FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors

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Sorry I have not posted lately but plenty to do as we continue to make things the way we want them around the house. But it has not been all work and no play and yesterday we went on a long drive.  The hope was to see some moose, but it was elk on this drive.  You never know with animals, they do have feet.  But the bigger point is the picture below, it is nothing short of stunning around here and we take advantage of all it has to offer.

We never get tired of the stunning views on our drive.

There were a couple of roads we wanted to explore, the state topo map is a necessity.  As we continue to explore there are tons of roads we have not had a chance to drive on, some of them just opened.  The high mountains of Colorado are still getting the occasional dusting but the weather has been nothing short of great.  Cool at night then the mid 60’s, perfect hiking and fishing weather.  Today we had a great hike on a little different terrain than normal, there are enough marked trails to last a lifetime.

These were a mile off, the elk have made the move to the high country.  When we stopped to glass they headed back in the woods.

On our drive we found some small streams that I can fish later, right now they are high.  The runoff is in full swing but with snowpack 37% of normal in most of the high mountains in Colorado the water level will be dropping soon.  At least compared to last year the water while high is clear, which makes it fishable from drift boats as many of the fish are on the bank.  Having fished a high river one time with streamers it reminded me of spinnerbait fishing.  Hit the bank and strip it out a few feet and then cast again.  When it is this high it is tough to fish from shore, that will be coming soon, then the wading will begin.  Last year the water was up and high early and then dropped like a rock which really hurt the guiding season so hopefully it will extend a little longer so those guys can make a living.  In my case with the boat I can fish all I want no matter what.  And that adventure is about to begin in earnest.

************The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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Unlike Texas which pays less than lip service to “Clean, Drain, and Dry” Colorado takes it dead serious.  All you have to do is fish plenty of lakes in Texas where the effects of spreading invasive species is a real issue.  I had read up and was prepared for it, but it happened way quicker than I thought.  As we crossed the border a flashing sign said all boats required to stop so we did.  It was an eye opener.

Now when you hit the border with a boat there is a required inspection, and cleaning if you need it.

The folks were great and it just took a few minutes.  They inspected the hull, the bilge, the livewell and looked the trailer over.  Once we got the clean bill of health I got a written compliance ticket.  Then they clipped the green inspection clip to the boat and trailer and we were off.  10 minutes to ensure pristine water, worth every second.

They have it all depending on what your boat is infested with.

This is how serious they are, they had one boat come in the state that was so infested with Zebra mussels it took 3 days and 3 cleanings to get it to pass.  What a great program by folks who really care about the waters.  Then you get the pleasure of paying $50 (It will be $25 next year when we are permanent.) for the ANS sticker which funds the program.

Then the inspection tag is attached to the frame and the front eye which lets you get in anywhere without a new inspection.  But in our area lakes they are not all inspected so once I cut it off if I go to another inspection lake I will be inspected on entering and leaving.

First drop in a local lake, this is the perfect boat for those high mountain lakes.

Part of the Clean Drain Dry is also based on folks actually complying.  Making sure once you leave all water is drained from the boat, there is no material stuck to the boat or trailer and just generally making sure you are not taking anything with you.  In Colorado you are even required to remove the plug for transport.  While it might require a little patience at a busy ramp if is worth it as folks inadvertently spread invasives and it is a constant battle.

I just wanted to try a ramp with the Boss here as loading and unloading a new boat is a learning process and there is rarely a dock to help out.  Beaver was the first lake up as it is only 15 minutes from the house.  The plan was to just make a couple of passes around the lake to learn the depths and contours, most are not on the built in map.  But easy enough as they are small and it only takes a little bit to traverse.

So I put out first the light trolling rods specifically for Kokane and trout and as I suspected the beat down began.  I am totally clueless about this part of fishing, but it went just like I figure it would.  After a couple of passes around the lake fishing shallow it was 6 or 8 trout so time to try out the lead core line.  Interesting as it is pretty easy to figure out what depth your bait is running as the line has a different color every 10 yards/30 feet.  Generally each color will let you bait run 5 to 7 foot deep per color.  So let it out 2 colors and you can fish a small bait 10 to 12 feet deep.  So kept it to one or two colors and kept on catching them.  Plenty to learn about the lakes and techniques and the next couple of months will be fun.  If all goes well I will fish 4 different lakes in the next week or so and might even catch some lake trout.  And as the water begins to decline small stream trout fishing will begin, and then the river later in the year.  The fishing played a big part in our decision to move here and it has been a good one.

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We have spent the week doing some painting and just generally getting things in tip top shape.  The driveway work we had done is great and the boat parking is fine.  The ongoing garage project is the biggest thing left.  We had it dry walled and now the organization begins.  Taking our life from parking for 4 under cover much less a tackle room and shop it is going to be tight.  Plenty of measuring and planning to get it all in one place.  But downsizing as we have done is a good thing.  We all have to much stuff.

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The Boss heads back on Sunday and looks like I will be here for at least a couple of months.  As her retirement looms we have a house to sell and things to finish up in Texas.  I had always promised I was never going to move a house full of stuff again, and we are not going to.

The fishing will begin in earnest, in fact just stopped at a store where we know the guy who is a big, small stream Tenkara guy.  He is going to take me and show me the ropes.  He hikes to high mountain small streams, and I will soak up everything he has to offer.  The fishing opportunities are endless so let the fishing begin.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines