ColoradoCasters

 

Morning conditions were mild with a slight breeze. Air temps were a comfortable 55 degrees at 7AM near Idaho Springs. Shaded areas were colder. Casting to the sunny and shade things started out very slow with the yellow and white spinbug. No hits, bumps, flash or follows. Switch up to color number two and it gets some attention.

 

Most of the fish along this 50-mile slip of water average 8-10 inches but the numbers can be good when vehicles are not throwing themselves into the water which happens a lot for some reason. Larger fish can be found in the 10-14 inch range by working deeper pools with patience or areas that don’t get fished a lot (some sections get hit almost every day spring to fall).

 

When I approach a section of river the first thing I do is cast to the spot that looks most tasty. Maybe this is a pool of flat water behind a rock or an eddy at the opposite shoreline. The biggest fish in the area is probably going to fight for that spot and picking fish off nearby may spook the lunker. In a tiny creek like this the good spots mean survival and where the first cast always goes. Cast, cast, miss…that is how it often goes for me on a creek bash. Cast again and move on.

 

 

After I have worked the sweet spot a few search casts go out in a fan cast situation. I hit upstream and roll it down. Throw it downstream and slow spin it back to me. 2 o’clock, 11 o’clock…sometimes I hit 6 o’clock by accident and have to dig my presentation out of the trees.

 

Water is clearing up but still running pretty high. Most of the drainages are working hard to keep the snowmelt moving where it needs to go. If an angler waits for conditions to be perfect…that angler will hardly fish at all.

 

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic