10-16-14 New patterns and variations on some existing patterns

Check out the new patterns that will soon be posted to the Flies for Sale Page. As you will see, I have discovered super hair, or discovered Craven's fondness for it anyways. This stuff is great, and makes some real life like patterns. Thanks Charlie!

The first pattern is Craven's new tie, the Juju Emerger. Found the recipe in a new magazine, tied it up, caught a lot of fish for client. Period. What else do you need to know. I fished the Zebra first, to replicate some mayfly emergers, specifically BWO's because I hadn't tied that one up yet, and it worked great. Then I tied up the actual BWO. Let me just say, once you get done tying this guy, you know it's gonna catch fish. It looks like a real little BWO. Amazing. And after you fish it, and it gets wet, you should see that CDC puff do it's job. It looks just like a little Baetis emerger. But you can fish it on top too, and the fluoro fiber tied in at the wing really helps add some visual aid to help spot it. I was seeing it at easily 50 feet out though, especially in the later hours on darker waters (when those bugs are coming out anyways). Bottom line...this thing is $$.

The other major pattern I introduced today was the Jujubee. Another Craven original, I never fished this fly until 2 weeks ago. And now you can see that I have tied up as many color options as possible. That speaks for itself. I have only used the red and zebra patterns, but they have been hot, mainly on the Big T tail waters which is starting to get some picky midge eating trout. This thing is the key to those slow mornings when you are not seeing a ton of risers. The olive is a beautiful fly when viewed live, and I can't wait to fish it. The brown is recommended for the San Juan, and as a replicator to worms. The clear is recommended for a substitute to mysis (I can see that) and the bleeding midge is just one fishy looking little fly.

The other 2 patterns are also great little midge staples. The first is a Ninja Midge, tied with antron. This pattern will soon be tied with CDC for greater floating ability, but this thing has already been picking them off as it works well for those trout that are rising to bugs you can't see. Once I tie it up with CDC, I will call it a V.C. midge, named after the original and a pattern that is already available at the shop. But throw this little guy (down to a size 26) in the Fly-Agra and shake it off with some false casts, and you will still see it at least 40-50 feet out, especially behind a larger indicator dry fly like a BWO or Adams.

Below that? Try one of these larvae midges. They are simple and catch fish. If you could put your head under the water and see what the trout see, you would see a ton of these little guys. I will be tying these up in olive and possibly purple as well soon. Go get some new flies (from me) and get to fishing.

Have a look at the new patterns below. Click on the pics to see an enlarged photo of each fly and to also admire my ever evolving fly tying skills. Ha Ha! Tight Lines y'all!

BWO Juju Emerger

Olive Jujubee

Brown/Black Jujubee

Red Jujubee

Black/White (Zebra) Jujubee

Clear Jujubee

 

Bleeding Jujubee

Gray V.C. Midge (Ninja Midge)

Midge Larva

Brown Jujubee

                 ~

Zebra Jujubee Emerger

10-15-14 Big Thompson Tailwaters

Late afternoon fishing below the Estes Dam

The T is fishing great right now. It's pretty technical; good drifts and fly selection are key. While up there, you will notice that a lot of people aren't catching fish. Therefore, they leave by noon (usually earlier), and you get the place practically to yourself.

It's been beautiful up there. The trees are turning colors and we even had a bugling elk cross the road by the bridge and come over and hang out with us for a while. Most days, temps are getting up to the 60's and it's perfect fishing weather. And, a nice bonus, the Go Kart track hasn't had the stereo on "The Boss" everyday, non-stop, as they are closed for the season. 

Early in the day, we are seeing a lot of midges, and a Jujubee in red or black, or zebra midges in the same colors have been getting it done for me. A midge larvae in red or black will also wake em' up. Keep it small, like a size 20 or smaller. An 18 will get some trout but you will be rewarded by going smaller. I have also been using a Hull's U.V. midge as well, in purple or red. As far as on top, I have been using a V.C. midge, or a Ninja midge as I have known it, and they have been pretty hot early. I have been using black and grey in the tiny sizes of 24 and 26. Put these guys behind another, more visible, dry fly and you will see them more than you might think.

A panoramic of the straight away opposite the Go-Kart track. 

High sticking a riffle section with a BWO hatch.

As we transition into the later part of the day, you will see the Baetis coming off. Pretty epic hatches some days. For these guys, I have been using extended tail BWO's in size 18 and I have also been using a new Craven recipe, a Jujubee emerger. This is a recipe that I found in my last issue of whatever fly fishing magazine I get (?). I tied some up, tied one on for a client a week ago and they have been crushing it since. I have been fishing these above and below the surface, about 18" behind on point. I will post it and have them for sale on the Flies for Sale page soon.

Other flies that have been catching fish are Smoke Jumpers, CDC BWO's, Parachute BWO's, and Moleflies for the Blue Wing Olive hatch; and Stuck in the Shuck midges for the a.m. and p.m. midge hatch. Soft hackle sow bugs and miracle midges will still pull out a couple as well, especially when it is slower.

Towards the end of the day...notice all the rises in the run on top. 

~Tight Lines!~

9/20/14-9/24-14 Boulder Creek Fishing Report

We have had some nice weather this last week; with highs hanging around the upper 70's and lower 80's. With that great weather, came some great fishing. I had a chance to get out myself Saturday and then had a trip out today. Here's what's going on.

