Bobber talk

January??

2012-01-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

If you can make it.....Go

We need snow real bad here in the Mountains of Colorado and not just for the ski industry that we rely on so heavily to put clothes on our ankle biters backs. Or for Denver (see above). As the early winter that wasn't continues we have made the best of it. The team has managed a failed float, 2 trips to local tailwaters and a 5 boat float on an ice free Big Mud, all in January.

The failed float turned into an incredible afternoon on the Frying Pan. The Pan is a delicacy I don't treat myself to enough and I always seem to leave wishing I could guide there. I always seem to arrive at the Dam with a boat in tow from some put in down stream that was jammed with ice. It at least draws attention away from my truck covered with stickers from that "other valley". It was crowded so we didn't get the best beats but it didn't seem to matter, we all had nice eats.

The rest of the report is standard, typical winter fare. The Blue through Silverthorn is still my favorite place to go shopping. This fishery is very healthy and equally as popular on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Don't believe all the reports, I found plenty of fish in real fast water wedged between people fishing classic runs and pools. Take what you can get at the tailwaters. The float was your everyday January float.....except it rained cats and dogs. Nice to guide with my old buds Pete Mott, The Big Zim, Will Sands and Kyle Holt, true professionals.

Yet another shitty fly for the winter. By all means do not attempt to put traces of blue ice dub and Ostrich in your winter midge patterns

Red Quills

2012-01-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

So why is it a guy can't find a Red Quill nymph pattern to tie or buy? Have I discovered some over sight in one of the most OCD of all hobbies? Sure, there are a good number of dry fly patterns available but most guides will tell you they will not get assaulted. They are almost always there in good numbers and you will often see the emerger take a month to dry its tall grey wing. I never see fish really key in on the Dun; this bug really must taste like shit the closer to oxygen it gets. The only fly I can actually say I have faith in during this hatch is an emerger pattern that I can only find through Orvis. Its a beautiful quill body with a long gray soft hackle collar, fish it deep or shallow, it smells right. It's suppost to imitate a Hendrickson, an Eastern fly and I am sure it was named after that stripped quill body. Some shmuck like me got to wondering the same thing years ago and ordered what he thought was a Red Quill and the valley got lucky. There was a nymph a few years ago with a real skinny body similar to the Burton PT , that dog hunted too. The similarities in the imitations seem to be their thin abdomen, but thats about it. So I decided to dig into old books and the magic that is the web and look for a blockbuster of a Red Quill nymph for the 2012 season.

Red Quill Emerger from Orvis

I discovered that there is essentially, no real patterns out there for this black sheep of the Mayfly world. I dug deep into some circa 1950 stuff, I went East coast, West coast and read some Latin. I waded through some incredibly bad web content and worshipped all the groovy new fly catalogs.and basically got skunked. Weird for a bug I see so often. Latin wise it seems to be in the Rithrogena gang with March Browns, but the nymph patterns are all very fat. Most of the Hendrickson patterns look a whole lot closer size and color wise but I'm afraid they are bloods and not crips. I'm not looking to get wacked here for crossing a line with the Ephemera gang. Truth is, I still have no idea what it is we are trying to imitate, I just know there is not a nymph pattern of what I'm not sure I'm seeing. Superflys (tung, soft hackle PT's) work all summer long in the right water type so maybe there isn't a better mouse trap after all.

A friend of mine was fishing size 12 PT's with an over sized bead one summer when the Quills were around and he was killing it deep. Something or other he read he said. "These bugs worked real hard at getting back under things on the bottom in fast water" he says. Real similar to the March Browns back East, but no closer. Time to call my buddy the Bug Man. Either way, all this research and thought spawned that Bead Head Red Quill for use this summer.....probably wont work, but I've got 3 dozen of them.

JMacs Girdle

2012-01-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

Quick and easy guide fly this week. I got fancy for the picture and put wing cases on, only because I needed to play with the new UV clear coat Kit got me for Xmas. The quick and easy going to loose them any ways version does not require as much fluff. 3 materials and some lead and you have a different spin on your Pats Rubberlegs, Bitch creeks and Girdle bugs, which we all use alot.

December 30th and its going to be a bluebird 48 degrees on the Roaring Fork, fourth in a row according to the only other guide on the river. Hatching Midges, 38 degree water, perfect clarity and no pressure on the next to last day of the year. Convinced beyond a doubt that magic began at the end of the boat ramp, Jmac and I KNEW it was on. I'd love to tell you that's how it went, but it didn't. Id like to tell you that guide fly worked wonders,but believe me, nothing in the box smelled right. We did tail hook one on a streamer and I might have farmed another but that was the whole story. Seven beers in the cooler and we took 4 home........ Fishing

tough to tell but that rock is still 25 ft above the water.

Last day Canyon fishing for 2011

Minturn Manglers

2011-12-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

yes, that is milk, water and vodka

My proper name is Robert. A grandmother, an angry mother and my middle school principle were about the only one's who ever used it though. I never really liked it. The middle school principle took a pudding snack to the temple on my second day at catholic school, so for 2 years I understood why that beautiful woman called me Robert instead of Bob. For the first 13 years of my life the people I loved and trusted all referred to me as Bump. Apparently the blame went to my aunt Carolyn for addressing the baby shower gift to the "baby bump" cuz nobody knew what I was yet......a pain in the ass. The boys from Canisteo NY on a late 80's spring break whirlwind came up with Bubby. Not sure if it was Jimmy Davis, brother of Wiener, Snake, Fieldsy, AJ, Carnsy or Pete the Polish giant who came up with it, but that one stuck for a long time.

I come from a place where no one seemed to be called by their given name. Along about junior high someone would just give you a new one. I grew up with Tweety, Newbomb, Coach, Smitty, Smittie, Slider, Kermie, Gumby, Stiener and his brother Maze. There is Dunc, House, Tittle, Pie Man, Grover, the Big Cat, Smokey, Lurch, Sallie, the Mayor and EZ E. My parents never knew what to call anyone. Most of it came from sports fields and locker rooms growing up. Men's league hockey, softball and of course a life of hunting have also helped introduce me to quite a cast of characters, none worthy enough to be refered to by his true name I guess. All of this happened, for the most part 1800 miles away from my little mountain town here in Colorado.....basically another planet.

not worth trying anything like this right now.

My locker room of late has been Fly Shops and guide services. It's a freaking gold mine of quirky personalities and egos in a mildly competitive environment. It just seems easier to have a sir name in a business where everybody is in your business. We've got Jmac of course. Just a classic shortening of the last name. About the same as Zim, or as Sam calls him, "the Big Zim". Thats just because he's huge. I work for Arac and the Rattlesnake, with Fred Rodgers, Doc, Whit, LT Johnson, Magnum, Spock and Chef. I live with Kitty, Batman, Spiderman, Ironman, Kmart, Zip,Samson, Dooda and Monkey. Then theres the always entertaining Hate, Worries, Ms Whitey, Fudge, Panic, Ghost in the Darkness, Killer and the Author. But the single most incredible nickname and my favorite of the year is Snookie. To know him and call him this, even if it was just for a week was true fun. I wish he liked it better. No harm meant, just clean one victim fun, love you. Cudos to the Rattlesnake for coming up with it. Funny cuz Sprech hates his nickname and he went and gave someone one they dont like either....weird.

At the end of the day it seems best to look at a nickname as a form of acceptance. A way for a dude to tell ya he loves you or that your doing a great job without actually saying it. Going to battle or say on a long fishing trip and getting a nick name is a badge to be worn proudly. Sam might say its your superhero name, either way, we usually earn the nick name for kickin some form of ass, good or bad, right or wrong. So from Bobber and all the boys at "Minturn Manglers", heres hoping you get it done next year.

this bug sucks too.

Ab work

2011-12-04T10:57:00.001-08:00

My post thanksgiving AB tip. Just tie abdomens for a few nights, finish the bug later. I find that most of my nymph bodies are superhair or a small vinyl rib, which means white thread under body and consequently a bobbin change. At that point it can be easier to tighten everything up with some head cement and set it aside for another evenings assembly line. My first 3 flies every time I sit and tie are horrible, so I have found tying a larger quantity ends up helping quality.

You didnt expect this to be about your gut did you?

Zim provided some awesome little D Rib in3 different colors at Thanksgiving. It stretches like no other rib I've used......nice. Thanks Zim.

Out for a stroll with Kit, the animals and J Knight x2. We decided it was actually harder to be the last angler on a section of water for the year than the first. We scrambled down the tracks into a canyon up stream from town but we were a few days late. Time to give the tracks and canyons to the snowmobiles for the season. J Knight magically made one jump on his junk though....not really surprising.

Minturn Rocks. Just sayin

Hope everybody had a great begining to feast season, I know we did......deep fried frosted german chocolate brownies is all I can say.

Winter Vise time

2011-11-22T18:03:00.001-08:00

We finally have river front property, at least for the next 11 months. It's been fun to have the tying bag spilled out over an entire dining room again, creating crap for use in my back yard.

#20 PMD Nymph

#22 Purple Soft Hackle

Of course theres a bunch of eggs being tied and fished around here, but winter is about nymphing with midges and small Mayflys.

#24 Cream/Yellow Soft Hackle

Just some winter junk from my vise to yours. Big to do's around here for turkey day and I'm sure the "downtown" beat of the mighty Eagle will be harassed, so we will at least be able to tell you whats working in the backyard. Winter fishing is not such an unusual thing any more. Every ones favorite winter fishing spots have their own mood and temperament but the one thing they have in common is the food is small. Tying small is fun and it doesn't take long to whip up a nice pile of bugs for about 18 cents a piece.

Americas Cup

2011-11-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

Camp machete

So how about you are getting ready for a trip to your favorite stream and you get yourself an email from some dude by the name of Fips Mouche explaining the rules. Thats right, your passion now has a set of international rules and a governing body for fair competition. Enjoy your day, play by the rules and add up your points when your done. Here's the important stuff.

Leave your bobber at home. You can however follow the recipe for a super cool "curly cue" and if I heard correctly they stay all squiggly if you freeze them after you take them out of the oven.

No split shot, that's right Spreck this is where your fishing life ends. Oh and to complicate things further, no exposed weight on your bugs larger than 4mm and stop ordering coneheads.

In line leaders only so forget the hook bend connections while your rigging your match the life cycle rig. Leave those tags on your knots thick and stiff so they dont end up married to your leader every 3rd cast. Tapered is now a thing of the past, you can now buy leaders by the spool in the big box fishing dept....I think its called Spider wire :-)

At some point during the day you will feel strangely compelled to fish a "boobie", "blob" or a Vlad condom worm.

Replace your teenie, tiny, tech patterns with split tails for a small (#14) orange bead Hares ear. Dont worry if you cant find this stuff, the team has a tyer or two, just give them a call and put in your order.

Think in centimeters, carry 7 spools, 2 nets, and maybe swipe your kids old hockey gear for some knee protection.

Every 4th trip you have to go to a lake or a pond and fish down wind from a boat with a drouge.

Ready? Now keep track of your points and maybe you get a shot at representing this great country and making the team......Team USA. Congrats to this years fab 5 (3 from Colorado) which was named this week amidst a bit of controversy. Imagine that, drama in the fly fishing industry. Good lads here though even if they did leave a few high draft picks home.....good luck in what ever euro water park they hold this championship.

Shot gun start on Loch Sylvan

That's the world of competitive fly fishing (cliff notes) and every year I get a taste by helping out for 3 days or so at the America Cup here in Vail. I have enjoyed meeting the different personalities an event like this gathers up but also seeing how these guys operate and adapt with in a set of rules completely foreign to my game. Its opened my eyes to a few specific things.

*Presentation is king. These guys are seriously throwing some giant flies (in some cases) with bright bead heads on 3x tippet and catching boat loads of fish. We humorously refer to some of our three fly rigs as "Christmas trees" but seriously I think they plug some of this shit in at night. Concrete evidence that if it looks close enough to a snack, some fish will put it in its mouth.

*Long leaders. These guys are using some really long rigs all in an effort to get deep quick with less drag. Its easy to see more hook ups the further you get from your bobber....you just have to be quicker on the set. Not sure if its sink rate or a few Milli seconds of drag free drift but I am a believer.

* Drag. With no indicator these "all world athletes" rely heavily on drag, lift, swing and feel. Maybe I shouldn't bitch about mending so much.

There are lots of arguments against competitive fly fishing but at least what these guys are doing is actually fishing, its not a casting competition on the lawn of some foo foo resort.

Swingers

2011-10-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Had a little time on my hands this week so I thought I would put a care package together for Arac's steelhead adventure. Growing up on the great north coast these nuggets of love were some of my first ties....it all came back to me and I am sure they wont work. Popsicles and softhackles in size 8 for swingin with the spray pole took a touch longer than the usual fare but it sure was fun. If I cant go at least some of my soldiers can. Swing away boss.......I want pictures.

Happy holloween !

Yeti sightings

2011-10-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Just a small chunk of Yeti Nation getting "ready" for a year ending company float. Fishing was moderate at best although every time Zim heaved Chinchilla something happened. One of those days when we should have fired something other than Ms Magnum Rabbit in brilliant sinshine.

Confusing isnt it.

2011 Product Reviews

2011-10-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Every morning I pack MY things up, rig MY rods, hook MY boat up to MY truck and pump gas on MY rubber debit card. This is the way it is in the fly fishing guide business, it's going to cost you $10 to make $8, thats life (still want to be a guide?). I've always said my 401K sucks but my doctor loves me......no stress, just broke and happy.

