee.

In all, I landed six Burbot and two Kokanee. It was an absolute blast, and Ashley taught me enough that I think I could come back up once the ice is on, and catch a few on my own. Ashley also showed me how to clean the Burbot, and taught me a lot about what their diet consists of and where the best places are to catch them. I am definitely planning another trip with him next year, but we'll target Kokanee or the famous giant Lake Trout the the Gorge is renowned for.

Five of the six burbot landed.

The two biggest of the night.

 

Ashley also taught me how to properly clean the Burbot.

He showed me what this Burbot had been eating the past few days.  Looked like Crawdads were on the menu.