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St. Vrain Angler News
& Muse November 16, 2004
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Greetings!
I hope
this finds you well, wherever you are sitting and reading this weekly
 missive.
Thanks for being out there. Each week a few folks write back or stop me
in the shop to say how much they appreciate receiving the newsletter via email.
I appreciate - and need - the positive strokes, as we all do. I love the writing
and hope the words convey my love for people and of fly fishing, and my
willingness to share information.
Thanks
for reading.
It is
likely that next week I'll miss my second issue of this missive since I started
sending it out several years ago. I'll be preparing for Thanksgiving.
Shan's parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and we plan to
celebrate with them. With that in mind, please have a wonderful, fulfilling
Thanksgiving that is
 full of being thankful. I stand in awe of the
opportunities we have to live and love, and to communicate that with one another.
Wherever you will be, enjoy.
I'm
thankful for many things, and shiny trout are one of them! I love fly
fishing and most of what it means. I'm particularly thankful for the
permit shown above and for the memories that remain in my mind of that day. I'll
write it down one day so you can enjoy it, too.
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This week we're going to send out our Christmas Catalogue.
There are some very special offers contained within. If you would like to
receive it, please fill out this form and we'll get a copy to your doorstep
ASAP.
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I'll
outline and present a few of the offerings to each of you on this newsletter
beginning in December. It's time for Thanksgiving this week.
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A Few Things We Have Going For You!
We're
still doing a few guided trips. If you'd like to learn a few fishing tips for
late Fall/early Winter, please call the shop at 303-651-6061 and we'll fill you
in. If you are visiting the area and would like to take a 4- or 6-hour trip, let
us know and we'll set it up.
Saturday Morning Fly Tying Clinics continue. We meet at 10 until noon and
tie flies, tell lies, eat donuts and drink coffee. It's fun and instructive.
Join us at 418 Main Street this Saturday for a fine morning with the other riff
raff.
Solutions Booklets: Two weeks ago I offered Fish! Bugs! Flies!,
and last week Winter Fly Fishing at introductory prices. This
week it is Presentation 101. I promise there is lots of very good
information in these booklets, and that you will enjoy reading and learning from
them. I continue working on these and have plans to make them better and more
thorough. As they stand they are valuable. Call the shop at 303-651-6061 or
800-651-1770, or drop me a line at
angler@peakpeak.com to get your copy of any of them. This week again,
Presentation 101 will be sold for $5.00 plus $1.00 to ship it. Thanks!
More
Solutions Booklets are on the way! Please stay tuned.
Winter Fishing Tips
With our upcoming Shop Trip to 11-Mile Canyon, here are a few
thoughts that should help everyone prepare - whether you are going with us on
this trip or the next, or whether you are just going on your own. Enjoy!
While
officially still Fall, as far as anglers are concerned Winter is pretty much
here. The days are shorter, the water is colder and the fish are feeding on
pretty small insects right now. How do we approach fishing at this time? Here
are a few helpful tips.
Dress
warm. Check waders for leaks and fix any that are found. Gloves are a good idea.
Check out flip-mits, which we have in the shop. Against your skin wear fleece,
which will wick away moisture and keep your skin dry and warm. Layer clothing
and wear a shell on top. I wear one pair of warm socks inside my waders. When
my feet are done, so am I.
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Bring
a
ball cap to cut the glare of the sun. Most shells have hoods, which I wear to
keep my ears warm.
Polarized
sunglasses are a must. Good ones. Cutting glare to see fish and flies is
essential to fishing success.
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Flies:
midge family (visit this link
for tying tips and fly patterns), a few small mayflies - nymphs and adults,
small copper John for weight when fishing under the surface and an orange scud
or two. Mark will insist you bring eggs. I'll just eat them for breakfast and
fish with flies, thanks. |
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Tippet: we
may need 7X, with 6X and 5X certainties. Be sure the lightest material is fresh.
Losing a good fish to old tippet doesn't seem worth it to me.
Leaders: a
9' that tapers to 5X should be fine. Build the leader out by adding a short
section of 5X - about 18" - and then 6X to fish. When adding 7X I shorted the 6X
to about 18" and add lots of 7X, if that's what it takes for a good drift that
will fool a fish. I try to stay with 6X if at all possible. It is easier to
fight and land the fish. To get a good drift, I use up to 6' of 6X!
Fly
treatment: When fishing dry midges, it is best to carry Dry Shake to dry and
help see flies. I also have my Aquel floatant along, but sometimes it
is too cold to use it effectively. Bring both.
Other
terminal gear: a few small split shot for fishing nymphs in deeper water;
Bio-Strike for making your own strike detector, if you like; your own favorite
strike detector material. Call Mark for more info on this front - 303-651-6061.
He's good a fishing with nymphs and has all the goodies to make it work.
Rod, reel,
line: by all means bring what you have. Mark and I usually use 3-weights on this
trip, but a 4- or 5-weight is just fine. A reel with a smooth drag that works is
sometimes important as large fish hooked on light tippet like to run and break
off. A smooth drag allows the fish to go without breaking the tippet with the
initial take-off. If it is time for a new fly line, get one that is supple and
soft. Stiff lines will get very stiff in cold weather and that makes casting
difficult.
Fish
that
are feeding will be visible in 11-Mile Canyon and on the Dream Stream. Plan on
using stealth when wading to get close, and then plan to make short, accurate
casts to these fish. Often, the fish will be so locked into feeing on emerging
insects that they will not frighten easily. That's good news. They also seem to
know that we are there, casting to them, so good fly presentation is required.
We'll discuss this over meals and so on during the course of the trip.
The
Winter Fly Fishing Solution booklet covers lots of
 good
info, and I'm not going to repeat all of it here. If you'd like a copy, I'll
make them available again this week for $5.00. We'll mail one to you for $1.00.
Call to order yours; it will help - 303-651-6061.
If you
have any other questions about fishing during winter months, be sure to drop me
a line at angler@peakpeak.com, stop by
the shop at 418 Main Street in Longmont, or give us a call at 303-651-6061.
The
Saturday Fly Tying Clinic will be flies and rigging tips for this trip. Join us!
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TU: Follow the link for newsletters
and board meeting updates! There's a good read there about flows on the St.
Vrain. If you are interested, please read it. Thanks!
Rocky Mountain National Park! This is
an alert from our friend Keith in Estes Park. If you love the greenback
cutthroat and the waters that hold fish in the Park, this is something
that you should read and respond to. A copy is here
RMNPAnglingAlert.
Classes It appears that the late Fall Tying
Classes are not going to be a go. Everyone is busy this time of year, and
that is wonderful. Please follow the link for classes that begin in January,
and sign up soon for the one that works best for you. |
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 Fall
Hours
Monday: Closed for fishing!
9:30-6 Tuesday-Friday
9-4
Saturday
Free Tying Clinics every Saturday from 10-Noon.
We'll begin special Holiday Hours during
December. Please stay tuned! |
St. Vrain
Angler
418 Main
Street
Longmont,
CO 80501
303-651-6061
800-651-1770
www.stvrainangler.com
St. Vrain Angler
Longmont for driving directions.
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The Estes Angler is closed for the
Winter! |
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There's always
much more, but that's it for today. Thanks for reading. Mark and I hope to
see you soon in the shop, and I always look forward to receiving emails from
my readers. As long as I get it, I'll always respond.
Have a fine week,
and we'll talk with you again soon.
Dale Darling |
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