Trouts Fly Fishing

Drowned Hopper | by Rick Takahashi

With the experts predicting an “epic” grasshopper hatch during the 2010 summer, it seemed appropriate to feature this chewy morsel for this week’s Chewy Fly.  The Drowned Hopper is the brain child of well known tier Rick Takahashi.  While most anglers only think of fishing hoppers on the surface, the reality is that many trout key in on any type of terrestrial pattern that is below the surface.  Think about it, a drowned hopper is easier for a fish to target, and it’s high in protein and other nutrients that the fish needs to survive.  Seems like a win win to me.

Kings of the River - a short film by Reel Action Media

Since finding out that I’ll be headed to Bolivia in May 2011 to chase Golden Dorado, I have been scowering the interenet for any snippets of info I can find on this amazing fish.  I came across this amazing video this morning and had to share it with our faithful followers.  Enjoy!

Kings of the River from Henry Harrison on Vimeo.

Shot in spring of 2009 by Mike Nelson of Patagonia Fishing Company on an HVX200, this was a fun festival piece. Mike has some camera experience but mainly he excels at putting people into great fishing situations. I had to find a way to make the footage work and decided to go for a surrealist touch. Hence the hyper saturation and mattes. All sounds were location sounds. The percussion sound came from a log in the current shown in the 2nd clip of the film.

Late Summer Fishing: hitting you with some knowledge

If there is one thing I have learned about fly fishing in the Rocky Mountain West, it is that nothing is constant.  River levels rise and fall, insect hatches come and go, and a trout’s mood can be influenced by any number of outside variables, both tangible and not.  While it would seem logical that late summer would be one of the more consistent times of year to fish, the reality is that there are evolving circumstances that can change the make up of a river and how fish will subsequently react.  Knowing how to identify these variables, as well as understanding their subsequent influence on the productivity of a stream, is a paramount skill that every fly angler in Colorado should have.  So let’s take a moment and discuss some of the key factors that influence the productivity of a river, particularly in late summer.

River Flow:  While the flow of a river is in constant flux, it is from mid July to mid September where we see water flows play such a vital role in the productivity of a fishery.  Too high and everything gets blown out leaving the fish scrambling trying to find suitable habitat.  Too low and the fish begin to get stressed because they feel more vulnerable to predators.  So it seems that we’re always looking for that elusive “prime” flow where the bugs are hatching, and the fish are happily feeding.  So how do we know when that “prime” flow is?  Unfortunately there isn’t a set standard or method to measure this; every river is different, and each will react differently to the rise and fall in flow.  But if we understand where the water that fills our streams comes from, it becomes easier to calculate when these “prime” flows will be, particularly during the late summer months.

In the west, roughly 70% of our annual precipitation comes in the form of snow.  So once the snow is gone, we are totally reliant on rainfall and cooler weather to help keep rivers at optimal levels.  This year has been unique as we started out the summer with a state wide snowpack around 100% of average.  We then quickly lost much of our snowpack in a short period of time right around the first weekend in June, when temperatures in the high country peaked in the upper 80’s and low 90’s.  As a result, we experienced river levels that peaked at near 25 year highs on certain rivers.  While these high flows are great for flushing out our streams, the mass exodus of our snowpack has ultimately left us very vulnerable to low flows and now 100% reliant on rainfall to help us get through the last months of summer.  So what does this mean for late summer fishing here in Colorado?  Pray for rain and cool weather!!!

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Tarpon 2010 | by Bill Nelson

Bill Nelson, Trout’s customer extraordinaire, was by the shop this morning and we were reminiscing about our Tarpon adventures this summer.  Turns out Bill was in the Keys the week ahead of me, and has put together a great little teaser of the experience.  Enjoy!

What the Shuck!  Dealer Rendezvous on the Rio Grande River

It’s great when you have a boss that has the tarpon fishing trip of a lifetime, they typically come back all smiles and full of “yeses”. Still riding high from jumping 30 and boating close to 15; Tucker to say the least was in a very giving mood. Upon reentry into reality, the confines of Trout’s Fly Shop, Tucker afforded me the opportunity to take his place on the “1st Annual What The Shuck! Dealer Rendezvous-Rio Grande River”. You may be asking what is the meaning behind “What the Shuck!”?  And what exactly constitutes a “Dealer Rendezvous”?

First things first, “What the Shuck!” was a term coined by super rep. Michael White, a.k.a Whitey, for this shin dig.  Taking into account that this inaugural event was to take place stream side on the infamous Rio Grande and at a time when the dry fly fishing was to be at critical mass,  this new term best described both the uncertainty of what was to unfold before us, as well as, providing a wholesome twist on a common exclamatory remark. I hope this begins to paint a clearer picture.

Now to the “Dealer Rendezvous” part of this equation.  Commonly used as a noun, “rendezvous” I believe is best described and defined by MANY of the associated synonyms listed below.

Main Entry: rendezvous

Part of Speech: noun

Definition: get-together or place for get-together

Synonyms: affair, appointment (slightly late due to an emergence of grey drakes, handle of JD and LunaAzul Tequila), assignation, blind date (I didn’t know many in attendance, therefore I went in blind), date, double date (with three to a boat, more like a threesome), engagement, heavy date, matinee, meet, meeting, one night stand (I was told not to comment), tryst, gathering point (Cascada Bar & Grill), hangout, haunt, love nest, meeting place, spot, stomping ground (glorious Creede, CO), venue, watering hole (TommyKnocker Tavern…shot ski anyone?)

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