Trouts Fly Fishing

Fly fishing the ocean surf offers challenges and waves of adventure

Here in Colorado we have a ton of fly fishing enthusiasts, and each and every one of them has a favorite stream or spot on the river that provides both the serenity and thought of fly fishing, as well as the thrill of a good catch. But that’s most often on a stream with the current heading in one direction, or on a plains or mountain lake where the only real waves are made by pesky motor boat operators.

For surf fishing, you have to travel to the ocean – the Northeast, the Southeast and Florida, the Gulf Coast, stretches both north and south on the West Coast, or you could go to any number of exotic locations throughout Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe – well, there’s plenty of ocean and beaches throughout the world, that’s for sure. What ties them altogether is the fact that there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Fishing from the beach or jetty into the surf is a time-honored tradition, practiced for centuries by peoples throughout the world lucky enough to live in close proximity to a beach. The reason is simple: small food fish, insects and flies, crustaceans and all kinds of other things that bigger game fish like to prey upon like to hang along the coast and in the shallows. You have your tides, tide pools, surf troughs, rip currents and other anomalies of ocean movement that trap and guide the food sources, and the game fish know this and follow along for the easy meals. You also get migrations and hatchings, in specific places and at certain times of the year - these events too draw the species that anglers most cherish. Fly fishing in the surf offers its own unique challenges – and the usual heightened experience and sense of adventure and accomplishment.

Read More…

Redfish Rookie

When I was told that I was going to be coming along to the Annual Trouts Redfish retreat to Port Sulphur, Louisiana, I was in complete disbelief and as excited as a giddy schoolgirl! For weeks prior to our trip I watched every Redfishing video I could find, and studied proper flats boat etiquette to try and prepare myself for what would be an “epic fishing trip!” After many sleepless nights and days spent daydreaming of Bull Reds, the time had come to head to NOLA.

I had bought myself a copy of the latest Drake Magazine thinking it would keep me occupied for the two and a half hour plane ride, but when your sitting between your two managers that are drinking Wild Turkey on the rocks, who needs literature anyway. We did however practice our blood knots, swapped some flies and fishing stories, and when we stammered out of the plane we were all greeted by the smell and humidity of New Orleans that stuck to you like a wet sock. As we headed south on Highway 23, and listened to our shuttle Driver John’s horror stories about what life was like during and after Hurricane Katrina. After an hour shuttle ride and a brief stop at Brothers gas station for fried chicken and libations, we arrived at the amazing Woodlawn Plantation in West Point a la Hache, LA. The house is indescribably beautiful and that is probably why it has graced the label of Southern Comfort since 1934.

Read More…

Fly casting: basic tips and techniques, plus practice, practice, practice

Every beginning fly fisher thinks that the experienced angler is an expert who never misses a beat. Meanwhile, every experienced angler knows all too well that there are good days and bad days. Casting a fly rod is a lot like playing golf: practice and more practice will hone the skill and make it more possible to replicate the proper movements time and again. Even a Phil Mickelson or a Lefty Krey, on his best day, shanks one into the trees. But they keep on practicing.

The object of mastering the cast in fly fishing, like the art of mastering the game of golf, isn’t to be perfect 100% of the time, but rather to minimize the flaws and mistakes. Once the participant figures out what works, how to control the club or the rod in various conditions and situations, the trick then becomes building a sort of muscle memory that will repeat the proper form over and over again without the mind interjecting too much. It’s the old adage: practice, practice, practice.

The truth is that fly casting can’t be taught in a blog post. Some of the basics can be addressed, and some food for thought can be brought to bear, but eventually the prospective fly fisher will have to put a rod in hand and give it a whirl. While most experts in the fly casting game have different points of view on how to approach the subject, to a person they agree on one point: hands-on experience and training under the guidance of an experienced teacher/instructor is invaluable. And, by the way, this is true for the beginner or the veteran (indeed, the highest ranked professional golfers probably have more professional instruction each week than most amateurs have all year).

The first tip on fly casting, especially for the beginner, is to find an instructor, take a class, or get an experienced friend to show you the way. The best place to learn the basics of the fly cast is on the river, of course, since it will present you with real-world conditions. However, casting ponds can be good instructional places, as can open space like a park. Just be sure to watch for people and obstructions, especially power lines and small children.

