St. Vrain Angler News & Muse September 13, 2005

Greetings!

Wow. It's the middle of September and cloudy and cool this morning in Longmont, Colorado. Last night, on a fishing outing with my friend Joe, the wind was blowing and you could feel the weather changing with so many leaves falling onto the stream.

I hope this finds you well. Thanks to all the new readers who signed up during the past week in the shops or on the web. It's great having you aboard! I hope you enjoy reading each weekly offering, and I'm open to any comments that you think will help the weekly missive improve.

Today, before beginning, I worked on the Home Page of the site. What do you think? Am I on the right track with this? Check it out by clicking on my mascot.

The fishing is still fabulous! Friend and guide Frank said he was in the Park the other day and was astounded by the quality of the water, the hatches and the fish. This from a man who's been guiding and teaching up there all year long! If a man this good keeps going back you know it has to be great.

This tip seems like it is worthy of repeating. Fall is coming soon, and it is time to go fishing as soon as possible! Water levels are doing well and the fish are healthy and know they want to put on weight soon and often. That means they are eating and eating fish mean they can be fooled with a fly. Go ahead: go fishing!

Follow this link for Fall Fly Fishing Tips. There's lots of info here, so take your time to read, learn and enjoy. Fall Fly Fishing Tips.

St. Vrain Angler's Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host the first meeting of the Fall season on Thursday, September 15, 2005. TU Longmont meets at the VFW Hall on South Main Street in Longmont. There is an open bar, including sodas for kids. The meeting commences with a social hour and tying demonstration at 6:30 PM, followed by a short business meeting at 7PM and program at 7:15.

This week's program will be presented by Marty Bartholomew who you know as the author of Fly Fishing Colorado.

Join the fun! Make a point of attending the meetings, held the third Thursday of each month, and supporting your local fly fishing club.

Thanks!

Many of you have purchased and read my Streamer Solutions Booklet. It has info on tying and fishing streamers. This is a good thing for Fall months. When I fish with friends, I often find that they do not fish either streamer or wet fly patterns. However, as soon as we give it a try and they see how productive it can be they are hooked and begin practicing the techniques required to fool fish with these lovely patterns.

Here are a few pictures and thoughts about fishing with streamer flies that I hope will encourage you to give it a try on your next outing.

Streamers imitate minnows, or something big to eat. Sucker minnows, trout fry, dace and other critters inhabit various streams and rivers as well as lakes. Big fish often take big bites and a minnow offers much more protein per bite than little insects. While I love fishing with small dry flies the jolt of a large fish tugging on a streamer is something I need from time to time. How about you?

Rigging. When we use streamer patters we'll expect hard takes by trout. Also, the flies are generally larger than dries and nymphs we fish. By using the rule of 3 - divide the fly size by 3 and use the resulting tippet size - we'll find that 2-4X tippet are required when fishing these large, sometimes bushy flies. While we like using lighter tippet when fishing smaller flies to get a better drift - and to improve our confidence - fish that will take a streamer are not going to be leader-shy. Use the heaviest stuff you will and hold on tight!

When fishing sink-tip fly line, which is a good idea on larger waters, use very short leaders that taper fast. A four-foot leader that tapers to 10 pound would not be out of line. We want the sinking line to help the fly get down, and a short leader and tippet system helps.

I generally fish upstream with a dry or sometimes a wet fly, then clip off fly and tippet, tie on about three feet of 3X material and then attach my streamer pattern.

Reading the water. This is how we find feeding fish. Generally, 80+% of trout eat in less than 20% of the water. When we find one feeding fish we're likely to find more. Large trout that will eat streamer patterns are probably hanging out along ledges, behind rocks and other spots that are near deep water, but close to the shallow areas preferred by minnows hiding from the rough neighbors who want to eat them.

Look for shelves and areas that have lots of large rocks within and are close to good depth and cover. Think about how much space it takes to hide a big fish; you'll realize how small that spot really is.

Position. Where we stand in the water is always important in order to properly present the fly pattern. I prefer fishing streamers down-and-across, which means standing above and to the side of the area I want to cover with the fly, then casting across the stream, allowing the fly to sink then swim across the current. I'm usually wading in relatively shallow water and casting to deep water.

Casting. There's not all that much that's delicate about casting large, weighted streamers with short, heavy leaders. The key is getting - and keeping - the fly in the water. Here are a few pictures to help explain.

Setting the hook. Avoid the reaction to pull up on the rod tip when a fish takes the fly! It is likely that the fish will slam the fly and the natural reaction is to set the hook. If you do, the fly will be pulled right out of the fish's mouth. Keep the rod tip low and allow the fish to set the hook on itself as it turns away with its meal. Once the fish is pulling line out of the rod tip, gently lift the rod, get the fish on the reel, adjust the drag to the size and pull of the fish and play it to your net!

Question? If you have others, please drop me a line at angler@peakpeak.com and I'll answer 'em.

Thanks for reading!

Hello Dale,

Just a quick note to show you the first trout I've caught on my new
Winston Ibis rod!

Chris kindly put on a new 4 wt line for me Friday morning, and my friend
Burton and I went up Clear Creek for a couple of hours Saturday
afternoon. The result was a couple of feisty little rainbows.

Thank you so much for recommending this fine rod!
Regards,
Gay

Last week I mentioned the Fly Fishing Trade Show. Several of us from the shop attended and had a fine time. We met new people, refreshed past friendships and generally enjoyed what we saw.

