The First Recipe

Here They Come!

Well, I promised it would be here. The materials list was posted, the announcements numerous. The suspense has been building. Hell, the suspense is building right now. Up, nope, there it goes. Well before I take away anything else, here is the pattern for the "Rust Buster." This fly has caught everything from perch to trout to carp to even a few bass. Although it was originally made for carp, many different alterations can be made to fish it. Added legs make it a successful stonefly pattern, while a longer tail seems to entice perch and bass. As for the carp, well they seem to like just plain, like it's tied here. Give it a shot, no matter what type of fish your after.
Here is the recipe for the "Rust Buster":



The Rust Buster:
An all around great pattern


Step 1:
 Put your hook in the vise, and start a thread base at the front of the hook. The first step is to tie in the Dumbell Eyes, and then glue them in place with the zap a gap. The eyes can be tied in and glued just as you normally would. Once finished, it will look something like this:

Step 2:

The next step is to bring the thread to the back of the hook shank and tie in the tail. Just take a relatively small section of the marabou, and just one feather. Tie it in, but be sure the thread is still toward the back of the shank when completed:

Step 3:

Now that you have something like the above picture, you should start tying in the olive dubbing. Use a dubbing loop or spin the dubbing onto the thread, then tie it in. The dubbing should come up to almost where the eyes are, with a small taper toward the back. It will look something like this:

Step 4:

Now that the back of the fly is complete, it's time for the front of the fly. Take the black dubbing, and tie it in starting where you finished with the olive dubbing. Whatever technique you used to tie that in will work for this as well. The one thing to not forget is to make sure the dubbing is figured eighted around the eyes so there is no bald spot above or below the eyes. It will look completed, just like this:

Now all you need to do is whip finish the thread, cut it off, and take your fly out to your local pond or stream. Just add water, and it catches fish! Here is the completely finished fly:

      

A Fish Tale From The South Platte

The North Fork of the South Platte River is known for it's huge fish. Almost anyone I have ever talked to has a big fish story from there of their own. Well, I have one too. I go to fish the Platte about two or three trips every year. I have always had great success here, and this story is no different. In every trip I've ever been on there, I've managed to wrangle a trout over 20 inches. The fish above is about 18 inches, which is what I find average for my trips on the Platte. When you figure in that I've never had a day there under 25 fish, well that makes for an amazing day. There always is one trip that stands out to me, and that was from last June. We got to the property we were planning on fishing around 8:00, after a long two hours of driving. We immediately went down to the water, rods in hand, to see what was going on. The water was pretty high, but we started to spot fish pretty quickly. After twenty minutes of nymphing to them with a girdle bug without any fish to show, we went down to the next hole and tossed streamers. Ten cast with no strikes, but the next cast got slammed. The reel started running like crazy as the fish headed for the backing. After fighting the fish for a few minutes, I put it in the net and looked. A great fish, not because of it's size but because it was so pretty. The fish (above) had a beautiful red stripe and dark green top. We kept fishing streamers, and caught a couple more fish. By a couple, I mean like nine. So ten fish into the day, we stopped and had a snack. I looked through the pictures, and found one more that I liked:

Notice The Way Different Variety Of Places To Fish. Green And Trees To Grey And Rocks

After nymphing some more and catching many more fish, we hopped up to the main building and had some lunch. That was finished quickly so we could get back on the water, although I must say it was the best lunch I've ever had. Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches... sounds gross, tastes amazing. Give it a try. So after that we were back to fishing. I got a hookup right off the bat, but the fish popped off. To my disappointment, it was a huge brown trout, around 25 inches. I thought for sure that was the biggest fish I would see that trip. I moved down to the next pool, solemn and hoping I could find another fish. The stars must have aligned just right, the moon in it's perfect phase. I put my flies in, and let it take a solid drift. Nothing. Next cast, same drift. My indicator slowed, than stopped. I set the hook into what I instantly knew was a big fish. Even for a river with big fish, this was a BIG fish. I fought the fish on three x tippet for about three minutes before I actually got the first view. It was a very cool looking male rainbow, with a good curve in his jaw. I fought the fish for another few minutes, and after a few missed attempts, got him in my net. I then proceeded to scream with excitement. This was easily the biggest trout I had ever caught. Pictures were taken, and the beast was let go. The tape measured 26 and a half inches, the estimated scale at 6 pounds. I still have this picture of the fish in my room, and I think the smile on my face says it all:

PS- This is the last call! Please make sure you have all the materials for the Rust Buster recipe! It will be airing tonight!

