North Fork Lakes

Had a great trip this past weekend to some high alpine lakes with Scott and Justin. It was such a fun trip that I feel motivated to write about it! It's been a while. I've been looking forward to a trip like this that gets me in the mood to write again. It was great to get away from the crowds and do some fishing for ourselves. We've been keeping busy this summer with shop work, classes, and guide trips. A little solitude along with some good fishing for beautiful cutthroat trout was a good recharge.

We put the white buffalo through the paces driving up the jeep trail. Not a hard jeep trail but rocky enough to take it easy going up. She handled it like a champ. Fun start to the adventure.

We decided to hit Island lake first. I soon realized that I'm out of shape. The hike is short and easy but I haven't carried a pack in a long time.... It was good to get the heart rate up though and suck down some fresh air.... lots of fresh air.

Fishing was best when we first arrived on Island. I think it would have been much better early in the morning but we started fishing around 10:30. Fishing tapered off in the afternoon. We caught some beautiful cutthroat.

On the way out we hit a shallow lake along the trail to Island. It was full of eager cutthroat that couldn't resist an ant pattern. The weren't big but they were hungry and some of them came completely out of the water for a fly!

Scott and I headed for North Fork Lake to setup camp and get a little more fishing in. Scott caught a few more cutthroat that evening and I caught some stocker rainbows. Three lakes in one day and we caught fish in all of them. Not a bad day!

We camped just outside of the campground at North Fork ($18 for a tent site was a little too steep) and planned to be up early for our hike up to Arthur the next morning. Scott's siren alarm went off and I must have been dreaming about fishing a tailwater because I thought it was a warning for a water release.... I came to and thought to myself, "why in the hell would you want to wake up to that every morning"! Apparently Scott is a very heavy sleeper. It was raining so the snooze function was used several times. Never got used to the siren alarm...

We finally dragged our asses out of the fart sacks and packed up camp. Up the trail we went. That is after seeing some risers in North Fork and catching a few for a warm up. We each caught a fish and then hit the trial err trail. This trail didn't believe in switchbacks. More fresh air. Lots more. The trail leveled out and we looked ahead and saw what must be the lake above the crest of the next ridge. We're there Man! Well not really... No lake and no trail... and of course no map :-)

So began a few hours of up and down hiking. Scott wasn't phased. I was. I hit my second and third wind. Finally Scott mentioned dropping all the gear while he checked out the last ridge. No arm twisting. Up he went over the ridge. He was back in 10 minutes and he found water! Had my fourth wind and headed up and over the last ridge.

It was a site to see hiking up and over the last few rocky sections to the lake. Scott hooked up almost immediately. I hooked up shortly after that. We caught a few on nymphs but Scott started hooking up on dries so we started focusing on top water. An ant pattern was the ticket. Scott was on fire for a while!

Fishing tapered off again in the afternoon and the weather started moving in. We made it back down to camp just as it started raining. Back down the jeep trail. White buffalo whined a little but made it. One mud flap was hanging by a thread. Acceptable wear and tear for the old girl.

A rejuvenating trip for sure. Really peaked my interest in back country fishing. I've dabbled but have never dove in. Another area to explore in this great sport of ours.

Caddis!

We had the pleasure of hosting Arrow Electronics on a guided trip to Elevenmile Canyon yesterday and the caddis were everywhere! We started fishing around 1:30 and the caddis were already hatching. The hatch intensified throughout the afternoon and were still going strong at 5:30 - 6 when we left. Buckskins, caddis candy, and a little caddis pupa I tie worked well.

Lisa, Tate, and Andy were all first time fly fishers. They did great and we got some fish in the net! So glad that summer is finally here!

Cold on the Blue

This trip was probably the first really cold morning fishing we've done this winter. The first one is always a little shock to the system. Luckily for Mike, Ben, and me there wasn't any wind. If there was I think we would have heard a few more tunes in the white buffalo. At least Ben and I would have. Mike was on the river before Ben and I wadered up I think!

We hit the wire and wound up fishing that all morning. We had enough action to keep us busy for sure. Plus after about 9 or so there where bubbas everywhere upstream and down. I love this stretch for sight fishing. There isn't a ton of water to cover in this run but if you don't put your flies right on a fish you won't move much. You can blind cast all day and catch a few trout or you can pick out individual targets and catch quite a few. Not to say that it's easy though. The fish blend in very well and to add to the challenge, at least for me, the fish look different during different times of the day.

We all wound up spoting and catching nice fish. No crazy fly selection. Egg patterns and midges. It was a quick day but a good one. In the morning cold the fish were very lethargic and not too hard to land. Around lunch they started warming up and it became a little more challenging to land the bigger ones. Towards the end of the day I hooked a big female who absolutely lost her mind.

Another fun day behind the outlets.

Big Red Taylor Blob

The Old Man, Marty, and I snuck over Cottonwood Pass one last time this year to hit the Taylor. We encountered some snow and slush on the pass on the way over and I knew this would be the last trip over the pass this year. The White Buffalo handled the conditions without a problem. After sitting in my Grandma's garage for many years there were a few issues to work through mechanically but I think (knock on wood) I've got them sorted out. With the new roof rack and Big Sky Rod Box it's become a sweet fishing vehicle! I think my Grandpa would enjoy the upgrades.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year to fish in Colorado. Big hungry fish seem to come out of the wood work. So do the crowds but sometimes you can hit it right and find some room and some big fish. This trip just happened to be one of those times!

We headed over Friday afternoon and even though the weather was a little nasty going over the pass as soon as we started dropping down towards Taylor Reservoir we saw blue sky. I was actually hoping that it would stay a little nasty with the low clear water but the sun was a welcome surprise.

I took a little walk up above the bridge looking for pigs in the hog trough but didn't see anything huge. We fished for a while in the avalanche hole without much action then decided to head downstream a bit to a run we've done well in over the years. I stood up on the road and took a good look at the near side of the run and the tail end of the run. Lots of mid sized fish in the tail end and a few bigger shadows in the deepest section but again nothing too huge. I decided to cross at the bottom of the run and check out the other side. I crossed and started making my way towards the head of the run looking in the heavier water for some color. I made it almost to the top of the run when I spotted a MASSIVE red blob. Holy Crap!!! That is what we are looking for!

Of course as soon as I saw him, he saw me and pushed a little further out into the current. I thought he was going to pull a Houdini and was just about to sling some choice words for wading up the far side too quickly when he stopped, turned back upstream, and held his position. I started walking backwards very softly! I got back a ways to where I felt comfortable and just marveled at this huge red blob. This fish was REALLY colorful. I pointed him out to Dad and Marty on the far side of the river and they could see the color easily. This thing was big and red.

I watched as he moved through the run. He'd hold in a position for a while and then move downstream a few feet and then would come back upstream. I could see the white of his mouth as he was eating. I got really nervous. I made a few casts and he scoffed... Slowly moving away from my flies and then back to his holding area. I reminded myself to take it easy and not whip him to death. I figured if I made one or two descent presentations to him without hooking up that a fly change was in order. That was the game for the next 40 minutes....

What the hell. Time for a big ass egg pattern. First cast and all I saw was white mouth. I almost pulled the fly out from in front of him but hesitated at the last minute. A split second later I lifted the rod and he was on.... and hauling ass upstream! I didn't hear it at the time but Marty said, "that thing is heading for the dam"!  I couldn't stop him. He made a long run upstream and towards the far side of the river. At one point Marty got close to him but as soon as the net got close he turned and swam right at me. Crap!!! He was back on my side of the river about 20 feet in front of me before I knew it. I had to strip in slack as fast as I could. I was frantic when I finally tightened back up on him. I thought he was gone.

After holding for a while in the deeper section of the run he started making his way back upstream on my side of the river. He made it up past a boulder and I had to stretch to keep my line off the rock. I slowly worked my way up to him and got the rod almost on top of him from my side of the boulder. He was holding. I told my Dad that he could probably step around the boulder and net him since I was getting good leverage. I knew I wouldn't be able to see what was going on when my Dad stepped in front of me. All I could do is ever so slightly apply more vertical pressure to try and get his head up enough.... It seemed like a life time before I heard, "I got him"!!!! He turned around and all I saw was red slab. Unbelievable! No way we just landed that fish.

We got him in some calm water and took a quick pic. Heavy old boy who had been around the block a few times. Absolutely gorgeous red sides. Huge chompers with a nice kype. The Old Man pulled off one hell of a net job and then turned around and snapped a quality photo! I held him in the run and he slowly moved off into the deep. What a moment.

I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the evening. We fished a while longer but I wasn't really paying attention. I just kept playing the whole thing over and over again in my mind. It didn't seem real. Around dark we packed up and headed to Gunnison for the night.

We were at the river at daybreak the next morning. We decided to hit the avalanche hole since it was open. Dad and I were on the water first. Marty came up a few minutes later and started fishing up above me a bit. Well started fishing isn't the right way to put it. He took one cast and hooked up! It was still pretty dark so we couldn't really see what he hooked into but it wasn't acting like a small fish.

A few minutes later and he was in the net. I went to lift the net and realized that Marty had just stuck a REALLY nice brown. This trip was getting better and better! I've had a few epic days on the Taylor over the years and this was turning into one of those trips. I had to look at the camera and see the fish in the flash. Holy cow! FAT colorful brown. Marty's smile said it all.

