Time is Almost Up!

There are just a few spots left for the last Sylvan Dale trip of this Spring! The date is set for June 2nd, and the fishing should be great. Late spring is the one of best times of year to fish for big post-spawn rainbows and throw dries in the cooler parts of the day. If you are a streamer guy, this will be one of the best trips of your season. The takes are hard, sudden, and super aggressive. The biggest fish in there eat the biggest streamers, so pick up a few (or tie your own) and swim them deep. Whether your passion is dries, nymph rigs, streamers, float tubes, or even bass, you're almost sure to have a great time at this trip. So call Rocky Mountain Anglers soon, and reserve your spot before they're all gone!

Well? Any takers?

How The Coffee Sparkles

Important: The big fish I caught at the Dream Stream will be up within the next 5 days.

If you were to take a look into my streamer box (actually boxes), you would notice something. There are no Wooly Buggers, no classic Wet Flies, and for that matter, not much that has only one hook. I carry things like the Totally Articulated Bunker Rainbow, Circus Peanut, and yes, the Sex Dungeon. One of only few exceptions to this rule however, is the Coffee Sparkle Minnow. I know I have mentioned this fly before, but it deserves its own post. The flashy action this fly puts off in the water while maintaining a true baitfish look is unbelievable. I have always liked the Sparkle Minnow, but it really hit me yesterday at Sylvan Dale Ranch.

On the RMA group trip we held yesterday, I did a lot of kicking. And running. And netting. For a good part of the day, I didn't fish. And if I did, it wasn't very hardcore. When we arrived, I swung a sink tip with a Sparkle Minnow off a deep ledge. Cast number two had a follow, and number five brought a 20 inch rainbow to hand. Seems like a good time to take a break. A few hours later, while walking along what I call Bass Point, I hooked into a nice fish. A few seconds later, it popped off. Figuring it was just a largemouth, I cast in again, and immediately the same fish hit the fly. That's actually is pretty usual of the bass in this pond, so I thought nothing of it. I did start thinking though, when the net pulled up a 17 inch 'bow instead of the largey I was expecting. That just shows the power of the Sparkle Minnow.

The icing on the cake was at the end of the day, when most of the clients left and I got to actually fish from a belly boat (rather than just net fish). "All right, Justin, you and me. Let's make this competitive," my friend Peter said. "Sure thing," I responded, picking up a fat 15 inch rainbow that hammered the Sparkle Minnow on my first cast. We laughed, casted to risers, and wasted the rest of the evening while I hammered 6 more nice fish on the Sparkle Minnow.

The end of the day came when my buddy Klinker hooked up a pig on a TAB Rainbow. "He's a head shaker," was the first thing out of Klink's mouth. Looking at the bend in his 6 weight, I knew something was up. As I kicked over, I was greeted by an eruption of water and a head to toe drenching from 15 feet away. The next five minutes were spent with Klinker and I screaming like 7 year old girls while we kicked bank to the bank and took pictures of this big hen:

Crazy Fish, Klink!

That last bit wasn't about the Sparkle Minnow, but it definitely deserved a spot in there. The TAB Rainbow (Totally Articulated Bunker) is another favorite of mine, as I mentioned earlier.