A Change of Plans

I was supposed to go trout fishing in the Creek this morning. Like I said in my last post, I knew today was the Bolder Boulder, and it might not work out. Well, sadly it didn't. I did however, get another chance to fish a small pond on the Front Range for bass and bluegill. It was really a lot of fun, and I got to fish when I thought it wasn't gonna happen. As I was driving into Boulder, my friend called and said the town was almost impossible to get through, and it looked like a storm might be rolling in. I was smart enough, and so when he called and suggested bass fishing, my heavier rod was already in the car. With some flies in my pockets, we headed down to this little bass pond. The wind had started to pick up, which wasn't a good sign. As we walked up to the bass lake though, it looked like a miracle was upon us. The part of the lake that we were standing it was sheltered from the wind, and a patch of sun was shining down on it. We put our first casts in, and already the day was looking better. This lake is known for it's abnormally large sunfish, and today was no different. Something inhaled my Goldi Lox Bugger on the third cast, and after a fight the fish was brought to the net. This is the fish, an average bluegill for this lake:

Yum, Fresh Goldi Lox Bugger. I Tied it Up This Morning

It was a good fish to start off this day, and it reminded me of an important matter. It's not the size of the fish, it's just being out there. Sometimes people forget that, and it's always a good reminder. The little bluegill were able to put a bend in my 6 weight like any normal bass. So that was that. After a little while of walking around the lake and putting casts to bass (with no success), I put another cast deep into the lake. I suddenly felt the line just get slightly tighter for half a second, and instinctively set the hook. At first, I thought for sure this fish was a bass. After it took a few jumps though, I realized it was actually a very nice sunfish. I fought the fish for a minute or so, then brought it up on the bank for a photo op. Here is his close-up, and I think he will definitely be a good role model for sunfish everywhere.

Notice How He doesn't Even Fit In My Hand, Much Bigger Than A Regular Sunny

I let the fish go, and kept casting. Two more fish were caught, one of which is pictured at the top of this post. As the wind started to pick up even more, we decided to call it a day. I went out and had a nice Memorial Day Lunch, and now I'll just sit home and tie flies. Another good day of Summer Break. In other news, the recipe for the "Rust Buster" will be the post tomorrow. Please check the materials list on the "Recipe" page, which can be found near the top of the blog. Colors can also be interchanged or different, whatever you think is best! I will be doing it in the Spring/Summer colors of olive and black. Thanks!

Why The Bolder Boulder Today?

First, let us close our eyes in a moment of silence for all of those who have served for our country and freedom.


Thank you.


Part 1
Now on a new subject, why in the world does the Boulder Bolder have to run today, and close everything down? I mean, couldn't it run during the school year, so I could either not care that things are closed or miss school for it? But no, it had to be today. So now the fly-shop is closed, I can barely even get into Boulder, and I'm sue all those foot vibrations would scare the fish away from even across town. But I am still going to try. Maybe, just maybe, I can catch a few fish. That is, if I can even get into Boulder today. I'll write how it goes later today, so please check back. Also, get out there and fish if you can.

Boulders, Creeks, and Even A Few Fish

The Rainbow Trout Says..... Rawr!

Wow, Summer sure is great. I've been out on the water the last three out of four days! It doesn't get much better than that, but somehow it did. The day I wasn't fishing, I spent the day talking to Howard from Wind Knots And Tangled Lines, John Gierach, and A.K. Best. Today, I got another surprise. When I got home from fishing and checked my e-mails, another well known name had popped up. Professional fly fisherman and fly tier, Juan Ramirez, was at the top of the list. He complimented me on my blog, and told me to keep it up. Like more of what I said yesterday, it's really nice to hear I'm doing things right from the top of the sport. If you haven't seen Juan's blog, The Hopper Juan, I would strongly urge you to check it out. This was a great ending to the truly amazing morning I had out on the water. Me and my dad were out hitting the Creek, as he is learning how to fly fish. Since he had never caught anything by himself, I figured he had a good chance there. I guess I was right, because my dad caught and released his first fish, a beautiful 8 inch Cutbow. Most of my time was spent helping him and practicing my guide skills, but I did still get a few chances to fish. As my dad was still putting on his waders, I put a cast in. Three seconds, Bam! Something ate my dry. After a good tussle bringing the fish through fast water, I put the 10 inch brown into my net. Here is a good picture of him with the hopper in his mouth:

After that, I helped my dad fish for a while, but with no success. I did learn something new in this though, and that is that almost everything has it's flaws. The new Thingamabobbers have flags so they don't slide, but then you lose them in a tree if you hook a branch! Crap! So my dad hadn't caught any fish, but I showed him a trick or two. As I was demonstrating how to high-stick, my dry popped under. By pure instinct, I set the hook. What resulted from the top pocket pictured here was the beautiful 15 inch rainbow below. Upon further review, the rainbow had an inch long baby mouse in it's stomach:

I really enjoyed this, as that is the biggest fish I have seen above Boulder Falls this season. It definitely beat the 13 inch bow I caught there two days ago. So after that I laid down my rod for a while my dad fished, but still couldn't seem to get on the fish. When we got to one hole that my dad couldn't get to, he told me to have a shot at it. First cast, what do ya know? I caught this nice 10 inch Cutbow on a Blue Poison Tung:

After that, I laid down my rod once again to help my dad with the fish. We got to the top of a hole, and he put a nice cast in. I saw the fish try and eat the fly, but missed. The fish then did a full turn, chased the fly downstream, and ate it. After my quick yell of "Set!" the fish was fought and brought into the net, his first fish ever. He was very happy, but I think I was even happier. It'd be nice to have another person in the family into fishing. Here is my dad with the beautiful Cutbow, a nice fish and definitely the height of the trip:

After catching a few more fish the size of my thumb to the size of my whole hand, we went up to lunch in Nederland. Naturally, I had to fish the Creek up there, even though it was rushing beyond belief. Once the Girdle Bug didn't work, I tied on an olive Slump Buster. Two fish later, I decide to call it a day and go home. Get out on the water, it's great out there!

