Let's try this again...

Needless to say, it's been awhile. Between all of the joyous things that accompany preparing for college, and now being a full-time college student, I'll be the first to admit that I don't have much in the way of free time. I've had at least one exam (sometimes two or three), every week since September 29th. I bring home an average of 4-6 hours of homework per night. Get the point? Yeah, free time is hard to come by.

Having said all of this, I want to start fresh, if you will. It's been a long time since my last post on here, and I guess you could say that I kind of miss it. I love the ability to write about my adventures in the amazing sport of fly fishing, and as I sit here at my fly tying table during Thanksgiving break, I couldn't help but think about writing another post.

I suppose it's not exactly an opportune time to get things rolling again, seeing as I now live in Wyoming, where nearly every bit of water is now frozen solid. However, I have plenty of fairly recent stories to tell from before my move to Wyoming, many of which include some rather nice fish. So, without further ado...

It was a blustery day to say the least. Upon our arrival, it was evident that the water was significantly lower now than ever before, and that fishing might be a bit challenging. Staring through the cracks in the windshield, the ultimate decision was to be made. Water so cold that you can only manage to stand in it for five minute periods, howling winds, and, in simplest terms, not much water to work with all presented us with a tough choice. However, we hadn't driven this far to turn back around, so I'll be damned if we didn't give it our best go.

Now, I'm sure you can already see where this is going. We sat there and fished our hearts out for hours on end. Cast after cast, nothing wanted to cooperate. We would change flies incessantly, assuring ourselves that with each change of the fly, our chances of catching a monster would increase. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In fact, it seemed that changing flies was having an opposite affect. Nonetheless, we continued. As the sun began to sink, we were beat. Casting heavy streamers on fly rods similar in stiffness to telephone poles all day had taken its toll.

Here is where the classic, "last cast of the day" comes into play. As the sun set further behind the mountains, I suddenly felt a tug on the end of my line; something I had been waiting for all day. Upon setting the hook, it was noted in my mind that this fish was no pushover. Runs that made my drag scream also mad my heart race and before long, he lay in the bottom of my net, admitting defeat. The fish turned out to be my biggest trout to date ~ an accomplishment that I always enjoy achieving. After quick photos and a hasty release, neither of our hands could handle the bitter windchill any longer, signaling the end of the day. It was a promising event, and one that would lead to a stellar day of fishing come daybreak.... Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Photo by Forrest Carpenter

It's been awhile

It's interesting how things can consume one's life. For myself, school has been the consumer of my life as of late. As those that actually pay attention to my site have probably noticed, my posting activity has been minimal since August. Oddly enough, August marks the first month of school. At any rate, I have just enough time to post a few pictures from the last few months of fishing before my next class starts. 

I managed to do some guiding this summer too, the above pictures are of a particularly special trip. It was my first ever trip out with paying clients... One could say it was a good day.

Forrest, a good friend and mentor of mine, asked me to help him out with getting his first carp. So... we did exactly that. Forrest, I can't thank you enough for putting up with my annoying questions, and teaching me all that you know about both fishing, and hunting.

Of course, I had to catch a few myself...

Grayling got checked off of my to-do list finally...

Most beautiful fish of the summer

My good friend Quinn with an eager mouse/gigantic caddis eating brown.

High country hiking and fishing were a must...

And of course what would pictures be without a fish of the summer. This beast of a common wins the award for big fish of the summer by far.

So, to those that enjoy reading/viewing my site, I apologize for the lack of activity, just know that if school wasn't consuming my life, I would be posting every single day. "Like" Fins on the Fly on Facebook, and keep reading!

BWO BDE

Here is an excellent little Blue Winged Olive pattern tied by Ben Furimsky.  The BDE will hold up two tungsten droppers without any problems!  Tie a few up!

It's that time again...

We are starting to see an increase in the number of Baetis on the rivers nowadays.  Not a thick hatch yet, but it will come!  In preparation, tie a few of these up, they won't let you down!

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. 

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!

The Ice Pick

This is a really cool streamer pattern that is especially effective during runoff.  Its bright coloring makes it highly visible in the water, and the rabbit strips add some bulk for a larger profile.  A super simple fly to tie, I encourage you to give it a shot!

Galloup's Circus Peanut

This is a really cool little streamer pattern that has earned a top spot in my boxes.  It fishes extremely well for not only trout, but bass and other warm water species as well!  Give it a shot!

Dungeon Time

Here's a video of Brian Wise tying my favorite streamer pattern of all time... Enjoy!

Frozen Fun!

Smiles leaped forward from the crowd, and laughs hovered about the room as Casey Dunnigan diligently placed the whip finish over the head on his signature "PMD Panty Dropper".  The crowd, including Rick Takahashi, stared in awe at the beautiful creation, while Casey sat confidently offering tips on being successful with this pattern.  Enthralled with the never ending line of beautiful patterns, the crowd didn't want to leave despite the demo being over the official "time-limit".  Casey's demos are always beneficial, and if you haven't yet, track him down at his next venue and get there early because it will get crowded!  So, when the streak of excellence in demonstration came to an end, I greeted Casey with a handshake, and an invitation to fish the Poudre with me that afternoon.  "Sure," responded Casey, "but not without lunch first!" 

