11-1-13 Not quite enough MBC

I received that text today that all of us fly fishers hope for on the way home from work on Friday afternoons. No not the one that says I got fired, although that would have been nice too. It was the one that said the wife is going out and the kid is at grandma and grandpa's house.

Fish on suckers!!

Remember that set up from the other day when I only had 6 flies in my truck? Well that was my option so I went with it.

I didn't get started until about 6 but it was good timing. I still had no waders but I hit a few holes by castle rock that I knew I could access without em'. First hole, missed a couple bites on the subsurface and 1 on top. Put em down due to constant casting from their side view and moved on. Again, I had no tools so I was forced to use my 3' deep rig in a 1' hole. Deciding that this wasn't cutting it, I reeled in and adjusted (teeth don't fail now). I set my depth for shallow and fished away.

A couple more casts and I was covered in moss. I pulled in, pulled the moss off, and cast again. I noticed soon that my midges were gone and now I only had a size 16 tan stimmy.

That worked great. I caught two or three before the sun was too far to see my fly. That's a wrap.

Better put more flies in my truck.

Tight Lines.

10-28-13 Lunch on MBC at Eldora...just enough

After a great day of fishing like I had on Saturday (see post Clear Creek 10-26-13), you get back to work and soon figure out that is just isn't enough. Sometimes you just need more. You need to get enough.

So come lunch time Monday, I went to lunch with my co-worker and explained to her that one of my better bosses once told me that it's good to get away while your at work. Put everything down, and go to lunch. Get away and just forget about it for a bit.

So we did. I suggested driving down the hill and sitting next to the river for lunch today and she agreed. Once down there, we ate, and once I finished I asked her what time it was. 12:42 she said. I looked at the river. What a beautiful flow. I thought I probably shouldn't.

I then saw a mayfly land on the surface. I thought I probably better. Fish for 15 minutes, should be enough right?

What time is it I asked. 12:44 she said. I went to the back of my truck to see what gear I did have, knowing that the mother lode was at home. I looked around. One fly rod, six flies (most with tippet attached) and that was it.

Should be enough.

I tied on a stimulator and then a zebra midge and a Peacock LZ prince. What time is it I said. 12:49 she replied. 15 minutes and lunch was over.

Should be enough.

I was casting for about five minutes and I got a bite. Missed it, but got a bite. Kept casting. Nothing. Cast some more. More nothing.

I asked her what time it was. 1:02 she said. 2 minutes to go.

Should be enough.

I looked downstream at her and said watch this. I cast a couple more times and there it was. Took that stimmy right under. I started to look downstream to pat myself on the back and noticed that I was standing in the river. Usually, that is the goal in life; stand in the river. Well when you don't have waders and have to return to work, that is not the goal.

My co-worker came running over, laughing at me and trying to see my trout. I made land fall again and then landed my trout. A full-on post spawn male brooky with the most vivid colors. He went for the LZ. I showed him to my friend, and then released him on his way. That was just what I needed. A nice lunch time trout. A break away from the grind.

What time is it I asked for the last time. 1:04 she replied. Right on time.

I returned to work with soaked pants up to my lower thighs and was slightly wet for the next two hours, my shoes for at least four.

Work??? Nah. I call that a great day of fishing for 15 minutes in between something else.

It was only 15 minutes, but today, it was just enough.

Just enough.

Tight Lines

10-27-13 New Fly Recipes

I have thrown some new recipes on to the fly recipes page. Quite a few actually. I lost some when we converted to the new site. Look for the T.U.V. Midge, U.V. Thread Head, some new hotwire stones and some new RS-2's, including a great PMD emerger that you've already tied and just need to change up a little bit..

And you will also find the O.G.; a true original...the first Hull creation....the Hullablueza. This was my first true creation ever, and it worked in the first hole I fished it. It's been since that moment that I have been addicted to tying. I will never forget the feeling of redemption. Knowing that I took a piece of metal and wrapped it with thread, wire, and other materials of my own choosing and catching a trout was so rewarding to me. Since that day, I have never hesitated in fishing my own patterns. It gave me confidence that I carry to this day. And you have to have confidence in the fly your fishing. The reason I haven't posted it before is because it literally gives off so much light that up until my new camera came along, I couldn't take a good pic without turning the flash off and then the pic was too dark. If I left the flash on, the pic would just be blurry all the time. But I got a decent pic finally so go have a look.

Anyways, check out the new patterns. I have only posted pictures but I will get recipes out soon.

Tight Lines

CLH

10-26-13 Clear Creek clearly good

I headed up to Clear Creek today and it was just a beautiful day for standing in a river, but when isn't it right? I drove up highway 6 and oddly couldn't help but notice all the wonderful stretches of this river that I have never fished. With that thought in mind, I set out to find an all new spot. I received a tip from one of the local sites, guess which one, and what a tip indeed.

I started right below one of the tunnels, won't say which, and it was quite the spot. I was amazed at just how wide the stream bed was in this section and really enjoyed getting to fish some bigger water. Bigger compared to the usual 20' wide stretch that I normally find myself in anyways.

I thought about tying on a dry, and in retrospect, I  probably should have later in the day but it all worked out anyways. I did tie on a zebra midge with a black and yellow hotwire prince below it and that was all I needed.

This golden hotwire stone is money. I caught fish left and right on that thing all day. I didn't even get a bite on the either fly, of which I also tried a zebra midge emerger later on, and that didn't work either. Didn't need to though. The hotwire was on all day.

As far as my dry comment, it did get a little slower in the last hour but I also changed up to a palsa indicator as where I had a thingamabobber on early. I think I screwed up my rig as the fishing slowed sightly.

Feeling good with my day out on the water, I packed up and set out. A good day on the water for sure.

Side note: I will post a recipe for the hotwire golden stone (black and yellow hotwire) soon.

Side note 2: I have yet to exchange my waders so I borrowed a pair from the shop. I don't know what model they were, but I do know they were made by Redington. And let me just say, I will probably make these my next pair of waders.

