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.