As I walked and show, asking folks if there was anything new that really excited them, the answer was typically a far-off look, then a soft "No." That's how it's been for some time. There were a few new things that we liked, though, and you'll see then in the shop in coming weeks.

While I was visiting the Patagonia booth, Bill Klyn, who has been working with Patagonia for many years, presented Trout Unlimited with a check for $30,000.00. This money came from the sale of their Fish of The World t-shirts, which we've carried in the shop. New offerings will be available during Spring and when you buy one from us $1.00 goes into a fund that is donated to save fish and their habitat.

The folks that attended will have a bull session in the near future to go over the products and to see what we think will help you fulfill your fly fishing dreams without confusing the issue with lots of things that are the same, but have different names or packaging.

We did see some excellent new fly patterns, a very cool kit that will enhance your nymph fishing, hip waders, new tying materials and so on. More to come.

I promise we'll continue to try to carry the goods that provide value and excellent service. You don't have time or money to waste and I do all I can to carry products that work from companies that care.

I may be able to announce some very good news in the near future due to several excellent contacts I was able to make. I'll keep you informed in future missives, or with special announcements. Stay tuned!

I met Joe in the shop several years ago. As you may remember, he, along with several other folks, joined me in Ascension Bay last January. (He's going again in October!) We haven't fished together all summer; Joes' been busy making homes beautiful by installing tile, marble and other lovely stone on floors and countertops, in bathrooms and hallways for people's houses. He's an artist.

Last weekend we decided a trip was in order, so we met at the house on Monday afternoon, headed up the river and did some fishing. It was windy, as mentioned earlier in this rag, and there was all sorts of stuff falling on the water. A few small mayflies were emerging, a few caddis adults fluttering about and laying eggs and an occasional crane fly was going about its business, as well. We didn't see any fish rising at first, but that changed pretty quickly.

Fish were eating something from the surface, but not with much gusto. Once in a while a big brown would leap from the water, thrashing about like a beached whale. I suppose they are staging to spawn, although at the elevation we fished they aren't quite there.

Joe started with a stimulator, one of his favorite flies to tie and fish. He moved one or two fish, but they didn't take the fly. On the swing a couple fish slashed at the fly but did not get hooked. I tried a few flies, moved and hooked a few fish but didn't keep them on. Several were just rising but not taking the fly. Interesting, that.

The weather was changing, the water levels have dropped a bit and sometimes I wonder if that combination causes the fish to make adjustments and puts them off the feed for a bit. I don't know. Since a few fish were slashing I decided to try a wet fly, and did. They nailed it, but none got hooked. Phooey.

I tied on a very small caddis - a size #20 gray unit - and made a cast across the stream and under a tree. A large rainbow came up and sipped the fly; it was hooked well and I landed it, took a couple of pictures - it's the one on the Home Page of the site - did you notice the change yet? This is a pretty guy. See the small caddis in his upper lip?

Sometimes, fishing small flies means missing hookups, even when the fish take the fly. The fly is very small and has a very narrow gap. I have to make adjustments to fishing smaller flies this time of the year because I've been fishing the largest flies I can get away with for several months. Oh well.

After that fish I tied on a size #18 Adams and hooked - they got off - several nice fish. Finally, two were landed - see the little Adams in this fish's mouth? -  and the fly changed again.

It's nice fishing with someone you enjoy spending time with, and this was the case last night. We both wondered why it had taken us so long to get out, and decided that we'd get out again as soon as possible. There are some streamer patterns we want to try, and the brown trout were getting aggressive. That seems like a good combination and we plan to take advantage soon.

The moral? Find a friend and go fishing soon.

Dale's Special for September! During September, anyone who buys a Winston fly rod from St. Vrain Angler or Estes Angler will be entered into a drawing for a day of fishing with yours truly: Dale Darling. There will be two winners. We'll find a day to go together and I'll make a find day of helping you cast, read the water, select flies and so on. I'll try to explain and demonstrate as much of the good stuff you read here each week as I can. We'll have fun.

And you will enjoy fishing with your Winston rod for years to come.

Please come in, let us help you select the right rod for your needs and enter the drawing for a day on the water with Dale. Oh yes, you'll also get a free fly line in the bargain, so you're already a winner.

Thanks!

Events: Please mark your calendar.

Tonight! The first night of Introduction to Fly Tying. You're invited as there is space available. Please call the shop at 303-651-6061 to register. Thanks.

Thursday, September 15: St. Vrain Angler chapter of Trout Unlimited meeting at VFW on South Main in Longmont. Social hour from 6:30 until about 7; general meeting from 7:00-7:15, then the meeting presented by Marty Bartholomew.

Friday, September 16, 2005: Evening Art Walk in Longmont. Meet artists; see art; have fun!

Saturday Evening: I'll be doing a fly tying presentation for the Colorado Division of Wildlife program Becoming and Outdoor Woman. This will be fun!

Saturday, October 1, 2005: St. Vrain Angler, 418 Main Street, Longmont, CO: First Saturday Morning Clinic of the year. It will include:

Well, that's all I have for today. I'm a bit late getting this out, but I've been redoing parts of the web page during the process, trying to make them clearer and more useful for you. I hope to do much more this week, and will stay in touch as progress is made.

There is much life to live today, which is all we have. That's why they call it the Present: it's a gift. Live well. Please plan and go fishing soon, then again. We're here to help. Guiding is still going and the fishing - and teaching - are great!

We're moving into our slower time of year. If you've been putting off getting any new gear, please get it from us soon.

Thanks.