St. Vrain Angler News & Muse February 14, 2006!

Greetings!

I hope this finds you well!

Happy Valentines Day, all you lovers of life and all things good. I told Shan this morning that every day is a Valentine's Day with her. Never could I have imagined how delightful having a family is. Wow.

Of course she thought I was trying to get out of buying her a box of chocolates, since I told her every day is like a box of chocolates with her. How do girls know this stuff?

Still, I meant well.

The shop is now empty; my basement is full. And, a mess. However, we've been doing a little fly tying and some printing, so that's a good thing. I hope to get things more organized during the course of the next week or so.

In the meantime I finished the next Solutions Book! It is Fishing the Flats! I like it, too. This, and other, Solutions Booklets are available here: Fly Fishing Solutions. You'll find Fishing The Flats! on the list at the top of the page.

The booklet has antidotes about trips to the flats and in an entertaining manner explains about fish, flats, techniques - including a good casting exercise, if I don't say so myself, flies, spotting fish and much more.

There are lots of pictures that will whet your appetite for a trip to the saltwater flats, a place I've come to enjoy very much.

If you're going on your first or tenth flats trip I think you'll enjoy and learn from this clear, concise Solutions Booklet!

Please, buy one soon.

Alright, then. I confess to being a reader. I like adventure, philosophy, novels, classics and history in one form or another. And, I read Patrick McManus every once in a while just because I need some Patrick McManus every once in a while. I'm always reading at least one book, and sometimes more, depending on the what type it is.

For example, when I read Shelby Foote's The Civil War, A Narrative on occasion I took some time out to read a few lighter works - like The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, by Mark Twain. It's important, but there isn't as much death and destruction.

Last night I was reading the essay Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In the third portion, titled Beauty, Emerson begins with, "A nobler want of man is served by nature, namely, the love of Beauty."

Wow. Zap. Bingo and so on.

Emerson goes on to consider Beauty in a threefold manner.

I couldn't get past the first paragraph of the first manner of discussion. Here it is:

"First, the simple perception of natural forms is a delight. The influence of the forms and actions in nature is so needful to man, that, in its lowest functions, it seems to lie on the confines of commodity and beauty. To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the attorney comes out of the din and craft of the street and sees the sky and the woods, and is a man again. In their eternal calm, he finds himself. The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough."

Go ahead; read it again. I'll wait.

In retrospect, and within my being, I think this represents and expresses most of what I've been trying to say all these years while operating St. Vrain Angler. Going fishing allows us the delight of simple perception of natural forms in a magical way. We observe life as it happens, in the wild and without being able to manipulate it. Of course we can interrupt it for a few moments while we bask in Beauty, but nature move on, fit to survive.

We know we are alive when we are out there, because we are cold; or hot; or wind-blown; or sunburned - or all of the above at one time! The cacophony of sound turns into a symphony on life, with swishes and swirls and flows and gurgles, punctuated by birds chirping pianissimo or beavers slapping the water fortissimo!

If only we'll listen.

"The influence of the forms and actions in nature is so needful to man..." is manifest when fly fishing.

While tying at the West Denver TU event on Saturday, one person came to me and said they loved fly fishing because when they were on the water that was all they thought of.

How cleansing is that? I don't know about you, but I like the idea of getting on the water and only thinking about the beauty of nature; the wonder of Life.

You in on this?

"The body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work.." Did Emerson have a cubicle that he typed his writings in? Was this guy in his time, or ahead of his time? Did he just know the natural tendency of man, therefore knew the need to get out?

It's as thought Emerson reaches out from the 19th century to grab us around the neck and shake us. "What in the world are you doing there in the 21st Century?" he might ask.

"...nature is medicinal and restores their tone."

Boy, am I every flabby right now. I did, however, see the sun rise this morning. And, the beautiful full moon last night in a clear, bright sky.

"....and sees the sky and the woods, and is a man again."

Here, Emerson doesn't mention quietude. Perhaps because his time was quieter. Perhaps the din and craft of the street was but a gentle murmur compared to the glaring noise we have in our lives.

Ah, the refreshing times on a trout stream, a bass pond or a high lake.

Do you want to go fishing, to be refreshed as much as I do?

Let me know how I can help, because I'm going to keep on trying to encourage you in all ways possible.

"The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough."

My number is still 303-651-6061 - please call and leave a message and I'll call you back. You can also drop me an email any time at angler@peakpeak.com. I'll answer as long as I get the note.

Thanks for reading today. I hope you are well.

Happy Valentines Day!

How much do we need to know about BWO's? That's almost poetic. Ah; there's nothing like good poetry.

And, or course, that was nothing like good poetry at all! Oh well. At least my feet are long.

BWO's is the pot into which we throw little olive mayflies. These bugs are going to be emerging sooner than we think. As early as late February and through April these delicate insects will emerge to feed trout, birds and happy bike riders. In two out of three cases the feeding will be desirable. (When fish burp, do you suppose it tastes like bug? Yuk.)

