I can always tell when it is that time of the year. I strain for a look every time I pass the local reservoir. Have they turned the aerators back on and has the ice backed away from the dam? I ask my ice fishing buddies how the ice is at Aurora and have they been fishing along the dam.
My boxes are filled with midges because that is their diet of choice first out. I also have a full compliment of callibaetis and leeches ready for Spring. I have just about completed all of the demos that I committed to and no I won’t usually schedule a demo in April because I will be too busy fishing on a Saturday unless the weather has gone to crap.
I know that the fish will be “false spawning” in the rocks and the really big fish (5-7+lbs.) can be found in 6″ of water. Twenty-five fish days are not unheard of. Better yet, most guys will not venture out because it is a bit nippy and their toes go numb from sitting on their okoles all winter.
I have posted a video for my Ghost Midge for those of you playing catchup. I figure you still have about 2-3 weeks when the wind starts breaking up the ice for us pilgrims(Jeremiah Johnson, 1972).
Aloha,
Herman
Water diversions such as Windy Gap and Moffat threaten to reduce the legendary Colorado river to a mere shadow of what it is today.
Join like-minded fly anglers and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds on Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 11 a.m. to noon on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol to show Governor Hickenlooper you care about keeping the upper Colorado River alive and healthy.
The following is from TU.ORG, please help spread the word:
ACTION ALERT – Rally for the River II
Please join us Wednesday, February 22nd on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol to show your support for keeping the upper Colorado River alive despite threats to its flows and future.
What: Rally for Upper Colorado River — Help deliver a giant postcard to the Governor asking for his help protecting our rivers!
Who: Sportsmen, hikers, campers, rafters, kayakers, wildlife enthusiasts–anyone who cares about our state’s rivers and outdoor quality of life.
Why: To ask Gov. Hickenlooper to use his influence to protect the Upper Colorado River system from expanded water diversions such as Windy Gap and Moffat.
Where: Colorado State Capitol building, downtown Denver, west steps.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 11 a.m. to noon
A River on the Brink
Colorado’s namesake river is fighting for its life. A water diversion proposal could reduce the Upper Colorado River’s flows to less than 20 percent of its historic levels. As currently proposed, the Windy Gap Firming Project fails to include measures that will keep the Colorado cold, clean and healthy below Windy Gap—a stretch of the river that sustains local agriculture, mountain communities, and a thriving recreation economy. Unless the Upper Colorado receives stronger protections, this once-mighty river faces a long, continued decline and a potential ecological collapse.
Our Defend the Colorado coalition’s recent January rally in front of EPA building was a huge, noisy success, with more than 100 sign-carrying, chanting supporters calling on EPA to “be a hero” for the river . A few weeks later, EPA issued a letter that fully vindicated and supported our position on the need for further river protections in the Windy Gap Firming Project.
Now the ball is in Gov. Hickenlooper’s court—he has a chance to use his bully pulpit to tell state and federal officials to “do the right thing” for the river and recommend additional protection.
Our healthy, free-flowing rivers are a source of pride for Coloradans—it’s why many of us live here. Once our rivers are gone—they’re gone.
Come out and tell the governor that Colorado is our home–these places are ours—and we want them protected. Gov. Hickenlooper—be a hero for our rivers!
Speakers include:
Drew Peternell, director, Trout Unlimited’s Colorado Water Project
Kirk Klancke, water manager, Fraser Valley
Kirk Deeter, editor at large for Field & Stream
Mike Repucci, attorney and businessman
For more information, and to let us know you’ll be joining us, visit the Rally for the River II Facebookook Page
Contact:
Drew Peternell, (303) 204-3057
dpeternell@tu.org
Randy Scholfield, (720) 375-3961
rscholfield@tu.org
P.P.S. Can’t attend? If you haven’t yet, please take a moment and sign our online petition on the Defend the Colorado website.
Colorado Trout Unlimited
1320 Pearl Street, Suite 320
Boulder, CO 80302
web: www.coloradotu.org
Hook Flyfishing’s very own fly fishing guide, comedian and really nice guy Scott Thompson has been working on a fly fishing show, titled “Fly Vs. Guy” with his pal Dave Shirley for 2 years now. They have received a “green light” from the Sportsman Channel and now they have to produce 13 episodes to get their hilarious fly fishing program on the air.
Fly Vs. Guide - This episode featuring Scott going head-to-head with Colorado guide & author Pat Dorsey
If you’ve never met Denver local Scott Thompson you should go out of your way to do so. He is incredibly funny, kind, intelligent and he’s an amazing professional fly fishing guide to top it all off. He has been working on creating a fly fishing show that goes far beyond the mundane “watch-me-catch-some-fish-and-scream-booyah” concept. This show is unusual. It has great laughs, beautiful locations, fly fishing, competition, and a heart. Just as Steve Apple did for fly fishing movies with his Hustle & Fish gem, Scott Thompson is tipping fly fishing TV shows on their collective ears by injecting some much needed levity and self-deprecation.
His project is now on Kickstarter.com trying to raise the meager capital to create all the episodes required by the network to get the show on the air.
If you’ve just got 10 bucks it’s enough to help back a local boy in a great endeavor. If you can drop a hundo that’s even better. Scott is a good investment and you can say you backed him when you’re kickin the sofa with your heels while you laugh your ass off with your fly fishing pals watching Fly Vs. Guy with a beer in your hand.
So tell all your friends. This is important. This is local.
Cheers,
Shannon
At the Fly Fishing Show in Denver I had the opportunity to try out a couple of “new” UV Resin products. One of them was Diamond Hard UV Resin by Deer Creek.
As many of you know I have been using UV Knot Sense since it came out and it was perfect for my scud. It always left a bit of a residue but I solved that by first using a Dental Curing light then followed up by leaving my scuds in a Nail Curing oven for a few minutes.
I tried the Diamond Hard UV Resin and it cured in less than 7 seconds with absolutely no residue using my Dental curing light. I was still a bit of a skeptic and had the manufacturer, Nick, send me my own kit to test. This kit comes with a laser pointer that emits UV light at 450nm. It cured the resin in less than 2 seconds with absolutely no residue.
This product will be available at the shop in the spring.
Herman
flytyingclips.com
The topic of how we set up a three-fly-rig came up in discussion during the “Guides Night Out” Thursday night. Without a doubt the consensus across the board is that a loop holding the fly will allow for a more animated offering.
Is a loop necessary to be productive? Well it depends on who you ask.
See more fly-tying, rigging & fly-fishing videos from Hook Flyfishing at HookFlyfishing1
A common sense approach would be, “Isn’t it obvious?”
I believe the answer is, “it depends…”
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Patagonia definitely raises the 'bar' with their new Rock Grip Wading Boot
I recently had the opportunity to test drive the new Rock Grip wading boots by Patagonia. I normally trudge the banks and waters in search of the big ones wearing the studded felt soles of the Canyon Walker, also by Patagonia.
The security and piece of mind I get from the studded felt boots, in my opinion, has been awesome to say the least. I’ve tried them all. Felt, sticky rubber, studded felt and studded sticky rubber. I decided to give the aluminum bars and sticky sole of the new Rock Grip boots a challenge on and off the water.
The Taylor river was my first stop of the tour.
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We are right in the middle of fly tying demo season and the geezers are out touting their latest creations that may or may not catch fish.
Before you attend do a little research. More likely than not this guy has something out there on the web. See what kind of flies he ties.
Does he use synthetics extensively? Is he into stillwater, tailwater or just nymphing? Does he tie what you fish or something you would like to get into like carping? Come prepared to ask questions. I personally like questions because
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I landed this 50-60lb catfish on my 5 weight !! It ate a natural color Slumpbuster, on what was probably the equivalent of 1 or 2x tippit. According to local Arkansas guides and Arkansas department of wildlife the fish is a State if not US record for a 5 weight fly rod in the 1-2x tippit class, catch and release, in a river.
Brent
Ty Clifton was in this weekend tying his monster flies. This is just one of the Xtra-small examples of his flies.
You can see a 360 degree view of this fly on my website under Ty’s name.
They average 12″ with some measuring 18″ or more. And no, he assures us he is not compensating.
Once again I will be tying at the shop on the 10th.
Mahalo,
Herman deGala
