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St. Vrain Angler News & Muse October 19, 2004

Greetings!

Fall colors continue to linger due to the fantastic rains we've had this summer and fall. Isn't this great? Having grown up in Ohio - I've lived here since the summer of 1979, by the way - the lingering of lovely reds, oranges and yellows cause me to reminisce about the stunning fall colors in the Midwest.

Ah, beauty.

It's one of the reasons I love fly fishing. How about you? That's a shot of our friend Mark K. along the St. Vrain in fall, splashing fish at his feet, wonder all about.

I hope this finds everyone well today. Yesterday, Chris and I drove to Estes and picked up the inventory from the shop. The Estes Angler is now closed for the season. This is a little later than we've kept the shop open for the past few years, but the weather was good and folks were still taking guided trips. At this point, we'll be doing the guiding and the trips from St. Vrain Angler in Longmont. William is off to Winter Park for the winter, and Ryan will be around Longmont on alternating weekends. He's trying to finish college at Kearny State in Nebraska, and doing well.

When we left Longmont for the drive it was warm and clear. As we neared Estes the clouds and wind became more apparent. A large heard of elk with one stunning bull and several smaller ones were parked on the lawn of the Hospital. Cars stopped so people could gawk. How do cars know how to do that? Is it learned? Have you ever driven through Yellowstone or any other national park and witnessed the number of cars that just stop so their inhabitants can gawk?

By the time we were at the shop it was spitting a mixture of snow and rain. William had most of the goods packed and we loaded the truck and headed back to St. Vrain Angler. You guessed it: by the time we were out of the Park, the sky cleared and temps warmed once again.

Ah, fall.

It's a great time to go fishing. Let's go!

We hosted a Shop Trip last weekend to Cheesman Canyon. Unfortunately, both Mark and I are suffering back issues and neither of us could go. In our stead, Dan S. lead the crew and filed this report, along the with the pictures. I hope you will join us for the next outing, which we'll announce in the near future.

Cheesman Canyon Shop Trip 10/17/04

A total of six folks made the trip from Longmont to Cheesman Canyon on Sunday; Paul G., Scott D., Ed C., Chris H., Tom M., and Dan S. The group met in the parking lot behind the shop at 6:15 am and broke into two groups. Tom and Scott wanted to come back early so they rode together and the rest of us piled into the Explorer and head off. Our first stop was at the Park n Ride at I-25 and 120^th to pickup Paul. We then proceeded to I-76/I-70/C470 and then 285 heading for Conifer and our scheduled breakfast stop. When we arrived at the café Mark had recommended we discovered they don’t open until 8:00 AM. We waited the 15 or 20 minutes for them to open as we didn’t know if there was anything between there and Pine Junction; turns out there’s a place at Pine Junction where we could have gotten breakfast.

We arrived at the Gill Trail Parking lot around 9:30 and got a couple of the last available parking spots. This lot fills fast on the weekends so it would be smart to get there early otherwise there is no other parking close by.

After rigging up we headed out for the ¾ mile hike to the Canyon and arrived on the river around 10:30. The weather was clear and sunny, the river was very slightly off color and flowing at 108 CFS, and there was a blanket midge hatch in progress.

While there were a lot of folks fishing there was still plenty of water holding good sized fish for us to cast to. Most folks rigged up with small nymphs or dry/dropper rigs and then proceeded to get “frustrated”; those Cheesman Canyon fish can be awful picky. However, perseverance paid off and most folks got into some fish before the day was over. In addition to the midges, there were some small Caddis and some Blue Wing Olives in the afternoon, but the trout weren’t keying on them, instead they were taking small nymphs, midge larva, and midge emergers fished in the meniscus. For most of the group, this was the first time to fish this great tailwater but it definitely won’t be the last.

Tom and Scott left in the early afternoon and the rest of us stayed until 4:30 and then hiked back out. We stopped at C.B. Potts in Westminster for burgers and an adult beverage and arrived back in Longmont about 8:30.

Dan S.

I've heard from Paul, Dan and Chris and they report that a fine time was had by all. The fishing was tough, but the canyon was obviously beautiful, as we can tell from he pictures. Tom and Scott are on the trail on the way in. The Gill Trail has been there for many years, and plenty of hopeful anglers have hiked it on their way to fulfillment and frustration. I can't imagine another spot in this state that has produced better fish stories or more tails of woe, such as, "I could see the fish right there in front of me, and they wouldn't take anything I offered them! Woe is me."

The Canyon, as it is fondly known, is fishing well. We've had excellent reports, as well as those of woe-is-me. Put Cheesman back on your list of places to go, and give it a try this fall. Plan on midge and small mayfly fishing. Want an ace in the hole? Fish along the sunny side of the banks with small cinnamon ants that have a dun hackle in the middle. You'll hook a few nice browns that way.

To tie a few of the flies, please go to Fly Tying and see what you can find to help.

