Saturday Evening Sunset

Today I got caught up on several things including uploading pictures from my camera to my computer. The results of today's brief fishing trip are just about ready to be shared.  However, one of the most beautiful moments this weekend was last evening's sunset.  We were walking on one of the many Open Space trails near a local lake.  Our timing coincided with the sunset which was reflected on the water for a nice treat!!!

Early in the hike, the light was still bright enough for a picture of an interesting plant growing along the path.  I don't know exactly what these are (hint: This is where one of my knowledgeable readers graciously helps me out) but they look intriguing and a bit prickly as well.

Further along in our walk, the sky overhead started to reveal the colors still to come.

Almost to where we could see the lake at this point, I started to hustle.  I really wanted a reflection in my sunset pictures!!!

Relaxing

I have not fished yet this weekend and at this point it is becoming a little more unlikely.  The Blue is still an option and I also have thought of the Big Thompson below Lake Estes.  However, today was a great day for relaxing.  After a great Christmas Cantata at church, we had a nice afternoon that included a walk with a great sunset!  I haven't had time to look at my pictures yet, but you can see some here taken by my girlfriend.  Check them out!!!

Summer Rainbow

Looking through some old pictures, I came across one that was beautiful, but remembered that when writing about the trip I skipped over this picture in favor of another angle.  I kind of like this picture.  It looks a bit like a painting to me.  The fish was caught on the Gunnison and the memory now has me excited about the possibilities for next summer.  Nice to dream about while its cold outside...

How...

...bad is the fishing right now?  That's a question I've been asking myself as the weekend continues to draw closer.  Perhaps I should be asking myself how good is the fishing though because so far I haven't had a bad day in Colorado.  My goal was to get to 70 days on the water for the year, so getting stuck one short sounds like a great opportunity for annoyance.  This becomes even more of a factor when I think about all those warm days a few short months ago that I did not choose to go fishing.

Hindsight is definitely 20/20, but now the question becomes, is it really worth it?  I think the answer is probably yes, which then begs the next question:  When and where to go?  I'm thinking about exploring in Clear Creek again.  I'm sure the ice situation will be less than ideal, but maybe there will still be enough open water that I won't go entirely crazy.  The Blue sounds like a possibility as well although with highs in the low 20s forecast most of the weekend (at best), I'm not sure that my frozen fingers could thread the tiny midges that will probably be required.

Dilemmas about where to go fishing are good ones to have, so maybe a little help is in order.  Where do you think I should fish this weekend, considering that I don't really want to drive more than an hour or two at most and prefer less?

Cold and Busy

Things have finally cooled off a little, although today and tomorrow will see highs back in the 50s on the plains east of the Rocky Mountains here in Colorado.  Still, we had a bit of snow a couple of nights ago and in general things in the high country have cooled from reasonably chilly to frigid cold.  My fishing excursions will be limited for a while which means I might have a little more time to tie.  My nymph and streamer boxes need some (will actually a lot) of help and because of my move, I now need to tie some regionally appropriate (or should I say required) dry flies also.  There will be occasional fishing trips as well including at least one or two trips to area tailwaters.  I use the term area loosely, suggesting anything within distance of a day or short weekend trip is fair game.  Do I dare dream of the Frying Pan and the Taylor?  Time will tell.

Outside of fishing, it is that dreaded season of final exams, Christmas programs, and all of the other activities that consume unusual amounts of time.  Of course, I'm glad for the holidays because that means some time off, but getting past the flurry of things to do is always tiring.  I'm already dreaming of warmer weather, spring BWO hatches, and yes, even my spring break trip to Tennessee.  After all my adventures to places like the Grand Canyon and the Everglades over the past few years, I'm returning home for spring break.  The timing is perfect so the bugs should be hatching and the fish hungry.  Until then, you'll find me trying to keep warm and rest up for another great year of fishing in 2013!!!

A Date That Will Live in Infamy

December 7, 1941 is naturally memorable to any patriotic American, but then there is December 7, 2012.  I'm guessing the trout of Clear Creek might remember this one for awhile.  I did not have much time on the water, 2 hours or so at best, but the trout were out and hungry.  The weather is mild enough to have the trout on the feed but still cool enough that most people are avoiding this stream.  That's just fine with me.

