If A Fish Farts In The River Does It Make A Sound

I had an interesting experience today with what I affectionately refer to as a "yahoo".  A yahoo is someone who tells fish stories on a consistent basis, and would have you believe that their manhood hangs to their knees.  To question a yahoo is to question their manhood, and by definition is calling them a liar.  Yahoos are easy to spot because they're usually wearing the biggest hat and belt buckle, and have a strain in their voice from talking too loud and forcefully their entire life.

To quote Denzel Washington in the movie American Gangster by saying, "the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room".  And you my yahoo friend are why many people in my humble opinion don't get into our sport, or leave it after only a few outings on the water.  I spend 150-200 days a year on the water either teaching or fishing so I find it humorous when yahoos try to comment on how new my waders and wading boots look after 3 seasons...

Just because some people take better care of their equipment than others doesn't mean you have the green light to try and clown on them because, "What?! you mean your boots lasted longer than a year? I must be a bigger MAN than you!".  Nope it just means that you are a yahoo, and yes your doodoo stinks so save your subtle jabs.  I'm writing this because I want anybody who has had an experience with a yahoo either on the river or in a shop to know that fishing is not about how loud you can be.

Fish don't have egos.  In fact it's been my experience that the bigger the fish the more humble they are, and the more they try and stay in the shadows.  Fish run and hide from people making tons of noise on the river.  Yahoos talking big game should learn to try and be more like the fish they tell stories about.  Everyone else, and this especially holds true for beginners, it's important to me that you know not to worry about loud and obnoxious people, and instead focus on the true spirit and meaning of flyfishing.

Flyfishing is about being in nature, and learning something new every time you get on the water.  It's about sharing your experiences with people you care about and having fun.  Trust me when i tell you that for every yahoo there are ten people willing to share a great spot or a fly that has been hot for them.  There are yahoos in all facets of life so please don't let a run in with one of them chase you out of the sport we love.  Because as many less insecure people know it's not the size of your fishing rod, it's how you use it.        

Important For Our Safety And Our Future

I was sitting down doing some reading and thinking about what it means to be a free society.  People seem to live under the illusion of having freedom in this country simply because well, its America!  Land of the free and home of the brave.  Free to eat what we want, say what we want, and do what we want.  Free to breathe the clean air, and free to live the life style we want so long as we pursue it.  Nothing in this world is free including the air you breathe.

Climate change is an ever growing cause of concern for many, and reason to joke and laugh at tree hugging liberals for others.  What many of us choose to ignore on a subconscious level are the signs that are all around us.  That we are paying for everything.  We pay in medical bills, and the loss of life, liberty and happiness.  This year we had the largest and most devastating fires in our states history!  And yet some of us continue to ignore even the possibility that we are experiencing climate change while we drive up to the gas pump and PAY 4 dollars a gallon.  

Big business and capitalism are sucking our planet dry, but as long as our favorite burger stand is still open and we can watch our favorite television programs promoting teen pregnancy and cheating then we are still free.  Laguna Beach and buff Italians with tans rejoice!  The article I was reading this morning was all about the more frequent appearance of chem trails and their true purpose and effect on our ecosystem.  

For those of you unfamiliar with what a chem trail is I am sure that most of you have seen one and never given it a second thought.  A lot of times they are hidden within the clouds which I have an aching suspicion is done on purpose so people assume it's a natural occurrence.  Here is a short video I took this morning of several of them over our beautiful city.   

    

Not only are they not natural, but it appears that they could have a very sinister purpose!  That purpose is to temporarily cool the climate by pumping metals in the air to reflect sunlight out of our atmosphere. The first question that comes to mind is how did they get financing for this, and second why is this happening without first telling the people the truth including potential environmental consequences and putting it to a vote?  We live in a free democracy right?


The truth is that many things that hurt our planet and our country are done without our permission and without the public having been informed that yes this could give you cancer.  The truth is that any time people do things that have a profound effect on the environment we all suffer.  Not just the plants and animals.  We all suffer because we are all connected.  You mean republicans and tree hugging liberals are connected?  An original strain of OUR STATES NATIVE FISH is somehow connected to all of us and is important?  Yes. Get over it.


I came across this documentary about chem trails, and it has some very strong proof that we are letting "the powers that be" mess up our environment for financial gain and a short term cooling of our planet.  Essentially trying to control weather and weather patterns meanwhile making our planet warmer and killing off plant life in the process.  No plant life and warmer temps are historically bad for fish.  BAD FOR FISH...  You my friends are connected to the fish!  Connected a lot both literally and figuratively if we have anything to say about it.