When I went out Saturday, I crushed trout for about 3 hours; from 10 a.m. to about 1 p.m. It was about that time that I broke my rod. OOPS! First fly rod I have ever broke, but second time on the same rod this season as a client broke it earlier in the year. What a great time to work at a fly shop, right? So I headed down the canyon and back to the shop. When I got back to the shop and asked Randy to borrow a rod, he said sure. On my way out the door, with rod in hand, he came out and asked if I wanted to try the Tenkara rod. Google Japanese Art of fly fishing if you don't know.

Having never tried the technique, because it was described to me as art and not fly fishing, I was at first hesitant. He then stated that if I wanted to try it out and I took to it, I could take a client out Tuesday for a Tenkara trip. Why not, I thought. Another technique under my belt, and a chance to make more work.

So he explained the set up, which is way different, and off I went. Well, crush on. It was like I didn't miss a beat. I actually caught one within the first minute on that Tenkara rod. I think I got it figured out I thought. For the next hour and half, nothing changed. It was just straight lights out fishing. Long story short...these things are pretty fun, especially if you already enjoy fishing small water.

Highlights of the Tenkara experience include:

• Being able to cast to the other side of a 30' wide river without having to pull out line (an impossibility with Tenkara as there is no reel).
• Having your fly achieve a perfect drift by just lifting the rod/elbow.
• Catching fish with no net is sort of fun, not great but still fun. 
• Playing the fish on a super lightweight 13' rod almost always guarantees a fun fight. 

So that's that. I don't wanna take anymore time on that subject so if you are interested, check it out for yourself, or better yet, let me take you out and show you some stuff!

Now to the report part...Fishing great. I am finding that they are liking attractor nymphs, natural dries, terrestrials, emergers, stones, and I think you got the idea, right? Just try it. With that said, here is a list of flies that have been working lately (roughly in order of most successful to least successful):

Mirage Nymph (size 16, only available on this site), Caddis (foam, green), Screaming Banshee Caddis (available on the site soon, a Charlie Craven original and a real fun pattern to fish), Stimulators (smaller, yellow), copper johns (size 16 and red), Para Adams (large and small), RS-2's (gray and small, although larger will work too), Beetles, prince nymphs, rainbow warriors, etc. 

Another fly that I have been playing with lately is this crazy looking pheasant tail that I have designed that has a crazy purple hue (yeah I said it) glass beadhead, a flashback abdomen, and all kinds of other fishy things connected to it. Once I name it, I will put it on the sight. Both days I fished it, it really had trout moving. I mean cast it and you see trout dart to it like a grasshopper pattern landing 6" off the banks. Crazy action. Very similar to the Mirage nymph, which was the loose inspiration, it just catches trout. A twice proven pattern, I will it throw it on the Flies for Sale page soon. 

One thing I also noticed was that if the fishing slows, at all, just throw something else on and keep em' coming. 

Well get out there as the fishing is great. Stay low. I have been staying below Four Mile and it's been great. Another guide went up to the Sugarloaf/Magnolia stretch today and said he had the same results. 

By the way, I got back to the shop and Randy asked how I did with the Tenkara. I told him I crushed it from the get go and his response told me that he knew I would. That was a good feeling, having the confidence of your fly fishing peers, especially one that knows his stuff like Randy. 

As Always...Tight Lines!

9-17-14 Glacier Creek Guide Trip, and IT happens! So Big T Too!

After the crazy season that I have had with my Jeep (needing a new engine), the trips out have been few and far, understandably. That goes for guide trips, and Chris trips. So I am always happy at the opportunity to get out whether it may be for work, or personal relaxation. I feel like every time I make it up to The Park, it may be my last trip for the year so I have really tried to enjoy each outing to it's fullest.

The same could be said for my trip today. I got the chance to take out a couple from Wisconsin that were more or less, complete beginners. We started lower down on Glacier, near the campground. Temperatures were low in the valley coming up; a chilly 48 degrees upon coming into Estes Park. But as we rose up towards our destination, the temperature did too. A classic temp inversion, right!? So by the time we got to our spot at 10:00, the temp had risen 6 or 7 degrees or so to a now pretty decent 55. A beautiful late summer morning, for sure.

We got to fishing and I set up my clients in a long & wide straight away to get their casting down. Once that was a go, we moved up into our first half promising hole. The Para Adams was getting some looks, but no takers. We had a few strikes on some pheasant tails, but couldn't get that hook set quick enough. We even had a few lookers on a new Screaming Banshee, but again no takers.

As we moved on up, it was the same story. However, we were now getting some bites on the Adams in some of the slower riffles, as the water was slowly warming from it's 50 degrees that we had when we arrived. After only fishing for about an hour and a half, the clients wanted to take lunch. We found a nice bench for them to eat, and I went and scouted our next hole, further up towards Sprague. One of my absolute favorite stretches was taken, so I opted towards one just down the hill from there. I like the spot right below the boulders sections, below Sprague.

I went to pick up the clients and one of them decided that she wanted to go on a hike, which she had already mentioned earlier. I thought about discouraging her, as I felt the fishing was going to be lights out in the afternoon, but chose otherwise as I knew she was pretty content on hiking. It's all about the client I say; whatever they want, they get.

So the other client and I set out to the spot that I had scouted. We started with the same set ups, and had a few that were interested, but not much going on. I set up the client on a yellow Stimulator and a yellow copper john about ten minutes into the P.M. session, and it was quite simply...on.

Bites everywhere! Slow water, fast water, behind rocks and in front. Riffles and runs, pools and slicks. Great fishing. And if one hole didn't like the Stimulator & Copper John, we threw a prince nymph and Para Adams and they would eat that too. It ended up being a really good afternoon. But then...around 3:00 the client said we should head back to meet his wife, post hiking trip. He mentioned on the ride back that he wanted to go hike with the wife in the afternoon somewhere and could I recommend a few spots. Was this really about to happen?