After taking care of a few items of business, I grabbed my gear and headed towards Golden.  After having a blast throwing streamers last Sunday, I assumed the continued warm weather would have even more of the stream open to fishing.  My hunch proved correct as the majority of the stream was free of ice now at least on the lower end where I focused my efforts.  Small streamers were again the name of the game.  I fished a couple of different white streamers and the fish were willing to eat them both dead drift with occasional twitches and also ripped through the currents to imitate a fleeing baitfish.

The irony of the situation had me feeling sorry for the people hurrying past just a few yards away on the busy highway.  Here I was, enjoying the beautiful afternoon and evening out in nature, while everyone else was in a hurry to get to the casinos not far up in the mountains.  It made me very thankful that I find so much pleasure in nature although I'm not sure that I'm saving much money compared to everyone else...

Back to the fishing, things started out okay but not great.  I had a few half hearted follows and a few more genuinely interested fish.  Amazingly, there were still fish out in the riffles and pocket water although many more have already moved to the larger pools where they will spend the cold winter months.  The water temperatures had come up some since last Sunday.  Again I relied on the highly scientific hand dip technique and feel fairly safe saying the water temperature was at least 5 degrees warmer than on my last trip.  As the shadows grew longer, the fish responded to the more comfortable water temperatures.  Perhaps the approaching front had them anxious to eat as well.  Whatever the reason, more and more fish started to attack the streamer.  Finally I brought one to hand and the skunk was off!

Over the last 45 minutes, I stung and even plain ol' missed more fish than I can remember.  The first fish was the smallest and the others included some very respectable trout.  Again, like the last trip, I couldn't connect with the largest fish of the day.

Perhaps the most enjoyable part was the fact that the stream was living up to its name.  I could see the bottom even in the deepest pools and was sight fishing despite not wearing my polarized sunglasses.  The fish were sitting out in all types of water and it was an enjoyable game seeing which ones would chase and eat and which ones would totally ignore my efforts.  Apparently a few fish received a memo detailing my fishing trip because they were just a bit wise to my efforts.  The rest though were not so intelligent and kept me entertained until I knew that it was time to head home...

I wrapped up the evening lying down on a boulder overlooking the top of a nice pool with my camera pointed upstream.  As the light grew less and less, I took several pictures to remember the peace that I found along a busy highway.  I'm sure there is a profound lesson to be learned there as well, but at the moment, I was just glad to be outside soaking up the experience...

Our Sport is.....Doomed?

In one school district here in Colorado, fly fishing has definitely been jeopardized.  Jake, over at the "Fins on the Fly" blog, is a student in Fort Collins.  His school district has apparently cancelled the fly fishing club due to the "inherent danger associated with the sport."  I first discovered this problem through Howard over at the Windknots and Tangled Lines blog.  I believe it is safe to assume that the Fort Collins school district in question will not be canceling the football program or any other "inherently dangerous sports" and there is probably a deeper issue at hand.  More than likely, the "powers" that be realized that fly fishing actually encourages people to think for themselves instead of blindly following others' directions.  And who would want a country full of people who actually think for themselves?  Talk about upsetting the status quo...

Regardless of the problem, I encourage you to head over to Jake's blog and show some support and maybe even write an email or two.  Jake is specifically looking for someone to help with an essay detailing the benefits of fly fishing.  Head over to his blog to check out the details...

Still Hungry!!!

One of my favorite things about cold weather is that most people don't want to fish anymore.  That's just fine by me because the fish are still hungry.  My original plans to venture up to Estes Park this past Sunday were drastically altered when the Fern Lake Fire thundered out of Forest Canyon early Saturday morning, fanned by winds gusting up to 70 mph, spreading three miles in just over half an hour.  The fire was started almost 2 months ago, probably by some idiot uninformed person who should have stuck closer to their car instead of venturing into the backcountry.  Fast forward to this past Saturday, and the east side of Rocky Mountain NP is now closed because of the blowup.  Estes Park is threatened but safe thus far.

Not wanting to scratch my plans altogether, I look at option two.  After my first visit, I knew that Clear Creek would be a favorite.  Easily accessible and full of wild brown trout and even a few rainbows, it is just the type of stream to provide an enjoyable but short fishing trip close to home.  Some friends were planning on rock climbing at Golden so I decided to make it a day by climbing when the sun was high overhead and then fishing an hour late in the day.

The climbing was fantastic although a little crowded.  I'm still in a bit of shock at how crowded the crag was, but I guess that's the problem with accessible winter climbing options close to a major metro area.  In Tennessee I was blessed to have phenomenal climbing and fishing close by, and while the tailwaters could definitely get a little crowded on occasion, with just a bit of effort it was possible to find solitude if one wished to.

After enjoying some time on the sun-warmed rocks, we headed back down the hill and through the town of Golden.  If you have never been, I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area.  There are tons of cool little shops and restaurants in the downtown area, and despite being close to Denver, the town somehow maintains a small town atmosphere.

Entering Clear Creek Canyon, the shadows suddenly seemed much longer as the hills wrapped in close to the road.  Not too far up the canyon, ice started appearing along the stream edges although it was apparent that the warm weather had been melting it away.  For a moment, I had the fleeting idea to do things "right" and tie on a couple of tiny midges with a little split shot and an indicator.  That thought was quickly chased by another: streamers.  Cold weather calls for extremes.  Either you go tiny and stand in one spot and freeze to death or go big and keep moving.  While the keeping moving definitely appealed, in the end it was just my soft spot for streamers that won out.

I tied on a small white streamer that doesn't have a name, just one of those things a tier throws together during the long winter nights when they get bored with the necessary patterns for the next year of fishing.  Nervously I pondered retying portions of my leader, but laziness won out.  This was one of those days were I would deal with a lost fish.  It was just nice to get out.

Creeping towards the first pool, I lobbed the streamer across the current and into a dark back eddy.  On the third cast, I almost fell in as the largest brown I have personally seen on Clear Creek came out to swipe at the streamer.  From what I have read, a 16 inch fish would be considered a nice fish on this particular water.  Unfortunately, the fish swirled and missed the hook altogether.  A few more casts produced two more follows, each more heart stopping than the last, but ultimately the fish finally faded into the blackness and was gone.

Moving down through the pool, I carefully worked each bit of cover until finding all the fish at the back of the deepest part where the current was soft and they had a good view of all the food drifting downstream.  A nice 12 incher flashed and then vanished.  Then an 8 incher attacked with gusto, and I hooked my first trout of the afternoon.  The barbless fly soon slipped out though, and I was left wondering if I would strike out on this day.

About then, I got the itch to explore and started working up the stream from pool to pool.  After one half-hearted follow in the next pool, and absolutely nothing in the next two after that, I returned to where the big guy lived.  Several casts with different patterns produced nothing more.  Contemplating stopping or trying a new spot, I finally decided that it was still too early to give up.  Heading up towards the car, the new plan was to drive back down the canyon and stop at each really good pool.  Half way up the slope, I noticed a small pool that I had ignored earlier just below the really good hole.  In a hurry to get in the car and drive downstream, I almost gave up.  Then my curiosity kicked in.

Moving towards the pool, I saw a small hole between several rocks above the heart of the main pool.

Carefully, I lobbed the little white streamer in.  Right on cue, a beautiful brown materialized from under one of the rocks and gently inhaled the fly.  I set the hook and hoped the fish wouldn't run too far or too fast.  Thankfully, the cold water had the fish almost lethargic and after a few half hearted attempts to gain the current, I quickly landed the brown and snapped a couple of pictures.  Smiling to myself, I eased the fish back into the frigid water.  Yes, the fish are there and they still have to eat.  Thankfully I was able to fish on what will probably turn out to be the warmest day of the month.

After a few more stream shots, I headed up to the car, glad to call it a day.  Funny how one fish can make you happy this time of year...

Under the Ice

Despite little snow, high elevation streams and lakes are freezing over quite nicely.  Before Thanksgiving, I was up in Rocky Mountain National Park with a friend visiting from out-of-state.  The camera came along as well so I had some fun behind the lens.  This is at least a little bit fishing related because I scouted/photographed the Big Thompson in Moraine Park as well as other area waters.  Those other waters provided the most interesting aspect (from a fisherman's standpoint anyway) of the trip, but Moraine Park was beautiful with this different look.

The majority of the water is covered with a solid sheet of ice but the riffles were still open as were a few sheltered pools (or at least parts of them).  Before heading to Moraine Park, we had driven through everything that was open to vehicle access. The sun hitting the peaks around the Roaring River produced some dramatic scenery.

