From the Ground Up - Photo Journal of the Cabin Construction

Throughout my life I have only hoped to have a cabin on or near some primo fishing and hunting.  Over the course of the last few years, my dad purchased two lots of land, equaling nearly ten acres, along the Conejos River with hopes of constructing a hunting/fishing headquarters for the family.  Last spring we had the well drilled, road constructed and archway built while toying with the idea of cabins, meanwhile I did not think it would be a reality for some time.  

Drill rig after installing the well - December 2010

End of the road at the end of the property...  Future site of the cabin

Wapeti Archway courtesy of Jimmy Duran

Right after I got back to Eagle from PA this past spring, my dad calls and informs me he set up a meeting with an Amish cabin builder named Ivan Miller.  I was shocked that my dad was going forward with it so quickly, but was very excited none the less.  In a little over a couple weeks, we had a contract signed and blueprints drawn.

Finding the right logs

Construction began at Ivan's home by constructing the first floor of the cabin, Lincoln Log style.  While this was taking place, my dad and some close friends in Mogote chose the location for the cabin on one of the lots.  Once the foundation was set and the pieces of the first floor were labeled, they were packed up and moved to the property in late July.

As my season continued to keep me wrapped up in Eagle, my pops took care of overseeing the construction.  Since the cabin and property are in my sister's and my name, I had to make sure to stay up to date with deadlines for permits and contractors for all aspects of the final product.  By the end of September, I was the point person for the electrician, plumber, stone worker and cabin builder.  I was excited to get down to the property in early October to be there and help out first hand as the "final touches" were being made.

Dad and Gabe checking out the progress

Before there were walls

Looking out to the river!!!

In one bedroom, looking to the other room, bathroom and loft

This is when all of the chaos with my dad's health took place, so I found myself trying to stay informed with the construction while I was with family down in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.  During my dad's last couple of weeks, he stressed how important this project was to him and insisted that I take the reigns to ensure all of the work completed exceeded all expectations.

Spray-Foam insulation - Going to stay ROASTY in the winter!

La Estufita de la Casa - Source of the heat

Seeing the tongue-n-groove come together

Some of the first snow, cabin is nearly fully sealed up!

Beginnings of the kitchen counter

View of upstairs from loft

Soon after my dad's passing, I found that I would be the busiest I had been yet, making sure all of the t's were crossed and i's dotted with the final touches.  The biggest pain has been dealing with Xcel Energy who dragged their feet with setting up power on the property.  Basically a month and a half behind, we should have power on the property by this weekend.

Floors are in!  Progress early December 

Kass and I moved some furniture in.  One step closer to it being completed!

With a couple more weeks before we plan to head up for the first official fiesta, I hope everything goes smoothly and all inspections are passed.

Loft view from bedroom

Finished product for stairway

I am excited to see the finished product very soon.  I look forward to having this amazing cabin to use as a home base for many more hunting and fishing adventures.  Thank you dad, for making your dream come true and in turn, helping your family share the love you had with the great outdoors.  

The Most Beautiful Crappy Day

On Tuesday morning I woke up knowing I was going to head out to one of my favorite places, Cheesman Canyon.  The weather forecast could not have been better, low 60's and little to no wind.  I made it to the Gill Trailhead only to find three more cars.  Things were looking great and I was excited to throw my gear on and head out.  I was on the river by 10:45 and enjoying the weather and being back in the canyon.

With the nice weather, I wish I could say there were small midges coming off, but instead there were TINY midges coming off.  The fish weren't coming to the surface, but I could see them moving around pretty actively in the deeper seams and pools behind the rocks.  I finally got some attention by using a size #22 Palamino Midge trailed by a #24 black RS2.  Had a few takers on the RS2, and continued to switch out the lead fly in the nymph rig.  The golden ticket came when I put on a #20 pheasant tail with the RS2 behind and I was able to pick up fish on each.

The fish were stacked up on one another in the deep pools, just on the edges of the main channel. I picked up some decent fish, all on the nymph rig.  Throughout the day there would be the sporadic riser, but nothing to get excited about.  It was clear the fish were feeding on the larva or emergers.  

I couldn't help but enjoy the day spent outside in a short sleeved shirt, standing in the river, catching fish under the sun.  Unfortunately things were about to change as I as wrapping up the day.  I hiked out and made it back to the truck.  As I was walking up to it, and noticed the back window was pushed out, and not locked like I had left it.  Immediately I swelled with anger and fear as I opened up the back.  My plastic tub with my flies and reels was gone.

When I moved back to Denver, I consolidated all of my reels and flies into that tub and did not think about it being a risk.  In all of my years I have never heard of gear being targeted or stolen, and did not think twice about throwing the whole thing in the truck for the day.

This whole experience leaves an extremely bitter taste in my mouth.  I can only help to think that this one instance is a wake up call that we can never become too comfortable.  I have fallen guilty to overlooking risks that we should all be aware of.  Even if you park in a 'fishing parking lot,' be conscious that there are the same risks as parking outside your house and only bring those things that you will need for the day.  Never again will I have my entire arsenal of gear, even if it is only my reels, with me at one place.

