Back in the saddle again

Well, it’s been along time, too long, since my last report. After buckling down with school for the semester and suffering from some setbacks with my back, coupled with a torn ACL, I haven't been able to spend nearly as much time on the water as I would have hoped. However, today was a much needed exception. To make things even better, I got to share the day with some of my best friends. We set out around mid morning and scouted out the scenery and as expected, the invasive species from the north was at full force. Let the combat fishing commence. The day started off slow and fishing started to get technical. We fished the Nature Center to Valco, and it had been so long since the guys got out I wanted to make sure we at least got into a little action. As we moved on the assault, I spent a lot of the time observing from the shore but was very happy to see everyone having a great time. I was thoroughly impressed with how technical Remo’s approach was, I stood back and watched him dissect one run at a time, always staying patient. Finally after spending most of the day walking we got into some good holes and were able to get things goin’. Hatches were sporadic but decent with midges front running and some BWO action. Fish seemed to be holding in the deeper runs from the pressure but were coming up to mid column to feed. Pheasant tails in size 18-20, Sweetwater midges in red/blue/black, and old reliable black beauties in size 20-22 black on black, black/red/clearbead were the patterns of choice. It felt great to get back and the brute I got into at the end of the day was just icing on the cake. I couldn’t have found a better way to have spent the day with those guys on our world class tail-water.

Tight Lines,

Clint

Mr. Y's Bachelor Party

Drew had a wild night

Well, it’s been awhile. As I sit here, sequestered from the outside world trying to find refuge for my lungs from the smoke filled atmosphere I could think of no better time than to dust off the old blog. During the last few months, “life” has seemed to happen, leaving me here to lick my wounds both physically and mentally. Usually, I would say that this time of year gives me the “run-off” blues, but the roaring flows peaking over 2000 cfs have been a much needed blessing for our beautiful Colorado, and I welcome every bit of moisture to help keep these fires at bay. With the run-off, school work, business and injuries, my time on the water has been few and far in between, however, this weekend was a much needed exception.  

In less than a month, Zen’s very own Mr. Remo Yacconi will become Mr. Remo Yaklich. I joke, I joke, but in all seriousness, I could not be happier for these two. Remo and Janine are two of the very best people I know and I am honored to call them friends. Through out the last few years, I have had a front row seat in watching their relationship blossom into what it is today. It truly is a beautiful thing and a relationship to envy, it gives the rest of us a little hope that there is this sort of thing still out there and I wish them the best of luck. The venue they chose is a beautiful place nestled in the mountains near Pine, CO, which just so happens to double as a fly fishing ranch, a coincidence, I swear. (At the moment, there is a fire threatening the area, so be sure to send some good vibes on that way and everywhere else in our state in hopes these fires end safely quickly.) As much as we are all looking forward to the wedding, we all know there is also an order of business that can’t be overlooked: the bachelor party.

Nice look inside our cabin

Usually when one thinks of a bachelor party, you picture wild times filled with illicit acts and “ladies of night” accompanied by heavy abuse to your liver. The kind of nights that are reminiscent of movies like The Hangover. Although, I must admit I have taken part in my fair share of some truly epic nights of debauchery, we decided to break tradition and leave that up to our counterparts, who were headed to Vegas for the bachelorette party. We took a more tranquil approach and traded in the body shots, stripper pole and loud music for some PBR, gin clear water and the sound of a screamin’ reel. The 9 of us plus Ernesto, who was with us in spirit as he had some prior engagements with his kiddos for the Father’s day weekend, headed up to a killer cabin in Almont, CO, where the famed waters of the Taylor and East converge to create the Gunnison.

