Redemption found up north

Every angler experiences highs and lows. I recently hit a dry spell that was so severe that I thought the name of my blog was going to be changed to “Matt takes his fishing poles for a walk.” January is always tough for me for some reason but this year was downright brutal.

Plan A was to hike in and fish the reservoir. The sign on the booth stated the reservoir had been recently drained and no stocking had occurred due to more draining required for yet more repairs. Part of me wanted to fish it anyway to see if this was indeed the case but chose to go with Plan B. My backup plan was to fish the river. Luckily the water was open 90% of the way.

(Above: Shot of the trib looking downstream. I don’t get up this way often and that is a shame. By sheer luck and good timing this slip of water became a viable Plan B.)

The area is sparsely wooded for the most part with some vertical rock features that are unique as well as interesting. The maintenance road leading to up from the parking area was downright easy compared to the last few runs that I have made. Not wasting any time on the lower section I walked the mile and a half straight to the main tailwater. Second cast and I feel the bite and then the tug of a fish. I was running a gold PM into the large pool below the dam and was working it back steady and the thing just got clobbered. The action on the rod raised my spirits immensely.

(Above: Grainy picture from early in the AM. After a serious dry spell this fish was sweet redemption.)

A few more casts, a few changes and no strikes I decided to move down to the rest of the water. Going through the patterns one or two colors would get follows but only the gold would get strikes. Fish size can range anywhere from 8 to 16-inches on the better stretch of this water that spans only a mile or two from the bridge to the dam. Brown trout are the staple in the population but occasionally an angler will run into a rainbow or cutbow trout.

(Above: A decent shot of some upstream water with a little bit of everything; flats, pools, rocks, current. Not the biggest water a person can find in Colorado but can still be a slice of heaven in January.)

I found the most success when working the less obvious water compared to fishing the larger holes that looked more ideal. This is becoming a rule of thumb for me in regards to trout action these days. Of course you still have to run the gear through the popular spots but working the less than perfect water with intent is what boosts up my fish counts.

Case in point…I cast through a beauty spot and only come up empty. Working the flat water behind it I get a heavy thump. A hefty fish (at least for this water) grabs onto the spinner and puts up a sturdy fight. The shallow water and lesser current does not bode well for a fish this size and quickly the fish is subdued.

(Above: Fish of the day. A nice near 16’er male brown trout caught in a shallow flat. Notice the damaged tail? That is a mark of a scrapper fish.)

When walking back to the truck there is a huge difference between having fished and actually catching fish, at least for me. Catching fish is not the most important aspect to angling, learning is. But we validate what we learn via the catch. January was nearly a complete skunkfest for me, which was downright unacceptable by fishaholic standards. Being able to catch and release some quality fish at the tail end of the month is huge. It may sound silly to most but for me this trip can only be described as Pure Redemption!

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Photos from the Field

Sluggin’ it out! Mudder ducker! Winter is the season that tests me the most as it does most things. For me this winter has been “Too many ice-holes and not enough fish.” I truly believe that an angler is only as good as their next fish so if I don’t hook into something soon…I may have to start releasing articles like; “How to take your fishing poles for a walk” or “Back when I could actually catch fish.”

But I am still out there putting in the T.O.W. That is something fused to the core of my soul. MUST FISH! So in lieu of actual fish catching posts hopefully my latest submittal of PFF will keep folks mildly entertained.

(Above: This is what 12-foot snowdrifts would look like if we were 72 feet tall. It is just a matter of perspective and scale.)

(Found: One rubber duckie…slightly damaged. Maybe I don’t want to know where this came from.)

They hold duck races on some of your local streams and creeks in Colorado which may lead to some strange findings. Unfortunately they look pretty rough by the time I stumble across them.

(Caution! Fog crossing. This is a slip of fog crossing a road on my way to work. Just the one little section here. Pulled over, got the shot then it faded away. I have never seen a westbound fog in such in a hurry.)

(Above: This is a gratuitous nature shot of geese over Bear Creek Reservoir. I consider myself very blessed to be living where I am on this amazing planet.)

Speaking of Geese…there were more geese that flew over and almost formed a perfect letter M (see below). M stands for Mattsabasser!

Ok so maybe I am having far too much fun with this PFF segment but going to throw another photo in for good measure.

”Two Eagles in rough weather”

Usually eagles will take flight if you get too close so I didn’t push for a closer shot. This looks to be the Colorado version of the two vultures that you see in the cartoon.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

An angler is only as good as their next fish. At least that is the way I feel about it. Some folks will milk the same photos over and over saying, “Beat this!” or something to that affect. Other bloggers and forum posters that I respect highly post up only the day’s catch…on a continuous basis.

My name is Matt…must fish, must fish…MUST FISH!

Don makes the Mepps Catalog for 2010

One guy that has taken the Mepps lure further than anyone else in regards to presentation in a wide range of water and seasons is Don. Most of the time that is what he is throwing for bass and when he finds a groove it is hard to keep up with him in the fish count.

Don has been fishing with the Mepps for years and sends them pictures with endless “Thank You’s” for making such an awesome fish-catching product. For the record Mepps is not a sponsor of my blog or affiliated with The MAD Fishing Show in any way.

(Above: Other than the green sunfish shot, this may in fact be the smallest bass sent to them from Don. Editors…whatcanyoudo?)

I would have chose a different picture but it may have been a simple color\print issue for them. The product shown here is new and not the same type Don uses. But it is still pretty cool to see him finally get some acknowledgement. This guy could literally write the book on the Aglia styled lures from the fine people at Mepps.

Can’t Catch Fish

Not for lack of trying, my fishing results lately have been worse than dismal. I am talking downright skunksville. Drill, drop, wait. Drill, drop, wait. Last year I could do no wrong. This year I can’t seem to get anything right out on the ice. Choking down the frustration on those defeated walks back to the truck is starting to wear my patience thin. It is almost like my ice fishing is cursed and I can’t catch fish.

