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

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