I had the pleasure of shooting a fishing show with Chad LaChance for Fishful Thinker TV last March. During our day of completely fucking up the Roaring Fork we were able to talk about gear and how the industry takes care of guides......or doesnt. Baits come to his house on pallets and rods are delivered by the dozens, FREE. I have no animosity towards Chad, even if he does drive a sweet late model billboard for a guide vehicle.He's cool as they come and I'd fish with him anywhere...just jealous. Chads a bass fisherman, I'm a "fly guy". Apparently in the fishing business thats like comparing Nascar to professional Lacrosse, somebodys going broke for the love of it.

I've been endorsed before, by the Orvis company. They took great care of me and they still offer incredible deals to their endorsed guides, lodges and outfitters....I'm just not one of them anymore. So I am forced to pro form and beg from reps that supply the goods our shop sells. This year I went GREEN, as in the rod line has gone Sage and Winston. Someone swings a BIIIx for the day and theoretically they stop back and buy that beautiful weapon from the shop the next day and the shop gives you a little cut.......in theory. It took an act of god to get a free hat from Winston and the sticker Sage gave me has long since fallen off my boat. Take a note from Nascar boys and at least make your stickers hold up to the weather. I guess I dont care who I'm pissing off here. If I dont get my "deals" anymore I'll just do what most of America does now adays......Ebay baby.

In a past life I was working construction and one day a rep from a big tool company shows up with goodies. When it was all said and done my boss handed us all the goodness and explained they are more valuable in the hands of those who use them everyday. Do you really think Lowes remodels Rick Hendricks (team owner) house for free but charges Jimmy Johnson 40%? Dont think so. So why do Fly Fishing reps hand shop owners free stuff when most of the time they are on the water 60% less than their guides? I know, I know....there is only 4 shops in the world making any dough and nobodys livin in a mansion unless your a trust funder (Panic). But what good is that swag in the hands of somebody who fishes for fun more than with clients?

I dont really want to loose my 51.021% off status or piss guys off I actually like despite the fact they wouldnt buy me a coffee. So I feel compelled to give a few product reviews before I get fired. Winston rocks. Love the new BIIIx but who wouldnt.The new graphite series (GVX) is super cool and affordable. The Sage VXP is not the old XP but I like it lots for a nymph stick. Guarantee your products for life like Patagonia and you go to the top of the list. My waders, jacket and boots might be full of holes but at least I can send them back. Umpqua makes great bugs, Solitude gets them to me quicker. Tippet is tippet and Rio is my stuff, the versa leader has changed the way I streamer fish (John Knight will tell you they dont work with Dries though). The purple thingambobber is revolutionary and even Stevie Wonder can see it in low light. Floating fly line still sinks but that Sharkskin from SA does what they say and makes a cool noise.

There ya go, hopefully my next blog doesnt look like a resume.

Arts and Crafts

2011-10-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Big Zim has a crush on this little piece of work I've been calling "Scoots". Floated the lower Eagle with Jmac and JK yesterday and threw this in the middle seat of the parade (3 streamers). I've been tying it in Olive and Fox Variant in size 8 incorporating a few of the tricks we use for "Sams Sock". All that bunny can lead to a few tail strikes but by finding a hook you can bend and opening the gap has increased hook ups ( thank you Hutch).

Theres a few hooks on the market that you can bend with out breaking, these size 4 streamer hooks are from Orvis. I have tied the fly on straight hooks and bent them later but I find it easier to bend a few before hand and go from there.

Back to painting split shot again, I guess it's this crisp fall weather that seems to bring out the arts and craft side of me. Has your state outlawed pegged eggs like Montana? You'll be surprised how many fish eat yellow tin. Check out http://bobbertalk.blogspot.com/2010/11/eggs-over-hard-made-easy.html for more about it.

Fishing with Bin Laden

2011-10-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

My first impression of "Ronnie" was a positive one, even if he was 15 minutes late appearing from his luxury condo. As he stumbled by the line of high end valley vehicles towards my very used 4 runner, I noticed he was hauling some serious gear. Packing his small fly shop into my boat and truck made me feel all fuzzy inside. I caught myself thinking things could be good , even if his new wading boots were still in the box and it looked like his waders were fresh from the dry cleaners.

I tried, really I did. Lefty couldnt have helped this guy in a week, honestly my 4 year old can move graphite better. Terrible is not a powerful enough adjective for Ronnies grasp of our sport or his ability to learn. All the finest equipment our industry offers was useless. Until one of these Rod manufacturers produce a remote control for their rods, I think people like Ronnie should be banned from possessing a nice one.

So 3 hours into my 5 hour trip I realized nothing I said or did was going to help; I began to think. Maybe it wasnt Ronnies fault. What if fly rods could be possessed? A good soul might spend eternity as a rod in the hand of a true master, destined to enjoy countless days beautifully catching fish while traveling the world. Ronnies Z-Axis was definitely not the soul of Lee Wulff or Mel Kreiger, more like Osama Bin Laden. I saw enough to know there was nothing I could do, this rod was never going to enjoy another day of its existence as long as Ronnie held it. So rest assured America it's true, Osama is dead and his soul will be tortured forever.

Definition of the Month:

Dance: the tug, wiggle or pull that a fish produces on the tip of a properly moved rod; something Ronnie may never experience; something we never watch on TV around my hut.

It's here!!

2011-10-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Sure it's a few months late, but its here to jam in stockings everywhere. 2 hours of pure fish porn from RA and JMac at Beattie Outdoor Productions. Including 3 featured movies, 12 shorts and some great highlights of a couple of years fishing with cameras....hell they even found a few minutes for my ugly mug. Get it today!!

beattieoutdoorproductions.com

laterallinemedia.com

Thinking still

2011-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

The water here sucks right now to put it politely as I care to. Off the ranch and back on staff again after a few weeks away and I'm creeping around the upper reaches of a few tribs with every other guide in our valley. With the right explanation, description and gear a crikin trip can satisfy any ones wants and wishes here in the Rockies. Hell the people I had today thought they were going to our private water. Pretty sure the Minturn Anglers whirly bird is still in the shop and that's the only way any ones guiding that place right now. Either way these people never gave a second thought to the private water after they saw the place. It's a necessary time to be in the headwaters but an enjoyable time never the less. For someone who spends so much time on a boat seat in the bottom of the valley, it's especially nice to enjoy the view.

At basically the same elevation are some incredible lakes just recently becoming open water again. I'd like to give some credit to my little boat captain for my interest in stillwaters. It's been a safe, fun place to float with an infant and I've learned a few things without a book or a mentor. Ms Whitey would have killed me if i put him on moving water before this summer any how. It's been fun already messing with the "no drag zone". Even though nothings lit up just yet, it's been fun being there; no ones been skunked if that's what your thinking.. I got to float a very special Loch on Saturday and Sunday with J Knight; Loch Nottingham, downtown Avon. We fished a bit and tested his drogue system on Saturday and he hosted a Loch style tourny as a prelim to his Americas Cup this September on Sunday. Check out theamericacup.com for more info, Its a cool event with international players, national teams, youth teams and adaptive teams. This year will have 2 Loch beats along with the usual incredible river venues so we have been thinking still alittle more lately. I'm really not sure why some people look down their nose when it comes to puddle fishing or why I don't have clients interested. Sure I get it, your in the Colorado mountains so you want a river or maybe a crik. What could be wrong with a clear water situation with hungry fish this time of year. No drag, minimal current, maybe some wind......buy a drogue. When your bored of watching your dry dropper rig sit equally as bored, just strip it over slowly, that's how they are going to eat it anyways. Loch on!

Guide house meal of the week: Stuffed Poblano Peppers, no lie. Credit to Thompson, I'm still grilling frozen chicken breasts from a bag.

Room for rent by the way. Before anyone farted, the happy couple moved out. 24 hours is going to be hard number to beat.

Definition of the week: Crikin: Fishing a teeny rod on a two to four step body of moving water for little Timmy.

Mexican Pasta

2011-06-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few months, I apologize Uncle Jerry.

Made the move from Eagle to Minturn to over see guide house summer 11. I like to call it 3 1/2 men, a lady and 3 dogs. This could be a TV show let alone a blog. The official over and under before i get the talk from Ms Whitey is 5 weeks when I am sure Sam will have learned a few new words.I am sure there will be more to this story with Capt Craig, Scott, Lauren, Sam, Me and 3 dogs, but dinner the other night got me to thinking. Rather than document all the craziness i decided to chronicle the journey through the recipes that grace our big log kitchen table and who might be there. Scott the Scott (as in Scottish), prepared me the tastiest Italian red sauce, with Mexican chorizo from a hot wok. It was delicious even though it broke every law of Italian cooking. I know a few little ladies back east that would castrate him for putting the garlic into anything first. Regardless, delicious even if he does need to see a witch doctor. The boy allegedly likes to cook so there may be more coming from the big fella.

I am currently on a world class streak as far as the fishing goes.....yes even during run off. I have made 25 casts in the last 6 weeks and hooked a fish on every one. I've lost 3 I'll be honest. Every river I know and love looks like a chocolate shake, a very fast and angry chocolate shake. I have been very fortunate to have been working at the Round up River Ranch out on the Colorado the last 6 weeks or so. Swinging a hammer has felt nice and the location isnt bad. I have watched the Big Mud swallow up our newly constructed Archery Range and flirt with 18,000 cfs. The coolest projects have been the 2 docks we have built for the kids to enjoy some boating and fishing. Brand new state of the art trout and boating lake complete with a brand new batch of Kamloops. That should explain my streak....I'm not that good. All dry flies, just sayin.

Guiding seems along way off with as much water/ snow as we have. The color isnt horrible but one false step and you are in Glenwood. Floated Sylvan the other day, I guess that should count against my cast count now that I think of it. Everyone is trying to gear up for some stillwater stuff which I think is going to be very cool. I'll just sit and think about my Aunt Patience, she's gonna see that i'm floating the Eagle in early September. I can hold my breath a little longer for that.

Had a great visit to camp Kitty in the beginning of the month. My 10 year old dog has just moved for the 10th time. My 3 year old best friend stopped pissing and shitting himself. My vise is set up and actually running, thinking big, ugly and rubber legged. It's coming this spring man....Jmacs Girdle. Hockey playoffs, Ncaa Lax tourny all nice run off events. Had a VERY nice last minute trip to Montana and the Bighorn.....enough said.There is a coat of arms holding our rods on the porch of a quiet little peaceful guide house in Minturn. Good night John Boy, pass the chorizo Scott.

Definition of the week : Free fish: A Zimmism, a narrow fast moving channel of goodness where the angler casts where he or she feels best.

Fish don't spawn after 3pm

2011-04-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

As I sit here watching Thomas the Train with my spawn I am reminded how complicated this procreation process can be. I am so thankful for him and that no one came by daily and jumped up and down on Ms Whiteys belly while he was still in there. While I'm pretty sure fish don't have a connection to their offspring like we do, they seem to work awful hard to keep their genetics going. So why is it that every spring I see anglers standing in the middle of spawning redds fishing to Rainbows busy doing things other than eating? Is it really any different than handing your kids mother to be a crack pipe or putting dirt on her breakfast cereal?

On a spring float down the Eagle last year we approached a section of river with a well known spawning area and sure enough there was a dude trying to force feed his junk to fish in the nursery. I'm not one to throw rocks or play policeman but I think I had some hops in me and couldn't resist saying something. Joe and I still laugh about the response we got. After we explained that "only douche bags fish to spawners", ol Doc Kavorkian looked down at his watch and explained that they were done for the day. I learn something everyday and I still look for him this time of year after 3:15.

I know, sometimes it's hard to find fish to throw to, especially here on the Eagle. A spot of clean gravel the size of a VW makes it a whole lot easier for someone who didn't read chapter 2; Reading water. If you need to sight fish go to a tailwater, but they spawn there also. It's one thing to have some out of towner standing in a bowl of caviar it's another thing all together to see a local or some new guide doing it. If you care, you need to say something in an effort to educate certain people, some guys just don't know any better.

The Brown trout in the fall have a huge advantage when they have their yearly nooky, the event is not followed by run off. These poor Rainbows which we all cherish here go about the rigorous and exhausting act of courtship and fertilization only to have a hurricane of water and silt blow through their kids bed room as soon as they are done. Why make the process any harder? If you really need to catch a fish that bad all you have to do is slide 40 feet down stream of the redd and you'll find all the eager fish you will ever want. But if you are on your way home from the dispensary after picking up your pregnant wife's "medicine" and you cant resist, just make sure it's after 3:15.

My new grand-daddy has eight fingers

2011-04-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

I stood in front of 30 or so people at Gander Mountain in Denver Thursday night, speaking on behalf of my favorite river, THE Eagle. I believed everything I said but Its fishing after all....anything can happen. So as I finished my 16 hour day with a drive back up the hill to an elevation my clogged sinuses could handle I wondered if I promised too much. We floated the Eagle several times this week at very low water and It was magic. Of course I had some real talent on the rod in JMac, that always makes a difference. It's a team thing in low water and my boy has honestly become an incredible oars man on what alot of people call the hardest row in the state, he put me all over fish. I watched him and my boat pass me twice yesterday as I did a full day wade, the boy bores as easy as me. You can read Joe's sales pitch on this very special pre run off season at laterallinemedia.com.

My faith in the Eagle was confirmed yesterday on a full day assault with my client Bruce from Denver. He has heard the word (at the fly fishing shows in January) and this fine angler booked a trip to find out for himself. We pounded about 2 miles of river in 10 hours and I know Bruce would tell you he was not disappointed. I'm not a fish counter but we put up a very big number with several fish displaying a girth that would make a porn star blush. My girl showed her true colors for us, even surrendering a huge Rainbow well over the 20" mark late in the day that I rudely dropped before a picture could be taken. At the end of the day I asked him to spread the word amongst all his fishing buddies and he was hesitant. "Maybe i should keep this quiet" he said. Hopefully I changed his mind when I explained I have diapers to buy, but I understand where he was coming from.

