Trouts Fly Fishing

Fresh Off The Press, The Drake Magazine - Spring 2012

GET SOME!!!

Guest Post on the Current Conditions at Waterton Canyon

The current situation up in Waterton Canyon has been a hot topic this week.  After our post yesterday on the current conditions up in Waterton Canyon, we were contacted by Randy Hampton, Statewide Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, as he wanted to fill us all in on what his agency is doing to address the concerns of the angling public.  As such, we have decided to give Randy the floor here so to speak, and fill all of us in on what is going on up in Waterton Canyon.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife was alerted by anglers on Monday that fishing was extremely slow in Waterton Canyon over the weekend. This seemed counter to what many anglers had been waiting for and expected after an 18-month closure of the canyon for a Denver Water project to take sediment out of Strontia Springs Reservoir. Upon hearing concerns from several different anglers, our aquatic biologist for the area – Jeff Spohn – headed up to Waterton to take a look on Monday afternoon.

Jeff’s first visit Monday afternoon was to get an idea of the situation. He talked to a number of anglers and did some looking around on his own. Initially, he was concerned because the stories he was hearing weren’t real positive. Anglers were definitely having a tough go of things. He did see some small fish in the water and did talk to some folks who were catching a few smaller fish. It was enough that Jeff decided to head back out on Tuesday to get a better look at the situation.

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Waterton Canyon Update

On March 1,  Waterton Canyon opened to the public for the first time since July 2010 (click here to learn more about the reasoning behind this closure).  While this was a highly anticipated event for the Denver angling community, high expectations of epic fishing were quickly deminished to tales of no fish, poor conditions and speculation that Waterton Canyon was now void of aquatic life.  By Monday morning, we were fielding numerous phone calls and emails in the shop from customers concerned over the state of this fishery.  We conducted interviews with anglers who had fished Waterton over the weekend, and every report we received was earily similar.  "Out of about 30 other anglers we spoke to out on the water, I would say about 75% of them did not even hook up" wrote one angler.  "Fishing was bad. We didn't catch or see any fish while there. Tried all kinds of nymphs and soft hackles.  The bottom was all rock and gravel, only snags were dead branches. We didn't see any dead fish but no live ones either" was the comment from another.  A quick search of the internet produced even more evidence that there was trouble brewing up in Waterton, with report after report of poor fishing, very few fish caught, and many anglers looking for answers.  

Over the course of the week, we made numerous phone calls to officials at Denver Water, the Division of Wildlife, and the State Parks department, but none of our inquiries were ever answered.  Things were starting to seem like there was a major issue developing, as silence can many time be indicative of a larger problem.  It wasn't until today that an official statement was made by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife official on FishExplorer.com.  Here is their statement:

"Based on some reports of extremely poor fishing over the weekend, Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists took a trip up to shock Waterton on Tuesday. The biologist was able to find good numbers of brown trout in all age classes. At this point, Colorado Parks and Wildlife believes that the low flows and extremely clear water conditions are combining with the available ice cover and lack of activity to make for skittish fish with lots of hiding places. We believe that when the spring flows arrive, we'll see the fishing return to normal in that area."

At this point we'll have to wait and see if what Colorado Parks and Wildlife says is infact the truth.  Personally I find it hard to believe that the number of anglers that visited Waterton over the opening weekend all had poor experiences due to low and clear water.  Regardless, I hope that the proper state and government agencies due what ever is necessary to ensure that this resource remains viable.  If you do happen to venture into Waterton Canyon over the next few months, please give the shop a call or shoot us an email and let us know how it was.  We will be sure and let all of our customers know of any future developments on this issue.

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.

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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.

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