South Platte- 4/11/14

Every once in a while, the day is just perfect.  The fish are right where they should be, feeding exactly the way you think they should.  It doesn't happen nearly as much as you want it to, but when it does, you have one of those special days that happens only a few times a year.

After working all night Thursday, I went home and got a few hours of sleep before making the drive up to Deckers.  I didn't get to the river until 11, and was greeted with anglers everywhere taking advantage of the perfect spring weather.  Pulled into the Bridge Crossing parking lot and and starting watching the beautiful sight of of bugs flying over the water while I rigged up.  There were fishermen in my favorite run above the Bridge Crossing bridge, so I decided to fish my way around the parking area, which was free of any anglers.  You just know the day is going to be awesome when you are mid drift on your first cast, and a nice South Platte trout just whacks your PT nymph!  Kept heading around the bend, hooking fish in every spot that they should be.

A little farther downstream, I came to a perfect shelf where the water spilled over into a nice deep pool.  Looking into the pool, I could see suspended trout just waiting for bugs to come over the shelf into their waiting mouths.  The exact sight you want to see what you're on the river.  I moved my indicator up to keep my nymphs at the depth of the suspended fish, and proceeded to have some of the best fishing I ever have at Deckers.  At first, the trout were feeding with abandon on midge emergers and then they switched over to baetis nymphs as the afternoon rolled on.  The three fly rig of a Hare's Ear, Mercury Black Beauty, and Mercury PT was all that was needed to keep hooked up all day.  The pool kept loading itself the whole day, even after I hooked lots of the fish.  The fish would move up to the shelf from the long pool below.  Fish of the day was a very healthy South Platte brownie that I watched eat my olive RS2, and proceed to give me the best fight of the day.

It's days like this that fly fishermen hope for, it's what we think about on every drive up the river, and it's exactly what I needed.

Roaring Fork Valley- 3/13/14- 3/14/14

Continuing to start to the 2014 year off with a bang, with a couple days of new adventures over the weekend in the Roaring Fork Valley, fishing the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers.  One of my goals for 2014 was to continue to fish new waters and have new experiences, and this weekend was no exception.  Enjoyed sharing the adventure with my buddy JP, as we always find a way to keep the trips interesting.

3/13/14- Frying Pan River

Everyone knows about the Frying Pan River below Ruedi Reservoir, as it could quite possibly be the most famous trout stream in the world.  Ever since I started fly fishing, I knew that I had to get up there to try my hand on the large trout that call it home, and it did not disappoint during my first day on the river.  After a late night tying session in Silverthorne, we left early high with anticipation for a memorable day of fly fishing on the Pan.  Surprisingly there were not many other anglers, so we were free to fish all of the well known holes from the Toilet Bowl down to Bridge Hole.  The action was fairly consistent all day long, with fish eating midge and mysis patterns all up and down the river.  While feisty, little Brownies were the norm, we did find a few of the larger Bows that were willing to eat a well presented fly.  Even found some nice fish in Bridge Hole that were willing to rise to small midge dries.

After fishing this water, I was able to see the magnificence of this legendary water, and understand why fly fishermen from all over the world are drawn to fish the Pan.  It would be very difficult to find a more stunning canyon, with red walls and absolutely perfect trout water.  I look forward to coming back to this canyon, year after year to try my hand at these fish, and continuing to learn more about the fish that swim in its depths.

On fishing trips like this,  the actual fishing only amounts to part of the overall experience, and we continued to have a great time in Basalt after we had stored our waders and packed our rods.  We met a new friend in the Riverside Grill, talking about fly fishing and tying for hours as we drank beers and watched the hockey game.  It's awesome that this sport can bring together anglers from different backgrounds and age ranges, sharing fly fishing secrets and tips with total strangers.  Finished the day exchanging knowledge and flies with our new friend.

Late night tying session

Hooked up at the Guaging Station

Bend Hole Rainbow

Fat Frying Pan Rainbow

3/14/14- Roaring Fork River

We decided to keep the adventure going on Saturday, setting up an all day float trip with Taylor Creek Fly Shop on the Roaring Fork River.  Since the first time I cast a fly rod, I've always wanted to do a float trip, and this early season float seemed like the perfect time to give it a try.  The Roaring Fork was where I first landed a trout on a fly, so it seemed fitting that it would be the first time I fished out of a drift boat.  Our guide for the float was Taylor Creek head guide Kyle Holt, and he did an outstanding job on the sticks, rowing us upstream time and time again to hit the most productive holes.  Kyle's extensive knowledge of this river and the fish that call it home guaranteed that we were into fish from beginning to end.