They were really comfortable, really warm, and I really liked all the extra storage. They had a hand warmer pocket and the little tool pouch as well. On certain days, this would be all the storage I need. Definitely a great buy and highly recommended.

Guide tested, guide approved.

Tight Lines!

10-7-13 Boulder Creek is open season again

After the massive floods, most of the highways from Coal Creek north to Big Thompson Canyon closed. Because of it, and the weather, and the floods, fishing has been hard to come by.

Then I got called back to work for the season.

Big bummer. Bad news.

But none the less, we truck on. And, at last, good news. Hwy 119, aka Boulder Canyon, opened up. What a relief. Seeing how I drive the canyon at least 3-4 times a week in the summer, and no less than 5 in the winter, it was a great way to bring a sense of normality to my life. Knowing that I couldn't drive up either Boulder Canyon, Big Thompson Canyon, or Highway 36 (following the north St. Vrain) just didn't feel good. So alas, some well deserved fishing.

I don't usually do quite a bit of fall fishing so I was really looking forward to getting out. I set out above the falls in hopes of better flows and quite honestly, it was great. It took a while to get it going, as I threw out some different attractors both above and below the surface to no luck. I packed up and moved a bit downstream. After a while of still having no luck, and right when I was ready to concede and throw on a booger, I tied on a purple haze.

That's the ticket. I proceeded to catch about a half dozen and called it a day. I didn't need much. A trout or two, and some time in the river.


Mission accomplished.

Welcome back Boulder Creek.


Tight Lines.

8-19-13 Sometimes guides fish too...Big Thompson

Sometimes guides fish too... But for me, I haven't got to very much lately. I have been too busy watching (and teaching) everyone else to fish. Lately, it's been hard to watch people catch fish all day and I don't usually have that problem. I guess all work and no play...

So when finally the situation arose to get out for a change I couldn't wait. I thought I would head up to the same spot where I have been taking clients in the park, The T above the Fern lake Trailhead. Not only is this just a great piece of water, but I know it is fishing great from taking clients up here. And truth be told, I have seen some nice trout coming out of here recently.

As I drove up, I at one point almost stopped and turned around as I realized I had no clients with me. It was actually weird to drive up to the park by myself. But once it dawned on me that I did have the day to fish I think I honestly found serenity for the first time in a while. (No T.V. and no beer make Homer go something, something. Go crazy? Don't mind if I do!)

After a stop at the Donut Haus to pick up a proper fly fisherman meal; a pecan covered cinnamon roll, I was en route. It appeared that it wasn't too busy and it looked like most, if not all, of the vehicles passed the "is that a fly fisherman" test.

I hiked up about 15 minutes and hopped in. I threw on a Amy's Ant and a CDC PMD Emerger just to kind of search. This combo has been pounding these trout lately. First hole, I missed a bite. Second hole, fish on.
It appeared to be a cutthroat while pulling him in. That would be great as that was the ultimate goal today. I pulled in the larger than average trout (for this section) and sure enough, a cutty.



That was (just about) all I needed today. A really nice cutt on a dry, out of the picturesque stream. I sat down, drank my coffee, and smoked. This is what I wanted. But I figured that while I was here, I would continue. I did come to fish and it was only 8:32 a.m. I had only been fishing 15 minutes, but yet somehow managed to receive all the joy out of what normally takes me a full day out on the water.   Mission accomplished.

I moved on and found a great hole. Super deep with an adequate flow coming through the middle. I knew there was a trout lying on the other side so I tossed my offering. After about 6 casts, I got the prize. He was immediately on my reel and suddenly the sound of serenity was all though the forest. I fought him for about 3 minutes and then managed to pull him in.  A real chunky for sure, especially in this area. Day made, times two.

No need to stop now though right. Might as well go for the slam. It started to get pretty buggy and I decided to not key in on one thing and rather, just put something real tasty and easy out there. Answer, Purple Haze. It was the money. I couldn't keep em' off that thing for at least an hour. I managed to start catching a bunch of these things.

Beautiful in color, and they wanted it. Real aggressive takes, sometimes more than one a drift. A lot of fun.

I kept moving on and tried to find my rainbow. I never did find him, but the fishing never tapered. Around 11 or so I threw on a Little Yellow Sally. Same story. Couldn't keep em' off it.

After about an hour or so of that, it started to slow just slightly. I threw on a tan Chubby Chernobyl and while I was catching fish with that, it was what was below that was the real ticket; a black and olive hotwire prince nymph. It was hot. Probably the hottest fly of the day. And the others, especially the Haze and the Sally, were really producing so to say it was the hottest is quite the statement. I fished another hour or so and being about a million times more satisfied than I had set out, I called it a day.

Well worth the wait, indeed.

Made!

Tight Lines

Weekly Report 8/11/13-8/17/13 Boulder Creek, Big Thompson

Boulder Creek 8-11, 8-14, 8-15, & 8-17-13
Once again, I spent most of the week-minus one trip on the Big T and a day at the kids fishing pond, on the creek. The fishing has been really good. If you can only get once this year, do it now. Big bugs, hungry fish, long days. We are definitely starting to see some changes in the river (flows) for two reasons right now; heat and rain. This makes for some good, some bad.

As you would expect, once we get later into the summer the flows start to drop. Fishing picks up and everyone is happy. As long as the flows don't get too low, and the water doesn't get too hot, the fishing stays great. Fortunately, it has been an absolutely ideal fishing season as far as the weather goes. We got good moisture throughout the winter, adding to the water table, and then in the spring we got some great late season moisture. That late season moisture just added to the water table and further extended the point to where we got into prime run off. Therefore, all the water didn't come down the hill until later so we got started off on a great foot. Some good.

The only thing that could make it better is a more mild summer and that is exactly what he have been getting. The last few years, the summer temps have been brutal. This year not so much and because of it, we have gotten a lot more rain. And once again, that is great for the water table and for the fishing; but just not in the immediate. What do we mean by that? It means that while the rain increases the water table, it blows out the stream. Some bad.

Key? Have beers in the cooler. Sit in the truck. Wait it out. If you don't have the patience, tie on some flash or a san juan.