The Fall Fly Fishing Page is complete, so go there for a visit or refresher that will help you enjoy the conditions you find on the water this Fall!

Dan S. and Tom M. also spent a few days last week on the Arkansas. They had a mix of weather and fishing conditions, but caught a few lovely fish, as you can see. Both Tom and Dan have recently retired and they are wearing out their vehicles driving from spot to spot to fish. When they aren't on the water, they are in the shop tying flies, telling lies and being fly shop riff raff. They seem to be catching on to this retirement thing quickly, expressing vim and vigor in the process.

Congrats to both of these men for staying the course and finishing the fight. Now, they can go fishing.

I love the people I've met in the shop during the past 14 years. Thanks for sharing, friends. This is great.

The Free Saturday morning clinics have been fun. We'll have another this Saturday at the shop from 10-Noon, and hope to see you then. I'll be tying something that will entertain and inform. We provide coffee and donuts, too. This is a good time to meet riff raff and maybe even become riff raff. Fishing trips are often planned. We laugh. A fine time is had by all.

Perhaps you've heard me speak of my Solutions Booklets. These are small and informative booklets that are packed with basic information that will help you understand what is going on on the water or at the tying vise. I've been editing these to make them even better than they already were, and this is the second one that is done. Fish! Bugs! Flies! presents information on how trout feed, what they eat, and the flies that work to fool trout. There are a variety of charts that explain bug life cycles as well as fly patterns. I've included pictures of bugs and the flies that imitate them.

Here's an offer for you, my readers: For the first 25 folks who sign on, I'll send you a copy for $5.00 plus shipping. Mention this note and you can pick up a copy in the shop for the same price. I'd really appreciate input on this Solutions Booklet. I know it will help you understand trout and their food, as well as the flies you can use to hook 'em.

Drop me a line at angler@peakpeak.com and say "I want one." Include your name, address, phone number and how you'd like to pay. We accept credit cards, cash and checks. Or, call the shop at 303-651-6061 or 800-651-1770 if you live out of the 303 area code, and ask us to mail you a copy; we'll do that, too.

Thanks!

Most people who sign on to get the email are interested in receiving info on Classes and Guided Trips. Please follow the links for updated info and schedules on what we offer. All of our classes and guided trips are going great. People are learning and enjoying fly fishing.

If you have a special event for your business, a few friends, family members of any type of club and need a program, please let us know. Fly fishing is entertaining and both Mark and I enjoy doing instructive, entertaining programs as time allows.

Fly Tying Classes are scheduled through the Fall. Pick the one that fits your schedule and join us. Classes are from 7-9:30 PM Tuesday Evenings, and begin on the following dates: October 19, 2004 TONIGHT! There is room for you. November 16, 2004. It's time to get signed up for the next session, which begins in two weeks.

Please call to register: 303-651-6061. I've just finished revising the Introduction to Fly Tying Solutions Booklet, which we provide with the class. It promises to be more helpful and useful.

TU News!

The next Trout Unlimited meeting will be held on Thursday, October 21, 2004 at VFW in Longmont. The is at 206 S. Main Street. The Tying Clinic and Social Hour will begin at 6:30PM; a short business meeting will be held at 7:15, and the program will begin at 7:30. The Club will bring hot dogs to sell and snacks to eat. The VFW will provide an open cash bar, so sodas, beer and wine will be available.

Mark and I be tying flies before the program, and we hope you will attend.

Mark Rayman is doing the program on fishing the North Platte in Wyoming. This will be informative and fun!

Club Trip: The present Board has decided that the club will host a monthly fishing trip. The first was to the St. Vrain. The second, in conjunction with Mark's presentation on the North Platte, will be to the North Platte. A group from the club will travel to Casper and stay at Sloan's. Read more about this in the newsletter by following the TU link. Go to Newsletters.

Board Meetings: Thanks to everyone who has responded to this call to action. The meeting we had last Thursday was once again very well attended and much was accomplished in getting this club back and active. We'll have a great meeting on the 21st at the VFW Hall. mark is going to do the program on Fishing the North Platte. The club will then take a club trip in early November to practice what Mark discusses.

At the Board Meetings, we do a Dutch Treat for pizza or something else, and plan for the coming meetings and programs. The time is ripe for involvement once again. If you are interested in joining us, please drop me a line at angler@peakpeak.com or give a call at 303-651-6061. Thanks!

The picture at left shows a few of the folks who joined together to clean up a section of the St. Vrain, enjoy each other's company, and do some fishing. According to reports, a fine time was had by all, donuts were eaten, trash collected and disposed of, and fish caught. I hope you will join us for the next TU activity!

I've made a link in this web page for the TU club. It is here: Trout Unlimited. The Newsletter, which was mailed to members on Saturday, is included, as are a few notes. Please read Mark Fiegal's notes from the board meeting, which are found on the link provided.