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Current Flows For South Platte and Arkansas River 5-19-2013

We have recently seen a huge increase in flows on the Arkansas. At Wellsville we are looking at 820 c.f.s. and 1080 c.f.s. below Pueblo. Be cautious about wading because we are likely to have fluctuating flows for a while now with even larger increases.

The South Platte however is a different story...

Cheesman Canyon/Deckers - 51 c.f.s.
11 Mile Canyon - 53 c.f.s.
Dream Stream - 36 c.f.s.

Soo............ Anybody up for some carp fishing?

The 2013 Celebrity Fishing Derby

Ever wanted to fish in a bass tournament with your fly-rod? It's a rare occurrence that fly-fishers have that kind of opportunity without any restrictions on things such as rod length, and we wanted to let you know that your chance is coming soon! The Celebrity Fishing Derby will be happening June 15th at Stem Beach just south of Pueblo. Cost per adult to enter is only $125. All fishing is done from shore or from a belly boat, and prize money is given away for longest fish of each species found in the lakes. Catching a tagged fish earns you an extra $100. The first angler to catch a largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, wiper, stripped bass, and white bass wins a brand new boat!

Bree collecting daddy's prize money for biggest common carp and biggest black crappie.

We can tell you from our experience last year that the fishing on these two otherwise private lakes is amazing, and the people both competing in and running the event are very friendly. It's really cool to get to fish with anglers of all creeds, and not feel like an outsider because I was using a fly-rod. In fact, the people running the event --Sangre De Cristo Hospice-- want flyfishers to participate so much that there is an extra 25 percent bonus on top of the original payouts for fish landed with a fly rod. Read about last year's event by following this link. 

Learn more and register on the socohospice website click by clicking  here!

Photos Taken During The Spinney Opener

There were a few photos taken on opening day also, and we wanted to share those with everyone. I promise this is the last of the Spinney opener posts. As always, if you like what you see subscribe, and if you would like to try your hand at Spinney Res. with me as your guide, shoot me an email to jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com for rates and availability.

Opening Day Video Madness!

Hey everyone check out this video we put together from what little filming we did of opening day on Spinney Reservoir. It was shot in it's entirety with gen 1 gopro cameras and a few still shots with our DSLR. There is a slight hiccup during a part of a clip where I panned in on Kristen's reel, but other than that the process went smooth. I'd go so far as to say that making this video was almost as fun as the fishing during opening day, so we hope you all enjoy it! If you do, please follow this site and like us on facebook to keep the fish porn coming.

Fishing As a Part of Something Bigger

Most of the time we fish because we enjoy it, and because it takes us away from work and any other stresses that life throws at us. We don't give a whole ton of thought to the bigger picture while we are in the process of harassing fish. Even if you are taking the time to stop and look around, are you just looking at your beautiful surroundings? Do you see the bigger picture? The real beauty about our surroundings doesn't just come from giant granite rocks, tall pine trees, and clean rivers. It's the scenery combined with the knowledge of how fragile it all truly is, and how blessed we are to be a part of it. Every time I drive anywhere to fish I get this eery feeling because I realize that we are floating around on "Spaceship Earth". Call me an ignoramus, but I never understood how some "anglers" I have spoken too scoff at the idea of global warming/climate change considering the importance of the subject to the places we fish.

Everything we do affects our planet, and in return we affect the rivers and wild places we love. From the giant gas guzzling cars we drive, to how long we take a shower, to the food we eat. You can play the "Red Blooded American" card all you want and shout freedom, but being free to do the things we want for selfish need or laziness doesn't mean that we are all free from the consequences. Of course, there are measures we can all take to ensure that our children, and their children, and theirs after we are long gone can have a healthy place to live and play. 2012 didn't happen, and there will be no Zombie apocalypse. If you have got this far without closing your internet browser in disgust because I said the words global warming then check out this video of astronauts telling their stories and giving some truly unique and very true perspective about our planet.





OVERVIEW from Planetary Collective on Vimeo.

Spinney Reservoir Is On Fire!

I recently convinced my clients for sundays trip to do some stillwater fishing on Spinney as part of our guide trip and we had a blast! Our average fish was the size of the ones shown with a few 22" brutes mixed in. Most people go their whole life without catching a trout that size and we netted fish like that all morning. Anyone wanting a change of pace and scenery from the usual South Plattes and Arkansas rivers, and wants to learn how to fish Spinney Reservoir just needs to send me an email at jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com for my guided trip rates and availability. The trips will be walk and wade from the shore. A half day trip for one angler is only $250 and I provide all of the gear. If this is something that interests you schedule your trip soon and lets strike while the iron's hot! Also I just wanted to give a shout out to Pat, Reyn, and Taylor McBride! Thanks for being such amazing students and for letting me use your pictures! Here are just a few of the photos from last sundays trip...