April 21, 2013

Flow: 81

Water temp: 48-56

It’s been a long spawn but it’s finally over.  Trout are starting to get back to feeding and getting bigger. We’ve had a busy week with great guests, the business and lifestyle expo and giving back to the Nature and Raptor Center on their earth day celebration. I just got word that the trip we donated went for a lot of money. Fishing has been a little slow with no fault to the trout. I managed to loose every good fish I hooked today. We had a nice flushing flow early in the week but the water is clear again and trout are feeding in shallow water making great sight fishing opportunities and wary trout. Fly selection didn’t seem to matter near as much as depth and presentation.

The expo was a blast and we met a lot of soon to be converts. I managed the Trigger Promotions booth while Lou held down the fort at Steel City Anglers. Somehow we were placed at opposite ends of the expo so I put the Shanks’s Ponies to work. We had a great time and met some great people. 

We anticipate fishing to improve dramatically in the next few weeks as water temperatures rise and caddis start hatching in earnest. Book your summer trips now to ensure your date.

Tight lines,

Ben

April 17, 2013

Flow: 121

Water temp: 46

What a great week folks. Saturday we saw more bass in our top secret weir and Sunday brought flushing flows that called for a change in tactics. The small j hooks including the one in my namesake produced big hungry trout. The spawn is finally ending with some rough looking fish and a little mortality from anglers fishing the reds. After surveying a lot of the fisherman targeting spawning trout I found for the most part they’re doing it out of ignorance. We have a lot of freshman anglers out there to my delight and that is just a part of it. Leave the spawning trout be and karma will reward you.

We’re getting ready to announce a summer carp tourney July 20^th to raise money for the Nature and Raptor Center. Mark your calendar as it will be a great time. Prospecting for the tourney Lou hit the riverwalk with a red san juan worm.

Join us tomorrow at the 2013 Business and Lifestyle Expo at the Pueblo Convention center. We’ll have a mound of fish porn and be having a great time opening our corporate market.

Tight lines,

Ben

April 9, 2013
Flow: 70
Water Temp: 54
An old friend made back to the Steel City over the weekend so we decided to play hooky and show off river improvements. We’ve been so busy with trips and helping the Southern Colorado Greenback Chapter ...of Trout Unlimited the chance to fish with an accomplished angler was a welcome change. Monday’s weather was fantastic showing no sigh of what was coming.
Trout are at the end of their spawning cycle and those still on beds are tired and weak from a long spawn. We observed the first redds in early February. As you move downstream you’ll see less beds and heartier trout. Please let them be as the mortality rate can be much higher now.
Not wanting to bother the spawners we took up the challenge of Arkansas River Bass. One of the few spots we keep under our hat was prime and waiting for us. Norm ended up with a grand slam with rainbows, largemouth, smallmouth, white suckers and walleye. I landed a personal best river smallie at 18”. For details on river bass tactics call your friendly Steel City Angler guides or book your trip online.
Tight lines,
Ben

Saturday, April 06, 2013

Flow: 74
Water Temp: 50-57
Pueblo can take pride today in our river, our community and in a hard days work. The Southern Colorado Greenback chapter of Trout Unlimited (Pueblo) and the Cheyenne Mountain TU chapter partnered with Pete Gallagher of Fin-Up Habitat Consultants and Doug Krieger from CPW to restore the river to a natural state. It’s an inspiring thing to see how hard folks work when they’re doing something they believe in. We had 48 volunteers today and each and every one of them bust their tail digging, planting and removing any marking that a massive restoration project just happened. I am so proud and amazed of the contribution you all made. At the same time everyone had fun and the Cheyenne Mountain chapter provided us with a spectacular feast. I am honored to be president of this organization giving back to this river that has given us so much.

 We saw the first caddis of the season forbearing the end of the spawn. The trout that are still on their beds are tired and weak. Give them leave as they’ve had a long spawn. Fish a tapered rig as in previous posts and cover lots of water.

Thank you Pueblo from the bottom of our hearts,

Ben and the trout.

March 30, 2013

Flow: 85 cfs
Water Temp: 46-54
Our small little business and Colorado’s smallest fly shop want to thank everyone for our best month ever. We’ve had the privilege to take out some spectacular guests in March. We have guided a huge dichotomy of folks this month from wounded servicemen (thank you for your service) covering the spectrum to business professionals.
The last week has been busy with a lot of anglers and pressure on the fish and, for the most part, everything went great. Trout are still in full/ post-spawn and fishing has been technical, but at the end of the day, I’ve not heard a complaint. We’ve had some great trips and caught some very nice trout without disturbing the spawn.
Fish a tapered rig with an attractor, emerger and annelid in that order, covering lots of water to hook up. If you have a question we are here to serve.
Thank you Colorado for a spectacular March and have a happy Easter!
Tight lines,
Ben

