Northern Pike Directory

 Fly Fishing for Pike in Colorado (a crash course) Click Here! Northern Pike are an exciting quarry. Many spin fishermen and bait casters are aware of how fun pike can be, but fly fishers are mostly oblivious. Less than 15% of fly fishermen in Colorado have ever cast to pike or musky. I believe the main reason for this apparent lack of interest is intimidation...

 They do not play well with others! Click Here! "Restless during nap time.""Does not play well with others." These were the types of comments that would show up on my kindergarten grade cards...I guess that is why I have such affection for northern pike! 

 Northern pike...get out of bed early! Click Here! As the spring wears on the local pike fishing will remain good...but it becomes more and more important that you get up early. The best fishing will almost always be in the first couple hours of daylight. The pike will be in very close to shore, in shallow water in coves and along thick walls of cattails.

Flies for Cannibals Click Here! Once the water begins to warm up on your favorite pike lake the aggressive tendencies of northern pike will become intense! Pike feed on a lot of different things, but most of us fly fishermen use large streamer flies to emulate the resident forage fish. Often this is bluegill, suckers, young bass and perch...

Fly Fishing for Wiper

Wiper are a temperate bass and a hybridization of white bass and striped bass. They are a very exciting, but often maddening fish to chase with a fly rod. They can move into an area one morning to ravish bait fish, then vanish like ghosts by the next day. Use a 6 weight or heavier rod, often a sink tip or intermediate fly line, 1x or 2x leaders and some two to four inch minnow-like streamers.

Gun to my head? Yeah, I'd fish Gray Reef!

Not many fishing stories begin with me in handcuffs with a gun pointed at my head. But, no shit...there I was. Midnight on Monday. Up late packing for a three-day fly fishing trip up to Alcova, Wyoming to fish the North Platte River for big rainbows. Leaving at 4am. Was getting to the point in the packing process where I mull over fly boxes. Should I bring just the one box of streamers? Where the hell did I put that little Dixie Cup of I.E.D.s Rob tied up special for this trip? Do I leave the pegged-bead rigs at home to avoid the temptation?

Then my cell phone rings. It's the boss and he tells me our fly shop is getting broken into! Alarm system is going ape shit. I jump into my boots, grab my keys and .45 and blow through three stop lights on the way. Skid to a halt in the parking lot and notice the entire front door is broken it. Glass everywhere. I'm first on scene, so I enter through the gaping hole in the door....hammer back on the Springfield 1911. Thinking, "Please still be here, you little punk!" But no luck. Bastard is gone. I clear the shop just in case. Nothing has been stolen. That's good. I make it back to the front of the shop and come face-to-face with the Boulder Police Department! The officer and I have an awkward 20 minutes...a stand off with a heap of broken glass between us. I'm reaching for the sky, he's got his side arm drawn and calling for back up over the radio. Good grief. Before long every on duty officer in the city is swarming the shop. I'm in cuffs out on Broadway. I had left the house without my I.D. Oooops. But, all ended well. The boss shows up and identifies me. Corroborates my story. Boulder PD takes a bunch of photos of the broken door. I slip my phone number to one of the cute female officers (call me!) and we proceed to sweep up the glass and tape cardboard over our violated fly shop.

Got back home with just enough time to finish packing and get on the road north. Had that old Beastie Boys track stuck in my head for the first couple hours; "No sleep 'till....Brooklyn!"

We get into Alcova and get checked into the cabins behind Sloans General Store, then gear up and get on the water 'bout mid-day. Sunny and nice, but blowin' like a sonovabitch! 45mph...gusting to 60mph! Whacked some good trout on the big red I.E.D.s Rob tied for us. Thanks, Rob!

Next morning we head up the canyon to get away from people and fish some smaller water. Found massive midge hatches. Plastering themselves all over the truck. But nothing but tiny rainbows. Salvaged the rest of the afternoon back on Gray Reef. More big rainbows. That night the snow came. Got back on on the road...barely beat the road closings between Casper and Cheyenne. Damn good trip...almost worth getting shot over.

