The California Experience

Spent a week in California and tried a number of rivers and lakes when I had a little time.  Started the fishing on the Yuba River which was next to our campsite the first nite.  We arrived late in the day so only had an hour to fish before it got dark, but managed to catch a 8" brown and then hand Dax my rod and watch him catch one.  The next spot was the Truckee River where I had a couple of hours to fish in the town of Truckee.  The fly shop said the fishing is tough and they were right.  I managed to hook two fish but both shook free in my time.  Next was some lake fishing, which I had never done before.  We tried two seperate lakes, Meadow and French lakes but only had luck in one.  French Lake gave up two 13" Rainbows to me in only an hours worth of fishing as we walked the shoreline.  To finish the trip I fished the South Fork American River for about an hour and pulled out a 9" Brown to finish off right.

Rod:  Iwana 12'
Line:  Traditional Tenkara 10 1/2'
Flies that worked:  Winged ant, BWO, Elk Hair Caddis

RMNP

Been fishing Rocky Mountain National Park recently. The creeks have come down and Glacier creek was fishing well, for my friends. I didn't do so well but the stretch of river below Sprague lake was pretty good. Worked our way from the bridge near the horse park down from the bridge past the second bridge. Paul and Mark were killing it and I had two for the day. Not so good.

Kevin and I went to Moraine Park and fished Cub creek for 4 hrs and had a ton of hits and an all around good time. I landed 7 and Kevin 3, but had several hits. Kevin said he purposely shook off several fish he thought were too small, I am not a believer of his philosophy. Used a tan grasshopper almost the whole day so pretty fun action. Fish were bigger here than Glacier typical 9-13 inch. Great place to teach someone and an easy walk as there is a path the whole way around the winding creek with no trees or overhang to get caught.

Glacier Creek

Went to Glacier Creek in Rocky Mountain National Park today. Caught my first Green Back Cutthroat in the first hole I fished. Little stonefly nymph with a purple extended body nymph on top. Got another brook trout downstream a ways and was promptly shut out for another 4 hours. Made our way down below Sprague lake and had more success catching another three including a Brown. Used a brown half back flash back for those. On the way home saw some deer, an Elk and my first Black Bear. Pretty great day as the rains stayed away and got to fish some new water.
Fished using a yellow stonefly and a half back flash back brown with a green top.

Killing it at Bear Creek

Everyone decided to go to Bear Creek for the day but I started a little early and Paul started late after a bike ride.  Derron and Mark started a couple hours after me and finished a couple hours later than me.  The day was perfect as far as the weather was concerned and although there were a lot of people around, the creek was not that crowded.

I started the day off fishing with a new Unagi Universal Tenkara Rod which is a more heavy duty rod than my other one.  I tied on a Parachute Adams and started casting to a tiny little pool in the first access spot on the creek.  After two casts I think about moving on but tell myself to cast a couple more times, when on the third cast of the day I land a 8" Brown.  Could not have asked for a better start to the day!

Moving on to the next spot up stream I can see a fish feeding next to a tree and start casting to it.  After half an hour with no luck I decide to move on to the next spot, which is where we had good luck last time.  I switch to a Pale Morning Dun and try an area where I can see fish feeding.  After fifteen minutes or so I finally land another 8" Brown just in time for the family walking up to the stream to see.  Mark and Derron show up a few minutes later and start fishing the hole while I move up stream.

Over the next couple of hours I try about eight different spots catching fish in five different spots.  I was still throwing a PMD and when I caught a fish I moved on to the next spot.  All five fish were between 7" and 10" and all were brown trout.  I walked as far as the first bridge and then then walked back to find Mark and Derron still fishing at the same hole I left them at.  In the same time I caught five they caught eleven between them with Derron catching a 13" Brown on a PMD I gave him.

We decide to try down stream where we find Paul who has caught a couple fish already and try out some new areas.  I try about four different spots with no luck before I call it a day and head home with seven for the day.  Derron and Mark walk past the second bridge and find a beaver pond where they can see fish feeding and the trees have cleared out to open up a little space for easy casting.  They finish off their day by catching a few more fish each and call it a day themselves.

One of my best days of fishing so far and one of my favorite!

The bet....

Mark and Derron thought it would be fun to see if they could catch more fish (in inches) than Paul and myself.  We had decided to go to Boulder Creek for the day and started out at Rodgers Park.  Derron and Mark went to a class at Colorado Skies on how to fish Boulder Creek and picked up some flies they recommended earlier in the morning that they gave to Paul and me.  Losers owed beers! 

Mark was the first to land a fish, and they were in the lead.  Of coarse he caught it on a Black Beauty, not one of the flies they gave us!  We fish for a couple of hours with Mark landing two total and no one else having any luck and decide to move into town.