The Whitewater Kayak Course That is Usually a Calm Boulder Creek

All Things Fishy

A Stack of Books Signed by Mr. Gierach, Pick One Up at the Shop if you Couldn't Make it!

Well, I did a lot of things that involved fish and fishing today. By far the most interesting is meeting two people who I was dying to see. I first went to Rocky Mountain Anglers where I had a nice conversation with John Gierach. John is a famed fly-fishing writer and was at the shop to do a book signing. We had a nice conversation, and exchanged a few stories. I thought it was very cool to meet someone who is a true role model and hero of my life. The second person I finally got to meet in person today was Howard, who writes Wind Knots And Tangled Lines. He and I have been chatting a lot via e-mail and each other's blogs. Well, today I got the chance to meet him at the shop. He was also there to see Mr. Gierach, and get a magazine signed that had his picture on the cover. Howard and I also talked for quite a while, and he is a very nice guy. Howard also is very knowledgeable about everything, from fly tying to computer stuff to of course, the actual fly fishing. After I had talked to him for a while, he introduced me to his friend, Larry Snyder. Larry has a website as well, Fly Fishing Crazy. He is also a very knowledgeable and nice guy. So that was a very good part of my day. The rest of the day so far, I have spent fly tying. Most of my Alien Shit was given to Howard for all his work on the logo that won the logo contest last week, which is now on the front page. So, I had to take a quick trip to Mars in my space shuttle, and feed the Aliens some beans. You see, that is the only thing that they can eat that will create the fly. Luckily, they find the beans a treat. So I collected some more of those to use for me and my dad tomorrow, who I have been teaching how to fly fish. I'll have to post the story of how I got into fly fishing sometime, because I'm the only one in my family that does it. Anyway, my dad is getting really good at fly fishing and I think he will be able to catch a lot of fish this year. So I will have another report of some local creek tomorrow. Go catch some fish! Oh, and in other news, there was a unanimous decision on which fly recipe will be put up. The "Rust Buster" will be making it's preview within a few days. I'll post a list of necessary materials soon.

Lonely Bass And Crowded Trout

A Great Day On The Water!

I spent the last couple of days doing an early Summer tour of the waters, to see where I should spend more time and where I will be wasting it. Well, the report has come in! The bass are lonely, all by themselves and hard to find. We caught one bass in total, right around 7:00 at night. We had fished quite a bit before that, so it wasn't great. That one single bass was at Wonderland Lake, which has also risen about three feet. Pella Crossing only produced one fish, and it didn't even get all the way in. Since it was a big fish, I already had the headlines running through my mind. "Jay Zimmerman's Backstabber Proves Successful On Large Bass." Well it did, but I didn't. The fish popped of after a couple minutes of fighting. So with that day done, the outlook was bleak. Oh, and did I mention all the carp were two hundred feet off the shore? Ya, crazy. So after having a late dinner, watching TV, and doing a book burning of all our schoolwork, we went to bed. I woke up the next morning, hoping this day would be better. My friend had a tennis tourney in the morning, so I stayed home and tied flies. He got home, and we went up the Boulder Canyon. I mean, bass just wasn't an option anymore. I might as well cast in my yard at that rate. So up Boulder Canyon we were. I'd say we got up around noon, and it was looking good. The water looked something like this:

Lookin' Nice Above Boulder Falls!

My first cast was in, to no success. My fifth cast, however, proved it had the right drift. The fish at the top of the post was produced on a Blue Poison Tung. I caught a couple more fish, including a really miniscule brown that's pictured at the bottom. After that tiny thing, though, I caught the biggest fish of the trip. A beautiful, colored, fat rainbow was in the net:

Big Boy Rainbow

I released the fish, who allowed us to take another picture as he swam off. A couple more nice browns, but then a disaster struck. Or should I say, a could-have-been disaster. I ran out of Blue Poison Tungs! So I had to decide a new pattern to tie on. And then something little and red fell out of my box. What was that? A sign? Yes, indeed it was! The "Alien Shit" was sitting neatly on top of a rock. So I tied it on, and put my first cast into a small pocket. Bam! This brown was sitting by the bank ten seconds later, with the Alien in it's mouth:

"I liked the Red Fly, So I Ate It. Ya, I knew It Was a Fly, But It Was So Pretty!"

So here is one of those other Browns I talked about earlier, and the last picture of that big Rainbow swimming away. All in all, a great day out there!

Bye-Bye, Buddy!