We concentrated on the avalanche hole and above the bridge for the rest of the morning. We caught some nice fish but I didn't see any other toads. These fish know how to get around the river. Sometimes you see a ton of huge fish and sometimes you don't. I think there is a lot of luck involved with hitting it right.

We did head back downstream later in the day and I saw my big red blob. I was happy to see him back in the run feeding. He was having nothing to do with us though and as soon as we got anywhere near the water he was gone. Off to get bigger.

On the way back we were treated to a really pretty sunset on Cottonwood Pass. Sometimes the whole world seems to smile at you. Almost a perfect fall trip on the Taylor. The only thing that would have made it better was for Dad to hook into a giant but that just wasn't in the cards this time. I think he was happy though netting that fish! Big pressure when someone you're fishing with hooks a big one. He has pulled off some crazy net jobs on this River and will never forget this last one...... "I got him"!!!

Swing and a Miss!

Took a quick trip down to Pueblo to do some research for the upcoming Angler's Covey streamer class and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the fish are healthy and looking for some big bites. This was the biggest one I hooked into that morning and would have liked to have gotten a closer look. I'm thinking this fish was a good 20" and FAT. I was fishing a 7wt and it put a nice bend in it. End of the video shows NOT how to net a fish. Should have been below the fish but you live and you learn. Just happy to have a close encounter with this meat eater.

Pueblo Streamer Bite from Jamie Roth on Vimeo.

Floating the BT Cruiser!

Got to fish with one of the nicest guys you could meet this morning and watched him put on a Trico clinic in some pretty tough conditions!

I met Bob Taylor this spring during the Colorado Fly Fishing Guide Academy course at the Angler's Covey. It was immediately apparent to me that Bob was going to make a fantastic guide. You know what they say about first impressions and Bob made a good one. I've since become good friends with Bob and am very thankful to have met him. Great personality, very strong work ethic, quick learner, true featherhead, fun, and very down to earth. Bob, God forbid you ever need an e-harmony description but if you did, there it is.

Oh yeah, he can really fish too! I've fished and guided with Bob a few times now and have learned a lot from him. I'd recommend Bob to both beginners and experienced anglers. He's a great teacher and just a really fun Dude to be with on the river with.

This morning Bob had a few Trico test patterns to try out. I decided to bring my 3WT and see if I could land a few larger fish on it. I've had plenty of fun with it on small streams but I was curious to see how it handled some mid sized trout. The 3WT combined with one of Bob's patterns equaled a lot of fun. A fat 14" trout in current on a 3WT is something everyone should experience. Head shakes felt massive. Downstream runs sounded hilarious. The drag on my little Battenkill sounded like a big mosquito in my ear! I've never had to reel so hard to get 20ft of line on the reel. If you want to make mid sized trout a little more challenging, go with a smaller setup. Just be careful not to overplay a trout if you hook into a big one.

As for the clinic - Bob picked off some really nice fish on what I think sould be called the BTC (Bob Taylor Cruiser) Trico. It was fun watching him pick a target, drop the fly on the perfect line, and watching the water explode after the take. You make it look easy Bob!

This male cutbow was the biggest of the trip. Really nice fish. All the fish we landed looked really healthy. It's awesome to see healthy fish in our tailwaters. The high summer flows really did them some good I think. Fall is going to epic this year. I'm looking forward to fishing with you again Bob!

If you want to get in some crazy good Trico dry fly action before old man winter shows up give Bob a call! - 719-321-9698

If you're still undecided just check out this brute that he put me on! :)

P.S.
If my boss is reading this - I only snuck out for the morning and caught up that afternoon! It's a sickness. Please understand.

AC on the Dream!

Great morning on the Dream Stream today with Alicia and Marty. We decided to fish a few hours and see if we couldn't find a few risers. It wasn't on fire but we got into some nice fish. I ran into Angler's Covey Guide Earl Hecker who was Guiding Greg Fuller who I met teaching the Orvis 201 class last weekend. Greg has jumped in head first learning to fly fish since moving to Colorado a week and a half ago and is doing awesome. Earl put him on some nice fish today to include this sweet brown. Very cool meeting new friends through fly fishing and then running into them on the water. Was awesome to see Greg learn from Earl. Greg will be teaching us stuff soon!

I decided to walk up towards the dam and ran into another Angler's Covey Guide Zach Tokach who was putting his guys on big fish. His clients were doing well on dries. Zach took the time to point a nice fish out for me in the run above where he had his clients set up. Not only was it a nice fish but it was MOWING on Trico spinners! Friggin awesome! Can't say enough about the Guides at the Covey. Really lucky to get to work with such a great group. Fun day!