What follows are some of the tips and ideas we have gleaned from the world of fly fishing as it related to learning how to cast.

Read More…

Preparing, and packing, for guided fishing trips

Professionally guided fly fishing trips offer the novice and the experienced angler alike an opportunity to take fly fishing to a whole new level, but you have to be prepared.

A fly fishing trip with a professional guide is often cited by novice and experienced anglers alike as among the most memorable experiences of their lives. To help ensure that the memory is a lasting and favorable one, Trout’s Fly Fishing of Denver has asked some veterans for ideas on what to pack to be fully prepared for your trip, and some ideas on what to expect along the way.

The experienced fly fisher already knows the ins and outs of fly fishing – what gear to bring, how to cast, what to expect on the river – but utilizes a guide service to introduce him- or herself to a new spot, or as a forum to help introduce the wonders of fly fishing to uninitiated friends without having to play teacher all day.

The novice fly fisher goes with the experienced guide to be introduced to the whole thing: where to go, what gear and tackle is involved, and an education on everything from setting up the gear to learning how to cast. An experienced guide service is a fully hosted, educational experience that leaves guests counting the days until the next great adventure. Signing up with an experienced guide is the perfect way to go because they handle everything.

What to expect

Guides will set up each participant with the proper gear and tackle for the location and time of year, and offer as much – or as little – instruction that the guest requires. Guests, of course, can bring their own gear if they have it, rent what they need, and can tap the expertise of the guide for the proper flies to catch some beautiful fish. Guests will need a Colorado fishing license, which they can buy from the Colorado Division of Wildlife online (click here) or they can purchase on at the shop.

What’s usually included

Transportation from and back to the shop, lunch and drinks (base: cold sandwiches; hot lunches by request), terminal tackle (flies, leaders, tippets, etc.), and any necessary rental equipment – rods, reels, waders, etc. Fees like entrance into Rocky Mountain National Park are usually included in the base rate too.

What you need

As for packing for the trip, obviously the time of year will dictate the kind of clothes to wear and such accessories as gloves, hats, etc. But remember, this is Colorado and even on the most beautiful, warm day the weather can and often does throw a curve ball, so do the Boy Scout thing and BE PREPARED. It could be 85 degrees with bright sun in Denver, and up in a canyon an hour away it could rain, sleet, snow, blow, or otherwise change in an instant. It could also be very hot.

So here’s a handy checklist of what to bring:

• Polarized sunglasses. Your eyes will appreciate the protection from the strong Colorado sun and the glare off the water, and polarized lens also help in spotting the fish in the water.

• Really good, high SPF sunscreen.

• Insect repellant, with DEET.

• A camera. There will be plenty of Kodak – or Nikon, or Smartphone – Moments out there. Plus a picture of the fish is usually the only fishy thing that comes back, and it will back up your story-telling.

• A billed hat or cap. A ball cap is good, but many anglers like a wide-brimmed hat, both for sun protection and glare reduction. If it’s cold, also bring a stocking cap for ear warmth.

• A waterproof jacket – weight appropriate for the time of year or location (it gets pretty cold at high elevations even in the summer).

• Lightweight, breathable pants – waders are hard to get over jeans, and wet jeans you don’t want.

• Breathable thermal underwear and long johns – weather appropriate.

• Layers. Wear the thermal underwear, and a nice fleece – stuff that can be warm, but can be removed if the weather turns warm.

• A lightweight backpack for your stuff, with enough room to put the removed layers in, if necessary.

• Heavy socks to wear in the waders – even in summer, the mountain stream water is quite cold.

• Gloves in cooler/cold weather, and best to go with flip-up mittens or half-finger gloves because fishing requires some dexterity even when it’s cold.

With all of this, you should be good to go. Happy fly fishing.

For all of your fly fishing needs, including gear, flies, tackle, apparel, instruction, camaraderie, and, of course, guided fly fishing trips, look no further that Trout’s Fly Fishing, conveniently located in the heart of Denver. Call 877-464-0034 for complete details.