Why am I ranting?  Because everybody and their mom should be ranting about this.  In fact we should all be demanding from our government to know what is in these chem trails and then we the people decide if it continues.  That is how our democracy should run.  The entire country puts to a vote whether or not the product (things like bottled water) are worth the cost (killing our planet).  And we decide the future, and hopefully as a people decide that a green planet and air that is free of chemicals which cause disease is more important than convenience.  We need to stop leaving it up to 1 percent of this country to decide what's best for the other 300 million people.

So that our children can enjoy the things we have, and enjoy true freedom!

I leave you with this video and a message.  The video is the study about chem trails and climate change which is pretty dang long, but all you really need to watch is the first ten minutes to get an idea of why we should all be concerned.  My message is to turn off the tv and start paying attention to the true subjects of importance.  Compassion for other people and our planet is a good start.  Preaching a true message of equality and of a free democracy where we all vote on the important subjects rather than the crap we are bombarded with by the media controlled by a select few.  Watch this video and write your congressman.  Live life to it's fullest!

The Wolf At Spinney Mountain

For those of you who missed my post about watching a large dog tackle a full sized Antelope on the back side of Spinney Mountain near the barns I have recently witnessed a second much closer sighting!  I had my clients from a trip two days ago following me back from the Dream Stream on High Chaparral rd. towards highway 24 when we saw a few Antelope next to the road.  My clients stopped to take pictures and I continued down the road when I saw what I truly and honestly believe to be a Wolf.  Or rather it saw me because it was next to the road when it spooked and then started jogging the opposite direction.


This thing is massive and was clearly again after those Antelope!  It is dark gray bordering on black in color and has shaggy long fur, a long tail thick with fur, and is literally the size of a Great Dane.  I can tell you readers what I saw in complete confidence because I was extremely close to it when it started moving away from the road.


I called the division of wildlife to report it, and the lady I talked to put me on hold for 5 minutes after I gave her a description.  She got back on the phone and proceeded to tell me it was someones pet or a hybrid of somebodies pet that crossbred with a Coyote, and that they weren't worried about it.  Before we got off the phone I told her that it doesn't look like a hybrid though I can't ignore the possibility, and that either way it is displaying predatory behavior in broad daylight.  I also told her that I noticed the numbers of antelope have been steadily declining over the last 3 weeks, and that the only reason I have noticed is because this where I have done the vast majority of my fishing and guiding during those three weeks.  "Thanks for your concern sir" CLICK.


So here is the deal guys and gals.  I am a Colorado native who has seen a few Coyotes in my day and I can't in clear conscience not warn you all to be extremely careful and mindful of your surroundings while you are fishing anywhere near the Dream Stream below Spinney Reservoir.  You can either think I am crazy, or take what Im saying to heart and be careful.  If you think Im crazy I don't really give a crap, and you have been warned.  I know there are a handful of anglers that like to fish up there at night myself included.


So just know that there is a huge predator that doesn't mind tackling large Antelope in broad day light (I have a witness) so I doubt that it would have a problem chewing your butt at night.  Just so you know I plan on posting this on any social media, especially where the CDOW can see it because Im hoping this will inspire them to investigate.  If you appreciate my heads up and believe what I am telling you then please post this to warn as many anglers as possible, and lets look out for each other and be careful out there!  Thanks and tight lines!     

Politics and Flyfishing - Casting My Vote

One More Cast

Democrats or republicans I care not.

Missing from the ballot is human compassion.  

Missing from the ballot is a sense of real purpose. 

I vote for one more cast!

 If a comet comes will you care about war?

Will you care about who's God is greater?

Or would you treasure every second left and head to a trout stream with your family?

I hear there are mountains with moving water in Afghanistan.

I vote for one more cast!

This isn't about who to cast your vote for.  

This is about what.

What's important?

Greed and anger?

Or getting the perfect drift?

I vote for one more cast!

Argue until you're blue in the face about same sex marriage.

Argue about money.

Rich man or poor man we are all dead men walking.

Why not share?

Share a secret fishing spot.

Share your wealth and your wisdom.

Take care of those less fortunate.

Because one day you'll be on your death bed, and all of the money 

and fancy things you voted and worked so hard for won't matter.

At that moment I bet you vote for one more cast!

Golden rules to still live by.

Are you the type of person who lets somebody over that's trying to turn onto a busy street?

You're losing friends you don't really know on some social network.

Treat people the way you expect to get treated and we all end up on the river.

When you get into fishing you're expected to display etiquette.

Respect each others space.

Wait your turn.

Share.

Come election time cast your vote.

Not for big business.

Not for greedy politicians.

Vote to live in the moments that give you chills and set your soul on fire.

Vote for one more cast!

