"Enjoy Your Veterans" Day

Today is the day we celebrate all those 19-year-old borderline alcoholics with automatic weapons. Enjoy them. Don't thank them...they don't take praise or the spotlight well. But definitely appreciate them. Buy them a beer at the bar. Or take one out back behind the bar and let them get to second base. Hell, hire one! Trust me, they will work harder and longer for you than some trust-fund baby looking for direction... 

Keep it real, boys!

Be veddy, veddy sneaky...

When the creek and river flows get skinny the trout get spooky. They know they can be easily seen by predators (herons, raccoons...and fishermen). The upside is that the fish are still hungry and don't have quite as much food available as they did in the summer. This makes them relatively easy to catch so long as you are sneaky!
Wear drab clothing, be aware of your shadow and take advantage of whatever natural or man made concealment is available.

Free Fly Tying Classes! (At RMA)

At Rocky Mountain Anglers we are approaching our fly tying classes a bit differently this Winter. We will be offering ONLY one-on-one classes and I will be very open to scheduling. The problems I have always found with the way Intro-Fly Tying has been taught is twofold. First: These classes have usually been group events (3 to 5 students) mainly to maximise the profits for the shop offering the class, not necessarily with the benefit of the beginning tier in mind. Second: We all are busy these days, so it is hard to make extracurricular things happen on the calendar. My intent is to get someone trained and as fluent as possible on the tying vise without delay. Hence the one-on-one classes with open scheduling...If next Tuesday morning before work is your only opening, then let's do it!

Fly Tying Classes are $25 an hour (We do gift cards!) but we are offering free classes with purchase of certain essential tying equipment....such as this Peak Rotary Vise (made here in Loveland, CO!) that sells for $149. RMA will honor two free one-hour tying sessions. With the perchase of a Dr. Slick 7-piece tool kit ($54) you get one free class.

Call Rocky Mountain Anglers in Boulder: (303) 447-2400

Sunday Morning Movies

Tip of the Week

When sight casting to tailing fish...don't waist too much time on the ones that have not moved in awhile.

Best Goal Celebration Ever

Krystowski Minnow (Step by Step Tying Instructions)

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 and, more influentially, when I had very little money to spend on tying material. I needed an all-purpose baitfish streamer that I could use for every occasion. I could not afford to have multiple fly boxes for every species of fish, but I was fishing everywhere and often. I needed a fly for river smallmouth, farm pond largemouth, Spring steelhead, Fall browns, wiper, walleye and northern pike. If I had a handful of Krystowski Minnows in my box I was all set. The fly needed to be cheap to tie, fast to tie and never fall apart...even after being chewed on by northern pike. I have old fishing buddies back in my home town who fish this fly over everything else. The fly is named after a family in northern Ohio who owned a small bass pond and would let me fish and invite me in for dinner. The earliest prototypes of this fly were fished in their pond.

Step 1: Begin with Gamakatsu B10S #2 hook. Create a ¼ inch thread base of black 6/0 UNI-Thread behind the hook eye.

Step 2: Tie in a clump of white Icelandic Sheep to “bottom” of hook shank.

 Step 3: Tie in a clump of chartreuse Icelandic Sheep on “top” side of hook shank.







Step 4: Securely mount ex-small white painted lead dumbbell eyes to “bottom” of hook shank. It is important that you wait until this point to tie in the lead eyes. Because the eyes are ex-small (this fly fishes best as a light-weight streamer) it is crucial there be distance between the arbor of the lead eyes and the hook shank. This ensures the fly swims hook point up.

Step 5: Tie in a clump of black Icelandic Sheep on top. Be sure to leave several inches of the black sheep hair extending out past the hook eye.

Step 6: Take the black sheep hair clump that you left extending past the hook eye and part it evenly. Be sure to leave the thread at the rear of the fly head.

Step 7: Wrap each piece of the black sheep hair back separately (being sure to cross between the lead eyes) and tie off and trim.

Step 8: Wrap black tying thread thoroughly over entire head of fly, being sure to secure any loose sheep hair and give the entire head an overall tightening. Then whip finish twice for durability and trim thread.