Not sure what to stare at here, that pretty Eagle river Bow or Bruce's hand built Sage XP with a cool Gary Borger reel.

All in all it was a great week on my home river. The Rattlesnake inked a deal for a private take out with an 8 fingered man effectively solving my gas price issue. No more doubles on the Colorado while the water here lasts. An old proven pattern that hasn't worked for the last couple of years decided to pay some bills all of a sudden.....thanks, I had faith you would be back. I found a tattoo artist willing to barter, decided it's time to move and beat the cold my boy Sam gave me. Of course the fact my streamer rod has been getting used does not suck either.

Definition of the month:

Dropping Bombs: Long range casting, a distance not comfortable for someone who can't mend, A Sam fart.

Hand to hand combat: Short range target casting often involving radical freelance casting to pockets the size of a couch pillow.

Where's your water come from?

2011-04-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

On the bright side, shallow water Largemouth fishing on the Upper Colorado would be easier.

A Buddist's tapered leader

2011-03-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

I believe I have gained insight about what it's like to be a Green Bell Pepper. No my devout connection to our good mother earth has not entered a new level, I have not added another quarter. Just seems to me like there is a lack of emphasis on good old faith, instinct and ancient teachings these days. Data is "easier" to collect and store, shit I witnessed it being done with an app on a phone the other day. That day turned out to be 2 hours of insane fishing to boilihg trout, one rod, two fisherman, lots of fun. Ironically I saw no post fishing key board activity, there must have been faith that memory would serve. Where, when, who, hatch, temps, tip, did lunch suck, etc. Old school "journal" that fits in your pocket and beeps at ya, fishing reports at your finger tips. I have not contracted "technological evolution difficulty syndrome", I dig it, data rules the world, I'm just more of a flip phone guy..

I've seen the stomach pump in and around the shop for about a year now, I actually own one, still in the package from Panorama Outfitters back in 1989. The political or maybe religious discussion quietly bounced around the huddle of guides last summer; would a stomach pump make me a better guide? It certainly gives you fresh data with a side of proof, but at what cost? Maybe it's a past life heavily influenced by PETA, but I just figured that doesn't look pleasant; especially after the merciless half drowning by a low rod angle and 3X. The little beast worked hard fighting you and for that tiny larvae dinner let her swim away with a little pride.

Buddhism and blind faith is chapter 5 in the manual. Listen to your teachers, they own the noble truth. The wise sage of six casts an hour, the early years fundamentalist, the observer, the know it all and the minimalist are a few characters of worth on the path. A wise yet ridiculous fly pattern at the all together wrong time of year is a gift that may appear in words and give reward for years based on how you treat the secret. Separation of mind and thought in an effort to simplify the process has historically meant, get a good drift. Any info your collecting from the gullet of some unsuspecting fish can be actually viewed while "alive", in the water, air and bank side foliage. Unfortunately collecting data in that manner would require long slow breaths, patience, and concentration all of which cost you blind casting time. Who we have learned from, where we have learned, how we learned become more important than why we learned in games like fly fishing. If you are"aware" there is a connection to our surroundings that stays with us to be used again, all without being recorded to a devise, answers will come naturally.

A good old school Prince or Pheasant Tail still works but data and thirst for solutions have lead to must have hybrids of the same fly. The original data was good, but change happens always, there is no stopping or controlling that. Purple flash butt wiggle prince works great too as long as its drifting right. How we continually connect with the organic matter around us determines the severity of our journey to contentment in this sport. Its funny how experience and attention has crossed paths with the quick burn of technology. Kind of like the bell pepper. Has anyone but me noticed the quick fall from grace the bitter Green Bell Pepper has made. Why go green when you can get some quick heat from a hybrid hottie instead. Think about it next time you go to your black berry for a fly selection and it says pink flash prince with rubber legs and a dash of jalapeno.

Definition of the month:

Junk: your flies or rig; hopefully not a discription of your drift, the stuff you stashed under my rain jacket before our float.

Credit Nick Williams for these 2 great photos from a few winters back. Still one of the best in the business with a camera and he's holding a few from a recent trip to the Yampa.

As of late

2011-03-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

My apologies to the two of you who read this. I have not been a good blogger lately. It's been quite a month, and it had nothing to do with an orange jump suit.

The old computer dinosaur finally died which hindered my blogging and dropped stock in a few porn sites. Many many thanks to John Knight for furnishing me with a new one for an exceptional price, flies. No I cant just steal a handful a week from the shop, he wants the custom top secret variety for his upcoming summer of competitive fly fishing. He's probably screwed but I'm back on line.

Things have gotten very busy around the ol fly shop and I have been doing floats on the Roaring Fork almost daily for the last 3 weeks. Believe me or not, the fishing has been off the hook. Rank beginners, kids and even drunk fly shop owners have been sticking Fork piggies. The water has begun to stain a bit below the Crystal River but that has only seemed to make things better. At least I've been able to put my 6x away.

A very loud shout out to Outcast boats! I am a terrible rower so I have always felt that my baby was one tough ship, but apparently they make them strong enough to drag down the highway. On my way to pick up my regular March clients Ms Shay and her husband Lenny my boat became dislodged from its cradle. Luckily the tattered winch strap which should have been replaced 3 years ago is rated for 78 mph. I dragged my girl a few hundred yards, much to the dismay of the rush hour traffic around me and she survived to float again. Funny enough I credit Mag Chloride. There was enough of the crap on the road to protect the bottom of the raft and when I leaned underneath her at the Wolcott exit for a heart pounding inspection I scraped a nice 1/2 inch layer from the hot rubber. Thank you to the fine people at the DOT.

We shot an episode of "Fishful Thinker" for the Altitude network in early March on the Roaring Fork. My open mind was running in circles in preparation for having a gear guy in the boat on top of some of my favorite employees. The dinner conversation was a bit tense when the demand of cutting trebles from 7" swim baits came up but the Makers Mark helped.....alot. I honestly did not realize they don't swim or sink right when you cut that many hooks off, it didnt matter, he caught a bunch. The host Chad and his camera guy turned out to be great guys and Chad can honestly chuck a chunk of gear in any spot you ask. Their dull knife was a welcome addition to the tying session even if I was not allowed to touch it. They ended up very happy that my boy Scott Thompson was able to catch so many fish. I guess he has tried to film the "Fly Guy" vs the "Gear guy" episode quite a few times and the Fly dude never does that well. My friend Scott represented the fly fishing community extremely well. Look for my bad rowing, poor decision making, buff covered melon on Altitude the morning of March 26th. And No, Outdoor Television does not pay very well, they did tip nicely though.......Thanks Chad and Tim.

So my Mom is in town this week to see her Grandson Sam. She doesn't get to see him as much as either would like, so when she is here the education is constant, fast and furious. The potty training lessons started in the airport, god love Grandma B. So as a distraction and a way to get the young prodigy to take a nap I suggested we take a drive to the upper Colorado so I might check the water for another option in the days to come. The water looked great, clean and clear, free of ice and 39 degrees. The unusually deserted put in at Pump House offered me a perfect opportunity to again teach my young son the joys of relieving himself in the great outdoors. Unfortunately during my manly right I sharted, I'm sorry, I shit my pants, right there in the bushes next to the river I love, in front of my mother and young son. Who needs the potty training? I could only imagine the shuttle driver or the DOW driving down and seeing me buck naked while learning first hand how soothing those baby wipes actually are.
I've been busy as of late.

Yes Zim, pictures of people holding their rods in their mouth bug me, but I don't like the taste of cork unless it has something to do with red wine. I also just admitted that I shit my pants so who's gonna listen to me.

Definition of the month: In honor of the pro football mess.
Occasionally when arriving back from a trip other guides will ask how your peeps did. We or I have developed 2 teams.

AFC Team: Awesome Fucking Chances

NFC Team: No Fucking Chance

High and Dry

2011-02-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

My good friend Scott Thompson, fellow guide, fishing buddy and video guru has just finished some genius work I can't help but share. It has a PG rating (particularly gruesome) as it's an eye opener, If you are a trout fisherman here in Colorado (or any where) Please watch this. Look for more from these guys soon on the water problems we have on the upper Colorado River Basin. Also check out the website savethetrout.org. Get involved before it's to late.

Superstitions

2011-02-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

I am superstitious. I read my horoscope everyday and my left sock always goes on first. I go through certain routines to insure cosmic participation in the ultimate game of chance, fishing. It definitely stems from my back ground as a very average Hockey goalie. Getting scored on early usually could be traced back to the amount of times I tapped the post before the whistle, always 3 on each side.I have a few rules I follow in an attempt to keep the planets aligned during a day of fishing. Some i try and discuss before we get too wet, others I leave unexplained for fear of looking like a loon.

Shortly after I bought my first fly rod, my older brother came to me and wanted to join the team. He was hooked instantly and still is to this day. Hes honestly one of the best fisherman I spend time with. For the first year or so the poor boy was out fished badly and I'm positive he didn't enjoy that part so much. Being a cocky younger brother I vividly remember letting him know I was kicking his ass, I would find out that doesn't help. I went on one of the longest loosing streaks of my life, not including my 10 years with Ms. Whitey. I specifically remember getting out fished 8 trips in a row which spanned a few months since we both had real jobs at the time. Not going to lie, it hurt. If I knew a witch doctor I would have made an appointment. All my skill, all my luck had been drained. I was young and dumb, I placed the blame out side of my responsibility. I was sure I was maloiked by my girl friends Italian grandmother for not having 5ths at Sunday dinner. In the end I realized it was Karma and it was my doing. So every so often I'll have a couple of dudes in my boat and one will be mowing the others lawn pretty good and the teasing begins. I've warned a few guys of the danger in this and I have seen more than once, the switch flipped. It doesn't always work that way. Jmac rode poor Zim endlessly last Friday as we floated the Fork. Both these guys are in a different league than 98% of my peeps so I really didn't think planetary alignment counted. Zim got an ass kicking, but he didn't mind. It hurt to watch.

Another quick way to a batting slump is holding someone else's fish for a picture. I've had more than one Dad catch a fish and want his son or daughter to hold it for a picture. Surprisingly most kids refuse. I'm not sure if that's because they are afraid to touch slimy fish or they are wise old souls but I am always impressed. I just can't imagine looking at a picture on the wall of me holding a fish someone else caught. A snagged fish should also never be held in front of a camera lens, Bad Karma.

This week an organization I love and respect fired a man that I really admire(pictured). I hope this organization has stock piled a ton of juju because from the outside looking in, they may be in for a rough patch. Never interupt a perfect drift.

I fished a couple of summers with a hunting buddy named Dale. It's kind of a reach to say that we fished together because most days he got as far out of sight as possible for some reason. He always hammered fish, I just never saw one. I'm still not going to call him a liar but I will say that, terrible bluffs don't help when your playing cards with the gods of fishing.

Check your hat at the door. I know this is amusing to everyone but baseball pitchers, bass fishermen and rabid Nascar fans, but I'm serious. I am usually very uncomfortable fishing in a new hat. Theres no mojo. Certain hats have experience, they have been present for some form of magic, and It's noticeable if you keep track. I seriously suggest hammering your buddies stocked pond with a new hat to pump a little confidence into it before taking it on a float down a real river.

In the end our cosmic energy, our luck, our Karma is the fruit of our actions and intentions. Loving your brothers success while fishing will always help, your soul has to believe that though, ya just can't say it. My dog's name is Karma who dispite her name has not been the greatest dog I've ever owned. Probably my fault.

Definitions of the month:
Timmy: a trout under 10 inches

Ronnie: a trout 10-16 inches

Bubba: a trout 16-20 inches

Kamongaheela: a trout over 20 inches

Laugh a little and slow down

2011-01-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

Everything is harder in the winter, I’ve discovered it can be pretty funny too. The comfort and warmth of the indoors confuse the urge to spend time in moving water enough to make it a major decision. Tying flies on, untangling a client’s new leader, scrubbing the mag chloride from your boat or even enjoying a handful of skittles just become more time consuming. Anytime there is a trip booked in the harsh months of December or January and I am pleased, no matter the forecast. This is much different than it used to be when there were enough winter clients to keep pop tarts in the cupboard. Like elsewhere, it’s become more of a struggle and lest we forget I live in the Beverly Hills of the Rockies where its simply harder to get by. Winter peeps have evolved a touch in the time I’ve been doing this. With no tone of prejudice I can explain that during certain holiday events here, my client base is very Latin. In the past, winter was when we got “true” fishermen, guys with experience. Not so much anymore; true blue Patagucci wearing Americans got a little soft with the economy or something. Latin it is, the Euro aint bad either.. Incredibly nice people for what I understand, I hope they say the same for me.
A big key to winter fishing or winter guiding for that matter is to take things slow, think things through. So just before Christmas I pick up a very excited “Pablo” and his not so psyched uncle “Juan” from a snow ridden fancy hotel in Vail. They are from Mexico City and Madrid with so much baggage I thought I was dropping them at the airport when we were done. Air temp 5, expectation meter reading around 100 but no pressure, so I just try and go slow. Slow to answer, slow to drive. The pace of summer is all around guides and sometimes its hard to shut off. We are always in a hurry. Hurry to get there, hurry to rig, hurry to fall in line or better yet beat it, hurry to eat, hurry to bed and sometimes in a hurry to level out the expectations. The excitement surrounding a 400 dollar float trip understandably includes some expectations, almost like, the cash that bought this person dressed in drab colors driving the truck and boat guarantees lots of large Trout.
Pablo is a “very experienced” salt water fisherman all of 19. Juan is the 40 something uncle who pays for these “crazy” adventures. Never fished a day with a “fly pole” though, but “they should be fine”. Before they both took a pre float nap in the 4 Runner (which was weird but relaxing) they spoke endlessly of the great success they were looking forward to. I took it slow and said nothing. My spirits jumped when I arrive at the Fork to 35 degree air, 39 degree water and not another fisherman to be seen. What shook me from my optimistic glare made me want to laugh, no cry with laughter…….bright sky blue neoprene waders, a few sizes to small, with a very confident Pablo packed inside. I took it slow and said nothing. About the time I thought I had seen it all, Pablo produces a bottle of Powerbait spray. He turns, holds the bottle at me and says “this stuff only works in the summer right?” I smile and nod. Maybe I should have said something cuz it just didn’t end, before I knew it Pablo came across some more gear he could not live the day without and wanted to know where my dry bag was. I only smile as he buries his Berkley scale deep inside the bag like it would be ruined if it got wet. I took it slow but had to ask, “how high does that scale go?’ I heard 50 lbs and then smiled. We didn’t catch a thing.
The wind really started to howl around 12:30 so I found a bridge and some bushes to take shelter for lunch. I never understood a word spoken at lunch but I come from a time when you didn’t need a language class to escape high school. After 17 mins or so they were nice enough to ask if I understood Spanish and then promptly went back to speaking it. Sure it would be easy to feel sensitive or left out at this point but I just enjoyed giggling once in awhile to make them wonder. Tone is universal. I didn’t need to understand the language to know uncle Juan was over it. It was 2 or so when the weather went bad enough for the snow to hurt. It was 3 ish when after a spirited discussion I didn’t understand ended with “how far to the truck Bob?” In English, in the winter, that means, Time to hurry.