Fishing from a boat was a complete new experience for me, but one that I look forward to doing more in the coming years.  Floating through 7 miles of the best Gold Medal waters that Colorado has to offer was quite the experience, floating through miles of amazing fishing that can only be accessed from a boat. The midge hatch didn't come off as strong as it had been, but the baetis hatch in the afternoon made up for the slow midge activity.  The Roaring Fork is packed full of strong, nasty trout, and landing them from a boat made it all the more exciting.  We caught many of the wild browns that the river is known for, but also had our shot at some of the bigger Rainbows that call this river home.  Best part of the day was the sheer solitude of it all, not seeing another boat or angler until the very last holes in Glenwood near the takeout.

Put In for the float

Hard charging Roaring Fork Rainbow

Canadian Swans

Floating through Glenwood Spring

Cheesman Canyon- 10/19/13

There are some places that are so beautiful, that it is hard to do them justice with words.  The South Platte River through Cheesman Canyon is one of those places.  A place that Colorado anglers hold dear in their hearts, where truly wild and beautiful trout roam free and thrive.  There are very few places where we fish where the river is not enhanced by the helping hand of man,  that it is so great that there are still rivers out there that are still healthy enough to be self sustaining.   

Walking the narrow trail above the edge of Cheesman Canyon with the boulder spewed river below glistening in the morning light is my favorite sight in fly fishing.  The 30 minute walk into the canyon to hike Gill Trail all day long is worth it enough, even if the fish are not willing to eat our flies.  I understand that we all enjoy bringing fish to the net, but if you plan on fishing Cheesman regularly, you must start to appreciate this amazing river for what it truly is.

This river is not easy.  It is a graduate course in fly fishing, where anglers can come to test their skills.  One day you can have an amazing day on the river, catching some very nice trout in the various deep pools, while the next day, you can find it nearly impossible to even see a fish, let alone fool any.  Fly selection has to be perfect, matching the size and color the naturals that are in the river.  But the most important skill a fisherman has to have to be successful in Cheesman is the ability to control your drifts. With the myriad of different currents and depths, anglers must come prepared to adjust weight and indicator depth, while working to have a perfect drift on every cast.  It's the difficulty in achieving this that makes the canyon so tough to fish, but the skills it teaches you help an angler to be successful on any river that they fish.

Back in the Tying Game

After a month and a half hiatus, I finally sat down at the bench last night and twisted up some bugs.  Nothing fancy, just some little midges for our annual trip to the Juan next month.  Gonna be supplying flies for four fisherman, so I'm gonna have to start really cranking them out.  Felt a little rusty the first few flies, but got back in that nice little rhythm after a few flies and they ended up looking pretty darn good.  This time of year and tying midges always make me excited for our annual pilgrimage to the Juan!!!

Bling Midge and Boogie Nights Midge

Cheesman Canyon- 7/21/13

I love early mornings on the river, and today was one of those absolutely perfect mornings fishing Cheesman Canyon.  Perfect sunrise. Perfect company. Perfect river. Perfect fish.  One of those trips where it's just easier to let the pictures do the talking.  Huge shout out to Lacey and Mikey for all of these absolutely stunning photos, and for getting their first Cheesman fish under their belts. Made it look easy!  Looking at these pictures makes me feel that I really need to step up my photography game!  Thanks guys!!

San Juan Box- $0.50 Worth

A few weeks ago, Emily, aka The River Damsel, contacted me about fishing the San Juan River below Navajo Dam in New Mexico.  She said she was planning a trip down to the Juan to do some fishing in February, and asked me about my experiences on the river.  We exchanged emails for a few weeks, discussing little tricks to a successful trip on the river.  I was more than happy to pass along what I've learned on the river, both by my time spent on the river, and from what I've read about the fishery.  I offered to tie her up a few flies, as fly choice on the San Juan can be the difference between an okay day of fishing and lights out day of fishing.  The San Juan can be a difficult river the first time you fish it, as most people who fish other western rivers are not used to the very tiny offerings required for the very finicky San Juan trout.  For me, that is part of the allure of the San Juan.  Fishing size 24 and 26 midge patterns on 6X to very large, educated trout is the name of the game.  Presentations need to be spot on just to fool the trout, but when you do finally hook one of the fabled, monster San Juan rainbows, the fun part really begins.  There is nothing like hearing the reel scream as one of the lunkers goes crazy.  Head shaking and fast, hard runs are what the fish have learned to do, and they do it well.  Playing these seasoned fish for 10-15 minutes is common, and the satisfaction you get when they land in your net is priceless.