McCall Lake (Lyons, Colorado)

Spent a few hours yesterday after the snow storm in Lyons. Did not have the entire day to commit to fishing, so joined the bait and egg crowd at McCall Lake. Discovered that the stocker rainbows absolutely love the new Yankee Buzzer slowly received behind a black woolly bugger. Although, I guess I am obligated to say the family down the bank from me was catching fish on eggs at about a 10 to 1 ratio to me... Wrapped up the day with a couple beers and a catfish Po' Boy at Oskar Blues in Lyons. Was a good day...

Top 3 craziest fly shop questions of '09

"This may be a crazy question!" is a statement I hear a lot in the fly shop...my usual reply is; "It won't be the worst of the day! Probably not even in the top three! Trust me!" So, now we are getting to the end of the year and I have put together the top 3 winning Crazy Questions I have been asked in the past year! Yes, I do record and rate them!

#1 "I was just in the shop an hour ago and bought a replacement set of soles for my size 11 Korker wading boots...and I think you sold me two different sizes. Did you sell me a size 11 Long and a size 11 Regular?"

#2 "My leader got twisted up behind the spool of my new Ross reel. I took pliers and a screwdriver and tried to disengage the spool...was able to remove everything BUT the spool! Can you help?"

#3 "Yes, I am calling from Golden and was planning on driving up to Estes Park this afternoon to fish the Big Thompson River for a couple hours. What time is it getting dark up there these days?"

Craziest Questions of 2010!

Early Season Carp on Backstabbers

What an amazing couple of days we have had here on the Front Range! 65 degrees! And I had a day off from the fly shop... Patrick and I scouted the Boulder and Longmont area lakes looking for new open carp water. We were able to get a bit of a sunburn as well as find some active fish. Most of the carp that were willing to eat were found in small ponds...areas that ice off first and warm up fast. All were caught on #6 black Backstabber Carp Flies.

A Cautionary Tale

In the shop I tell the cautionary tale of Mark Shamburg to enthusiastic beginning fly fishers...much the same way veteran sailors of old would weave stories of Davy Jones to young deck hands. I usually break out my "Shamburg" warnings once the newly committed inquire about fly tying classes. I warn them that being excited about fly fishing and spending a lot of time on the water is still a fairly socially acceptable way to pass the time and derive a sense of happiness and fulfillment. And, to be fair, tying your own flies is viewed as kinda neat at its best, and only mildly weird at its worst. But, as I warn, this is the precarious edge of reason. Once you take up fly tying with the same gusto that you have taken to fishing...it takes only one slight misstep or falter in your self control to send you to the depths. "Mark Shamburg's Locker" if you will...

Mark spends a ton of time on the water and yes, ties his own flies. And builds his own fly rods. Split cane rods, not graphite "assemble on the weekend" kit rods. And machines his own reels. I guess all that is left is to start raising his own silk worms. Pictured below is one of Mark's latest babies...a 7 foot, 9 inch 5 weight paired with his own 3 inch Vom Hofe style reel. Oh, and a nice brownie taken on the Yampa River. So, in the end, I guess the moral of this story is: Be Carefull! This thing can quickly consume your life! And is impressive only to the ignorant or equally weird. By the way...we at the shop think it's pretty friggin' cool!

Early Season Carp

Attention all you carp heads! The carp action at most of our local lakes is starting early this year! The ice came off a lot sooner than I was hoping for and this unusually warm March is getting the water temps up quick! The water temps at many of my local hot spots are hovering just below 50...the carp seem to be waiting with almost as much anticipation as I am!

I have been taking a few good fish already, but having to work hard for them. Still a lot of uninterested dismisses and sluggish fish behavior. I am having to crawl a Backstabber carp fly right by their noses...

Buy Zimmerman Flies Online!

Geezus Lizard (black/olive & crayfish #1/0) $5.99 ea. Click Link Here!

Geezus Lizard (black/olive & crayfish #1/0) $6.50 ea. Click Link Here!

Geezus Lizard (Purple/Pink, Black/Olive, and Crayfish) $5.50 ea. Click Here!

Geezus Lizard (crayfish 1/0) $4.95 ea. Click Here!

Geezus Lizard $4.75ea Click Here!

Geezus Lizard (Black/Olive) $6.50ea. Click Here!

Geezus Lizard (Alaskan) or: Purple/Pink $5.50 ea. Click Here!