Most of the group were virgins to the Art, so shortly after we arrived Remo began giving a crash course in casting in the parking lot while I covered entomology and the tedious stuff likes knots and rigs.  Much to our surprise many of the guys were naturals and picked up on things very fast, so before long we were off. Not wanting to throw them to the wolves and head straight for the hog trough of the Taylor, we walked down to where the three rivers meet to get the lines wet and get some practice in. The river flows were movin’ and although not blown out, I knew we had our work cut out for us. We arrived during some wicked hatches and before long, everyone was doing there thing, getting the basics down and of course, Remo, was already doing his thing hooking up to a nice fish right off the bat. Not much later Derek had a few nice hits as well and I was happy to see everyone learning and having a good time. After a while, half of us decided to move up a few hundred yards to the Taylor, while the rest went to relax in the cabin. After scouting the area I found a nice prime lie and dialed my rig in then bam! Fish on! As you know that's only half the battle. Once I hooked up, he sprung downriver and showed himself to be a worthy opponent. That, coupled with a torn acl made keeping up with him almost impossible but luckily, I was able to get him to Brock’s net about twenty yards down river from me. The size was nothing of note, but it was a beautiful healthy brown with killer red spots, which made me a very happy camper due to the fact I had been on somewhat of a “Brown slump”. Once I released him, I learned that Brock had landed a nice brookie, which I told him was very impressive having the Taylor be one of the hardest places in the state to catch. We then decided this battle was a victory and decided to head in for the night.

The next morning we decided to get some practice in head up to the Roaring Judy Ponds for some stillwater action. I gave a quick lesson on the dry and streamer game and everyone was on their way. After a while I was very pleased with the progress made, I saw some good mechanics and tight loops, and the guys getting some good action. Kevin, had even landed his very first fish on a fly rod. It wasn’t long before we came up with a battle plan and decided to march on the Taylor.

Before long we found ourselves on the legendary gin clear water and Remo and I began doing some recon, in hopes of spotting a monster in the depths.  The river was pressured but not anything on the level of combat fishing it is notorious for, which was a great relief. Fishing was slow at first and it took some time to dial in our rigs but after some hard fishing Remo hooked up with a nice healthy brown around 17. Minutes later I looked over and he was hooked up again, Ill admit the competitive part of me started askin’ myself, “Should I be nervous?...nah”. In all reality, I have the pleasure of sharing my time on the river and hunting with some of my best friends and when one guy bags a nice bull or a trout of a lifetime, I can’t help but feel like it was me in their place and am very grateful to share that memory with them. As we all know many times it is as much of a team effort as opposed to an individual one, although havin’ the rod or gun in your hand does give you some bragging rights. Well, shortly after I wiped the competitive sweat off my forehead, it was my turn...fish on. I landed 3 nice browns in a row around the same time.  After awhile I hooked up with a monster, that measured about 5’9’’ 170 lbs, which to my dismay happened to be myself, so i retired to the truck to attempt emergency surgery on my hand. As I walked back to the bridge, I saw Dewey land a nice brown himself, which gave me a smile to see my oldest fishing partner finally getting back into the art. The rest of the evening was hit and miss until we got into some epic dry fly fishing to close out the day.

Although, we didn’t get into any of the fabled prehistoric monsters of the Taylor, we did land a number of great looking fish. To top it off, they were all browns, which was a definite plus because we do not get into too many on our home waters. The trip was a definite success and it was great to introduce so many of the guys to fly fishing and watch them land some fish. It was also great to witness Brock and Dewey evolve into even better anglers and watch them land some fish on some top notch waters.  I would have been happy even if I hadn't gotten any fish to the net. For me, much of the beauty of the outdoors is who you get to share the experience and memories with, and I couldn’t have picked a better group of guys. The fish were just icing on the cake.

Tight Lines,

Clint

 

Rain-Bow Chika Bow Wow ;)

Lately I have been getting a lot of questions concerning this time of year and the spawn. Just as March is coming to a wrap, the ‘bows down here are also wrapping up their sexy time. It may be a little late to write about it, but I figured better late than never. As an aspiring Science Teacher, I’d like to consider myself fairly well versed in many facets of the scientific universe. My realm deals with Engineering and Physics. I am by no means an expert on Entomology or Ichthyology(the study of insects and fish), so to any of my more knowledgeable colleagues in the fishing world, please don’t hesitate to correct me if I venture too far off point. 