I am now working with the insurance company (renter's insurance), trying to sort out everything I lost and how to prove it.  As I am sure most fisherman do, I accumulated much of my gear little by little, over a period of years.  Since it has been so long, I don't have receipts for those goods, but hopefully the pictures I have with the reels in action will suffice.  If anyone has any advice, please feel free to respond.

In the meantime, maybe take a minute next time you are cleaning your gear out and snap a pic or two of  it all, or even better, keep a detailed log with receipts of your items as well.  If something ever happens with your cherished fishing gear, maybe that will help out.

A day to reflect, a day to enjoy

Only a few weeks since my dad's passing,  I found myself incredibly busy with the tasks that come with death of a loved one.  Between moving into my new place in Denver along with taking care of some things in Santa Fe, I realized I had not been on the water since mid October.  I think Kassie also noticed my change in attitude with everything going on, so as she walked out the door yesterday, she told me, "Whatever you do, get outside today.  Even if you don't go fishing, get out there."  I knew that was what I needed, and knew my dad would be happy to see me out there again. 

I waited until Charlies Flybox opened, and stopped in to chat with Greg Garcia about the current hatches on S. Boulder Creek.  As I expected, small midges, beatis and possibly some BWO's would come off if it warmed up enough.  Regardless, it was nice to be back in the fly shop and talking the talk with fellow fisherman.  I headed out toward Walkers Ranch Loop, and was at the trail head around 11am and on the water with the first colorful rainbow tugging not more than 25 minutes and 10 casts later.  Water temps were chilly, registering at 42 degrees, but the sun was trying its hardest to stay above the canyon's rim.

About to drop down to the river

Spotted some deer on the side of the trail

I got on the water a little upstream from where the trail meets the river, instead of hiking downstream like I typically do.   Even with the water temps low, the fish I was spotting were set up in the shallow water, both in the shade and sun, and seemed to be feeding actively even though I had not seen a bug.  I tried a few different setups, but quickly found that they were interested in the flashy beadheads and small egg patterns.  Olive micromays, beadhead pheasants and poison tungs size 18-22 were getting more love than the natural baetis and midge patterns I was using.  I also grabbed a couple of fish on some a rainbow warrior. 

I tried a few dries with no luck.  Some fish rose from the depths to appear interested, but would only take the dropper.  The double dropper nymph rig outperformed the dry dropper, so I chose to stick with that. 

Enjoying a cold one celebrating the first one in the net

Colorful rainbow in deep holding water

Awesome patterned brownie from shallow fast water

The largest fish I coaxed to the net came in around 13", but they were all brilliantly colored and full of fight.  I was very surprised to see how active they were considering how cold the water and air temps were.  As I worked my way up the canyon, I had to bust the ice out of the eyelets on my rod about every 10 minutes.  I only came across two other anglers, so as long as you can brave a little bit of cold, the fish are very willing to tug on your line with little to no pressure from other fisherman. 

A day on the river was exactly what I needed to reflect on all that my dad provided me through the years.  Growing up fishing with him, I can't help but think of all of the good times we shared stomping around Questa and Red River, NM, chasing browns, rainbows and cutties.  Dad, thank you for everything, I truly appreciate it and will miss you more than you can imagine. 

I can't wait to get back out there and grab some more fish.  I will be heading down to the family cabin early next week to check the progress of the building and will hopefully wet some line.  I suggest you all should do the same!

Nice pocket water with hungry fish waiting in every likely place!

More to come next week...

I apologize for the lack of postings.  The last month has been rough as I spent a lot of it in the hospital with my dad.  He passed on October 23rd.  I can only think back to my love of fly fishing being what it is due to my dad.  He will be dearly missed and will always be there with me when I have that rod in my hand. 

The Valley River Medley

Over the last week I fished the Colorado, Eagle, Roaring Fork as well as Troublesome Creek.  Great days were had on each and here is what was working:

Colorado:  Throwing nymph rigs with larger bugs like princes and pats was turning on once again.  They were also taking smaller grey RS2's and BWO emergers.  One of the more fun days was introducing a beginner angler to throwing streamers from the boat the whole day.  He caught some very nice fish, all browns, and is now hooked. 

Eagle:  Using small RS2's, Beatis emergers and BWO emergers has been working the best.  Closer to the evenings, Red Quills have been coming off like crazy so I have been using a red quill adult behind a high vis Parachute adams, allowing you to fish until dark.  Streamers have also started working a little better, which will only get better as fall progresses. 

Roaring Fork:  I floated the upper stuff with some experienced anglers and had a blast!  This section was moving fast in the small channels, so accurate casting was a must.  Once we found the right recipe, the fishing was non-stop.  Using a beadhead pheasant tail to bring it down, trailed with a mercury RS2, fish were constantly coming to the boat.  Since the water was fast, I used a larger bead head to make sure it dropped fairly quickly.  We landed some nice Rainbows, Browns, as well as one nice Whitey. 