As we arrived to meet her, he said "let me go see what she wants to do and I think we'll go hiking most likely". So I waited around the truck as he went and discussed. I couldn't help but think of the possibilities if this really did happen. Was it gonna happen? I could only wait and wonder. I smoked a cigarette and waited for what seemed like an eternity. At one point I peeked around the corner and noticed that his waders were now off.  Holy trout! This was gonna happen!

Sure enough, he walked around the corner and he did it. He said those magical 9 words. The greatest 9 words in the guide vocabulary. Wait for it...

"Well Chris, I think we've just about had it".

There it was. It! It happening!

Allow me to explain. "We've just about had it" means we had fun and were ready to go. Now those aren't usually magical words, but today, the client drove themselves up and followed me. That meant now, at 3:45, with no clients, it was my turn.

Unbelievable! Why? Just refer to the first paragraph of this report. So I headed over to the T one valley over. I grabbed the already rigged Para Adams rod and went for it. Pretty slow for the first ten minutes so I switched over to the Stimmy, this time chartreuse. Below that, I dropped a Mirage nymph about 12" deep. This nymph is so heavy and the water so shallow, so I didn't want to get too deep.

I ended up catching a couple on that, and got a couple more bites as well. But that Mirage nymph did it! It was pounding trout left and right. And once again, as was the case last time when I performed initial testing on this C.L. Hull original pattern, it was catching nothing but larger trout. Every trout I caught with that fly was at least 3-4" bigger than any other fly. Like a new age 20 incher. It just doesn't like catching small trout. Who does right? (I still do...it's better than no trout at all...but you got the point). If you want this fly, and you do, head over to the Flies for Sale page.

The new age 20 incher...the Mirage Nymph. Go get some!

After I got done slaying trout with the Mirage nymph, the clouds came over and the bugs came out. I took a break with MJ and saw one little mayfly hit the surface and immediately get swallowed. I decided that since I saw that happen and there was about 4 different bugs coming off, I would go with a Para Adams again and this time connect an RS-2 to it, floating. 

Money! Again. Caught about 10 on that rig in an hour or so and missed more than I could count on the drifts where I lost sight of the top fly. Just great fishing though. Brooks and browns everywhere. 

With the sun beginning to set, I headed out. A great day on the water, both working and recreating. I definitely got the most out of this day. And some better news...I landed another trip for tomorrow, so I ain't quite done in The Park yet. 

And the best news...Saturday is game on as I have the wife's car and kid in tow. 

Watch Out Trout. Watch Out. 

Tight Lines...

And big fish, if you got the right fly.

Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, New C.L. Hull Original

   Check out the 'Flies for sale Page' for some new patterns, including a new C.L. Hull original and some old standards, including the Elk Hair Caddis and the Stimulator; 2 must haves for any trout angler. The Elk Hair Caddis is your standard old caddis. You can get them with an indicator tied in, but I keep em pretty simple.

   As for the Stimulators, imagination is the only limitation. You can purchase the basic plain stimulator, or you can add on all your options such as an indicator wing, sparkle wing (crystal wing), or even some rubber legs. Buy these trout killers in some 'different than what you find at the shop' patterns and colors; including a really hot all olive pattern, and a peacock stimulator with an abdomen and thorax completely tied out ofpeacock herl; a real beautiful fly.

All Olive Stimulator (Plain)

Yellow Stimulator (Plain)

Olive Stimulator (Plain)

Yellow Stimulator (W/ Indicator, Crazy Legs, & Flash)

   Also, check out my new original pattern, the Mirage Soft Hackle nymph. This fly is a culmination of tying with different materials, using different tying techniques, and drawing upon some basic fly fishing principles, eg. pheasant tails and prince nymphs catch fish and you got to get the fly in front of the fish. So with that said, and really feeling the desire to just throw something different in front of some high pressured trout, I got to thinking. And thinking. And then some more. And then I thought I had it. So I went to the bench, tied one up. Looked at it. That wasn't it. So I thought about it some more. Then I came back to the bench a couple days later. Tied it up. Immediately knew that was it.

   Took it out a few days later on a guide trip. Fishing was good, not great. I pulled out the Mirage, and it was game on. This thing was pulling trout in every other cast, and they were all larger than normal. Final hole, it pulled out a 15" brown out of Boulder Creek. That was it.

   So below is a pic of that new little fly. Let me just say, the photo does not do this thing justice. I have tried to capture all the color, but it's hard with my camera. And I have a decently nice camera. Once you see these things in real life, you are immediately drawn to them. Lots of color, lots of weight, lots of fish. I picture the peacock color, but it is available in lime as well. Check it out.

Peacock colored Mirage Nymph (Side View)

Peacock colored Mirage Nymph (Skewed view to show close up of back)

 'Flies for sale Page'

8-18-14 Boulder Creek En Fuego

Boulder Creek is fishing great. I have been fishing the lower section (below 4 Mile) and it has just been awesome. The terrestrial bite has been good, as well as attractors; both on top and below. Today, we were throwing a new nymph I tied up recently that was previously untested. This little (large) fly was banging the doors. It has no name yet, although it will be named and available for sale soon, only on this web site. This guy was catching em' though, and larger than normal fish as well. As I said, look for them on the nymph page soon.

Other flies that have been hot are beetles, ants, copper johns, prince nymphs, rainbow warriors, blue poison tungs, PMD's, PMX's, Amy's Ants, Stimmy's, Sallies, Para Adams, Spinners, Caddis, etc.