This isn't my picture but it is a great one showing parr bars

Let’s start with the life cycle of a trout.  Like many beings, trout start off as eggs and then soon after develop into fry which usually lasts for about a year. The first year of a trout is a scary time, they must learn to survive without the protection of shelter while venturing around to feed themselves, all the while trying not to fall prey to the many lurking predators including their cannibalistic parents roaming around. If they survive this stage of life, they begin to develop into Parr, and can be identified by the vertical bar like marks on their sides. This is one of the most physically beautiful stages in their life. As they mature, they then develop into smolt and begin to travel the waters and make the transition into adulthood. They usually spend a couple years scouring the waters fattening up as they approach spawning maturity, Although Rainbow trout usually spawn earlier in their lives than others around 2 years. Like humans during puberty, their bodies begin to make some drastic changes. This is when we start to see the truly vibrant colors that make them seem to drive fisher people mad, causing mass exodus around the world in search for epic waters filled with eager trout.  As we start to see the colors, changes in sex become more apparent with females growing more rounded in stature and males growing their kype, or hook jaw.

A big male bruiser

A female bow

Let the spawning begin. Different species of trout spawn at different times of the year with Rainbows and Cuttys during the spring, while Brownies and Brookies do the dirty during the fall. As spawning begins, females will being to cruise around looking for optimum places to lay her eggs. Once she finds  a shallow, oxygen-rich piece of property she will begin cutting a “Redd”. What the hell is a Redd, you ask? It is a fancy word for spawning bed. I believe it gets its name from an old scottish or brittish word to “clean or “tidy” up”.  Which is appropriately named because that is essentially what the lady trout is doing, she is getting the broom out and doing some spring cleaning. Only she doesn’t have arms, so the broom is her tail. She flips on her side and sweeps away the sand and gravel and then deposit her eggs(between 1000 and 8000). During this time, aggression has taken over the males world, like a bull elk during the rut, males are locked up in fighting matches to see who that baddest dude on the playground is and who gets the best spots on the spawning grounds while keeping out other predators in the process. After gaining position, the male trout move onto the redds and fertilize away, after which, the females move above the redd to kick up gravel and sand to cover their new babies and protect them. Then the cycle of life is repeated.

A "Redd"...Where the Magic Happens

I cannot stress how important it is for us to remove ourselves from this process as much as possible.  Just like in real life, we all had that friend who at some point in your life had always seemed to get in the way or sabotage your chances at gettin’ laid. DON’T BE THAT GUY! In optimum conditions, only a very small percentage of those eggs will even make it to maturity.  We don’t need to further much up the situation by trampling all over the river.  Be sure to watch where you wade and be sure to take a step back and observe the conditions and trout behavior, if you see a fish actively spawning, move on. This is one of the best tips I can give, not just during the spawn. Before casting, take a few minutes and observe everything that is going on. Not even in the water, but everywhere around you. What are the other trout predators doing? Are they trampling around aimlessly in the water? Most likely they are observing, keying in on the trouts behavior looking for the opportune time to strike.  Before casting a line, try to solve a few pieces to the puzzle first. What kind of bugs do you see? Where are the trout at in the water column? Well that sort of turned into a lecture, hopefully this didn’t seem too much like homework. As always...tight lines!

Clint

Zen Juan

Zen Juan

Often when I think of places that I’ve been I relate the last time I was at a certain place to who I was with and what was going on in my life at the time. Sometimes returning somewhere after a long period of time is difficult even years after perhaps because the last great trip may have been with somebody you loved whom is no longer with you. 

I had longed for a return trip to the San Juan River in North Western New Mexico for a long time. This used to be an annual pilgrimage for me in my younger years. As some know I fly fished quite a bit in the mid to late 90’s. This was when I fell in love with the sport. My first fly fishing experience was on this river in February of 1995. That first day was magical, serene and a 15+ fish day my very first time out. I remember being amazed that this rig with size 22 flies and a goofy piece of yarn would produce over and over again all throughout the day. And what the hell did this micro shot really do? It didn’t make sense at all that such a small weight would make any difference at all.

I was ruined thinking that all rivers would produce fish this easily and would be this forgiving. Boy did I learn fast when returning home to try out my new skills on the Arkansas River below the Dam. Not only were there less fish in 1995 but if you managed to have a good day fly-fishing usually an average fish was in the 10-12 inch range with an occasional resident hog. Boy things have changed as we now have one of the best tail waters that I have ever fished anywhere.

The learning curve was steep for the next few months as I ventured north to the South Platte and fished for the ever hyper picky and spooky Cheeseman Canyon Rainbows whom if they did take a fly would aim straight for the boulders and break rigs in a flash. I was amazed these fish knew the boulders were their friends. Finally after a few months I learned how to catch fish in Cheeseman and I sincerely believe if one can catch fish consistently on this piece of water one can catch fish anywhere. This theory has proven true so far.