My buddy Lo-Ammi enjoyed all the scenery and took a lot of pictures as well.  Can you find him taking pictures in this photograph?

I finally got him to pose.

Turning away from the silhouette pictures, I saw what would be the last rays from the sun touching the tops of the mountains behind me.  Minutes after taking this picture, the clouds moved in permanently for the rest of the afternoon.

After taking the above pictures, we headed to Moraine Park, hoping to find some elk.  The critters were hunkered down somewhere in the woods I suspect but I did have fun walking the stream banks and taking a lot of pictures.

The ice made beautifully intricate patterns in places while in others it was just a solid glazed mass.

In places, the rushing water had carved under ice shelves to create some interesting shapes.  The contrast between the rolling water, ice, and golden grass behind is simple yet beautiful in its own right.  Under the ice shelf, the water was constantly splashing and thus creating ever growing icicles.

I probably could have continued wandering through the fields forever if it hadn't of been for friends waiting in a warm car.  Remembering that we still had places to see, I turned back after one last shot of a bend pool that is productive under warmer and more liquid circumstances.

Back on the road, I guided the car towards a lake that we were pretty sure would be ice covered.  Scenic, but in a different way than summer, the lake invited us to ice skate.  Unsure of the thickness of the ice early in the season and lacking ice skates, we settled for more pictures to remember our trip by.

In the tributary stream above, I found the most interesting discovery of the afternoon under the ice.  Near an edge were the ice had not formed, I noticed something move.  Upon closer inspection I found a brook trout.  Then another, and another, until it finally dawned on me that all the fish in the lake had moved up to spawn.  Okay, maybe not all, but hopefully you get the idea...

Can you find the fish under the ice?

The day was quickly fading.  As night approached, constantly changing colors danced across the sky and were reflected on the icy surface of the lake and beaver ponds.  Yes, Colorado is a pretty special place in any season!!!

This is Home

Thanksgiving is a time to spend with friends and family.  This year it was also a time for me to return home after the big move to Colorado this past summer.  The priority for my trip was to spend time with friends and family but a side trip to the Smokies was also in order.  The Smokies are and always will be my favorite place.  Sure, when I'm knee deep in a Colorado river catching 20" trout, it may be tough to think too hard about why the Smokies are better.  Still, I will always consider the streams of the Smokies to be my original home water, the place where I learned to cast a fly rod and fool a few fish, and also the place where I took innumerable camping trips as a kid and got into backpacking as I grew older.  

The pool above is one of my favorites.  When someone talks about their favorite pool, they normally launch into a story of a monster fish caught there or some other memorable occurrence.  For me, its more about the fish I didn't catch.  Yep, there are some monsters in there, and I even saw one on my visit.  However, it is also one of the most fished pools in the river and it does not give up its trout easily.  

By the time I reached this pool with my buddy Jayson, we were starting to grow weary of the search for big fish.  Several large fish had already been spotted and even fished to, but they were far too spooky and we had come to that point where the stench of skunk was wafting our way.  Never to fear, the rainbows of the Smokies always seem hungry.  

On this day, nearly every big pool had lots of rainbows sitting high in the water column rising to midges and the occasional BWO.  I had tied up a collection of tiny parachute BWOs early this fall after getting into a great hatch on Clear Creek above Golden.  Rather proud of the little flies I had coaxed out of feathers and dubbing, I was happy for the chance to tie one on.  My buddy Jayson had already made the switch and missed a couple of nice rainbows and landed a couple more.  He had also caught an elusive brown.  It was not the monster we had originally hoped for but was still nice to see.

The four weight was in the car ready to be put together but I was slightly lazy and stuck with my 5 weight Legend Ultra.  Extending the leader to 6x tippet, I tied the fly on and started casting.  The trout were sitting just out of the fast current, waiting for the bugs they somehow knew were coming.  My fly must have been tasty looking.  In the first 6 casts I had 6 hits but no fish!!!  Nevermind that dilemma though because when fish are feeding this well you know it will happen.  

Of course, it eventually did.  I was happy to hold and admire one of the gems of the Smokies again.  Yes, the Smokies and Tennessee are home I thought as I watched the fish dart away.  A few rainbows later, I was ready to head back home and spend more time with those I don't get to see very often anymore.  Another time, I'll be back and spend more time in the Smokies.  Until then, I can keep remembering all the good times...