Just see what doesn't catch fish in the creek right now. You will be surprised.

Tight Lines

New Fly Patterns

Head over to the Flies For Sale page to check out some new patterns that are now available for purchase. I have included some great new original patterns that I have been fishing lately in The Park and some old standards with a C.L. Hull touch to em'.

The first pattern I added was actually two different patterns. The black McAnt and the Candy Apple McAnt. I started tying the black McAnt in response to wanting an ant pattern that was visible, without having a ridiculously large looking indicator post on it. I just wanted a realistic ant that was not ridiculous looking. So I came up with this thing:

Black McAnt

Simplicity at it's best. This thing has been killing em' too. At The Park and Boulder Creek. 

But one day while I had a client using these ants and pounding trout, I was sitting bank side and noticed a bunch of black and red ants. So that night I went to the fly tying table, and came up with this thing in response:

Candy Apple McAnt

The next day, it took my client all of 15 minutes to convince me that this one might be better, at least that day. My client killed it. He got over 75 bites up at Glacier with this ant pattern. I also had one day in particular up on Boulder Creek where it was getting a bite on almost every cast. Crazy. The picture does no liberty as to how beautiful this fly is. Once I tied it, I wanted to eat it. It really does look like trout candy. And the great thing is that both of these patterns do just as well on top as they do submerged. 

Here are some other new patterns that are available for purchase now on the Flies For Sale page. 

7-29-14 Glacier Creek Still Hot

Glacier is still on fire. I have been recently been fishing some different (than normal) sections and have been having some great days up there. The bugs are kind of the same as they have been, with some additional gems thrown in.

Early on, same thing. Look to match the hatch. Mostly seeing PMD, midges and some stones. But also start looking for some Rusty spinners to start returning. Mid day, you want to start throwing the big buggy stuff, in smaller sizes and also some terrestrials. I have been having a lot of success with a stimmy, chubby, or an Amy's Ant on top, followed by a McAnt, either black or candy apple. I also like throwing a beetle on the back. I recommend the fire belly beetle (available on the Flies For Sale page, as is the McAnt). Both of these work great suspended, while the McAnt sometimes shines when drowned.

If the rains start to come out, this is when it can get real fun. I have a couple of recent 2:00 rainstorms that brought out all kinds of bugs, including some huge Gray Drakes, PMD's, and some afternoon spinners. I have been matching the drakes with a size 14 Para-Adams, the PMD's with small and plain PMD patterns. The more simple, the better, I have found.

Other bugs that have been working have been Elk Hair Caddis, Humpies, 409's, pheasant tails, prince nymphs, rainbow warriors, poison tungs, Royal Wulff's, and of course, the PMX.

Either way, fishing great. Try throwing some different bugs after you have caught a couple. You will be surprised at the flies that have been in your box for a while that will catch fish on Glacier Creek. Think attractors.

Tight Lines

7-28-14 Boulder Creek

Well it only took 4 years for the creek to calm down this summer, but it finally happened. The payoff has been huge too. Fishing has been great, and the creek is as beautiful as always.

We had one day with the kids camp up by Castle Rock where the camp leader gave me a sabbatical to go fish an hour. In one hour, I caught about 40 fish and missed another 20, easily. The hot fly that day was a Candy Apple McAnt (available on the Flies For Sale page) and an Amy's Ant. You should maybe get you some.

Other bugs that have been producing trout have been prince nymphs, copper john's, poison tungs, rainbow warriors, chubby's, stimmies, humpies, adams, and we even managed a couple the other day with a Hull's T.U.V. Midge, available only on the Flies For Sale page).

Either way, fishing has been good. Get out there.

Tight Lines

7-20-14 Glacier Creek

Glacier Creek has been on fire for the last two weeks. Hatches have been prominent in the a.m.; including some really great PMD and Little Yellow Sallies. I have been going with a size 16 PMD behind a PMX early and then switching over around 10-11 a.m. In the middle of the day, think attractors and terrestrials, fuzzy and leggy. Amy's Ant's, Chubby's, Humpies; with or without legs, Stimulators, beetles, ants...you get the idea.

Speaking of ants, I have been tying up a new black ant with a really small but highly visible post lately. I tied it up in order to achieve the great ant dilemma; fishing an ant pattern that remains true to the original while still being visible. Usually, you can't see the darned thing or if you can see it, it has a ridiculous looking indicator tyed into it that is way too big. So with this pattern, I wanted to keep it small, true to form, and visible. So I tyed some up, took them up to Glacier on a trip out with a client, and his words exactly were "you should patent this thing and retire". Well that said it all; this thing is money, everywhere. I have tried it up at Boulder Creek too and it killed em' there too. And the good news, when it drowns, you keep getting bites. Really explosive action on the subsurface. More of a sip on top, unless you are in brooky water where they just slam it. My other hope with this fly was making an original and effective ant pattern that you can't get any where else besides through me. So look for it soon on the site. It's called Hull's black McAnt. It's for sale if you want it now, but I haven't posted it on the flies page yet -soon. Also, I have recently, because of stream side observation, taken to tying a black and red ant with red legs and the same post, just a different color. It will be going through alpha level testing tomorrow on most likely Boulder Creek. After that, if successful, it will go to beta level; as in 'beta' catch me some fish cuz it has before. I expect it to be just as successful as the original, and I have yet to ever test an original fly pattern that didn't make it to the fly box in increments of 6 at a time. In other words, it will work. I can almost guarantee it. Look for an update soon. But it will work...

(And it's such a good looking fly too).

Now back to the river report.