Fast forward to March 8, 2013- After a long discussion about potential weather coming in and nearly 22 Years to the week of my first San Juan trip my two best fishing buddies and I ventured to North Western New Mexico to fish the San Juan River. I really didn’t know what to expect as I hadn’t fished this water in 14 years.  Clint and Remo who are 12-14 years my junior had never fished the Juan and were super stoked as they had heard so much about the fishery. After arriving and checking into our room at Abe’s we had dinner at a Bar and Grill right on the river anxious to get out on the water in the morning. Though the snow flew for most of the night and there was some anxiety about our return trip all of us were excited for the opportunity to fish this legendary water. Upon returning to our room Remo and I enjoyed a bottle of Fireball Whiskey while standing in the snow outside the room while Clint who is our resident techy set up our fly boxes on the window sill with his latest developed fly patterns custom tied just for this trip.

Upon waking up the next morning and venturing outside to get a breath of air and checking the weather I amused my cohorts as I climbed back into bed and spent some time in my mind. As a Personal Development Coach I needed my time to visualize. In my mind’s eye I observed myself setting the hook crisply and on time 25 times before getting up and into the shower. As some know studies have been conducted showing how effective visualization is in improving performance. Besides It’s a good feeling to watch yourself hooking up with fish after fish after fish even if it comes via a brief day dream.

At approximately 9:00 am after rigging up we were in the water and begun our journey in the infamous Kiddie hole which is appropriately named. Within the first 15 casts Remo was into his first two San Juan Rainbows. After making a few adjustments and changing angles I landed my first fish of the day. We took a different approach than any other I had taken on this water before and concentrated and small holes and creases throughout the various runs and structure. One particular run we found was loaded with fish and Remo spotted a 20” Bow feeding in a tough lie with multiple rocks obstructing a good drift. We took turns fishing to this fish and oddly enough I never got a fly drifted to this fish because I kept hooking up with other smaller fish before my fly ever got to this 20” beauty. I caught four fish trying to get a drift over to this brute. The last time this happened Remo jumped in just after I released a nice 14” bow, my eyes were on this brute as I imagined where his flies might be in relation to the drift. Just as I thought the flies might be in range the big male turned his head a couple of inches and opened his hooked jaws. I swear I didn’t see Remo’s strike indicator even twitch in the slightest but “Dude” was in the zone and made the sweetest hook-up I have ever seen and the fight was on. We all had several hook ups that I swear were pure Zen because we were all on cruise control and couldn’t even explain why the hook was set.

Clint is the finisher of our group, I’ve fished with him more than any other partner that I have ever had. Traditionally he isn’t the first one into a fish but this kid makes the best adjustments based on what he is seeing that I’ve seen anywhere. He is meticulous with his fly selection and rigs. The “Mad Scientist” will make adjustments with weight and fly selection until he finds the sweet spot. Let me tell you once he fine tunes his set up I’ve seen him do some amazing things with great consistency during the average day on the river. This particular day was one where he started slow and had a couple mishaps with leaky waders and a nasty fall in which he cut his hand pretty bad.

Ironically my visualization technique panned out and I caught 25 fish before 3 o’clock, 25 visuals and 25 fish later I was smoked and opted for a nap on the bank with Clint fishing just feet away. To give an example of the finisher that Clint is I had probably a 20 fish head start in our friendly game of numbers but when all was said and done (by the time my nap was over) he had totaled more than 30 fish. I’ve seen him do this over and over again. When most guys are heading to the car in a snow storm this dude is still fine tuning and has had some amazing days fishing because of his determination and brain power.

To say the least there were enough eager and cooperative fish for all of us and it was great to be back on the river where it all started for me. My soul and spirit were recharged on this trip in so many ways. That is one thing we often take for granted, fly fishing with any success is very demanding and takes a person “fully present”. When we are present we can operate at our personal best in all areas of our lives. I find shelter and refuge while fly fishing where hours go by and I realize that I haven’t thought about any challenge or problem. The mind deserves a break and what way to give it some rest. This was the first of hopefully 4 road trips this year. Zen Juan it was good to see you again old friend.
Be good to yourself! e-

Ahhh, Grasshopper. The student has become the teacher...

