Tak's Go2 prince

Rick Takahashi is a well known local expert famous for his many fly patterns.  Here is a video of Rick tying his signature GO2 Prince nymph; and incredibly deadly fly year round.  Tie a few up, and give them a shot!


The Go 2 Prince Nymph from Juan Ramirez on Vimeo.

Riding High

This is one of my favorite shorts of all time.  The cinematography is superb, and the fishing isn't bad either... Check it Out!



Riding High: A Season on the Fly from Waterline Media on Vimeo.

Sunburns and Dry Flies

Tiredly I ran up the stairs hurrying to answer the phone call that was causing my obnoxious ringtone to sing as loud as it could.  I answered with a sloppy "hello" as I sat staring out the window using all the internal strength I had to peel my delicate eyelids apart from each other after a long nights sleep.  It was my great friend and mentor Steve Thrapp, asking if I could meet him at the river in twenty minutes.  Despite still wearing my shorts and crinkled T-shirt, and my hair being strewn in every which direction, I agreed, and the usual routine began.  I managed to piece together a decent array of clothing from what I had laying around my room, and before I knew it, I was headed out the door.  Thankfully, I keep all of my rods rigged and ready in the back of my car, so I could be on my way quickly.  Before I could take off, my dad reminded me to grab food and a drink.. something I often forget.

Upon arrival at the water,  I slid on my waders and boots, and as Steve pulled up, we shook hands and exchanged our latest fishing tales.  Chatting as we approached the water, one look down river revealed hundreds of rising fish throughout the many riffles and pools.  We split up, and began targeting fish as best we could.  After roughly an hour, I had only tempted a single fish, and Steve had raised a few others with none landed.  Frustrated, we headed upriver in search of other (hopefully) willing fish.

As Steve roped in one fish after another, I sat and watched a single rainbow as she fed rigorously in the heart of a shallow riffle.  I couldn't believe how intently she was feeding, as her mouth opened roughly every three seconds.  Rigged with a dry - dropper, I made a cast to the fish, and to my surprise, she took the midge dropper on the first drift.  The fight lasted roughly 30 seconds, and the fish soon laid at the bottom of my net.  After pictures, I carefully released the beautiful fish to fight another day.

For how rigorously this fish was feeding, she was awful thin!

Trekking further and further down-river, we finally found more fish, and Steve really began to teach them a lesson.  Steve has been and still is one of my greatest mentors, and he has taught me much about what I know today.  Every time I am able to fish with Steve I learn a ton, and it is always amazing to watch him as he dissects the water, and brings several fish to hand.  Steve is also the creator of the PIOPod, sold by Fishpond, and his care for the environment shows with every outing.  With seemingly every cast, Steve hooked up, and over the course of roughly 30 minutes, Steve landed a myriad of different fish.

As the sun began to set, we tried one last stretch, only hoping for a good fish.  Cast after cast produced nothing, until I managed to hook up with a decent rainbow as I swung the flies through the current.  After an intense battle,  I hoisted the fish for pictures, and released it swiftly to its watery home.

Colors!

Sunburnt and tired,  I had to call it a day, and as we removed our waders, Steve and I shook hands before leaving.  With plans to do it again soon, we went our separate ways, and headed towards home.  It had been a tough day on the water (for me at least), but hey, I was glad to have gotten out. 

The Swimming Baetis...

Al Ritt is a widely known individual amongst the fly fishing/fly tying community.  He ties beautiful flies, and effectively imitates many different insects with his patterns.  Here, Al is tying his "swimming baetis", a pattern that I have come to love so far this spring.  A simple tie, I encourage all of you to give it a shot!

Al's Swimming Baetis from Juan Ramirez on Vimeo.

Monster Brown

Words can't even describe this fish...  I realize that most of you have already seen this, but hey, at least it'll help make the work day go by a little faster.

Matt Heron Reels in a Gigantic Brown Trout from Filmed In Tahoe on Vimeo.

Temptations

I couldn't help it: temptation raged inside me like a violent winter sea.  A new Rascal Flatts song played on the radio.  The lyrics "You gotta go deep, way on back, cross a few creeks, and a couple little shacks... You gotta get lost, way on out!" were belted out as proudly as can be, and my judgement finally surrendered as my desires broke loose, resembling a pack of wild dogs running for freedom (figuratively speaking of course).  I speedily cruised the winding hills of the far reaches of Fort Collins, gradually building up anxiety as the river entered my plane of sight. 