A Solid Boulder Creek Brown

School's Off, Fish On (And A Question for Everyone)

The "Rust Buster," With Legs Attached. This is the Fall Colors Of The Pattern

School's out for Summer! School's out forever! Goodbye to teachers! We all remember that song, and that's all that played on my car ride home today. School is officially over! Time for fishing. But first, I had some questions about how finals went. They went very well. My grades are as follows: English, 98. Spanish, 95. Science, 96. Math, 87. History, 94. Sweet! What this translates into is that I got good grades, and have a Summer ahead with no worries. Out of the 90 days of it, well I plan to spend 80 on the water. I'm sure I'll have some more great stories from that. I'm going to start fishing tomorrow, and I won't be posting anything due to the fact that I'm staying at a friend's house. I will have the story posted on Friday though. The question I have for anyone who's interested today is this: Which one? This refers to the recipe I will be posting in a few days. I am either going to do a demo on the "Alien Shit" or the "Rust Buster." Both are creations of my own, and both work very well. The "Alien Shit" is more of a trout fly, while the "Rust Buster" catches mainly carp. Keep in mind the "Rust Buster" catches some trout as well. So, which one will it be? Whichever wins, I'll post the needed materials a couple of days before I do the recipe. This will be a step by step fly design with photos attached. 

The Alien Shit, Shown In Red

Same Story, Different Ending

Yesterday, I posted a story of a big fish that escaped. I got lots of responses, and heard some great stories of fish that almost got away... but didn't. Whenever I here all of these stories, it brings back one story of my own that is like that. Visualize a day on Boulder Creek, the first day where there was no ice around. The fishing was okay, but not wonderful. You know, typical early season. I had caught three fish, all around 9 inches. I had just gone to the very bottom of a deep, slow pool and a waterfall below me. All my fish had been on an "Alien Shit," so that's what I had on. I put in my first cast, and let it drift. Nothing. Ten more casts, nothing. But I knew there were fish here, there had to be. So I changed flies, hoping to find the big fish of the pool. A size 8 brown Wooly Bugger was my fly of choice. I put my first cast in, with no success. Same with the second cast. But once again, the third time was the charm. I set back on the fish, and geared up for a fight, knowing this was a good fish. For everyone who's wondering what kind of freaking fish puts up a fight at BC, I fish it with a 000 weight rod. That makes the game more of a challenge. So I hooked into my fish, and was ready. But not for what actually happened. As soon as I hooked the fish, it jumped down the waterfall. I'm sure the fish would've broken off if I hadn't done it. Maybe I'm crazy for doing it. Maybe I really needed the fish for my confidence boost. Whatever it was, I was jumping down the waterfall after my fish. I hit the bottom, and after going under for a second or two, I popped up. I jumped up onto the bank, and brought the fish in. I took a picture, which is right above. Upon seeing my soaked self, my friend told me, "Justin, we were supposed to be fishing, not swimming!" 


In other news, we are holding a contest for the Fish Tales And Fish Tails Logo. If you would like to participate, please make a .pdf or .jpg attachment to an email that has the subject "Logo Entry". Emails can be sent to fishonthefly97@gmail.com.

Fish... Off?

Where The Hell Did My Fish Go?

Well, most of the stories I have posted so far end with a big fish in the net. In an ideal world, that's all fishing would be. Well, it's not that world. This is a tale of the "fish that got away." I was just fishing Boulder Creek, and it was looking pretty good. I had just gotten up to one of my favorite holes for the first time of the day. I put a cast in, let it take a nice drift, and watched as my dry fly went under. Something had taken my nymph. So, I set the hook. Nothing. So I put in my next cast, hoping the fish would come back. The rig drifted, than the water exploded as something ate my dry fly. I set the hook again, and this time it was fish on. I fought the fish for quite a while, because he was in strong water and the fish was pretty big. I called for my friend to bring a net and grab the fish. He came up, and I worked the fish into a nice little pool. My friend hopped in and tried to net the fish, but something happened. I don't know if the hook bent, the fish's mouth gave way, or if it was something else. The line went dead, my friend pulled up the net, but with no fish to be found. I swore under my breath, and because this was during a camp I was teaching, I spent a little time doing a lesson on how to net the fish. We'll get the next one.

Late Ups Has Become No Ups

Earlier, I said that I would be putting my post up a little late. I am sorry to say that I can't put up a blog post today, due to the fact that I have finals tomorrow. Thanks everyone, and be sure to check back!

Flies Versus Food

Who Ordered The Clouser Minnow Appetizer?