Otherwise, stick to the usual suspects. Attractors, terrestrials and hatches. Beetles, ants, hoppers, Amy's ants, Fat Franks, Fat Alberts, spinners, princes, RS-2's, Yellow Sally hot wires and T.U.V. midges (recipes to be posted soon).

Great fishing right now though, especially if you enjoy the almost daily afternoon storm.

Big Thompson 8-16-13
I took a client up to my new favorite guide spot today. Pretty much fished the same as last week, I just added in some of that bad ass new T.U.V. midge. They loved it.



This guy in particular loved the new T.U. V. midge. (Look at those colors.)

Tight Lines

Weekly Report 8/4/13-8/10/13 Boulder Creek, Ouzel Creek, Big Thompson

Boulder Creek

I spent all week on Boulder Creek these past few days and it has been great. The normal patterns are producing so well that this time of year I like to start throwing some experimental stuff that I have tied. And...the fishing has been so good that  brand new invention flies are working. Look to the recipes page (soon) for some of these new patterns.

Mornings, we are seeing a lot of PMD and Sallies. One of the new patterns I have been throwing is a RS-2 tied in Hendrickson super fine dubbing to mimic those pre-flight PMD's. Another fun pattern for the A.M. is a rusty spinner, either floating or swimming.

After that cools down, I have been having a lot of success with almost any attractor on top. My favorites have been Amy's Ants and Fat Albert's. On the bottom, look for your normal attractor beadheads as well as some other smaller stuff such as a new creation of mine; the Little Yellow Sally Hot Wire. I will post the recipe soon but just take your normal hotwire prince and change the large wire to yellow, and the fine wire to red. Cool looking fly.

While the fishing can get pretty slow towards the later afternoon, it does stay some what alive. Try your odd ball stuff. They aren't hungry so something out of the blue might be the trick. Finally, as we get into the evening, look for those caddis. I have noticed that the salmon trutta aren't so much tuned into color (I like olive and bright green recently) or size (keep it between a 14 and a 18), but more so on the action. Once you get that skate down, hold on. But don't forget to dead drift for the lazy guys too.


Ouzel Creek 8-9-13

What a day. Just one of those days you don't get very often. So let me explain. We hiked up there, rather easily for having out of towners along for the ride, and then we got to fishing. First, we had to find our way around. Because of all the rain this year, the streamside vegetation up there is out of control. Some parts are past your shoulder. So you really have to navigate through the stream. Well after we get fishing for an hour or so, I start making lunch. Lunch is served, and I swear as if she knew, Mother Nature started just dumping rain right when I put the bread away. And it didn't stop. Ever.

I think it is probably still raining. I have not seen a storm like this for at least 5 years. It's the kind of storm where if it's in your pockets, tucked away, it's still getting wet. My rain jacket was still wet, 24 hours later. My tip money was wet for 3 days. It was that crazy. The hike out was fierce. We had lightning and thunder pushing on our heels the whole way down. Intense. The fishing??

It was good, just short lived. Terrestrials and attractors. A fun trip, even though it wasn't ideal. Both the clients and I had a good time. Sometimes the adventure is more fun than the destination I guess.

Big Thompson 8-10-13

I took some clients up to a spot that I had previously not fished today; the Big T above the Fern Lake TH. It was great. What a beautiful piece of water too. Lots of real long runs, some pocket fishing and a ton of fish. I had one client grand slam and the other fell a rainbow short.

The hot fly? Any one with a good drift pretty much. By the end of the day, I was just tying on whatever to see if it worked. Everything did. A few of the better flies were Amy's Ants, Fat Alberts, Chubby Chernobyls, Caddis, princes (hotwire), and P-tung's.

Unbelieveable fishing though. Get out there.

Tight Lines

Weekly Report 7/27/13-8/3/13 Big Thompson, St. Vrain, Boulder Creek, Roaring River, Glacier Creek

Well fishing has been great this week, especially everywhere. That's right. You read it. The fishing is just great, period. Here is a closer look at some of the spots I covered this week with clients, which were numerous.

Glacier Creek 7-27-13

Today was probably the slowest day of the week, and I think we may have had the weather to blame. With a storm showing up later in the afternoon, it just seemed slower than the rest of the week. With that being said, the clients spent a lot of time just watching each other fish and hanging out. Nothing wrong with that. Also, I caught a fish. What does that mean? It means that even with my limited number of casts just showing people (instructions) what to do, I still managed to catch one. So I think the fishing was better that let on.

Bugs that were working were Amy's Ants, Rainbow Warriors (RW's),and Poison Tungs (P-Tung's).

Take a look at this cool pic of Longs Peak at the end of the day.

Boulder Creek 7-28-13



Another stormy day in store for a couple of clients today. In fact, it cut the fishing day slightly short. But we managed to pull a couple in before it got to raining too bad. Amy's Ants were the ticket today.  



Getting super foggy before the rain.



Big Thompson (Moraine Park) 7-29-13

The Thompson is getting into great shape up high. We were up there earlier this week when it was about 54 degrees and just downright wet and cold. But the fishing was solid throughout the day. We actually fished up in the edge of the woods on the west side of the valley and then on the east side of the Cub Creek TH in the afternoon. We used a bunch of different bugs. Fat Alberts were killing it early and Royal Coachmans were pulling them in later. We discovered an off shoot to the Thompson in the Cub Creek area that had tons of brookies stacked up. Fun fishing for a beginner.

Other flies that were successful included P-Tungs, Black Hi-Viz ants, and black Pheasant Tails.

Look for the Moraine to keep heating up, especially in the woods from Fern Lake TH up. This becomes the time of year where as long as you find the trout, they will eat just about any type of good drift.

Storm Coming...



Storm landed

Big Thompson (Sylvan Dale)7-30-13

I guided a trip to Sylvan Dale today and for the most part the fishing was pretty good. The client fished from about 8:00 to 4:30 and while it was never completely lights out, we managed to keep hooking up through out the day by cycling through patterns when it got slow, and some good old common sense.

