Gazette Article - How To Properly Handle Trout!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

On the Fly - The Difference Between Fluorocarbon and Monofilament Leader Material

Here's the link to this months On the Fly column! Also, just wanted to thank you guys for your support, and to let you know that I haven't forgot about the blog, I've just been working hard to get my book finished. As soon as it's done I'll turn my attention back here, and get to work posting some tying videos and other helpful tips. Who knows, we might even get to go fishing! Fingers crossed...

Friday, October 31, 2014

Gink and Gasoline Fly Shop of the Year 2014 Contest

Gink and Gasoline is having a contest to win fly shop of the year. If you've had an enjoyable experience with me as your guide, with any of the other guides, or any of our super knowledgeable and friendly staff in the shop, follow this link to the G&G Facebook page and vote for Anglers Covey! We appreciate your support!

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Fly Fishing Bachelor Party Guide Trip

Hey everyone, just thought we'd share this quick video put together by Dave Herber of a recent guide trip that doubled as a bachelor party. It was a gorgeous day, with just enough action to keep our attention on the water. Tough to beat! Thanks Dave Herber for putting these together as always! Dave also has a great video of his adventure to the recently opened lakes on Pikes Peak. Follow this link to visit his youtube channel and check it out.

 

Friday, October 17, 2014

The Importance Of Confidence Flies - On The Fly

Here's the link to this months article, and a photo of my fall confidence fly, the blue winged olive Barr's Emerger.




Friday, October 10, 2014

Jamie's Journal Blog Post - Pike Fishing On The Fly

Here's a great post from Jamie Roth talking about his experience pike fishing from his new pontoon boat. If you haven't checked out his site yet be sure to Like his Facebook page and bookmark his blog. He does great work. Follow the link!

Quick Flow Report - South Platte and Arkansas River 10-10-14

Cheesman Canyon/Deckers - 234 c.f.s. Highly recommend a visit to Deckers at this flow!

Elevenmile Canyon - 73 c.f.s.  This is a lot better than it was at it's lowest a month ago.

Dream Stream - 83 c.f.s. Good, wish it was 100 c.f.s. but....


Arkansas below Pueblo - 121 c.f.s.  Got word that this spot has been fishing great!

Arkansas at Canyon City - 405 c.f.s.

Arkansas at Salida - 415 c.f.s.

Arkansas near Wellsville - 514 c.f.s.

I'd be willing to bet that the Arkansas river in general is fishing pretty alright!




Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Our Fall Fly Fishing Adventure - 8 Tailwaters in 10 Days!

We are home, and the inevitable let down that comes after going on these huge adventures has hit us. Sitting here thinking about the amazing time we had exploring new places, and fishing new water. Feeling so blessed for my family, and plan on making this trip an annual tradition, adding new places and memories as we go. New hotel pools for Bree to get excited to swim, new mountain passes to drive over, new restaurants to eat at, new stores to shop, and last but not least new fish to catch. 

We started this adventure by making the decision to fish 8 tailwaters in 8 days! An easy idea for a solidary troutbum, but an interesting prospect for a family of flyfishers with the every day nuisances of life such as work, money, and the extremely challenging and uncontrollable issue of time! We put our heads together and figured out a way to make our adventure work, which was definitely worth it in the end. If you’re planning on following in our wadersteps, make sure to give yourself some extra time in case you want to take some detours and stop to enjoy some of Colorado’s beauty.

We walked into some great fly shops and talked trout with some good people. Thank you Steve at Kirk’s Fly Shop in Estes Park for making us feel welcome, and giving us the inside track on the Big Thompson tailwater! Kirk’s is an amazing shop with an equally impressive staff. And thank you to Matt and Chance at Rigs Fly Shop in Ridgeway for giving us solid info, and for helping me feel immense relief that there’s a real fly shop within reasonable driving distance of the Uncompahgre! That river deserves a good fly shop and outfitter.

Visiting these shops added so much to an already crazy adventure. We drove over Cottonwood pass during snowy whiteout conditions (not intentionally of course). This was an experience I would give a 10 out of 10 on the scale of butthole puckering moments. On the same day, we drove over Independence pass, where hours after we were there a huge accident would happen. This didn’t come as a surprise to us because people were driving like idiots, but… still hair raising.