Which brings me to the video below. Here is a great music video that is put together very well and just as funny. Stuff like this keeps me from going completely unhinged during the winter months.



This is a video\lip sync of Shad-Rapp’s “Can’t catch fish”. These guys should have this other guy doing all of their videos. If you want to browse through their entire collection of music melodies, they can be found here.

http://www.shad-rapp.com/

The fish gods love humility. So maybe a little honesty and confessions of my terrible fishing results as of late will help turn my luck around. I am starting to feel like some guy from Illinois.

Let’s get to know…”The Cutbow”

Let’s get to know…”The Cutbow”

How cool are fish? Each species is different and has biological differences that control so much about where they live and why. Knowing these facts will help dial in the location and patterns of the fish you seek to catch. Fish identification is just the start. Learning the biological aspects helps us catch and preserve this amazing natural creature. Please bear with me and my poindexter excerpts of “Let’s get to know…”.

Let’s get to know the “Cutbow”

The cutbow trout is a hybrid created from cutthroat and rainbow trout. In the 1880’s rainbow trout were stocked in various waters containing cutthroat trout and shortly after cutbows became prevalent in Colorado waters. The natural version of the cutbow is a hybrid species commonly created when the female cutthroat trout’s eggs are fertilized by the larger male rainbow trout. Hatcheries will most likely create the opposite version as they have more female rainbow trout on hand. One of the primary reasons for covering the hybrid cutbow before discussing the rainbow trout is the fact that a lot of anglers get this hybrid species confused with rainbow trout (and even cutthroat trout in some cases). More details on the biological\ecological instances below but first we will cover the identification.

How to identify the cutbow

The easiest way to identify a cutbow is to look for the most distinguishing marks of both the rainbow and cutthroat trout species; red or orange slash marks under the jaw with silver body. The dotted pattern in some cutbows may be more defined but this characteristic can vary quite a bit. In fact, the physical characteristics can change quite a bit which complicates identification of all three species further.

More about the Cutbow

Spawning: Spawning occurs in springtime when both the rainbow trout and cutthroat trout reproduce. Rainbow trout prefer spawning temps of 40 to 50 degrees. The cutthroat prefers a slightly tighter range of 42 to 48 according to the sources that I have researched. The cutbow is capable of reproducing as well in both natural and hatchery environments. Most anglers think of hybrids as being sterile such as the tiger muskie but natural hybridization occurs in a few fish species within Colorado waters (some trout species as well as bluegill and panfish are a few that come to mind.)

This hybrid species is fairly resistant to whirling disease, an illness that greatly hampers rainbow trout viability in Colorado. Supplemental stockings of the hybrid species have improved the sport fishing in some regions where introduction makes sense. The Colorado Division of Wildlife’s management philosophy has changed in recent decades to try and repair some of the damage done to native cutthroat trout purity. Most biologists agree that the pure DNA and genetic makeup of the native cutthroat trout is at risk as long as rainbow trout (and cutbow trout) exist in native cutthroat trout habitat. Over time the pure strains will degrade and the genetics blurring the lines completely.

The cutbow has a love\hate relationship with most sport anglers in Colorado as it can exhibit amazing hues of greenish yellow with brilliant dot patterns. Size and fight of this hybrid can offer great sport as well. But this bounty of sport comes with a heavy price if we lose the pure species and distinct subspecies of the cutthroat trout. Thankfully we have learned from the past mistakes and keeping the best of both worlds; protection around native cutthroat trout waters and supplementing stocking of other species where appropriate. It is still not a perfect system and a lot of damage has already been done.

* Possible factoid: While researching this subject I came across a possible factoid of a “cutbow vs bowcut” naming convention in regards to the gender order. Most biologists do not differentiate between the two possibilities but one hatchery\biologist stated that there was a difference. This factoid could not be verified through two or more sources so I cannot say this is “bonafide”.

Acknowledgements

http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing/ClinicsAndEducation/Hatcheries/
http://www.missouriscenicrivers.com/Rainbow.html
http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing/SpeciesID/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutbow

It's official: catch ties a world record

DANIA BEACH — After nearly six months of waiting, Japan's Manabu Kurita is taking his place alongside Georgia angler George Perry in the International Game Fish Association's World Record Games Fishes book as a co-holder of the All-Tackle record for largemouth bass. Each fish weighed in at 22 pounds, 4 ounces.

The catches came 77 years apart. The IGFA approved Kurita's application for the fish caught from Japan's largest lake on July 2, 2009.

Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan, was fishing Lake Biwa using a Deps Sidewinder rod and a Shimano Antares DC7LV reel loaded with 25-pound Toray line when he pitched his bait -- a live bluegill -- next to a bridge piling. It was Kurita's first cast to the piling where he had seen a big bass swimming. He only twitched the bait a couple of times before he got a bite.

Matt’s Rant: When this catch first hit the AP wire it made the rounds on a lot of forums and was the scuttlebutt of a lot of angler water cooler conversations. Now that there has been more legitimacy brought to the catch, I feel better about posting this up.

Had to milk the “Gimme”

So my recent ice fishing outings have come up empty. Chatfield Res., Chatfield Ponds, Evergreen, Bear Creek Lake, even Golden Gate Ponds have been educational rather than spectacular. That is a shame as these places have treated me very well in the past for the hard water scene. So what is a fishaholic to do? In an act of pure desperation I had to milk the “gimme” for a few respectable fish.

The term gimme comes from the game of golf where the shot is so automatic that most players don’t even consider the approach, the lie or wind…just walk up and shoot. That is what this place is like a lot of the time. A few waterhounds might recognize the area as this is fishing hole that I post from periodically throughout the year.

Once again the gold pattern was the ticket along with dodging a few cold spurts. First cast was absolutely hammered by a stocky brown trout. There are times when I wonder if I were to tag fish in spots like this…how many times could I catch them in one lifetime?

