Landing a 5LB+ largemouth bass on a fly rod makes me want to move back to Texas. This was the highlight of my short trip to the Lone Star State. The amazing thing about this catch is that it happened after about ten minutes on the bank of Stillhouse Hollow Lake applying the tactics I describe below in my entry on bass poppers. My stand by yellow popper was indeed the right selection. In fact, I fished this popper almost exclusively for the hour or so I put in each day of my visit. This was worth five bass to include a 20, 17 and 15” bass, although I should note the 17” fish was on a dropper fly.
Sometimes these things just happen. I was not particularly prepared to fish; I brought one of my cheaper bass rods and a couple boxes of flies. By the time I was wheels up I had landed about twelve pounds of fish.
It’s hard to beat Texas when it comes to warm water fly fishing!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Wooly Worm Bass
While I was in Texas I hit the bank of Stillhouse Hollow Lake with my fly rod. I found the purple wooly worm turned out to be the perfect fly to drop off my popper when the top water bite slowed. I usually go for a dropper fly to target other species. I have experimented with using streamers as droppers before with limited success, but I usually revert to a wet fly to entice bluegill, sunfish, and crappie. In this case I started with a wet fly and switched to a purple wooly worm. I thought this fly was the perfect compromise between a wet fly and a streamer. Purple seemed to be a good fit for the slightly discolored, choppy water. The approach was worth a 17” bass which was toward the limit of what I could handle on the 4X tippet I used for my dropper.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Bass Poppin'
Before I spill the beans on the rest of my success during my short trip to Texas, I thought I would reflect on a few lessons I have learned fly fishing with bass poppers. First, neon yellow is by far the most effective color on a blue bird day. Cloudy weather calls for a dark popper, preferably black. Second, windy conditions favor a traditional popper over a slider. The calmer the water, the more subtle the presentation unless there is evidence of aggressive top water feeding. Third, a double haul with an open loop is the best way to cast a popper. This works best with a 7/8 weight system, and a 1X leader. Last, when casting a popper in breazy conditions, cast with the wind to get good distance along the shoreline. The heavy current turns on the bite and adds to the action of the popper. This fly works best close to the bank where amphibians and mice often draw the attention of hungry bass. Overall, this is a great technique for catching big largemouth.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Damon's Honey Hole
I spent the last couple of days at a conference in Texas. After I got off the plane I linked up with my friend Damon. As is often the case in Texas, he has a pond across from his house loaded with big bass. We went over just before sunset. He had a baitcaster with a spinner bait tied on. I had a fly rod and a box full of poppers and streamers. Within a few minutes Damon caught a monster green sunfish that was easily over a pound. I later got on the board with a small bass. As the sun set the popper bite turned on. Suddenly a 15” bass engulfed my popper and put up a heroic fight before I winched him out of the weeds. Holding this pig and high fiving Damon made the trip well worth it for me. Many thanks to Damon for showing me a good time and helping me land this fish.I thought this was the highlight of my Texas bass excursion, but there was more to come.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Gold Medal Trout Fishing
Today marked my first day of fishing in the mountains since I ran into a couple of true fly fishing experts from North Georgia. I was heading back from a conference earlier this week when met a guide and an outdoor photographer at the airport in Atlanta. We exchanged pictures and thoughts on fly fishing. When I got home I tried to recall how much I learned from these gentlemen, but I was mainly amazed by the fact that they consistently net trophy trout…in Georgia! As I journeyed this morning to Eleven Mile, and Spinney Mountain Reservoirs armed with a fly rod and a float tube, I reminded myself that I live in Colorado now and I should catch at least an occasional trout over 20”.
Today was my day. After one good hook up at Eleven Mile, I switched to Spinney Mountain Reservoir and made a commitment to my bead head leach streamer pattern. Spinney is designated as a “Gold Medal” trout fishery, which basically means the fish are huge. I fished it like fish for bass. I was just looking for one big bite on my streamer. This strategy paid off: I got what I estimate to be a 20” Rainbow, declared victory, and decided to head back to my home in Colorado Springs. As I pulled my float tube from the water I paused for a moment and soaked up the snow packed peaks on the horizon and thought: this is Colorado!
Today was my day. After one good hook up at Eleven Mile, I switched to Spinney Mountain Reservoir and made a commitment to my bead head leach streamer pattern. Spinney is designated as a “Gold Medal” trout fishery, which basically means the fish are huge. I fished it like fish for bass. I was just looking for one big bite on my streamer. This strategy paid off: I got what I estimate to be a 20” Rainbow, declared victory, and decided to head back to my home in Colorado Springs. As I pulled my float tube from the water I paused for a moment and soaked up the snow packed peaks on the horizon and thought: this is Colorado!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Willow Springs Ponds
I was hesitant to try Willow Springs Fishing Ponds yesterday morning because of the history of contamination. Word is that these ponds in Fountain were the local hotspot until the discovery of percloroethylene (PCE) shut the ponds down from 1997 to 2007. The ponds have been sufficiently rehabilitated to be reopened with a fish consumption advisory. Unless I later develop some type of PCE induced disease or ailment, I would rate the morning as a success. I got a 14” rainbow trout in addition to a half dozen bluegill. I hooked and lost one small bass. My use of a wet fly dropper under a bass popper has now proved effective for trout as well as bass and bluegill.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Skaguay
I hit the jackpot on Saturday at Skaguay Reservoir near Cripple Creak. Fresh from the wounds inflicted by the monster trout at Antero, I headed to Skaguay in search of a lake more manageable from a float tube. This lake is perfect. It doesn’t have the wind associated with South Park, and there are large numbers of smaller fish that are easier to land in a float tube. My selection paid off; within a few hours on the water I had landed six rainbow trout, and four small pike.