Step 9: Cut fly down to 2 ½ inches long (trim up the end nice and tapered). Then apply multiple coats of head cement over entire head, to include the painted lead eyes. I prefer at least five coats of Hard-as-Hull.

Fall Colors (Good Grief It's November Already)

Throughout most of the year I recommend using a white colored strike indicator when nymphing deep runs and pools (if, of course, bobbers are your bag). The idea is for the indicator to blend in with the foam and not spook fish. This strategy works so long as you can still identify what is your indicator!
This time of year there can be a lot of light brown and bright yellow leaves drifting down stream and congregating in back eddys. If you have a tendency to use white or yellow strike indicators...you could be in for a long and frustrating day. Be sure to have some really gaudy bobbers. They may be the only thing to stand out on the water.

Punching Samantha

Sometimes, when I am frustrated and am having a bad day, I will punch Samantha right in the eye. Not technically, but in some un-written guy code she belongs to a good friend of mine…but he is usually off running a Mexican roofing crew up in Cheyenne or somewhere. He leaves her alone and unattended. So, I slip in on a week day and look for her out back behind all the apartment buildings…minding her own business somewhere along the bike path. I already have my carp rod strung up and riding in the bed of my pickup truck—so I jump out and sneak up without her knowing. She is small. Petite, I like to think. And the carp that live in her water are numerous, but small in frame as well. But I am there because I have been shot down at other, larger and more challenging lakes. I am at Samantha’s Pond to somehow make myself feel better about myself in some weird, dirty-trailer court-domestic violence sort of way. So I sneak in while my buddy Patrick is away at work and I punch her in the eye! Then I cackle and punch her in the eye again! The small carp there are so gullible and they will eat a fly almost every time. It just ain’t fair. So I catch a few, reel in and do my best to apologize. It’s been a long day. You know I don’t mean it. Really…I love you. Now go wash up and put some ice on that eye…

Sunday Morning Movies

exploration to culmination from My Leaky Waders on Vimeo.

Tip of the Week

When you are fly fishing...watch out for loose rocks!

Koke Head

Kokanee are a land locked version of the sockeye salmon. They are stocked in many Colorado reservoirs (including Elevenmile, Gross, Blue Mesa, Green Mt. and Dillon). The Kokes make an unsuccessful spawning attempt up inlet rivers this time of year. They move up the creeks and rivers in very obvious waves...hence the term "salmon run". Bright pink streamers, San Juan worms and egg patterns are the most commonly used.

Pimp Your Lanyard

Many fly fishermen have taken to wearing lanyards these days. They are a convenient way to carry the bare essentials for a quick trip to the local creek (some keep one permanently behind their car seat) or as an added convenience to be worn with a satchel/waist pack. I also like to wear one when the weather turns cold. I can adjust it to be worn over as many layers of clothing I happen to need that day. But, like all things fly fishing...you can take a simple thing and over-complicate the piss out of it! I have recently taken two old, broken lanyards of mine and Frankensteined them into one Ultimate Lanyard!

1. Nippers
2. Fly Floatant
3. Foam Fly Box (light weight & color coded)
4. Forceps
5. Heavy Leader-Building Material
6. Finer Tippet Material
7. Wetting Agent (fly sink)
8. Split Shot
9. Foam Fly Box (light weight & color coded)
10. Braided Spiderwire tied extra long to adjust to wear over heavy clothing

Another Backstabber Success Story

This is Mark, from Dharma of the Drift. Just had to send you an email about this..

A friend of mine, a hard core carp angler (in the euro bait fishing style) invited me to come carp fishing with him next week, in a place that he said I was likely to be able to take one on the fly. Having never hooked a carp before, I eagerly accepted.

In anticipation, I started tying some carp flies today, and remembered your backstabber pattern. So I pulled up your blog and got the step by step on the screen and tied up a half dozen or so. As I was tying I couldn't see any reason why they wouldnt work for other species too, so I decided to take them out and give them a try. A few hours later and I hooked and landed my first fish on a backstabber...and what a fish it was. A big beautiful tiger trout, easily my best trout of 2011, and maybe ever (gotta measure the rod in the picture as a reference and see if it's at least 20").

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know about another backstabber success story!