Best Flies for Winter

Fly fishing makes the dead of winter come alive

Winter offers solitude and beauty, and with the right flies even a cold fish will summon up the personality of a fighter

Here at Trout’s Fly Fishing we are all experienced in the finer points of the world’s finest sport, fly-fishing, but like everyone else we prefer a beautiful stream in mid-summer to a freezing pool of water. There’s a reason they call it the “dead” of winter.

On the other hand, and again like everyone else who has the bug for fly fishing, our urge to cast often overwhelms our dread of cold, and we go anyway. Plus, we’re Coloradoans, and to be honest enjoying outdoor activities in winter is a birthright, a marketing slogan, and the very thing that makes us not South Dakotans. You can get just as cold skiing or snowboarding as fly fishing, but it isn’t anywhere near as cool.

Plus, winter fly-fishing has some distinct advantages. Chief among these is solitude, as hearty souls are harder to find as temperatures dip, winds pick up and snow flies. You want to fish that stream alone, without another angler in sight? Venture forth in winter.

Another advantage is sheer beauty. Yes, a mountain trout stream is wonderful and picturesque from April through July, and it can be especially so on a colorful autumn afternoon. But there is, ironically, something warm and comforting, not to mention stunning, about the quiet and peace of the same slice of water with a blanket of snow nestling around it.

The downside of winter fishing is the fishing itself. Ever heard of the expression “a cold fish,” as in a reference to a person you wouldn’t want to hang out with or, worse, a date? Winter makes fish sluggish, and uninspired. While in summer you may get 20-25 strikes and be busy fighting aquatic beasts all day long, on that same spot in winter 3-4 strikes might be a good day and the fight might be like one of those guys whose name you can’t remember who used to warm up Muhammad Ali for a go at Joe Frazier.

Still, there are some strikes, and there are more things to fly-fishing than the fish themselves.

The essential question is just what type of fly to use for winter fishing that affords someone the best opportunity of getting the aforementioned strike and perhaps landing one or two? After all, if you’re gonna freeze anyway you may as well have more than your eyes on the prize.

Fly-fishing, as every even novice angler knows, is about art imitating nature. The idea is to make artificial flies that mimic the real insects and such that trout and other types of fly-fishing quarry would eat. As such, the diet – real or imagined – changes with the seasons.

As you might expect, the winter diet for fish in colder climes, like Colorado, is fairly sparse. Most insects have packed their bags, taken the advice from Jiminy Cricket to save up for a long winter hibernation, or simply laid their eggs for a spring hatch and quietly died off.

But not all insects. There are these little insects, midges, that are in the same family of mosquitos (Dipthera) but without the biting parts, that happen to have hatches at the most unusual times, like in the middle of winter. Dipthera have four stages of life – egg, larva, pupa, and adult – and for fishing purposes it is better to concentrate on the latter two stages.

Midges tend to congregate in the calmer portions of the steam, in the still pools, and since they are so small they often group together - and that is what the fish strike. For this reason many experts recommend using flies such as the Griffth's Gnat or the Olive Bodied Adams (OBA), as these tend to mimic midge hatches in clusters.

Other recommendations for winter fly fishing flies, as you might expect, fall into the category of small. For Nymphs, think English Pheasant Tail Nymphs, in sizes 18 and 20, which imitate common winter flies, Disco Midges, sizes 20 and 22, for the reason stated above, Micro Stone, size 14, that look like winter-hatching stoneflies, Vernille San Juan Worms, that imitate aquatic worms that come up often in winter, and Flashback Scuds, size 16, for use when winter is about to turn to spring and the tiny freshwater crustaceans (scuds) start to appear.

For dry flies, there’s the ICSI (I Can See It) Midge, in gray size 22, and the Cannon's Bunny Dun, Baetis, sizes 18 and 20, both of which mimic winter blue-winged olive hatches. Some other experts use streamers in winter, like the Bead Head Lite Brite Zonker, in white size 8, and Moto's Minnow, in dark size 10 - they afford great movement even in very still waters.

Yes, as they say, “Baby, it’s cold outside,” but fish gotta swim! It’s Colorado – grab some flies and test the icy waters.

For everything fly fishing – from rod, reels and gear, to cold-weather fishing apparel, come on in to Trout’s Fly Fishing at 1303 E. 6th Ave., Denver, CO 80218. Call toll-free 877-464-0034 or Denver metro local at 303-733-1434 for complete details.