FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors

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Tucker Ponds #2.  The smaller of the 2.

On the Boss’ hike last week she said when they went by Tucker Ponds that folks were fishing.  So our Sunday drive confirmed fish were rising and it looked good to me.  I check the CPW website and it said rainbow trout stocked catchable size.  So with my still water/lake fly fishing knowledge at zero seemed like a good place to try this morning while the Boss was on her hike.  2 small ponds, they probably freeze solid every winter and are restocked for folks to catch fish.  And catch fish I did.

Hopper fish.  The first of many.

I started with a hopper on top and managed to catch several.  Next it was the hopper dropper rig with a nymph style fly beneath the hooper and it caught them.  Then just for knowledge tried a wooly bugger and they ate that just as good.  Both ponds are easily accessible, and I fished them both.  As evidenced by the number of folks who came after me the Ponds are clearly a place for folks to come and catch them and they were fishing eggs, spinners, fly rod and who knows what else.

The real reason I wanted to try it besides the stocking history was it was nice and flat so there was no real problem fishing the fly rod.  It allowed me to not only try different stuff but to get in a little long distance casting practice.  I still have a lot to learn but it was fun to catch a bunch on the long rod.  When I left the parking lot it looked like a Texas used car lot.  They come from far and wide to fish the Ponds and I can see why.

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FIRES

There are several big fires burning in Colorado and we finally had one close.  The smoke started last night and today it was heavy though the fire is now almost under control.  Today I was looking for a limit for the pan and as usual the lake produced.

Beaver Lake – The smoke is still lingering from all the fires in Colorado.

This is from a fire 65 miles away.  There was a mandatory evacuation as the fire got to the housing areas west of Pagosa Springs.  Our topnotch fire crew from South Fork were there for the assist as they do throughout fire season.  We are so lucky to have serious firefighters here, a certain amount of comfort as both sides of the pass are dry as a bone.  Like all over SW Colorado things are changing.  The river is as low as I have ever seen it.  The floating companies and guides are calling it another short season.  But one thing about the lake, if you want a few for supper it does not disappoint.

Fixed my plate when the Boss reminded me I wanted to take a picture of the days catch.

I am happy to report there were no survivors.  From the water to the pan.

Since it was a meat run decided to keep it simple and troll.  It is not are you going to catch them on Beaver, but how long to boat a limit.  I kept it simple with spoons and Rapalas flat lined.  It is really something how much trout like the Brown Trout color small floating Rapala.  As I learn it is important to keep experimenting as each technique and fish is different.  But when you want your plate to look like the one above the Rapala gets it done.

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Nothing says fall like big bucks in velvet!

I happened to look out this morning at the right time as several nice bucks worked their way through the backyard.

We have the best backyard.

This guy is getting there.

Want to get a feel for how wide they are?  Look at them from behind.  This is the guy above and he is wide.

They are still in velvet and growing.  Have not seen any shedding it yet and a few of them we are seeing are heading to big.  The neighborhood has been pretty quiet in the wildlife department.  The does are just gone right now, and other than a couple of toms not a turkey in sight.  But like all seasons that is about to change.  It won’t be long before the bucks are sparing and the Bighorns come down from the high mountains.  Fall is the best.

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It is hard to prognosticate the weather but the times they are a changing.  While the days remain fairly warm, nights are starting to drop in the high 30’s to low 40″s.  There are Aspens in some areas starting to turn and the horns are growing.  The fishermen are starting to disappear and the floating has ended, but not all outdoor activities are over in the mountains.  The 4wheelers are still having at it and the hiking is in full swing.  Next up in a couple of weeks are the hunters.

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Last week ended up a real bust.  After Tucker Ponds I got a snot slinging, stomach upsetting cold, it was tough.  It was 3 days before I got off the couch and a couple more to actually start feeling better.  But this week is off to a good start.  It is tough getting old.

Yesterday morning I spent thigh deep in the river and had one interesting non-productive day.  To simplify the story I fished 2 areas and managed one bite in each.  One was a halfhearted pass at a hopper, the other a quick nip on a wooly bugger.  The river has fallen so fast and hard that it has had a real affect on the fish.  Of course hard to feel like I did not fish that well, but the areas were perfect, or so I thought.  Time to rethink the plan, the fly fishing learning curve is exactly that, curvy.

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We are finally getting a little rain as I write this.  It has cooled it off nicely, but hope the lightning did not start any fires.  We have only mowed the grass twice this summer and will do it in a couple of weeks just to clean things up.  Rain is the lifeblood of the valley farms and the tourist season in the mountains and we sure need more.  Other than that things are good.  The Boss is hiking up a storm and I am just doing the retirement thing, which I am very good at.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines