Back, Bi's and Blue Wing Olives

Blue Wing Bodies falling from the Jaws of life as of late. With this virus poop I'm not sure if i should be tying for run off or worse yet the Caddis of summer. I guess tying for the next few weeks lets me keep a hopeful spin on things as I build an army of BWO hard bodies. Quills, Biots and even thread bodies can be delicate unless you reinforce them with some UV cure like Solarez.

 Stripped Peacock Quill

2.0 Black Bead

#18 TMC 100

CDL for tail and future legs

Stripped Peacock Quill with shuck

Future BWO Softhackles

#20 TMC 2487

Split Floro Fiber tails

#18 TMC 2487

Tan thread with Mahogany Micro tube rib

#18 TMC 2487

Tan thread with Mahogany Micro tube rib

CDL tails and legs

I get a few questions about UV cure epoxies. I have been using Solarez for a couple of years now after messing with a few of the others out on the market. This stuff cures hard and clear unlike some of the others which can get cloudy or crack off. I hit them quick with a "torch" at the bench then they go out side to sit in the sun before I mess with the rest of the fly. Taking the bugs outside is one extra step but it makes a big difference in the long run. Window sills inside wont work unless you open the window.

 I throw some Olive colored tube bodies at them as well but most of the BWO's I deal with are perfectly matched by that stripped quill. 

Crank out a couple of push ups in between sets of Blue Wing bodies so them rowing muscles are ready when this crap passes.

Fishing is ape shit crazy.

Filling Fly Orders. Email me to get some goods.

bobstreb@yahoo.com

Virtually fishing through the Virus

With all that is going on in the world, everybody is feeling a little weird about being out and about around people. We get it. Luckily, I work with and around some very advanced thinkers for simple fishing guides. We all want nothing more than for all of you to enjoy the best fishing of the year while staying safe and healthy at home.

Super proud to announce that Colorado Angling Company will be offering half day virtual wade trips on private water starting immediately.

While we are still working on the menu of Fantasy Anglers you could potentially fish with, Joey and I are prepared to take the risks out there so you guys miss zero action. Come with us on an adventure somewhere you wish you were, out of your house, fly rod in hand, rising trout and a mute button. Drift off and imagine every cast, mend and hook set being perfect.

Our interactive menu system includes ways to change flies, mend like you do or bum a chew. Want Bob in a flat brim, Joey with a Beard, Steele with no man bun or Zimmerman in a thong? It is but a click away posers. Customize your trip to look like you have always wanted your game to look like, flawless.

Don't miss out on our version of March Madness, book a virtual trip today. Early birds will receive a Colorado Angling Buff/ respirator combo while supplies last.

Don't be an idiot, get the hell out of the house and go fishing. We are practicing safe social distancing in good, clean fresh air with brave, healthy people who refuse to get stuck in the hut.

Picture taken a from a safe distance. Brave anniversary couple throwing caution to the wind

We seriously want you guys to feel comfortable enough to book a fishing trip with us during these challenging times and we want you to know we are prepared.

Come in small family groups or with real close buds, drive yourselves and avoid the crowds of public water on your own stretch of  incredible private water in the fresh air.

We are currently the only certified Social Distancing endorsed outfitter in our valley. Not real huggy in the first place.
All our guides use long handled nets.
We have been practicing the fine art of avoiding other anglers for years.
There is still TP and hand sanitizer in our rustic well ventilated out house.
Wet handshakes are being replaced by a crooked grin from the bank. No offense.
You tangle it, you fix it. (kidding, that would take way too long)
Our guide vehicles reek of hockey season, wet waders with a hint of whiskey and tobacco which may buckle your knees, but it effectively kills any and all germs. Safety first.

Further more, if you have me booked on the river you will be subjected to less of this writing nonsense which makes some of you sicker than any virus out there.

Joey showing proper technique of holding his breathe during photo shoots. Mr. Williams was not put in the penalty box for the shoulder touch.

We ain't scared, you shouldn't be either, grow a set and go fish.

The many moods of Midgezilla.

My clock recently sprung ahead and the pile of snow in my driveway has finally dropped below the eves. Just a few of the many indicators that winters grip is weakening. While the weather and water will be springtime moody as usual, things in general, including Trout, are looking up.
Even Midgezilla can get moody this time of year. When times get tough, when there are so many naturals in the drift they are impaled on your hook tough, you need your chip in a sea of chocolate chips to stand out. Try throwing this little headache at them next time your on the ropes in the midst of the giant midge hatch of spring.

