Colorado River Freeze Trip (Brrrrrrrrr)

I guess if you are going to call it a freeze trip, you might as well have a freeze during the trip. This was the third annual trip between a group of eight friends and the eleven others that attended through an open invite on a forum. We met Saturday morning at 7:00 in 28 degree weather with the promise of warmer temperatures to come during the three day excursion. After unloading and doing a shuttle we were on the water before 10am and starting our 8 mile paddle to the first nights camping island. The water was at it's usual winter time depth and very clear with the only flow being from elevation changes. It didn't take long to figure out a pattern. You had to have a depth of greater than three feet and some sort of current, when you found an area like this you would work it hard and be rewarded with quite a few nice sized largemouth bass and some nice hybrids (cross between a Smallmouth and a Guadalupe bass).

Not knowing what the fish would be interested in I took a baitcaster as well as the 7wt TFO BVK. Unfortunately the bite was tough on the fly rod and most of the fish came on a Dinero plastic worm.

After arriving at the island and setting up camp we fixed dinner of fresh Grass-Fed Ribeye steaks and beans. We spent some time around the fire swapping stories as the temperature started dropping, as I made my way to the tent there was dew everywhere and you could tell that it was going to get cold. And cold it got, we awoke to everything being frozen. My waders and boots were frozen stiff, that was the coldest night that I have ever spent in a tent and I will be better prepared for it next time. After breakfast and packing we would be in for the longest leg of the trip which would be a 13 mile paddle and try to get some fishing in. The pattern stayed true for the second day and many more nice fish were caught. We reached the island as darkness approached and huried to set up tents and get a fire going. After a repeat performance for dinner it didn't take long before people started to turn in for the night. The weather had changed again during the night and actually warmed up enough that it actually got warm inside my tent. Upon waking up in the morning we ate and took our time as today would be a short paddle of only a few miles. We spent more time on this leg of the trip just floating and discussing how much fun was had over the last few days and discussing plans on when we could get together again. I really enjoy these trips whether I catch fish or not because of the time that I get to spend with some really good friends as well as the new friends that I make. With that being said it was nice to catch the amount of fish that we did.
Stay FISHY my friends.

A New Year

As I was on my way home it dawned on me that all of my gear was in the back of the truck and if I hurried maybe the fish would be biting as the sun was due to start setting soon. Threw on the waders and boots then scrambled down the hill and into the river. Instantly it looked promising, as trout began to rise and sample the offerings drifting along the surface of the river. Put on a Popcorn Midge from
Dragonfly Angler  and waded upstream to a little set of rapids. It didn't take long to produce the first rainbow of the evening as the fly drifted through the current and slowed in the eddy behind the rock I could feel the tension as the trout ate the fly. After a good battle I was able to convince it to get into the net for a photograph.

 As the sun began to set I came acrouss two nice sized trout that held still long enough for a picture as well as a Palimino that allowed me to get to within five feet for a picture. As they say, good things come to those that are prepared. Nice way to start off the year.

2011 Year in review

2011 started off in the same fashion as 2010 ended, DRY......... after having no precipitation through the winter you had to wonder what was ahead as Spring approached. The first trip of the year was the annual freeze trip and it proved to be a great way to start it off. A group of us fished and paddled around eighteen miles over two days and caught fish, shared stories, and just enjoyed the outdoors.

By the time Spring rolled around the expectations of rain kept diminishing and the water restrictions were being put into effect. That didn't mean that the fishing had to stop, it just meant that you had to change tactics as the water was falling and the fish were on the move. Here are some pictures from trips heading into the Summer.

Summer went down as the hottest and driest on record. It also went down as the year that I took up fly fishing. Not sure why I didn't get involed with it earlier in life but all of that is history. After a lot of reading and practicing in the yard, I was able to get out and cast proficiently enough that I actually caught fish. The rivers around here have some cool water and I found myself in the water more often this year than on top of the kayak, great way to beat the heat.

Fall brought on some excellent fishing and with the changing of colors the temperatures starting to drop it reminded the fish to start feeding as winter was on it's way. It also meant that it was time to go do a little trout fishing in Texas.

My New Year's Resolution will be to spend more time with family and friends, which means....Let's go fishing.

Fly Rod Build 003

Now that all of the components have arrived for the new fly rod it's time to get started.
This will be a 9' Fast action, High Modulus blank that will be paired with a custom cork grip with stainless stripper guides and stainless snake guides.
After I get the reel seat and grip mounted on the blank I will look through the assortment of thread that I have and come up with a color for the wraps and trim.
Keep checking for updates.....

Merry Christmas

A quick note to thank everyone here and I hope each of you have a Merry Christmas .