Skip to main content

Colorado Fly Fishing

It was one of those fishing trips. You know, everyone catches fish but you, you loose six or eight of your most expensive streamers, it rains buckets, and you sink the boat. That’s right; I got skunked at Steamboat Lake over Memorial weekend.

I was determined to show those meat huckers (worms and power bait) that a well chosen and strategically placed fly was as effective as anything a conventional fisherman could load on a hook and hang under a bobber. Well, no such luck, I got stomped.

The fish were rising like mad on a midge hatch, and I threw everything in the box at them. I could swear I saw a hefty rainbow nudge my fly to the side to eat the natural laying only centimeters from my damn near perfect replica. As we watched the group of 12 year olds add another 18” fish to their stringer (full loaded, I might add) I decided it must be a lake thing. I don’t fish lakes often.

I usually have good luck with a streamer in faster moving water, so I head for one on the several tributaries hoping to get the boat up far enough to make a make a few good casts. No such luck, here comes the wind. Determined and frustrated, I proceed to lose several of my best streamers in the dense shrubbery surrounding the mouth of the creek (can’t retrieve them since the current is too strong to get the boat any further up the creek).

On the way back to camp we are passed by a couple of boats with stringers of fish crashing off the bows of their boats (hmmm, are they just rubbing it my face, or are they tenderizing the meat?)Questioning my decision to become a fly fisherman, I head over to the dock to pick up my 5 year-old son and a fresh styro of night crawlers. I'll let my son fish the meat before I crumble and load one up on the spinner myself. Surprising, no luck with the meat either, and hear comes the rain. I throw my arms up and ponder my karma activity of the past year.

We charge for shore as the lake turns to white caps. The rain and lightning moves in fast. Did I mention that we got the boat for free and have no clue what to do in the rain? We pull the boat up close to shore near our camp, outside of the no-wake zone. We leave all of our gear and head for the soggy camp.

Well, apparently it’s best to leave your boat in protected cove in the no wake zone. From what we could tell, our boat was hammered with 300 to 400 gallons of water from the waves and boat wakes from boaters rushing back to the dock. Yes, it sank in 18 inches of water. I didn’t realize a boat could sink in 18” of water! All of our gear is floating around the shore. The gas tank and gear which included an Orvis waste pack with hmmmm, some 500 plus flies. Every box any fly had to be opened and dried on the dashboards of our trucks.

We bail the boat, load the truck and haul our soggy gear and crippled egos back home.

Next memorial day, it’s back to the river!!!

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Milwards Split Cane Fishing Rods

Milwards split cane fishing rods information and details on the different models, features and characteristics of these sort-after pieces of fishing tackle. History In modern day fishing tackle, sometimes the advances of science have taken the simple joy out of a lot of fishing. Fly fishing is probably one of the most traditional of modern fishing disciplines, and one of the few where purchasing antique and vintage fishing tackle is a viable alternative to buying new, off-the-shelf gear. The interest in vintage fly fishing equipment, particularly rods and reels, has grown in recent years, and few fly fishing rods are more sort after than the exquisitely crafted Milwards split cane fishing rods. Henry Milward & Sons was a company founded in Redditch, England (just south of Birmingham) during the 18th century, and was most noted for its production of needles. However, one of the later generation Henrys was an avid fly fisher, and so an offshoot of the main company was formed to cater...
5 comments
Read more

Are You Losing Fish Because Your Hook Isn't Sharp?

Are You Losing Fish Because Your Hook Isn't Sharp? One of the things many fishermen neglect is hook care. Have you ever lost a big fish that was on and wondered why? Maybe, your hook wasn't sharp. If you fish brushpiles, gravel beds, rockpiles, log jams, bridge pilings, timber and boat docks you need to check your hooks for sharpness. A sharpening tool should be a regular part of your tackle box. If you're on your way to fish and don't have a sharpener go to a drug store and get a diamond-dust nail file at a drug store. It's important to check your hooks sharpness every time you get snagged. Here is the way I test my hooks for sharpness: Grab the shank of the hook in one hand and gently put the point on your thumbnail, don't apply any force or pressure whatsoever. Now, try and move the hook across your thumbnail, if the point digs in then the hook is sharp. I also use this method for my pocket knife to test it's sharpness. Sharp hooks can make your fishing t...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Useful Tips On Trout Fishing

In fishing, trout are one of the favorite “fishing friends” of most anglers. These crafty fish are abundant anywhere. The native habitat of these crafty fish depends on the type of trout.  For brook trout, the native habitat includes the territory from Labrador westward to the Saskatchewan, while the rainbow trout is a native of the Pacific slope from Alaska to California.  On the other hand, brown trout has found its way into the waters of every state in the United States except Florida, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas. It has been reported in the waters of some of these states, but according to conservation officials, no authentic reports have been received. It is also found in many parts of Canada. In trout fishing, there are some factors that need to be considered in order to have a successful catch. 1. For trout fishing, the leader should not be greased. It will not sink far enough to cause any difficulty when picking...
1 comment
Read more