Luckily, fly selection for the San Juan is not very difficult.  Small midge and worm patterns are the diet of these fish.  Flipping over rocks in the braids shows an angler the sheer abundance of these aquatic organisms.  Thousands of tiny midge larva on every rock.  Some of the midges are so small, they would be impossible to imitate on a hook.  Fishing size 24 flies will usually keep an angler hooked up all day long, but at some times, and especially in the winter, it is necessary to drop down to 26 and even smaller.

Below are some pictures of the box that I tied up for Emily, with a selection of patterns that will help her to be most successful on the San Juan.  By all means, this is not a comprehensive list of San Juan flies.  The guides that fish this river everyday would have hundreds of different patterns stuffed in their boxes.  These are just some flies that will help a blogger friend catch more fish.  Good luck Emily!!!  

If you have any questions on how to tie any of these patterns, or would like more information on the San Juan, shoot me a line!

$0.50 worth of flies

Annelids- Assortment of different annelid patterns or blood midge.  Really, just a fancier San Juan Worm, tied with different materials, different beads, and different sizes.  The larger annelid patterns will be more productive during runoff and while the lake is turning over.

Yong Special- Was introduced to this fly by Andy Kim himself.  This pattern in cream (as shown below) has accounted for more fish on the San Juan than any other pattern I've used.  It is so simple and easy to tie, but the best part is, it just flat out catches fish.  This fly can be called a variety of different things, depending on who you ask.  UFO Midge, Thread Midge, Bling Midge, etc.  Regardless of name, this is the most important fly to have when fishing the Juan.

KF Midge Emerger- I tie this pattern on when the fishing gets slow, and you just need something a little different to show to the trout.  One day, while fishing near Baetis Bend, I could not buy a fish.  The normal assortment of midges and worms was not working, so I tied on a size 28 KF Midge Emerger.  I started getting strikes from the first drift.  This little fly turned around the remainder of that day for me.  It has accounted for some of the larger fish that I've caught on the river.

Size 30's-  Included four size 30 thread midge patterns just for fun.  If the strikes become harder to come by, tie one of these on for the ultimate challenge.  Bringing a San Juan River rainbow to the net on a size 30 would be quite the angling feat!

Colorado Midge Box

I made a very worthwhile trade with a buddy of mine, consisting of very nice pair of ski boots for a fly box loaded with top Colorado patterns.  Even if he didn't offer the boots, I would have done the box for him anyway.  I just love having a blank canvas, and watching as the box fills up.

I decided the first side would only be midge patterns, as I can crank those out quickly, and make a quick dent in the new C&F fly box.  I borrowed my buddies nice camera to make my first attempt at some macro shots of the flies in the box.  I really enjoy looking inside other peoples fly boxes, so I hope  other people are interested at what I've been tying at the vice recently.  If you have any questions on specific patterns, let me know and I can give you more details on them.  Most of these patterns are tried and true midge patterns, enduring the test of time on rivers such as the South Platte and the San Juan, but I do have a few of my own sprinkled in there just for fun.  Enjoy the fly box porn!!!

Thread midges

Worm patterns; Shot Glass Midge; Disco Midge

Rojo Midge; Mercury Black Beauty; Cheesman Emerger; Mercury Midge; Iceman Midge Pupa

Annelid; Micro San Juan Worm; Various worm patterns

Midge pupa patterns; Desert Storm midge

Thread midge pupa; UV Pearl Jam Midge

Cheesman Emerger; Mercury Midge 

Purple Urquel; Midge pupa

Yong Special...Is there really another midge that you need?

Yong Special; Top Secret Midge

Mercury Blood Midge 

Yong Special

Bubbleback Midge

Annelid

Top Secret Midge