(Above: Love the dark colors on this fish and I typically see or catch two brown trout approx. this size at this location. One is a bit thinner in shape, slightly smaller and light in color. The other fish tends to be dark, slightly larger and much fatter than the other.)

The second spot was met with one rainbow trout and then another and then another. Getting into three quality bows on this stretch is amazing! One of my casts was virtually perfect grazing the edge of the tree line and plopping right in the slot. The line stretched as soon as the lure hit. This fish put up a quality fight or as much as it could in the shallow water and then was downright polite during the whole photo op. thank you Mr. Trout.

(Above: This was the larger of the three cutbows on the day and was nice enough to pose for a quick picture. Catch and release.)

My guess is that these rainbows might have moved down from a large hole somewhere upstream. As the upstream clogs with ice bigger fish get pushed down into the few open/tailwater sections. These areas look a bit “ghetto” which seems to keep most if not all of the pressure away.

People have actually laughed when they see me…”There’s actually fish there?” They might yell while biking or walking their four legged friends.

“Nope!” I yell sluffing a cast or start looking in my tackle bag. “Just getting in a little practice.”

Before I get too far off on the tangent here let me just say that I recant all of my trash talk towards ice fishing. I don’t hate ice fishing. I LOVE ice fishing. Hear me fishing gods? Please do not smote me any further on the hard water scene.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Charlie Myers, Denver Post Outdoor Writer…he will be greatly missed.

Charlie Meyers, who climbed from the lowlands of Louisiana to the peak of Colorado journalism through his insightful coverage of hunting, fishing and skiing for The Denver Post, died Tuesday evening from complications due to lung cancer.

Meyers, 72, covered his beats the past four decades with a graceful, engaging style and a thoughtful perspective. His last column for The Post, about an imperiled fishery in Park County, was published Dec. 6.
"He was a wonderful man, a wonderful journalist and a wonderful outdoorsman," said William Dean Singleton, publisher of The Denver Post. "I can't imagine The Denver Post without him."

There will be a memorial service for Charlie Meyers, with details pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that anyone wishing to make a donation in Charlie's name send it to Colorado Trout Unlimited, 1320 Pearl St., Suite 320, Boulder, CO 80302; or the Colorado Division of Wildlife, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_14131079?source=pop

My craziest story of 2009…true story

Epilogue:

There was one fishing story that I wasn’t going to share for a number of reasons. But after telling a co-worker the tale recently I decided to toss it up on the blogilicious to help close out 2009. This was a rare occasion where I have had to call in the officials for violation(s). “Second Craziest” award goes to Mother of All Snapping Turtles.

Early Morning Jump…Ward Pond

Early morning “before work” run on Ward Pond there in Wheatridge off of I-70 and Ward Road. This was mid spring/prespawn conditions for largemouth bass and I was looking to bust a few lips before hitting the office. Prespawn is one of my favorite times for bass fishing so you might see me out there before work, lunch time, after work and just plain missing work altogether. Pulling in I see one vehicle.

“Not too shabby. “ I say with an optimistic grin.

The truck is parked and I grab two rods and the tackle bag. Then proceed to pass sign after sign stating the additional (AFLO/C&R) restrictions and that this is a State Wildlife Area primarily used for fishing. This is a place that metro bassers have tried to set apart from the bait and take public areas of Denver.

Walking down the well-worn wooden stairs grasping the metal railing I start working the southwest corner of the lake. Casting at some shallow cruising bass I plink one and get a decent picture. That is when I noticed the big red dome way over on the west side of the lake. At first it looked like it could be some debris or a really huge person with a red jacket. My eyes caught another bass and the red object moved to the back of my mind.

(Serious bass jones going on here. I am certifiably insane come prespawn.)

15 minutes had passed and time was running out. I had briefly scouted the north side resulting in disappointment. Turning the corner and ending up on the west side I finally see the red object in full view. It is a tent. Someone had actually pitched a tent and was camping on the peninsula. I am used to running into baiters and bass takers here but this was way out of bounds.

(This is the actual tent setup at the sight. Not some lame reenactment with “look-alike” tents. This here is bonafide.)

“You have to be #$%^& kidding me.” I scoff in disgust. “A Tent?” But this is where it really gets crazy.

I keep moving and avoid the peninsula. Just as I am getting to start scouting the rest of the southeast cove, a guy literally jumps out of the tree line with two rifles shouldered on his back. The straps made him look like one of those banditos you see in the old western movies. Too be quite honest I damn near pissed myself in that first moment where two people eyeball one another with bad and fearful intent. He gave me a probing look as scenes of deliverance flashed through my mind. One rifle looked to be a pellet gun and relatively harmless. The other looked as if it was a .22 but hard to tell by just the barrel. That was somewhat of a comforting thought as a higher-powered rifle eliminates the option of running.

I kept moving and did my best to play it cool while still trying to scout the shoreline. Hopefully I could casually make my way past this guy as this cove was super hot for me last year.

I moved around the cove quickly to where I had landed a huge bass last year. This year however the west side of the far cove was moss covered and void of any nests. It is kind of funny how even in the face of pellet or other gun shot wounds…my focus is still on catching fish. I even scan the northern shore a second time on the way back managing to pick up another cruising prespawn bucket. Sporadically I would hear little “pop” noises as the urban commando fired off shot after shot with the pellet gun.

(Not too shabby for an early weekday cast in spring.)

Put the gear away and get in the truck. By this time I am running very late and hanging on the edge of speeding my restrictions to reach work about 8:30AM. Anything after 9AM is “asschew late”. My cell phone of course is still charging (otherwise it would have been worth the time to call before driving to work). Once at the office I made a call first to the State Wildlife office. I figure they run the place, right? They went to the trouble to put up all those signs, right? I put in the call, tell the whole story and the first thing the guy asks me, “Did you call Operation Game Thief?” (I also mentioned the fact the guy had one pellet rifle and the other I wasn’t sure about. This may have lessened his concern greatly.)