The client wanted to work on his dry fly casting, so we decided we would, with the thought that the fishing may be a little slower on the dries during the middle of the day with the overhead sun. Couldn't have been more opposite. Considering the conditions; the water has been coming up for the last week and finally peaked with the rainfall the day before we arrived, and it was sunny as could be until 4:00 or so; I think the client was doing alright.

As far as the fishing, we started out with a Sparkle Wing PMD followed by a Callibaetis RS-2. Within 2 minutes the client had his first fish on. A smaller rainbow, but what a way to start a day; a fish on within the first 5 casts.  

We continued to work that rig for a while, managing one more on the RS-2 and a couple vicious strikes on the PMD, with no luck. We moved on, covering the canyon in the lower section of the ranch, and switched up to a foam caddis, followed by a rainbow warrior and a pheasant tail. This was probably the slowest set up of the day.

  With the sun coming overhead pretty strong and a surface temp of 64 degrees, I recommended we moved on to find some better water. We came upon a huge hole right at the mouth of the canyon and I threw on a girdle bug, super deep, hoping to get one of those trout at the bottom of that deep hole hole at the bend. It worked. First cast, fish on. I would have to say that was definitely the largest fish of the day, and I was sad to see it go. Switched up to a fat albert and returned to the RS-2 again. The RS-2 seemed to be the most consistent fly out there today.



The mouth of the canyon at Sylvan Dale



North St. Vrain

I took a couple of clients up to Wild Basin, the first half of a double header for me the other day. This is an area that I don't fish much admittedly, but I think that will change soon. This is a really nice river and as we discovered the other day, one that can be real fishy and real buggy.

We started fishing from the first bridge up. A lot of pocket fishing, not as many runs or riffles per say. Real fun though. As we arrived there were more bugs than you could shake a fly rod at. Just super buggy. PMD's, caddis, spinners, sallies, stones, and midge everywhere. Pick one and hold on. We started with some PMD patterns and some Amy's Ants. They were both catching fish. As we got later into the day, we switched up to some more buggy stuff like Caddis and Drakes. All effective. Great fishing. Get there.

Roaring River

Well unlike earlier in the season, when we came up a bit too early, this place was on fire. Tie on pretty much any terrestrial or attractor and get catching. Real fun for beginners and loaded with nothing but Greenbacks. Real short presentations, real hungry fish.

Boulder Creek 7-31 & 8-3-13
Real simple report. Find river. Throw terrestrial and attractor beadhead. Catch Fish.


Tight Lines

Weekly Report 7/14-7/21...We're There!

As I have been saying, the rivers (in general) are picking up, but it is even more apparent this week than last. As you arrive to the river this week, the first thing you will notice is the dramatic drop in water levels. Safe to say that any snow melt after this point will be pretty insignificant in relation to changing flows.

Because of the lower flows we are seeing a lot more activity both in and around the streams. You will see a lot more bugs out there, including a lot more mayflies and stones. Caddis are making a strong surge,  coming on more and more and each day. Also, you will notice that those trout are being less selective about where they spend their time. Really start to explore those riffles, especially later in the afternoon.
As far as pattern selection, the more buggy, the better. A couple of the hotter patterns this week have been Amy's Ants and Fat Frank's; while PMX's have still been producing as well. A couple others have been tan chubby chernobyls, and the gold or olive would work as well. And don't forget to try some hoppers. Nice and buoyant, especially when crafted out of foam, and the take is always explosive.
If you see major hatches, try to match it if you like. I like to use something nice and visible when I do. Look for PMD's coming on stronger, as well as spinners, and some little yellow sallies.
Either way, the fishing has been good. Get out there and keep your selections on the smaller side right now, and keep em' buggy.

 

Tight Lines

7-18-13 New Fly Recipes!

Check out the Fly Recipes Page for some great new patterns. I have included a Callibaetis RS-2 and a Black LZ Prince nymph. Also, because of the arrival of the new pic-taker, I have thrown some updated photos of the prior fly recipes up there, making it the first official posting with the new Fuji S4800.  Such a name dropper. But hey...look at those nice pics!

Here is a preview. Click on the link below to see full size pics.

For these and more recipes click here:  http://rockymtnflyangler.blogspot.com/p/fly-recipes.html

7-9, 7-10, 7-11, & 7-12-13 Caddis Hockey

Big Thompson (Below Estes)
The T is fishing great right now in the evenings ( I haven't been any other time of the day recently) and it is more than worth checking out. There is an amazing caddis hatch happening when the sun goes behind the hills and from there on the fishing just gets better as the daylight starts to fade away. Try throwing some Elk Hair Caddis in tan and if you have to substitute color or caddis pattern, just make sure you sure are in the same size range; that being a size 16. I have noticed that they just weren't as interested in the next size larger.

Try skating those caddis on the surface for more consistent action. Not to say that a dead drift won't do it, but it is not as effective (or fun I think). To skate, just get that fly moving across the surface however need be. Actually make it 'skate'. You can achieve this in a dap kind of technique on your shorter approaches or just strip in a similar manner as a streamer.

The one difference you will notice in the strip technique as opposed to stripping a streamer is the lack of weight. That weight really helps you get that slack out of the line. So I like to throw my line straight out (perpendicular to the current) and then either start stripping then or wait until it runs down down the river a little and then swings across. Once it starts swinging, keep your rod tip high and let the current do the rest. You can even steer it if you want.

I have noticed that on a straight strip technique, there are a few things you can do to make the technique easier. First, right when you cast, throw an upstream mend, and quickly. After that, lift the rod butt up to your upper chest area as you start to point that rod tip at the fly. Look at your rod tip almost as if you are looking down the barrel of a shotgun. And then follow it just like that too. Strip that line and try different retrieves as well. I almost think the more erratic you make each series of presentations to a hole look, the better off you are as that really does mimic the caddis flying all around.

Well give it a try and hopefully you can put some in the net as well.

Tight Lines

6-29-13 Glacier Creek is Melting

It's melting because it's starting to catch fire!

It's not quite there but if today was any sign, it is right around the corner. It was really fishing good today. I took out 3 clients and we arrived fairly early, at least enough to beat the traffic and the crowds. I headed right to one of my new favorite (guide) holes and the picking was all for us.

We got started right away, throwing some dry attractors and san juan worms. The one client who had experience started getting right into trout on the attractor, a yellow grand hopper. He pulled in a rainbow, which is a little rare in this section. It was a good sized rainbow too.

The clients continued to fish, concentrating more on the ripples than the pools; for the first time all year in my visits this area seems to be holding more trout; a definite sign that water is heating up (54 degrees) and the flows are dropping. Another sign is the fact that they wanted nothing to do with the san juan worms. I suppose all the little fellas have been turned over and swept down already.

With that said, I tied on some different dry dropper combos. I kept the grand hoppers, added some Chubby Chernobyls, RS-2's and natural pheasant tails and it was pretty effective, as they continued to get bites all morning. They caught two more, 1 being a brown and the other was professionally released early.

With the waters getting a little thin and crowded we decided to move up to other waters; there was another guide in the area trying to get in my pocket-I disallowed it. We headed up to the next stop and kept fishing. The two other clients hadn't yet caught any, even though they were getting bites, so I took them to the skunk hole.

The one client said "I already got a skunk, I don't want to go to the skunk hole".

I explained that this was the skunk hole because it's where we get rid of the skunk. I put the experienced fisherman in a lower hole I call the five dollar hole and challenged him. (I still have my $5). I put the other two right below the beaver pond where it is almost a certain catch.

Sure enough, the youngest client, on the first cast got a bite. Unfortunately, it was going after the RS-2 on the rise and he just missed it. We moved up slightly and the other fish less client, who didn't want to be in the skunk hole, caught 1. Redemption! And then heartbreak...as he lost it real soon. But right after that, we did pull in one brookie on a PMX. With the rain starting to get crazy, and then the lightning making way overhead, we started to make our way back.

All in all, a great day. I would have liked to see the 3rd client get a fish to the net but he got a bunch of bites and lost one none the less; I think he still had a real good time. As did the others. We bid adieu and went our separate ways. Another great trip, and another great day on Glacier Creek. Can't wait to get some for myself.


Tight Lines

6-27-13 Boulder Creek

I got to get out on the river today for the first time in a few weeks, and on Boulder Creek for the first time in at least a month or so. I could tell that the flows were slightly up since the last time I had been out on a guide trip, less than a week ago.

I was due to meet a friend in a while and wanted to get in a little bit of fishing before hand. I managed to hook into a really nice rainbow and bring him to the net; a nice reward to yet more hand tied San Juan worms. I manged to catch one brown, much smaller, later and then called it quits for a while. It was fishing a little slower, but it was 4:00 in the afternoon and hot as heck.

I ended up taking an hour long nap in my truck before my buddy showed up. It was his first time out and I just gave him my rig. Within minutes, he hooked into a brown trout; a nice reward for both. For him, his first fish on the fly; and for me a first for a friend, and an employee of which I am completely grateful for.

We continued to fish around the Roger's Park area for a while. I received a few more bites on a 20 incher, Pheasant Tail, RS-2 combo. He ended getting a few more bites on a purple San Juan worm, tied with a beadhead, and one on a Chubby Chernobyl, with a yellow under body.

Being close to dark now, we called it a day. It was nice to get out for a change and although it was a little slow, I had a good time.  I always appreciate teaching a friend to fish. It was nice to get out of the heat too; it was 10 degrees cooler in the canyon than in Boulder. The water was 52 or so and made for some semi-cold wet wading.

Soon, the water temps will rise, the flows will drop and the dry fly bite will go from skittish to crazy. Perfect for wet wading...and dry fly fishing in the afternoons.


Tight Lines

Can't Wait

6-25-13 Late Spring/Early Summer Report

Well we have been super busy with trips and I just haven't had a chance to get to the computer to update the website. So apologies on my end. For what it's worth, I did just get my Internet connection at the house fixed so I will be able to post reports more frequently. And, I just received my new $300 camera so look for some great new pics...soon.

To get all caught up, were just gonna make 1 huge report for the last month ( or so, or longer). So here goes:

Boulder Creek:
The creek has been fishing pretty good for the last month or so. Every now and then we will get a high flow day that brings the productivity down, but for the most part, minus a 2 week run off period, it has been fishing well.

We have definitely had to find the good water. And it's not always the same. Some days it's up on the flat stretch by mile marker 32, others it's on the beaver ponds. You just got find those trout.

And when we did find them, it was pretty good fishing. The purple san juan worm, and the beadhead purple san juan worm have been the best for the last month or so. These things just flat out catch fish. I love them. If anything, I AM really tired of tying them. It's all I've tied for the last month. They are a quick tie, but there is not much creativity in them. It can get a little monotonous. But if it's working...

As of real late, we are seeing the stones turn on the top and some attractors and terrestrials are starting to come into play as well. It gets hot in the middle of the day so get out early or later.

Here are some pics from some client trips, and some of my trips from Boulder Creek for the last month.

Rocky Mountain National Park:
Well in just the last month, The Park has gone through quite the transformation. A month ago, we were just barely at run off for most of the waters in the park and less than a few weeks later, they were all either at max run off or starting to come off run off. Either way, the flows are dropping and the fishing is picking up the further we get into the season. Here are some reports from specific bodies of water in the park.

Big Thompson (Moraine Park)
I love this river. Who doesn't, right? It's just such a beautiful location in a surreal setting. The funny thing about Mr. T is that even though I have seen a bunch of back country spots in The Park, I am still captivated by the Moraine Park area. It's not my favorite, but it sure is right there. I think the perfect meandering style stream running right though the middle doesn't hurt either, right?

As far as fishing, it's been doing good. Most days are great, others are good, and very few are bad. The Thompson is by no means the easiest stream in  the world to fish. To begin with, I think all meandering streams are more difficult than most other streams and this one is no exception. It takes a certain skill for sure. And secondly, that river gets a lot of pressure; there is never a shortage of fisherman. So to all who fished there, be proud. It's an accomplishment to catch a trout here, and if you didn't don't be discouraged by any means. It's not easy. And as most will attest, they caught their fish only after a trying for a while.

