February 25, 2015

Flow: 164

Water Temp: 38-42

With the culmination of the Frostbite Fish-Off, trade shows and some extraordinary personal opportunities I’ve been remiss in getting a report out. The cold has kept the fishing technical in deference of improving conditions. The flow is up and trout will have an opportunity to spread out. Rainbows are on the spawn and beds are visible throughout the system. There is a good deal of pre-spawn feeding going on and trout are exhibiting the machismo of this time of year where you can get really close without spooking them. Move slow upstream and sight fish carefully; while you can get close to your prey a misplaced cast will put them down quick.

As always this time of year I do have to mention that the locals look very unkindly to anglers casting to trout on their redds. This is the time to let them alone and there are plenty of trout in the weirs and rock piles.

Warmer weather is going to set things off for a great spring as long as the flow keeps below 500 cfs. Unfortunately we predict a rapid rise after March 15^th. Book your adventure today and get your date.

Tight lines,

Ben

February 10, 2015

Flow: 91

Water Temp: 43-49

78 degrees; that was the high for Saturdays Frostbite Fish-Off. I’m sitting here in my trout bum paradise following my favorite weekend of the year. For those of you uninitiated in the FFO it’s the finest open fly fishing tournament in Colorado. Proceeds go to the Southern Colorado Greenback Chapter of Trout Unlimited of which I am the President. I stole the idea from our friends in the Denver TU chapter that had put up a few successful Carp Slam tournaments. At that time I was the program director for the chapter and volunteered for the day, I asked a lot of questions and listened to the organizers and teams. There were few Trout Unlimited tournaments back then and they all had a gimmick; Carp in Denver, One Fly, ect. I wanted a tourney for trout with the only wildcard being the temperature. Pueblo is in the Colorado banana belt and the winter fishing is known nationwide. Me and Lou pitched the idea to the board and started recruiting teams, sponsors and volunteers. That first year was the most exciting and stressful times I’ve known serving TU. After everything was done and the guest had left happy me, Lou and Norm sat down and tackled a bottle of tequila. Year two had some hiccups as we rested on our laurels from the first tourney and fell short on teams.

 Planning for year three we were able to recruit more people that could take charge and put in the thinking, study and planning time to make the FFO the best event we could. A redesign of the beats and scoring system made year three and four spectacular. For 2015 the teams were full in a matter of weeks. We had to find a new venue after yet-another new owner at the Steel City Garden gutted the place to remodel. Norm and Steve found us the Elks Club and it was a great historic taste of Pueblo. The weather for Saturday set a record high for February and the river was packed; not only by us but by Pueblo natives enjoying the day. The river was stacked with non-competitors. Our thought was to plan for the worst and hope for the best, what we witnessed was a level of sportsmanship that far exceeded our expectations. Teams worked around the crowds without incident and only one team got a goose egg, not a single beat blanked. Fishing conditions were tough but the good news is trout came out of hiding and sight fishing was excellent. The trick was finding the active feeders.

We had for the first time ever a tie, thankfully it was for longest sucker and only one of them wanted the PBR. The longest trout of the day was landed by Chris Ramos at 20 ¾”. Jim and Kevin Browning (Tailing Edge) did a great job in their first year taking third place. All you have to do is watch Pat Thurman and Manual Losoya (Blue Collar Fish Bums) fish to understand why they’ve placed first last year and second this year. The same goes for team Chuck & Duck (Jamie Roth and Ben Lewis), taking first place this year and third in 2014. They also came armed with the experience of a few guide trips with Steel City Anglers under their belts, hee hee.

I’d like to thank Maxine and the Elks Lodge for being such a wonderful host, our board members for all the hard work not only over the weekend but throughout the year. A special thanks to Frank Smethurst, Nate Bronson, Jake McKittrick and Rick Mickesell of Scott-Costa and Comb enterprises for the extraordinary prize package from Scott, Costa, Abel Reels, Brodin nets, Fishpond and Buff. Thank you for another incredible “Frostbite” Fish-Off.