“The guy is camping out there and shooting rifles…a threat to himself and society…who knows what he is shooting at out there. Whoever has jurisdiction in this case needs to get down there, ASAP.” Really I just wanted someone to kick him off the property. If he is shooting birds he is probably taking fish. Pretty much breaking every single rule posted on all of those signs they put up everywhere.

Work was kicking into full gear so there wasn’t a lot of time or need for that matter to be jawing it up with the officers. My goal was to notify them immediately and let them handle this matter officially. The guy did have guns after all. I simply told the guy what I knew and asked for a call back for closure. Maybe they would give me the end of the story, maybe not.

“Hopefully they stop him before someone gets hurt.” Was my last word on the subject or so I thought.

The phone rings about 10:45ish and the caller ID says “Operation Game Thief”. I pick it up and the official starts with a similar line of questioning as the first.

“This is officer so-N-so and just wanted to get your side of the story here. Now where was the guy at and what was he doing?”

“Thank you for calling, sir. My name is Matt and this morning I came across a guy camping out at Ward Pond. He was shooting a pellet gun at just about everything in sight. Was the tent and everything still setup when you got there?” Heck, I just started rattling off thinking they had already caught the guy and this was my call back for the statement or sheer courtesy.

“Well we haven’t sent an officer out yet. I was just filling out the report and getting ready to dispatch someone if necessary.”

“Huh?” I sputtered completely dumfounded. “You haven’t sent anyone out yet? The guy is pretty much shooting at anything out there with a pellet gun. At the very least he can’t be tenting it up out there by I-70.”

It was disheartening and the issue was causing more grief than it was worth. Trust you me that had this been I camping out at Ward Pond on a spring day shooting a pellet gun you can bet SWAT would have been called out as soon as the first tent pole went in.

“Oh well” I scoffed a bit disgusted and went off on a rant. “Gave it a shot. Did my part and all that. Let the place go to crap. See if I care. It could be one of the best damn fishing holes if folks would just give a $%& and read all those #$%^& signs they put up all over the #$%^&* place.”

More e-mails, more requests and the usual Lumberg’s roll in. Tackle, battle, get it out the door. Soon I am looking at grabbing some lunch. Maybe even scouting the apartment pond for 20 minutes with modest expectations and a fast retrieve. The phone rings. The caller ID says Wheatridge Police.

“Oh man…” My voice cracks wondering what this is all about. “This can’t be good.” My voice mutters as I answer the phone. It was yet a third rendition of the previous officer.

“This is officer yada-yada. Am I talking to the person who reported the man camping out at Ward Pond?…”

“Yes it is. So what’s the deal. Did you catch the guy? Was he still down there?”

“Well no. Not yet. I was just on my way down there and wanted to get some more information...”

“Wow.” I blurted out forgetting my composure for a moment. “I put this call in about 8:30. I am surprised you folks are just getting out there. This guy could really be causing some damage. Heck he is probably long gone by now.”

“It’s been a busy morning.” He replied with an obviously annoyed tone. ‘I’m about 15 minutes from there now.”

Not wanting to lose this guy from my side of the issue I refrained from the ‘I might have put “possible lunatic with guns” a bit higher on my priority list” comment and filled him on the whole situation. I also remembered to ask for the follow up call.

About 3PM I am wrapping up the daily grind and coast through the next two hours. The nice part about busting butt early in the day sometimes makes that possible. Then the phone rings. It’s the officer from Wheatridge with the follow up. Now I won’t bore you with the exact dialogue of this conversation but will have to summarize in hopes of easing the punishment of reading this 4-page dribble.

The officer searched the tent and found a substantial amount of “chemical drugs” was the term he used. There must have been some other stuff too as the officer ended up calling in backup as well as transport. This means the guy is in serious trouble when the city police turn someone over to the state police.

Honestly I didn’t know whether to feel good or bad at that point. On one hand the guy was removed from the premises and nobody was injured. On the other hand the guy is going to get a good deal more than a simple warning or citation. That part of the story was something I definitely did not intend or would wish on anyone. In hindsight I still don’t know if this was a good call or not. Had the guy not been strapped like Rambo I would have pointed out the regs in person…as I usually have to do out here many, many, many times. Hanging up the phone my heart was heavy.

“#$%^!” The lamenting became twice fold in an instant. “I forgot to ask what caliber the other gun was.”

That makes a big difference in regards to this story. It just sounds better with a pellet rifle and an AR15 or something like that. Two BB guns? Well that sounds a lot less menacing. Still this has to be craziest story of 2009. Fishing past an armed bandito beats battling a turtle the size of a small car any day in my book.

Footnote: Homeless people occasionally set up shelters on the very thick wooded areas of Ward Pond. These wooded areas are a distance away from the lake and difficult to reach. I am not condoning the behavior but at least they are more wise and set up temporary camps deep in the bush away from sight. This is the kind of thing that by the letter of the law is a violation but you have to be pretty ruthless to report it. Pick your battles in this crazy world. Watch out for giant snapping turtles and armed banditos.

Cheeseman Reservoir goes on Hold until May 2011

(Above: For sme reason I can't post a picture without having to provide alibis and witnesses reports the next three weeks for my boss who still swears this is me in the picture. If it were me, the rod would be bent over.)

It looks like Cheeseman Reservoir is getting a cool down and some valve work. It will re-open in May 1, 2011. Probably not a big deal to most folks but for anglers like me, well we still get a bit twitchy when recalling the Haymen Fire. This shut down the reservoir for a few years.

These temporary shut downs are good for fishing in my opinion as it gives the water and fish a much needed break after being in the spotlight of public pressure. Giving the folks a heads up now will allow them to take “Cheese” off of their 2010 fish list with a “MUST FISH” date set on May 1st 2011…trout, smallmouth and even pike will have let their guard down a bit.