Thanks, Mark

Thanks for the note, Mark! Stories like this make my day...hell, they make my year! I'll take this over Umpqua royalty checks any time! (well...until bills are due...)
--Jay

There May Be Some Sketch Involved

That is how he prefaced the trip once I had agreed to join him. There may be some sketch involved. Well…I ain’t scared a no ghost. I eat sketch for breakfast—I convinced myself. So, my friend Peter successfully convinced me to go on a wild goose chase of sorts. Parking along a road in a non-descript, but very particular, gravel pull-off and bush whacking strait down into a narrow canyon. There was a stream down below and if it held trout they could be big and plentiful and untouched. You know…could be. I could not pass on the opportunity. I had known Peter for over a year and never fished with him. Long time coming. Besides, he was a long-time Nederander and I am a recent Coal Creek Canyon Dweller. I felt like this invite had something to do with that. We were neighbors now. I was finally one of the cool kids shivering and smoking cigarettes out behind the BFI dumpster. I had to go. Sketch and all. Bring it.

True to plan, I met Peter at a pre-designated mountain bar and he jumped into my truck with an arm-load of fishing gear. “How many rods ya bringin’?”

“Just the one. A three weight?” I said.

“Cool. We good? Lets go!”

Sweet. Let’s do it!

And there was, no kidding, some sketch involved. A drive-by:  yeah, that was the spot! Swingin’ a u-ey on a mountain highway. Skidding to a halt on a narrow gravel shoulder. Dashing across previously mentioned highway in half-donned waders and clutching rod parts. And then an Apollo 13-esk descent down an un-trailed rocky gorge into the promised land. Yes…plenty of delicious sketch. And the stream below was, also, as Peter had promised. There was hardly sign of any others before us, the trout were plentiful/good-sized/ gullible (they loved a #12 Banksia Bug!) and we each were able to get our fill…our fix…with still enough time to turn back and hike out before dark.

Then, back at the mountain bar we came to the realization that neither one of us had our wallets with us. I had a check book (bar don’t take checks…sorry) and Peter had his AmEx (Visa or MC only…sorry). So we scrounged our vehicles and came up with a five spot and some change. What’s yer cheapest beer? PBR? $2.50 each? Sweet! Even got enough for a tip! And we nursed those two and tried to guess how many trout we had landed…

Frying Pan Report

The Frying Pan River is low and fishing well. It is at  90cfs last I checked (but click on it to see an up-to-date flow). This big rainbow was caught on a size 22 top secret midge with 6x, by Ben Schloesser. He was sight fishing the flats up from the bend pool.  There were definitely a handful of other 20"+ fish out there, he said. Great fishing, beautiful day and light crowds (it was a Thursday).  

 

Sunday Morning Movies

Carpaholic from 7 Weight on Vimeo.

The Save Bristol Bay Road Show

The Save Bristol Bay Road Show is coming to Denver in just 6 days!
This Thursday, Oct 27, 7pm at the Oriental Theater in Denver.

This promises to be a great event. Come learn about what's happening in the world's most valuable Salmon fishery in Bristol Bay, Alaska.  See the award-winning documentary "Red Gold" and hear first-hand accounts from Alaska natives, fisherman and guides. Plus enter to win over $500 in outdoor and fishing gear!  Be sure to RSVP and get free admission...(Corvallis, OR sold out!)

• FREE appetizers of Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon, prepared by Wild Catch Restaurant's Chef Justin Brunson
• Screening the award-winning documentary "Red Gold" and holding a panel discussion with commercial fisherman, natives, and sport guides from the Bristol Bay Region.
• RAFFLE for over $500 in outdoor and fishing gear including a Scott fly rod and reel!

RSVP HERE: http://denverredgoldroadshow.eventbrite.com/

Tip of the week

When you lose a nice trout, don't pout...it makes you look silly.

Saturday Tying Demo In Longmont!

The Longmont fly shop The Laughing Grizzly will be kicking off their free Saturday morning fly tying demonstrations this weekend! Come on up and visit with Mike, Dick and Frank in north Longtucky from 10:00 'till linch time. There will be bear bait (doenuts) and hot coffee for sure. I will be tying some new stuff, too...some Booby Frog action and some Clownshoe Stone Flies. Maybe this time I will even keep my clothes on...but all bets are off.