IN THIS EDITION
FISH TALES ~ REEL NEWS ~  PROFILES ~ TIPS & TECHNIQUES ~ FLY TYING ~ BACK CAST ~ THE DEEP END

Hello all,
Over the last hot month in Colorado, the only way to not burst into flame was to get into the stream.  Both of our local waters, Boulder Creek and South Boulder Creek, have been fishing very well.  I got the chance to finally fish Jay Zimmerman's Boulder Creek Caddis fly pattern that he's been perfecting for the last couple of years.  It's a great, buoyant fly that catches fish and is perfect to drop a nymph off of.  The only refusals I got were probably fish that Jay had already caught on this pattern 3 or 4 times.

The guides and staff have finally harnessed their energies and created a series of fly collections. Over the years we've spent some serious time talking about what would comprise the perfect box for each species, and we've put together some awesome selections.  Jay's BC Caddis mentioned above is featured in the Stream collection.  We're really proud of them; click here to check them out. 

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Win a C&F Designs Streamer Foam Fly Box!

Click here to take the quiz 

FISH TALES

 Terry Escamilla (left) landed this 30-inch Alaskan Rainbow in June

"One of five kings caught on the kanektok river, alaska last sunday (7/13/08) along with 21 chum salmon, 1 pink salmon and 3 large rainbows all on the same fly and on the same day"... Chris Purcell

REEL NEWS

In the fall of this year Howard Films (In Search of Rising Tide, Chasing Silver, & Location X) will be releasing a new DVD, Bass: The Movie.  "You'll see fly rod pros match skills with spin gear pros - and show why the next big thing in light tackle fishing is upon us: A fish that lies just out of sight and hits you every time like the first swing in a bar fight."

Trailer 1    Trailer 2

It appears certain that after October 1,New Zealand will be the first country to ban felt soles on wading boots.  The ban would apply to to felt-soled waders or footwear with a sole of "felted, matted or woven fibrous material when sports fishing."  Click here to read more about this pending change in fishing regulations.

Two months ago FRA announced the start of a fishing information blog that would be updated continiously by the staff.  Through July we've got some 53 postings.  if you're not looking at this every few days you're missing the boat.  Here's a sample:

Fished North Delany Butte on Friday July 25th. Had good fishing till around 1:00 P.M. on leeches, Callibaetis, and Chironomids with 80% of the fish landed coming on the Callibaetis pictured at left. Part of the "Pandemic Mayfly" family - retrieved at a crawl behind a #12 olive mohair leech proved deadly. Landed browns and rainbows up to 20 - 22", fishing over weedbeds 10 -12' deep. Was able to catch a few "cruisers" along the north bank in 1-3' of water early and as clouds darkened things up later. I don't know if there is a funner way to catch stillwater trout than slow twitching nymphs to fish 18" and better! Callibaetis should continue through August. Although a decent # of adult damsels were present I did not notice any nymph movement. Chironomids and Caddis were around in good #'s and on the water although dry takes were sporatic at best.....Rob Kolanda

Poudre River Endangered!

The Poudre River becomes the third Colorado river to be listed as endangered on an American Rivers annual Most Endangered Rivers list.

It is one of 10 rivers on the national organization’s list — and currently the only one in Colorado — and was designated because of a reservoir proposal, the Northern Integrated Supply Project.

The project, if approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, would divert about 40,000 acre-feet of water per year into two new reservoirs, Glade and Galeton.

What are you going to see? ...click here

Mark your calendar and watch for more details

 TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Fly-Fishing for Bonefish by Chico Fernandez

This is not a new book (released in 2004) but it is one I’ve wanted for a long time.  Recently I finally went out and bought it.

Chico Fernnadez, the author, has probably done as much saltwater fly fishing as Lefty Kreh, A.J. McClane, Stu Apte, and Joe Brooks among others. His experience goes back some 50 years, beginning with his youth in Cuba before Castro.

Sandy Moret, owner of Florida Keys Outfitters in lslamorada, wrote the forward.  His flats-fishing school is the best in the world and Fernandez taught at the school for many years.

If you want to understand the world in which bonefish live and thrive, this book is a good place to begin. It's a story for beginners, interme­diates, or experts and a practical guide to understanding bonefish, where they live, how they think, feed, survive, behave, and how an expert catches them.  The chapters of this book are loaded with practical and valuable information.

If you do fish or plan to fish for bones GET THIS BOOK!  Click here to order one from our shop

Anatomy of a Fly Line

How a fly line is shaped determines its performance through the air, with the line's taper affecting how energy is transmitted and dissipated. Varying the lengths and diameters of the various parts of the fly line (shown above) control this energy, resulting in accentuated performance characteristics for specific types of fly fishing.

Try a Damsel on the Surface

Dragonflies and damselflies make up a significant portion of a trout's diet during their season. Dragonflies and their dainty relatives the damselflies, both belong to the order Odonata; dragonflies being the suborder Anisoptera and damselflies Zygoptera. Adult dragonflies are robust and are easily distinguished from the adult damselflies by their size, the fact that they are fast fliers, and that they hold their wings flat, at right angles to their body.

Damselflies are slim, slow fliers, and they fold their wings along their back when at rest. Adult damselflies also have the characteristic bright electric blue or blue green colouring with black bands along their abdomen.
 
 The majority of anglers always fish the nymphal stage.  But many times a dry fly dropped on the surface of a lake any time of day can bring a vicious strike. 
 
 They fly above is a design from Ken Iwamasa.

  Get to the Bottom....WHERE MOST OF THE FISH ARE

Using split shot at the end point of your leader to keep your flies right on the bottom is an extremely effective nymphing technique in fast water.  I'll use 2 or 3 flies above the split shot tied in via blood knots, triple surgon knots or loop style rigging.  The distance between the flies will vary depending on water depth.  I generally do not use a strike indicator.  This rig is fished in a high stick short line fashion so that you maintain contact with the flies.

Fishing the Lower Yampa .... Below Hayden

Some 12 months ago my friend Bruce Mardick mentioned that we ought to fish the lower portion of the Yampa for Pike and Smallmouth Bass.  Even though I knew that the DOW had been ruining this fishery in an misguided attempt to protect Squawfish I was all for the idea.  Bruce suggested that Brian Shipley of King Fisher Drifters was the right man to get us on fish because of his knowledge of the area

The arrangements were made for mid-July....click here for a photo review and commentary of the trip.

FLY TYING

According to Peter Mullett of Mongofly who specializes in trips to Mongolia, it's got to be something big and ugly that looks completely alive.  I'll find out at the end of August!

 

Almost 80 years ago one of fly fishing's greatest icons developed an item from material purchased at Macy's Department Store in New York. He put it together by hand and with a sewing machine. It was called the Tak_L_Pak and was ultimately produced in the 1930's by Masland in Carlisle, PA.  Today every serious fly fisherman owns one....Click here to find out more.