St. Vrain Angler News & Muse January 25, 2005

Greetings!

I hope you are well today, enjoying the warm temps we are having - if you live along the front range of Colorado, that is! Mom reports that NE Ohio continues in the deep freeze, and that Colorado has had higher temps than much of Florida. Hmm.

Have you noticed the word on the street now has to do with lots snow and moisture in the mountains? Great snow pack for this time of year? Folks around the shop are speaking with optimism about this season's fishing.

And reports keep coming in about good fishing when folks are going fishing.

Mark, Jay and I just got back from our monthly shop fishing trip. Sixteen of us went to 11-Mile Canyon for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and everyone had a fine time. On Sunday, all of us fished in the Canyon. It was very bright, the water was very low and cold, yet a few midges were emerging and trout were feeding on them on the surface. I was able to help a few of our friends with rigging and fly presentation tips, and for the last hour or so on Monday, Joe and I had a casting lesson.

Cool.

The water was very clear, too. While the flow in the canyon has been stable for some time, I wonder if the cold temps influence the clarity of the water as well. The fish were visible in their lies, and when they were feeding we had the chance to observe their movements to bugs or our flies. It was pretty neat doings.

Dallas used an RS2 for most of Sunday, and caught plenty of fish. He was drifting the fly on or just under the film, hunting fish that were feeding and then feeding them his fake. It was interesting to see some small mayflies emerging on Sunday, although I didn't see a single one on Monday. I wonder if the fish might have been keying on the larger bug that day? Dallas was using about a size 20 or so.

Kirk had a concoction of his own that was a cross between a black beauty midge larva and a choronamid emerger. The white part on the front of the fly was white CDC tied over the eye of the hook, and the body was black thread with a bright rib. I think there was some peacock or black dubbing in there somewhere - I only got one quick glimpse of the fly because Kirk saw a fish that needed cast to. The fly seemed large, but the fish ate it.

I wondered if it was a good imitation of an emerging midge, after all. Even small midges get twice as big when they emerge as the shuck slides off the back of the bug's body.

I spent some time with Karim - and if that is misspelled, I apologize in advance, my new friend -  on Sunday morning. He's a friend of Kirk's and is just getting into fly fishing. He had some borrowed gear along and a few flies that he and Kirk had tied in the cabin during evening hours.

We stood in the stream observing trout, talking about what was going on. I asked if he'd like to see some bugs and what they were doing and he said he'd like that very much. We pulled the seine I carry out of my backpack, stuck it in the water and took a look. There were a few midge shucks, one midge adult and lots of floating debris in the net.

Then, Karim stood upstream a bit and disturbed the bottom of the stream while I held the net below his feet. The first bug that popped into view was a size 4 crane fly larva, which surprised Karim. There were also some midge larva in several sizes and colors, although all were thin and segmented. As we stood there, I noticed an emerging midge floating by and pointed it out to Karim and Kirk, who had joined us by that time. We watched the bug float along, and could see the shuck coming off the back, and eventually noticed when the bug freed itself from the shuck and started buzzing the surface in preparation for take-off.

Everyone thought that was pretty neat.

I asked Karim what he thought about the emerging midge, and he said, "It is vulnerable", and I told him he was right, and that was when the fish would eat the bug. We discussed the bugs and how to fish them a little more, and then I asked him if he would like to see it all in action, to which he replied, "Sure!"

I rigged up with a long section of 7X tippet and tied on a size 24 stuck in the shuck midge emerger. This is a fly that I developed in the early 80's after a trip to Cheesman Canyon and a talk with my old friend Tom Waugh. Tom tied a pattern that was a good imitation of emerging midges, and I made a few adjustments, basically stealing a fine idea from an experienced angler. That's how flies are developed.

Karim made the comment that the flies were mimics. That's a good term, not?

I've started tying a few of the midge adults and stuck in shuck patterns using yellow CDC. The flies are pretty visible on the water, and I like being able to see the fly and point it out to folks when we fish together. Sometimes, I use orange hackle, too, which is very visible on the water.

After tying the fly on, I dropped it on the water and asked Karim if he could see it. He said he could, so I made a very short roll cast in the direction we'd be fishing just to be sure he could still see it, which he could. Ah, young eyes.

