Arkansas/Taylor- 8/9/14

Felt great to get up into the mountains yesterday for some fishing and camping with my buddy Mikey and his dog Jackson.  With both of our schedules so hectic this year, time on the water has been hard to come by, but we made up for it yesterday by hitting up two of the most famous rivers in Colorado: the Arkansas and the Taylor.

We headed up highway 285 around 10 AM, with plans to hit up the Arkansas above Buena Vista for a few hours before heading over Cottonwood Pass to set up camp, and fish the Taylor.  I had never fished the Arkansas, and was super excited to see what this Gold Medal Water was all about.  We fished above Buena Vista near the Railroad Bridge access.  Between the large amount of whitewater enthusiasts braving the rapids, we were able to get some of the rivers famous Brown trout to take our flies.

After stopping in Buena Vista to load up on camping food, we made the incredible drive over Cottonwood Pass into the Taylor Park Reservoir Valley.  I have lived in Colorado my entire life, but there are still some areas in this state that will always take my breath away no matter how many times you see them.  Being the 2nd highest pass in the state at 12,126 feet, this amazing 30 mile drive takes you up on the Chaffee County side to the summit, and then down the Gunnison County side into Taylor Park Reservoir.  There are views of a number of the states famous 14er's, and provides absolutely breathtaking views on the entire trip.

After finding a campsite that overlooked the Reservoir, Mikey went to work cooking a feast over the campfire while I started to string up the rods in anticipation of the Taylor River later that night.  Ribeye steaks with grilled portobello mushrooms, fried potatoes with onions, jalapenos, and ranchero beans, and Stone IPA made the meal perfect, while lounging around, watching Jackson play, and soaking in the great views.

After cleaning up the mess, we loaded up the truck to go hog hunting on the Taylor.  If you've never  night fished on the Taylor, this is something that you have to do.  It is absolutely nutty, with literally thousands of fish coming out to feed with reckless abandon all night.  For some reason they do not spook at all, which allows you to get right on top of them with your headlamp.  All it takes is a good drift, and you watch the mouth open to take your bug.  Mikey took top honors for the night, landing a massive 20"+ fish to end the night.

Such a great weekend with my buddy, enjoying the beautiful Colorado outdoors.  With summer quickly passing, these weekends need to cherished because I have no idea when the next one will be.

Eagle River- 8/1/14

With the summer quickly slipping away, I spent a much needed day fly fishing the Eagle River in the Vail Valley last Friday.  One of my buddies is getting married in a few weeks, so he wanted to head up early and pick up the fly rod for the first time.  We spent the morning in our rain jackets, as the storm clouds kept the rain coming and slowly turning the river to chocolate milk.  We still were able to hook some feisty Eagle River trout on large, flashy flies that kept it exciting.  At about noon, the storms cleared and the bugs started to move around in the river.  We moved up to a pull off closer to town, and continued to catch fish as the rest of our group started to show up.  Finished off the day by drinking some cold ones stream side, just as the caddis started to pop off the water.  It was a perfect way to start the weekend.

Spinney Mountain Ranch- 7/19/14

The 50+ hour work weeks have really taken a toll on my fishing time this summer, but I was finally able to get out with my Dad yesterday, heading up to South Park to fish the Dream Stream.  With life flying by at such a crazy speed, it's good to have days like this to slow down the pace and really enjoy the river.  The South Platte was flowing at a perfect 294, which is an awesome rate for this river and allows for the fish to spread out, meaning you can catch fish everywhere.  The river looked absolutely perfect, with bugs popping all day long, massive swarms of PMD's and Caddis flying everywhere and really getting the fishes attention all day long.

What made yesterday special was watching my Dad catch his biggest trout yet.  A beautiful Snake River Cutthroat that ate a Prince Nymph in a long slow run up by the dam right before we turned around and headed for the car.  Almost botched the photo, but we lucked out and were able to get some stunning photos of this awesome fish.  A perfect way to end the day in South Park, catching a monster fish on the Dream Stream.

#pikeonthefly

Well I think I have a new addiction! Catching big, nasty Pike on a fly rod is a total rush.  These things are mean and just absolutely crush the fly.  I guess what they say is true, THE TUG IS THE DRUG!  My body is feeling it today after throwing big meaty flies all weekend, but what an awesome weekend of catching Pike it was!

Location X- 6/7/1

pike (pik)

n. pl. pike or pikes

1. A freshwater game and food fish (Esox lucius) of the Northern Hemisphere that has a long snout and attains a length of over 1.2 meters (4 feet). Also called northern pike.

2. Any of various similar or related fishes.

3. Latin translation literally means Water Wolf.

Cheesman Canyon- 5/23/14

Sometimes you just need a day of solitude on the river to get your mind back in the right place, and yesterday was exactly what I needed to relax and unwind.  I've been working some super long hours at work the last couple months with no end in sight, but that didn't stop me from starting my Memorial Day weekend early, hiking into upper Cheesman Canyon to catch some pretty fish.  Arrived at the trail head early, and enjoyed the long walk up and finally down into the Canyon.  One of the most breathtaking views in Colorado is when you finally round the ridge and see the Dam and Reservoir together.  To see the effects of the Hayman Fire in the background, with nothing but barren Earth, makes you appreciate the destructive forces of nature.  Luckily, the waters and surrounding canyon walls were spared for the most part, leaving us the Wild Trout Waters of Cheesman Canyon as an oasis in the middle of the fires path.

The flows on the South Platte below Cheesman have been a roller coaster over the last few weeks, going up and down like a yo-yo.  Flows as high as 400 CFS have been seen in Deckers, but the flows were down around 120 CFS yesterday, allowing for some easier access to fish the pools in the Upper Canyon.  The higher flows of the last few weeks have dislodged more worms and scuds into the water, and the Canyons trout have really taken notice.  I fished multiple worm patterns for the majority of the day, with the classic chenille San Juan Worm taking the most and biggest fish.  There was a midge hatch in the morning that got the fishes attention for about an hour, and a fairly strong baetis hatch in the early afternoon that switched the fish over to BWO nymphs for a while,  but the worms were the ticket for explosive nymphing throughout the day.  I have caught trout on many rivers throughout the West, and I have to say that the trout in Cheesman are the prettiest fish there are.  Wild rainbows with dark red stripes down their sides, and Leopard spotted fish make the tough hike in worth all the effort.

After the 1-hour hike up Heart Attack Hill and back down to the trail head, I enjoyed a leisurely drive down the South Fork to the confluence with the North Fork.  We have just made a much needed upgrade to the camera, but I was too scared to take into the Canyon without a water proof case, so I used the drive to test out how the camera took some pictures, and I am very happy with how they came out.  Sure, the pictures are going to be great when the scenery you're taking pictures of is so beautiful.

Grey Reef- 4/27/14- 4/28/14



10 Reasons why Grey Reef is Awesome!

1) 3X Tippet.

2) Just far enough to keep the crowds away.

3) Beautiful and wild trout.  No stockers.

4) Platte River Fly Shop.

5) 5" Leech Patterns.

6) Crazy, unpredictable weather. Snow, rain, wind, hail, fog, & sun.  All in the same day.

7) Bent out hooks.

8) Big, western skies.

9) Drift boats are freaking sweet!

10) 23" Cutthroats.