We needed more flies, but I only had five dollars with me. We were at the fly shop, just me and my friend. It seemed like a good day to go fishing, and that is never a day to skip. So, we were at the fly shop, picking  up flies before lunch. But like I said before, we only had five dollars. So, it was going to come down to what we were hungrier for. Hot dogs, or fish on the end of our lines. Any normal person would have picked up hotdogs and gone fishing some other day. Us, well let's just say we were checking out with some flies five minutes later. Starving, but catching fish, we went through the day. We caught a couple nice fish, and a bunch of smaller ones. The day ended just as the wind started to pick up. Maybe we could eat flies? Hmm.... Nope, damn. On the other hand, I've got dinner all set up! In other news, the annual Rocky Mountain Anglers Swap Day was today. We had a great time, and everyone was happy. Lots of things were sold, and people got new gear. My friend bought a used reel, with line and backing for just 5 dollars. We took it and fished it, and it works like a charm. One of my other buddies also got a whole new outfit, rod, reel, and line, for under $40. Sweet! If you couldn't make it this year, I would definitely recommend coming by next spring. Also, the John Gierach Book Signing is next Saturday. Be sure to come by and bring a copy of one of his books, or pick up a copy of his newest collection of stories, "No Shortage of Good Days" while you're there! I bought a copy as soon as it came out, and from what I've read so far, it's really great. But then again, all his books are! Go bend some rods and rip some lips!

Salt Water Fly Fishing?

That's the question I got when I showed my most famous photo to one of my friends today. Most people don't even know how productive fly-fishing is, let alone that you can fly-fish in the ocean. How many fish you catch today? One? Two? No, I caught thirty four. That was one of my conversations last Summer, and the look on that man's face was pure confusion mixed with some terror. But salt water fly fishing, even less people know how productive that is. I am lucky enough to be able to do quite a bit of it. I've done quite a bit in Florida, as well as some in California. That's where today's story begins, Cali. I was out to do some fishing, and the water was calm. That was good, because I'm not sure how the boat would handle in big waves. So we were sitting out in the middle of the ocean, trying to catch sharks. Yes, sharks. It sounds crazy, but it's definitely some of the most exciting fly fishing I've ever done. After a little while getting some sharks near the boa, it was fish on. The cute little shark weighed about 15 pounds, and took about as many minutes to get in. This kind of thing happened again and again throughout the day, with the numbers going like this: 15, 5, 30, 40, 40, 40. All the fish were fun, but the 40 pounders were definitely tough. Sharks are solid muscle, and they aren't big fans of being hooked. So all these fish were caught, but my luck was about to change. For the better, if you can believe that. I had just dropped my line in the water, tired from catching three forty pound fish in rapid succession. So I turn around, and sure enough there's another shark swimming by. But this fish was different. This shark was HUGE! I flipped my fly out to him, not expecting to hook him. The way most of these sharks are caught is using a hook-less teaser and then taking out the teaser and putting the fly near the fish. But this monster turned, to two big tails whips over to my fly, and ate it. Fish on! After a VERY tiring fight that neared an hour, I brought the fish in. The beast weighed in at 115 pounds. We took some pictures, then let the shark go to swim another day. A great way to end the day.

For Lack Of Anything New To Talk About

The Creek is flying, finals are coming up, and my mind can't think of anything new to tie. The only thing I can think to write about? A good old fish tale. I mean, that's what the title even says. So here goes nuthin'. It was four in the morning, and I found myself yet again awake, rigging a rod. We were heading to Pella Crossing out in Longmont, and it was Summer. I had been the previous week, and the topwater bite was HOT. Poppers were catching tons of fish, but there was a problem. The fish were hard to get to. So there I was, four in the morning, rigging a rod... and pumping up a float tube. Twenty minutes later, I'm sitting in the lake, casting around trees and bushes. I had taken around five casts, and nothing yet but bluegill. Cast number six. Sploosh. Strip, strip, strip. Rest. BAM! Fish on! I brought in the nice 14 inch largemouth, and let him go. I did this two more times over the next thirty minutes, and then kicked back to a spot that looked  good. I put my cast in, stripped a few times, and waited. A couple seconds later, two large, dark shapes appeared. Is that dislodged sticks? No, it's fish! The first one stepped up, took a look, and darted off. Damn! But wait, the second one was still there. He came up, took a look, and tapped the fly. Not ate, tapped. But I was ready. The bluegill looking strike got a hard, fast hook-set, and I felt the rod go heavy. Fish! I fought the fish hard, and brought it to the side of my boat after a few minutes. Awesome. But there was one thing that made this fish extra special. The 18 inch bass was a smallmouth! A rare catch in colorado, especially in Pella. I had never seen one there that was this size. So I called my friend over to take a picture, then released the fish. I caught one more fish in that lake, a nice little 10 inch largemouth. After that, I moved on to the next lake. I caught some more bass and a couple bluegill, but the smallie was definitely the highlight of the day. Back to now time, there's a week of school left and I'm hoping for another great Summer. Get out there, those of you that don't have a constant pressing activity. Ha, like anyone has that.

Crazy Stories of 2010

The Rocky Mountain National Park Version of The Loch Ness Monster

This Summer is gonna be awesome! I can feel it. Lots of water days, sunny days, and hungry fish. The Creeks will be lower, just right for some crazy takes. Sweet! The crazy flies always seem to do the best in the Summer, no matter where. Last Summer I saw lots of aggressive fish, but there were three in particular that stuck out at me. Here are the (belated) craziest takes of 2010. Sorry it took me so long!