Recently, we have been going into the upper part of the valley where the fishing is starting to pick up. It seems the more I go, the more the bugs I see each time. Typical, right? As of late there has been some decent stone fly hatches, caddis hatches (later in the day), and the baetis has been sporadic, at best. Do look for the covered water later in the evening and you should start finding those hatches. There has been some nice rusty spinners showing up later in the day as well.

As for the report, it is just like all the other streams in The Park. It is starting to heat up, but we are getting there.


Glacier Creek
Glacier is coming alive. The last time I was up there, they were more or less eating any good presentation. Stones, PMX, Hoppers, Chernobyls, Caddis, Amy's Ants on top and just about anything below, especially with flash.

Roaring River
Roaring River, which I have only visited once so far, was pretty slow fishing. It was still running relatively high and the good water just wasn't there yet.

Here are some pics from the last month or so.

Tight Lines

5-14-13 It is so about time...

About time for that action right there! No not the girl that snuck into my pic, behind her silly. The Park. RMNP. Natty Park. Natty Rock. Rocky Nappy. Heaven on Earth. Whatever you call it, it's time for Rocky Mountain National Park. I have had to cancel my first trip of the year there 3 times now and nothing was stopping me today.

So after dropping C-Dog (the kid) off at school, I took off and arrived to the Beaver Meadows entrance 45 minutes later. You can't beat that convenience. I couldn't help but notice how slow it was with just a (near) total absence of people and cars. Just the way I like it.  

After soaking in the views for an hour or so I set out to destroy The T. First hole I missed what had to be at least a 16" trout. He turned on me the first cast and got me all crazy excited. Just what I came for, right? And then second cast...I missed him. You thought I was going to say I caught him, ay? I didn't. I moved on.

I continued to walk downstream, throwing my black BH booger into all the slower water, for which there was not much, and stripping it back up. Nice thing about a meadow though, every turn is a hole. I was getting a ton of bites but most were those short bites on my long booger tail. I continued and then finally hooked into a really nice trout. I lost him though.

I stopped and took a break to enjoy the view. That really is my favorite part of this place, the serenity. I never feel the need to just stop and soak it all in like I do this place. Today's view was elk that were about 25 yards or so away from me.  After a while, I turned around and continued to fish upstream. This time, I would dead drift my booger and see if I had any more luck. Sure enough I did.

 I ended getting 2 or 3 on the way back up on the dead drift and they were all really nice healthy browns. The key was just pounding those banks and looking for the undercut banks. This is where most, that were fishable on the drift, were hiding out. I continued onto my truck and then again took another break and grabbing a bite. I was hoping the storm would pass during lunch, but it just never really materialized and ended up only dropping a few drops during and after lunch. I decided to keep heading upstream of my original start point and fishing on the dead drift. I got some more bites but no more trout.

By around 3:00 or so I decided to make my way back. I would once again go back to stripping my booger on the way down. This time, same result. Several bites, but no takers.

Finally one did eat that whole thing. I set the heck out of that hook. He was going nowhere. Ended up putting up a great fight for his size. Took himself into some pretty deep holes with some timber and rocks. He tried to sneak out but I wouldn't let him. After finally landing him, I could see that he practically swallowed the whole thing and I had to perform trout surgery on the banks. That is why you will see him on the ground in the picture. But have no fear, by the end of it all, and a few minutes of assisted swimming he was off. Somehow, that barbless booger slid all the way down to his stomach. But like I said, he swam off safely.

Being more satisfied than I have been since the last time I was in the Park, I decided to head back. A great day.  

Pre surgery trout. Notice the lack of wooley boogers in the picture. That is because it is (not for long) in his tummy.

Tight Lines-Rocky Nappy style

5-7-13/5-13-13 Boulder Creek Fishing Report

5-7-13 Boulder Fly Casters Hole
I actually got a chance to get out today and the fishing was good. I forgot to set a hook and also how to fight (small) trout so I lost quite a few. I don't what my problem is. Too much guiding...not enough fishing? Good problem to have I guess if that is the case.

I had pretty much the exact same conditions as the day before so i just threw the same thing. Rainbow warriors and Pheasant Tails. Never did have to re-tie. That is always nice. Especially after retying all week.

5-8-13 Roger's Park
What a cold, wet, sleeting, snowing, raining, wet, miserable, cold and wet miserable day outside it was today. It was miserable. It was 36 degrees when we arrived at our hole. Cold! And Wet! And it was 10:30 and still 36 degrees.

But...man was the fishing awesome. I mean off the hook. No pun intended. We had our first fish on probably 10-15 minutes after we got there and it just never really stopped. We did have to take a 20 minute break right around noon and as the miserableness was definitely peaking.

After that though, the fishing just got better. With the temp eventually making it up to 55 as we left, I think it really helped. The client even caught a brook, brown, and rainbow. A Colorado Hat Trick. I asked if he wanted to go up towards Eldora and try for the Grand Slam with the Cutty but he was pretty happy right there catching fish every five minutes. Probably a good choice considering the weather.

We ended up throwing Rainbow Warriors and Purple San Juan worms. Those worms were the ticket. The river really mixed em' up apparently. I retied once early and that was it. I think the Warrior was helping get their attention on the off color water and leading em' right to that worm. Money. I pretty much just carried the other rod around and followed Joe Master Angler around. Really fun.

It was unbelievable fishing though. We had to just grin and bear it because when the fishing is that good, you don't care about the weather.

Didn't get a pic of the brookie, but he caught it. I attest. Ended up with probably more than 20 or so total. We both lost count. That's a perfect trip.

 Brown Trout. 1 of a couple dozen on the day.

Rainbow Trout. The one and only that we found.

5-11-13 Roger's Park (Warriors, Worms, Tails, and Tungs)

Beautiful Day on "The Riv"

I split a trip with one of our newer guides today. It was his first trip out and he nailed it. We had 4 people so we split into 2 clients each and went our separate way once we arrived at the river.

Fishing was great. We threw the same recent usual suspects...warriors, worms, tails and tungs. (Which happens to be the name of my new rock band. We sing fishing songs.) My guys were catching left and right once the experienced one got the hang of the hook set.

