Tying The Burglar And The End Of The Contest

First off, I would like to congratulate Howard on winning the Fill a Box contest! And a huge thank you as well to Mark, Alton, and everyone who voted on the poll over the last week. Howard, shoot me an email of whether you would like the book or the flies for your prize. Nice Job!

Marabou has always been a favorite material of mine, since it moves so much in the water. It wiggles side to side, up and down, and most importantly, it breathes in the water. So while playing around with some marabou the other day, I created the Burglar. How did this big ole streamer get its name? Well, it hops up onto your tying desk and steals ALL of your marabou. So be prepared for a demo within the next couple days, and bring a full pack of the good stuff. In more detail, you'll need: Size 2 Bass Hook, Tan Marabou, Purple Ice Dub, and Stick on eyes. All that fancy 'bou let's the fly move between pictures one and two as you strip the fly. Until then, good luck out there!

Fill A Box Contest: Almost Over

With only a few days left until the  Fill A Box Contest entry final, I felt like I was forgetting something. Not just reminding everyone, but something really important. So Mark, I apologize that this took so long. Between fishing, fishing, and even some fishing, I completely forgot tot put your entry up. Finally, here it is! Find Mark over at Tie And Fly.

Not only did Mark fill a double sided box, but also a double slotted one. I have no idea how many flies this is, but I think it will be enough to last him awhile. I don't think I need to say much about the flies, other than the look like the quality of a 10 year old chinese girl (believe it or not, that is a compliment). Awesome box Mark, and good luck to everyone in the contest!

There is still time to put in your entry! Fill a box, shoot me the picture, and get in the race! June 30th is the deadline, so get to work.

Fill A Box Contest, Mid Way Update

My inspiration for creating the Fill A Box Contest came from Howard and all of his posts about tying. With that said, I was happy to see that he did indeed put up an entry (as well as give me a shout out) within a few days of starting the contest. So when I saw an email from someone named Alton (who doesn't have a blog, I checked) with the subject "Fill A Box Contest," I was pretty excited. That's right folks, at this point, we at least have enough entries for a finals round. So to everyone else reading this post, did I miss your entry or not see your email? Are you working on your entry? Not quite started? Skipping this one? Feedback isn't required, I just thought I'd give you all some brain food. And before I can blab any longer, I'm going to put up a picture of Alton's Box:

Now, there are two things that I really like about this box. First, it's filled with bass bugs and poppers, which are some of my favorite warm water flies. Also, Alton hand made the box, and after the Duct Tape Kayak I like anything hand made. Not to mention the fact that it looks freakin' sick!

For all of you who didn't see his post, here is Howard's entry from Windknots And Tangled Lines:

First off, filing a double sided box is a true effort. By my count, Howard has over 100 flies in there! Also, I was with him when he picked up hopper bodies from the Hopper Juan, so it makes me happy to see that they turned out so well. 

That's all for today folks! Get working on those boxes so they're done before the contest is (June 30th)!

Walk Softly, And Carry A Big Net

What You Feel Like With An Undersized Net

Now, those little nets you see people carrying in LL Bean magazines are great... for getting stuck on trees and throwing away. So once you're ready to man (or woman) up and buy a real net, go for it. Let me elaborate.

Any fish that is small enough to fit in a cute little net really doesn't need a net. But when you do catch a big fish, that little net on your back probably won't be sufficient. I remember trying to net a fish for a guy out on the Dream Stream last Fall. He wanted me to use his net, so I reluctantly picked up the tiny piece of wood that I would call a twig. As I tried to net his fish, I realized that it wasn't really going to work. The fish's girth was pretty big, and wasn't going to fit inside the 6 inch wide net. We caught the fish, using my bigger net.

So next time you are about to buy that new Wachter "Stream" 7 by 12 inch net, spend the extra 40 bucks and grab a "C&R Magnum Boat" 23 by 15 inch net instead. When you hook that fish of a lifetime and lose it because you don't have that extra reach and bigger bag, you won't be able to console yourself by saying, "At least I saved 40 bucks on my net".

My Nets. Use 32 Inch Bat For Comparison

New And Improved

That's A Lotta Worms And Girdle Bugs

You can't even walk around the shop anymore without bumping into some amazing new item! RMA is completely set with new gear, a whole new shipment of tying materials, and NEW flies! Yesterday was all the materials, and there were tons. New wire, thread, marabou, chenille, tools, hooks, beads, and everything else fly tying came in a giant box. Luckily one of my little home-dogs, Alan, came into to help us out. Alan has a knack for perfection and organization that is completely beyond me. I can't do anywhere near what he does. Not to mention he is a very good fisherman to boot. So Alan set up all the wire and thread, and then worked on other materials with me. So today I came back to the shop, ready to get shit done. Randy was already working on setting up flies. I jumped in and helped, and we managed to get all the flies set up. So now, you can't even walk through the shop without walking into something awesome!

Tie Whatever Color You Want!