Troublesome:  This private venue we offer may not be included on our menu of fishing options much longer.  Due to the complexity of fishing this small stream, many clients believe they spend too much time in the trees than in the water.  I was blessed to have taken a good friend, Topper there this week and really get after it.  We caught countless fish, with many coming in between the 17"-21" mark.  Using a large attractor with a small micro may did the job just right. 

I am now gearing up for some elk hunting in Southern CO, where I will be spending substantial time exploring the Conejos River.  I will keep you posted!

Fishing Update - Client Photos

The season has been a great one and is still producing some amazing days on the water.  Between spending time on the water guiding, hunting for Chanterelle and Bolete mushrooms, and chasing grouse in the mountains, I have neglected to post a fishing update in a few weeks.  Here is where I have been fishing lately and a little bit about each place. 

Lately I have been wade fishing the Eagle, Yampa Tailwater and Piney and I have also been floating the Colorado.  There have been some big fish on dries, streamers and nymphs but the most fun has been the attention to the hoppers and larger attractor dries.  Nothing beats seeing a large mouth come up to a dry!  As the weather continues to change into fall, the fishing will continue to get better as the browns get ready to spawn.  Even though the majority of the hatches are smaller bugs, the fish are eating plenty of them! 

Bugs: 

Tricos:  On the Yampa, Colorado and the Eagle, Tricos have been showing up pretty regularly.  The Yampa especially!  Around 9:30-10:00am the fish begin to notice the tricos and begin feeding heavily on the emerging insects as well as the spinners.  Fishing to trout eating the tricos can be difficult and sometimes frustrating due to the small size of the flies.  Fishing a size 22-24 is common so you will have to fish it behind something larger to identify your strike.  If the trout seem to be feeding all around your flies, try thinning your tippet size as well as using smaller flies.  You can also try slightly sinking a spinner pattern under a dry fly you can see with great success. 

Beatis:  These small mayflies are along the Eagle in great numbers.  Use small RS2's in Grey, Olive, Brown and Black to match the hatch.  Size 20-24.  My favorites are small soft hackle nymphs that you can swing at the end of the drift.  Get ready for some tugs when your line is tight!

Blue Wing Olives:  These guys have been showing up more and more on the Colorado and Eagle.  I still go use various Adam's patterns and BWO emerger patterns to fool trout for this hatch.   Some of my favorites include Barr's Emergers and RS2's.

Red Quills:  They have been seen along the Eagle and the Colorado.  I have tricked a few using Red Quill dries.

HOPPERS:  Tis the season for the hopper.  Any place where you have fields with some grass nearby, the hoppers are landing in the water and the trout are noticing them.  I use various hopper and attractor dry fly patterns as my lead fly for this time of year. 

Sharing Our Backyard

 This little blurb was inspired by an above average season of bear sightings for me.  After only seeing a handful of black bears on my hiking, fishing and hunting excursions in years past, I have seen more than average this year.  Between hiking, fishing and driving, I have come across nine different bears.  After a few of the encounters got me within 20 feet of the bear, I felt I needed to brush up on my knowledge and tactics for when I see a bear.  Here are the key things to remember:

Black bear I encountered on one of our private venues along the Eagle River

• Use common sense!  Don’t feed them and don’t give them a reason to get near you.
• If traveling into bear country, expect to encounter a bear.
• Create noise while walking to alert the bears in the area of your presence.
• If you see a bear, speak calmly so the bear can identify you as a human.  Back away from the bear slowly, maintaining sight on the bear.
• Never back a bear into a corner.  Some signals that you are too close:
• The bear making popping noises with its jaw
• The bear swatting the ground
• Do not make direct eye contact, rather just keep the bear in your indirect sight.
• DO NOT RUN.  The bear will outrun you anyways, so don’t try. 
• If a bear stands up, this is not a sign he is about to attack.  He is simply trying to get a better smell or view.
• Back away slowly, creating more distance between you and the bear.

If the bear charges you:

•  Most likely the charge will be a bluff charge.  This is meant to intimidate you and give you a chance to get out of there. 
• Continue to back away slowly.

If the bear makes contact:

• Fight back with anything you can get your hands on.  Binoculars, sticks, rocks, etc.  At this point fighting back is the last resort.

Same black bear sniffing the air

Remember, having a black bear actually attack you is incredibly rare!  Here are a few more stats:

• A person is 180 times more likely to be killed by bees and160,000 times more likely to die in a car accident.
• Bears eat mostly berries, nuts, grasses, carrion and insect larva.
• Can swim, run and climb incredibly well.
• Can run up to 35mph.
• Range from 125 – 600 pounds, on average.
• Give birth to 2-3 cubs every other year.
• Can live to be 25 years old (18 year old average).
• Are typically shy and will run away from any human.

Happy Clients!

 

Phil with a nice 'bow

 

Another nice bow Phil!

 

John helping Baker bring in the lunkers!

 

Jack and Sarah - Great catching/netting team

 

Jack doing his thing

 

Steve with the fish of the trip

 

Adam enjoying the Eagle floating

 

Eating Dries!

 

Andrew with his wild brown on the Piney

 

Scott with a nice bow we fooled on the dry