Clothesline Carp Trap

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were playing a giant carp across from a bike path and a biker ran into your outstretched fly line as you were playing the fish?  Apparently a concussion, a broken pelvis, and other injuries.  You read this right.  A guy going for a pleasant bike ride along the South Platte was inadvertently clotheslined by a flyfisherman.  Who can't appreciate that irony?  You have to wonder if the fish in question saw the cyclist coming and wanted to exact his revenge on humans for jabbing a hook in his lip.

EMT's initially thought kids set up a clothesline across the trail as a booby trap.  By the sound of things a flyfisherman later confessed to the accident, and all was well aside from the broken bones which were sustained by the biker.  Three questions that immediately come to mind that weren't addressed in the reported story by channel 9, other than was the guy on the bike ok were: what was the fisherman using, how big was the fish, and did he land it?  All kidding aside it must have been one serious fish if the guy playing it was running across bike trails to land it.  

According to the story, the gentleman on the bike just grazed the fly line and wasn't completely "clotheslined" by it, but took his hands off the bars as a reaction and then crashed.  I can't imagine what was going through the fisherman's mind as these events unfolded.  One minute your playing a giant fish and the next you're needed to provide medical assistance to a guy you just crashed with a fly line booby trap.  Do you finish landing the fish?  In a complete moment of ironic fate such as this where two men participating in two completely different outdoor activities clash, how do you handle this situation?  

For some reason I keep thinking about my recent First Aid class.  On my list of things to do as a First Aid trained flyfishing guide are to, make sure the area is safe and clear, followed by sending someone for the first aid kit, and to call 911, etc.  Nowhere on that list did our CPR instructor mention as a step to first land the fish.  Of course I'm only kidding and making light of a serious and ironic situation, and thankfully the guy on the bike wasn't killed or hurt a lot worse than he was.  We will live our entire lives and probably never hear a cautionary story of urban sports such as this again.  For more on this from channel 9 including a video of the "scene of the crime" click here.              

Thanks for reading and tight lines!  No pun intended...

   

Kokanee Salmon Populations

I was having a conversation the other day with friend and fellow guide John Gordon about the dwindling Kokanee Salmon run that comes out of 11mile reservoir.  The last 3 years have been dismal at best and it seems to be getting progressively worse.  The most salmon I had seen this fall in the Dreamstream was a pod of 15-20 fish that were staged right above the gauging station bridge.  The following week I searched the entire river from Spinney dam down to 11mile reservoir expecting a large late run of Kokanee and spotted a total of 3 fish.  The days when the river turned red making it almost impossible to cross without stepping on a salmon seem to be a thing of the past.  The questions we should be asking are why and what can be done, if anything, to bring back those epic runs?




I told John G. that I had talked to several different game wardens about 4 years ago and they told me that the fish in the reservoir are suffering from gill lice.  Not knowing much about gill lice I did some research and they are nasty little critters.  The lice are typically found when water conditions are poor, and they damage a fishery by making homes in the gills of the various fish species making it harder for them to breath and absorb oxygen.  But all indications hint that the gill lice hold on 11 Mile reservoir is over and has been for the past couple of years.

When the question was posed on the Anglers Covey forum (why are the runs weak?) it was also brought to my attention by owner David Leinweber that the current stocking program for Kokanee is not ideal for good Kokanee runs.  The current program has the state stocking larger Kokanee into the reservoir to try and keep the population of hungry Northern Pike from destroying salmon numbers right out of the gate.  The problem with that is when it is time for salmon to spawn they tend to migrate to where they were planted.




If they were planted in 11 mile reservoir then do the math...  The program is great for the guys trolling around in boats on the lake but what about the rest of us anglers that like to sight fish and catch kokanee in the river?  John sent me an email the following day of an article he found that provides very promising news that there is still hope to recover what we have lost.  The most intriguing part of the article is the fact that this year was a record year for harvesting Kokanee eggs for breeding in Colorado.  And that they plant almost as many fingerling salmon in the East River by Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery as they do in Blue Mesa Reservoir.  Blue Mesa is where the mature salmon live and migrate from as they work their way up the Gunnison and East river back to the hatchery where they were born.  Blue Mesa is also home to the current state record Mackinaw which is another major predator of the Kokanee.




The reason we still see the occasional kokanee in the Dreamstream in the fall is because even though they were stocked in the reservoir they also have instincts telling them to migrate up river to spawn.  This has me wondering why they don't do the same thing for the South Platte that they do for the East.  And that is stock as many salmon in the river as they do in 11 mile res. and stock them as fingerlings.  That way the year class of kokanee that were stocked in the lake would theoretically follow the salmon that were stocked in the river up to spawn and we can all bend our rods on these insanely strong fish without having to drive 3 hours once again.  If they can do it for Blue Mesa inspite of the large predatory Lake Trout then they can do it for 11 Mile with its Northern Pike.




