 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Lucky Hat
Do you have a lucky hat? It was a beautiful warm day in the mid 70's. Typical of what we get in Colorado during September. I started out by checking the stream flows on the stream flows page at fly-fishing-colorado.com. The South Platte below Cheesman Dam was just perfect running 250 CFS. The water should be clear and not too much moss yet. I was fishing the bridge pool where CO 67 and a Jeffco Highway come together. The water was crystal clear. The pool had just enough moss in it to offer fish protection and challenging fishing for the fisherman. After two hours, I had only had a couple of strikes but could not get hooked up. So I headed to the car for my secret weapon. The "Lucky Hat" or in my case "Lucky Cap". Mine is old and dirty. I purchased it in 1990 on a trip to Cancun, Mexico. How long it has been my lucky cap, I rightly can't remember. Probably some 12 years or so. It has a logo on the front that says "Hard Rock Cafe". It is not even a fishing cap. Yet when I wear it, I almost always catch fish. Armed now with my fish catcher, I headed back to the pool. On the way, I noticed a hatch of very small insects coming off. Letting one land on my hand, I examined it. It was a baetis hatch getting started. Hurriedly, I clipped off the RS2 from the 7X dropper and tied on a 24 baetis I had purchased on a recent San Juan River, New Mexico trip. Wading carefully to my casting position behind a medium rock, I dropped the two fly rig into one of the runs feeding the pool. The currents swirled the fly into the depths of the pool and by some big rocks in the middle. Then out into the faster currents at the tail of the pool. Nothing this cast. Repeating this same drift pattern for the third time, I felt a solid strike and raised my rod to set the hook. After a good 5 minutes of fun, this beautiful rainbow came to my net. A couple of casts later, I hooked up with a really nice brown. This one was 10 plus minutes of fun before netting. During the next hour, I caught and released 3 more bows on my #24 baetis out of the bridge pool before the hatch tapered off. Switching back to the standard rig I usually fish. (A #16 flashback, gold ribbed, bead head hare's ear upper and a #18 or #20 gray RS2 dropper on 7X tippet) I fished the west bank downstream from the bridge. After catching and releasing a couple more fat 15 or 16 inch rainbows, I headed upstream toward Deckers, CO; stopping a mile below to fish. This is one of my favorite areas of the S. Platte. Often it will be crowded but today there were only a couple of other fishermen upstream from me. I fished a couple of small pools, while wading toward a main pool farther out. I caught and released a couple of small 12 inch bows from these pools. At the larger pool, I added more weight to get closer to the bottom. This pool is deep even at 250 CFS. About 10 minutes later, the line stopped dead half way through my drift. I knew that a good fish was on. Raising the rod, the battle started. After ten minutes, the fish was still racing up and down the pool. Finally I got his head to break water. Thinking I had won the battle, I put too much pressure on. With a pop of broken tippet, the fish disappeared into the depths of the pool. That was the last fish of the day. But my tally was nine very nice fish for a day on the S. Platte. I had fished the S. Platte off and on for many seasons. This was my best day on the Platte. I had worn my "Lucky Cap" a lot that 2000 season. The 2000 season was my best ever with over 425 fish hooked and released. Was that cap responsible? Of course not! Such a thing would be superstitious. "Right!" All I know is that I seldom get skunked when that cap sits on my head. Probably I pay more attention to my drifts and to fishing conditions when I wear my Lucky Cap. It just couldn't be that cap! Could it? If you don't have a Lucky Cap or Hat maybe you should. Tight Lines and Good Fishing, Marshall Estes, editor
About The Author Marshall Estes , editor Colorado Fly Fishing Tips has been a fly fishing and fly tying enthusiast for over 30 years. Check out our other issues at http://www.fly-fishing-colorado.com. editor@fly-fishing-colorado.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Orlando Florida Fishing - Redfish Capital of the World When visitors think of Orlando and Central Florida, they imagine the exciting attractions, breath-taking roller coasters, and swimming with the dolphins. What many people don't know is that fishing in the Orlando, Florida area is just as exciting. There Is Bass In The Grass Did you ever plan that fishing trip to the big lake, then when you got there you realized you had no idea where to start fishing? Too much ground to cover, right? Let's break it down a bit to simplify it.The first thing you want to look for is cover; something that 'looks' like a good place for a bass to hide. The Things You Wont Look Out For (But Should) When Night Fishing 5 Things To Be Careful of When Night FishingNight fishing can be some of the most exciting, rewarding and fulfilling fishing you ever do in your life. It can also be the most dangerous fishing you ever do as well. Bass Fishing Tips 3 Lures You Must HaveDo you know what the top 3 lures for catching Bass are? Though there aren't any specific statistics, a survey was conducted amongst the pro bass fishermen and it was found that plastic worms won by a large margin. Second and third place were the spinnerbait and then the crank bait. From Personal Belly Boats to High Performance Racers - An Overview of Inflatable Boats Inflatable boats, also called rubber boats or dinghies, have been around in one form or another for thousands of years. They now come in many different sizes and models and include inflatable kayaks, sport boats, and inflatable catamarans. Fishing The Henrys Fork....Bobs Secret Hole... Meanwhile back at the Yurt.. The Fishing Industry and Sponsorship Should you approach the fishing industry for sponsorship?First let's look at it from the lure manufacturer's standpoint. Just think of your favorite lure manufacturer for a minute. The Ubiquitous Woolly Bugger The ubiquitous Woolly Bugger, never quite spelled correctly to my eyes, appeals to the eyes of every gamefish imaginable. If I had one pattern to fish the rest of my life, no matter what the fish, no matter what the conditions, this would be it. A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques Part III Method 2The second method that works really well for me is drift fishing. Lets start by explaining how drifting works. Women and Fishing -- Not Just A Mans Sport More and more women are learning to enjoy fishing each and every day. And, why not? Fishing is a sport that doesn't require exceptional strength, stamina or height - quite the contrary, fishing is a sport of agility, finesse and patience, skills many women already possess. Cincinnati Catfishing Bait Some of the baits I have used for used for CATFISHing here on the Ohio River are, chicken liver, minnows, shrimp, Spam, French Fries and more.Fresh chicken liver works better than frozen liver that has thawed out. Do you Know How to Take the Perfect Picture of Your Fish? Nothing is better than to snap a photo of your big fish that you just caught. You've spent the day out on the lake and then you feel a pull at the line. Introduction to Lake Fly Fishing Techniques Often lake fish will gather in schools and cruise around looking for food, but often it is the small fish that rise to take surface insects while the bigger ones feed in deeper water.Where the fish areFish in lakes aren't much different than fish in rivers. Fly Casting - the Overhead Cast The overhead cast is the most basic fly cast. Learn to execute it well and you will be able to easily adapt the skill to the side cast and backhand casting. Marine News Fall 2004 - Endangered and Threatened in Florida Our oceans are home to many marine mammals, fish, turtles, corals and others. The delicate balance between man and the ocean is constantly being challenged by the demands of our society. Join The Vespa Fishing Team High fuel prices got you down?Imagine how most of us feel in the recreational fishing world.Let me explain. Pitchin For Large Mouth Bass Well, we have talked about flippin and now we'll mention pitchin.Both techniques are used to fish cover and to do it quietly. The Alaskan Experience "FISH ON!!"I yelled, as my seven weight fly rod bent over and the line played it's magical tune of "zinging in the rain". It was hard to tell just how big the fish was or if it was a Rainbow or big Dolly Varden. Steroids Running Rampant In Fishing World You knew it would come to this sooner or later.. Lucky Hat Do you have a lucky hat?It was a beautiful warm day in the mid 70's. Typical of what we get in Colorado during September.
|
|
|
 |
 |