We try a spot behind the stadium and just like before Mark lands a fish, but this time on a Red San Juan Worm.  Yep, you guessed it, not a fly they gave us (cheeky bastards)!  We fish for a few hours with everyone but me catching a fish on a Red San Juan and call it a day and go have some dinner.

Mark and Derron finished with five and two fish apiece with Paul catching one and getting skunked myself on dries.  Had a great day fishing with friends and finding new places to go!

11 Mile Canyon and Big Thompson

Took our first trip up to 11 Mile Canyon this weekend. The river was extremely crowded and we ended up fishing the lower half. Started off nymphing with a braided ginger quill on top and a black beauty on the bottom. Doing a a down stream drift and pulling back every 4 or so seconds I came out with a nice 8" rainbow. Went down to a second pool and caught a good 12" one.





Sunday went up to the Big Thompson. I was not having a good day despite nabbing a small brown right off the bat. Moved up the hill a ways and came across a spot that had several fish feeding, unfortunately it was taken so went up near a bridge and made some casts, got a great big hit on a black green half back flashback. Unfortunately my hook got bent and lost the fish. went down to the pool after and found it to be open, mark and another gentleman were fishing the hole. Apperently he had been fishing here before and was not concerned with us and held the hole for us while I was upstream. I pulled two out of here on dries and mark must have had three or four with alot of top water misses by both us and the fish. We decided despite the fun we wanted a bit more sport and went downstream aways and found a a nice stretch. I had no luck but mark got a couple of hits and even managed to land one.

Over all a good weekend fishing new water. Next time we will be more familiar with the terrain and hopefully not have the wind that has plagued us most of the month.

Clear Creek once a week

So there is this spot on Clear Creek just outside Idaho Springs that seems to guarantee a few catches every time I go there.  I went the past two Friday's by myself and had what are to date, my best two days of fishing, as far as number of fish caught goes. 

The first Friday I get out about noon and head up to the spot.  As before I could see fish in the river and feeding on the surface, which is always a good sign.  I start out with a BWO and not ten casts in I get a bite, my first fish of the day.  It's just a little 7" Brown, but a fish is a fish, and I release it and get back to it.  By now the BWO I am using has no wings and is basically just a green body with an indicator, but that didn't matter because I ended up catching six more with it.  My biggest fish of the day was number three, a 12" Rainbow that was fat, with the other five ranging from 8" to 11" Brown's.  All seven fish were caught in about two and half hours and then couldn't get another fish the rest of the day.

Friday number two I get out about 9:00am and head up to the spot.  After two days of rain the sky has broken open to a glorious day with almost no wind.  Of coarse after two days of rain the water was high and the creek flowing much faster.  As I walked up I couldn't see any fish or any activity in the water, not a good sign for dry flies.  I start the day off with the same BWO as before, but this time with no luck.  After an hour or so and trying a few different spots with no luck I decided to try a diffeerent spot down stream in the canyon.

I try a spot by tunnel 6 where the creek goes away from the road.  By this time it's 10:00am and warming up but I still don't see any activity in the water.  There are a bunch of nice pools along this stretch that should be holding fish but I don't see anything feeding on the surface.  I spend about an hour along this stretch with no luck but am enjoying being in the mountains and fishing, I mean casting, and decided to head back to the spot.

Walking up I can see fish feeding and am ready to go.  By this time I am throwing a Pale Morning Dun and can see a few fish in the water to cast to.  Second cast in and I hook a fish, but as I am bringing it to the shallows it snaps the tippet and the fish is gone with my fly.  I tie on another PMD and same thing as before.  Third fish hooked and it doesn't break my tippet but does manage to wiggle off the hook right as I try to net it.

The fish are still feeding and I finally get my system for netting them down so I stop losing fish.  Over the next two hours I catch seven fish, with the biggest being a 11" Brown.  The bugs stop flying around and the activity on the surface stops and the fish are not taking the PMD anymore, so I try a few other flies.  With no luck to be had I decide to call it a day with seven in the book. Another fun day on Clear Creek!

I just got a new point and shoot camera that lets me take underwater video.  These are my first attempts:

Return of the Fly...

Bear Creek (61cfs)--Poudre (390 cfs)---Dream Stream (61cfs)

What a great 2 1/2 days of Fishing. 18 total for Derron and I. Luckily I tied a few flies (and put him in my fishing hole) so that Derron could catch a fish on Sunday, otherwise it was gonna be a long ride home! The theme of the weekend was Wild Kingdom (fish, Cows, Buffalos, Horses, Beavers/Rats, Egrets, Turkey Vulchers, Antelope, Geese and Deer.)