Backstabber (wine & black) $2.25 ea. Click Link Here!

Backstabber (olive, black & rust) $2.29 ea. Click Link Here!

Backstabber Six Fly Selection (2 black, 2 rust, 1 grey minnow & 1 wine) $15 Click Link Here!

Backstabbers (1 Doz. Wine) $24 Click Link Here!

Backstabbers (black, rust & wine) $2.50 ea. Click Link Here!

Backstabbers (Black, Grey, Olive, Rust ans Wine) $2.75 ea. Click Link Here!













Clown Shoe Yellow Sally (#16) $2.25 ea. Click Link Here!

Clown Shoe Yellow Sally (#16) $2.00 ea. Click Here!










Clown Shoe Caddis (3-Pack #18,#16 and #14) $6.45 Click Here!

Clown Shoe Caddis (olive & brown, #14 &16) $2.25 ea.Click Link Here

Clown Shoe Caddis, Brown (Sold in Germany!) #14+16 $2 EUR ea. $19.90 EUR per. doz. Click Link Here!

Clown Shoe Caddis (Olive #14, 16) $1.95ea Click Here!

Clown Shoe Caddis (Brown #14, 16) $1.95ea Click Here!

Clown Shoe Caddis (Brown or Olive #18, #16 or #14) $2.25 Click Here!













Banksia Bug (Olive #18, 16, 14 and 12) $2.50 ea. Click Here!











Texas Ringworm (Black Eel)  $5.99 ea. Click Here!
Texas Ringworm (Black Eel)  $6.25 ea. Click Here!

Texas Ringworm (Sunfish) $5.99 ea. Click Here!
Texas Ringworm (Sunfish) $5.00 ea.   Click Here!
Texas Ringworm (Sunfish) $6.25 ea. Click Here!

Chili Pepper Worm (#1 three inch, #2 two inch) $5.95ea. Click Here!
Chili Pepper Worm (#3/0) $5.25ea. Click Here!

Fly Fishing for Carp in Colorado

"Rocky Mountain Redfish" otherwise known as the common carp have been quickly growing in popularity among fly fishers. It has taken many years for most of us to overcome the Trash Fish stigma. The entrenching of catch and release in fly fishing culture and the increased travel to saltwater fishing destinations has opened the door for the widespread acceptance of carp fishing. The appeal of stalking large fish in shallow flats is overwhelming!

I have compiled a few short videos to possibly answer some questions about fly fishing for carp, but mainly to get people motivated! If you are planning a trip to Texas or Louisiana to chase redfish, or a trip for bonefish and permit...this type of fishing is the best (maybe ONLY) way to get you in the right frame of mind. Your saltwater trip will be noticeably more productive!

Book and DVD Reviews

Read Full Review Fly Fishing The Seasons

The single most important factor that determines a fly angler’s approach to a stretch of water isn't the time of day, nor is it a hatch of insects or even the character of the water itself. It’s the season. From spring and summer through fall and winter, changes in weather dictate changes in strategy. This can be intimidating. If fish were biting here a month ago, why are things so different now? Where to go where they might be better?

Read Full Review No Shortage of Good Days I discovered John Gierach when I was a teenager. I found a beat-up copy of Trout Bum in a cardboard boxof fishing books stacked at one end of a sagging yellow couch in a cabin somewhere in Western Pennsylvania. I had been invited out to the cabin for a week of trout fishing with friends from school. I was full of young enthusiasm about the trip, as well as the still fairly new discovery of fly fishing. I had no friends that fly fished, and no local shops to help me acclimate...





Read Full Review The first line of the introduction to this book is simple and understated. And the concept for this book is simple. This book is a paper and ink tribute to all the flies and fly tiers who influenced, or somehow contributed to the delinquency of Scott Sanchez...




Read Full Review He is considered a local treasure here in Colorado and his flies are found in every one of our fly boxes.It can be easily argued that Charlie Craven's Basic Fly Tying was one of the top instructional fly tying books ever published. And, yes, I am comparing it to all the greats! Also, with the help of Jay Nichols, one of the best looking books of its type ever put together. But I did have one complaint...purely out of my own selfishness, I wanted more of Charlies own, original fly patterns in the book...




