February 24, 2013

Flow: 99

Water Temp: 38

In every adversity lies the seed of a greater benefit.

I may never have the word to describe today. We rescheduled a guided trip with forecasts of 50 mile per hour winds and snow. When the sun rose this morning, all I could see were large flakes falling straight down. I decided to chance that the wind wouldn’t arrive for some time and enjoyed my coffee and the company of my dog before suiting up. It was surprising as I pulled into the Nature Center to see a few vehicles of local anglers and a few others from places north. The first few spots upstream had angler activity, so I moved up a spot and on my third cast engaged a 21” ‘bow that would have made my day right there. The breeze being light still, I decided to work upstream. Every body of water I touched produced fish. I continued to work up and after an immeasurable time, I found myself completely alone. I’ll never know how long it took me to take notice of my solitude but the impact was profound to me. It was a winter of my childhood. Enormous flakes covering the landscape silencing the city combined with the monotonous din of flowing water made the river deafening and silent as the womb in the same instant. The universe consisted entirely of the sound of my cast, feeding trout and the occasional sound of glee as the pooch dug tunnels in the snow. In the height of each of these tranquil moments, an indicator dipped below the surface and it was time for action.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so separated from the world as I did today barely a few miles from my home. All of Pueblo should take pride in what we’ve accomplished here with the help of some resilient trout and local river stewards that fight endlessly for our tailwater.

In these conditions big flies entice big trout. The rest is up to you.

Tight Lines,

Ben

Flow: 85 CFS
Temp: 36 F
Conditions: Cloudy with icing lines and rod guides.
Full day guide trip including incredible Ruben sandwiches at the Coyote Grill and Colorado’s smallest fly shop!
Fishing??? AWSOME! In the early morning the rock piles, (Excuse me! Multiple velocity in stream structures), above the Nature Center deck we picked up small bows on a hairs ear. Little did I know what was... to come…PIGS in TJ’s Tree!!! The name is going to change, this stretch or what Pete calls a reach, is I believe, going to be one of the premier runs in the tail water system. I will put a couple of pics on our Facebook page, but pictures do not do it justice. As you can see the smile on Dylan’s face tells it all. That is a 21 ½ inch bow caught on the H&L Egg. Corey came in with an 18 inch fatty in the slow water under TJ’s Tree. Yes, I said slow water under the tree thanks to the “J’ Hook just above the tree. For the rest of the day the egg was in! I lost count of the fish in the net, but a couple of fly fishers went home with new knowledge about weight and depth when nymphing, their primary goal by the way, and a new appreciation of the best tail water in Colorado.
Tight Lines!!!!!
Lou

February 16, 2013

Flow: 75
Water Temp: 41
New beginnings have never reaped rewards so soon as we’re seeing in Pueblo. Below the Tree Hole we had a windy day to survey our new creation. The improved habitat produced big trout. The existing structure produced big trout. The new habitat produced big trout. I’m beginning to see a theme here. Tapered rigs produced all day. Attractor, emerger, midge, repeat. Takes on dries from hungry pre spawn trout in weirs that didn’t exist a week ago is a memory I’ll treasure. If all else fails pitch a Griffiths Gnat. Construction is just above the Carp Hole and will continue on Monday. Sometime in the afternoon the Albert’s Hole barrel will be lifted from the depths once and for all. Maps of these and more spots are available in Colorado’s smallest fly shop at the Nature and Raptor Center and Coyote Grill. For more detailed info call us. We’ll be on the water.
Tight lines,
Pueblo

February 12, 2013

Flow: 80
Water Temp: 35
What a long strange trip it’s been. Another Frostbite Fish-Off is in the books and it was our best ever. 36 anglers and 30 volunteers came together for two days of camaraderie, fun and fishing. A chilly morning session turned to a breeze afternoon but the weather held just long enough. The awards party was a good time for all. The Sports Garden crew went above and beyond to make us feel at home. All told 1,465
inches of trout were scored. Results can be found at http://www.chapter509tu.org/FrostbiteFishOff.htm . As always I had to get out Sunday to see what’s left. Early takes were on meaty patterns including san juans, eggs and check nymphs turning to rs2’s and dark midges in the afternoon. Being a little fuzzy from Saturday night and little sleep it was a short session with a lot of time sitting on my rear hanging with the dog but I got my eighty inches by waiting for the fish to show themselves. This is the first year I failed to net a bigger fish than tourney day and all I can say is a 23.5” brown is quite an act to follow.
Construction has begun in the river and the crew is rapidly moving downstream below the Valco Bridge. Please give them a wide berth.

Habitat project update: Fin-Up Habitat Consultants and Chaparral Construction started Monday at the Tree Hole and rapidly moved downstream. Improvements to the tree hole and flag hole are particularly impressive. New J hooks above Keifer’s hole are already holding trout. And there are trees! Oh my god are there trees! Currently equipment is 100 yards below the Valco Bridge. By the weekend they could be to the Flag hole. As usual Steel City Anglers is proud to report the conditions first.
Tight lines,
Ben

January 31, 2013
Flow: 90
Water Temp: 37
We’ve been busy with final preparations
for the Frostbite Fish-Off and great guests I’ve neglected my duty to post a report. The slots for competitors have been filled for some time and it’s looking to be another great tourney. Competitors are reminded starting Monday February 4th tourney waters ore off limits. Practice waters are downstream of Pueblo Blvd. Join us on the 8th and 9th to see some of the
states best anglers rip some lips for a good cause. Please RSVP with lou@steelcityanglers.com if you want to eat as it’s a catered event. $25.00 covers guests and there will be a huge raffle Saturday night.
We’ve seen a little more pressure on the warm weekends on the tailwater with very picky trout. Saturday proved busy but Sunday was open water until the afternoon. Most trout were hooked within the first ten casts so cover as much water as you can and don’t ignore slow water especially around
trees. Trout are everywhere and not moving far from their lanes to feed. Slow water should not be ignored. In conditions like this engaging in thinking, study and planning time is crucial. Take a long look before making a presentation, adjust you depth and weight and analyze that presentation before
making another. Sometimes waiting for sunshine to poke through clouds will make the difference between finding fish and plopping a thingamabobber right in a trophy trout’s face. San juans, blood midges and caddis pupae were effective patterns Sunday.
Tight Lines,
Ben