Colorado River Monsters (fishing)

Finally caught a fish on a streamer (wooly bugger, of course). I'm looking forward to catching trout with one.

 

Clear Creek in the canyon is building ice. Managed one and only saw two today...

 

Put together some size 24 midge emerger flies for the winter season. These are really simple: Thread body, wing (I used white Glamour Madera but yarn works too), and a little beaver dubbing for the thorax. I had a colleague who did these with just the thread and wing and swore by them. I'll also do some with a white thread for body segmentation and bulk up the dubbing, which will be the construct of the Top Secret Midge.

 

My toes are still thawing out!

 

I'm going with heated electric socks this season. The pair I got has a switch on the outside of the sock, so easy to turn on. And, they're Bluetooth so you can adjust the temp from an app.
No risk of electrocution if they get wet.

And while I'm here, a pic of me practicing macro photography of a size 24 Top Secret midge in the vice. I'm a little rusty and the gear is older, but it worked well enough.

 

Good day on the blue last week! Also picked up the Helios 3F today for $599! Smoking deal! Should be a major upgrade to the encounter I’ve been fishing for 4 years!

 

That guy had a rough go in the feeding troughs!

 

First catch on New Year's day. Managed two, which might be a winter fly fishing record for me.

 

Is this at deckers?

 

Further downstream, below Trumbull.

 

Nice! Love that area. Need to hit it up soon. I keep going to the blue but deckers is only 45 minutes from our front door!

 

Xc ski fishing adventure complete with getting skunked.

 

Major points for trying!!

 

Picked up a Helios 3 during the recent sale and finally spent 30 minutes with it at Deckers. Had these two with me so it was arguably 500% harder than normal. We hooked up on the second cast though!

 

Nice! So many fisherfolk use streamers as their go-to, default fly, and I've never understood that. I've never been very lucky/skilled at all with streamers, so I don't use them. I find it much easier to hook up on nymphs. Even the book I read to learn how to fish, back in the late 90's, described streamer fishing as the surest way to catch trout. Maybe I'll get it someday.... Until then, Pat's Rubber Legs followed by a Bead Head Whatever's-In-The-Box....

 

I’m hoping to do some fishing this year. I inherited a couple fly rods and need to learn how to use them. I have a lot of good memories growing up in Downeast Maine and fishing from a job boat with my great uncle that basically raised me. Fresh, fried trout is hard to beat.

 

Life got in the way for a bit, but I'm back on the water. The Top Secret midge was the ticket yesterday.

 

Anyone here do a trail ride, camp and fish in the area? I want to get out on some overnight trips this summer and thought this may be good way.

 

I do all the time once I've is off.

 

Made a quick stop on the Ark in Salida this past weekend en route to the hot springs. Was able to pluck out a few. Had been way too long since wetting a line.