        Over the last few weeks, I have been fortunate to have some truly epic days on the river.  The fishing has been great in both quality and quantity, but more importantly, it’s the company shared that has been most memorable.  To start the month off, we travelled on our quarterly pilgrimage to famed tailwaters like many before us.  For this trip we chose, the San Juan. Not unlike a Viking raiding party, we embarked on our journey, uncertain of what the future holds, but excited nonetheless, eager to achieve greatness and great plunder.  The gods shined on us, and we came back with our heads held high and arms hanging low(stay tuned for a total account of the story, from the man, Ernesto, himself.) The “Zen” Juan was all it was cracked up to be and much more, but what even made me more satisfied was that our patterns produced. They coaxed the nicest fish of the day and more importantly it proved to me that our little tailwater here, can definitely hold her own.  Though we cannot compete with the sheer number of fish in the Juan, but few can, the quality and brute strength of our trout down here can rival even the greatest tailwaters and that my friends, you can take to the bank.

       Through the years, I have been fortunate enough to have fish along side some truly great anglers and have soaked up as much information as possible.  During that time have also had the privilege to watch some people transform from young padawans to full fledged Jedi Knights. Most recently, I have witnessed this with my P.I.C., Remo.  During our trip, I really believe he found his Zen, and for the first time he truly understood the concept.  He has always been a good angler, but now he has transcended to another level.  He has developed an almost uncanny ability to sight fish and his hook up’s are a sight to see.  As Ernie and I, sat back on the bank and watched him, we could see that he looks at the river in a whole different light.  We could see that everything has slowed down for him and he is more aware of everything going on around him than ever before.  I believe one of the best things you can do on the water to become a better angler is to fish with someone better than you and it’s great when you can even take a few lessons from someone that was once your apprentice.  Leave your pride at the truck and let the hook ups begin.

    Fast forward to this weekend, eager to get back into our home waters, Remo and I finally got a chance to jump back into the Ark. Weather was killer, so we headed out at 7:30 and found an almost empty parking lot.  Gearing up, we met a nice guy named Rich from out of town.  He hadn’t been down here lately and asked for a few tips.  We set him up with a few killer patterns and techniques and went on our way. After a slow start, we moved up the river and joined back up with him at Albert’s hole. Remo jumped in as I helped Rich fine tune his rig. Before I was even done, Remo already had two hook ups; it was going to be a good day.  I spotted a few nice hogs for Rich, set him and let him go at it. Before long, he had a smile on his face and a nice hook up, which was in turn followed by a disappointing look when the fish surfaced as a sucker.  I assured him this was a victory in the fact that he was getting a good drift and definitely in the right zone at the time, just rinse and repeat. After landing his first nice trout of the day, he got in the zone and BAM! I saw a nice hook up, this one had shoulders and immediately tried to take him into the abyss. After a great fight, he landed a brutus ‘bow with amazing color and some truly gnarley battle scars.  After Rem and I, landed a few more nice fish, we decided to do some exploring.  We hit one of our favorite spots, zoned in, and landed several nice beauties one after another.  Strikes were subtle, so focus is the key, distinguishing between your weight ticking the bottom and a soft strike can be tedious at time, but once you zone in and stop thinking “was that a hit?” and just allow your body to react even when you don’t even know why you set the hook, the hook ups will come. Besides by the time you ask yourself that question, it’s already too late and when in doubt, set the hook. After a few more fish I decided to give my back a break and before I could even sit down, Rem had a hog on, a definite monster.  After an epic battle, a 24” brute lay in the net. Egg patterns in size 18, size 22 sweetwater midges and Black beauties were the patterns of the day, with eggies taking majority of the fish. Ernie and I got out two days after that, and although I lost more fish than I did the previous days, the day was almost the same, expect for the Gale Force winds. We absolutely laid waste with our nuclear eggs in one of our favorite parts of the river, we like to call the “Zen Run”, between the big bend in the river before the first weir.  It has always been a productive stretch for us but many times over looked and now with multiple runs and a nice four pod its producing better than ever.  So, if you haven’t had a chance to hit the Arkansas lately, you are missing out.  

