Deckers- 12/26/13

With a few days off of work due to the holidays, I am trying to take advantage of every single day that I am able to get on the water.  I have fished the Arkansas tailwater and DSP in the last week, and kept it rolling today by heading up to Deckers to fish the South Platte.  It's fun to see this river change throughout the seasons, but the one constant is educated, tough to catch fish, and today was no different.  Mostly fished around Midge Pool all morning, with the fish really starting to get active around 11 or so.  It's crazy when you literally feel the river go from off, to on, and off again in such a short amount of time.  While it was on, we hooked up with 8 trout, and brought 4 to the net.  Besides the crazy amount of river grass, the Deckers area is looking perfect right now, and seems to fishing really good.

My parents gave me an awesome Christmas gift; a fly fishing journal.  I've been talking about wanting one for a while not, and was super excited to use it for the first time today.  It literally has a lifetimes worth of pages, and I look forward to another way to document our adventures.

Flies and Lies

Fav Christmas gift!

FINALIST- Trouts Photo Contest

So my San Juan River winter rainbow was selected as a finalist for Trouts- Your Year in Photos- Photo Contest.  After looking at all of the finalists, I feel honored that one of my pictures is even considered with all of these amazing photographs.  I am asking that all my readers follow the link above, and take 1 minute to vote for my picture.  My San Juan Rainbow picture is #18.  Thanks.

Trout's- Your Year in Photos- Reader Poll

They say that a photo is worth a thousand words, and that every great photograph tells a story.  Whether it be a great day on a local stream or a new destination with new fish, you can look back at the photos that were taken, and relive the day and remember the fish that were caught and the good times that were had.  Looking back at the last years collection of photographs, I can say that I had a very successful season, full of amazing waters and beautful fish.

What I've done is choose my favorite pictures from 2013, and will leave it up to my readers (if I have any) to decide which picture shall be my entry to Trout's Fly Fishing- Your Year in Photos- Photography Contest.  While I have my personal favorites, it will be interesting to see how others view the pictures that I took this year.  There is a poll to the right of this post that will close on Dec. 13th.  Thank you so much for the help.

• Cheesman Canyon fall brown-  Caught this beautiful Brown out of Jamboree pool while my dad is fishing in the background.  I don't think there are any trout as beatiful as a fall Brown.

• Dream Steam turquoise water-  Picture was actually taken by my wife on our only fishing trip of the year together.  We spent the morning walking the banks of the Spinney Mountain section of the South Platte.

• San Juan River monster rainbow-  Fish took a red annelid in Cable Hole on a misty San Juan morning.  Fish was so great because my uncle joined us from Michigan for his first western trout trip.  Biggest trout I have ever caught.  Nuff said!

• Grey Reef cutthroat-  This picture was taken during my first trip to the North Platte River in Wyoming, fishing the Grey Reef section just above Government Bridge.  This fish was taken during a hour long feeding frenzy by the fish, where fish were hooked literally on every cast.

• Roaring Fork brown-  This lengthy brown hammered a bead head Hare's Ear in a spring creek feeding into the Roaring Fork River just outside of Carbondale.  The creek is about 10 feet wide, but absolutely packed full of gorgeous fish.

• South Platte rainbow-  I really like the coloring of this rainbow that was caught just above Deckers on the South Platte.  It is fish like this that make people say that the rainbows around Deckers are a species of their own.

• South Boulder Creek rainbow- This colorful little Rainbow hit a dry fly on blistery cold spring day below Gross Reservoir.  It was my first trip to this beautiful tailwater, and enjoyed the loneliness.

• Espiritu Santo sunrise- Picture was taken on the dock of Charlies Boat Ramp just outside of Seadrift, TX just as the sun was coming up before my first salt water fishing trip.  Spent the day catching speckled trout and a few Redfish.

• San Juan River winter rainbow- This gorgeous, fat Rainbow was literally caught on the last cast of winter expedition to a deserted Juan with a group of fraternity brothers.  This was caught at the bottom of the quality waters just as the sun was about to go down on this legendary water.

Blue River- 12/6/13

Colorado is blessed with so many great tailwaters, which means the fishing season never really needs to end. If you are up to fishing in the snow and wind of winter, then there are plenty of trout feeding actively feeding in tailwaters all across the state.  Sure, winter fishing is not as comfortable as fishing during the other seasons, but it is so refreshing to have such a heavily pressured river to yourself, not seeing another angler all day.

Spent the last day of my vacation in the mountains today, skiing frigid Copper Mountain in the morning for a few hours, and then heading back to Silverthorne to try to warm up a little on the Blue in the afternoon.  There were lots of active trout in the river, but I only managed to hook a few of them using small midge and mysis patterns.  The flows on the Blue are currently at an impressive 132 CFS, and the river is in prime winter condition for peace and solitude.  While the rest of the state is heading to the mountains to ski or board, us diehard fly fishermen get the rivers to ourselves until the spring thaw.

By morning

By afternoon