All of the danger involved was worth it because we saw some of the most beautiful country we have ever witnessed. Snow covered mountains with lit up aspens, the headwaters and tailwaters of some of the best trout streams in America, and the list goes on. Being a Colorado native, I’m ashamed to say that I never seen the town and surrounding awesomeness that is Aspen. We picked the perfect time to go! That place really lives up to it’s name.

Before Aspen, we drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, and it literally took our breath away. I don’t know what memory of that drive will stand out more; seeing the wild cutthroat that had probably never been fished to in a small stream surrounded by changing aspens, getting our gorgeous glass trout statue in that shop at the top of one of the passes, or throwing 60-70 foot casts in the wind at Poudre lake so I could reach the middle where I caught a solitary rising 6 inch wild brookie on an Amy’s Ant.

Kristen was happy because we made a pit stop on our journey to stay 2 nights in Almont to fish the kokanee salmon run on the Gunnison river, which is her favorite species to fish for. While fishing for Kokanee we ran into Brandon Snyder. Brandon’s a guide for Dragonfly Anglers, and a super nice guy. Bree had this man so wrapped around her finger that he gave her a quick ride in his drift boat before he finished setting up for the days trip. That was Bree’s first time sitting in a boat and it made her trip! Brandon and his clients couldn’t get rid of her after that. So much so that I’m convinced if she was given the opportunity she would have ditched mommy and daddy on the bank and gone on a fishing float trip with complete strangers.

Between stops to fish, and the free boat rides, we had to somehow find a place that sells post cards, fill out our adventure for the day, find the local post office, and send it to our condo here in the Springs. Completely unnecessary, but Kristen would not let us skip a day, and I’m glad she didn’t. Now we have another souvenir from our adventure!

We also learned a ton about these fisheries we plan to include in our book, and caught a lot of fish in the process. For instance, I learned first hand that the rocks in the Pan are slippery as shit… I have 2 busted shins and a sore knee and ankle to prove it! And Kristen learned how to deal with defeat. She had on a fish of the year contender at the Uncompahgre and lost it, and I could tell it just crushed her. So much so that she went back to the now dead pool she hooked and played that fish in, and beat the water there for another 15 minutes, trying to capture that fish or one like it. I honestly think she was really trying to capture that feeling of pure adrenaline and joy that comes with the hard work involved to get good enough to even dance with a fish like that. She’ll get the next one!

If it isn’t obvious, we are inspired by our trip, and are ready to do some serious writing and finish this project we started almost a year ago! We got a ton of great photos to share, and a base of knowledge to work with, and hope that you guys enjoy the final outcome when that time arrives! Here are a few photos to wet your appetite until then. Let it be known that these are mostly just the family ones and the non-tailwater related with a few exceptions. If you want to see my favorite photos we're gonna make you have to buy the book when it comes out ;) We'll keep ya posted!

Fly Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park
Our Cabin.

Drive by Shot I Got in One of the Many Canyons We Drove Through.

The Kleis Family at RMNP

We Saw Plenty of Changing Aspens This Year!
Kristen With a Nice Brown on the Big Thompson Below Estes Lake.
Kristen Was On a Mission To Photograph As Many Fallen Leaves as Possible
One of My Favorite Shots. Classic Colorado!
Tried to Keep the Camera as Still as Possible Balancing on a Rock To Get This One!
Our Bree Chillaxing.


The Trail Along the Black Canyon Below Blue Mesa.

Cant Go Camping Without Roasting Marshmallows.
Kristen With One of the Many Nice Salmon She Landed on the Gunni!

Bree Getting Some Casting Practice in on the Yampa
My Ladies on the Williams Fork!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Monday, September 15, 2014

Photos Of Clients Throwing Hoppers During a Recent Afternoon Trip

Just wanted to give a shout out to David, Rob, and Byron! Had a great time with you guys chasing wild trout with hoppers.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Quick South Platte and Arkansas River Flow Report 9-8-2014

South Platte River

Cheesman Canyon/Deckers - 145 c.f.s. Decent flow

Elevenmile Canyon - 78.4

Dream Stream - 104

Arkansas River

Pueblo Tailwater - 507 c.f.s.

At Salida - 401 Great flow

Near Wellsville - 448

Canyon city - 360


Recommendations: Go fish the Ark! Get while the getting's good.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Dream Stream Fishing Report 9-1-14

The current flow is sitting around 63 c.f.s. and the fishing yesterday down towards the inlet was tough. Saw a few decent fish, but they were spooky. 6x tippet and tiny flies produced a number of small fish for my clients. Best fly was a size 24 red blood midge that I tie similar to a rojo. Under these conditions, get there extremely early, and hope for a few fish coming up to tricos. Switch to nymphs and target the deeper pools as it gets later in the day. Honestly, there are so much weeds in the water that you have no choice but to fish the deep pools while nymphing. Deep being 2-3 ft...

Fishing - 4/10

Water conditions - 2/10

My advice? If you have your heart set on fishing here, fish below the dam. Or wait until the flows come back up, or the water cools down, or both.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Short Video of a Cutbow Landed in Hartsel - August 2014

Kristen shot some video of me landing a decent cutbow in the town of Hartsel. The trout fell victim to a size 12 olive Amy's Ant, as did many other fish in the few hours we were there. In fact, the only sound other than the river mixed with cars passing by on highway 24, was the distinct clicking noise of a large hopper's wings. Tis the season! The video also has Bree looking adorable in her waders and Colorado buff, so I figured i'd put together a quick clip to one of my favorite new songs by Rebelution. Because if you turn on the news it becomes apparent that the world needs more love.


Cutbow In Hartsel - August 2014 from coloradoflyfisher on Vimeo.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Dude Perfect Fishing Stereotypes

I'm 50/50 on whether or not I'm a Fish Kisser, or a Tree Magnet... These guys are hararious! After watching this check out their trick shot vids. Great stuff!


Friday, August 22, 2014

Colorado History - Video on Ute Indians in Colorado

I'm currently writing a book about fishing here in Colorado, and through my research I've been learning a lot about this state's history. It's because of this that we decided to add a new link to the long list of links along the side of our website, Colorado history. Starting out by showing a video on the original residents of Colorado. It's a 28 minute long feature about the Ute indians. Even before "progress" came to Colorado, there were people here worshiping water. Check it out!


Saturday, August 16, 2014

Photos From Recent Guide Trip 8-16-14

Had a great experience with a group of 6 clients, and fellow guide, Scott. Here are a few of the photos I took for these guys during the trip!

Scott spotting trout.
Happy clients.
There's no post card worthy scenery on the South Platte river...
Lunch for 8...
Camp fire chicken with a view! Call Anglers Covey and request Jon Kleis to book
a trip!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Roll Over Accident In 11 Mile Canyon 7-22-14

Was eating lunch with my clients at camp A today, and saw 3-4 fire trucks, 2 ambulances, 1 cop, and a partridge and a pear tree... All driving up the canyon to rescue someone. I asked the lady at the gate what happened, and she said that there was a roll over crash above camp A. I don't have any specific details, but I doubt they needed that many emergency personnel if someone didn't get hurt. I'll let you guys know if I hear anything.

This may sound preachy and redundant, but please drive slow and be safe up there! That road gets extremely narrow in spots, and there's no shortage of steep deadly drop-offs. Been seeing a lot of guys acting like it's the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Drive at reasonable speeds and get home safe to your respective families. 

Tight Lines!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Crazy Worm Found in Bear Creek 7-2-14

Was doing a bug check at Bear Creek today. We were mostly doing this with the intention of tuning in our camera settings for taking bug shots on local tailwaters for our book. I've been doing bug kicks for some time, and while I've never pretended to be an entomologist, I'd like to think I have our tailwaters pretty dialed in. Small streams, however, are a different beast, and today we dredged up this worm that looked like it was straight out of that "monsters inside me" tv show. The video was shot at 60 fps, which ended up being the perfect speed because it accurately captured how quickly this worm was whipping around in real life.

A question I get often from clients during guide trips is, can I drink the water? My honest answer is yes, but if you knew what was swimming around in there, would you want to? And this just reaffirms that...