The Order of Mayflies is Ephemeroptera. Does that interest you at all? We'll call them Ehpemerella something-or-other, if we know. Many of our little olives fall into the Baetis Family, within the Order Ehpemeroptera. They'll be Baetis this or Baetis that. When you see little olive mayflies floating along, you can announce to your friend, "Hey, a little Baetis hatch is coming off. Have you got any little green bugs that worked last time we were out?"

Really, the trout don't speak Latin, they just eat what they see. And soon they'll be seeing lots of little olive mayflies.

The bugs are going to start small - probably about size 20-24 - in February and early March. Eventually we'll see some as large as size 16-18. For the most part we'll be safe if we carry size 18-20 nymphs, emergers and adults. If you are extra brave and stay all day you'll also need a few small, sparse spinners to imitate the bugs after they lay their eggs.

Nymphs: are small, thin and relatively dark. The famous and useful Pheasant Tail Nymph is a great basic imitation. Fish them along the bottom of the streambed before the emergence commences.

As the bugs being emerging add a small olive soft hackle. Continue fishing the PT along the bottom, but let the flies swing up through the water column. Control the drift, though. These are little tiny bugs, not surfacing submarines. They move slowly, you see.

When fish start rolling in shallow water they are moving towards the surface to feed on emergers and adults. Chances are good that we'll notice boils and bulges on the surface at first as the fish feed just below the surface. Remove the PT and replace it with a small, visible pattern that floats. Leave the soft hackle on, or change to another emerger pattern such as the venerable RSII.

When you see a mouth open and sip something the fish are probably eating adults. Unless, that is, your fishing partner is having a quick cup of coffee before the real action starts. Don't cast to your partner; it is bad form.

Adult patterns should be small, fairly dark olive and float flush on the surface. A Parachute BWO, CDC Thorax - shown at the top of the page - or Thorax BWO will work well. I still enjoy fishing with a standard dry fly such as a Blue Quill or BWO imitation. Lovely!

The spinner should be thin and sparse and ought to lie flush on the surface film. If the fly sinks just a little it will also work well. The problem is seeing the fly, so put it under one of the adult patterns and watch through the adult to where the spinner is for a gently rise form.

If you have problems seeing these small dark flies - which is not a sin, seeing as there will be lots of glare and grayness during the best emergences - add a very small dot of orange or yellow Bio Strike about two or three feet above the fly.

Questions? Try buying and reading my Small Mayflies Solution Booklet. It is full of information on the bugs, their life cycle, flies, rigging, presentation and so on and so forth. Oh yeah; there's also quite a tying section that will share patterns and tying tips.

It's only $9.95. Better get one now to prepare for the little olive mayfly season that approaches.

Here's what I have for you this week. I'm willing to tie one dozen sets of four BWO imitations. The set will include a nymph, wet emerger, dry emerger and adult imitation. They'll be similar - what else is really new under the sun? - but different that other offerings that are available, and they'll fool trout.

The flies will all be tied on a size 18 hook so you can see what's going on. With this offer I'm going to include a basic Small Mayfly Identification Guide that will be laminated and useful to carry in your vest or pack. It will help identify the bugs when you see them.

Each set of flies with the Small Mayfly Identification Guide will be $14.95.

If you'd like the Small Mayfly Identification Guide, it is $4.95.

I'm also offering a Small BWO Tying Solutions Kit. The kit will come with the right materials to tie four of each pattern that I'm tying, as well as tying instructions for each, and the Mayfly Identification Guide. It is also $14.95 per packet. The hooks and materials will tie size 18 flies. That's 16 flies!

This Thursday St. Vrain Angler's Chapter of Trout Unlimited is holding their monthly meeting. I'm doing the program on Fly Fishing Saltwater Flats. It's going to be fun!

We'll meet for a social and tying session at about 6:30PM. There will be a short business meeting at about 7:00PM - you really do want to hear what's going on; this group is doing a great job of gathering data on the St. Vrain River from Longmont to Lyons while building alliances with the City, County and many others.

I'll probably start by about 7:15 or so.

There's an open bar that includes sodas, and a find time will be had by all. Bring a few dollars for the raffle to win great prizes and support the club at the same time.

The meeting will be held at the VFW on South Main Street in Longmont. The building is on the East side of the road and just south of the St. Vrain River. You'll see the blue sign out front. Drive along the south side of the building to the back; that's where our entrance is. I'll see you on Thursday!

Saturday Tying Classes

Do you miss the Saturday morning clinics? Me too.

I'm going to offer two tying classes this Saturday. I'll hold them at my house, and will give you directions when you sign up for the class.

The morning session will be tying Small Mayflies. Bring your tying tools and thread and I'll provide the instruction and materials. You'll learn to tie nymphs, emergers, adults and spinners. Tuition is $40.00 per person and is limited to six. I'll have to get at least four folks to make it work. We'll start at 8:00AM and be done by 11:30AM.

