First Grass Carp!

Today I was blessed to get to fish to some large grass carp with dry flies! It's so intense to watch these fish come up and inspect your fly --in this case a large black beetle, and then finally decide to eat! Here's the pics...

Learn to Fly-Fish Day at Anglers Covey 6-1-13

It's that time of year again! At A.C. from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. we will be having our big show. Vendors will be there showing off this year's new gear, learning stations will be set up and taught by our guides, and drawings for free swag and gear will be happening every hour. There is usually a large line waiting at the entrance before the show starts so if you want to take advantage of the sales we will have going on it helps to get there early. Follow this link for more details including info on parking!

Carp Fishing Bald Eagle Double!

Mixing it up. That's what happened during a recent carp trip I took while our toddler Bree napped. We have been on a carp quest ever since I noticed things starting to heat up at our local spot, and today I finally got my first stinky fish to the net for 2013! Thankfully Jim Browning decided he would join me to watch, so there are photos making today's adventure more than just another fish story.

Jim got to be a part of the full gamut of experiences that can happen during a carp hunt. From feeling the excitement of sight fishing to 20-40 lb fish, the crazy people that live in our fair city, and all the zany nuttiness that is carp fishing. The defeats, then finally the victory. And the arm swelling from playing tug of war with a Volkswagen Beetle with fins for 20 minutes. 

What made this trip so insanely cool --other than the reward from a lot of hard work-- is that I had a bald eagle double. You read that right! A french'n bald eagle swooped down and snagged a fish out of the water half way (about 10 minutes) into the fight! I've never been a big fan of using the word epic for experiences because I think it gets over used --especially in fishing circles, but... It was EPIC! On a stinky pond right in the middle of Colorado Springs a bald eagle nabbed a fish while there was a 20 pound carp on my line. 

Before that during the fight there was a guy walking down the street who was screaming loud angry rock music to himself. Jim at this point is probably thinking "what have I got myself into?!" Right after I land the fish there was a photographer who was taking photos of the bald eagle who walked up and saw the fish and went "holy crap! I mean holy CARP!". 

For a second time in a week we would like to thank Jim for the amazing photos, and for being a nice person. That might sound a little silly, but that's important with all the bad things happening in the world. All of the photos were taken by Jim with his iPhone so if you would like to see what he can do with an actual camera follow this link. Be sure you check out the carp porn before you go!

Look just above my head and you can see the bald eagle!

Cool sepia shot.

Dear Lord God please let this fight end! 20 minutes into the battle...

The stinky smell of victory!

Sore arm and big smile.

11 Mile Canyon Fishing Report 5-24-13

Jim Browning, Kristen and I went to 11 Mile Canyon and had a great time. Flows are around 50 c.f.s. but fish were still in the shallow runs and riffles. From sunrise to about 11:00 a.m. fishing was consistent. A steady mix of cutthroats, browns, and rainbows came to the net on Top Secret Midges, JuJu Bee Midges, and Brassies. We started above the first bend above the culverts and worked our way up towards the dam. The weather was drop dead gorgeous and the company wasn't to shabby either... Thanks Jim for a mellow and seriously fun time on the water! Here are a few photos we took during today's trip!

Sunrise In The Canyon - Photo by Kristen 

Lit up rainbow - Photo by Kristen

Battle Scarred and Spotted

Jim releasing a fish - Photo by Kristen

Kristen going to work!

Donate For Disaster Relief - Tornado Outbreak

Follow this link to donate and help out the victims.

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...