Basically, we would like to know more about this. If any of you can answer the simple questions like, is this non-native? is it parasitic? have you ever seen these in other rivers in Colorado? are these potentially in our drinking water? does this thing give you the heebee jeebees? etc... We would love to hear from you!

Also, just a heads up that the parts in the video where it looks like part of the worm disappears are from reflections coming off the surface of the water in the dish we were using.


Sunday, June 29, 2014

Quick Dream Stream Fishing Report - 6-29-14

Yesterdays trip started out by the barns. There are still a ton of suckers in the area, but the good news is that there are some trout mixed in. Unless you see fish rising to emerging tricos or adult midges, try throwing a tandem nymph rig with Barr's Emergers in either the bwo or pmd flavor behind a san juan worm. Make sure you have enough weight to drop your flies quickly. As of the writing of this report the flow is at 276 cfs.

Fish could literally be anywhere in the river. We found them in the deeper pools and we sight fished to trout in riffles. The fish in the riffles are a little more opportunistic, so focus your attention there. As the sun gets higher target the deeper pools.  If you see fish rising, a size 22-24 Barr's Visadun trico or a Griffith's Gnat in the same size should do the trick. When it gets windy in the afternoon, which we all know is the norm, consider tying on a hopper with a weighted nymph such as a tungsten bead head pheasant tail as a dropper. Cover a lot of ground and pound the bank and anywhere there's structure.

Tight lines!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Great Post by Jamie Roth on His Recent Adventure at the Taylor River!

Follow the link to check it out...

Cool Short Video Shot on the Dream Stream by Brad Kilgroe!


Colorado Dreamin' (Dream Stream 2014) from Brad Kilgroe on Vimeo.

The Tricos Are Here! - 11 Mile Canyon Fishing Report 6-27-14

2 days ago I did a kick and found many large trico nymphs that looked like they were ready to pop, and even saw a few adult tricos in the air. This morning there was a full on hatch! It was a sight for sore eyes, and the resulting hatch made for some excellent morning fishing.

The money fly was a size 22 Flashback Barr's Emerger bwo, which does a decent job of also imitating an emerging trico in 11 MC.  However, around 9:30 am the wind picked up and didn't let to many bugs hit the water, so I didn't get to see how eager the trout would be to feed on the spinner fall at 300 c.f.s. There were a few fish rising sporadically, but I think it's a little soon for the truly great dry fly fishing we associate with the trico hatch. Don't worry that time is coming soon!

There are still a few caddis flying around, and even some pmds coming off around lunch time, but again, few fish rising to them. That doesn't mean that a well placed size 16-18 bead head pheasant tail or bead head Barr's Emerger in a pmd flavor won't fool a fish... We were using 5x tippet to our first fly (san juan worm), and 6x tippet to our dropper (Barr's Emerger bwo). Our indicator was set at a depth of 6 feet from our first fly, with enough weight on our leader to cut through all this fantabulousness water we have in our rivers. 3 number 4 size split shot about 16 inches above your first fly should do the trick.

Tight lines!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Today's On The Fly Column - Hopper/Dropper

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my newspaper post on hopper/dropper fishing. If you're new to it and would like to learn a little about how to fish, and how to set up a hopper/dropper rig, follow the LINK!

Saturday, June 14, 2014

My Tips On How to Make Anglers Out of Your Family!

Just wanted to share my last column in the Gazette with all of you fathers! Follow the link and happy Father's Day!

My Experience On Fatherhood and Fly Fishing

  I have the very best job in the world… Being a father! Some of you might have read the beginning of that sentence and assumed I was going to say, “being a fly fishing guide,” and you would be right, but only because doing this has allowed me to spend more time at home with my family. Life, as you very well know, is short. Then you become a parent, and life starts moving so fast you feel as though you’re stuck in some kind of crazy time warp. A truth so unavoidable I find myself telling my clients about Father Time’s cruel prank every time the subject gets brought up.

       Suddenly, all of the haters talking crap, all of the people singing your praises, and all of the fish in the world don’t matter. The fog clears and your only concern is for this little person that you’re responsible for. This child that you need to teach and protect in a scary world where school shootings, war, and lack of compassion are seemingly becoming commonplace.  

