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!

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!

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!

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... 

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!