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: Let The Voting Begin!

After quite the delay, I am happy to announce that the voting for the winner of the Fill A Box Contest has begun! For those of you who don't remember, the idea of the contest was to tie a really cool box of flies and see who's box takes the cake. Well, now it is time for you to decide! Here are pictures of each  box to give you another look. For a more detailed look at each box, just search "Fill A Box Contest" at the top left. And to Howard, Alton, and Mark: Good luck! And feel free to vote for yourself or someone else (And don't feel bad, I would choose myself too).

Howard's Box, Side 1

Howard's Box, Side 2

Alton's Bass Box

Mark's Box, Side 1

Mark's Box, Side 2

Hit the Water Before the Weather Hits You!

If someone had told you that the temperature in mid-March was supposed to reach 90 degrees, you would have... well, you would have believed them. It never really got too cold here in CO this winter, but this is ridiculous. The temperature (according to the only weather station I trust anymore, Wunderground) is supposed to hit 88-90 tomorrow and Wednesday. Seems like it's time to put away the long underwear for the season and move on to warmer (and greener) pastures. In other news, the fishing on Boulder Creek has been on fire! Lots of action on dries, tons of eats, and even a few nice-sized fish out of BC the past few days. This time of year, I try to hit the water every day after school, or at least a few days a week. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to head out to some still water and get down and dirty with some poor man's bonefish. In the mean time, get your ass out to Boulder and enjoy our warm weather, great fishing, and local crazy people hippies Boulderites!

Three Ugly Mugs

A couple days ago, I got the pleasure of fishing Boulder Creek with Howard from Wind Knots and Tangled Lines, and Sanders from Up the Poudre. We met up at around 10 at Rocky Mountain Anglers, and headed to one of my favorite sections in town. Things were a little slow early on, but they quickly heated up and fish started coming to hand. Howard kept up the tempo by catching various shrubbery and leaves, since he doesn't fish to many nymphs. In a few months, we'll be able to fish dries and that won't be a problem. Anyway. here's the photo roll:

My Co-Fisherman For The Day

Who knew, he really does fish! Howard and I finally got a solid plan together, picked out a time and a place to go fishing, and even a place to meet. I woke up at about 8:30 this morning, got ready, and hopped into my dad's car on his way to work. He dropped me at the shop, gave me some fly money, and headed off. I picked up some Meat Whistles, which are a big fly tied on a jig hook so that it rides hook up. It's above, for those of you trout snobs. Howard arrived a few minutes later, cool fiberglass rod in hand. After a few calls to my parents about, "How exactly do we get there again?" we found ourselves at Pella Crossing. Right as we got to the side of the lake we wanted to fish, I spotted a frog. Thinking it would be a cool thing to post a picture of (like Jay's salamander), I cast my line into the water and grabbed at the frog with my hands. The bending over must have moved my fly and attracted a nearby bass, because I soon felt a tap on my line. Fish on! After a good fight, and some picture taking by Howard, I brought the fish in. Not a huge bass, but a nice one.

 I moved on and looked for more fish, and eventually started talking to a nice spin fisherman who was next to us. "Hey J, Come here for a sec." With that, I turned around to see howard fish on. He eventually brought in what I will truthfully admit was the biggest fish of the day.

We fished a little while longer, but it was getting hot and the fish were no where to be seen. We went and picked up some lunch, and drove home. All in all, a great day!

The Makeshift Grand Slam

The Grand Slam. Brook, Brown, Cutthroat, Rainbow. But what happens when the Grand Slam changes? When you're trying to pull the Slam in warm water? When you're spending half the time helping someone who's never fly fished before? And when all the fish in the entire lake are giving you the infamous middle fin? Well than, here is your Grand Slam:    Bass, Blue Gill, And One other fish that's willing to bite.

We got out to Pella Crossing around 9:30. The heat was already rising, and the Smallmouths were being lazy. They wouldn't eat any flies we threw at them, and spooked at any movement. After a few minutes sight casting to the little bastards, we moved onto Largemouth. Any fish you could see wouldn't be willing to bite, but casting out into the deeper sections wielded a few fish. Obviously, the Blue gill would attack everything, and a few managed to actually hook themselves.