I fished the creek below the spillway on the way out. I put in about fifteen minutes before the weather turned bad and I got three brown trout. Overall, this was my best afternoon ever! I have had good runs in the morning and evening, but this time a landed thirteen fish in the middle of the afternoon through early evening.
I have made a few adjustments to my fly fishing. I am back on wooly bugger and leach patterns, and I have switched from homemade leaders to a knotless tapered 2X. If my streamer patterns don’t work I can always add lighter tippet on the end to go to a nymph or dry fly. I feel that my day on Skagway proves that my dedication to streamer fishing doesn’t just deliver occasional big bites; it can deliver good quantities of trout as well.
I fished the creek below the spillway on the way out. I put in about fifteen minutes before the weather turned bad and I got three brown trout. Overall, this was my best afternoon ever! I have had good runs in the morning and evening, but this time a landed thirteen fish in the middle of the afternoon through early evening.
I have made a few adjustments to my fly fishing. I am back on wooly bugger and leach patterns, and I have switched from homemade leaders to a knotless tapered 2X. If my streamer patterns don’t work I can always add lighter tippet on the end to go to a nymph or dry fly. I feel that my day on Skagway proves that my dedication to streamer fishing doesn’t just deliver occasional big bites; it can deliver good quantities of trout as well.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Another Monster Eludes Me
My family was away over the weekend. I attempted Lake Antero in my float tube on Friday, which turned out to be an unexpected day off. The lake is located in South Park. This makes for windy conditions and it is packed with boats, tubes, and pontoons. Within an hour I discovered why so many people were fishing this lake. I was trolling a leach pattern when my line took off. I went tight on a monster rainbow. He jumped and my heart stopped. This was the biggest trout I have ever seen -- easily ten pounds. I did the best I could with my 5 weight rod and 3X tippet. The tackle held up, but after about a ten minute fight and four jumps he spit the hook. The experience was somewhat heart breaking but exhilarating and rewarding at the same time. I later got another bite which resulted in an instant line break. After a few hours on the water a storm drove me and everyone else off the lake. I rebounded the following day. I found a place called Skaguay -- details and pictures are forthcoming.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Beyond Streamers
I have evolved over the last few years into a fly fisherman who specializes in streamers, and poppers, which are the ticket for bass. Now that I live in Colorado it’s time to expand my horizons. My go to fly, the wooly bugger, is the best fly for sheer versatility and luring big fish, to include trout. However, my home lake is really a dry fly lake. While the water is clear enough for sight fishing, the most reliable way to locate trout in Quail Lake is by following insects, swirls, and rises. Matching the hatch will take time, but so far I seem to have found luck chucking caddis flies. I am currently out of parachute adams, but that fly is next in the rotation.
Monday, June 1, 2009
More Float Tube Trout And The Other One That Got Away
Yesterday morning proved the value of being close to your fishing spot. I hit Quail Lake on my float tube at sunrise and quickly landed a “pan fryer” rainbow trout, as my cousin BJ calls them. On my next cast I noticed that I had wrapped my line around my leg while I was stripping the fish in – a small technical difficulty. After I sorted out my fly line I went tight on another fish. I set the hook and immediately gave up all my slack line to this fish. I started to apply drag as I quickly ran out of fly line. Once the fish got in my backing I went for the brakes before I got spooled. Applying minimal pressure, the loop connector between my fly line and backing snapped – a major technical difficulty. So not only did I lose another monster, I lacked a replacement fly line making my system completely inoperable. I paddled off the water, went home to pick up a new fly rod (had time to pick up milk for my two year old), and got back on the water with enough time to get another rainbow before I had to get on with the rest of my day.
Lessons of the day: fish near home, have extra fly line handy, and NEVER use a store bought loop connector when fishing for Colorado trout. Ironically, I had tied my own triple nail knot loop for my line to leader connection because I distrusted the loop connectors that came attached to this line. I had forgotten about the one attaching the fly line to the backing…Doh!
Lessons of the day: fish near home, have extra fly line handy, and NEVER use a store bought loop connector when fishing for Colorado trout. Ironically, I had tied my own triple nail knot loop for my line to leader connection because I distrusted the loop connectors that came attached to this line. I had forgotten about the one attaching the fly line to the backing…Doh!
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