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!

End of School Fish-A-Thon; Day Three

After another great day at the shop helping customers, I just had to push my luck. Had to work every drop of awesome into my day. Also, had to test out a new reel. As I pulled up to the spot, things were looking good. My first four casts yielded follows or strikes. After that, not much action. I moved over, saw a BIG shadow, and sent a yummy little morsel his way. Boy, did he pounce on that fly hard. And after quite a battle, and the first 20 yards of my backing touching water, I managed to land the fish.

Now, seeing your backing sounds like fun. Let me tell you, it is scary as well. Any fish that is taking you over 100 feet away is not your Average Joe. If the fish makes a turn at 100+ feet away, it can put a belly in your line. That belly is slack line, so the fish has wiggle room to escape with. All I'm trying to say is, next time you see that White Dacron, keep tight on whatever is out on the business end of your line. Good luck out there!

The Adventures Of Gabriella (Part Eight)

Hey there! I just made it back to where I was hoping to be yesterday, so I only lost a day. It took a long time, but I just arrived and found a place to sleep. There are definitely other flies here, but I think I'm just going to camp out for tonight. I'll find a fly in the morning who can point me in the right direction. For now, it's time to rest. I'm hoping I can find a similar fly, like a Bitch Creek, who will be able to know where the Girdle Bug Town Is. We'll talk tomorrow!

Just A Random Fly Picture... Or is it?

The Adventures Of Gabriella, Part Seven

Oh no! When I went to bed last night, I paid no attention to which way I fell asleep! What a HUGE mistake that was. This morning, there was a thick cloud of fog covering the whole area, and I couldn't see where I was! Since I wasn't sure which direction the town I saw was, I just started walking. Another big mistake. I did eventually find something, but it took me hours of walking in circles. Even worse, the place I reached wasn't where I had hoped. I somehow ended up at the bead shelf, nowhere near the other flies or anything else. The fog is just now starting to clear, and I'm beginning to make out some places in the distance. I can't see what they are, but if the fog keeps clearing I should be able to soon. I hope I haven't gotten too far off course! For now, I need to rest. See you tomorrow!

How'd I Get Here?



The Adventures Of Gabriella (Part Six)

Hmm. I'm completely lost. What I thought would be the beggining of the fly shelf that I call home is actually the fly lines! How did I get here? There are definitely some fly shelves near by, but not mine. This is a smaller shelf, and is open instead of having boxes, like mine. My next move is definitely to those flies, to see if anyone can point me in the right direction, but for now I gotta rest. I got really sidetracked looking at all the hooks this morning, so I didn't leave until 4:00! Luckily it was a short hike, so I got here with time to spare. This place near me looks familiar, but I'm not sure why. Well, hopefully there will at least be a nice place to stay, because these lines do not work for sleeping. Oh well, I guess tonight I'll just be sleeping opossum style.

The Adventures Of Gabriella (Part Five)

The Nursery

I finally know where I am! I have no idea where this place is in relation to home, but I've definitely seen this place before! It's the nursery! This is where all the flies are before they get turned into actual flies! Let me tell you, they are just SO adorable! Those little eyes, barbs just starting to grow, and hook shanks just starting to form. This isn't all good, though. We don't care for the young as carefully as you humans do, so there isn't anyone watching over the little guys. This means I won't have anyone to point me toward home! I'll just have to make my own decision. Luckily, I woke up early and ended up arriving early, so I had time to plan. It looks like there is structure out in the distance, so I'll work my way out there.'Till tomorrow!

Gabriella at The Nursery

The Adventures Of Gabriella (Part Four)

After spending all day hiking yesterday, I slept late today. It was really crowded staying with all the mice, but I managed. I woke up at about noon, and planned out my move for the day. It looked like the only thing within a short hike of us was the sunglass case, so that was where I was headed. The walk only took about 1/2 and hour, and so that was no problem. When I arrived at my spot on the sunglass case and set up my sleeping place, I started planning. It looks like there's something within a usual hiking distance, so that's where I'm headed. I'm completely disoriented, but I'm hoping there's someone at this next place who can point me in the right direction. Until then, I'm resting up!

My sleeping spot at the sunglass case for tonight

The Adventures Of Gabriella (Part Three)

I. Am. So. Tired. I walked all day yesterday and today, with no break. It was all rewarded though, I made it inside! I left last night and arrived at the door this morning at 7:00 am. Yes, there really was a door! I tried to get a good view, but I couldn't see very much. With that said, I just kept walking. At around 5:00, I found myself climbing up one of the fly cases. I was so tired when I finally reached the top, I laid down and fell asleep. I'm sure I would've slept for hours, but instead I was quickly awoken. By a crash. I jumped up, and to my surprise there was a GIANT fly in front of me. "Who are you?" I asked. "I'm Mitsy. Mitsy Mouse," she responded. Mitsy proceeded to tell me about her, and asked if I needed a place to stay for the night. Amazed by her kindness, I thanked her and told her I did in fact need a place to stay. Now, I'm just hanging out and meeting all the other mice. I plan on sleeping VERY late tomorrow morning, then taking just a small hike to my next spot. Hopefully, I'm getting close to home!

Mitsy And Gabriella

Want to know the next move in the story? See you tomorrow!

The Adventures Of Gabriella (Part Two)

Randy's Tomato Plants

I’ve moved! After talking to all of you last night, I planned out my next move. It was the longest day of the year, so I had lots of light to see what was going on. I saw Randy’s Tomato Plants sitting in the open area, and that looked about a good distance for a morning hike. Then I went to bed.This morning, I walked for a few hours (Girdle Bugs are slow), and finally reached the tomato plants. See all the plants? But what’s this? It’s me, Gabriella! After I reached the plants, I took a rest and started planning my next move. In the distance, I think I see a door. My plan is to make it past the door and get as far into the shop as I can. That is, if it really is a door. If not, all my efforts are for nothing. 

G,G,G,G,G, Gabriella!

Will Gabriella make it back into the shop? Or will she waste valuable time trying to get to a door that isn’t really there? Keep reading to continue. 

The Adventures Of Gabriella (Part One)

Welcome to the great adventure of Gabriella the Girdle Bug. Can she make her way back to all the other Girdle Bugs?

Hey there, My name's Gabriella. I'm a size 8 Girdle Bug, which means I'm about 12 in human years. I live in Girdle Bug, USA, with my family and friends. Well, I used to. I was grabbed by a giant a few days ago and taken far from my home. Then, they just left me there! Now, I have to try and make my way home. It's going t be a long journey, but hopefully I can find my town again. Girdle Bug, USA is in Rocky Mountain Anglers fly shop. I know I'm still close, because of where I find my self right now, but I have no idea where. I've never left the town, so this is a whole new experience for me. I'm very scared, but I know that if I look hard enough, I can find my way home. Will you keep an eye on me as I go through my big journey?

To be continued each night....

This Is Where The Giant Left Me. The Brown Dot In The Fish's Mouth? That's Me

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