Flies of the weekend



Started with Bear Creek on Friday evening landing a few small ones in tight lies with Dries, Moved on to the Poudre on sunday, where nymphing was the technique of the day and onto Dream Stream for more nymphing and a good fish on with a Hopper.

He's in there somewhere...

Derrons final catch of the weekend was a Beautiful 16"Trout. After filming it and walking over to get a few more pics, we realized that the fish had my fly still in him from an earlier break off. Always good to see a fish continuing to feed after I hooked him 1st.

By taking him fishing...

What a great 6 weeks of fishing. Deckers, Poudre, Bear Creek, Grey Reef and Clear Creek have provided many pictures and great days on the river. Looking forward to more incredible weekends all summer long! We have a great group of friends that join Derron and I. The conversations have been great and the time remarkable. I would like to thank everyone that has gone along with us and hope that we can keep up this tradition.

Here Cutty Cutty...

I think im being watched!

Derron had a great idea of finding a river or creek to fish that we would have to mountain bike into for an hour or so then spend the day fishing and ride back out at Dusk. Enjoy the photos because I sure enjoyed the trips.

Yeah Kid, thats right, kicked ass that day!

Trout still feeding, watch your nuts!!

Three days in the Frying Pan

Derron and myself went to Glenwood Springs for a long weekend to hang with friends and do a little fishing in the area. Because of the warm weather, runoff was muddying the Roaring Fork and Crystal Rivers but because of the dam the Frying Pan was still alright. The weekend was hot but very windy for most part and you would think with a name like the Frying Pan the water would not be so f*^#ing cold.

We started Friday by fishing just down from the dam by the bridge. As we walked up we could see fish feeding and took this as a good sign. After fishing for a couple of hours with no luck, Derron finally catches a little Rainbow and the ice is broken. We fish for a couple of more hours with no luck and decided to move downstream. After a couple of different spots we settle on this area by some trees and pools. I start casting to a fish I can see feeding in this little pool. After a couple of near misses I finally hook a 14" Rainbow and go from totally frustrated to super excited in a second. Next I move to an area by some submerged trees and land a 11" Rainbow, to make two for the day, both in the last hour of the day. Both fish were caught on a bwo.

The next day we start in the area we finished the day before to try our luck. After about an hour with no luck and not seeing any fish feeding we decide to move to another area up stream. As we walk up we notice a bunch of fish feeding on the surface and feel pretty good about the spot. I am still throwing a bwo, but at this point it has lost all of it's wings. With a few near misses in the book I finally get my hook set and land a 13" Brown and could not be happier. I take a little break and get back out in the river with the fish still feeding. Twenty or so more casts and I hook another 11" Rainbow to officially make this a great day. Derron plugs away and finally gets a 12" Raindow to keep him from getting skunked. We call it a day at 3:30 and meet some friends for some beers.

Sunday ended up being super windy and with no luck we decided to call it a day after a couple of hours and headed home. Overall a great trip and my biggest fish so far!

My Best Day So Far

Went up to Clear Creek with Derron for a half day of fishing. We decided to go to the spot in Idaho Springs to start things off. As before you could see fish in the water as we walked up and knew once again we had chosen wisely.

I start fishing the good spot and Derron heads a little farther down. I begin fishing with a Light Cahill but end up getting it snagged and losing it. Pale Morning Dun size 16 and a Light Cahill size 20 are my next choices for flies(same setup I had the previous time). Not five casts into it I see the fish come up and grab the Pale Morning Dun. I set the hook and catch my first fish of the day, a little 7" brookie. With the fish released I start casting again and same thing, fish on. That made two fish in about a half hour of fishing.

I go see how Derron is doing downstream, only to find out he has had no luck. I take a little break and watch Derron fish, still no luck. Derron decides to move up to where I was, while I try a few spots down stream. I end up having no luck either and move back up stream to find out Derron has caught 2 fish, so the story goes?

I start fishing in the same area as before and not to long after, catch my third fish of the day. All have been Brook Trout and 8" or smaller, but still as many fish in one day as I have had. The Pale Morning Dun is killing it!

We decide to go to the first tunnel and give it a go for the last hour of the day. As we walk up we see a couple of fisherman who said the fish are active but not taking what they had. We fish the first calm section and work our way up. After about 20 minutes and a few misses I finally get a fish on. Once again its a small 8" Brook Trout, but it has officially made this my best day fishing so far! I move a little farther up stream and catch one more, you guessed it a 8" Brook Trout. Number five for the day and catching fish in three different spots, so pleased with myself.

I Fish for another 10 minutes with no luck and go see how Derron is doing. He has had no luck and we are both ready to call it quits for the day.

Did I mention, I CAUGHT FIVE FISH!!!!!