For more on the story…

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=129331&catid=188

Evergreen Ice Fish-First run on hard water

So it is time to get serious about ice fishing, as the recent cold snap has locked up so much water. Saturday I took a journey up to Evergreen for my first ice run of the season.

Action was no-go. The combined effort of about 25-30 anglers achieved nothing. Everyone I talked to had gone throughout the day without so much as a bite. The Vexilar and other sonar units were picking up fish but they just didn’t want to eat anything. I tried several locations zigzagging from the northern shore to the middle of the lake.

(Above: The snow was frozen and compact which allowed me to make my own ice fishing shelter. This photo would be much better had I actually caught a fish to put in it. Yes, I actually made this.)

After several hours of drilling, dropping and waiting I concluded two things: The bite was not “on” and I did not have a magic key. The ice had a vast layer of crusted snow on top of it that was perfect for making igloos. Within a few hours I had mine ready to go hole drilled and all. Just in time too as the wind started picking up. It was cozier than expected but yet not quite comfortable enough. My Eskimo skills need some work for sure.

Rangers check Evergreen Lake and other popular ice-fishing destinations frequently. It does my heart good to see these folks out in force at any place and time. Better enforcement = better fishing. Park Rangers are 99.9% the best folks you ever want to meet in the wild. That remaining 0.1% is often a misunderstanding or folks just flat out breaking the rules (myself included in the fore mentioned item).

In closing this just may be my first “skunkaroo” post on the on the blogilicious (and one of the four or five goose egg trips in 2009). However I still managed to learn a lot on this trip. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together from recent trips I just may have managed to get most of the picture in focus. Next trip will be different…absolutely!

Always someone more Hard Core

Just when I think I am getting to a point where I am leading the pack, someone else shows me just how much further I need to go. Driving to work Tuesday morning during that ultra cold snap and I see this guy (picture below).

(Above: Another one of my “through the windshield” shots hence the slight haze. Even though it is not a fishing photo it does raise the bar for me in a lot of respects. If this guy can bike to work I can fish!)

It’s less than 5 degrees Fahrenheit outside. The wind is drifting snow at about 15mph making the temp 5 below zero when you add in the wind chill factor. Severe temps like this cut right through just one or two layers and freezes tears to the side of your face.

Here I am in an enclosed 4-wheel drive vehicle with the heater going. Looking at this guy you know this morning is just another morning trek for him.

“This guy makes me look a F%^&*#@ wuss!” I cough.

Mr. Arctic Two-Wheeler here should get a “hard core” award or something for biking to work in weather like this. If there were such an award maybe it would look similar to the one I have created below.

Fishing inspiration can be found virtually anywhere and this time of year I need inspiration most of all. Half of my rods are still geared up for bass and the ice gear was in storage. One the way home from work it was tossed in the truck and the sorting, re-lining and whatnot will begin. The year is not up. I still have weeks to fish. Must Fish!

My must fish name is must fish Matt and I’m a must fish must fish must fish fishaholic!

Let’s get to know…The Yellow Perch

How cool are fish? Each species is different and has biological differences that control so much about where they live and why. Knowing these facts will help dial in the location and patterns of the fish you seek to catch. Fish identification is just the start. Learning the biological aspects helps us catch and preserve this amazing natural creature. Please bear with me and my poindexter excerpts of “Let’s get to know…”.

Let’s get to know The Yellow Perch

Perch can be one of my favorite fish to catch as we roll into winter. Some of my warm water fisheries have a substantial population of perch and they will offer some decent action when the bass scene gets too cold.

(Above: One of my better Colorado perch pictures in digital format-historical/not recent photo. I almost broke out the flatbed scanner to show some more respectable perch pictures. I am not a big fan of recycling my fish pictures and will always state when a picture is pulled from my archive to make a post or article more worthy for the reader.)

Identification:

Perch are mainly identified by their black vertical stripes over a green body. Their dorsal fin is large and spiny. Pelvic, anal and pectoral fins are orange and brighter in males during the spawn cycle. The body is elongated and typically 6 to 8-inches is the standard size for Colorado. However they can reach upwards to 14-inches when conditions are prime.

The pectoral fin appears to be oversized for the fish’s body but it actually helps the fish defend itself from aggressive predators such as pike, muskie and many others.

Yellow Perch basics:

Perch are a member of the walleye family and just as tasty. The yellow perch is often overlooked as a table fish in Colorado compared to the walleye due to its relatively small size. Responsible harvest is needed to support health perch populations in Colorado waters. Removing a full limit of the most common size (even if only 6 to 8-inches) and releasing the larger sized perch is key to producing larger fish down the road.

My guess is that perch were introduced in Colorado roughly around the 1850-1890 range similar to other states in the west (I looked for the actual date reference but gave up after a few tries. I should be pretty close here).

Spawning:

Adult female perch (2-3 years olds) can produce anywhere from 4,000 to 50,000 eggs. Males reach adulthood at 1 to 3 years old.

Eggs are laid in long connected ribbons preferably over vegetation when water temperatures reach 45 to 55 degrees. (early/mid-Spring).

Depending on water temperatures, hatching occurs 10 to 20 days after fertilization.

Adults do little in regards to building nests, guarding or raising the young. Adult perch will actually eat the young if given the chance.

More about perch (Matt’s rant warning!)

Some waters do better than others with the species as it can have a tendency to overpopulate quickly. The yellow perch eats just about anything in the lower spectrum of the food chain from smaller fish to aquatic larvae. This can have a devastating impact on prime game fish habitat. Yellow perch are more of a nuisance in Colorado waters than an actual sport fish. So many natural factors play in this species’ favor that it only takes a few years for perch to seriously impact even a large reservoir if left unchecked.