Number Three: 
I caught a fish in Clear Creek on a 3 1/2 inch Zonker, just casting into the water to get some line out so I could tie on a new fly.
Number 2:
The fish on Boulder Creek were everywhere. They were even attacking sticks that fell into the water. My friend made a joke that they would probably even take a bass popper. Lightbulb! Five minutes later, big pretty brown trout sitting on the bank with a popper in his mouth.
Number 1:
I was fishing the park on an average day last June. I was on a thin looking stretch, and my flies had just popped off. Time to tie on new ones. I tied on some flies, but realized my only dry left was a size 4 King Kong. It would still work as an indicator, right? So I put a cast up onto a rock wall. Fives second later, the water exploded. As I set the hook, my friend and I laughed. I brought the fish in, and had my grandpa come over to take a look. He put down his hand and I took a picture, then let the fish go. The picture is right above. Upon further measurement, my grandpa's hand was just above 9 inches

One Of Those Days

Ya, I wish

That was today. Just one of those days. Things at school just weren't working out, and the day didn't end fast enough. I was very happy to get home, finish my homework quickly (only later to realize I did it all wrong), and get to my website. For a second things started to look up, I had my record number of views today! Thanks everyone who helped! Then, I realized I could do some tying. That's supposed to be relaxing, right? Wrong! I tied up my first fly, only to snap the dubbing loop on the last stage of my fly and have the whole thing fall apart. Okay, one bad thing, that's alright. Next fly. I started tying it, and then remembered I didn't have a crucial material. The only thing it was good for at that point was not cutting the tail, taking a picture, and putting it as a "Wait... What?" photo of the day. Check it out. My flies kept going wrong, everything from dries to nymphs to streamers to a tube fly,the worst idea ever. Tube flies need a special vise, and a straw piece doesn't make the ideal tube. I finally just decided to fall back on the basics, and tie some of my hopefully-soon-to-be "Rust Buster" carp flies. Which brings me to my next point. It's going to be beautiful this weekend! Low to mid seventies, mostly sunny, and calm winds. Go out and get fishing! I personally am probably going to use those flies and hit Cottonwood Lake. Remember though, keep it warm water. I just got reports from all sides of the state, and everyone's story is the same. High, fast, and the cold water pushed the fish away. Places I would recommend would be things like Teller Lake, KOA Lake, Cottonwood Lake, Pella Crossing, or Saint Vrain State Park. Go catch some fish! Also, do it on Sunday. Saturday, you should come to the Rocky Mountain Anglers special: The annual swap (thanks for the correction, Erin)! Yay!

Tight Lines

Two Bit Hookers, and Why We All Need To Stop Caring

The Source of Controversy All Over the Country, Right Here to Do a 1 on 1 Interview

I've been reading around, and almost every fly-fishing blog has mention of the Two Bit Hooker. I've read the whole story about 10 times, and here's my two-bits (thanks to Cofisher for that one). First off, this man gets his own view. You don't have to agree with it, but he gets his own view. If I ruled the world, this man would have to spend a day in the snake pit for punishment. Sadly, I have not yet been voted President (C'mon, people). Second, we need to let the fly tiers name their own flies. Their creation, their name. Does everyone agree with this? Make sure you do before you read on. Okay. I recently had a great friend and amazing fly tier named Jay Zimmerman have to change his fly name to the Geezus Lizard from the Jesus Lizard. Now, Jay didn't argue, but I'm sure he had that name picked out for a reason. The biggest reason he had to do this is because one man from a different website said it was bad against Christians. I went on the forum he posted, and all of the people who responded disagreed with him. They said it was being over-the-top, and gave props to Jay on his awesome fly creation. But it still happened. Now everyone, are we really going to let this one man try and get the name of the Two-Bit Hooker changed? You keep your own opinions, whatever they are. I personally think this man is being an idiot. I'm young, maybe I don't have the whole view on things. I'm just saying my opinion. What do you guys think?

The Boulder Creek Report, News at 6

For anyone who's thinking about fishing the creek over the next month or so, there are a few things you need to consider first. Boulder creek is getting to that time of the year again (yes, we all know that time), and the water is rising fast. I took a look this morning, and the water is flowing around 100, but rising quickly. The water is also off color through town, so fishing will be tough. There are still fish to be caught, you just have to work harder to find them. If you do feel a NEED to fish through town, I would keep everything under an indicator. The fish are rising, but most of the water you need to hit won't keep a dry afloat when it's running as fast as it is. Also try to stay away from fishing on cold days, it will lessen your chance of catching fish (for now). I would fish a dry dropper rig in the canyon above Boulder Falls to find some good fishing. This report is mostly what you will hear from all the rivers in the state, with a few exceptions. I have found that Clear Creek near Golden doesn't rise quite as fast, so fishing there should be okay. Other than that, fish warm water, where you will find more fish and have a chance at fish bigger than your thumb.

