Colorado Fly Fishing - Bait Huckin vs. Fly Fishin


It was one of those fishing trips. You know, everyone catches fish but you, you loose six or eight of your most expensive streamers, it rains buckets, and you sink the boat. That's right; I got skunked at Steamboat Lake over Memorial weekend.

I was determined to show those meat huckers (worms and power bait) that a well chosen and strategically placed fly was as effective as anything a conventional fisherman could load on a hook and hang under a bobber. Well, no such luck, I got stomped.

The fish were rising like mad on a midge hatch, and I threw everything in the box at them. I could swear I saw a hefty rainbow nudge my fly to the side to eat the natural laying only centimeters from my damn near perfect replica. As we watched the group of 12 year olds add another 18" fish to their stringer (full loaded, I might add) I decided it must be a lake thing. I don't fish lakes often.

I usually have good luck with a streamer in faster moving water, so I head for one on the several tributaries hoping to get the boat up far enough to make a make a few good casts. No such luck, here comes the wind. Determined and frustrated, I proceed to lose several of my best streamers in the dense shrubbery surrounding the mouth of the creek (can't retrieve them since the current is too strong to get the boat any further up the creek).

On the way back to camp we are passed by a couple of boats with stringers of fish crashing off the bows of their boats (hmmm, are they just rubbing it my face, or are they tenderizing the meat?)Questioning my decision to become a fly fisherman, I head over to the dock to pick up my 5 year-old son and a fresh styro of night crawlers. I'll let my son fish the meat before I crumble and load one up on the spinner myself. Surprising, no luck with the meat either, and hear comes the rain. I throw my arms up and ponder my karma activity of the past year.

We charge for shore as the lake turns to white caps. The rain and lightning moves in fast. Did I mention that we got the boat for free and have no clue what to do in the rain? We pull the boat up close to shore near our camp, outside of the no-wake zone. We leave all of our gear and head for the soggy camp.

Well, apparently it's best to leave your boat in protected cove in the no wake zone. From what we could tell, our boat was hammered with 300 to 400 gallons of water from the waves and boat wakes from boaters rushing back to the dock. Yes, it sank in 18 inches of water. I didn't realize a boat could sink in 18" of water! All of our gear is floating around the shore. The gas tank and gear which included an Orvis waste pack with hmmmm, some 500 plus flies. Every box any fly had to be opened and dried on the dashboards of our trucks.

We bail the boat, load the truck and haul our soggy gear and crippled egos back home.

Next memorial day, it's back to the river!!!

Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of small, compact fly fishing journals, hiking journals, rock climbing journals, travel journals, bird watching journals and more.


MORE RESOURCES:

APNewsBreak: Group sues for rare Hawaii dolphin
BusinessWeek
By AUDREY McAVOY An environmental group on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service to force a decision on whether it will put a population of rare dolphins living near Hawaii on the endangered species list.

and more »


The Guardian

Philippines Accuses China Of Fanning Sea Tensions
Wall Street Journal
By BRIAN SPEGELE BEIJING—The Philippines accused China of further ratcheting up tensions in a disputed portion of the South China Sea after it said dozens of Chinese vessels had been deployed there in recent days, despite a fishing moratorium.
Philippines Accuses China of Sending More Boats to Disputed IslandVoice of America (blog)
Philippines accuses China anew of flaring tensions, adding more ships in ...Washington Post
92 China ships now in Panatag Shoal; tensions upInquirer.net (blog)
Philippine Star
all 189 news articles »


FIS

How to stop the end of fish? A little fish forensics might help.
Washington Post (blog)
There are all sorts reasons why fish stocks are rapidly dwindling around the world. But one underrated problem is illegal fishing. One recent study found, for instance, that as many as one-third of the fish haul in areas like the Southwest Atlantic ...
Powerful genetic tools to help fight illegal fishingFIS

all 7 news articles »


Florida Sportsman Magazine

Fishing Report: High temperatures, rain not affecting action
Naples Daily News
It must be May, and the fishing is good. All the inshore species are present and accounted for: snook, redfish, trout, mackerel, jack crevalle, and snapper. All are willing to eat an offering tossed their way. With water quality similar to what you ...
Fishing line for May 23Buffalo News
Fish FinderStockton Record
Fishing Report: Big Lake is fishing hot spotEastern Arizona Courier
Record-Searchlight -Examiner.com -Bellingham Herald
all 32 news articles »