A helpful winter tip for booking a trip: If you call the shop during an arctic cold blast to schedule some fishing with your 6 year old daughter, don’t explain you are from Minnesota if you’ve lived in Arizona the last 9 years. Lasting 1/4 the time of your trip should convince you that you are no longer a northerner. Your little girl was a trooper though.

Definition of the month: Chewer: A trout that puts a fly in it's mouth long enough for Helen Keller to set the hook; a fish trying to give you a chance

A Ton of Fish

2010-12-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

I used to own and operate a small masonry company
in another life. The size of the job was often measured in tons. The
work was very hard and heavy, so to break monotony we would often
participate in some classic debates. A good one that stands out was”
what class in school could you not live without?” Obviously Idid’t say English. PFC Kelly, a newly discharged Marine oddly enough said History, I think EZ E said football practice. That led to a few days of spirited arguments. In the end the answer was obvious and agreed upon…..math, we worked with tape measures and transits after all. Even a dumb bunch of stoneslingers understood, we just can’t live without some basic knowledge of numbers.

Fly fishing uses numbers a lot. In the guiding game though I find nothing good comes from the use of numbers. This fact doesn’t come right away to new guides. Numbers are the easiest way to impress our boss, clients and other guides when we are new at this. I have developed a level of patience with new guides when it comes to numbers, much the like men I respected in my new days of this game did for me. Let me be clear here, without numbers, we as fisherman would have no logical way to define fly size, rod weight, cfs or water temperature, so we obviously need some math to survive.Fish can’t add, they don’t understand how long they are or how much they weigh; Math is as useful to a fish as 12x is to a Tarpon fisherman.

Nothing good can come from using inches, pounds or number of fish
caught when it comes to guiding. Getting a client excited about the
possibility of a 30” trout or a 53 fish day before you’ve even seen him
or her fish is a bad move for a guide. It’s usually just an ego thing
that most clients see through anyways, but the ones that don’t, start
expecting things you can’t deliver. I had to pass a couple of classes
before I was hired as a guide and the teaching didn ’t end after I was
hired. I was lucky enough to spend my early years in this business
around some of the best guides in the business and friends or not, they
taught me a ton. I never heard guides like Kevin, Dano, BP , Hate or
Worries ever use numbers and I noticed. Fly fishing requires you pay
very good attention to learn some of the less obvious things that help
you fail or succeed. Guiding is no different. “We had a great day” or
“it was tough out there” says it all, especially in or around the shop.

Lets just say some ass munch of a big headed, mediocre guide comes
strolling into the shop one day and explains at the top of his pot stained lungs
that his boat landed 53 fish that day. Let’s just say that the shop is
full of guides and clients just finishing days they seemed to think
were very successful 12 fish days. Lets just say ol “Fudge” behind the
counter uses that 53 number as a sales pitch on the phone the next few
days. What’s the score here? Who won? No one, just sayin.

I’ll be honest, I listen to a lot of numbers being used on rivers and in fly
shops, but what I hear is more like this; “we landed 4 fish over 17
inches today” means you landed a couple of 14inchers, “we landed 20 fish today” sounds like 10 to me. I’ve seen a few fish in the net over my time fishing, but honestly I still can’t say what 10 pounds of trout look like. I can only hope that doesn’t count against me as a guide.

Sorry, I could not resist slamming a picure of a hog up for this one. The disclamer is it was stocked, pellet fed and in VERY private water. A classic example of what not to brag about to a client your taking to public water.

Definition of the month: SHAY DOG : a white fish/ mr. whitey/ mountain bonefish/ Smittys favorite game fish/ not to be mistaken for Ms. Whitey

Eggs over hard made easy

2010-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

There was a time, in the history of me, that I took a few grenades for giving out to much info. I worked in and around a fly shop for gods sake....I thought that was my job. Just because I give some dude a college education doesn't mean he gets the diploma. I just figured a little good info would bring people back. Luckily that's not the way things work around the current shop I work for. I'm not saying this hair brained idea is going to change fishing or that I'm the first to think of it,but I've got my flack jacket on anyways.
Anyho, I was chatting a few weeks ago about Great Lakes Steelheading regs, specifically the one hook rule. Don't miss read me here, I'm not looking for a return of the treble hook, I just feel a little cheated with just one fly. We began to wonder how many people peg eggs above a nymph. Seemed like a good way to double up legally to me. My boy Doc has been pegging eggs every summer here in Colorado since I met him, it's deadly, but then again so is his "jig fly". So since I'm on the shelf with a hammer right now I got to thinking......Why not paint your split shot.
This time of year we live and die by the egg midge combo. While the fish eat the egg pretty consistently all winter long (all year for that matter) they really key on the midge. I've found when you take the egg off, the midge take actually can decrease. Are the fish just seeing the combo better with that bright offering included in the mix? Probably. So i dug around my pile of junk and found all the round shot I could find. I didn't want to use tin dinsmore because they were oblong, you have to match the hatch even with lead after all. I used a few different colors including oregon cheese, peach, pink and orange. It took a few coats and could probably use a clear coat of sally hansens, maybe next round.
So I used my little science experiment a little bit this weekend on an excursion with J Knight and low and behold I hooked a few trout on the outside of the mouth. I ran my everyday normal 2 fly rig, a knot at the end of my leader to hold my shot, 10-12 inches of 5x to my first fly and 18 inches to my last fly. Obviously there is more data to collect but it seemed that my rig was flossing fish just like pegging eggs. I've always thought yarn eggs didnt sink far enough and lets face it, they are a pain in the ass to tie. My normal 2 fly rig just turned into a 3 fly rig with just 2 hooks. The Moffit System with a Colorado twist. I just hope the fish don't mind thier eggs over hard.

Fishing Report

2010-10-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

I could use a couple of paid fishing trips about now, just sayin. Instead of prepping sticks, I'm finding time to post a little more, I guess it's that time of year.
How does your favorite fly shop do posting fishing reports? Do you find the reports are not updated very often during the busiest times of year? I get it. Some shops are small, lets call them mom and pop shops where even the owner is on the river for long hours each day. Things can get tough, no excuse though. The big "department store" shops, not to be mistaken for "big box" shops, have no excuse. If a shop has 3 shop dogs, a part timer and a general manager and they don't post up to date fishing reports you should make a note. Same fishing report just a different date? Take a note. RS2's on every report? Well that could work but I would still take a note.
Things get slow here in the Eagle valley this time of year and the web sites come alive with reports. That's just a hatch of bored shop dogs with owners screaming for action. Makes sense, but that should go on all year. I look at all the shops fishing reports, not just the one I work for. A few of them are doing an awesome job. I always think we can do better (sorry, just the way I was brought up). Bottom line is we are well beyond the days of having to drive over to the shop to look at the board to see whats up. It's just way to easy to sit down with a cup of Joe and get 4 opinions on the fishing and if you read the same crap every day it quickly becomes 2.
With that I figured I would post a fishing report, believe me if you want. This one always sounds about the same this time of year. No peeps in town and the fishing is great. Most shops call it an 8 out of 10. Water condition perfect, water temp perfect, hungry fish chowing on eggs and midges.....perfect. Don't even bother looking over your shoulder when you pull your boat from an eddy, no one's behind you. Fish are still eating streamers, and the endless Blue Wing hatch is still on. Believe me if you want, if not check all the other reports, they say the same thing.
The most truthful guide report I could give sounds more like this. I dragged an Elk off some mountain for a buddy this week. I'm participating in the hunt without a weapon this year, that's another story. My dog is pissed and fat, again related to that other story. My 68 year old hard of hearing father has been sleeping on my couch for 45 days now and if I watch him watch one more baseball game I'm going to loose it. I havent seen my remote in months. Sam met "Mr Whitey", "Ms Whitey" is still giving me a hard time, my Midge box has filled up on the cheap and I start a construction job on Monday. JMac taught me how to wash windows and I've learned I'm not that good.
It's that time of year. The fishing is great though.

Nuclear Summer

2010-10-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

It's not a hole that I fish all that often, usually just this time of year due to water levels. Like most of the Eagle, this is a tough place to sight fish. Clients are trusting me when I say there are fish there but that all changed about 2 weeks ago.
For 2 peeps it makes the most sense to put someone on the other side of the river. After getting one person set on the close side I walked another to the other side, considerably down stream of the best water. As I approached where I wanted my boy to stand my eye caught something very bright. At first I swore it was a belly up Brown, probably hooked to someones 50 lb mono. When I got closer I saw it move. It was a real sunny day (as they all have been this fall) and this fish almost glowed. Have the Browns begun to swim upside down? Is this some new spawning trick to stand out? I was obviously VERY interested in touching this fish. It never descended more than 2 feet or so from the surface even though the depth of this particular pool is 4 times that. My white whale was clearly feeding, dancing confidently between my 2 fishermen for the next 3 hours. We hooked other fish, good fish, but not my little neon trout. This went on for 3 client trips. I was now offically offering sight fishing trips. We could never hook her, but she was always there.
After yesterdays guide trip to the mythical fishes lair I made a promise to one of my fishermen, I would come back myself and figure it out. I don't fish by myself very often, the camaraderie is a huge part of it for me but this morning I was on a mission. It was not hard to spot her in the massive pool and I'm sorry for everyone who tried with me but it wasnt hard to hook her either. It's all about the drift after all. It ends up she is a Golden Trout, how she got there I couldn't tell you. Bottom line is she shouldn't be taking up space in this water. Odds are she was put there and the way she glows it's only a matter of time before she is Raptor chow. I've heard many a story of Pike being in the Eagle. That makes sense as there is a pond near Dotsero just teeming with them, they get out or thrown over the bank to plenty of fine food in the Eagle. I've caught Brookies where i should not have, Mackinaws and Cuttys too. A golden trout is another story. It's life won't be long where she is, especially when she likes to hover in the film the way she does so i put her back. Maybe a few more peeps can have a bit of fun with her yet this year.
Sure, there is a slim chance this fish made some epic journey from her fluorescent home but I doubt it. Stocking exotic species in a trout stream the caliber of the Eagle pisses me off. I'm sure she is 10 miles from where some ass thought she would stay and become his own back yard legend. Sure it provided me with a few days of fun, but species that don't belong bring disease and problems that can affect a watershed in very negative ways. Should I have killed her like i would have if she was a pike? Probably, but for now she is free. Cutthroat have reputations for being very good eaters, stockers for being dumb. It took 3 casts to catch this little wonder so I guess I could always go back tomorrow and take care of business if my peers are bummed with my actions. It wont be hard to spot her.

Hows your hole?

2010-10-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how a spot or a hole on a river gets named? Popularity or use have always been the most common way. Having a way to tell someone where you were when you landed Bubba forced fishermen to start naming spots on the map eons ago. "The Honey hole" probably came first.
Legend has alot to do with the naming of a hole also. Bergman, Gordon and Betters have several, Joe Brooks and Lee Wulff too. Deservedly so, these are some of the most historic names in American flyfishing lore. As large as these personalities were I'm positive they did not name these magical places after themselves. They were just prime lies that they knew and loved. Prime lies that other fishermen would leave for these legends out of respect like a small trout does for bubba. In some cases it was not named for them until long after they had moved upstream and most certainly by someone else.
The modern age of fly fishing particularly here in the west seems to be driven by ego's as large as the Rockies themselves. Fishermen and guides alike have been naming new holes here for only a few years compared to the fabled waters of the East. In some cases, like "Killer's", naming them after himself. Killer has a couple of holes, a riffle and an Island which is a joke to all the rest of us. Naming a hole after your self is just wrong. Someone else naming the hole after you is acceptable but usually not a forever thing. "Hate" has a few holes still but he does not guide much anymore so the legend is fading. "Kevin" has a hole on about every stretch we float but they are named after him because of his seniority on the water and the fact that his presence there is respected. "Perry" has a riffle, "Ol Joe" has a hole, "Yount" has a rock and "Zim" has a run. They just did not name them after themselves.
For the most part holes get a name after some time for an environmental reason. Theres a "Slant Rock", "Cemetery", "frustration" and "The Junction" on almost every river. "Stinky Beaver" came about because of the dead beaver that sat there for 3 months on the Eagle. It's since moved to the upper Colorado for a similar reason. Certain holes are called one thing by a certain set of guides and something else by others. I learned last year that what I called "The Coryall Ranch Hole" is actually the "Circle Jerk", I like that better. The "Piggy Pool" is really the "Turkey Hole", I like the piggy pool better. "The Pink Horse " pool is called "Nealons" or "Where the grass meets the water". "Killers Island" is actually called "The Whitey Hole" which explains alot. On the Eagle theres the "Barn Hole", "Steffi's Hole", "I-70", "Paddys", "Brush Creek", "The Dumpster", "Poachers", "LDS" and "Maydays Rock" just to name a few.
I dont have a spot on the river named after me at least that i know of, but i do have a hole named after me. Trust me when i tell you though, no big trout are ever going to come out of it. It's 1800 miles from here, 150 yards from the Canisteo river in the bottom of an old stolen port o john. One drunkin day shooting trap at our old hunting camp, a bet was made. Since the pooper was stolen (another story), the sludge pumper was not making regular trips to clean it out. The loosing team of a buddy shoot would blow a hole in our already used shitter with a 12 gauge shot gun. My team lost. To the amusement of my "friends", I wore a small piece of poop on my hat for hours without knowing where the stink was coming from. My partner Jimmy was smart enough to cover himself head to toe in plastic bags and a rain jacket, I wasnt that smart. So just like a spot or hole on a river my name comes up once in a while when they say "remember when Bub......"

The one that got away

2010-09-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have managed to gain understanding, even clarity, in my share of the challenges life has thrown at me, women are not one of them. I have fished with lots of women I did not sleep with and a few I wished I could have. I have fished with lady guides, ladies who you could bum a chew off of and a few that could out fish me. Like the sport I love so much I learn something new about women everyday also. Don’t read too far into this, I know alot more about fish, bugs, water and boats than I will ever know about ladies. I have been in love 4 times in my short life and they all fished with me. For some reason I feel just stupid enough to write a little about how they have shaped me as a fishing bum. While I do want another one in my life, I have learned enough to be scared of WANT and to be careful for what I ask for

Ask any guide, and they will surely tell you that they prefer to guide women, they listen and learn better. I can agree, but fishing with a Sheila you are in love with is a tricky game. Sleep with one and then take her fly fishing and things change real fast! Once you have seen your fishing partner naked they start thinking with another part of their brain. “Move that rod tip in a straight line” starts to sound like "I wish you had bigger tits” in the mind of some women. It’s an emotional battle smart men can’t win. A simple fishing bum has no chance at all if his mind has wandered off to his favorite fishing hole when she wants to cuddle.

Ladies do indeed make great fishing companions, I have had my share, they just did not last. The first was a sexy little Greek Italian who did not try real hard once she realized her high heels would not fit in waders. It was the beginning of my adventure in this sport and real women. I had no chance at either in my 20’s. Both endeavors (fly fishing and a woman out of my league) were extremely fun even if I didn’t understand a lick of either. No pun intended. She was that giant fish in an impossible spot that I just could not leave alone. Once I landed her she was nothing like I imagined. Letting her swim away was easy.

I always had a tough time concentrating around my second love, Kitty. It was probably a combination of my over active mind in my young 30’s and the fact she was built better than any woman I’ve ever seen naked. She was the perfect mix of hippie and biker chick and smart to boot. I don’t remember her ever catching a fish with me because she was always in her favorite American flag colored bikini top. Her brother was one of the best fishermen I have ever been around. He had a homemade wooden drifty, a deep hate for fishing guides and a place on the West Branch of the Delaware. Three tricky places I haven’t been in a while. I ended up breaking her off. Not sure if I put to much pressure on her or I just didn’t have enough rod for the battle.

Once in awhile a man is ready to listen to what ever a chick wants to talk him into, you all know why. Little J, all 4-10 of her was never scared of adventure and at that time in my life she helped to push me out of my comfort zone. Roscoe, Lake Placid, Spruce Creek, The Gunpowder, Yellowstone and every puddle in between became our play ground. Little J was the first woman to have the power to talk me out of working and into a fishing trip. She also taught me not to keep score. I often wonder about her and if she has ever put a rod back in her tiny hand. One day as we crossed some drainage ditch in "back woods southern NY", She caught me looking at the tiny trickle and asked “do you think about trout every time you cross water?” Was it a shot at my responsibility gene? Was I ever going to grow up and think about the important things in life? I don't remember answering, but I can admit now that I do. Little J is the one that got away. I was young and dumb and convinced myself there was another great catch in the next riffle I would float over. I was wrong about that.

There is one more. As significant as she has been for my passion (fly fishing) and my anxiety (women) she is not worth mentioning. It (she) did however give me my only lifelong client (Sam), thank god he is a boy. If you take the big bright bugs off your rig and get your junk off the bottom, you will realize how much a good trout stream or life has to offer. She was my Whitefish.

In the end it seems I understand dogs and fish better than women without ever hearing a word from either. Mixing a passion with a women is a temporary thing unless your passion is Ballroom dancing. Having to ask permission to partake in an activity you love is tiresome and it's inevitable she will feel like it's more important than her. Chasing strippers behind their back seems alot easier now that I'm old.

Dirty Laundry

2010-05-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Why do fish pound it one day and ignore everything the next? In the spring, there are 3 major factors to consider when streamer fishing.
#1: Spawning Rainbows:

Simply put, if you are getting your groove on for the first and only time of the year, you are not going to roll out to chase a double cheese burger down the hall. Leave the Bows alone during this critical period and chase the Browns sitting downstream. We sometimes go weeks with only Browns chasing meat and then one day your net realizes that the Bows are done doing their deed and they are hungry. Browns are the top predator anyways, consider the Rainbow's a bonus.
#2: Mother Nature; Water Flow, Weather, Water temp:

Low cold water after winter can be tough. High mud at the peak of run off can be dangerous. What’s in between is pure candy for the sock fisherman. Watch USGS Stream Flow Data daily, find out where the daily peaks and valleys occur and start to keep a mental journal. Good flows to float pre-run off can last 2 days or a month, you never know. Low flows can sometimes mean fish are not on the banks where we love to aim. That usually means the boat is over the fish, which makes things tough. Medium high flows push fish to holding lies along the banks and boulders, but now the boat is moving faster. Cold spring weather can slow flows, make water colder, and turn the switch off. Warm spring weather can make water colder also, so just because it's 70 doesnt mean the water is getting warmer also. A flow of 500 cfs with the water temp of 50 fishes a lot better than a flow of 500 cfs with a water temp of 40 degrees. Any big drops in water or air temp can stall streamer fishing for a day or two. Dark, gloomy days always are best for streamer fishing but spring seems different. Unlike the fall, fish will chase streamers on sunny days in the spring.
#3: Menu:

I have ignored rising fish and blanket hatches to jig rabbit in the spring and it has ruined my day. A perfect flow of clear water and fish eating BWO’s can make for a long day. That same flow, stained water and no bugs can lead to fruit. After a long winter of eating tiny little stuff, a big boy bait can be just the ticket, but so can those first hatches of spring. If the hatch is prolific like Caddis and BWO’s, it’s just like the first sighting of the ice cream truck. The kids arent gonna eat dinner.
Why is streamer fishing every guides favorite way to fish?

Because we have time to play and it’s usually a major leaguer on the rod. No peep means you can pick and choose who might get to raid your laundry basket of socks. It’s probably not going to be a rookie. It’s not an easy day throwing a 6 or 7 weight with tandem streamers and sinking leaders, so if somebody is asking for it, they probably have skills. The progression towards streamer fishing usually delivers me a peep with enough skill to mold into a junkie. They have nymphed and thrown drys, been in a boat and with a guide before. The chase of a big fish has become important for the resume and they realize that a degree in Tandem streamer fishing will help. Bottom line? Streamer fishing with a skilled angler brings big fish, loads of energy and laughs to the boat.
Want to try?

Get excited, it’s the best time of year to fish. Mid March- Peak Run Off is one of the quietest times of the year as far as angling pressure goes. It’s a great time to get deals on guides, lodging and food. As the resort closes here in “The Beverly Hills of the Rockies”, the first of a bi annual phenomenon, we call "The Dead Beat / Trust Fund er Behavioral drift" happens. Half of everything is closed, three quarters of everybody is on a beach somewhere and the fishing is sicko. It’s almost like the fish know and they like to reward the die hards by eating shit that looks like dirty laundry.
My official fishing report for the Eagle river the next ten days is: Book a boat immediately!

Awesome pics by the genius that is JMac.

The bug has been officailly named for the last time. Sam's Sock. Available in #4 and #8, Fox Variant, Olive Variant and Black.

Economics

2010-03-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Had a nice float down the Roaring Fork with Agent Newell yesterday. We managed to scare up our share on a tough fishing day with some cutting edge new baetis patterns. This time of year is a great time to get a look at what new tricks have been spit from your buddies vise. The winter is not as long in the central Rockies as some people may think, but it's long enough to restock the boxes. You don't have to be a thread spinner to fill spaces in that box though.

I found over $80 of flies on hats i will never wear again. I have no idea how much i saved by cutting apart spent bugs for the hook and bead, but it was significant. Bugs migrate to the lid of old fishing hats for many different reasons but research has shown they are rarely put back in the game. Maybe that old Lime Wulff has great sentimental value because Bill Perry tied it back in the 80's. Maybe it was a Lawson imitation that rocked on the Henrys Fork, an old Bergman salmon fly or a K Streamer Zim gave you on a once in a life time float. I once trudged around the country with 3 real ugly Caddis stuck in my hat just because Fran Betters tied them in the Adirondack Mountains. I was never going to use them, I was just in hope his legend would leak through into my forehead. Either way most of these retired veterans become treasures to be talked about, not used again.

Honest to goodness I filled over 40 slots in a CF box with good bugs that thought they were lost forever. Now they are free to work again and maybe retire with dignity.............in a tree

Letter to the Editor

2010-02-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

This whole letter and the urge to write my first letter to the editor is because Ken Neubecker scared me into it at a recent TU meeting.

Most of us moved here hot to spend more time pursuing a passion; for the most part it was skiing. World class, Epic and Biblical are just a few adjectives I’ve heard describing our winter wonderland. So how strange would it be, to have to book a trip back to say Killington for a ski vacation? If you were only promised 25% of the snow you are used to it would not be so comical. My passion is not skiing or boarding, its fishing. I moved here for that reason, I’ve stayed for a few different ones but the water continues to run in my veins. But now on the eve of some very significant decisions, I am realizing, in the very near future, I may have to tote my fishing junk right back to the water rich northeast for a fishing vacation.
Its ski season and everyone has snow on their minds. Without mother natures help a great resort like ours is nothing more than a trendy village with fancy people in their fabulous fur coats. Global warming debates aside; we will always have some snow to mess around on, we live above 7000’ after all. We as locals make a living on recreation. Skiing and boarding are roughly 7 months worth of our pay checks, but we can’t cash our summer checks without snow either. All that could be changing.
Fishing and boating becomes an outlet and even lively hoods for many of us come summer. We are within an hour of some of the most incredible fishing in the entire Great American West. Unfortunately, if the Front Range gets its way and its water from the proposed Moffat Expansion Project, all of us who love the rivers will be booking fishing trips back in the great lakes region.
So how many of you understand that there is a 100% chance of doom actually knocking on the door of our summer fun? I have seen that infamous graph showing the water levels of our last drought year of 2002 several times in the last month. This year’s line is right on top of that one. Not much we can do Momma Nature and her cousin El Whatever seem to be in charge.
If we don’t get snow, the rivers and reservoirs will suffer, the fish will suffer, the boaters will suffer, and recreation in general will suffer. If indeed this summer ends up looking like 2002, I think it’s important to treat it as practice, because that’s how things may be all the time if the Front Range gets its way.
The Moffat Expansion Project would give the Front Range 30% more water from the headwaters of the Colorado. That basically means the Colorado will flow at 25% of its historical native flow. Trade in your Drift boat for a raft now. By right, it’s theirs to take. It’s not their right to ignore some of the significant statistics that are before them. A middle ground that would improve efficiency and minimize harmful impacts needs to be found for our children’s sake. Choosing to review partial data regarding a very fragile ecosystem is kind of like trying a murder case OJ Simpson style. There is really only one thing we can do at this point and that’s write letters, lots of them. We as outdoor enthusiasts need to write letters to the Army Corp of Engineers and letters to our state legislature. This is not something to leave for our children to do, it will be too late. E-mails and petitions are great but this situation calls for good old ink on recycled paper with a stamp. Make these people open something; make them review the data in a fair way. Saying that there will be no huge change to our historical flows is just crap, there is just nothing more to give.
This is not a maybe like Global warming, it is going to happen. A middle ground seems to be all we can hope and fight for. Simply put, diverting more water from the headwaters of Colorado is going to finish destroying an incredible watershed and its inhabitants. The Front Range has the right to the water they are proposing to take, there is no changing that. It is imperative that we fight to prove that it’s just not logical to take it from the Colorado, our “Mother River”. The facts are, we are dealing with very old legislation controlled by a Water Board for a very big city that was frankly built in the wrong place. I guess growing Azaleas and Kentucky Bluegrass in the desert is more important than Trout, birds, kayaks, and oh by the way one of the states biggest industries, Recreation.
We should all be honored to have lived and played in such a place, good economics or not, this is a true mountain paradise. This area is to rich in outdoor beauty to utter the words “remember when”, get off your butt and write. The written public comment period ends on March 17th, please don’t wait. You can learn more by visiting our local Trout Unlimited chapter’s website, eaglevalleytu.org. You will find all the facts, addresses and even a sample letter. Summer fun is right around the corner and I’m looking forward to seeing familiar faces and fins for many more to come.

