If you've followed along on the blog, Fly Fishing Forecasts, and Five Flies, you might know that I have an unreasonable hatred for olive streamers. I want to set the record straight - olive streamers work and you should use them, if you have confidence in them. I just so happen to think black streamers work and olive streamers don't. Personal preference, ya know? You know who likes olive streamers? Trouts Director of Education, Courtney Despos. She's a big-time olive streamer angler. BIG. TIME. Loves her some olive streamers. Last summer, we joined Zeke for one of his favorite summer time floats on the Colorado and we had a little impromptu battle - black vs. olive. And sadly for my angling ego...olive took the win.
Fast forward a couple of months and oh captain...our captain, Zeke Hersh, started a group chat and insisted we should be heading to the Colorado that week. He floated it with a friend the week previous and came back with some not-so-tall tales of good spring fishing on the big C. Who would have guessed it? With clouds in the forecast, there was a good chance we'd run into good streamer fishing and hopefully, we'd see some Blue-Winged Olives popping. We'd be fools to not go. So, it was time for Round 2.
Rigged up under the clouds. No Blue-Wings yet, but an awful lot of chatter about olive streamers.Courtney couldn't resist a couple swings through the boat ramp run as Zeke ran his truck back up to park.Started to see a couple of those blue-winged sailboats floating in the soft water. Meanwhile, Zeke reiterated the fact that mud does not in fact belong in the boat.Much to Zeke's surprise, big camera guy didn't muck up his boat.El Jeff joined us. He was entertained.We worked through the edges with streamers.As Zeke regaled us with tales of fossilized dinosaur tracks. Six-year old Ivan was pumped.Caught that one on "BLACK, BLACK, BLACK, BLACK." The Wedge Head Streamer putting in it's time.It was time to switch it up. Zeke jumped to the front of the boat and switched out the seven weight for his trusty five weight and his go-to - the Chubby-Dropper Rig.It wasn't long before Zeke started picking up fish on BWO nymphs.Nymph fish.As the resident camera guy, I couldn't pass up an foam-filled eddy with all sorts of blue-winged olives cruising around. Zeke didn't mind. He worked downstream to couple of risers and found some trout who were willing to make a move or two.One last look...Buh bye now.You see that black streamer dangling in the net? That's a real shame for all you olive lovers out there. Zeke shows off...my fish.There's always a chance you can run into a solid brown on the Colorado.Buh Buh Buh Bye Now.Rain gave way to snow...and that foamy seam housed more than a couple BWO dry and emerger chompers.Another solid brown to the boat.After her fair share worth of trout to the boat, Zeke wanted another piece.Zeke was cracking jokes about who knows what. Good times on the drift boat.Zeke decided to get in on the streamer action with the wintery mix in the air and a couple of banks later, his confidence color (brown and yellow) was bringing fish to the net.All eyes on the bank.Easy as 1...2...3. Bye now. Oh yeah...black won. Stay tuned to the blog for ROUND 3.