What would help the perch situation in Colorado greatly is a better understanding of the species and more focus to be placed on them in every body of water where they exist. Some lakes should be managed with perch success in mind and some lakes would benefit from substantial harvesting of perch. Complete removal of perch is extremely difficult. However the system becomes healthier when perch are removed as that aggressive pressure is removed. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has done this very thing in a few reservoirs but overall the yellow perch is a low priority. Anglers could really make a difference here. Anglers that appreciate and respect a responsible harvest might focus on perch a few days of the year and suffer with a lot of small perch at first as that is what will be in multitude. The biggest perch need to go back for best possible DNA in the first few years. Each year the fish will get bigger and bigger until the norm reaches a 10-15 fish harvest in the 10 to 12-inch range. This is some of the tastiest fish in Colorado. Why are people taking out the bass? The reason you are catching 4 to 6 inch fish in multitudes and not a single 8 or even 10 is because the large fish are only being taken out and the entire population is overcrowded. This causes stunting and I see this more often than not.

Where to find yellow perch:

Yellow perch are all over Colorado lakes. If there are bass and sunfish placed in your local waters there is a good chance that yellow perch are placed there as well. A few places noted for Colorado perch are Blue Mesa, Harvey Gap and Rifle Gap. But other local haunts such as Loveland Lake, Chatfield Ponds, and Aurora Reservoir are great perch opportunities in open and even hard water. Check with your local managing agency for more perch locations as well as specific regulations.

Good Luck and Good Fishing.

Informational resource and other useful links listed below:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishfacts/yellowperch.asp

http://www.fondriest.com/species/yellow_perch.htm

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/walleye/biology.html

Moving into the “Cold Three”

(Above: This is one of my favorite winter fishing shots. Cold weather can do a number on camera equipment. Keep as much gear in an insulated case as possible. If you can wear this inside your gear-not against your bare skin due to sweat is ideal. Batteries lose energy when cold. Warm them up and they should return too normal…sometimes that is.)

The hardest months for me as an angler in Colorado are what I call “The Cold Three”. The reasons are mostly obvious. The roads get piled with snow, the lakes freeze up and fish just so happen to be cold-blooded meaning that cold temperatures slow their metabolism. The colder the water temp the less active most fish become. Some warmwater species virtually shut down completely. An angler has to not only put the lure in the face of the largemouth bass but also practically open the jaws and put the lure in. Ice fishing enthusiasts aside, December, January and even early February can be the toughest for me and other anglers to catch fish consistently. But we do catch fish.

Being a year round angler means that an angler will fish at least once a month and try to catch fish with some level of quality. Let’s be honest here. If you only fish a few times June through September…you can’t truly wear the badge “Year Round Angler”.

Here are some things that get me through the winter season.

1. Moving water is open water. Tailwater river fishing spots are prime in the worst weather conditions. Low traffic at premiere trout fishing spots is simply a dream to most summer fly fisherfolks. The same location in winter will be far less crowded. If that river or stream has large rollover dams, spillways and natural elements that keep the ice free even below freezing you can fish that spot year round. The fish may actually congregate their in search of surface bugs or other food. Oxygen levels are also higher in these areas and vital to fish in winter.

2. Ice fishing is more fun than you think. This hard water fishing is whole new world. Even if it is my least favorite there are still a ton of opportunities here. Look for the lakes that allow ice fishing but not boating, like Evergreen for example. Pulling up the DOW website and searching for popular ice fishing destinations is a good step if you haven’t already.

3. Curb the fishing jones with research, gear tweaks and those fishing things you have meant to do for some time. Maybe knock off a few honeydo’s and use them for bargaining chips to get more fishing time later in the year. If things get real bad, go buy some new fishing stuff and keep focused on next season. It will be here before you know it.

4. Fish slowly. Fish are going to be far less active in winter than in warmer conditions especially for warm water species. Lakes may suffer from oxygen loss, which can be another factor on the action. During the winter months I try to fish spinnerbaits, plastics, jigs and anything else as slow as possible. Fish do not move very far to reach a lure so search casting and getting close to deep structure increases your chances of winter hook-ups. The more successful you are the more you will enjoy fishing the cold season.

5. Set a goal to fish at least once a month in the cold three if you don’t already have a similar goal. Some people really enjoy fishing in winter once they actually do so.

A few other things to mention are: check the conditions constantly, use caution and be prepared. Safety is always the first priority as winter weather can be pretty harsh in Colorado. Good luck and be cautious this season fishing the “Cold Three”.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.

Plan B perch

Now my second plan for the day was to go after some perch. When warmwater bassin’ spots turn frigid there is one species that remains active. That species is the yellow perch. In a number of ponds across the Front Range these fish will be eager to take a lure. Yellow perch are not in their primetime form as of yet but will be in another month or two. Scouting things out know may help at that time.

For perch I like to use two different setups. A Carolina rig with a small dropshot hook (A small hook I carry with my bass gear.) and the other is a 1/32oz jig with a matching curly tail grub. Bright colors that can be easily seen work well for a fish that has a smaller mouth than bass. Both started getting bites right away.

(Above: Yellow Perch caught on Carolina rig.)

The jig was getting the bigger fish. When an active area was approached the jig would pick up scrappers that were a bit hardier in size and weight if only by a few ounces. The tactic was simple, cast out and let it drop. Once the lure hit the bottom the bites would either happen or not. The hook was set with a small snap and I would pull up another perch.

(Above: The jig was getting perch slightly bigger and slightly thicker.)

The largest perch were in the 8-inch range. The goal was to locate the larger fish in the 12-inch range if possible. I covered most of the lake catching a few dozen fish but the larger ones eluded me.

The rigs are nothing fancy but seriously downsized and not typical of my bass or even trout gear. The jig is small and just enough weight to cast. If fishing by shore you will need the 1/8oz. When the perch are too small for the 1/8oz (which was the case today) I size down to the 1/32oz.

The grubs are a mister twister “Lil-bit” grubs and the 1” works great for the 1/32 and the 2” will go with the larger sizes.