Question? Please drop me a line at angler@peakpeak.com or call me at 303-651-6061 so we can talk. Leave a message and I'll call you back.

In the afternoon we'll tie an Atlantic Salmon Fly. The first time around we'll do either a Balmoral or Akroyd, shown below. They are Dee or strip wing patterns and we'll tie a beautiful fly!

Lots of you have expressed an interest in tying these lovely flies and this will be our first session. Tuition will be $50.00 per person and I'll include the materials to tie the fly - including jungle cock, silk floss and so on. I need three people to do this class. Bring white thread that is thin - I'll also have it available at the time of the session - and your tying tools. Be sure to bring a very sharp pair of scissors, which, again, will be available during the class.

We'll start at 1:00PM and finish when we're done! It will probably take about three-plus hours. It's going to be fun!

Question? Please drop me a line at angler@peakpeak.com or call me at 303-651-6061 so we can talk. Leave a message and I'll call you back.

This link will take you to the story I wrote last year about a trip I sponsored to Lake Maria, near Walsenburg, Colorado. http://www.marialake.org/St%20Vrain/St%20Vrain%20News.htm Read it at your leisure and enjoy the pictures.

Notice that everyone is pretty much smiling and happy about being there and catching fish.

So, what's the idea? I have several. Along with Rick White, who is the managing partner of this property, I'm trying to figure out how to get several groups to the lake for two days of fishing.

As a testimonial, I'm going to plant the following quotes to the three people who went with me last year.

Joe: "I'd go again."

Leonard: "I'd go again."

Dave: "I'd go again."

(Do you guys want to go again?)

We had a great time tying flies, eating, telling jokes, playing cards, relaxing by the fire, enjoying one another's company and hooking LOTS OF HUGE TROUT on flies!

Did you notice the part about hooking huge trout? Well, we did just that and it was fun.

For Dave, it was his first real big fish. He caught it on a fly he tied.

For Leonard, it was his first fish on his fly rod! He'd never used his gear before, and he was ecstatic.

Joe had caught lots of big fish in the past - he grew up around here and has fished places that hold good fish before. Still, every time I talk with him he says, "Yea. I'd go again."

So, what's the big idea, Dale?

There are actually several of them.

One: A weekend getaway for you and a few friends. I'll cook, provide the food and teach tying, casting, rigging, and hooking and landing big trout. How's that? Ideally, there would be four of you and one of me; we'd have a great time of learning and relaxing, and we'd hook LOTS OF HUGE TROUT ON FLIES!

Two: A two-day getaway of a spiritual nature. In addition to all that we'd do above, we'll discuss important issues about life - our lives - and how we are living. Lest I forget: we'd hook LOTS OF HUGE TROUT ON FLIES! This would probably involve up to six participants and two instructor/moderators. Any men's groups out there interested in this one? (By the way, I'd love to do this one with a women's group, too. I'm an expert on girls. Just ask me.)

Three: A two-day Father-Son, Mother-Daughter - or any other combination of family or friends - getaway to relax, bond. learn about fly fishing fun and so on. Did I mention there's not a phone? Did I mention we'd hook LOTS OF HUGE TROUT ON FLIES!

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Four: A team-building retreat for you and several key employees or key customers. I'd do the cooking, teaching and so on, and you'd be able to discuss business issues for a few minutes with time on the water hooking LOTS OF HUGE TROUT ON FLIES!

Five: A fundraiser in the form of a fly fishing competition! We'd host a one-day competition for your group - this would be great for a TU Club, for example - and the funds would go to your Club. Wow. I wonder if anyone out there would like to do this while hooking LOTS OF HUGE TROUT ON FLIES!

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That's my idea.

What's your response, please? angler@peakpeak.com or 303-651-6061 - please leave a message.

My dad died three years ago tomorrow. Many of you remember him and I just wanted to remind you of his delightful smile, his sense of humor and his love of the outdoors. We're mostly past the grieving process right now, although I know many of you are grieving the loss of someone special. It's mostly with fondness that we remember dad now, and I expect that will continue to be the case.

That's him, doing something he really loved: building out of wood. In this case, a race car with granddaughter, Jessica - our youngest girl.

Tears......Maybe we do yet grieve.

Well my friends and readers, that's all I've got for today. My heart is full and my eyes misty as I complete today's missive.

I hope this finds you well, and I hope you'll take some time to go fishing, tie a few flies, practice your casting and so on.

I'll see you Thursday for the TU meeting in Longmont - see above - and hope to see several of you at the tying classes I'm offering this weekend. Please sign up for them soon.

Between now and next week, I hope you thrive in life and take time to "...see the sky and woods...."

Thanks Ralph Waldo Emerson.

dale darling

angler@peakpeak.com Please write: I'll always answer.