Ben, Steve, Lou, Marge Kelvin, Bruce, Wayne and the Arkansas River

January 25, 2015

Flow: 104

Water temp: 37-41

“Alright, alright, alright!” While some don’t like fishing January its days like this that makes our nine miles such a joy to fish. After bad weather reporting and high winds Saturday today was a blessing. Shirtsleeve heat and gin clear water is a Pueblo Standard on this day of the year. The harder fishing condition has more to do with colder water, increased pressure and recovering from a cyclical drought. The townies have certainly been coming down in fleets and we greet and welcome them. Not only for the guide trips but for the attention the tailwater receives from it. The day will come that this river will need help. Agriculture, municipalities and industry take precedent over trout and hindsight is the driving motivation for change.  If Pueblo stayed a secret known only to the natives the fishing may never change or all our water could be piped out to the growing cities of northern Colorado. So come on down, have fun and hire a local guide if you’re having trouble; but if you fish this water set aside either your time or money, ‘cause nothing is free. If that day comes that the river is drying up or too hot we will be asking you for help. And if that day comes the only thing I want to hear is “Alright, alright, alright!”.

Today’s fishing was slow filled with great results. I fished behind folks most the day picking off trout, and then having a number of great conversations with anglers from all over. Grey RS2s at size 20 worked well for me below a SJW. The few other anglers I met with tales of success netted their trout on midge pattern of the same size but different colors. Make a rig descending down in size from 14 to 22 in patterns you have confidence with and you will do well. Sometimes the reward fishing a technical river is better than the eighty plus day hooking up on stocked trout,

To my colleagues I’ll say; if you don’t have anything good to say about our tailwater don’t say anything at all. Get out and fish more.  We are here ready to serve. The river has lost a few inches in its trophy class but the trout we’re pulling up still represents the best of Colorado. The Frostbite Fish-Off is in the two week stretch and I’m excited to see the results. We have a great mix of amateurs and pros and I foresee a great time, spectators can still get tickets for the party at the door of the Elks Club.  

So in summation; get out and fish. My best pattern was a grey rs2 in the deep green trenches. Mend your line to maintain a long dead drift and walk it downstream until you find the trout.  Once you find them it’s fish on! Catch us on the river and say “Alright, alright, alright!” and we’ll pass you a bumper sticker and a zinger.

Tight lines,

Ben

January 19, 2015

Flow : 102

Water Temp: 31-48

The Frostbite Fish-Off is just around the corner. This is a tremendous event and fundraiser for the Southern Colorado Greenback Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Helping put this together and acting as emcees for the day is a culmination of many months of hard work. Our sponsors have gone above and beyond this year and the prizes are on their way. With preparations, the fly fishing show and some personal opportunities our time on the water has been limited. I look forward to the tourney but I’ll also be happy when it’s done and we can turn our attention back to the river.

Fishing has been a mixed bag of successes and defeats with the key being perseverance; even the tough days can be rewarding if you keep in the water and engage in thinking, study and planning. The water is super clear and sunny days are driving trout deep. Cloud cover has been a welcome sight bringing trout up and decent hatches of BWO and midges.

Saturday was a new experiment in social lubrication.  The weight of the materials to properly concoct these tasty beverages was prohibitive but when ready they went down like spring water. After mentioning that fact someone said I should probably just drink spring water; well, ok, FINE!

Tight lines,

Cheers,

Ben

January 4, 2015

FLOW: 106

Water Temp: 34-37

The recent cold snaps have made changes in our tailwater. The fair weather fisherman has left the water until spring and the trout are getting a break. Slow periods of angling are mixed with bouts of great takes and fights. Sunny days put trout down deep and cloud cover brings them up to feed on healthy bwo hatches. In other words; typical Arkansas River tailwater fishing. As winter goes on the fishing just keeps improving.  Right in time for my favorite day of the year, The Frostbite Fish-Off. This year is shaping up to be the best yet. We have a great venue at the Elks Lodge, ten thousand dollars in prizes thanks to team Scott Costa and great swag for all involved. The only shortcoming we have this year is volunteers and the clock is ticking. Please come and help the river and Trout Unlimited’ s goals for 2015. We’ll feed ya, give you a tee shirt and lots of goodies; but the biggest thing to take home is the sense of pride in helping the river. Orientation is this Thursday, January 8^th at 6:00 PM, Jones Healy Realtors 119 W. 6^th Street.

Give a day to the river, measure some fish and meet some of the best anglers in Colorado and abroad while having a great time with some of the best people I’ve ever had the privilege to wet a line with.

Hope to see you Thursday.

Tight lines,

Ben