Then, we stood in one spot watching for a rising fish. This was a day when rising fish were, well, rising, just not often. At times there were once-in-a-row risers, which usually don't cause me to cast. I like to see one fish rise several times in the same spot over a few minutes to be sure that fish is looking up.

We found such a fish. It was easy to see it against the light-colored bottom of the streambed and through the clear water. The trout was fining there, moving from side to side from time to time and indicating it was munching midge larva. Once in a while it rose to intercept a morsel on the surface, and that was enough for us! We were hooked, and hoped the same for the fish.

I explained where I would put the fly on the water and why, then put the fly there. On the first drift, the fish took the fly but I missed the set. Quite simply, I was not ready. Then I remembered that the first cast is the best chance, if the fly is presented properly. Oh well. Recalling the saying of an old friend - sometimes trout forget - I waited for a minute or two so the fish would forget and continued to observe the fish while Karim and I visited. A few casts later, the fish once again ate the fly.

"That is the coolest thing I've seen yet," Karim said.

"I agree," I said. "That's what I love about winter fly fishing with midges. I can see the fish, make a cast and watch the fish take the fly."

A few minutes later Karim caught his own trout on a midge pattern fished on the surface. That was good, too.

In the meantime, there were folks fishing the river who were standing where the fish wanted to be, and using lead and big bobbers in the midst of rising trout. Oh well. I wish I could help all of them understand.

Fly fishing has, in my opinion, done some disservice to new anglers by selling them good gear, then setting them up with a selection of bead head nymphs, lead, bobbers and basic instructions to cast - really, chuck - the fly out into a riffle or run and keep the bobber floating along evenly. They are told to lift the rod if the bobber bobs at all.

Don't get me wrong. I really don't care how anyone fishes, because fishing is fun. I still figure the 5-year-old kid with a cane pole, bobber and worm catching bluegills is a purist, and that everyone else is a snob. I know that I am. And an opinionated snob at that.

It just seems sad that folks are not learning to cast a fly rod, which is elegant and lovely, but difficult to do with lead and a bobber attached to the leader.

I much prefer watching a fly drift on the water rather than a hunk of poly yarn.

What do you think?

Joe, Jay and I spent non-fishing time together, riding to and from the river and so on. We enjoyed each other's company and the conversations that we had. They spanned a wide variety of topics, from bow hunting for deer and other critters to how laws are changed and civil disobedience. We talked about casting, tying, fishing spots and much more.

Joe said he'd never fished quite like we did over the weekend, selecting one rising fish and staying at it until either angler or fish gave in - one by moving, the other by being hooked with a fly. (It was pretty hard getting that fly out of Joe's ear - just kidding.)

In addition to everything that all of us learned, all of the people who went really enjoyed one another's company at meals and on the stream. We jumped pools, asked questions of one another and generally encouraged each other to stay at it.

Never leave rising trout! became our battle cry.

"Keep trying; never give up," was my Churchillian encouragement.

I'm pretty sure everyone caught some trout. I'm completely sure we all had fun.

I hope a few of you will join us for the next shop trip in February. Call Mark for details. He sets them up; the rest of us just tag along for the fun of it.

Thanks, guys, for a wonderful fishing weekend.

Does any of this get your fly fishing juices going? Anyone out there have a case of cabin fever? Is it time to get out?
Here's how we can help.

Several folks who joined the outing mentioned they had bought and read my Winter Fly Fishing Solutions booklet. They said it helped, too. I'm humbled by this, but pleased to share this type of information with my angling friends.

In addition to fly tying tips, there is lots of rigging and fishing info as well as a discussion of how the bugs emerge and how fish feed on them. One member of our outing said he liked the book because I covered so much info in so few pages. Great; that's the goal! And, the booklet only costs $7.95. It is printed in full color, too. (Do you realize how expensive color is to print?)

We have the flies, tippet, leaders and Winter Fly Fishing Books in the shop, and we'd love to help you get out on the water. We'll set up the right gear and flies for you, if you'll allow us that privilege.

Remember, this is the year of fly fishing fun! We're all going to get out more often and refresh and renew while we are awed by the beauty of trout and their environs.

Call us at 303-651-6061 or 800-651-1770 if you live out of the calling area, and we'll help you out. We take credit cards, and we mail stuff.

If you are in the area, stop by the shop at 418 Main Street in lovely downtown Longmont, Colorado. There's plenty of parking in back of the shop - that's to the east one block - off Kimbark Street, just north of 4th Avenue.

Mark's Introduction to Fly Tying and my Intermediate Classes are in full swing. More classes are forming, too. Please call the shop to register and save your spot. Classes fill fast, and they are worth twice the price we charge.

303-651-6061 to register, or drop me a line at angler@peakpeak.com We'll get you going, or going again.

Fly tying is fun. For many, the social aspect of attending a tying class is delightful, and classes encourage fly tying. In the Intermediate session last Tuesday, I asked what folks would like to tie in addition to the midges we'd do that night. Blaine said, "I'd like the 3-month version where we do all of it."

Several others agreed. If you've already taken this class, take it again because there are always new things to learn and to tie.

I don't know about all the folks who attend, but for me these just get better and better. Last week we started talking about one thing and another, then someone asked about tying dry fly wings. What material is used, how is it used, where is it tied in and so on and so forth.

Well, as surprising as this might seem, I got off on a tangent and did my yearly session of tying tradition, classic Eastern Dry Flies. That is so much fun! The flies are beautiful! That's a March Brown, at left. Wood duck wings; cream body over orange thread; grizzly mixed with brown hackle in the tail and collar, and orange thread all on a standard dry fly hook. The background is a lovely medium ginger cape, by the way.

From left to right are Blue Quill, Ginger Quill, Adams, Quill Gordon, Red Quill, March Brown, Gray Fox, Light Cahill, Hendrickson and Dark Cahill Eastern Dry Flies.

After tying these patterns on Saturday, several people mentioned that folks might like a selection of the flies to copy or frame. So, here's my offer: I will tie you a set of these flies in size #12 or #14 for $29.95. They will be lovely, and tied with the original materials - natural wood duck, for example, and beaver, stripped quills and so on. The only synthetic will be the thread and hook wire. How's that?

Here's the catch: I'm only willing to tie one dozen sets. If you would like a set for yourself or a friend, please let me know by dropping me a line at angler@peakpeak.com I'd like to know by the end of this week, so I'll close the offer at 4PM on Saturday, January 29, 2005. I'll tie the flies and ship them next week, so you'll have them soon.

Pick your size - #12- or #14; send $29.95 for the set of 10 flies; let me know by 4PM this Saturday, and I'll tie them for you!

Want to tie them yourself? I'll send you all of the materials to do just that - one fly each - for $15.00. The packet will include the materials I use to tie the flies and basic tying instructions.

If you'd like both - the materials, tying instructions and a set of the flies, just let me know. Again, the offer is only good this week, because I have the time and inclination to do this for a few special friends of fly fishing. (Quill Gordon, and Eastern Red Quill, above. Pretty, huh?)

I love tying flies.

Beginning next week we'll be open Monday through Friday from 9:30AM until 6:00PM, and Saturday from 9:00AM until 4:00PM.

We're located at 418 Main Street in Longmont, Colorado. Our phone numbers are 303-651-6061 or 800-651-1770.

We're here to help you solve fly fishing problems in order for you to enjoy the time you have tying flies, casting rods, fishing streams, lakes or saltwater flats.

We love teaching fly fishing. We love people.

Family news: Kids are doing well, and so is Shan. Thanks for caring.

Also: many of you remember with fondness and grins my brother, Don Darling. He and his wife, Larraine, became grandparents when Adam's wife, Marci, gave birth to Carson Michael Darling on December 27, 2004. My dad would be so proud to have a grandson, and I thought many of you would like to know. My mom is tickled to be a great grandmother for the second time. My sister Diane's daughter Beth Rose has a daughter, Abby, who is now one year old.

Time moves on.

That's all I've got for today.

Thanks for reading, for being out there, and for supporting fly fishing, its environs and St. Vrain Angler. Be gentle.

Mark, Jay and I hope to see you this week, and wish you the best.