The slush hatch

2010-01-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

It's always struck visitors and locals alike as unusual that you can fish in the winter, especially above 6000 feet. Coming from a Great Lakes trib fishing back ground, winter fishing has been a way of life for me, not abnormal. Most of my winter guiding experience has been on wade trips of the half day variety, but there has always been a few hardy souls willing to try a float December-February.

Winter float fishing has its challenges. Just getting there is the first. There is just no reason to rush to the river, the best fishing is going to happen in the afternoon. Arrive to early and witness the early morning slush hatch and you'll know what I'm talking about. After floating the Roaring Fork 4 times since New Years day, I've found the best fishing is basically Noon- Dusk with a "magic" hour in the middle of the afternoon. Fishing on the fly is usually not worth it as our rigs are long, deep and heavy. Once in a while on those real warm days, you can hurl your favorite streamer pattern on the fly but that is better left for March. Boat ramps can also influence how and when you get to the river. In early January I had a client who was, lets say very anxious to get to the river and get going. Sometimes it's just not worth arguing with your peep about timing, you just have to get there and let him see for himself. I stopped and looked at the take out (which i recommend highly if you haven't seen it in 3 months), and it looked like there wouldn't be an issue. I then called my shuttle driver who is a local and her husband guides on the Fork. She thought i was a bit loony but with our economic issues she didn't try and talk me out of it, besides her husband was in the background teasing me into it. When we arrived at the put in, the water was covered in slush, and a wade trip on the upper Fork crept into my plan. Long story short, after being called out by my 76 year old buddy's, "no guts no glory" speech, i backed my truck and trailer down the ramp still wondering how to slow down my departure. That ended up working it's self out as my truck and trailer was buried in the snow for the next 45 minutes. By the time i finished with that circus act the slush was gone and we went on to a great day of fishing.

Boat placement is also very different in the winter. On most float trips the oarsman finds a comfortable line for his anglers to throw to the bank. In the winter those areas can look more like a hockey rink and I am yet to see anyone throw a tuck cast under ice. Most trout will hold off of these traditional summer areas out on what we call the second seam over some deeper water. In this case you are still holding a line in or around the middle of the river, it's just further away from the bank than most rowers are used to. The other line that is used commonly in the winter is bank hugging. When there is no ledge ice on the bank you can slow your boat and give anglers more shots by staying in the rocks and shallows along the bank, throwing back towards the middle of the river to the seam that is holding the fish. This takes some practice and a proficient crab stroke so you don't make a bunch of noise with the boat.

Knowing your float and whats coming up around the corner is the number one way to keep your peep interested. I usually explain our fishing for the day as "hole to hole". When the water is low and slow it's very easy to hover a boat in prime areas without using an anchor. Knowing what holes to spend time in and how much time to linger only comes with experience. Don't bank on your favorite summer hole to look the same in the dead of winter. Winter holes can be places you pass in prime time because they are to fast or deep to play with when you are wearing your tee shirt.

Summer crowds on float rivers can be every boaters additional headache. In the winter a crowd can be one other boat. Because you both know you can only fish effectively hole to hole, it sometimes becomes a race. When you are with a guide you don't have to worry about that but believe me the guide is. The good ones know to play some cards out there and realize that you don't necessarily win by finishing first. If I'm following someone more experienced than my 2 bit program and i recognize it, i have a couple more things to think about for the day . Do i want to get ahead of him and piss him off by being parked in every good hole when he comes around the corner? Playing nice and sharing doesn't just apply to children unless your looking to make your life hard every time that other dude is on the river with you. Another thing to think about when sharing is if the other boat doesn't have the experience your team does. If I'm following a bunch of guys with less game I tend to let them get ahead of me. That can backfire all day long on ya if you let it though. Winter is when i have found every secret spot i know because someone else was parked there. In the summer the amount of boats on the river can give you data but it's often to diluted, fishing on the fly is still an option and there are many different rigs you can use. When you are going hole to hole in the winter, someone more experienced than you is bound to tip his hat to something really special. If you pass a hole with two bent rods, remember it for next time. The trick is to remember what the boat and the guide looked like also. Lot's of people forget that part. Try and be careful or sneaky enough to not park in that spot he gave you when he comes around the corner next time. Play nice and you will be trusted out there.

Often our pre trip data can be limited in the winter also. Checking a USGS site to analyze water flows is a great way to start planning, unfortunately the winter gauges often just read ice so you have no idea what to expect. That should also sound like "be careful". Winter is just one case for why i love rubber boats so much, who cares if it's low. Rubber opens up runs and holes the drifty in front of you has no right trying for. It also gives you options at the take out or put ins. That early January day with ol Warren stuck on the boat ramp spooked me at the take out, so i just took my boat apart and walked it up the hill ( thank you Pack and Agent Newell) I've since been sliding it down the snow covered put in, and dragging it up all together, cooler and all, at the take out. Point being is you never really know until you try, same should be said for this winter float stuff.

Learn your river well. Dress right, float at the right time, think out side of the summer box, have some balls and you don't have to put your boat away for the winter. Skiing sucks anyways, I can live with snow shoes. Most everybody you are going to pass on the river in the winter are the true diehards of this sport. They feel the same way and can help hold the key to great fishing in the summer if you pay attention.

Stocking Stuffers

2009-12-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

The need for a stocking stuffer for Uncle Alan has given me a reason to screw around with the Unibobber. The good people at Hareline sent a complimentary pack of these mini thingamabobbers made for tying with my last order. The pictures are deceiving, they are small, at most 1/4". These are all tied on a #14 emerger hook but i am sure you could go as far as #16. Sweet little spring creek indicator for back home, maybe i can even test it on Spring Creek behind the hatchery,it's been a long time. Who knows maybe these babies will be all the rage on the tailwaters, help me out Theo. The only secret i will give on these holiday recipes is i used 9 year old Chocolate Lab hair for the dubbing, extremely buoyant stuff.

Not much to report on the fishing up here, i have had a hammer in my hand more than the Hellboy. There are plenty of open spots along the ice rink we call The Eagle river and the fish are stacked. The water below Basalt on the Fork and the Lower C below GWS look very good with little to no shelf ice. Heading back to my roots on the North Coast without a rod so i am sure the fish will be in.

Merry Christmas! May you get bent good in the new year.

More good bugs

2009-12-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

So here's a few more bugs from the vise for winter. We used to get a dubbed body version of the top bug way back when Perry ran the ship, it was lethal. JC adopted it as one of his favorite winter morsels way back when. We nick named it the Baboon, JC still asks me on occasion if i have any and there usually are a few hidden away. Now the new version for winter 09-10, the JuJu Baboon. The middle snack is the #22 olive Wee Wee, it's been deadly as of late and is a winter go to in Olive, Grey, Purple, Blue and Black. The bottom fly is Sam's Tungsten Sally #16. I wrap this up in #14-#20. I'm looking forward to throwing this in a #18 this summer when i see those Micro Sallies again.

Slip and Slides

2009-12-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

Before Sam and I drive through “Big Buck alley” on the mornings I pick him up down in town, we stop and pick up the local papers in front of the Eagle Pharmacy. We have been doing it 3 days a week for 7 months but it wasn’t until this morning that I looked down and noticed the storm sewer had a fish on it. On further inspection I noticed in proud, bold, raised India steel, the words “no dumping” and “flows to river” flanking that fish. I wonder how many other people haven’t noticed that? I’m thinking some paint would make it stand out more. Most trout fisherman understand we have some challenges that face our sport, they don’t need a storm drain to tell them that surface run off is BAD. It’s everyday Daryl I wonder about. My wonder grows from experience with road and river clean ups. If you look from someplace other than a car window traveling 65 miles an hour you will see most people are pigs. Fish counts in reliable historical area’s have been dropping steady when shocking is performed directly downstream of society and it’s storm sewers. The “old” problems like mines, golf corses and sewage treatment are not issues like they used to be, thanks to people. While we have been congratulating ourselves for a justifiable job well done, a new problem has been silently working over places like Arrowhead, thanks to people. I guess Daryl look's at all of the fancy treatment plants and assumes we are doing everything within our power so he lobs a cigarette butt or some chewing gum out of the car window. I once listened to a biologist describe exactly what was in a sample of foam from I-70 and it was sickening. More Klingon than human. The newspaper box is only about 2 miles from my house but it’s probably 500 ft below it. There are several fancy steel grates with the fish on them before the road goes dirt and mother nature takes over. I began to think about shit flowing down hill and the unfortunate and often taken for granted fact, that there is a trout stream at the bottom of it. I look at my dirt road and it's "mother nature engineering" and it makes me think; things were bumpy but better before concrete. If I was to dump a 5 gallon bucket of nuclear waste up here, it would take Sam's lifetime to register (dont worry i used what i had already). Mother natures filtering system seems infinately larger and a whole lot more efficient than these slip and slides the municipalities love so much. I think we should paint those grates chartreuse. At least someone who may not know any better will notice them when they stop to get the paper.

As for the fishing: The weather and the fishing remain hot. We guided a few trips over Thanksgiving but the crowds are light while the fishing remains stellar. Nymphing is the rule and small is king. Baetis, Midge and eggs hung under what else? A Bobber.

Early Winter Bugs

2009-11-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

A couple of tasty treats to wet the whistle for the up coming winter season. Zim sent me the picture of "Midge Magic" up top, very cool stuff and absolutely no info as to where it came from or who's responsible. I guess Charlie Craven is responsible for the middle one even though I tied it. Super Hair bodies have become all the rage. Tying them is simple and the great range of colors make for incredibly lifelike imitations. I just add things like Tungsten beads in the Thorax, trailing shucks and softhackles. The last pic is the #20 Blue Wee Wee. Blue is this years purple which everyone knows was the new black the year before that. I think all that started with the color red

I'm looking for good pictures of your favorite PRH patterns.

Think with yer rod tip......Jimmie

2009-11-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry, but little loud Scottish dude scrambling around whacking people makes me laugh. It's true marketing genius when my old man does not hit the mute button during a commercial.“ That’s thinking with yer dip stick….Jimmie” has me thinking about a teaching tool passed along from a more knowledgeable master once. "Tactile" I think he called it, using physical contact as a teaching aid. Touching adds to the moment’s sensation and can make it more meaningful in certain instances. I learned this in a casting demonstration where the instructor would touch the area of concern, whether it be a wrist, forearm, finger or grip. The sensation of touch made the moment more significant and people learned quicker. My elbow once touched someone and it became one hell of a moment and everyone learned something, but I’m not supposed to talk about that. When you start to break a bird dog with electricity you begin to get in that dogs head. You push a button and he starts to understand that his master can be an influence even at great distances, he begins to listen. I am NOT saying i have secretly wished to put a shock collar on everyone who has sat in my boat, but that would make me laugh like i do at little Scotts and his dip stick. By adding the sensation, or pain in a dogs case, the learning process has a definite down side if he does not progress. A wet handshake after a great fish will always be part of the moment you may remember. A firm hand on your shoulder during a fast water wade say's i'm here with you. A partial hug from another man clearly explains you have been to battle together. A 4 shot night and an open hand grab on some biker chicks back bumper will probably lead to a lesson of some sort. So wouldnt a good whack with a 4’ piece of graphite just crystallize that special moment when you forget to mend for the 200th time? I think so. One guy I know has a naughty seat in his craft, but an old rod tip trumps that. A small thoughtful handle of duck tape on an old buggy whip tip and you have got yer self a perfect attention getter. At the very least you have your buddy acting like a wet bird dog fully expecting some voltage.
Seriously, making people aware of the tip of their fly rod has helped “some” peeps go to another level. Where is your tip pointing? How high is your tip? Can you move your tip quickly in a straight line to an abrupt stop? Can you feel your tip move as the rod loads? Where does your tip stop during the plane of the stroke? Lots of tip shit there huh? It’s often hard to control something consistently that far from your hand, but you have to in order to operate a fly rod. Raising your tip off the water can happen quietly with just your wrist or like some crazy Yoga move, it’s based on the situation. To much Yoga on a move that should have been just wrist leads to less fishing and more casting. Hand anyone a rod and ask them where all the money is and they will tell you the handle, it makes sense, it's usually surrounded by bling. Nice cork, titanium, gold up locking hoopty with sweet paint, obvious and common choice. Most people are not privy to the tip flex coefficient taper regulation flow chart , nor should they be, so I’ll tell you. The brains of the operation are about 9’ away from that bling. The more you think with your rod tip…..Jimmie, the more this whole game will make sense. Marketing schemes only last so long so I better whack some one soon, otherwise I may have to explain further, I did that for a year with the elbow thing.
A quick note on Jimmies: This is all much funnier to anyone who knows Fieldsy. For at least 2 hilarious years , long before this Valvoline thing, he called everyone he didn’t know…..Jimmie. One of the greatest men I ever knew… Mr Simmons i have missed you since i last saw you. My favorite person in the world to hunt with(top 5 anyways) Jimmie T, I miss your radio jabber. Kirk was an awesome Jimmie. Morrison and Hendrix should be mentioned. Number 12 in your program #1 in your heart.....Jim Kelly. And everyone know's, Jimmies make a good frozen custard better.