Boulder Creek Flies (Canyon)

Rainbow Warrior sizes 18-20
Blue Poison Ting size 20
PMX Royal/Yellow size 14
Clown Shoe Caddis Brown size 14
Purple Haze size 16

Think dry-dropper rigs, fishing should be best right now when the weather seems warmer

Crazy People Live Among Us

Well right now I'm standing in Rocky Mountain Anglers, or rather sitting in it. I'm just sitting on the couch, watching everyone and trying to remember the name of the little gadget I need. Hmmm..... Nope, still drawing a blank. So as I watch everyone walk by, I start to listen to all the conversations. I help people out when they need it, but today is kind of slow. As I'm listening to all the people, I notice a trend. Everyone is completely insane today. And I mean completely. The first people to walk in after me are two guys, and they just walked in, asked if "we only sold fly fishin' stuff", and walked out. The last thing they uttered as they walked out the door was a simultaneous "that blows." After a few more regulars and old-timers, a woman walked in. That's usually good for me, because if I raise the tone in my voice and give them puppy dog-eyes, they melt in my hands. No offense to women, and I'm not saying this always happens. It just seems to be the usual trend. Maybe it's just a coincidence, I don't know. Anyway, I put on my cute face and asked the lady if she needed help finding anything. She looked at me like I was crazy, replied "no," and walked away. Randy finished up talking to his last customer and walked over to the lady. "Hey there, need any help," he asked. "I need some hooks," she said. "Got any single hooks?" "All we've got is those packages." "Okay, I don't mind buying those," she responded. "But where are the treble hooks?" "Um, we don't have treble hooks here," Randy answered. "No treble hooks?!" The lady looked at us like aliens. "I would try McGuckin's, it's right dow the street." The lady kept asking us questions, but no answer seemed right for her. She finally left us in peace, on to the next poor clerk who would deal with her incessant nagging for an hour. For us, well let's just say it was good to have her gone. Come on in to the shop and entertain us for awhile!

Rocky Mountain Anglers
1904 Arapahoe Avenue 
Tel: 303-447-2400
www.rockymtanglers.com

I'm Back In Action! (And The Fishing Was Good)

Hey everyone! I'm back! Well, the week was crazy, but not as bad as I thought it would be. The weather was beautiful the first few days, but it dumped snow on Wednesday. The food was good, and the activities were not too bad. Of course, that doesn't matter, because all of you (and I) want to talk about is... The fishing!!! I only fished a couple of days, but it was hilarious. The term on the camp sheet was "Stocked Trout Pond"   I would call it more of an overstocked trout puddle. The pond was teeny, and the fish were everywhere. I walked down with a small streamer on, saw a riser, and put my first cast in. The fly hit the water, and there was instantly a hit. I brought in the little rainbow, starting to feel the outcome of this trip would be good. I put my next cast in, another fish. And another. this happened more times than I can count. The fish were all about the same size, so it was nice when I caught a 14 inch rainbow on the third day. That was great, but not the best thing that happened. The next day, a miracle happened. See, even though this was a stocked pond, it wasn't man-made. So I figured there must be some cutthroat. Or at least there used to be, the stockers might have killed them off. So on the second day, when I tied on a small Kiwi Damsel, I didn't expect much more than usual. First cast, strike. I fought the fish and brought it in, to a huge surprise. It was a cutthroat! A pretty little Colorado Cutthroat trout, and it had completed my goal. I ended on that note, deciding there was no need to keep fishing. Now the week is over, and I'm happy. I'll post the picture as my "Picture of the Week" as soon as my teacher sends me the shots. Also, what has everyone else been doing this week?

Crazy Lookin' Flies And a Little Farewell

I spent my afternoon today at my vise next to my TV. My background noise of choice? America's Next Top Model. This probably was the cause of my creations of the day. They weren't bad, they were just a little on the wild side. Green streamers (above), gold/red stoneflies, and some scary damsel emerger. The streamer looked awful, the stonefly looked amazing, and the damsel looked good. The stonefly was my favorite by far, because it was familiar. It started out as a carp fly on a curved shank hook, but it changed color and grew some legs. Next thing you know, it's a golden stonefly that looks good enough to eat. Well, if you're a fish (I am). I'm going to try tying some more of these and see how they work, and I'll tell you what happens. Also, this will be my last blog for this week, I am going on a class trip into the mountains and can't bring my computer. Lucky for me, they have a trout pond on the property, so I'll take some gear and bring back some stories.

Swap Day and Book Signing! (And the Boulder Creek Report)

Come one, come all, to the best fly-shop in all of Colorado! Rocky Mountain anglers is going to be having a few very cool events here in the next few weeks. First of all, we will be having our annual swap day on May 21st. This is a great place to sell some of your somewhat used gear to people in need of cheaper equipment! It's also a great place to find gear if your a newbie, or just want some less expensive stuff. Check out below to see some details about the swap. Good items to sell would be things such as rods, reels, vests, tying equipment, and books. The second event we have coming up is a book signing! Well known fly-fishing author John Gierach will be at the shop May 28th to sign books. He is a great guy, and his writing is fantastic. If you haven't read any of his books, I highly recommend them. Come check it out! In other news, Boulder creek is still fishing great. I would recommend a dry dropper rig with any combination from my "Best Flies to Fish on Boulder Creek" list in my homepage.

