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Monday, September 07, 2009

Fall IS HERE!!!!!


Did this year fly by or what. Better get your Christmas lists together because it won't be long before the sleigh bells ring and all that stuff. In preparation for that time of year, we will again do our equipment reviews of all the new stuff that we'll see next week at the Fly Tackle Dealer Show in Denver. This is the toy show for dealers. Some of them take this show very seriously and even offer workshops for dealers so they can ostensibly make more money during the next season. The reason I go is to see old friends and suck down a brew or two. During that process, I will look at all the new gear and such and see what jumps out at me. In the meantime, lets talk about fishing and the beautiful fall conditions. In the last newsletter I related how clear the water was but now lets add "very low" to that mix. The Arkansas is running just below 300cfs and is tremendously easy to wade fish. If you want to run a boat, you certainly still can, but it's pretty bony and the fish will spook off the bow depending on the time of day. The biggest problem we're having is shadows being cast by you, your rod, your oars, and your tippet. Again, let me stress the use of long fluorocarbon systems. Hopper/Copper/Dropper systems are still working with a #12 Stimulator dragging a #16 Red Copper John or Copperhead on 5X with a #20 Skinny Minnie or RS2 hanging about 10 inches off that on 6X. These are easy to fish and pretty deadly. During cloudy afternoons or the evening, stay with single dries such as a #16 Caddis, Royal Wulff, Royal Humpy or baby Stimulator. Larry now ties the Ape in a #16 which has been aptly named the Baby Ape to go along with the Papa and Mama Apes. This foam body creature may actually be the best Stimulator I've ever fished. For a photo see the July 15 newsletter.

Antero Reservoir is still fishing well on scuds, but Spinney has been a little slow as has been the South Platte above Elevenmile. These two pieces of water are a head scratcher this year. Fish are constantly moving around on Spinney and I believe its because it has been full and cold all summer long. Sure, you can go there and catch a half dozen on a Callibaetis, but that's not the Spinney we all know and love. The river below has had good flows but fish just don't seem to be present. I know they are there, but they are hard to find. The Trico hatch has gone begging this year. The wolf packs of fish on Trico spinners has just not happened. We'll see what the Brown Trout spawning run looks like in a month or so. In the meantime, just stay with the Ark or Elevenmile Canyon. We should have a tremendous September with BWOs and Red Quills on the Arkansas. Just brush up on your presentation. This is the time to become a better fly fisher.

Just for your information I found this to be somewhat amusing this week. It seems that the DEA discovered some 800 marijuana plants growing in the National Forest this past week just east of Glenwood Springs. The DEA agent in charge said that the plants seemed to "have been there for a while." Duh, you think maybe since about May when the ground thawed. During this process of catching the greatest villians since Sadam Hussein, the National Forest Service stated that if you see tortilla wrappers, Tecate cans, Spam cans or hear Hispanic music you should leave immediately because you may be about to walk up on some drug cartel members from south of the border. So now, the most feared thing in the woods is no longer a Black Bear or Mountain Lion, it is a tortilla wrapper. Run for your lives!!!!!! I'm sorry, but this has to be one of the most racist statements I've ever heard come out of a government agency in addition to being about the dumbest. Heck, it could easily have been me and Larry Kingrey on that trail. I've been making Spam burritos and eating them with Tecate beer since college and I have been known to listen to a little Mariachi every now and then. The longer I live in this world, the stranger so called smart people get. Hasta la vista baby.........

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