       Kristen and I are of the opinion that American society is in the condition it’s in because both parents have to work full time jobs to provide, and they can’t be at home with their kids like I’m sure they want to. We wanted Bree to have a parent at home as much as possible. After all, who else is better equipped to raise a stable human being than her own mother and father? So we make sacrifices…

       You mean you don’t make millions of dollars as a fly fishing guide? Contrary to popular belief, there aren't to many rich and famous guides. Being a guide for most people is making a conscious decision to forgo becoming rich monetarily, in favor of being rich in spirit. My life over the last five years as a guide has been spent on more meaningful pursuits than money. 


A rare photo of all 3 members of the Kleis family having fun on the water!
Thank you Timm Tews for taking the great photo!



I guide because the people I teach enrich my life. I do it because there are few things more rewarding than seeing a client learn the skills necessary to catch a fish, and then watching them put those new skills to work and have success. 

       Sounds pretty fantastic right? Well, being a father has meant feeling love so profound that I find myself holding back tears every time I see Bree learn something new, or do something special. Being  proud of the person she is, and the person she is becoming, it’s hard not to get overwhelmed with emotion over the silliest things because you know how precious these moments are. Parents reading this know exactly what I’m talking about. Every first is a reason to celebrate; whether that be talking, walking, riding a bike, first movie seen in a theater, first fish! 

  This is my life. So what came first, the trout or the egg? Does it even matter? We all know the reasons why we love fishing, and why we do it. Watching our daughter play in her first tball game, I see why family should be every fathers number one priority, even over fishing. To all of the fathers out there making sacrifices, all of the stay at home dads, all of the dads who have to work 2 jobs to provide, all of the military dads who are or who have been deployed, and all of the grandfathers, you are important, and we just want to wish you a happy Father’s Day!


 

Bree was suppose to run on that first hit, but we've been practicing over the last year and she was not happy with how far the ball went, so it didn't surprise me things unfolded the way they did... 


Sunday, June 8, 2014

Today's Tornado Near Florissant Colorado 6-8-14

Check out this video I shot of a tornado after a fishing trip today on the South Platte river near Lake George!





Check out this iPhone photo from newly recruited trout bum, Braden Curnel!



Monday, May 26, 2014

Quick Flow/Fishing Report For The South Platte and Arkansas River

Most of the Arkansas river including the Pueblo tailwater - is chocolate milk, running above 2,000 cfs, and is an all around bundle of joy for rafters.

The South Platte - is running between 70-100 cfs depending on which stretch you're fishing, is low and clear, and full of beat-up highly pressured fish. Flies of choice for anyone nymphing are: Barr's Emergers bwo 22, JuJu Baetis and midges - the smaller the better, Caddis Candy size 18, Black Beauties size 22-24, Top Secret Midges size 22-24.

Anyone throwing dry flies should carry Barr's Visaduns bwo 20-24, Parachute Adams 20-26, tan Elk Hair Caddis 16-18, Matt's midge 22-24, Griffiths Gnat 22-26.

Start out nymphing in the morning. After a good lunch be prepared to cover a lot of water throwing dry flies.

Tight Lines!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Check Out This Great Short Video Shot In Cheesman Canyon!

Here's a fantastic video made by Brad Kilgroe that might be one of my favorite shot in Cheesman Canyon to date. He did a great job of capturing the experience, and giving it meaning. Enjoy!


Dad's Day #8 from Brad Kilgroe on Vimeo.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Fly Fishing And Hard Rock - Trout Porn Video Cometh!

The music on this video made by Jamie is not for the faint of heart! Check it!
SPINNEY MOUNTAIN RES 5-4-14 from Jamie Roth on Vimeo.

Another Round At Spinney!

I recently had the pleasure of guiding two hardcore troutbums who just so happen to be great people, Jamie Roth and Ben Lewis. I don't want to go into detail talking about the trip because Jamie has already taken the liberty of doing so. Jamie's an aspiring guide who currently has a real job, and he has a fantastic blog site that I think does a great job of showing his passion for fishing. Follow the link for the photos and full story of our adventure, and be sure to subscribe to his page!


Friday, May 2, 2014

Video Of a Wild Brown Trout Caught in One of Colorado's Many Small Streams

Here's a quick video by fellow AC guide Dave Herber. The thing that sticks out to me the most isn't the beautiful little brownie, or even the gorgeous wilderness they're fishing in. There are no other anglers fishing next to them! Zero combat fishing...


Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Opening Day of Spinney - Fishing Report and Photos 2014!

It was a memorable opening day! We got up there as the sun was coming up, and were greeted with a bitter cold south park wind, deciding to brave the weather mostly out of excitement. The toddler was cranky and I can't say that I blame her. Mama and Bree stayed wrapped up in layers of clothes and a fleece blanket, and refused to move. The air temperature reading in our jeep said it was 22 degrees outside, so I'm not going to guess what the wind chill was.

Standing on the shore and getting crushed by wave after wave, you can't help but think about the fact that a few days ago this reservoir was completely covered in ice, and you start to feel like a slice of lemon in a cold glass of ice water. We withstood the punishment for almost 3 hours before deciding to call it and find our buddies, Steve and Travis.

They were fishing in a mud puddle by the south boat ramp. For you guys and gals with boats, that ramp was closed, and I didn't think to ask the game warden -who was checking licenses- when it opens. I'll give you a heads up if I hear anything. Anyway, the girls stayed in the car to get warm and I joined the fellas for a half hour before they left for warmer fishing opportunities. All this after the game warden told Kristen she had to sign her fishing license before he had to pistol whip her. Awkward... and hilarious!

We went back to our original parking spot by the dam, and I decided to give it one last try before we threw in the towel. I can't count how many cars we saw leaving this morning! Literally, I thought everyone was giving up... Being the stubborn angler that I am, I figured I would stick around and see what happens when it warms up a little. None of that having to do with the fact that Kristen reminded me that the fishing didn't pick up last year until around 10 a.m.

9:45 and I hook and land my first fish! It was a healthy rainbow roughly 20 inches in length and colorful. It fell victim to the classic orange and red egg, and the hit occurred right past the end of my rod. Kristen made me promise her that if I hook one fish I would come back to the car to get her, but I wanted to make sure that first fish wasn't a fluke, so I threw out one more cast and landed another fish as big as the first.

I get to the car and Kristen is signing for me to give her a thumbs up or a thumbs down, and the look on her face was priceless when it was a thumbs up. Two ladies who didn't want anything to do with the cold anymore were suddenly jumping out of the car with excitement and racing me to the spot. Funny how the fish biting will do that!

We get down to the water and I had to prove the bite was on by catching another fish, which didn't take very long. The only part about catching this trout that wasn't routine was when I looked over at Kristen after hooking up, to see her sitting on the edge of the ice shelf lining the shore, and watching it break under her butt. She landed with a thud, and we were both so shocked that we began laughing uncontrollably, all while I was still playing the fish.



Then Kristen stepped up to the plate and landed fish of the day 3 casts into her first attempt! The look on her face when she saw it jump was priceless.

The "oh my word" look.








Kristen's first fish, and fish of the day. Safe to say, you're pretty stoked when your first hook up is a tubba rainbow like this.

The wind and water were still freezing, but the air temp had come up ten degrees, and even Bree started doing her usual thing; playing with rocks and kissing fish. She even took the time to get a nap in...

30-40 m.p.h. winds with temps probably in the single digits? Think I'll take a nap on this uncomfortable looking rock! Seriously, who's toddler does this?! People driving by probably thought she was dead. Mom and dad continue to fish...



 Is it any wonder why I'm whooped! Kristen holding another fish of the day contender, and just look at those smiles!
Me playing a fish and getting crushed by waves of ice water.
Daddy getting hit with another wave, and Bree playing with a stick.
Kristen going to work.
Game face, bro. Game face...
Fumble shot.

Kristen enjoying her new Simms jackets. Having fun in the cold.
Overall, what started out as a bitter cold doodoo show, turned into a classic day on Spinney. Anyone interested in fishing here should bring eggs, black or olive leeches, and a few different flavors of chironomids. If you're fishing from shore, get close to the dam, or find a point with a drop-off. I love to do walk and wade trips these first couple of weeks after opening day, so if you're interested in doing a guide trip here drop me a line at jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com Hope you enjoyed the story/report/photos! Tight lines.








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