Once you start getting into the later part of the afternoon, start switching it up a little bit. Look for some Caddis hatches early on that can be easily replicated with an Elk Hair Caddis, now available for sale, or an X Caddis; also available on the site. I have been having luck with the caddis on the dead drift as well as on the downstream skate. I have even had clients catch some with a nice strolling technique (walking from one hole to another while leaving your flies dangling behind-unintentional in nature). I have found that once the caddis come out, anything with some elk hair or deer hair flaring off the hook will get you some bites, especially with a skate. Think PMX, Stimmy, Amy's Ant, and obviously, any real caddis imitation.

Some days, the temps are getting really high up there and/or we have been having rain storms. This is a good time to hit the road, or even better, chill with Jack and Mary in the truck or stream side for a while and hit up happy hour for some half price trouts and apps.

If you do stay for happy hour in The Park, you will be rewarded greatly. At about 6:30 p.m., the hatch is on and the trout are hungry. Look for the PMD's again, and some more sallies, as well as more caddis. A week or so ago, I fished a 40 yard straight away for about 2 hours, getting a cast on almost every bite with a PMD, followed by a fire belly beetle; also now available for sale. One of the more memorable evenings I have had in a little bit.

If you can, get out there. It is just on fire right now. My client yesterday told me that he thought he could have probably caught over 75 fish if he caught all the bites he got. I thought it was closer to 100, but either way.

Look for some new spots as well. Remember, for the most part, the spot that you never fish is usually the spot that other guys never fish. Go check it out. Chances are you will find some hungry trout and some favorite new holes. Either way, if you get out to Glacier, you will find some fun fly fishing.


Tight Lines-

Big T, Sprague, Glacier Creek 6/21/14 & 6/25/14

It's been a little while since the last report, and that is largely in part due to the fact that I have actually been fishing a decent amount lately. No fishing, no reports. Right? I have to be loyal to the site and it's supporters, so fish (or guide) on.

To start, let me just say that as of the last report, we were waiting for it to 'turn over' sort of speak. Waiting for that prime time of year. Well, as you can tell from the lack of reports, it has begun to turn over. We are not quite there with all the rivers or creeks, but we are getting close.

The Park is starting to fish lights out. On the weekends it has been really busy in the more popular spots, but being the early bird or late starter has had it's advantages. Throw some bigger, leggier bugs throughout the day, and match the hatch later on.

In general, fishing has been well, and will just get better. Don't be afraid to do a little exploring, and be patient. I have found recently that in the light of bad fishing, whether it being from a bad spot or just being too busy, having some patience and determination will be it's own reward. A lot of guys (and girls) are out there fishing right now. Take your knowledge and use it to have the best day possible.

6-21-14 Big Thompson Below Olympus Dam
What a prime example of having the patience to wait the crowds (and today, the weather) out for better fishing. I arrived about mid-day; not the preferred time but it's what I had, and it was busy at the dam. I found a couple of quality holes next to putt-putt that I could fish easily without high holing the guys

Waiting the crowds out Below Olympus Dam

below me. Being mid day, I thought I would just tie on something big and leggy. Within the first half hour I missed at least 5 big trout on a Chubby Chernobyl. My hook set was definitely off but I felt real encouraged by the immediate validation. Before I could even think about what was wrong with my hook set, a decent thunderstorm rolled in.

I decided to wait it out in the truck with Mary and headed down to Rock Canyon Road in the canyon. After the storm cleared out, I started fishing again soon. I figured out that hook set thing and managed to catch a couple nice trout on Stimmy's, Chubby's, and some Callibaetis RS-2. I never did figure out the problem with my hook set earlier; I think I was just putting too much slack on the water.

Around 6:30 or so I returned to Mall Road to find 0 cars. Let me type out that for you. Zero Cars. I have never seen nobody, at all, fishing below the dam. Well that was about to change.

I didn't see a ton of trout rising but I knew they had gotten pounded all day as well. The few bugs that were coming off were small and definitely getting gobbled up though. So I tied on a CDC midge and that was the ticket. I didn't catch a ton, but the serenity, solitude and the sunset made it one of the more memorable evenings below the dam for sure. And I caught one trout through sight fishing, that was about 20" and that didn't hurt my memory either.

After it looked like it wasn't going to pan out due to the crowds and the weather it ended up being an absolutely great day. Patience and determination rewarded.

6-25-14 Sprague Lake and Glacier Creek 
I got the opportunity today to go out with the 3 time world fly fishing champion. He doesn't get out much but it's ever increasing now days. He seems to really have taken an interest in the sport now. If you have followed the blog for some time, you will know that I have posted pics of the world fly fishing champ before, but he always has a spinning rod in his hand when I do.

So today, on our adventure, I told him that I really wanted him to catch a trout. We also wanted to go on a little hike so my first attempt was Glacier Creek below the campground. I am not saying exactly where. Pay attention and you might figure it out. Glacier Creek is by no stretch a secret, but I have yet to see anyone else fishing this stretch so I'm not saying. I will give you these clues. The water is moving fast, very fast. Over the course of about 1 mile, there is only about 8-10 holes that are no larger than a coffee table. But...the fishing is off the chart. I caught around 6 in a half hour on Chubby Chernobyls. This really is the fly of the year for 2014. Go get some.

One of my secret holes at Glacier Creek. Figure it out?

