Kleis's Top Ten Flies For Colorado #8

#8 The Copper John

The copper John is and has been for a while the number one selling fly in America.  It was created by legendary Colorado tyer John Barr.  It is a heavy subsurface nymph tied with wire, and a brass or tungsten bead.  The Copper John is what I call a generic pattern.  Being generic isn't a bad thing because all that means in the flyfishing and tying world is that you can imitate many different bugs with this one pattern.

In fact what I love most about the Copper John is that depending on what color and size you tie it in you could imitate a mayfly nymph, a Stonefly nymph, or a Caddis larvae, or even a Caddis pupa (emerging caddis) depending on what depth you're fishing it in.  Red Copper John's sizes 18-20 are one of my favorite attractor patterns in the spring and fall when trout spawn and are aggressive.  This nymph pattern is versatile and can be fished in every form of water for every fish species that we have in our beautiful state.  It is many anglers wish to have an entire box of different color Copper Johns in every size because they are so versatile.   If you have a good section of your fly box dedicated to Copper Johns you are well on your way to consistently catching fish below the surface.

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Fly Fishing the Midfjardará Teaser

Kleis's Top Ten Flies For Colorado #9

#9 The Parachute Hopper

The top ten flies on anyone's list should always include a hopper.  The Parachute Hopper floats great, and to this day still has one of the more realistic profiles of a natural hopper when looking at it from underneath like a hungry panfish would.  It does start to carry water and sink a little after catching a few fish but that problem is easily solved with floatant.  The wing on this hopper also gets beat up pretty easy as well but again that's a small price to pay for a near perfect representation of a grasshopper.

The best time of the year to fish hoppers is in the late summer starting around the end of July and lasting through the middle of October on some years.  When real hoppers hit the water they sit low in the surface film because they are heavy and clumsy, and that is why I like the parachute style because this hopper sits low.  Just like the Elk Hair Caddis this is a great small stream fly.  When fishing hoppers throw delicate presentations out the door.  Deliberately cast this fly so it hits the water hard and makes a lot of noise. Fish it tight up against the bank and close to cover.

Many anglers have replaced strike indicators when nymph fishing with hopper patterns by attaching a section of tippet (leader material) to the bend of the hook on the hopper, and at the other end of the tippet attaching a heavy nymph.  This set up is called the hopper/dropper system and is extremely effective because you are covering more than one base with your flies (dry flies, and subsurface nymphs).

Check out number ten on the list here...

http://coloradoflyfisher.blogspot.com/2011/11/kleiss-top-ten-flies-for-colorado-10.html

For rates and to check on my availability for guided trips contact me at jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com

If you like my blog and want to see more please subscribe by clicking the join this site button on the side of my page.

Thanks and tight lines! 

And The Winner Is...

The winner of my quarterly drawing for free flies tied by me here in Colorado just for subscribing to www.coloradoflyfisher.blogspot.com is Bruce Dellinger!  Bruce if you see this and you want to collect your prize I need an address sent to jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com  Congrats man and thanks for putting yourself through the agony of reading my written word.  Tight Lines!  Next Drawing will be held March 15th so if you enjoy my site please subscribe by clicking the "join this site" button next to my list of readers. 

Kleis's Top Ten Flies For Colorado #10

The subject of someone's personal favorite flies to have for a specific area or time of year always sparks coversation.  There are a hundred different patterns to imitate one insect or even one stage of an insect's life cycle which can make things confusing especially for someone just getting into the sport.  I have compiled a list of my top ten must have flies for the state of Colorado that I guide and fish with extreme confidence on a regular basis.  This list is not color or size specific, but the photo's of the patterns are what I prefer when fishing these flies. 

We will start with number ten and work our way up the list each day for the next ten days examining why I prefer each pattern and what times of the year they are most effective.  Number ten is a great example of why people shouldn't sleep on the classics.  There is only one other fly that I have landed more fish with on the surface and I can't tell you what it is yet because it's number two on my list.  The Elk Hair Caddis in sizes 14-18 is a must have dry fly in Colorado.  One of the funnest hatches to fish is the Mothers Day Caddis Hatch on the legendary Arkansas River, but anywhere there are hatching caddis in the spring and fall it is a safe bet that you can catch fish on the Elk Hair.

#10 Elk Hair Caddis

The best times of the year to use this pattern are starting around late March through the middle of July, and again starting around September through the beginning of November.  Size 16 in the color tan is what I prefer to use to imitate the adult caddis.  It might surprise you that caddis aren't limited to small streams and rivers and that they live in lakes and reservoirs as well.  And the Elk Hair is my go to fly in stillwater. 


The hollow Elk hair and the hackle feather it's wrapped with give this fly great air trapping qualities which means it rides high on the water's surface and floats well without a lot of special treatments such as gink or any other silicone based floatants.  It's hard to beat true originals and the same holds true for flyfishing.  Even though this is number ten on the list save an entire side of your dry fly box for the Elk Hair Caddis and you're well on your way to consistently catching fish on the surface.


For more information on flies including some of my original creations subscribe to my blog at www.coloradoflyfisher.blogspot.com

For questions concerning my posts, or to find out my rates and availability for guided flyfishing trips send me an email at jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com

Tight Lines and Screaming Reels!

Halloween 2011

As we watched "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" we carved our pumpkins last night.  When we got done we turned off all the lights and here is what mine looked like lit up in complete darkness.

Winter Flyfishing Class Dec. 10th!

It's that time of year again!  Carp flyfishing and winter flyfishing are by far my favorite things to do lately because the fishing is both challenging and at times epic.  The beauty of both carp'n and chasing trout in the winter is that most people either haven't caught on or don't have any desire to do those things which means you're not fighting crowds.  To me missing out on the opportunity to stand in the South Platte in 11mile canyon and absolutely slay fish is crazier than braving single digit temps.  There are a ton of ways to withstand the elements and enjoy some of the best fishing to be had all year.

Myself and a couple of the other guides with Anglers Covey will be teaching a winter flyfishing class on December 10th.  Learn what it takes to fish in negative wind chills in complete comfort, how to stay safe when wading, winter entomology with Robert Younghanz (it might surprise some to find out that there are more than just midges), and tried and true techniques and patterns for bruising fishy lips in the dead of winter without the crowds.  The classroom lecture will be held at the shop on December 10th from 7:00-8:00 am. The streamside class will be held immediately after from 9 a.m.-noon.  Must provide your own gear including warm clothes.  Dress in layers!  Cost of the class is $90  For questions concerning the class send me an email to jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com.  To sign up for the class call Anglers Covey at 719-471-2984 or sign up on our website www.anglerscovey.com