I can't get any higher

2009-11-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

I was tempted to turn my head lights off the moon was so huge tonight. Driving east from Glenwood Springs up through the Canyon the moon hung in just the right position I was bummed there were tools in my truck instead of a rod. A giant harvest moon, spawning Brown Trout and a streamer rod and I am late for work tomorrow morning.
I took a quick drive to Basalt to check out an open house for a new Water Use Commitment on the upper Colorado River tonight. I won’t bore you with details that I needed an interpreter for and there are 100’s of these issues on the table here in Colorado alone. They all look the same in the end, we are running out of liquid. The “shuffling” of water around on a couple of water sheds on my turf is going to make things look different in the near future. It’s happening everywhere and the experts say “the glass isn’t half empty, it’s almost dry”. We already cheat the laws of gravity for the sake of Kentucky blue grass on the front range. Water that naturally flows west from our side of the divide is pumped and sloshed through an elaborate maze of tunnels and ditches to faucets in Denver and surrounding areas. Western communities survive by collecting water, basically every year. It’s not like there is an insurance policy the size of lake Powell stashed away for low water years. We modern age western folk basically live pay check to pay check as far as H2O goes. I once read that each American uses 1500 gallons of virtual water daily. That’s the water in all the little details that make up your day, from the shirt you wear, the cool aid you make your ankle biters to the wrapper on your Whopper Jr. So as we continue to flock west, each person requires a certain amount of water. Each small fry born to the mountains of the west must be accounted for in the budget and almost 2 years ago I messed with it myself (i guess Sam's mom is part responsible). I think about what fishing here will be like for Sam when he is 40. It largely bums me out. The needs of man will continue to mess with these delicate watersheds and it seems inevitable that the business of recreation on these gems will be the first to loose, along with Sam.
On most water sheds that are bumming you can usually bank on finding good water and fish by going higher. There is a definite purity to everything as the elevation increases. The Colorado is a huge river and I’m already along way away from the drain, I can’t get much higher.

Sell it like it is

2009-10-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

It’s no secret that all of us are going to be wearing rubber soled wading shoes in the very near future. While felt has been the traditional bottom for all purpose traction, it’s terrible for the environment. Felt carries ick around like a kindergarten student without Kleenex.
Wader companies have always taken grenades from fishermen who wear their waders more than 25 days a year and they just can’t win. Boots fall apart, waders leak. They should just put that on the label and supply some aqua seal. River bottoms, weather, temperature, snow etc will vary so much that the "ultra grip rubber"marketing campaigns are destined to fail. Sell it like it is, Rubber, Eco friendly and great in winter.
The men who make water proof pants are rallying the same way a high end university pubs their star QB for his Heisman run. Adjectives are flying like leaves, Gripper, Sticky, Non slip and Traction to name a few. Does this leave a vulnerable part of the industry even more susceptible to criticism? Don’t promise Sticky when High Float and Never Leak did not work, it’s just never going to satisfy an already tough crowd like fishermen. What happens when Dime Bag Daryl takes a header in his “Ultra stick Eco track tread boot” and wants an explanation? After years of unofficial testing most guys will tell you they slip all over the place in felt and expect the sliding to increase dramatically with rubber. The Teva sandals I run for boat shoes are no better than roller skates on my dog, but they leave a cool tan line. Since the weather has gone straight to winter and I am back in waders for a while I decided to field test a few of my own ideas. I am starting with a pair of hybrid 2006 Henrys Fork's with felt on just the left sole and Patagonia laces, Call a spade a spade. Rubber is not felt so slipping is inevitable. If they sell us "the best damn sole for the environment" then we will have to take their word on it, if the sticky isnt grippy we will notice. Let's not loose sight of why all this came up in the first place and thats to protect our fish and their fragile habitat. I'll slip around for that. Maybe this will lead to a new division for the industry..... helmets. I’m calling Under Armor, maybe they can shoot a commercial of Lew getting out of the drifty done up Adrian Peterson style. Someone should come up with a $29 wading staff with a Eco friendly rubber tip.

Fishing was good over the weekend. Managed a trip west of Glenwood with Scott and Steve (thats them in the pic) on Sunday and the last couple of hours made the trip. Mid to late day fishing was best and the streamer action was consistent once the water heated up (i guess). Not may bugs besides a few waves of BWO's and Midges. It didn't matter as we landed quality fish on big rabbit.I counted over 20 beds on our float so the spawn is in full swing, be careful where you wade.

Hasselhoff was the man

2009-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have been cranking on it hard lately, the vise that is. Sam has even been interested enough to sit on my lap and patiently play with tweezers while daddy makes "ffwhys". This time of year makes me think of what fly i used most, what i relied on in third down situations and weapons i wished i had in the arsenal. We saw a small yellow Sallie this year and there was just no nymph close enough, so yellow Barr Emergers and Yellow Pheasant tails went on the list. Soft hackles have been around forever and have made a serious come back as of late. Natural materials like Partridge, Hen saddle, Ostrich herl and even Wood duck can add life and action that's very different from regular nymph ties. Playing with tried and true patterns and trying to customize them to make them all the more sexy is an old practice. Hasselhoff was the man but eventually Brad Pitt works better. The fact that you can buy Pheasant Tails in 4000 different styles proves all bugs go through an evolution, even an Elk Hair can grow rubber legs. Barr Emergers, Pheasant Tails, Hares ear etc…..you can find these bugs by the billions in every fly shop on the planet, why tie them when you can buy them? I agree, I never get wet with out the above mentioned baits in my box. They have all been proven 1000’s of times over, but some of us always think we can twist some innovative magic on the shank. A little flash, a softhackle, a bead, epoxy or some glass, there are so many ways to help our favorite flies leave the box with a more confident swagger, because it’s different, because it’s special. Personally i have begun just using black tungsten beads and cones. The stuff sinks like 2 week old fly line and the color can make it just that much different.The latest science experiment is the Tungsten JuJu Softhackle and as Zim would say "it rocks". It’s always great to explain to your boy that "the fishes are biting on my JuJu” not the store bought model. That size 18 Tung JuJu Softhackle was probably my best fly on the Fork Thursday afternoon. Same exact float on Saturday and I could not buy a fish on it. That’s fishing. We managed a few fish on streamers but I didn’t try real hard either day, nymphing still rules and the small bugs are being eaten by some very big fish on the Fork right now. Still leading with 16's and 14's tungsten stones and quills even a few eggs. A beautiful Cutty just above town rounded out the slam on Thursday.

"My fly is stuck in the drapes"

2009-10-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

So how would you feel if a couple of artist type’s offered your community a boat load of money to show their art in your back yard. The hitch is their art is approximately 40 miles long and it’s going to cover your favorite trout stream. Seriously, two frenchies, Jacques and Jean-Claude want to hang draperies to form a roof over miles of the Arkansas river. I’m not sure if they are French, maybe they are Canadian but most Canucks I’ve drank with have more sense. Of course there is a lot to be discussed and approved, the BLM is going to have miles of paper work on this one. So what’s it worth? The artist’s estimate 560,000 visitors and 195 million to the state in travel revenues. That more than doubles the visitor numbers for rafting in the area. And they estimate people will spend 4-5 additional days in surrounding area’s with their jingle. That’s money to my fishing guide ass, but then again they are not proposing making my favorite trout stream a dome stadium. I did not read anything about how long the “art” would be displayed or what time of year, I assume not winter. They did say that they were working with all the recreational businesses that depend on the river to make as little negative impact on their lives as possible. Maybe they will pay all the raft guides summer rent (camp site and fire wood fees) and put them on salary for chillin instead of rowing the river of no sun. I know I would not be the only one hemorrhaging if the Eagle was their mark. I could just see it, no sun screen, sunglasses optional and side arm cast’s only. I’m sure when the wind howls those drapes are going to flap so loud I would have to supply ear plugs. If this thing is planned right, they could run some electric and we could do night floats. “Oh no sir we do trips 24-7 now that we have a roof and you can leave your 400 dollar rain jacket home”. Just think of it, fishing mice could become a daytime affair and the blue wings would hatch all season. Sam’s 7’ 5 weight would be the rod of choice anything longer and you couldn’t even roll cast. Occasionally I float under a bridge or a power line and I feel compelled to let peeps know that it’s “in play”, a roof would just put me over the edge. You can get all the facts and read more about it in the latest issue of Trout.

Reel Recovery

2009-10-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Big shout out to the guy’s at Reel Recovery for putting together another great retreat here in Colorado; Stan, Coy, Andrew, Rob, Rees and who ever else i forgot, great job!!! Reel Recovery is a national non-profit organization that conducts free fly fishing retreats for men recovering from cancer. All of us who enjoy this sport understand, casting a fly has some "healing powers" in spite of it’s tangles and Reel Recovery helps introduce that feeling to men in the battle of their lives. The RR Gang have found a nice prescription for distraction and to ease the worry symptom, they provide a huge dose of hope and faith in a pill called fly fishing. From a "buddies" perspective, the medicine RR Retreat's push works, even on perfectly normal guides (if there are any). As a buddy you spend part of the day acting as a guide for some amazing fishing but you are also there trying to talk about some pretty personal poop, which is definately a different angle on a normal guide day. It was great to have Pack Man along, nothing like a day away from the shop on private water, I know the guy's he spent the day with apprieciated it for lot's of reasons. Does the owner of your favorite guide service or fly shop give back?

I have only participated in the Colorado retreats so I cant comment on the whole program but I see a great increase in the amount of Buddies that show up, Kudos’s gentlemen!!! Our shop was introduced to the program by the Big Zim. He of the large calve tribe and his side kick Sasha are great ambassadors for Reel Recovery here in Colorado, every state should have a buddy with the heart of a Zim. This was my second trip to guide the headwaters in the last few weeks, very very cool stuff (guiding private water gets that type of reaction). The retreat fishing took place on the Reeder Ranch which operates as a private club on 2+ miles of the Colorado just below the Williams Fork. What a spot!!! Hat’s off to the Reeder Ranch and the Bar Lazy J for donating their time, facilities, kind staff and incredible water to Reel Recovery. You don’t have to donate your kick ass club water to help. You don't have to give a portion of every trip you sell. You don't have to keep your resort open an extra week for free. Just check out the website reelrecovery.org and get involved. Help out as a buddy at a retreat, attend one closing ceremony amongst these men and you will get it. Hear men speak in forums that are usually uncomfortable, experience what it’s like to come out of a shell and open up all because of fly fishing. I have never forgotten the first time I heard one of these gentleman thank me for spending the day with them and saying they didn’t think of cancer once. Our sport has a true meditative sense about it and it truly can have healing powers if we let it. This is the kind of thing that can really help a dude appreciate his health and man kind who give a fuck. Once you have participated you will never want to miss another opportunity to help.

What came first, the Floro fibre midge or the JuJu?

Is my Thingamabobber dragging my junk around more than yarn used to?

What does Aunt Sally expect?

2009-09-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

So you decide to give your favorite fly shop a call and get a fishing report. Are you expecting ol' John to tell you the fishing sucks? He probably never will. If you are dialing one of today’s “Boutique” fly shops, the after hours recording can provide more info than Lance, who’s just working the register in between his modeling gig’s for Patagonia. If the voice on the phone explains he has no idea what the thread count on the newest Gucci wading jacket is, listen. If the dude say’s JuJuBee is a candy, hang up. A shop that operates a guide service is privy to some pretty specific information from very reliable sources. The fact that most fishing guides are optimistic to a fault should be a clue as to what type of answer to expect. Hope and luck play such a huge part in this game no one should ever say "it sucks"and besides there are to many variables to say everyday can be as good as yesterday. Clients are different, conditions, guides, locations and time of day or year, change. All can be factors affecting the data, not to mention that poor shop dick needs to figure out who’s lying before he can confidently give good tips. The leader jockey starts deciding who’s a reliable source in the large pool of guy’s trying to impress someone and that aint easy. Once his broker starts providing info he can back up, he sticks with him, you should do the same. Obviously a lot of my info comes from guides I work with, but not all of them. A few are to uptight or suspicious and a few do the same shit everyday on the water so there really is no reason to chase them for answers. You have to read between the lines but try and trust somebody at the same time. Local guys who seem to beat you to the river everyday are good friends to have. Guides who fish on their day off or after a trip probably need another fishing buddy, believe me, introduce yourself. Shuttle drivers at least know what color the water is and who’s where. It can be anyone, George the bagel guy, Tommy the restaurant owner, a bar manager, a map maker, a newspaper photographer or your Aunt Sally. I actually get a ton of info from guides who work for other companies so don’t insist that your buddies need to wear the same colors as you. The team handbook say’s to always have hope, I expect my info to be laced with it.

What are your expectations for the day? Your guide or that shop dog have no idea how good you are, so a bit of honesty is useful. "I’ve been to Alaska 5 times” only makes us nervous and a touch skeptical. "Lefty taught me how to double haul" sounds like more missed hook sets. “How many fish am I going to catch today?” is like asking the caddie you just met how many pars you should expect to scribble on your card. If you can’t deliver the bugs, mend for a dead drift, strip the bunny or even set the hook then, what you get might not be what you were hoping for. Expectations should be different based on where’s, what’s and who’s. If my skinny ass is heading to New Zealand I expect to catch the biggest Brown of my life, sight fishing in real drab clothing with a guide that won’t let me cast until we see the fish. If I’m after some fish on Salmonfly drys then I expect that would be IN the spring and not ON a spring creek. If I’m fishing in the back seat behind Aunt Sally who has dragged her package through every good spot in front of me, I won’t be expecting to catch a bushel of fish on a size 20 emerger. I’m floating you down some of the most incredible freestone streams in the country, i love fishing and guiding them all, but honestly I don’t expect them to fish like the Big Horn or the Green.

Guides and fly shops don’t possess a hidden power to control the weather. If your report filled with glee came 2 weeks prior to the gale force winds you are now facing, don’t shoot the messenger. Weather can force guides to change tactic’s in an attempt to keep your 2 dollar flies working for the cause and that can jiggle the expectation fulfillment gauge. I would not expect to throw a size 20 dry fly in a rain storm and 40 mile an hour winds, you shouldn't either. Adapt to the conditions, the river and the other nuances our ever changing sport throws at us and you can still shoot par, unless maybe you are an Aunt Sally.

Get information directly from the source when possible and that’s your guide. Ask the shop dog you are booking the trip with to have the guide call you the night before, the good one’s do anyways. In most cases your Sherpa will have more details than the dude on the phone. That poor guy has the hardest job in the industry 2 months a year so cut him some slack.