44 Wind Knots And Tangled Lines

Whitecaps On Lily

44. 44 Wind Knots and Tangled Lines . No, not 44 Howard's from Wind Knots And Tangled Lines. That would be the end of the world. This wasn't quite so bad, but it was close. 44 wind knots. That's how many I had to untangle. I got to Lily lake at around 1 in the afternoon, and there were over 100 people there. There was a wedding at one end of the lake which accounted for about 80 people, but the other twenty were all fishermen. 15 were spin fishermen, all catching nothing. The other five were fly fishermen, all around the lake casting dry droppers. Well, I wouldn't call it casting. The 40 mile per hour winds were preventing that, so it was more like waving a stick. That 7 weight carp rod I left at home seemed really nice right about then. But I was there, I had taken the drive, and I was ready to fish. I stood down near some rocky structure and false casted for a minute before the wind calmed down. I laid in my cast with Erin's Lily Bugger, started stripping, and repeated. I managed to sneak a few casts in, with no luck. Then the wind kicked up once again. What kept running through my head was, "You can't catch fish here unless you see cruisers." Dang. That thought kept running through my mind as I snuck casts in through the wind. It went through my head right as a red flash went off behind my fly. Wait, what? Another flash. Wow. Then a second later, whack! Fish on! I fought the big pretty fish for a minute, brought him to the net, quickly took a picture, and let him go.

Little did I know this was the only fish I would catch all day Little did I know this was the only fish anyone caught all day. Of course, until I went around and asked. Nope, no one else had caught a fish. So a couple hours later, once I had enough of fighting the wind, we headed home. As we drove by, a line of cars appeared on the road. From staying a week in Wyoming, I knew what that meant. But I had never seen one in Colorado before! Bear! Yes, that's right, bear! And not a usual Black Bear, either. It was a BIG Brown Bear. I went on down the road, leaving my parents and all their worrying behind. Sadly, the zoom on my camera was jammed. Good thing I got close enough to take this shot :)

Quadruplets And A New CONTEST

Don't be a hater, don't discriminate. I went out these past two days and caught quadruplets, four different species of fish. I didn't leave any of the fish out, except anything that didn't live where I was fishing.

Let's start this one off at the beginning. I went out to find my first of the four babies, a trout. I fished a tight little stretch for about an hour, picking up lots of fish as I went. They were mostly small, but I did manage to pick up this good looking Brown on a PMX.

Now, it was time to find some big uglies, the Carp. I went out to a local hot spot that has really been producing for me the last week or so that night. Nothing. Well, not quite nothing. The carp weren't picking up on the flies at all, but I did find one cute little pond bass to add to my list. Not a big Bass, but a bass. Now all that was left was Carp And Bluegill. 

I woke up this morning around 8:30, and was on the water by 9:00. The Carp were hanging around, but they didn't seem very hungry. Finally after around an hour of casting, I tricked a Carp into sucking in my fly. I battled the fish for a few minutes, who gave one big run and then bulldogged his way back in. The fish was in the net, we were all set and three fourths of the way done, and the only fish left was a Bluegill. 

Wow, where can I start with the Bluegill? I've been tying a cool variation of the Backstabber, with a tail and some flash and things like that. Many bluegill were caught on this fly. Some very large Bluegill were caught on this fly. The one Bluegill worthy to make an appearance as the Bluegill though, was this guy. Why? Look at those beautiful orange markings. How could I resist such a pretty fish?

And so all this got me thinking. And this is how the contest comes into play. If you can catch four different types of fish in under 24 hours, you will win four flies. However, if you submit more than four, you will win more flies. The three people who catch the most fish will win a bigger, special, secret prize. Just email me photos of the four fish you catch. We will trust that they were all within the time period, so please be honest. Below are some rules for the contest.

Rules:

1. All fish must be caught within the 24 hour time period

2. Bluegill are considered Sunfish, and Brook Trout considered Trout (not char). Crappie can be their own thing. Saltwater fish will be individually judged to decide if they are considered the same species or not. 

3. All submissions should include a first name and contact email

4. All fish should be released after the photo has been taken

5. Tippet should be no larger than 3x, unless fishing for Saltwater fish or fish over 10 pounds. 

Worms And Feathers

Do you have worms or minnows? What? Live Bait. I need to buy some. Preferably worms. We don't have live bait. You're out? No, we never sell it. This conversation seems to be coming up more and more these days. Everyone's a bait fisherman. It gets annoying sometimes. I don't have much against them, but they could do some research before coming in and wasting our time. We try and sell them a plastic float and a few flies, which sometimes works. Like my friend said a few days ago, it's the first step in the change-over. Maybe they'll see how well flies work, and eventually become fly-fishermen. Maybe. But Probably not. You remember my "Crazy People Live Among Us" post? It's like, the most looked at of all of them? Well, they're still here. Hoards of them, just walking the streets. There is a special kind though, the kind that really pisses me off. Those people who read but don't care. The people who walk right by the Catch And Release signs, stringer in hand. The I forgot-my-license-at-home people. The worms and bobber on your local stream people. I saw one of these guys on Boulder Creek the other day. Right in one of my favorite holes. Do you have your license with you sir? Oh, well, uh... Live bait isn't allowed here sir. Well.... What's in that cooler sir, this is all catch and release. It went on and on. I kept bugging him and bugging him, until he finally left. I fished on, hitting all the holes I could for an hour, and then went back to the hole he was in. First cast, my fly got hit. I brought the fish in, and found one of the guy's hooks in the fish's mouth. You gotta be kidding me.

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

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?

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