“Brown Water Bail!” (You probably had to be there)

Prologue: Every once in a while an incident occurs that ends up being one of those “inside jokes” that no one else will understand and they look at you in confusion every time it comes up. This pointless and non-fish bragging post is a story of one of those moments. I will do my best to recount this moment for the small handful of regular viewers. But without having been there the brown water bail concept may fall a bit short.

Brown Water Bail

One day Don and I rolled out to one of our prime time lakes trying to get a jump on the early season. The water was cold and stained from heavy rains and spring run off. Stained water is my least favorite and it put me in panic mode right off the bat. After 30 minutes of no bites I was trying to convince Don that we needed to get off the “hot spot” and haul everything to another venue.

“Dude…we need to start thinking about a Plan B.”

“Huh?” Don says with startled amazement. “Pull off of here? Go where?”

I could see that this would be no easy sell. Looking at the cold stained water my worry and lament grew.

“The water is really brown. If I don’t start seeing fish soon…we need to bail.”

Not more than 30-minutes later the sun peeked out of the clouds and the extra light kicked the action into high gear. We were landing fish right and left with some good-sized ones as well. Don looked at me with that expression as if my mental faculties were now in question.

“I can’t believe you wanted to pull off this water.”

“Yea, man. I went kinda Chicken Little for a second. The brown water and slow morning action…not a big fan of stained water.”

Don chuckles and then goes into a shriek-like turkey call, “Brown Water Bail! Brown Water Bail!”

I nearly hit the deck of my pontoon boat in laughter. Couldn’t even fish for the next 5-minutes. Now every time one of us sees the other waning in fear and self-doubt a call is given in the sprit of Chicken Little that day on stained water.

“Brown Water Bail! Brown Water Bail!”

Guess you had to be there.

Good luck and good fishing.

New kids on the block…Young Gun Bait Co

It is never too early to dive into your passions and make them your career. These youngsters in Loveland Colorado offer great inspiration for those trying to do the same. Austin (16) and Bailey (14) started out as two friends that loved to fish.  Grandpa buys them a bait kit and they go to town producing a handful of bass standards with a few subtle twists.

http://younggunbaitco.com/

The business is a little over a year old and these two have done a few trade shows, set up a website and rolling out the product line. Their expectations are very realistic meaning they don’t expect huge return right away. Grandpa sums it up best with the quote:

“The boys haven’t turned a profit yet but that wasn’t really the point. It’s a good experience for them,” he said. “I gave them a specific amount to start with, and they haven’t been back for more, so they’re doing well.”

These two have some stiff competition in the industry but their Jr. Bassmaster performances continue to put them in the local spotlight. Even if they do not become the next Strike King or Megaconglomo tackle store, these two young gents are getting an early taste of living the dream, the dream of turning something you love into a living.

Die-hard anglers think of little else outside of fishing and many of us are constantly looking to be full time fishing bums in one way or another. This is something even I ponder at times and have secretly wanted to unleash my own brand of bass fishing gear more suited to Colorado.

“Eh…and I would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids.” Edgar Crab-bottom

(Above: Oh brother if I get any grief from this picture rip the graphics team is so fired!!! What is it you guys do around here anyway?)

For more on this story please visit the article posted on The Tribune (link below)

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20101202/OUTDOORS/712029946/1037&parentprofile=1010

Good luck and good fishing

Kermitt’s Walkabout

Wandering along I-70 below Idaho Springs is a 1.5 mile somewhat fishable section of the creek. Action can vary by the day depending on water levels and angling pressure. This is a section of the creek I have dabbled a bit on but never have come up with anything big. “Big” for this stretch would be a solid +16’er brown or bow that would possibly weigh a pound or two at most. Two pounds may be an exaggeration or even a wild boast for most fish on the creek but larger brutes do exist. Hard work, timing and sometimes just plain luck will put that magical fish in your hands.

My plan is to simply get out there as much as possible and hope for at least one good fish and a mix of scenery. Finding water with solitude is also a bonus, which points me towards Kermitt’s Walkabout. Having to park and walk the stretch makes a bit of difference in regards to pressure. So much of the creek sees at least one or two casts on a daily basis. Being able to pick apart the areas that are less worked makes me feel a bit closer to the divide and helps me forget that I am only 20 minutes from Denver.

Right off the bat I expect to struggle. Water is low and from previous trips I know the fish are scared. The ant pattern has faded in success and only the minnow pattern is getting noticed on the spin side. This reduces me to a few small nymph patterns and only one or two spin presentations. Not the best conditions for me but better than say a blizzard or forest fire. (I’m fully prepared for both at this point) Walking, casting only to get a timid flash or a curious follow here and there. First the spin, then the fly…maybe a switch up or fresh tie on before moving up the stream. Sometimes you get the love and sometimes you don’t. When you do it is like magic.

Hopping over rocks and moving upstream the struggle continues. By now I have hooked only one or two small browns in the 10-inch class. I’m starting to think this trip might get tossed in the “not worth posting” pile. I had covered the entire stretch and was now headed back with my brain already scrambling to plan the next trip. Then I notice a small section of rocks that had been passed on the way up.

One fish can make all the difference. Even though this isn’t a two-pounder brown that I could shamelessly boast about but it is a quality fish for this stretch. It also helps me salvage this post with some respectability. Quick photo-op and release.

Kermitt’s Walkabout…name explained. So I may come up with a few names for stretches of the creek. My hope is to break the 50-mile mile long strip of water into sections and name those sections using landmarks of some sort. At the base of this run is a bar\restaurant called “Kermitt’s”. They serve hot coffee, cold beer and even do live music on the weekends. The fact you have to park and walk the 1.5 mile stretch makes it a “walkabout” as opposed to the drive, park and cast sections that dominate most of the creek. Mark my words…I shall pull a two-pounder out of Kermitt’s Walkabout and yes, the bragging will be shameless.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.