3/18/2013

Water Temp: 43F

Flow: 81 CFS
What a great morning to be guiding. It was cool but not freezing like so many mornings have been in March. Met Lee and Jay two police officers from a Denver suburb, got the paper work out of the way and beat feet for Albert’s Hole. Have I mentioned that Albert’s Hole ROCKS!!! Lee wanted to use a dry dropper and broke for the slick water above Albert’s and being an excellent fly caster began hooking up on a brown midge emerger dropped off a Royal Stimulator. Jay was another story, he had never nymph fished before, and the learning curve was steep. His first cast he hooked up on a nice bow that got off, but he was encouraged to say the least. The big bows were up against the rocks and down deep, which is typical of Albert’s early. Once he got the tension cast down he landed some nice bows all day, as did Lee. Early afternoon the wind began to howl and we were sight fishing to 18 and 20” bows that simply would not take what ever we were pitching. The wind put everything down so we broke for MO MO’s for an incredible bunch of Japanese cuisine, and called it a day. It was a great day!!
Tight Lines
Lou

March 12, 2013
Flow: 93
Water Temp: 45

The spawn is on, and off, and on.

We’ve been so busy I’ve neglected to celebrate the best day of the year. The one morning that shows promise for the coming season and the precious gift of time. I’m speaking of course of the beginning of daylight savings. Having the river
as my backyard means I now have two hours or more a day to give our readers the skinny on the water. We’ve been so busy with great guests that the opportunity
to get out is welcome (nine folks this week alone).
We’ve had so many changes in water temperature the spawning cycle varies widely from area to area. Full blown reds, pre spawn and post spawn rainbows are all over. Heavy equipment trundling down the river certainly didn’t help but it was a necessary evil. If you find actively spawning trout or ‘bows not feeding take a short walk and you’ll find better conditions. We’ve been fishing Colorado’s smallest fly shop’s standard fare with great success and all flies are $1.25 including tax. Visit the shop, patronize the Coyote Grill and see the great work the NCRP is doing.
Tight Lines,
Ben

March 9, 2013
Flow: 92
Water Temp: 43
The early bird gets it on the san juan worm. Weather forecasts
provided for a small window of quality fishing and with the help of a midnight Pueblo trout bum snack of green chili cheese fries I was up ...early. Boy howdy do I mean early. I hit the improved
structure below the Silverline bridge and was thoroughly impressed. As is
typical of this section it was browns four to one over rainbows with brows on the egg and ‘bows on the san juan. Big patterns in the morning moving smaller as it warms have been a staple this winter. What Pete Gallagher and Fin-Up Habitat Consultants, CPW and our chapter of TU have done is improving an already superb fishery. We have the best tail water in the state thanks to more river stewards than I can mention. In our little community we have a Zen Master, an Evil Genius, an infinite strider, a lady Fishologist and her husband the bald guy that have put the Steel City on the map. All these folks have put in the work to ensure our tailwater thrives. For the complete story stop in at the Drift fly shop or call your 24/7 guides at Steel City Anglers. We don’t have the retail shop but our phone rings all day and night. The increased traffic on the river has been a point of discontent for many locals but I’d rather have the notoriety when we need help and water. Come to Pueblo, spend a few bucks,
visit Colorado’s smallest fly shop and have fun in this community. We are here to serve you.
Tight lines,
Ben

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March 5, 2013
Flow: 94
Water Temp: 40
What a difference a day makes. We’ve seen a lot of weather in the last few weeks with some exceptional customers. Somehow with 12 guests in two weeks the stars aligned and every day’s been beautiful and yet we received the moisture we so desperately need. Fishing has been technical with depth, dead drifts, and presentation having precedence over fly selection. Use your “confidence” patterns. The scuds available in Colorado’s smallest fly shop have produced very well on the bottom. New and restored structure from the improvement project continues to impress me. If the river is busy and you can’t move much give the water a break. A 10-15 minute pause can renew most spots and trout start feeding again. A quick note on etiquette: If you see an angler’s gear on the bank next to a hole with no-one in it they might just be taking our advice and giving it a pause or using the facilities. Ask first before wading in. We all want the best spots but outrunning a senior citizen isn’t the way to get there. In Pueblo there is a good chance that person is a veteran.
River improvements are below City Park and moving rapidly downstream.
Tight lines,
Ben

 

March 5, 2013
Flow: 94
Water Temp: 40
What a difference a day makes. We’ve seen a lot of weather in the last few weeks with some exceptional customers. Somehow with 12 guests in two weeks the stars aligned and every day’s been beautiful and... yet we received the moisture we so desperately need. Fishing has been technical with depth, dead drifts, and presentation having precedence over fly selection. Use your “confidence” patterns. The scuds available in Colorado’s smallest fly shop have produced very well on the bottom. New and restored structure from the improvement project continues to impress me. If the river is busy and you can’t move much give the water a break. A 10-15 minute pause can renew most spots and trout start feeding again. A quick note on etiquette: If you see an angler’s gear on the bank next to a hole with no-one in it they might just be taking our advice and giving it a pause or using the facilities. Ask first before wading in. We all want the best spots but outrunning a senior citizen isn’t the way to get there. In Pueblo there is a good chance that person is a veteran.
River improvements are below City Park and moving rapidly downstream.
Tight lines,
Ben