We moved on and because of the tough stream obstacles, the fly fishing champ didn't yet get to reel one in. We headed up to Sprague and set up shop on the east side. I know it's not where everyone goes. It's where I go though. And I have caught some huge fish there (or gotten clients into huge fish) so I returned. Within 5 minutes of rigging the champ up, I could see out of the side of my his top fly getting swallowed up. I reminded him, loudly and quickly, to set the hook. You would think he would know this by now. Either way, the fly didn't even move. I looked over to notice that the champ was not anywhere near his rod. He was sitting by the lake playing sticks and rocks. What?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!

I couldn't believe it. I set him up and he doesn't even watch his rod. Upsetting. Well I got a couple of bites on a leech but no catching. At one point, a guy came over and told us there was a brook trout under the bridge at the outlet, about 15 feet away. Before he could even point it out, it was on the end of our line. Skunk off.

The 3 time Fly Fishing Champ at Sprague Lake

We ended up going back to Glacier and hitting a couple of spots where he could reel in a couple and then called it a day. I stopped at the visitor center to let the 3 time world fly fishing champ shop for stuffed animals and then we left.

What a great day, again.

Here are some more pics from the C-Dogg and I's day out:

More of The Champ-Sweet hat too! That's my favorite fly shop as well. Those guys are so awesome over there.

Over by the Glacier Basin Campground. Hungry.

 "If I had a Chubby Chernobyl, I could probably catch a trout there". 

A Panoramic of Sprague Lake

-Tight Lines-

North St. Vrain not the place to be...however... 6/18/14

After taking so many trips to the same place, you need to change it up. And after 100 other people take a trip to the same place that is the same place as your same place, you really need to change it up. So today I decided to take a client up to Wild Basin and check out the north fork of the St. Vrain.

This is an area that I haven't spent a ton of time in for one reason or another. I have however had decent success when I have fished the area. Last year I took a couple clients up one day and there was yellow bugs (PMD and Sallies) everywhere. All day, we just kept tying up yellow and catching.

But access points are part of the problem for sure. I sometimes forget that on the rivers that I have memorized hole for hole, that it took a while to get to that point. And I like to be to that point on any river I fish. Simply exploring an unknown river is sometimes the best solution for not only finding the best fishing that day, but finding future gems.

So today I decided early that we would do just that; a little exploring. My client was on day 2 of a doubleheader with us, taking a trip with another guide yesterday. They went up to Glacier Creek and Moraine Park yesterday and I knew he wanted different water today; so setting out like Lewis and Clark was on the agenda for sure.

A few weeks ago I spent a morning with clients in the lower stretch of the North Vrain in the Park and although it was too high that day, I could see some good fishing opportunities waiting so I headed to the same spot. It was still running slightly high, but really cold. It was a frosty 39 degrees surface temperature (ST) when we got there at 9 a.m. and although I didn't feel great, I felt confident. Long story short, it blew. Hardly any bugs out, barely (if any) fish visible moving around, and still somewhat tough wading.

So about 11:00 or so I told my client we were heading to the T and we started making our way back to the truck. Well having being up river so far as to where we started we found ourselves in some completely different territory. We searched around, heading in the general direction of the river and road. At one point I could hear the creek and as I looked west to spot it, all I could see was lake holy trout rising. Everywhere. There was a huge beaver pond and a ton of trout rising in it. This thing was large, and just magnificent.

We set up shop there for another hour or so, catching only two, but getting over 15 bites. We were throwing everything from Purple Haze, to Para Adams, beetles to RS-2's. We also had a little luck with micro-may's. It was a nice salvation to the morning and although I (personally) would have stayed there for a few more hours (don't leave trout to look for trout-guide rule no. 42.c), the client wanted to eat. We broke around lunchtime and headed to the park. (See post 'Big T up high 6/18/14')

Although the fishing wasn't great, or good, I am excited to head back to the Vrain in this area soon. It will be a real treat getting clients into some less fished waters. And it will be a delight introducing myself to some new trouts.

Side note-I cut out of the river on the south bank at one point to tcb and I found a lone Columbine flower in a small meadow standing all by itself. I don't see them all that much and being a Colorado boy, it is always exciting.(Columbine-Colorado state flower-check it)  (Didn't I do a horrible job of taking my camera with me? When will I learn?)

Tight Lines

Big T Up High 6/18/14

You never know what you are going to get when you do a little exploring. That is just what we found this morning in the Wild Basin (See post 'Vrain not the place to be...6/18/14). Heading up to the Tom-Tom is not usually the same story. I am pretty familiar with the entire Big T basin up to 'The Pool' or so. The only thing I wasn't sure of today was the conditions.

I knew that it was flowing in the low 200's as of the last few days or so but wasn't quite sure what the fishing would be like up towards the top. As we got up there I could see that the lowest put in from the trailhead was relatively flat and navigable, but almost too much so, as it was real shallow. So as I originally thought, we headed up to my normal put in for this location. As we arrived I noticed a guy in our hole fishing (sheesh) and so I kept walking. As I walked past I noticed that the guy was a lady and wasn't fishing at all, she was just chilling. But I kept ago as I didn't want to mess her chill.

I knew if we kept going the spots would be harder to find but I still liked what I was seeing. About half way to the end of the run, we cut in to fish. I led my client right through a maze of woods cause I knew exactly where we were, and where to go. Upon arriving at what I thought would be a hole, I found across the river a real nice slick behind a huge downed tree. Looked like a perfect place for a small golden Chubby Chernobyl. I tied on and showed my client where to go. After not getting really too close after a few attempts I told him to hand me the rod so I could show him a tip on mending and casting to a hole with an extremely fast current in the middle.

As I cast, I could tell that I was putting my fly right where I was trying to describe. I showed him how to throw a quick mend after the fly landed and then really high stick. It was a perfect demonstration. As I asked him if he got it and then I set my hook. Sweet!

