Volume 2 Issue 2 - Winter/Spring 2008

Spring is in the Air | By Anthony Bartkowski

The change from winter to spring is here! I have been in shorts and sandals for the last few days and it is purely enjoyable. Hopefully you are starting to dust off the rods and reels. The response from our first newsletter in January was tremendous, and a special thank you for taking the time to read the prose of our guides. Speaking of prose – have you been onto the Flyfisher website lately? If not, check out the blog (http://blog.theflyfisher.com/). This is an open forum where a variety of guides will have a slew of topics and it will allow you to post comments. We want your participation. The blog is one of the forums for us to learn from each other, inform our customers of what is working best, how to do something, how to tie a new fly pattern, and sometimes provide a thought provoking statement to create dialogue. To post comments, it is fairly simple. If you want to know more on how to post comments please contact us. We are on the cutting edge of technology.  Another new area of the website that you may have noticed is gear reports (http://www.theflyfisher.com/reports/gear.cfm). In this issue read, the latest review by Matthew Burkett about the new wading boots from Simms. Check back frequently as we will have various product reviews from the guides who test the products and provide an honest review. If we feel this is the greatest thing since sliced bread we will tell you so, however if the product does not meet the expected standards, it will be stated.

 

What’s Biting?

• South Platte downtown Denver | The carp bit is on, you need sun and good water clarity to hook the golden sides.
• South Platte above Chatfield in the Park | Enjoy some of the best early season, easy access fishing around as the resident fish in Chatfield Reservoir make their annual pilgrimage upstream to spawn.
• Cheesman Canyon or Deckers | The water is a trickle but the fishing is steady and should heat up when the flows increase.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• March 21, 2008 | Fishin’ Buddies at North Fork Ranch | The Meadows | 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
• March 27, 2008 | Fishin’ Buddies at Boxwood Gulch | Long Meadow | 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
• March 28, 2008 | Fishin’ Buddies at Boxwood Gulch | Long Meadow | 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
• May 2, 2008 |Piscary Preserves Fly Fishing Tournament | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• May 3, 2008 | Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing Festival | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

 

Long Winter Leads to Great Fishing | By Ryan Sullivan

Can you feel the momentum? A great fishing year is about to begin! Snow pack in Colorado is at record levels, the upcoming months prior to runoff can be some of the best angling of the year. After a long winter, fish across all drainages are hungry and beginning to respond to warmer weather, longer stretches of sun, and a bump in flows. Rainbows and Cutthroat are beginning to spawn which means fish will become more aggressive and territorial as they search for eggs, and larger food organisms.  We can not stress enough to be aware and cautious of not walking on “redds,” the pea to quarter sized gravel beds where the fish will be spawning. It is a great opportunity to sharpen your ability to look for fish and to sight fish the Browns below the “redds.” The fish are looking for eggs and other attractor patterns. A big brown went after my orange indicator this time last year, after switching to a flashtail egg in size 16, it paid dividends. For many of you suffering from cabin fever, we have outlined below a few options for you to get out on the water.

Simms Rivershed Wading Boots | By Matthew Burkett

Hot off the last, the only studded aqua-stealth boot left on the market, I look forward to seeing how it holds up over the course of a 250+ day season. I am pleasantly surprised that the sizing is true. The twelve I am wearing is still a twelve, even after it has dried out twice. There is a great amount of space in the toe box without making the boot feel loose. That has helped keep my toes warm in the current winter conditions. A couple of other notable items are the heavy rubber toe cap and the sewn in tongue. I really like the idea of the rubber toe since that is where I wear most of my boots out and sewing in the tongue seems to make it easier to get my foot in and out of the boot. I will keep you posted as the season progresses. Cost: $189

• Preseason Preview:  5 out of 5
• 1st Impression, Day 3:  4.5 out of 5
• I’ll be replacing the laces in 30 days.

Savings for Readers | By Getyou Outfishin

Save $50, book online and use 3822NEWS as the PROMO code. Exp. 05/08

What’s new at Trout’s?

• All things Scientific Angler, we now carry a full selection of SA lines, leaders and tippet.
• Rio Gold Lines now in the store.
• NEW Simms G3 in the store now
• Simms Rivershed Bots are in the store in select sizes.
• Trout’s will launch its new website later this month: http://www.troutsflyfishing.com

What’s new at AU?

• Student raving about the Beginner Fly Tying Classes, space limited.
• Learn to Fish in One Day | Fly Fish 102 Classes are beginning in earnest.
• April 12, 2008 | $175/student

Private Water | Current Rating | April & May Forecast

• SOUTH BOULDER CREEK | Frozen | Ice is beginning to break | April 1 opening
• ST. VRAIN RIVER | Good | Good flows a nice choice | Stones & BWO
• BEAR CREEK | Fair | Still frozen until around Morrison
• CLEAR CREEK | Fair | Open water below the canyon near Golden
• DOWNTOWN | SOUTH PLATTE | Great | Fish with sun and good clarity
• ABOVE CHATFIELD | SOUTH PLATTE | Poor | The water is up but the fish are not… YET
• CHEESMAN CANYON | SOUTH PLATTE | Fair | Flows are dribbling but fish want to eat
• DREAM STREAM | SOUTH PLATTE | Good | Big boys are moving | we need water, bad

 

Public Water | Current Rating | April & May Forecast

• LINCOLN HILLS | Frozen Ice is beginning to break | April 1 opening
• BOULDER RIVER RANCH | Frozen Still frozen solid | April 7 opening
• BLUE HERON FARM | Good Micro Black | Stonefly is active
• WILLILAMS RANCH | Good | Seeing Blue Winged Olives on cloudy days
• BARTLES LAKE Frozen Still winter at 10,000+ | June 1 opening
• THE PERFECT DRIFT | Closed | Main channel is running should open soon
• NORTH FORK RANCH | THE MEADOWS | Great Flows are up and the fish are fighting hard
• BOXWOOD | LONG MEADOW | Great | Lots of Micro Black Stones