Fishing Report - FRA Blog

What Did I Catch?

Post date: Friday September 14th, 2012 - 8:36pm

This evening one of my Granddaughters (age 7) gave me a list of the fish I probably caught today. I know one of them was a Raindow Trawt. I wish I had caught the Green Back Catfish which I'm positive is on the endangered list.

St Vrain Birthday

Post date: Friday September 14th, 2012 - 5:39pm

Couple of weeks ago Randy Hanner pointed out that we had just received some black Chubby flies with a purple underbody and they were definitely "hot". I tied some in a size 10 and took them out for a trial run this morning. My first fish was an 17-inch rainbow who thought the fly was just the ticket. He was the best of the day but I caught another 1/2 dozen on the black chubby plus quite a few on the two droppers. One of these flies I'll post on the blog in the next few days. It's a great new pattern I've been fooling around with lately.

How Cool is This!

Post date: Wednesday September 12th, 2012 - 1:51pm

Condensed Beer For Backpackers

Good news for backcountry beer addicts who don’t relish carrying cans of beer in their packs. Pat’s Backcountry Beverages will begin offering a dehydrated beer in January of 2013. The concentrated liquid is poured into their plastic bottle, mixed with a carbonating agent and water, and a few minutes later you’re drinking beer. There’s also soda available if you need something besides water for mixing drinks.

C is for Cutthroat

Post date: Wednesday September 12th, 2012 - 1:26pm

I just returned from a tip on the Big South adjacent to Comanche Peak Wilderness area to fish for Brookies and Cutthrout. I ran across this video from Corey Kruitbosh which struck a definite cord. Corey provided all the head shots for the September Newsletter feature story on on streamer fishing...enjoy.

C is for ... Cutthroat from corey kruitbosch on Vimeo.

South Boulder Creek 9/11/2012

Post date: Tuesday September 11th, 2012 - 7:13pm

Mostly overcast today with an occasion breakout of sun.

Warm weather and low flows keep the dry fly action on South Boulder Creek at an exceptional level. I'm fishing A two fly setup. A size 14 or 16 olive/orange XO with rubber legs up front trailed by a size 18 Adams or black flying ant. 80% of the takes are on the trailing fly.

Carp Slam Results

Post date: Tuesday September 4th, 2012 - 8:26am

Over All Results
1^st Place -Team 8 Packo Rice = 83 inches 3 carp
2^nd Place - Team 9 Bever Demoss =71.25 3 carp
3^rd Place - Team 6 Muchow Stuart = 54 2 carp
4^th Place - Team Maytham Beranto=53.5 2 carp
5^th Place - Team Maynard Davis =53 2 carp
Fund Raising
1^st Place - Doug Long $2,088.42
2^nd Place - Will Rice $1,200
3^rd Place - Trevor Tanner $ 525
4^th Place - Phil Beranto $ 475
5^th Place - Andy Sutthoff $ 410

Read More

Pushy Carp

Post date: Wednesday August 29th, 2012 - 11:16am

Photo from a friend, Erik Staub

Big Thompson Report

Post date: Monday August 27th, 2012 - 7:33pm

I fished the Big-T today in the upper part of the canyon (1 to 2 miles downstream). It was all dry fly action. The flows at around 62 cfs dropped about 20 cfs from Saturday and early Sunday. The water was a bit off color (probably the rain) but the fish didn't seem to mind and came up eagerly for the flies in every likely run. One pattern, the XO, consistently drew the most strikes. I use it a lot on South Boulder Creek. Since it was already rigged up, I started with it. I was using two dries - the XO (size 16) followed by a red quill parachute (size 18) 30-inches apart on a 10-foot leader with 6X tippet.

Turned out to be a pretty good day to go since it was a bit overcast and almost no fishermen.

Recipe for the XO
Hook: TMC 3769 size 16
Thread: Lagartun 74 amber or brown
Wing: Bleached deer hair
Underwing: Gold flash tied in short (1/2 the wing length)
Dubbing: Fine synthetic with contrasting colors - one of the colors ought to be brown or olive.
Tail: Antron golden yellow (optional)
Legs: Montana Fly Co Centipede legs small in a color to suit the tier

Get Ready for Streamers

Post date: Saturday August 25th, 2012 - 11:07am

"Next to dry-fly fishing, the most visual fly fishing experience you can have is by fishing streamers. September often yields some of the very finest streamer fishing of the year. The streamers that we fish imitate sculpins and juvenile trout. Warmer, more natural colored hues are often best. Sculpzillas, autumn splendors, ziwis, sacrileges and stingin' sculpins are proven streamer patterns in sizes 4-8. My personal favorites include the zombie apocolypse, sex dungeon and articulated fathead. The time is now!"…..Travis Lyons, Special for The Aspen Times.

Our September Newsletter that will be released in the next week or so has a special focus on streamers with two new exciting patterns from our signature fly tier, Rich Strolis. In October we will be presenting a Saltwater edition with new leading edge baitfish patterns from another signature tier, Drew Chicone. If you are not getting this electronic news magazine click here to subscribe.

The Skulpin Bunny ... tie them for fall streamer action

Post date: Thursday August 23rd, 2012 - 8:18pm

Fish-Skull™ Skulpin Bunny won Best New Freshwater Fly at the 2012 International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) show in Reno, Nevada. It is tied using the award winning Sculpin Helmet ("Best in Show" award at IFTD 2011), this fly is simple, but authentic sculpin pattern that looks and performs in a realistic, imitative manner. Front Range Anglers carries these and other complementary products from Flyman Fishing Company.

These patterns are incredibly easy to tie and are dynamite on rivers through out Colorado.

Materials:

Hook: Size #4, standard streamer, 4XL, down-eye (or similar)
Head: Sculpin Helmet, small size, color brown or olive (as per the fly variation being tied).
Eyes: 3.0mm, gold 3D (included in package).
Thread: Strong 3/0 or similar thread, color brown or olive (as per the fly variation being tied).
Tail and Back: Hareline Dubbin, rabbit strip, straight-cut (1/8″ wide), color as per the fly variation being tied.
Body and Fins: Hareline Dubbin, rabbit strip, cross-cut (1/8″ wide), color as per the fly variation being tied.

South Platte in Denver for Carp

Post date: Saturday August 18th, 2012 - 6:18pm

Very low flows and lots of floating moss that will drive you nuts, but the fish are there in the deeper runs. Here is the fish I caught

Here is the fish my friend, Bruce Mardick, caught....17 pounds on the Boga.

I think size is way overrated!

Back to the Roaring River in RMNP

Post date: Wednesday August 15th, 2012 - 7:44pm

For whatever reason I've simply not taken the time over the last eight years to hike the Lawn Lake Trail and fish the Roaring River for Greenbacks. But today was the day I set aside for this visit.