We kept fishing the bass, and even managed to get the kid who's never fished before onto a decent fish. Our shuttle (Mom's car) was arriving around 1:30, and when I looked at my clock it was 1:15. We started making our way back toward the car, and arrived at the parking lot by 1:20. Right as we were about to sit down and wait for the car, I spotted a dark shape. Closer look showed that it was a catfish, feeding around a rock. I'm sure it was pure luck, but my first cast landed right in his hole. Fish on! And that my friends, is the makeshift Grand Slam.

The Frame

The Frame on My New Boat is almost done! All I have to do is put up side-walls, attach them to the two pieces that are already on, and work them together. Sadly, this all requires one thing. A welding torch! So if there isn't any post tonight (there will be), please please please call the police. Or the fire department. Whatever.

Basically The Only Thing Holding Me From Watery Doom, Thanks Again Troutrageous

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?



Beads, Beads, The Magical Pain In The Ass

Cruel, cruel world! How could you? All my work was ruined in mere seconds! I just finished fixing it! How could this of happened? What stars aligned in a way to make my life hell at that moment? All my beads fell. Every single one of them. Silver, gold, black, red, white, orange, green, and all the rest. The all fell into my carpet. I managed to collect most of them, but I'm sure there are at least a dozen that will forever live in the depths of the carpet. I just finished organizing all my fly tying stuff, and the desk is en-route. Now I have to go through and sort the silver from the gold. The 2.0 mm beads from the 2.4 ones, and the glass from the brass to the tungsten. WONDERFUL. How can I tie my next batch of 200 worms next weekend when I have to spend hours picking the right bead for each hook? Oh that's right, worms don't have beads! Well, it's still going to be tough. There's only one thing that can get me out of the tense state I'm now in. Trout! But oh no, the streams are blown out! Well, I guess I'm heading back to Lily lake. Hopefully I don't get blown out of there.... literally.

FUCK!

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

The Weeks Best Shots

Here are my best four pictures of last week, feel free to email me any of yours to add.

A Tale From The Vale

Loch Vale, that is. It's probably one of the prettiest lakes I've seen, and the fishing can be amazing. All Greenbacks, and occasionally a big one. During spawning, they turn bright orange and red. I got a chance to fish up at the Loch a year ago for my birthday. The weather was nice, there was no wind, and my backpack only weighed a ton. But we still made it up, gear and all, after an hour and forty five minute hike.  Waders were put on and we started casting. My friend and I suddenly yelled in unison, "Got one!" Both of the fish came to the net, beetle in their mouths. We worked our way around the whole lake, picking up a few fish as we went. When we arrived at the small creek that feeds into the Loch, things really started to pick up. We first fished the inlet of the lake, catching five fish each before heading up to the stream. At the first hole in the stream, fish were stacked like a big pancake breakfast. We had to lay down and cast to the fish without spooking them, but the hole must have delivered ten fish for me and my friend that round. We fished out way up the creek, catching more and more fish. Once we made it a ways up the creek, we would come back to the first hole and work a few more fish. By the end of the day, me and my friend both had fish counts in the high twenties. What a cool birthday! We hiked down quickly and caught the last bus of the day, saving us another three mile hike back to our car. We stopped for ice cream on the way home, which ended up being a bad idea (my friend threw up in the car). Other than that small thing, the day was super cool. Here's the fish, for anyone who actually read this far:

A Day In The Life

I just finished up on a great day at the shop, working on all the odd jobs and chores that could use doing. We got a new pontoon boat, which looks awesome. Actually, the whole shop looks pretty awesome. It's a polar opposite of how it was last year, under some old ownership. Now Chet's the bossman, who is pictured above. He didn't want his picture taken, so I had to trick him into it, hence the confused look. We also washed the windows and trash cans, so the shop looks nice and clean. Yes, we washed the trash cans. With peak season right in front of us, it should be awesome. We've got everything in here, including a large array of hackle. Probably the only shop in the state with a good selection, so come check it out! In fishing news, Boulder Creek is still flying high. It's possible to catch fish with heavy nymphs and streamers, but it's by no means easy. I'll try and get out there tonight and see if I can't raise some fish for pictures. I'll also be out near Deckers this weekend, and hopefully bring home a story. Until then, look at the sweet progress on the mural! Its almost finished!

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?