To the local Asian grill it was, and the four of us we enjoyed an excellent lunch that would fulfill us for the day, as well as a load of stories from Rick Takahashi himself.   Stuffed, the two of us headed north in search of the Poudre, and a few willing targets.  After speedily assembling our gear and dressing out in our waders, we began the trek through knee deep snow.  Two miniature meals were dropped below a single, elegantly tied dry fly.  As if rocks were being tossed into the water, fish were slashing at the surface continually.  Miniscule midges skated across the glassy surface, teasing trout before flight.  A single rise appeared, and the rig was presented delicately upstream of the trout.  Slowly drifting along, the small dry fly was suddenly pulled under, and a smooth raising of the rod on Casey's part produced highly energetic runs across the current.  Minutes later, the willing silvery cutbow came to hand - Casey's first fish on the Poudre - on his first cast.

Casey Dunnigan

Repeating the same motions as before, Mr. Dunnigan continued to work his magic, eventually bringing a beautifully spotted brown to hand.  Anxious to get a tug, the obnoxious streamer secured to my line was unbuttoned from the hook keeper, and a single downstream cast was sloppily made.  As the large fly swung through the current, the line began to swim away, and the strip set was applied.  Diving every which way, the gorgeous brown trout eventually surrendered for pictures, and was swiftly released back to the icy waters that it called home.

Not huge, but super pretty!

As the glowing winter sun tucked itself away behind the majestic purple mountains of Colorado, our chilled breath lingered as we reeled in the weapons and called it a day.  Frozen waders and boots came slowly but surely off of our frigid bodies, and the engine hummed as we drove off into the Colorado sunset.

Ice Off is Coming...

I like to spend time that I am not fishing or doing homework tying flies to prepare for major events on many of Colorado's rivers and lakes.  Before we know it, ice off will be here, and the big fish will be out cruising the lake shores on the hunt for food.  This scud is a great fly to carry around, and has proven effective for ice off trout.  Enjoy!

Monday Movie

"Hatch" trailer - by Gin Clear Media | Fly Fishing Movie from The Fly Fishing Film Tour on Vimeo.

Tuesday Tie

This is a great little pattern created by the illustrious Jay Zimmerman.  I fish this deep as a caddis larva this time of year, and unweighted just below the surface when the caddis are popping.  Check it out!

Tuesday Tie

This week, I have chosen a pattern tied by the guys down at CO Skies Outfitters.  I have really been interested in tubes lately, and this fly is an excellent little pattern that is simple and effective. So without further ado, I present to you the Marabou Tube!

Praise the Shot Glass!

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for not posting in awhile....the computer was in the shop getting repaired, and school computers don't allow access to blogger (though I am protesting).  

Other than that,  school has been the center of my focus lately, with little time to get out and fish.  So, whenever free time arises, I have been tying, mainly filling up my midge, and mayfly boxes with some cool new patterns.  One of the patterns that is earning a spot in my box is Shea Gunkel's new series of flies known as the shot glass series.  Shea is a hell of a guy with fly designing skills all his own.

The new series of flies feature a bead in the thorax, which in my opinion adds a lot more realism to the fly, as well as helping the fly ride better in the water (when tied with tungsten beads).  The below pictures are of a couple different colors of Shea's new flies, and might I add that the grey is deadly.  So, check it out, and let me know what you think!  Also check out Shea's blog here!

Black Background

White Background

Oh, and if you're reading this Shea, your beads will be there soon!

Monday Movie

Come on down!

This weekend the Denver Fly Fishing Show will be going on at the Merchandise Mart.  The show starts on the 6th, and ends on the 8th running for most of the day.  This is a great place to come learn a few tricks from the pros, and stock up on the latest gear.  I will be tying all three days, so feel free to stop by my booth and chat or ask questions!

I will also have flies for sale by the dozen, so don't hesitate to support a high school trout bum!

Beef Jerky and Soda

Glancing over the cold metal rails of a small footbridge, I observed intently as three decent rainbows sat idling in the current, munching on anything that came their way.  The air was frigid, but the heat of determination could be felt from a mile away; whether we said it or not.  

Back at the car, I slid on my trusty old waders, and the worn laces of my boots were cinched tight as the excitement built inside of me.  A few feet of hair thin tippet were unwound from the spool, and two synthetic snacks were selected from the foam slots of my fly box.  The wind howled as the knots were delicately fastened to the eyes of each hook, and two small split shot were clamped to the over priced piece of line known as a leader.  Once rigged, my trusty hip pack was strapped around my waist, and my net was held between the straps of the pack and my jacket as I set out in search of my first fish of the new year.

Returning to the bridge, I zeroed in on one small rainbow, and elegantly placed the rig in front of him.  As the flies drifted effortlessly through the current, the line drew tight, and the small rainbow was ushered towards my awaiting hands. 

As the day progressed, Many beautifully colored fish were brought to hand, and the winds howled in celebration.  Time after time, we would watch as the hungry fish moved to the side, claiming our artificial offerings as their own.  As the line was drawn tight, the fit of lazy headshakes would begin, and eventually the fish would come tiredly to hand.  With swift releases, the small creatures were free to return to the frigid waters that served as home.  

In the aquarium

Colors!

Most uniquely colored rainbow I have ever seen

Weirdest looking brown I have ever seen

Dennis Martin with a nice brown

Last fish of the day!

After awhile, the small midges attached to my line were slowly depreciating in quality, and the sun was slowly tucking itself away behind the snowy peaks that surround colorful Colorado. The day was coming to a close, and after our excited emotions had quieted, all that could be heard was the soft trickle of river water.  The muddy gear peeled slowly away from our bodies, and we drove off into the night.

Monday Movies

Monday Movies ~ Sight Fishing New Zealand