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

Glass Testing

Been spending the last few outings fishing a sick demo rod, courtesy of The Fiberglass Manifesto.  The T.F.M. Rod Loan Program is an awesome program set up by Cameron Mortenson for guys like me to test a very nice glass rod before I take the leap and purchase one.  I have had the Swift Fly Fishing Epic 580 built by Tightloop Fly Rods for the last week, with one more to go.  Lawn casting and fishing this beautiful rod has made me a true believer in the quality of glass.  This rod is absolutely gorgeous and it fishes great!   A full write up on the this rod will be done after I complete the demo.

#Glassisnotdead

Gonna check out what this glass craze is all about!  Got my new Eagle Claw Featherlight FL300-8 in the mail today, and really pretty impressed with a quick lawn cast session.  The rod feels pretty darn good!  Can't wait to get this thing on the water to see how it really fishes!

Middle Fork of the South Platte- 8/3/13

We headed out to fish a new area this past weekend, heading up to the South Park area to fish the Middle Fork of the South Platte through Tomahawk State Wildlife Area.  As far as beautiful waters go, this has got to be the most beautiful spots that I've fished thus far in South Park.  The river meanders through this little valley, with deep pools and undercut banks at every turn.  I had moderate success in the morning using a double nymph rig, but I got sick of losing so many flies.  I switched to a double dry rig, with a Stimulator and a Parachute Adams.  It was super fun casting two flies to eager little Browns.  Casting the flies into every nook and cranny in the river was the way to go.  I had way more strikes than I had hook ups, but the action was consistent enough to keep it interesting.  Caught about 10 fish between the two of us, the largest of which was probably about 8".  I can see this section of water being extremely fun in the fall, when the big Browns push up from Spinney.  Another day fishing new water, and being amazed at the sheer amount of great fishing we have in CO.

Up The Canyon- Clear Creek- 8/2/13

Fished up and down Clear Creek this afternoon in the canyon above Golden.  Every time I drive up one of these little canyons in the foothills, I think of one of my favorite songs.  I always find myself blasting this as I drive up these canyons, as it explains perfectly my emotions.  Found lots of eager little browns, and had a great time fishing every piece of soft water I could find.  Spent a lot of time sliding up and down rocks, and trying not to fall down 30 foot cliffs.  I'm sure anyone that fishes Clear Creek a lot can agree that accessing the best water requires a fair share of billy goating.

Up the Canyon
By The String Cheese Incident


As I chase that evening sun towards my home, 
Headed up the canyon all alone, 
Worries are behind me fade to black, 
I got my windows down, city to my back. 

Quiet Contemplation, 
a few minutes to unwind. 
River's got me hypnotized 
and it slows my busy mind.

I know what’s waiting for me up around the next bend; 
I'm up the canyon headed home again.

The sun is sinking low down in the west; 
another working day is put to the test. 
At every turn the air grows cooler as I climb,
up the canyon I feel better every time. 


Quiet Contemplation, 
a few minutes to unwind. 
River's got me hypnotized 
and I love to smell the pines
Tomorrow brings another day of working
’Till I'm up the canyon headed home again!

The river cuts a steady course, 
from years of heading' seaward. 
Follow that canyon back upstream. 
The rivers song is pure and true,
it never ages. 
It's as timeless as a dream.

I know what’s waiting for me up around the next bend, 
I'm up the canyon heading' home again!

Bear Creek- 7/24/13

We're very fortunate to have such a fun little river right in our backyard.  Being able to escape the rush of the city, head up the canyon, and unwind for a few hours is something that has been very therapeutic for me.  Catching gorgeous, little Brown Trout is an added bonus.  Explored more of Bear Creek on Wednesday, and it seems every time you fish somewhere new, there is perfect little spot, filled with flying insects and rising fish.  Found one of those spots the other night, and although it might not be a secret to everyone, fishing it tonight, without anyone else in sight, I felt like I was a hundred miles away.  Although this little river (creek) doesn't produce real big fish, I find it almost magical.  The perfect place to wet a line for a few hours and forget about life.

 

 

 

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!!

Dream Stream- 7/13/13

It has been very seldom that I've been able to get my wife to go to the river with me, so when a group of friends planned a weekend at a cabin in South Park, I was so excited to take my wife to the Dream Stream with me to show her one of my favorite places.  The previous times I've taken her, either the fish or me (probably me) had not been cooperative.  During our honeymoon in Steamboat, I fished the Yampa through town by myself and hooked rising fish all afternoon, but the next day when I took her, I could not buy a fish.  I'm not saying I felt a lot of added pressure to actually hook some fish, but I really wanted to show her why I love this sport so much.

The Spinney Mountain section of the South Platte was looking absolutely amazing.  There were crazy amounts of insect activity around the river, with PMD's, Tricos, Midges, and Caddis flying everywhere.  I was mostly fishing a drowned Trico spinner below a Annelid, and the fish seemed to like it.  They were absolutely crushing the Trico.  You know those strikes where they take you fly with so much purpose that the strike indicator is 5 feet upstream before you even have time to set the hook.  With the higher flows, the fish seemed to be extremely healthy and powerful.  Caught two beautiful Cutthroats that were extremely feisty to get to the net.  It was nice to have a camera woman to take some action shots of me for once, and even better that I got to enjoy the day with my wife.  So in one trip, my wife went from my bad luck charm to my good luck charm, and I'm really looking forward to the next time I can get her on the river with me.

Deckers- 7/5/13

Bend Hole at Sunrise

I guess we should consider ourselves lucky.  Our "home" river is the South Platte below Cheesman Canyon through Deckers.  No matter the new rivers I fish, I will always be drawn back to these Gold Medal waters.  There's just something about the drive down into Deckers that feels special.  Maybe it's because of the rich history of these fabled water that make you feel closer to this sport.  You know a river is special if it helped to create flies like the RS-2 and Brassie.  Whatever it is, I'm glad this river is coming back strong after the Heyman Fire.

Explored a few more areas on the South Platte today.  Early morning yielded the best results, but the fish seemed healthy and active all day.  The river looks absolutely amazing, with cold, clear water and green plants everywhere.  There were a lot of other outdoor entusiastists out today, making sharing the river a little more challenging, but it was a great day on the Platte.  No specific flies were the key, the fish seemed willing to move for any well presented nymph.

The "Rock Garden" above Deckers 

Nice Rainbow from Midge Pool

Brown in the "Rock Garden"

Blue River- 6/30/13

Headed north on Highway 9 to fish the Blue near Green Mountain Reservoir today.  The fishing wasn't incredible, but there was enough action to keep it interesting.  There were lots of caddis in the air, causing some splashy rises, but not a lot of consistent surface action.  Managed to fool one nice bow on an Elk Hair Caddis, while the rest of the fish were taken on caddis and stonefly nymphs.  Again, I tried real hard to slow down and just enjoy being out on the water, taking in the beauty of this amazing Gold Medal Water.