After A Few Days Up North...

So, a little adventure to some northern waters. Last Friday night found me pulling into Alcova, WY, around 7pm with enough light to stand in the water for a bit. The flow was still around 725cfs so wading was easy. The Reef proved to be difficult because the flow increase from 500cfs pushed a lot of moss into the entire water column, but fish were still on the grab and when a drift managed to stay clean, the odds were good. A couple nice fish later and I found a campsite and waited for Casey and Aidan to show up from the Keys post tarpon-sacking. Show up they did - at 3:30am. Ouch.

Saturday started off great on the Reef - fish in the boat and splitter skies. As we continued down, however, the amount of moss just became more and more difficult to deal with. A couple more fish and we hammered down to Lusby, loaded the boat up, and punched south to Delaney Buttes near Walden, CO. Camp was established, rigs were switched over, and we were ready for day 2.

Sunday was again clear and calm. Again we started off great with both rainbows and browns taking chronomids and callibaetis. Around 11am we were swarmed by the most epic hatch I have ever seen on those lakes. I couldn't even open my mouth they were so thick in the air - beautiful insects though. Casey came alive with a couple silvery hogs on the west side of the North Lake - one almost spooled him - those fish are strong! All in all a great weekend, and we were all lucky for the UPF 30 sun protection fabric of our Patagonia Sunshade Shirts - would have been toast without them! Enjoy the pics...

Engagement Hole - Excellent!

On The Banks Of The Reef...

Man Rig #2

With the Man Truck officially donated to charity, the Element is now poised for epic adventures - Rods rigged, crash pad in the back, stove, cooler, and perfect positioning somewhere along the North Platte for an evening with my feet in the dirt. Perfect...

Another Nice Delaney Brownie...

Did Someone Say Hatch?!?

Slab Numero Uno!

Slab Numero Dos!

Nice Fish Trixie - Nice Look Too...

Redcliff!

So what does one do when the rivers are blown out? For me, go bouldering at one of the finest mountain areas in CO - the Kluttergarden above Redcliff. But there was an added bonus to this day - after a great circuit on classic problems, I wandered over to Homestake Creek with the 2-weight and a dry-dropper rig. It was flowing hard, but very fishable, and after a couple nice fish, I landed a 14" Brown, the largest fish I have put to hand on this beautiful stretch of water. And on a product side note - for those anglers out there that are also boulderers, the Patagonia Remat (Spring '09) is great for not only changing out of your waders but also as a starting mat for boulder problems - It allows you to position your crashpad where you need it and keeps your shoes / butt clean for stand / sit starts. It also transports well in a folded pad. Multi-use design at its best!

Damselfly - Time For A Try

"In that eternal search for evidence of a just and beneficent God, we present for your consideration a simple insect, the damselfly.

At precisely the time when rivers are overflowing their banks and the high country remains wedged in snow and ice, this compassionate being sends relief to frustrated fishermen in the form of what may be the perfect bug.

For a period of about a month during late June and early July, it is the thing that drives fish wild in shallow lakes and ponds. Fish that appear obstinate at other times of the year suddenly play the grand fools when damsels begin moving about.

There can be no better example than that morning a couple of years ago at North Delaney Butte Lake, where a population of very large brown trout embraces a proud reputation for all-around mulishness. Expecting the usual difficulties, an angler wading deep and casting long into the lake suddenly is aware of commotion behind him.

He turns to see several big fish wallowing like pigs in shallow water, caution thrown to the wind in a feeding frenzy. There can be no doubt as to the cause. The proof is creeping up his waders, down his shirt collar, into his hair.

Through blind luck, he has wandered into the middle of a full-blown damselfly hatch. Never before or since has he found so many big brown trout so easy to catch..."

Read more of Charlie Meyer's great article here.

W's Riverwalker Vest in the New York Times!

The Women's Riverwalker took top honors among 6 women-specific vests. Check out the article here.

Volume 9...

...Now on browsers everywhere. Check out This Is Fly - creative, informative, and in a word, FLY.

San Jaun - Two Flies Only!

Anglers are now restricted to the use of just two flies while fishing in the quality waters of New Mexico's trophy class, blue ribbon trout stream, the San Juan River.

State Game Commissioners adopted the new rule at a May 29, 2008 meeting at San Juan College in Farmington, NM.

“We’re thrilled,” said Larry Johnson of the San Juan Guides Association and owner of the Soaring Eagle Lodge. “Anything we can do to protect the economic impact of the river is important”

Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the new rule limiting anglers fishing in the upper four miles of the San Juan River just below Navajo Dam to the use of two flies.

Advocates for the rule change hope it will limit the number of trout inadvertently injured or killed from foul hooking by multiple hooks and entrapment in broken off lines.

Previously there was no rule limiting the number of flies an angler could use on the quality waters of the San Juan River where an estimated 70,000 trout, averaging 18-inches in length reside.

The San Guides Association in seeking the rule claimed some guides were arming clients with multiple fly rigs in order to improve their catch rate at the expense of the trout.

The association’s members reported increased sightings of injured and dead fish that they and their clients found repulsive and unsportsmen like.

Read more here. Thanks Karl...