Read Full Review Alright…I have said it before, but tentatively. If you have not heard of The flyfish Journal yet, you will soon. I made this statement tentatively a few months ago because I had just received the first issue. And was blown away.







Read Full Book Review Not just another published collection of 800 slight variations of basically the same midge pupa. I found a good one here… Secret Flies features over 350 proven fly designs by twenty-one respected Czech and Slovak fly tiers. Flipping through these pages will get your creative juices flowing…I guarantee it!




















Read Full Book Review From Panama to Alaska and back to the Heartlands, the author finds in fishing and fish and the art of fly-tying a way to find his path into love and life. Think of Melville's Ishmael, reborn as a culture-shocked ex-paratrooper, struggling for meaning and accommodation in these contemporary chronicles of water, wildness, and meditation.







Read Full Book Review When this book came out many of my friends (who spend a lot of time fishing the high lakes) were pissed off. They were upset because many of their favorite cutthroat lakes and the hiking routes were mentioned. This told me one thing: I needed a copy!









Read Full Review on DVD FlyFisherman magazine has recently released a series of fly tying DVDs called the Foundation 40 Fly Patterns. The series is listed like a college class list, 101-Beginning Patterns, 201-Basic Patterns, 301-Intermediate Patterns and 401-Advanced Patterns. In this DVD (first of the series) you will get to take a lesson from the master, Charlie Craven.

Fly Tying Instruction

How to Tie the Texas Ringworm Fly (Step by Step) This fly was designed for one simple purpose...to completely revolutionize the way we fly fish for bass in this country. To put fly fishermen on the same playing field as every conventional gear bass fisherman.

How (And Why) to Tie a Furled Dubbing Loop Furling fly tying materials is not necessarily a new or innovative technique . I have even seen fly tying books devoted entirely to the practice. I have even seen tiers making small leeches using twisted dubbing loops. 

Sharpie (The Tier’s Companion) Unconventional tricks. Cheap tricks. I love ‘em all. Peek into any avid fly tier’s kit bag and you will learn some cool new stuff to add to your own arsenal. The best ones are usually the simple ones. One of my favorites is having a black Sharpie marking pen handy on my fly tying desk. Here are some of the ways I like to use it.

How to Tie the UV Asher The UV Asher is a drastic improvement on a classic fly. The original Orange Asher has been an old staple for many years, but does not get used often anymore. Most fly shops carry them, but many of the newer shop employees may not know what bin it is in...or have no idea what you are talking about! The old, original was a great fly...





Streamer Hydrodynamics (Geeks Only!) As you have probably gathered, we at the shop are not dry-fly purists...nor are we exclusive to trout. We spend a exorbitant amount of time fishing and developing new (and occasionally better) flies for saltwater and warmwater. Most of these flies are what can be lumped into the streamer fly category.

5 Ways To Use The Loon UV Light I made this 10 min YouTube video demonstrating five different ways to utilize the Loon Outdoors UV Knot Sense and Fly Paints. Tie an Egg Sucking Leech, Olive UV Back Scud, Iceman Midge pupa, Bellyache Minnow Streamer and the UV Asher dry fly.

The Krystowski Minnow is one of my early original fly designs. I began tying this fly long before I was part of the fly fishing industry and a contract fly designer. It was at a point in my life when I had very limited time to spend behind a vise...

Backstabber Carp Fly

I use this carp fly almost exclusively...with much success!

The creation of the Geezus Lizard Bass Fly hinged entirely on the conception of the ferruled dubbing loop tail. I have tried for years to build a worm-like fly, or fly appendage, to mimic the rubber worms conventional bass anglers have in their arsenal...

Iceman Midge Pupa I am a big fan of midge pupa. I love to fish them, because they work so well…and they almost never don’t work. I think that made sense? But, more than anything, I love to tie them. And I love to look at other guys midges, too. (Not in the shower at the gym, however.)

Banksia Bug Pupa I began tying this fly to imitate the masses of free-living caddis larva in all my home waters here in Colorado and elsewhere in trout streams all over the West...

Clown Shoe Caddis Dry The development of this fly began with the frustration over the inability to find a decent work horse dry fly to act as a mule for a couple heavy dropper nymphs in rough water...