Bloody Midgezilla

Hook: Umpqua 2487  #18  when it falls into the carpet below your vise make sure to yank on it real good so it off sets the hook. Now your ready

Flo Red Thread under Amber Glass bead from the sale bin at a local shop insuring they are probably impossible to find.

Dubbed with underfur of an old tennis ball

Rib with expired 5x mono, don't waste your money on the floro, the segmentation will be invisible to the fish. 

If it aint broke don't fix it. Just change colors

Thanks Mr Chung

The boat has been out of the garage (another sign of spring) and its been down the Roaring Fork as well as the lower Colorado. Things are good, mostly nymphing, but productive. Mayhem Midge, Midgezilla, Miracles, small soft hackles, chartruse eggs, and your favorite BWO nymph will keep things bent. Call ahead about floating the Fork between now and the end of May as the take out at Two Rivers is closed essentially limiting floats from West Bank down. This could make the upper river pretty crowded with boats during the prime months of March and April.

Red Zebra Midge, thought out, drifted, set and landed by Mr Mike Salamone 

Mean while on THE Eagle River things are on the climb to prime. Judging by the crowds out there the past week I would say you all know. Let me set the record straight. The public water is fishing horribly. All the people have scared the fish into private water. There are no bugs or potential hatches left in the public stretches. They break ground on condominiums where the parking area is now at post office, the state is parking two loaders and a dump truck at guide rock in Wolcott and Alkali creek is so toxic it will melt your waders if you are upstream of Eagle. The river below Eagle is closed to everyone but locals with over 10 years of residency. I heard that was all over social media so it must be true.

The fishing report for the exceptional stretch of exclusive private water pronounced Vail Rod and Gun club that I happen to guide on is "Good and Ready". For real, all the fish and bugs and hatches and fun are there. Midges in Red, Cream, Tan, Black and Olive. Plain old thread larva, glass beads, lil flash, have fun, try tying some Corded Midges in different colors. The egg bite just started and there have been a few tan worms assaulted. Midgezilla larva is almost always on my set up. BWO's have made a few sporadic appearances on the surface but a #18-22 nymph has produced well in the early afternoons. It's going to get better by the hour, especially where I guide. 

Book a trip.Colorado Angling Company

Teamwork makes the dream work. There is a lot more to this than the lens has captured, shit that doesn't happen in public water. High quality non phone photographic images are still free.

Carry On, Tie flies

PRO Streamer Season

Want to become a PRO streamer fisherman this spring???

Book some time in a boat on the Eagle River for one of the states best kept secrets, Pre Run Off streamer season.

The only reason it is a big secret is that there is usually no body here for it. The resorts close before the run off gets started (usually), locals split, winter help disappears and a few PROS are left with something special all to our selves; a brief taste of something sweet to make the sour taste of muddy water almost seem bearable.

If there was a Streamer University, the Eagle River would undoubtedly be a favorite spring break location.

 Timing  the exact starting date of PRO is dependent on mother nature, but on a normal year, flows should start to bump somewhere between the 3rd week of April- 2nd week of May. Currently our winter flows on the Eagle in Avon are around 75 cfs, we are looking for flows of 200cfs or better to start playing with the boats. Lighter, stripped down rafts with one angler for the early, low water runs is ideal. As flows get to 300 cfs and above, 2 anglers and bigger rafts become easier to manage in a river often compared to a pinball game. Actual length of PRO can be 3 days- 2 weeks depending on clarity and flow. If it goes from spring to summer too quick this special time doesn't last long. If you live close enough to drop what you are doing, get on a call list. If you love to throw streamers, you won't be sorry.

As flows begin to rise with warmer night time temps of spring, fish are shoved into survival lanes instead of feeding lanes.Most fish have been consistently feeding for a month or two before run off or mud season as some people call it, rudely interrupts spring break. Finding fish comfortable enough to eat bugs can become a challenge. During the beginning of PRO, the flow will be melting snow from higher elevations and that can make for cold water even on a warm day. As the water temps get wacky, the behavioral  drift of significant spring food sources like BWO's and Caddis will become more of the catastrophic type.. Fish become much more opportunistic feeders during their time on the bank, aggression and dominance can be key traits to eating enough.....all stuff a streamer junkie wants to hear.

If the streamer fishing is slow it usually is because these wonderful creatures have decided to focus on feeding on the surface. A thick, early season hatch will often switch trout's attention from meat and the anglers focus to the joy of dry fly fishing.

Carry On and leave your bobber rig home.