Tight Lines!



Swap Rules:


1. Everything will only be sold May 21st

2. Items must be put on swap receipt and tagged with RMA rod tags

3. Items should be dropped off for sale between May 2nd and May 19th

4. Sales by cash or check only, all sales are final

5. I would recommend pricing items at least 50% below retail if you want things to sell

6. Payment to people who sell gear is in either the form of gift certificate (90% of selling price), or check (75% of selling price)

7. Gear not sold should be picked up by May 25th. After this, items will be regarded as donations

8. Please pick up payment within a week of the swap

9. Rocky Mountain Anglers has the right to deem items un-sellable for the swap

My New Carp Fly

So two weeks ago at the fly-shop, I was bored out of my mind. Things were slow, I had been there long enough to start getting bored, and my primary source of entertainment (my iPhone) was at the bottom of a lake. So what else could I do, I asked myself while sitting at the tying desk. The answer was right in front of me, literally. I was staring at the vice, wondering what to do, and then it came to me. I should tie some flies! But which? Everything I knew how to tie was too repetitive and boring for this moment. So I decided I would tie something new. After a few awful attempts at tying crap on a hook, I came upon something that was only terrible, not awful. To a normal person, that's the same thing. But to a fly designer, that's the beginning of brilliance. So I tied it again, a little neater this time, and showed it to my good friend Jay Zimmerman. Jay is a guide at the shop I help out at and a professional fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. He gave me some advice, and I went after it again. And again and again and again. I would change one little thing, ask Jay what he thought, and then tie another. After a week of sitting in my room, tying flies over and over, I finally had one fly that I thought would catch fish. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I would show this to anyone. But I did believe it would get some good looks from fish. I had a very hectic schedule with my schoolwork, so I dropped some flies off for Jay. A week or so later when I saw him again, he told me he had something for me. He plugged a flash drive into my computer, and up popped some photos. Photos of carp. But wait, there was something else! The carp had MY fly in it's mouth! Amazing! It's been a while since that day, and I've kept working on my fly. I tie it in colors for Spring, Summer, and Fall. I feel confident in my fly, and I'm glad I have something to put my name under. Good fishin' to ya, and tight lines!

When Will Fractions Catch My Fish?

As I sat in math class today, that's what ran through my mind. We were learning about something called "absolute value inequalities", which was beyond me. I was totally zoned out, thinking about the fact that ten days from now I would be standing in the middle of the Colorado river, catching brown trout dawn 'till dusk. Summer break is almost here, and I'm excited! Fishing, fishing, and more fishing for 90 days! We might even take a trip to Hawaii to catch Marlin. As I forced my mind to drift back to math, I thought again, "When will fractions catch my fish?"


Me: Hey, where's the nearest bass pond from here?
Farmer Joe: Well, you take this old dirt road down about 40 meters. Then, you'll get to two roads that are perpendicular on around a 30 degree plane. Take the 75 degree split, than travel another 4 kilometers and you're at the pond.


Hmm, I guess fractions will actually catch my fish

Confessions, Worms, and Spring Fishing Blues

The weather report was predicting snow, I already felt like I had a cold, and my fly box was looking kind of skimpy. I still felt like there was a need to go fishing though. I'm a teen, so I guess I'm as crazy as all other teens. I just put my crazy into fishing. Anyway, I managed to find another crazy friend to go fishing with me. It was definitely going to be to cold for trout, and carp don't usually seem to be fond of blizzards. So that left bass. I woke up at around 5:30 and got my gear together saturday morning, and tied a few flies for the day. We got out to the water, and I got in with a mixed idea of what the day would bring. Luckily, it wasn't snowing, or quite as cold as the weatherman had said. So there I am, waist deep in water, the people walking by in coats and sweatpants, and i was in shorts and a tee shirt. Then, I see bass number one. A nice fish, probably around 4 pounds. A cast, nothing, Three more casts, nothing. The fish swims away. I must have tried casting to these fish a thousand times with a dozen flies, and they just would not touch it. I was cold, wet, and not happy with how the day had panned out. Me and my crazy friend drove back to his house, not sure what to do next. After the saying of something along the lines of "How 'bout that lake next door?" and a grilled cheese sandwich to think over, I found myself digging up worms from my friend's back yard. He was next to me, stringing up some old spinning rods and putting on bobbers. After a ten minute motor scooter ride, (which can be very sketchy with a rod in your hands) we were at the lake. It was sunny now, and the bobbers were in the water. As I watched and thought about the times I used to do this a lot, my bobber disappeared. I reeled in a nice little pond bass. We fished for awhile, until a thunderstorm rolled in and it was time to leave. It was nice to bring back some memories from my early childhood, and it turned an awful day into an okay day. Can't wait for Summer though, where I can catch bass, trout, and carp in a day on the fly!