Tight Lines,

Clint

Nip/Tuck: Tailwater Edition

 Well spring officially starts on March 20, but here in Colorado, especially in my home town of Pueblo,CO, nature seems to march to somewhat of a different beat. 70 degree days in December and snow well into April, even May is not out of the ordinary. Many times this is a nuisance when getting dressed in the morning, I often don’t know whether i’ll be wearing shorts or bundled up in my goose hunting gear, but on the river this is usually a blessing. Our mild winters, keep fish active and bugs poppin’ at times when other fisheries are all but shut down. Add in some consistent flows, prime structures, great people on the water doing their part to maintain our beautiful river and you have a recipe for not only some epic days of fishing but also some truly monster or “brutus” trout, as I like to to call them. At times this is a double edged sword, as crowds can be just as prolific as the hatches. On any given day the Ark is host to fisherman of all walks of life, it is not uncommon to cross paths with fly fishing royalty in men like Rim Chung. Inevitably from time to time you will also cross paths with some not so pleasant individuals. I do not know who is worse, the savage bait fisherman or the yuppy fly fisherman locking horns with one another, in “rod” measuring contests, taking tally of who has the more expensive gear. You know the type, The kind of guys that couldn't pick up a lady in a Tijuana brothel, but slap some Simms waders on them, some Patagonia gear, throw a Winston in their hands, and they think they are the sexiest SOB on the water, in their heads they are Brad Pitt in A River Runs Through It. You pass them in the parking lot, and you feel like you’re on trial, bombarded by stern glares and looks of disgust, like you are clueless and they know everything, but all they really know is where the astroglide is stocked at walgreens. All joking aside, some days the crowds mimic those of the Platte or the Hog Trough on the Taylor, where tensions are high and you feel like you are going to witness a few duels on the water for rights to drift a prime lie. These days put a lot of pressure on the fish, but otherwise, I do believe the crowds are a good thing. As the word spreads and pictures go around, it shows what a great thing we have going on here. It is a great thing for our city and definitely gives our local economy a nice boost. With that said, A great thing has just gotten better, the Ark has gotten a little facelift. Phase II of the Arkansas River Tailwater improvements have brought some 3000 new boulders and logs, adding new structures and tweaking old ones. The new structures will definitely do a great job spreading out anglers, allowing great fishing opportunities for everyone on those overly crowded days. I have spent most my time on the water lately wandering around checking out the new lies and sharpening my sighting skills. I am very impressed and pleased with the new improvements and the trout seem to be too. Lately we’ve had a few days of nice snow and those are some of my favorite days to head out to the river. I always try to bundle up and take advantage of days like that, I often find I have almost the whole river to myself and have had some of my best days during times like this. Plus the sound of a screamin’ reel can go along way in making you forget about the cold. As I was scouting out the water, I even took it a step farther and stashed my rod in the weeds as I went on exploring. Now is the best time to really hone in on your sight fishing skills. With gin clear water, lower flows, and big spawning bows decked out in almost florescent colors, you’d be hard pressed to find a better opportunity. When people ask me for tips on how to spot trout, I tell them to ditch the rod, they always look at me like I’m off my rocker. I know it sounds a little crazy, but crazy is just a matter of perspective. Think about it this way: Ever show a bait fisherman a size 24 midge and then proceed to tell him you are going to catch that 20 inch fish he has been trying for all day? He’s going to think you are downright mad...that is, until you show him. Spotting trout without your rod can seem a little counter intuitive, but it works. It was a tip I picked up from Landon Mayer. By having the discipline to jump on the river without your rod in hand allows you to truly focus on the sole purpose of spotting trout. You get to really tune into nature and observe the dynamics of the river and the trouts behavior from a whole different perspective. Try it, it is one of the best tips I can pass on, and I guarantee it will make you better. I warn you though, this is a daunting task especially when you move in on a bruiser bullying his way around in the riffle, that’s why I only stashed my rod in the weeds and didn’t leave it at the truck ;). Well that is enough ranting for one day, if you haven’t gotten out on the Pueblo Tailwater lately, what are you waiting for? Give life a break and wet some line!

Tight Lines, Clint

Men at work(courtesy of Steel City Anglers)

This damn barrel owes me more flies than I can even count