Monday Movies ~ Beautiful Carp

Small Flies and Light Tippets...

I got a call yesterday from my good friend Dennis Martin inviting me to go fish with Vincent Su and himself today.  I gladly accepted the invitation, and made plans with Dennis to meet Vincent in the parking lot at 9:30.

So, I arose to the sound of my alarm, threw on my favorite fishing clothes, jumped into the truck with Dennis, and off we went.  About an hour later, we were rigging up, and sharing stories of our recent fishing ventures with Vincent.  After extended conversations, we set out in search of our quarry.

Upon arrival at the river, we noticed several fish taking small midge pupa just below the surface, so we each took turns targeting specific fish with super tiny flies and light tippets.

Jake Ruthven photo

Jake Ruthven photo

The flies towards the top are bigger, but we were using the ones in the bottom right corner...size 30 2X short

Vincent Su with a fiesty little brown

Dennis Martin with a beautiful brown

Long story short, we all ended up having a tremendous day on the water, and despite not catching any monsters, each other's company made it such a joy to be out.

A weekend all my own

I was lucky enough to get a three day weekend last week, and decided to make it the best that I possibly could.  I had grand fishing plans, and knew that I was going to have an excellent three days relaxing.  I had also ordered a new hip pack from fishpond, and was anxious to try it out.

So, come saturday morning, I arose swiftly at 7:15, threw on my favorite fishing clothes, and headed out to my porch in order to wait for my ride, and good friend Dennis to arrive.

He pulled up in his old turquoise ford pickup truck, and off we went.  Now today would not be just any normal day of fishing.  We weren't headed for the river just yet...instead we soon found ourselves outside of Rick Takahashi's house, and after a little conversation, we transferred all of our gear to his car, and to the river we went!

The day began with some excellent nymphing, and slowly transferred over to great surface action.  We were pulling fish on an assortment of small dries, as well as several different emerger patterns.  The highlight of the day was seeing the baetis emerger pattern I created catch over a dozen fish!  It was truly incredible watching Mr. Takahashi fish, and he ended the day with a fish count exceeding 30.  My friend Dennis did quite well also, bringing in several fiesty rainbows.  After fishing, we grabbed lunch at a mexican restaurant, and then headed our separate ways.

 Sunday, I completed my behemoth load of homework, and was fortunate enough to hit the river with my dad that evening.  We fished until dark, and though success rates were minimal, it was still awesome to get out and fish with my dad.

Gorgeous Rainbow

Beautiful little fish...the colors on this guy made him the fish of the night

A note on the pack...
I was extremely pleased with how the new waist pack performed on the water this weekend.  It is able to hold all of my gear and a lunch, as well as two water-bottles.  I also like the fact that it swings easily out of my way, making fishing a heck of a lot easier.  Overall, it is an excellent pack, and definitely worth the money.  if any of you would like a full review, feel free to let me know.


In summary, it was a great three days off.  Fishing with Mr. Takahashi, and Mr. Martin was truly a gift, but fishing with my dad made for a perfect ending to the weekend.  Before we know it, things will be covered in snow, so get out and fish before the pleasant fall days turn to snowy, cloud-filled skies!

Tuesday Tie ~ Depth Charge Bird's Nest

This pattern is a twist on the once famous Bird's Nest fly pattern created by Cal Bird.  The original pattern is tied using a small brass bead in order to hold the fly just below the surface.  This version is tied with a brass bead in front, and a tungsten bead behind it, giving it the weight needed to reach fish holding in deeper water.  I like to fish this fly behind a mercury flashback pheasant tail, or any other pattern with a mercury bead because the bird's nest gives the fish a nymph option, and a mercury pattern gives them an emerger option.  So without further ado, the Bird's Nest...

Materials List:

Hook: TMC 2457, size 12-18

Thread: Rusty Brown 70 Denier UTC

Beads: Gold tungsten sized to hook, and black brass sized to hook.  (Black goes on first, and then gold.  The tungsten bead is threaded with the bigger hole facing forward so that it hugs the back of the brass bead)

Weight: Lead wire, sized to hook

Tail/Antennae: Amber Goose Biots

Abdomen/Thorax: Arizona synthetic dubbing, color of your choice

Rib: Small Gold UTC Ultra Wire

Legs: Hen Back Fibers

Monday Movies ~ New Zealand Brown

Monday Movies ~ Midge Magic

Tuesday Tie ~ The Home Invader

The home Invader is an excellent streamer pattern that was created by famous guide Doug Mcknight.  What I love about this pattern is its simplicity.  It involves only a hook, eyes, flash, marabou, and Arctic fox, and the action it gives off in the water is pretty awesome.  There are endless color variations to his pattern, so feel free to mess around with the materials, and see what you come up with!  So without further ado....The Home Invader! So next time you are out on the water, give this thing a try. You might just get the biggest fish in the river...

Recipe:
Thread: UTC 140 Denier (color to match), and hot orange 70 Denier for the hot spot
Hook: Tiemco 700 #2-10
Eyes: Dumbell eyes, sized to hook
Tail: Marabou (color of Choice)
Body: Arctic Fox fur (color to match the natural)

Gills: Wrapped hen hackle (color of choice)

Flash: One color of flashabou, and one color of krystal flash ( a few strands of each), tied in on the bottom of the fly. (silver flashabou and gray krystal flash used here)

Finished Fly, note the hot orange bump of thread at the front

After a dunk.  The fly has a great baitfish profile



So next time you are out on the water, give this thing a try. You might just get the biggest fish in the river...

Monday Movies ~ Once in a Blue Moon

Thought I would share one of my favorite videos of all time...

2b + 3a * F (a) = Fishing Time?

Not so much.  Over the past month or so, I have been literally up to my eyeballs in homework, and have had minuscule amounts of free time to go fishing.  I apologize for not posting in such a long time, but now that school is finally starting to somewhat settle, I should be able to post more frequently.  I have been busy solving for the value of 'X', and exploring the literary elements of culture, while trying to maintain my sanity with each passing day.

Notes, notes, and more notes...

I did manage to get out a few times back in september with excellent luck throughout wyoming, and have been out a few times since, with rather disappointing results.  I was quite satisfied though, because the hopper pattern that I recently came up with managed to out-fish some of the more popular patterns such as Charlie Boy Hoppers.  As for the conditions...The Poudre is running low and clear in town; almost so low that it looks more like a drainage ditch than a river.  I was watching the flows like a hawk, and despite the recent bump to around 200 CFS, the lower stretches of the river are still being deprived of precious water.  As much as it bothers me, it does get me excited for the 20 degree days on the water with 7X tippet and size 26 midges....

Beautiful Cutbow caught on one of my new hopper designs!

One of the highlights of the past month was getting to meet April Vokey, and learning how to tie some steelhead stuff!  I, and several of my other friends have major crushes on her, so it was quite the treat!  Not only is she super nice, but she loves fly fishing!  I can't help but to wonder if there is a better combo out there... 

Me and April...Ahhhhh

My Steelhead Fly...

Like I said, I have been extremely busy, but am planning on getting out this weekend.  The canyon is lit up yellow with the gorgeous fall colors of Aspen trees, so if you get the chance, get up there a ways and do some fishing! 

Sunflowers at sunset
Scott Ruthven Photo

Barn in the Country
Scott Ruthven Photo

 If you do manage to get out on the water, let me know how fishing was!