I met up with Colin and his guys were doing the same. Trip Awesomeness...Check.

 Reilly about to eat a Brown trout, raw, after being dared by me. He almost did it. I would have idolized him.

This is the where it all came together for Kevin. So he stayed there for an hour or so. Good man. 

Looking back towards Lower Roger's Park. How many anglers/guides can you find?? Answer is 4. (Howard?? Where'd you go?)

On a side note...when I took Kevin and Reilly down to the riv for the first time to show them the how to I cast for the first time and...trout on. I apologized. Kevin said if you are trying to show someone how to catch trout then you did good.

TOUCHE KEVIN!

5-13-13 More Roger's Park

Flows have dropped significantly in the last few days so we were forced to change it up a little bit. I went to the same spot but tied on some different flies. The ticket early on was the purple worm and an Olive brassie, sz. 20. I hardly ever fish brassies. Not sure why. But something told me throw it today. And it worked...for them...and for me too. I caught a nice trout on the how to. (Touche Kevin)

The fishing really slowed down in the afternoon as it actually got super hot in the canyon. I recorded a temp of 79 at one point late. But we were sweating. A sign that it shall soon be here for good.

It was so slow in fact that I went to the original slumpbuster after striking out on a few things, including Prince's, Tails, PMX's, and a Hull's Gummy midge; which almost always beats the slump. The ticket...a size 20 red Tungsten BH zebra midge. Small and deep. That is what they wanted cause that is where they were.

Evidently I found out that the other (Lead) guide had the fish completely shut down on him and his client as well in the afternoon. So it wasn't just us!

All in all a good day. That low flow combined with the sun just drove those trout super deep later on in the day. It happens. I'm glad that the clients got into trout before it got so slow.

Another typical Spring week on Boulder Creek...snow, rain, sun, sleet, murky water, clear water, low flow, high flow and the one constant that never leaves...TROUT!

Tight Lines-

5-6-13 Boulder Creek with some Canucks!!!

I love Canucks! They are always so nice. Today was no exception. I had a father and his son out on the river and it was a good day out. The flows were slightly higher and murky, but the fishing was alright given the conditions. We stayed a little lower, but above Four Mile as it is just too chocolaty right now.  The water temp was a nice 56 degrees and the skies were blue, for the most part.



We had most of our luck on black and natural pheasant tails, and rainbow warriors. A couple bugs that weren't producing...Prince's, hare's ears, and worms. We fished for about 4 hours and then called it quits.

 These gentleman actually owned a fishing resort on a lake up in the Frozen North and I told them they would NEVER catch anything this big in their little lake in Canada. They laughed at me.  

This gives you an idea of the higher flows. 

Great trip with Great Company

Tight Lines!

4-27-13 Sylvan Dale Pics

Ever get a chance to go to Sylvan Dale? Take it...

 Don't break the rules. (Waiting at the gate for the gang)

 A look at Mother Lake early

 A typical Mother pig

And another...not the same fish either.

Tight Lines!

4-25 & 4-26 Bonus Fishing!

DON'T FALL IN!

This is what I tell everybody before we get into the river. It's a rule. It's the "stay warm so you can have fun" rule. It's an important rule.

 It's so important that from here forth it will be known simply as...wait for it..."The River Rule".  And seeing how "be safe", or as I now know it to be, "The River Rule" is the first rule on our trips, followed closely by "have fun" (which could really be called...wait for it... "The Fishing Rule"), you would think that this rule would be followed very tightly.

But sometimes, you just have to push the limits. You have to break the rules just to find out what the consequence will be. It's almost as if, possibly, you are afraid that you will follow so closely "The Fishing Rule", therefore having enormous uncontrollable fits of fun; that you must feel it necessary to perhaps sabotage "The River Rule" in order to minimize the effects of the uncontrollable, now super exploding amounts of ridiculously huge gargantuan tons of fun! (Wow! That was a long ( poorly ( I'm sure) punctuated) sentence. That hurt my brain.)

Relax, I understand. I still feel the need to take a dip in the river every so often (2 days ago) myself. I get it. I also sabotage my own "Fishing Rule". I don't know why we do it. But we do.

But that's not it. It doesn't end here. We get up. We get up and we rise to the tyranny of the slippery river bed and we become victors again.

You can fall, but you can't quit. So we didn't. You march on. So we did. Well we didn't actually...alright look, it was cold and he was wet. So we left.

They were done. But I told them no. You will not be defeated. You will rise again...tomorrow...(after you cancel your trip to the zoo and reschedule for next day) and you will be a victor again.

So we went back out the next day. I think they were a bit hesitant after that speech I gave in a Braveheart accent about not quitting, wearing nothing but a kilt and waders.

And the fishing turned out to be alright after all. We got in two hours the first day before all the rule breaking set in, so we fished about another 3the next day. I wanted to make sure they didn't leave with a bad taste (river) in their mouth.

I think they had a good time.

Be safe, have fun, and always follow the "river rule" a little more than the "fishing rule".

Tight Lines!

4-20-2013 First trip of the year! Boulder Creek

That first call that I have been waiting for (and not long), came in and I was headed out for the first guide trip of the year. The weather wasn't quite what I wanted, although it was in the mid 50's and just slightly overcast. I couldn't really complain, now could I? The flows were a little high but we stayed real low in the canyon and hit up Boulder Creek by Dome Rock.



Getting into one of the deeper holes at the end of the day. (Notice all the snow on the ground still.) 

I took a father and son out that had just taken the intro to fly fishing class at RMA (Rocky Mountain Anglers) and it sounded like they were possibly looking to get into it. I always love to see that.

The fishing was alright; not great, not horrible. They both caught fish although the son kept missing his strikes because, boy, those trout were quick that day.  He managed to get one on the hook by the time we left but then the fish decided to jump ship.

We fooled around with some different dry flies in hopes of getting a dry strike for the client, but it never happened. They were however, taking some Callibaetis RS-2's underneath a heavier dropper. This was especially true later in the afternoon around 5:00 or so as the BWO's came out in full swing for a few minutes.