That is not Aunt Sally pictured

Mend that cord

2009-09-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

So I heard my fly line referred to as a cord again this week. I didn’t correct the dude, not once all day. "Mend that cord" I would say or "your just leaving too much cord on the water sport". I got a kick out of it, By this time of year I really don’t care what people call fly line as long as they can mend it. It’s easy to get people to mend, you just have to tell them when (2 person full day trips average 1035 times). I hope it doesn’t come across like I short changed my boy by not correcting him, it was just a nice way for my tiny brain to stay entertained. I’m not sure if the guy in the back of the boat knew any better or not, he never said anything. At least no one called my Helios a pole.

The first picture is of JMac who is a weapon with the big yellow bug. The other picture is of Sheldon from a float this week on the Colorado, Grizzly Creek - Two Rivers. We were the only boat fishing that stretch and it’s a great one in the fall. Sheldon and his wife managed a few fish dry dropper style before the conversation turned to streamers, 6wts,sinking leaders and a bug I like to call Sam’s High Tail. Shannon either bowed out because the next inning sounded a bit testosterone heavy or she was scared to death. The whole thing was easier to mange one newbie at a time anyway. The newbie at least played ball with SU legend Billy Owens so i decided in advance there was material to work with. Shannon ended up having a great time watching as Sheldon picked things up right away and soon had fish chasing wet rabbit. Everyone in the boat understood why streamers are so much fun, it’s the chase and the brief throb of a fish that pulls free. You don’t have to touch every fish to be pleased when twice a day you have a major hog chase your junk to the boat. The high light of Sheldon’s first day streamer fishing was his biggest brown trout ever (picture). A size 4 Sam’s High tail in Olive or Fox Variant worked great as a lead and the Kobe Bryant rig continues to produce. Still loving the Rio sinking leader which now that I think of it, is a lot like cord. If you have never chucked streamers with the Helios SW 6 (Hell Boy) give it a try, it’s a great pole

Bob-ber Talk

2009-09-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

That’s right I said it, Bobber. I have never been accused of being an old school fly fishing purist. “Old School Purist” in this case would be someone who would never be caught dead buying an indicator. I’ve tried to sell the idea to the Joe Humphreys crowd. Trimmed yarn wont tempt them, stick ons that are cut down into micro tags don’t work either but dumping a handful of large thingamabobber's on the counter makes for a great reaction. Let the old guard buy thier size 10 Adams and come join me as i watch a bobber. I am from a generation of fly fisherman who grew up with indicators and I am now very comfortable calling the damn thing a bobber. This blog is all about fly fishing and how to get better and have more fun, from a guides perspective. I didn't need any convincing about the worth of a good "cork" growing up Steelheading the tribs of the North Coast, it was the only way to hold all that lead up just off the bottom. I have since read that we fisherman still miss 61.418% of our strikes and i need all the help i can get. Like fly fishing, life is all about what you do with your opportunities and I’m sure we all have wished life came with a bobber. As a full time guide over the last few years I have come to realize that the measure of my fishing success directly corresponds to the amount of opportunities I provide. I teach this game daily. I teach it to young and old, experienced and not, even a few purist's. This blog ends up being another opportunity for me to spew another gallon of nonsense about fly fishing to a few more people. There have been occasions in the past, where i have been accused of giving to much information. My defense was always "if they can't get a drift, the info won't work anyways". Techniques and tips are only valuable if they are explained in a language you understand, application is up to you. I’m not going to give away any secret spots or the zip code of Mr Bubba Troutzilla, enough people want to kill me already. I am however, a fly junkie and i love to tie so you will definately get some of my best dribble about which bugs are working and maybe even how to tie some. I guide for Minturn Anglers in the Eagle River valley (Vail for some of you) on 100’s of miles of some of the most incredible rivers in the central Rockies. The Colorado river, the Roaring Fork, Gore Creek, numerous other creeks and my favorite THE Eagle River.They have been the back drop for some great memories with friends new and old. I am surrounded by a cast of characters in the fly fishing industry, guides, owners, competitors, reps, clients, brothers, girls, dogs and a young Jedi (Sam). Hopefully their stories will help a few people feel like they understand the sport better and maybe feed a growing passion. Let me apologize in advance for my grammar and spelling. I stared at many a chalk board dreaming about fly fishing. Now i spend many a days staring at some guys indicator(bobber) dreaming about finishing school.

As far as the legal stuff goes:

To RA Beattie, you will always own the video rights to the Bobber Talk idea.

To Sam, the copy rights to all my crap is probably all you will get for an inheritance so pay attention.

Anybody considering a law suit based on my expressed opinions, beliefs or stupid bullshit should consider having my ex wife's amature law firm handle your case. She's very thorough and there is already a file started.

To Joe Mac, i promise to someday repay you for your creative genius.

My name is Bob and i approve most of this message

Streamer Mike and the Enema Bugger

2009-09-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Every so often someone or something lives up to the hype. This perfect fall Sunday it was Mikes turn. An odd day off the river for me started with an invitation to “ride along” with Kevin and his long time client Mike for some streamer fishing. Some clouds and an approaching front at least made me feel like we had a chance, otherwise I felt like we were a little early for full blow streamer mania. Lets just say Mike has an absolute understanding of how to throw streamers, 3 at a time. 6 miles down our epic 17 mile float and he had 30 fish in the net, it was a true pleasure to watch him live up to the hype. I don’t count, Mike loves to. But for this one day I really got a kick out of it. The numbers got up there. The chasers were in the 100”s, the number of beasts that came “unbuttoned” had to be 90 and the final tally to the net was 43. One of those days we are blessed with once in a while. All the stars have to be in line for mere mortals, Mike does it every fall. We as guides try and rationalize it, give credit to weather, time of day, the bugs, the flies or the way the peep may be holding his mouth. Anything to explain further why the good days can be so good sometime. They don’t come all the way from Florida to streamer fish in the middle of July or course, they do their homework. I wont say where we floated and i have sworn never to speak a word of the Enema Bugger other than it kicked ass on the right side of the river. This was day one of 4 with Kevin this fall. Mike’s brother in law Tommy will take my spot the rest of the week and they will probably murder them, legend has it they always do.

Tommy, you can come to me anytime, I understand what you go through fishing with Mike. He kicked my ass.

Kevin, I would wear the helmet.

Fall

2009-09-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

What about fall makes us and these big predator brown trout think about large bugs? Fall means shorter days and colder nights. It still makes me dream of whitetail and turkey in the hardwoods and ravines back east. At the vise, the Fall season brings the size 4 hooks from hiding and the Magnum Rabbit begins to hatch in multiple colors all over my kitchen table. As a fly tyer I look forward to retiring my 8/0 thread for a couple of months. The color grey starts to creep into a majority of the day light hours, but not our bugs. Patterns like Teqeelie, Autumn Splendor, Lemon Drops and Goldielocks start to mimic a fall day back in those eastern woods. We always throw 2 at a time, one big one small, one bright one dull, one heavy one light everyone has a favorite combo. It always takes a bit more to get your buddy out or to convince your client that the weather is just going to make it better. Once you get them there, it's always worth it. The picture is of a very early streamer run with Mc3, it was still August, bright and sunny, but we had to. The flow of the river definitely said "don't go" but there was just 2 of us and Cam the Lab, we had to do it. Chalk talk was simple, streamers or bust, besides i had been tying streamers every night. We were going to get stuck, no way around it, THE Eagle river doesn't get floated much this time of year. I didn't really regret just bringing a 6 wt and a streamer box until the fish started rising, but you've heard that before. Mc3 rowed all day (3 hours), thanks Joe, we only boated 2 fish but they were both Bubba's. Fall is by far my favorite time to fish the mountains. You have an opportunity to catch fish three ways, there are less crowds, happy fish and usually lots of bugs. But the true draw for Fly Fishermen has to be hurling streamers from a boat and it's going to be here before we know it. I guess we all get a bit impatient when we have a box full of junk we absolutely know is going to work as soon as it touches the water.

Streamer fishing is the polar opposite of the days of summer and the dead drift. We don't necessarily trust a heavy streamer rod with 2 wet socks to just anyone, it's just dangerous. The people we do trust have probably chucked a few before and everyone has their own style. Some are short strippers, some have a long patient pause. Some guys dance em all the way to the boat and beyond the bow. I see sinking lines, floating lines, purple flies and even trailed midges. My favorite technique(from the boat) is to heave said bugs at the bank and allow the fly line to belly downstream so my first few strips of the fly make it travel downstream along the bank, wounded like. This is by no means the right way or the only way, everyone has their own style. One of my last commercial trips down The Eagle was a streamer float and it definitely wasn't my style. I ended up on The Eagle since i had just one peep and the weather forecast was butt nasty with a chance of crap. Perfect streamer weather. Dude ends up being a Kelly Gallop prodigy, fresh off the book, video series and armed with a handful of Zoo Cougars from Kelly himself. While standing at the put in, Kelly Jr explains to me how it's going to work as the lightning sirens from the Valley Course made me want to get back in the truck. He showed me his rig. GLoomis rod, sinking line, stubby leaders and huge unweighted flies, "just like Kelly does". I have never seen double 6" articulated monsters levered out of the front seat before, but i was about to. Let's just say i saw a lot of new stuff that day and i'm a believer. Of course i'll tell you my system would have caught fish that day but it really was great not losing a single streamer, i think i only looked into that grubby box of fur twice. Sex Dungeons and Zoo Cougars articulated and not got chucked. I even saw a 6" Rainbow trout version that i would have eaten. They all worked. The only thing i would have changed is the sink rate. Things never got quite deep enough for my taste. Just goes to show you predators are predators when the weather is right and even an old dog can enjoy the day in someone else's streamer box.

Yoga and Fly Fishing

2009-09-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

A fresh mix of extreme athletes dedicated to making things much harder than they really are, have began the march to be recognized. Anyone awake in the 80’s has experienced this before, they called it “cross training” combining two or more sports on the same day or in the same event. Now it seems that cross training has reached a spiritual level and people are starting to blend Yoga and Fly Fishing. Worst of all, it seems to have started in the bow of my boat. Fly Fishing and Yoga have been around a very long time and both have their own special soul or feeling, I am just not sure they should be mixed. Combining these two very old practices can lead to some dangerous moves left only to people who hear on a different frequency than most guides talk. I have spent enough time with people who enjoy Yoga and I’ve tried a few moves like, “Down Dog”, “Cat” and “Cow”. It take’s practice, a nice mat and LEVEL ground. That has not stopped a few people from taking it to the next level by trying to pull this off in a moving boat with a fly rod in hand. Here are a few moves I’ve seen recently.
THE LOON: The beginning pose usually involves standing off balance, in the front of a boat, on your tip toes with your casting hand 3 feet above your head. Your other hand is blindly scrambling around your waist trying to find the tangle in your line. The slack is in your mouth. The fly rod is pointed straight up at the August sun in a desperate attempt to collect slack from the cast that just landed next to the boat. Now with a mighty 3 inch power snap of the wrist, accelerate the pile of line up off the water and around the tip of your rod, which is still above your head. If this does not work on the first pitiful attempt, you are probably not using enough calves. I think this is called the LOON because of the strange bird like noise most people make after the cast, not the way they look.
THE ROCK CHUCKER: You can always tell what move an ex linebacker will settle into as the cast begins to come apart. The stance widens, the hips begin to open and close like a beer league softball player and they begin to grunt a bit. The arm motion becomes long and much too strong producing huge gentle loops that land in pretty little piles. I’m not ashamed to admit I have spent a few day’s quietly day dreaming about “ribbon dancing”, which I think was an Olympic event at one time, still no reason to do it in my boat. Apparently the rocking motion their cast is causing doesn’t feel proper until they slip out of the leg locks and throw the balance of the boat completely off. The waves from the rocking boat put a gentle jigging motion on their buddy’s nymph rig.
THE SIT AND SPIN: This is a very important move to know your directions, your left, right, front and back. This is much easier in a raft with a fishing frame, it’s not practiced in drift boats for some reason and it almost always happens in the back seat. The move starts when the guide begins to pull the boat from it’s drift down the left side of the river and say’s “right side”, yogi say’s “what side?”, guide say’s “right side”, yogi say’s “that’s the other side, right?”, guide nods. After a 20 second pause to absorb the complicated vocabulary going on, lift your knees to your chest while keeping the rod pointed at the left bank. Now while sitting, spin yourself to the right side by swinging your legs outside of the boat past the dangling anchor, keep your rod pointing at the left bank. Now since your casting arm is behind your head gently swing an underpowered, backhand flip with your fly rod. Your cast should either tangle in the anchor or pile up on the guide’s oars and it should always be followed by “this side?”
Before I have every Yoga instructor and their legions stealing the plugs from my boat please know I don’t hate Yoga. There is just no room for it in my boat. If you are exhausted after getting out of the boat on the first day of a three day fishing trip you are obviously doing a little too much………Yoga. If you properly move that special piece of graphite, whether it be a 10 wgt or a 5wgt your casting arm should never get weary. The only thing that should hurt after a day in my boat is your ears. Believe me, you are better off training for that trip by building a shed with your cousin the carpenter. That’s the only motion I teach, the swing of a hammer. Start your motion from your elbow with a strong wrist, follow an accurate swing plane and use your eyes. I may reach as far into my bag of tricks to put a golf ball in your arm pit. The effort of trying to keep a wet golf ball under your arm will help most people stop using muscles that should be relaxed. I understand we are all getting busier and multitasking is a way of life. Decide intelligently what pleasures you mix and most importantly, where. Please help keep Yoga out of the boat.

The picture is of my nephew Jason doing his best Claka Bow Pose. Thanks for the dance kid, you made me smile all day.