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

Hiking to Dry Fly Paradise

Taking the time to get out and explore can offer some incredible rewards.  Recently I spent a couple of days checking out a couple nice hikes in the area and came across two new places to find some great fishing.  While some friends were visiting, we camped just outside of Sylvan Lake State Park and hiked along the Iron Edge Trail from the Peter Estin Hut to Lake Charles.  We wrapped up the hike at the trailhead for Fulford Cave.  The second excursion brought me to a nice stream around the Flattops Wilderness area where I hiked solo a couple of miles to the river.  Both experiences require your hiking boots and plenty of water. 

Once we got to Lake Charles, we set up on some nice rocks for lunch.  It did not take long until the urge to fish took control as the 8-14" brookies and cutthroats were rising all over the cove in the lake.  While shoving some bites of sandwich into my mouth, I rigged up the three weight with a dry-dropper rig.  It did not take long for the opportunistic guys to notice the Royal PMX floating on the surface and crush it with impressive acrobatics.  After landing (and missing) plenty of fish, I took off near the outflow and focused my attention to the stream sections and small plunge pools cut into the HUGE rocks.  Almost immediately I was able to land some of the most brilliantly colored cutthroats I have ever seen. 

 

After my dad left town, I had an afternoon to go explore.  I chose to go to a creek which will remain unnamed near the flattops wilderness area.  I had heard about this mythical place through a couple of friends and chose to risk hiking down the wrong unmarked trail toward the river.  Thankfully I managed to park at the right location and after a brief two mile hike I found myself in a small backpacking camping spot next to the river.  I wanted to hike further downstream but figured I would test the waters immediately.  WHAM, on the first cast a small cuttroat inhaled my attractor dry and I knew it was on!  I finished fishing the one hole with a few more fish and headed about a mile down stream.

Once I got a little lower, I found some nice water and plenty of brookies and cutts to keep me busy.  I slowly worked my way up the river with my dry fly leading the way.  I received a strike in EVERY imaginable spot you would think could hold trout.  Fly fishing heaven!  The entire time I fished under the bright blue skies without seeing one other person.  

Get out there and explore on your own.  You will be blown away by the amount of water that gets little to no attention by anglers.  The rewards for your efforts will come in the form of numerous trout, most of which will be the most beautiful fish you have ever caught, rising to your dry fly with impressive gusto.  

Things to keep in mind:

• Tell someone where you are going and when to expect you back
• Bring plenty of water, sunscreen and bug spray
• Pack a light rain jacket for the inevitable Colorado afternoon storm
• Have a backup bottle of dry fly shake (after releasing that many fish you will need it)
• Only tell your most trusted fishing buddies about your new spots.  Make them earn it on their own too!

It's come a long way...

Looking back to the days where I simply tied on a worm or salmon egg seems like an eternity ago.  I then transitioned to casting a fly behind a bubble and slowly reeling it in.  When things really heated up, I was casting two flies behind the bubble.

Then, it happened.  My dad and I hired a guide in Taos, NM to bring us up to the Valle Vidal one day.  Being in 6th grade, I am sure I was a tough student to teach but I was in love.  I spent the whole day casting a single grasshopper to eager trout in the high alpine meadow.  From that time on, I spent countless hours trying to fine tune my skills as a fly fisherman.  Even when my family and friends were catching more than I was using spinners and bait, I stuck with it.  I even started practicing Catch and Release, something all anglers should support. 

The last few days I had the pleasure to host my Dad and our great friend Gabe over a couple of days here in the Vail Valley.  I was totally excited to now have the chance to show them things and secret places that they had never been to, just as they did for me around Northern NM growing up.  I was able to bring them to a private stretch of water our shop has access to as well as on a float trip along the Colorado.   I also showed them around the area to other water where I now guide.

It was great having them around and I am very happy to have had the opportunity to show them how much I have learned since the early fishing days.  I am thankful for everything they showed me while growing up and love to see them now casting a fly rod and releasing their fish too!