There is one more thing that has always bothered me I feel needs to be changed that I want to share and then I will get off my soap box.  The current limit for harvesting salmon in 11 Mile Reservoir is 10!  That number is way too high.  Not that most anglers trolling around in their boats are pulling in those kind of numbers, but if the limit was 2 on a day when some guy managed to land 7 then that many more salmon will live and have a chance to spawn.  I'm sorry guys I know salmon tastes amazing but 10 fish is an extreme overkill. 




The current salmon limit also opens the door for unethical fishing practices because when a salmon is only in it's 2nd or 3rd year of life and has not fully matured it looks remarkably like a trout.  It is way too easy for someone to keep more than the legal limit of trout by claiming they thought they were catching Kokanee salmon. If you're asking me if people deliberately do that kind of thing I would respond with, "I have seen worse".  At the risk of making some greedy state politician or brass from the Division of Wildlife angry, I would urge any sportsman or woman that pay the high cost for a fishing license every season to demand more for our fisheries. 




If enough people wrote the Division Of Wildlife   http://wildlife.state.co.us/Pages/Home.aspx and pushed for some kind of effort to be made on fixing problems such as this, and maybe even provide some kind of intelligent solutions we would all benifit.  Click here to read the article John G. showed me about this years record harvest of eggs.  For more information on all things flyfishing including ways to improve our states fisheries please subscribe to www.coloradoflyfisher.blogspot.com.



Tight lines and screaming reels!

Toxic Chemical Spill In Sand Creek And The South Platte Through Denver

I just learned that there was a toxic refinery spill in the Denver area that has effected Sand Creek and the South Platte as it runs through Denver.  I guess the oily substance (comprised of benzene and toluene) was found last week and clean up efforts have been made.  The report I just read said that it hasn't had an immediate negative impact on anything but the posting I had just seen on facebook that got my attention had a photo of a dead carp.  The refinery known as Suncor produces jet fuel, and other oil based fuels and officials are concerned that there might be an underground pipe that is leaking fairly large amounts of petroleum into the South Platte.


Aside from being an important drinking water supply this stretch of the river has gained huge popularity as an urban fishery producing large carp and other warmwater species, and even large brown trout in certain areas.  It would be a massive loss to all of us if we lost this stretch of river and demands our attention.  EPA officials have given the company 60 days to clean up or else so lets hope they respond quick and no significant damage is done.  Click Here for the full story I found on google.

Fly Fashion

Kristen and I recently spent a day at the mall shopping for clothes, and as we got out of the elevator onto the second floor of Macy's I saw this in the distance.

Que instant heart failure!  Fly tyers stay calm because as I got closer I realized that this was just a fur coat that was made to look like millions of hackle feathers.  But before that realization I was in a heart pounding state of panic and torn between grabbing the entire rack and running, or Hulking out on the place and destroying everything before jumping through the ceiling to make my escape.  Some fashionista on the other side of the store would have her shopping interrupted by the sound of me screaming KLEIS SMASH!!!  followed by the sight of manikans shattering against walls, and me starring at her with glowing green eyes and mouth foaming.

I know for a fact that Im not the only flyfisher and tyer that has felt this rage at some point since the fad began.  It used to be that I would get mad when my thread broke during a crucial part of a tie.  Now I cant walk in a mall without pulling out what's left of my hair.  I suppose when my hair goes I can replace it with feather implants and I'll be trend setting with no worries.  Just make sure the hackle is yellow doctor my favorite Sesame Street character growing up was Big Bird.  

Then it occurred to me that fly tyers can turn this around on the ladies that are wiping clean fly shop walls by going into malls across America and buying any and all articles of clothing that have fur or feathers on it.  Seriously did you see that coat!?  You wouldn't  have to buy grizzly streamer fur ever again.  One $40 purchase and you're set for life.  Since we're shopping check out this little number...

   Or this...

Jackets like these would make great shad or sculpin imitations and the great thing is that you can find them in many different colors fellow tyers.  Not big on tying streamers?  Check out our selection of dubbing...

Obviously there is more dubbing than you could shake your tail-feathers at.  What if I want to tie a chamois leech? Then check out this purse..

Who knew that a fun filled day of shopping at the mall would turn into putting checks on a fly tying list?  And what does that say for my level of troutbummery?  Now Im making up words.  This is getting nutty.

Any fly tyer worth their salt has spent at least some time in a craft store looking for crazy new materials that will give them an edge.  I say forget the craft stores!  Go to Kohls.  Some day you might see John Barr or Pat Dorsey sorting through the ladies section looking for inspiration for their next stonefly.  All joking aside, tyers looking to get back at the "chicken heads" buying up hackle should seriously consider this very viable source for great tying materials and lets take back our industry!  In the meantime I leave you with this video of a trend setter wearing a giant plume of feathers great for tying steelhead patterns.