A real fat brown came up to take that big ole' bug. I handed him the rod and said "reel this in". I got down stream from him and watched the trout go right into the current. I told the client to "let him run and then steer him". He did so perfectly and landed my trout. I set the trout on his way and I was happy.

I told him that I thought that fly would work and to do just like that. Well he did, and he got a bunch of bites but never could land one. One trout that looked like he was probably 16" or so even came up and tailed it. But the client missed it.

We kept moving on and I knew where there would be one more hole. We showed up there and sure enough, he was getting all kinds of risers. He missed about 8 or so and then landed a real nice brook.

The rain came in and we headed out. Another good trip in the books.

Tight Lines

Glacier Creek The Place To Be 6/4/14-6/14/14

Glacier Creek is heating up!! It literally has gone from not so good to fair, fair to good, and now it is starting to really turn over.It hasn't been great yet but you have periods where you see shades of what it normally is. Mornings and especially afternoons have been pretty good though.The middle of  the day is horrible, especially when it is really bright and sunny out. You might as well go eat lunch and take your time. The water is dropping fast though; in a week, average flows dropped by at least 8 inches. Remember that this early in the season, the prior's day temps (especially over night) will affect the next day's fishing.

Last week, we were fishing dries but were really getting all of our luck with nymph droppers. One thing I am seeing up there is the fly of the day is changing a lot, based on daily conditions. One dropper will work one day and then not the next. The most consistent nymphs have been stone patterns-copper johns and princes especially. Keep it on the small side though. Try some small midge patterns too.

As for dries, they are working; just periodically. Same thing here, try some smaller stone (or stone-like) patterns (Stimulators, Amy's Ants) and also just other attractors that are real leggy and fuzzy. See Chubby Chernobyl. In my opinion, this looks like a stonefly to trout. Long, leggy, short tail. Most of the bigger dry action is coming in the afternoon though. Throw some smaller bugs in the morning (para-adams, midges and BWO's) and you will have some luck too. But get out there early as the middle of the day has been pretty slow. It has also been getting busy up there too some extent.

Remember to do some exploring, especially when it is busier (on the weekends). There is a ton of good fishing on Glacier Creek and a lot of trout. Just be willing to do some looking. One day, I took some clients to some beaver ponds that was the result of Brian Harris doing some looking and giving me the tip. It was great fun and something different.

Tight Lines

Check out the new content!

Check out the new flies page, and also, take a gander at the new installment of ChronicHulls while you are over there.

Click on the page links below:
New fly page!

New Thoughts,Truths, & Half Myths click here

5/27/14 Recent Lost Pics!

Some un-posted (or re-posted in some cases) pics from the last few months. Enjoy.

Sunset on the Ark

More Ark

Cool silhouette, I just don't like the pole in the screen shot.

Longs Peak, from Peak to Peak Highway

St. Malo with Mt. Meeker in the back

Momma and baby. If you don't know what these are please click on the 'X' on the top right of your screen. Thanks

And if you do know what they were, this guy says "Whaaaaaat's Up?!?!?!?!??!?!?!"

I'm always trying to get good bug shots. Not easy. But this time, I took this pic and turned it into...

A great bug shot! (Male BWO)

A client on Boulder  Creek, near St. Anton Rd. 

Tight Lines

5/18/14-5/26/14 Glacier Creek, Big T Report

Panoramic View of Moraine Park (South to North, left to right, with Longs Peak on the left)

Run off. My least favorite time of year. We have to deal with it every time. It's just not that much fun to me.  Sometimes it's not that bad, others we have to wait more than a month. The plus is that it's a great time to hit those high lakes. The negative is that I can't fish in the river and that is why I got into this into the first place. But it's essential, and without the cycle, the trout would suffer. Either way, we just have to make do.

Fortunately, we are not quite to that run off stage yet. Well, as of now we are. But in the beginning of the week, we weren't having to deal with this. Amazing what one week in Colorado can do. Certainly, some of the high flows are attributed to the massive rain storms we had this week, but the near 80 degree and above days aren't helping either. 

As I said, the beginning of the week was fine. I spent Sunday the 18th up in the park on a scout trip to Glacier Creek. By scout trip, I mean just that. A lot of looking and exploring, with some fishing. I really just wanted to find some good water for clients the next couple of days. 

Glacier was fishing good. I put in at a normal spot (the obvious one for this time of year in my opinion) and ended up not regretting it. I couldn't get them to take a dry, as it was fairly bright and sunny all day. However, I did manage to hook into quite a few on san juan worms (purple), and black pheasant tails; with and without flashback. The fishing was good. I did manage to lose a larger trout and that spoiled my mood for an hour or so. I literally had to stop and sit on the banks and just 'relax' for a few minutes. Maybe I care more than I try to tell myself sometimes. 

Hanging out below Hollowell Park

And even in the few hours that I was up there I could see a slight change in water levels throughout the

day. On the drive out, I found a spot just slightly lower than where I usually fish early season and was intrigued. I figured I would check it out next time as there was an angler already there that day. I had a great day on the water and felt solid about putting some clients in the same stuff over the next week or so. 

That night, instead of scouting Wild Basin as 

Eat Me! (Male Blue Winged Olive)

planned I headed to Big T canyon. I stopped in my 'spot'. The flows were high, about 370, but I knew I could come out with something. It was all side pocket pocket fishing, but I found one hole with a ton of fish in the lane. I waited. Waited some more. It started to get a little darker and then those trout started rising. I ended up catching 3 nice trout in about 2 hours. I love those Olives. 

The next trip up, it was fishing the same. This time I had a client and it was nearly an identical day, although the flow had definitely bumped up a bit since my visit two days earlier. We got a couple of bites on some Para Adams, but again the hot fly with the increased flow was definitely the purple worms. 

One side note-as we were walking from one hole to the next I happened to walk through this little side 'channel' that had absolutely no flow to it whatsoever Just total still water. So not only did I feel totally comfortable about walking through there without disturbing possible trout beds, I certainly didn't think about having my client throw a fly there. It literally had no flow and looked like dead water. I looked in it before I stepped in it. Had there been trout, I would have stopped and had the client throw a fly. 

So on I proceeded and sure enough with one step into the water, an absolutely enormous trout came darting out of some undercut bank that you couldn't even see. Without even thinking about it,  I yelled out "oh, shit". I have never seen a trout that big in Glacier Creek. I could have never imagined it. In my pre-pants-poopin experience, I would have said that an 18" trout in  Glacier Creek is certainly possible, but few and far between. Definitely possible though. 

Had you asked if me there was 22"-24" trout in there, I would have called you stupid. Now, I will call you correct. That's right...

On Memorial Day, I had a make-up trip with two younger guys from around here. Real chill guys. Real fun clients. The first time out, we got completely blown off the Thompson. Literally, we had gravel from the road above us blowing in our faces. Horrible. One of them caught a fish, but after an hour and a half or so, we called it. So I was looking forward to getting out with them again, especially considering the weather would be much better this time. 

The big problem this time would be where to take them. The Thompson was running at 500 (or so) CFS and Boulder Creek was blown out as well. Keep in mind, most of this was attributed to the rain from the week before. So I figured I would take them up to Glacier Creek to see how it was flowing and then perhaps Sprague Lake if Glacier didn't shape up. 

Upon throwing this idea out at them, they stated that they were in a cash crunch, and time crunch as well. Totally understandable. So I knew my one option...on Memorial Day...with rivers running high...would have to be below the dam. I knew it would be a crap shoot with those conditions, but I felt confident. 

We pull up to Mall Rd and sure enough, total chaos. Like 11 cars parked by the bridge and another 6 or so in the lot! We got geared up and went walking. After a little while we made our way just past the 19th hole and found a nice spot. After a couple of minutes and playing around with some different weight set ups we found the right combo. Both guys ended getting into trout and they were some real nice rainbows. It ended up being a great trip. We stayed in two different holes for the whole 3 hours, before retiring to some grilled brats and kraut, but it was great, considering at one point there was as many as 15 fly fisherman out there and up to another 6 spinning guys. Crazy. Amazing what a little positivity will do though. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Tight Lines!

5/10/14-5/17/14 Boulder Creek & Big T Report

It's a great time to get out right now if you haven't been lately. The local waters have been fishing well, while we are still in waiting for the higher stuff to turn on yet.

On the Thompson, the fishing has been pretty good. Been using a lot of smaller stuff with a lot of success. Early on, look for the hatches. Olives, and midges are still dominant while the stones are starting to show up slowly. Below the dam has been great. We had one day about a week back that was just on fire with olives. When you are not seeing the hatches, try some midges on top and below, as well as some smaller Baetis patterns. I have liked the absolute original BWO lately. No post. No fluffy stuff. Just the way it was first (or close to) designed. Sometimes I think they (the trouts) see all the same stuff up there (below the dam) that all the guys talk about. Look on a local report page-that is what the flies are seeing. So get creative, or in this case, get simple. Another example of some weird stuff that you know they aren't seeing is a purple RS-2. Tied one on for a client and sure enough, it got some action.

As for the canyon, the trout are really coming to life after a long cold winter. Some great hatches of both Baetis and Midge has made for some awesome conditions. From Sleepy Hollow park up, their has been great action. Baetis, Attractors; both on top and below, and small midge has brought a lot of em' to the net.

Either way, a couple of general rules up there on the Thompson right now. Keep it small, keep it simple. Get creative though. How can you match the hatch with something they haven't seen a million times in the last three days. Don't forget the old standards in your box,  not just what the guy at the shop told you about the latest and greatest pattern.

If you are looking to stay a little closer to home, try hitting up Boulder Canyon. The flows out of the dam have recently dropped to sub 100 CFS; and while you drive by it it looks pretty low and not great...but it is. Same stuff here, nothing fancy. Throwing attractors on top when they aren't rising and matchin' the hatchin' when they are. Watch the water temps, and the water. Look for those bugs. Once those bugs turn on, so do the trout. Otherwise, make it funky with some attractors.

On top, BWO's have been killing it. A Callibaetis color RS-2 (always catches fish) has been lights out when the Baetis have been coming up. Something about that Callibaetis makes em' crazy. Granted, this is not what is hatching, but I think the brownish hues in the dubbing are more representative of their true pre-emerger state. But just awesome fishing with these things. When the trout aren't rising, throw some attractors. All kinds of stuff has been working on  top including Chubby Chernobyl's, H&L's (one of my standard favorites), and Royal Wulffs. Just keep it small. It's amazing to see a trout reject something 15 passes by and then take it the same thing when you make it 2 sizes smaller. So picky sometimes. On the bottom, again I like the RS-2 (always catches fish) and attractor nymphs including Rainbow Warriors and Poison Tungs. Blue Copper Johns have been killing it too.

I have been fishing above the falls for the most part as it has been really variable down below. Clear one day and running like crazy and muddy the next; especially after the rainy evenings.

But again, keep it simple. Don't forget the old standards.

Tight Lines