Similar to the undisturbed focus of a child perusing the walls of a candy store, my dedicated mind drove every action as I dodged the punches of my only enemy: the clock.  My waders were on and layers assembled before my lousy opponent could bother to reach minute five; a tremendous personal accomplishment for 7:30 in the morning on a sunday.  Rods had been rigged throughout the week: a product of fishing almost every day after school.  A trusty wooden net was strapped to my waist as I descended upon the section of water, hoping for the best.  Scanning the surface and its structure below, it didn't take long for my tired brain to realize what was transpiring before my eyes.  Bicyclists stared in wonderment as I jumped up and down in celebration of the midge hatch (admit it ~ you've done it too), bringing seemingly every fish in the river to the glassy surface.  

Approaching stealthily, a single riser attracted my attention, and a few quick casts produced a wily brown trout: something that would become common throughout the day.  Glaring at me as the hook that pinned him tightly to my tippet was removed, I carefully set him free to continue feasting himself on the buffet of midges now drifting down the delicately flowing river.  Continuing upstream, one rising fish after another was targeted, and as the hours drew by, several willing fish were brought to hand.  Time after time, the low-riding dry fly danced elegantly amongst the complex currents, only to be rudely (but welcomely) interrupted by the tug of a hungry fish below.

If you look closely behind the gill plate, you can see the scratches from where this little guy almost became a snack...

By high noon, fish began to descend into the depths of the abyss, and my satisfied self returned happily to the car.  "Take that, clock" I muttered under my breath, slowly removing my cold waders, and leisurely placing my gear back into the trunk.  I had all the time in the world it seemed, and it had been a good day.  Every once in awhile you have those day where everything just happens to go right, and while this was not exactly one of those days, it was pretty close.  

Got Parachute's?

This is a great little video of my great friend and mentor Vincent Su tying one of his parachute patterns on the 720 Vice... Check it out!

Vincent Su Parachute 11/21/09 from Juan Ramirez on Vimeo.

Colorado Gems

The ferocious wind howled as it dove between tree branches and hovered across the water's surface.  High hopes were gradually reduced to actualization as tippet fluttered every which way in the myriad of wind currents, making it nearly impossible to attach flies to my line.  But we couldn't give up, we had to at least give it a shot!  

Upstream, Sanders stood knee-deep in a run dropping his rig in front of countless risers.  Before we could even say "hey" and shake hands, Sean angled his rod backwards, and was set into a quality brown.  I assumed the position of net-man, and after a hard fought battle, we had a beauty of a brown in the net.  Pictures and fist bumps followed, and the beautiful creature was then released back to its chilled home.

Sanders' Brown... Like 5 minutes into the day

"Damn Sanders... not even a minute into the day you have a fish in the net?  I gotta quit fishing with you!" I said jokingly as my dad hopped into the river in hopes of bringing the next riser to hand.  As sanders and I sat clumsily re-rigging, my dad started working a single rising fish.  Cast after cast was rudely ignored by the picky fish, until finally the dry was attacked from below.  "Got him!" he yelled as he raised the rod slightly, sending the frightened fish into an astonishing fit of headshakes. Minutes later the tired little fish was slid into my dad's hands as he hoisted it proudly for the camera.  After a swift release, we proceeded up-river in search of a few more willing eaters.

As my fingers slowly lost feeling, I barely managed to finish assembling my rig, cinching down the last knot as quickly as possible.  The wind battled my balance as if I was being pushed over by a ghost of some sort.  Leaning into the powerful storm, I speedily laid down a cast on the water's surface.  Watching intently as the flies drifted downstream, I reacted immediately to the feel of a fish on the line.  A smooth lift of the rod produced a nice cutbow, and as I released the fish to call it a day, sanders yelled out requesting help on the net.

Sanders' Last Fish of the day... 

Shivering violently, I netted Sean's fish, and after quick pictures, I hurried back to the car in search of heat.  the radio came to life as the engine hummed, and warm air gradually brought the feeling back to my frigid fingers.  It was awesome to fish with Sanders (as usual) but I was really happy to have gotten my dad out on the water again, and watch the smile run across his face with each hook-up.  As we sped towards home, I couldn't help but think of how lucky us Coloradoans are to live in such a beautiful place.  As my mind expanded on this thought, I watched as the fiery orange sun nestled itself to bed for the night behind the purple mountains that Colorado is so well known for. "This has gotta be the good life" I muttered under my breath as a smile came across my face.

Old Favorites

I know, I know, most of you have seen the zebra midge more times than you can remember.  It is a super simple little pattern, and for how common it is, it catches fish.  Anyways, give this one a shot!

My Dream Trip...

Red Like Winter: the Trailer from Waterline Media on Vimeo.

Bass Pro Shops Spring Classic

I will be spending the weekend down at Bass Pro Shops in Denver for the annual Spring Fishing Classic. Myself and many other local professionals will be tying flies all day Saturday and Sunday, so stop by and chat if you get a chance!  

For more information, click here!