All in all, a good trip. Good to get out again. Definitely looking forward to the season.

Tight Lines!

4-18-2013 An Old Friend Revisited

I headed up to Mary Jane for the annual end of year party with my department from Eldora. I had already planned on leaving early (around 1:00) well in advance of the party. I prefer to sneak out and go fishing. I did this last year, and it worked out like a charm (see 'My Blue Heaven' post).

This year, the weather was horrible. It was 6 degrees all day in the parking lot at the Jane, and by 11:00 a.m., I already had a great beer buzz going. Knowing that there was trout in store, I quit drinking. By 1:00 p.m., on the dot might I say, I was sober enough to leave. Don't freak out; I had 4 beers over the course of 5 hours. I was fine!!

I drove towards the original destination: the mighty Colorado. I feared it would be too cold all day and by the time I got to Granby, my senses got the best of me and I turned around. Coming down Berthoud, I wished that there was less snow as there is some good fishing around Empire. But not the case today. So I turned off US 40 and onto the big 7-0 East. With the time moving along faster than I like. I shot straight for the obvious "save my day, I just want to catch a fish spot". Clear Creek.

Good ole' Clear Creek. You all remember. The one that leads to the really gross beer plant...the one that we keep spilling fuel and oil into...the one that alot of us (myself included) have abandoned. Yep. That Clear Creek. Well it had been probably 3 years since I (personally) fished Clear Creek (I recall) and that is a shame. I have always liked this river. Not once has it ever been too busy for my personal preference, never a long drive, there is always a great chance at a Grand Slam, and the fishing is always (usually) pretty good.

But yes, I too, have abandoned it. There was a truck fuel spill a few years (2 years?) back and it was right at my spot, so I was bummed and didn't go back. Still haven't gone to that spot but might now. I fished way low in the canyon. Take 1 more turn and your on Hwy. 93 to Golden.  Just trying to be consciouse of water temp plus I figure these trout will take better (to harsh environment) so I thought it would be a good indicator of the quality of the fishery.

Well, I must say, I was impressed. I only fished for an hour or so and managed to fool a handful even though I lost a few before I landed em'. The ones I did catch...great fish. Real typical of what I have seen in here in the past. Clean, healthy, proportionate.

Good News. Happy Angler... Sometimes, it pays to see old friends.
Fished with an olive tail for the entire time. It worked. Try it.
Here's some pics:



Note-The sun came out by the time I got over the divide and into the canyon. Beautiful day.

Tight Lines-

4-12-13 Lessons Learned and Re-Learned, but I feel great!

Sometimes you just never know.

You never know when you are going to get the opportunity to go fly fishing that is. Such was the case yesterday when I got off work early, around 2:30 or so.

Problem was, I knew that I did not have (most) of my gear. Most notably, flies and waders. But I knew that I had a rod and reel that was still tied up with a beadhead prince nymph and a really beat up olive colored pheasant tail from my last outing. And quite frankly, if you have a rod and a reel, and two flies, what else do you need to be successful?

Well, to begin with it really does help if you have waders. If not, you can't really fish everywhere you need to, or in the manner you need to, either. And just because you have flies, it doesn't mean you have the right ones. I felt pretty good about my selection that was tied on but I knew the pheasant was awfully beat up and actually coming apart.

So as I pondered all this during my drive down the canyon, to my hole, I realized that I may have a few flies stuck to my spare tire cover that sits behind the rear seat. Every time I get done with a trip, guided or not, I cut my flies off and stick them there. I knew there wouldn't be much as I usually clear it in the fall/winter and let it repopulate the next summer. However, come mid July or early August, it looks like a small fly shop back there.

I arrive at my hole and start looking at my spare tire. Not much for sure. A purple poison tung, two black beauties, a san juan worm, and one more bead head prince. But then it happened. At first I can only see the bright reflection of the sun gleaming off the tiny, simulated, emerging wing loop.  And then suddenly it appeared as if it were sent from the heavens...a Callibaetis colored sparkle wing RS-2. I knew that was the ticket with the BWO's that had been coming off lately so I tied it on below the prince.

I try to locate some nippers...check. Locate some forceps...no check. Need some forceps. I dig through the gear bag that I do have and realize that I don't have any forceps either. Great! I make do with a pair of Gerber multi-tools. Check.

I set out, without waders, to one of my favorite first beats. As I cast I realize that I have no indicator. So wanting to learn more about indicator free fishing I cast-on. I gave it about 5 more casts and said "not today". Maybe if I had flies and waders. But I wasn't in the learning mood today. I was more in the catching mood.

I head back to the truck and look for an indicator. I find one tiny orange thingamabobber in my gear bag. I prefer the palsa, which I why I switched in the first place; but I learned with a thingamabobber so I didn't care, and felt confident. I tied it on and went back.

First cast...nothing. Second cast...same story. Third cast...fish on! Nice little brown. (No picture, remember I don't have all my gear). It was the RS-2 of course.  I continued for another 15 minutes, catching one more fish, until I snagged my fly trying to squeeze it into a run. I tried to forward cast it out, but couldn't. I ended up snapping off (I think perhaps it would have helped if I had waders, think?). Satisfied at my MacGyverness, I called it a day.

Lesson 1: Rs-2 flies catch a ton of trout. If you don't have any, you are weird.

Lesson 2: I felt real good about my success with limited gear. I was a real MacGruber out there. However I did want to fish longer. Don't we all? So it did rub me a little that I did not have my gear. I usually keep it out this time of year, for freezing and theft purposes especially, but I should have my gear. I thought about bringing it that morning (because you just never know), but didn't because my waders were still hanging up, my fly box was on my tying desk, my chest pack wasn't in my wader bag like usual, and so on. So I didn't. And while it did cost me time on the water, it didn't cost me success because,

Lesson 3: You should always have ALL YOUR GEAR, because you just never know; but in case you don't you better have a rod and reel,  forceps or a leatherman, nippers and a couple killer ass flies in your truck. I did, and it saved my life today.

So I'm feeling alright...

Tight Lines!

MacGyver