Living Here: Fishing
Daily Press
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries maintains a number of public boat ramps. There's no charge to use these ramps. You can pick up a brochures at local marinas or request one by calling 804-367-1000. dgif.virginia.gov Gloucester Point.

and more »


Lower Columbia River reopens for hatchery spring chinook fishing
The Seattle Times
"There is still a decent chance to catch a spring chinook in the lower river despite the water level being a little up so folks should concentrate their fishing in the more shallow water areas," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist.
Spring chinook fishing to reopen in lower ColumbiaThe Columbian
The Guide's Forecast: May 23 - May 29OregonLive.com
Last sections of the Snake River to close for spring chinook fishingAccess Washington
About - News & Issues -KTVZ -Statesman Journal
all 14 news articles »


AFP

FEATURE-Gaza fleet leashed by Israel, starved for fuel
Reuters
* Israeli maritime blockade sets tight fishing zone * Egyptian clampdown curbs smuggling of cheap diesel * Once thriving Palestinian fleet now scrapes for living By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA, May 23 (Reuters) - Israeli gunboats and an Egyptian clampdown ...
Gaza fleet leashed by Israel, starved for fuelThe Republic

all 52 news articles »


Annual kids fishing derby helps city kids enjoy outdoors in Kansas
Bellingham Herald
By BRENT FRAZEE — McClatchy Newspapers Dan Ashe, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, was able to witness a landmark moment in Eusavio Webster's life Saturday. Fishing for the first time, the 7-year-old stood on the bank of the pond at Kansas ...

and more »


Sun-Sentinel

'Fishing for the Dream' tournament lures in funds
Sun-Sentinel
Deliver the Dream will host its second annual "Fishing for the Dream" family fishing tournament June 1-2 at The Lighthouse Point Yacht and Racquet Club located in Lighthouse Point. This year's tournament sponsors include: Citrix Systems Inc.; ...



Fishing Report (5/23/12)
Sacramento Bee
"Expect limits when fishing Melones," he says. For rainbows, Layne advises pulling Wee-Tads, small ExCel lures, or rolling shad at 20 to 35 feet. Bank fishing for trout is slow with the water getting warmer in the shallows.

and more »

Google News

Acne - Advertising - Aerobics & Cardio - Affiliate Revenue - Alternative - Attraction - Auction - Audio Streaming - Aviation - Babies & Toddlers - Beauty - Blogging & RSS - Book Marketing - Book Reviews - Branding - Breast Cancer - Broadband Internet - Muscle Building - Careers & Employment - Coaching - Coffee - College & University - Cooking Tips - Copywriting - Crafts & Hobbies - Creativity - Credit - Cruising & Sailing - Currency Trading - Customer Service - Data Recovery - Dating - Debt Consolidation - Debt Relief - Depression - Diabetes - Divorce - Domain Names - E-books - Ecommerce - Elder Care - Email Marketing - Entrepreneurialism - Ethics - Exercise - Ezine Marketing - Ezine Publishing - Fashion & Style - Fishing - Fitness Equipment - Forums - Games - Goal Setting - Golf - Grief Loss - Hair Loss - Happiness - Hardware - Holidays - Home Improvement - Home Security - Humanities - Humor - Innovation - Inspirational - Insurance - Interior Decorating - Internet Marketing - Investing - Landscaping & Gardening - Language - Leadership - Leases & Leasing - Loans - Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos - Management - Marketing - Marriage & Wedding - Meditation - Mobile & Cell Phone - Mortgage & Refinancing - Motivation - Motorcycles - Music - Negotiation - Network Marketing - Networking - Nutrition - Organizing - Outdoors - Parenting - Personal Finance - Personal Tech - Pets - Philosophy - Photography - Poetry - Politics - Positive Attitude - PPC Advertising - Press Release - Pregnancy - Presentation - Psychology - Public Speaking - Real Estate - Recipes - Relationships - Sales - Sales Management - Sales & Teleselling - Sales Training - Satellite TV - Science - Security - SEO - Site Promotion - Small Business - Software - Spam Blocker - Spirituality - Stocks & Mutual Funds - Strategic Planning - Stress Management - Structured Settlements - Success - Supplements - Taxes - Team Building - Time Management - Top7-Or-10-Tips - Traffic Building - Vacation Rentals - Video Conferencing - Video Streaming - VOIP - Wealth Building - Web Design - Web Development - Web Hosting - Weight Loss - Wine & Spirits - Writing - Writing Articles - Yoga

Top
Main Home Email Category Home