The Carolina rig is nothing more than an extremely downsized version of the bass rig. The drop shot hook is a smaller hook that I have on hand and the same grub for the jig works in this application. I like this rig for a matted bottom or when I need the bait to bounce a bit. The drop shot application is employed if I have a mossy bottom. In truth there are many different tactics for perch. In-Fisherman is an excellent source for perch tactics and a must read for perch aficionados.

Good luck and good fishing.

Late November Bass

A few of my late fall bass trips have come up empty. But that is to be expected when you fish a species so far out of its optimum conditions. A hardore basser does not shirk away from a challenge so when I saw the forecast calling for near 70 degree temps…the pontooner was loaded up and hauled out to a Front Range Pond.

The one thing I brought today in multitude was patience. Slowly I began picking, prodding and searching for buckets. The sky was clear and the sun started beating down early. It felt like more like a summer day than a late Fall morning in November.

Just by looking at the lake and the angle of the sun it was easy to see what areas were basking in the warm sun and what areas were shaded and still sporting patches of snow. You had the Alaska Tundra or the Bahamas it seems with the contrast in ground temperature. Bass prefer the Bahamas so any island structure facing south was first on the list. After an hour of the slow-n-go my diligence was rewarded.

(Above: Stocky looking November bass. Even though the post is in December. There is a huge difference in my eyes between bass caught in December and January as opposed to those caught in November and even February. Late November bass are still pretty sweet.)

Sluggish bite, sluggish fight. No surface breaks or screaming drag. It was like pulling in a twitching log in the 2.5-pound range. It was a good way to set the pace for the rest of the day.

A long day. I will summarize as to spare you the laborious details. Covered the entire lake. Saw three more bass and spooked one of the three. Most of the time I would fish ahead of me and drift in a slow line under a breeze that you could barely feel. Sometimes the tooner would drift right over the structure and the fish would be right below me. Cast, sink, drop…wait…wait…bump…wait…bump…wait. Lift, reel, cast and repeat.

The lure selection was the same stuff I usually throw just fished a lot slower.

Fishing location makes a huge difference when chasing bass in late fall/early winter. Ponds and lakes with a healthy population of bass will put the odds and numbers in your favor. Cold water bassin’ is not the easiest thing to do so I tend to focus on my best producing lakes or ponds during the cold season. These are also places that I know fairly well meaning that I have a good idea where the best structure points are and have some seasonal/historic reference. Most fish tend to transition location throughout the year so knowing those transition patterns will help you fish the wintering grounds.

(Above: This illustration crudely represents how temperature range may look for any given body of water. Typically you assume the south side will be warmer. But trees and natural elements shade those areas and make them far cooler than the north that may receive a daily dose of direct sunlight. The red section is intended to be relatively shallow and not a vertical drop or ledge.)

Finding the most active areas for winter bass during a warm spell is simply a matter of knowing what to look for. Areas of water will vary in temperature if even only a few degrees depending on where you are. This difference in temperature will have a huge impact on the aggressiveness of warmwater fish like largemouth bass.

The shallow areas will heat up quickly and generate activity even in winter months. This area is generally on the north side that receives the most direct sunlight. The deeper water close this area is a prime target area for lurking bass. Vertical drop off areas on the north side can be pure gold. All lakes are different but these are general rules that help me find tough winter fish. Note: Some fish are stubborn and will hold to certain areas unless driven off by some force. Hence why you still may find one or two fish in shallow water as well as the colder areas.

Primary target areas are areas in the warmer water that have structure. The structure will congregate fish of all sizes. These may be the same areas that I pull fish from in the summer months. However the fish will be tucked much tighter to that structure and moving much slower.

Secondary target areas are areas that may be outside of the prime zone but still worth hitting. Some areas are so good that fish will winter in them regardless of the subtle drop in temps. More patience and more persistence may be needed to get these frigid jaws unlocked. And really therein lies the real frustration with winter bass fishing. You can locate the fish and even see them on the sonar. You practically hit the fish in the mouth with live bait and it still doesn’t bite. The fish just lumbers off a few feet like some magic floating rock. Cast. Cast…move on.

There is a ton of stuff that I am leaving out. The real keys are patience, fishing slow and hitting warm trends. Mattsabasser’s huge ass disclaimer: The best I can do is lay out general trends and guidelines that have worked for me overall. There are many exceptions to these rules in regards to winter bass fishing.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic

Proposed Gross Reservoir expansion-triple current size

(Below: This is what Gross looks like now. The image is taken from Google earth. If I come across the proposal plans indicating what the projected growth would look like, I will be sure to post that as well.)

In five years, population growth in Denver will begin to outstrip water supplies, and by 2030, the city will be short about 11 billion gallons of water, according to Denver Water.

That's one of the reasons why the agency is proposing an expansion of Gross Reservoir in southwest Boulder County that would almost triple its capacity. The draft environmental impact statement for the project, which would fill the newly enlarged reservoir with more water from tributaries of the Colorado River near Granby, was released this month.

A public hearing will be held Tuesday in Boulder to collect comments on the environmental impact statement.

Link to full article:

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_13885451?source=rss

Matt's Rant: Gross will change significantly if this proposal is accepted (and I doubt this proposal will meet much resistance). The good news is that the reservoirs dramatic vertical drop will hold most of this increased water. The inlet area will be moved further back and harder to reach. The inlet is more or less the hot spot of Gross so more walking may reduce some of the crowds there.

Water resources are under increasing pressure. Just meeting the needs for drinking and sanitation is an enormous strain on reservoirs. Irrigation needs and simple dehydration take away the remainder. As more and more water managing agencies crunch the numbers they all point to one conclusion..."We don't have enough water."

Conservation efforts are not anywhere near where they need to be and only a small part of the equation. Look for increased water useage fees across the board as well as increased reservoir size.

Holiday Bow and Thanksgiving Brown

I am truly thankful for every fish that I catch. Big or small, any fish that thumps on the end of my line gets my heart pounding. Today I left the house in search of bass. After spending most of the day in “No-Love Warmwater town” I decided to change up. Not just change lures but change up species altogether.

