December 22, 2015

Flow: 80

Water Temp: 40-44

We saw a little dip in the winter flows this week and clarity improve to five feet standing in the river. From higher vantage points one can see ten. Two rods are still a mainstay on the river as hatches and rising trout appear all day.  The bigger trout are a bit deeper in this clarity and while they are feeding they are also looking up. Thinking, study and planning is critical with wary trout and making one good cast vs ten fair ones. I expect a busy weekend with decent weather so when you find a spot being vacated stop and give it a rest while you survey the water, look at the bugs and have an egg nog, the trout will come back to life.

We at Steel City Anglers want to wish you the happiest of holidays and great fishing in the coming year.

Gift certificates are available for last minute gifts. Give us a call and we’ll find a way to get them to you.

Tight lines,

Ben

December 14, 2015

Flow: 122

Water Temp: 41-44

Two rods..

Our winter flows are stable in Pueblo and it definitely the time of year to carry two rods. Dry fly action is as good as I can ever remember. A parachute Adams with a Griffiths gnat dropper has produced great results. The bigger trout below the surface have been akin to a two bit hooker and a loop wing bwo emerger. This is a time of year that that potential competitors slotted for the best open tournament in Colorado practice their skills, the tournament may not be here but I’m glad to say our friends are. The FFO will be back in great fashion. In the mealtime the new river structure calls for constant depth adjustment.

The river is doing well and the trout are feeding. We have to adjust from nymphing the deep pools and tail outs to constantly changing your depth to find the trout. Pueblo’s local guides are on top of it.

Gold leaf Egyptian paper embossed gift certificates are available for the Christmas season. Call us today for the best stocking stuffer ever.

Tight lines,

Ben

December 5, 2015

Flow: 120

Water Temp: 43-44

The more things change the more they stay the same. We saw a terrific banana belt day here in Pueblo today. And with that come the people, pressure and dichotomy of attitudes. As usual the tailwater is a good host to all with open water if you care to look for it. Fishing has been excellent with a necessity to carry two rods for nymphing and dry/streamers. Cloud cover provided for great hatches and dry action for some smaller trout. Confidence patterns worked fine. My biggest trout of the day almost swallowed my ubiquitous san juan. It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen a sucker.

Most interesting for me today was the variety of people on the water. I saw those that get frustrated if there is anyone in eyesight, the greeters and conversationalists, hole hoppers, walkers, sighters, campers, biters and fluffers (actually not sure about the last two). At my other company (Trigger ROCKS!!!) I have several young ladies that run my retail medical scrub shop and have to endure the version of todays pop music but one of those tunes today stuck in my head and made me laugh at myself.

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off.

I have been known to shake it on the river.

Come on down, book your trip now. The water is fine.

Tight lines,

Ben

November 21, 2015

Flow: 118

Water Temp: 44

The day is here! This week the water turned gin clear in the river and we can enjoy our season of sight fishing and winter hatches. We will also be able to assess the entire length of the river to seek out the changes from an extraordinary runoff. Sunday’s fishing for me was one of those rare days where I struggled but folks around me caught trout, our friend Jim Browning netted a bunch. Visibility was poor to say the least but Tuesday, like a switch it cleared to the winter wonderland we love. In the last week I had the chance to receive some old friends from Texas, let’s call the Tex and CoTex. They had a couple of great days during the week with the river to themselves. Today I met some friends, customers and FFO competitors on the water. We all had a good day but Mark’s brown here takes the cake. Guiding my home water for the last six years has been an honor and a privilege and seeing the results from today give me a lot of confidence for our season to come. Brown annelids and a two bit hooker was the key.

Tight lines,

Ben

November 9, 2015

Flow: 451

Water Temp: 52-58

What the future holds…

Flows Tuesday the 10^th will fluctuate wildly beginning early as 7:00 a.m. near the lake. SDS plans to conduct tests starting at 7 a.m. and will gradually ramp up water flows starting at 500 cfs and peaking at about 1,105 cfs at midday. The test is expected to be concluded by 5 p.m.

The incremental increases on Tuesday have been arranged in communication with fishing and recreational representatives in order to provide a safer environment for anglers, and to protect aquatic life habitat and recreational interests.  Please note that safety signage will be posted at parking lots and other access points along the Arkansas River. For more information, please call (855) 737-4968.

In the meantime we are preparing for our favorite day of the year, the beginning of winter water storage on the 15^th. The lake appears to be turning over and clarity has been good during the brief periods under 200. We can’t wait to see how the river has changed and how the trout will adapt.

The weekend fishing was technical but there is always something you can do here in Pueblo. We worked some of the lower stretches below City Park and while numbers were fair sizing was low, but that can be typical for this time of year. So there is always the Pueblo hat trick, Bass trout and carp at the Riverwalk. BH hares ears and scuds give the fish something to see in this poor clarity. Great days are just ahead.

Tight lines,

Ben