April 30, 2011 Bear Creek

Did a short trip to Bear Creek with Paul. Fished for about two hours and caught 4 little ones all caught on dries. One on a green body size 16 and the other three on a 18 parachute adams. Paul only got one. Then did a Mtn Bike ride around the area for about an hour. I should stick to fishing. Any how no fish porn as my camera had no juice.

Clear Creek 4-28-11

Went up to Clear Creek today with Mark for some afternoon fishing on what was a beautiful day. We started just outside Golden with no luck or any signs of fish, so we decided to drive upstream towards Idaho Springs.

As we walked up to the creek we could see fish right away and knew this was a good decision. The fish feeding, all we needed to do was figure out what they were eating. Mark ended up catching 2 for the day on I don't know what and I caught 1 little 8" brook trout on a Pre-Morning Dun. After that we had a few more bites but nothing landed and we called it a day.

Ended up being a great day of fishing with a buddy!

Grey Reef, WY April 22nd and 23rd 2011

Went to Wyoming for my first guided fishing trip. Two different guides two very different days fishing. Brian on the first day was hired out by St. Petes fly shop to guide us down the river on the first day. Although he had fished the river before he was definitely not dialed in. We began running a section of river over and over getting the lines adjusted. Brian was excellent about rowing back up the section of the river to keep on trying but no results. We then began going back down the river and trying several sections repeatedly. Got some hook ups but the tippet just kept breaking, using a Rio 4x 7lb test line. Must have broken off 15 times between Mark and I. Brian even said sometimes you get a bad roll now and again but he kept using it. I even asked to change to some 3x from a different batch and he tied the first section with the same 4x and the next two flies with the three. Didn't make any sense. So long story short.... or shorter between Mark and I we only had 4 fish that day. Probably had another 6 on but the line kept breaking. Brian seemed to be trying hard to get us onto fish and he did row his ass off but I thought he could have saved the rowing by tossing the 4x and using a different line and letting us catch fish instead of retying the rig and rowing back up for another pass. Any how a day on the river is better than at work.

The second day we were with the guide we originally wanted, he was booked for the Saturday. Theo Anest, from Colorado Skies Outfitters was a different guide altogether. Can not recommend him enough as a guide and fishing instructor.
http://coloradoskiesoutfitters.com/
He had us with 4 fish each before lunch with another 6-10 on. The difference, his rigs were not snapping off, so missing fish was on us and the big fish they have on the reef. Theo had also been guiding this river for almost a full month so he had the rigs and flies dialed. So with Theo guiding and us learning how to fish off a boat the afternoon was a banner day. Probably had 20-25 fish landed between Mark and I, with a ton more on but couldn't get in the boat. Fun times.
Any questions on our trip and experience using a guide will happily be answered.

First Fish of the Trip

One of my bigger ones

Hookin up 5 minutes on the river with Theo

Marks Cutthroat

Fish fight

Low Rider

Think we will throw something maybe in the shade of RED

Gotta love the bent rod

Mark and Theo with one of the last fish of the trip

Catch Big Throw Big...

Long, weekend! 3 Days of fishing, Bear Creek, Deckers and the Cache. For me 12 netted and released, Big Adams and Green Drakes worked very well, but the Stonefly got the Cache started. It was a great weekend with good friends and awesome days on the rivers.



Looking for uncharted waters leads to this. WOW!!




Bear Creek provides fun and relaxation



Looking forward to the float trip this weekend! Grey’s Reef is on tap.

Bear Creek, April 15 2011

Took a half day today and went up to Bear Creek, Lair of the Bear. First time fishing the creek and had an interesting day. Bear creek is a fairly small creek maybe 10 to 15 feet wide not very deep. Lots of trees and shrubs surrounding the water. Started nymphing, as the winds were up, with a stonefly and made three or four cast before I got hung up. Switched to some dries and hit three or four runs with no luck. Decided to go to some really small flies and as I was switching out noticed one rising downstream. Eventually got the size 22 trico???? on, looked like it had a black head with a little red tail and a small white foam indicator on the top. Landed the fish after maybe 20 casts down to him. Little 7 inch brook trout. After that only got one more in late in the day 5 inch brook. The others had a bit more luck throughout the day. All in all not a bad day as the winds subsided and the fish were hitting dries. Group had a total of 8 fish for the day.

Bear Creek Late Afternoon

Kept rising, Kept Missing.

Some more successful than others.

Thanks Grandpa




4-9-11



Poudre Canyon It’s good to know that the section I grew up fishing as a kid in the 70’s and 80’s was still the hot spot on the river. I guess I should have followed  my Grandfather more often than I did, his spot is proving to be the place to be. Larger Adams (12-14), BWO (20) and streamers were flies of the day. A few were to be had on San Juans. Even the rookie Tenkara Kid doubled his fish count late in the afternoon.





They do exist... 15" Brown