Upstream was snow covered and ice-locked in many places. It was tough finding open water to cast. A few pools like the one shown below existed where sun exposure was nearly constant. These spots offered a few cast able options but these options seemed far and few between as I made the drive up the canyon. Finding open water that has active fish can be tricky this time of year.

(Above: Water movement + sun = open water on a day when active open water seemed scarce.)

Desperation was setting in. The weather was gorgeous and that seemed to encourage me onward. With icy conditions upstream I turned around and headed back downstream looking for more open water. Without waders or waterproof boots I was pretty much stuck fishing the side of water that I was on.

“Going to be another tough day.” I muttered

Running the lure through a clear water pool I get a solid hit. Within a few moments I land a near 12-inch cutbow trout. It was a gorgeous fish even if it wasn’t the largest trout you have ever seen in Colorado.

The gold patterns seemed to get the most attention and I experimented with a few. All water is different but silver patterns seem to fair better early in the year with yellow and brown colors late summer and fall. Gold patterns do well late fall and in winter tail water sections like this. Remember that lure placement and presentation is more crucial than exact color pattern in my opinion.

(Above: One quick “in the water” shot before the release. Notice the orange markings on the bottom of the jaw.)

Poking around the last open section of water near the wood bridge my line gets a heavy thump. Honestly I thought my lure had caught bottom until the line started cutting upstream. It felt like a heavy fish and a bit larger than the norm. The large yellow flash made me hold my breath until it was landed. The absence of real estate gave the fish little area to run in and the battle was over in mere seconds. A gorgeous brown trout male was in my hands and gleaming for the photo op.

(Above: Step in shot with the fish dripping and golden brown. A great holiday moment.)

I stepped in the water to make handling the fish a bit easier. The frigid water soaked into my shoes and my feet started feeling the numbing sting. My hands didn’t seem to notice as much. After releasing the fish I continued to work the rest of the fishing hole before heading out. Once my feet were out of the water it wasn’t too uncomfortable. My time was up and the rest of the day would be spent on perfecting techniques of turkey carving and cranberry sauce.

My name is Matt and I am very thankful to be living in Colorado.

Photos From the field

(Above: Farm Implement- Fall in Colorado.)

What a gorgeous hunk of rusted metal this is! A shot taken from the historical sight in Golden with the wooden fencing feebly used to frame the shot. I bet you could hook an ox up to this thing and still hoe a row of potatoes…or bail hay…or whatever this thing actually does.

(Above: This should not be viewed as trash but rather homage or symbol to broken bike parts. At least it is focused in one area and kids could be doing a lot worse things than riding bikes and throwing broken bike parts in a tree.)

Some kids made a small bike park out in the middle of nowhere. They hang the broken bike parts up in this tree. Mostly tired but a few bike frames end up on the totem. Kids could be doing a lot worse these days so I give this a free pass in regards to my anti-littering code.

Tracked by squirrel…

One of the things I try not to embellish on is my feeble tracking skills but this made me ponder for a moment. I was double-backing on my trail and noticed that a squirrel had placed its paw directly in my previous footprint. Was this squirrel tracking me? I looked further down the trail. Yes, there were more squirrel prints in the ones I had made moments before.

Now just for the record and overall perspective, due to the size of the squirrel paw in relation to my footprint…size 27…This is the biggest damn squirrel you have ever seen in your life. Be afraid my fellow anglers…be very afraid.)

Snowy run on Bear Creek

Small water is not the easiest to fish but places like Bear Creek offer a small trout fix a bit closer to home. I find that these areas receive sustained pressure during the summer months but much less so in the colder season. When weather conditions are at their worst an angler may find such water all to themselves.

Once again this is not easy water to fish and the snow will often hide holes or rocks that love to send an angler tumbling to their backside. Believe you me there were many times that I stumbled and nearly fell down. Small creeks such as this do not provide the best access. Fishing holes are small and spread across a lot of shallow water. Casting at the edges of trees and behind rocks along the way. I didn’t see anything in the way of fish action right away but that was typical. Further upstream I expected better results.

Reached one of the better holes meaning it had more depth and width and started casting. There was a small tug and I had hooked into something. A small brown trout leapt from the water spit the hook and vanished from sight. It happened so suddenly that I froze for second in anger.

“Dangit!” My voice cringed knowing that bites were hard to come by on Bear Creek.

Casting through the same section I get another tug. This time I try to land the fish quickly. This fish breaks the surface. It is a 10-inch brown with dark coloring, a prime example of the quality fish in this stretch of water. I reach down and the fish is gone.

“Sonofa!” I mutter again with taste of defeat twice in my mouth. “That was better than the first one.”

Cast, cast, change up, cast, cast, cast…nothing. I moved up to other areas and action was nil. Cast, cast, cast…nothing. Some areas took real work getting into. Cast, cast, cast, Nothing. Then I bushwack into a wider section of the stream and throw upstream at the base of a rock. The lure is run quickly downstream through the pool where I expected to get bites. Nothing. But an eel-shaped shadow is following the lure out of the pool. Over the small sandbar and through the riffle a 13 maybe 14-inch brown nudged at the lure and was gone. I had just got a good glimpse of the fish as it turned to strike and then jet away. My heart jumped in my chest as I frantically search cast for the fish. Nothing.

It may sound silly to get excited about a 14-inch brown but for Bear Creek a 14’er trout is like a 2 or 3-pounder on the South Platte…at least for me anyways. Regardless I had lost three opportunities and untested water was running thin. Moving back down I did my best to work every scrap of water that untouched on the way up. My mind had already started consoling myself about taking home the skunk with mantras like; “Not everyone catches fish every time they fish.”

Well past the best sections I was finishing up some of the shallow water sections in pure desperation. Picking apart every riffle, eddy and undercut bank I get a solid hit and land a beauty 10’er brown. Not the biggest brown trout you will ever see but downright respectable for Bear Creek.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic