Fall Run Winding Down, Fall Crowds Still Insane

As October comes closer and closer to being over, so does the annual fall spawning season.  There are fish still kicking around and fish are still on beds, but the main run is about over.  I have seen a few fish already starting to head back to the lake.  The fish that are still in the river are super spooked.  The amount of people that have been on the water is making fishing much more challenging.  On the same note, people continue to rip fish off of spawning beds. If you happen to see someone doing this, do us all a favor and educate them.  I am not saying go be a jerk and yell at them, but politely inform them what is taking place on that clear patch of gravel.  We will all appreciate that down the road.  Anyways, my trip yesterday was super affected by the crowds.  It was near impossible to find any water at all, and when we did, the fish had seen twenty anglers before us.  I was lucky enough to have clients that were good sports about the amount of walking that was required. When we found feeding fish we were able to get into them.  If not, we really had to beat the water and hope a fish would give.  That being said, we landed some really nice Browns, a great Rainbow, and a really nice Kokanee Salmon as well.  Below are some pictures. 

Be Nice to Big Girls

Over the past week I have had another great stretch of guide trips.  On Thursday I had a day off and my buddy Tanner and I headed up to the Dream to see if we could find some big fish.  Well we were there for about two hours and fished for about ten minutes before leaving.  The crowds on the river were amazing. Easily close to a hundred cars between the main three lots.  Regardless of the crowds, I had a trip back out there on Friday.  We battled the weather and ended getting into some awesome fish.  However, while walking up towards the tressle run, I ran into a guy who said, there are hens moving all over these redds, its been awesome.  First of all, respect the redds people! Especially if it is a big female sitting there getting ready to unload her eggs.  Anyways, away from the Dream Stream and its large brown trout, the South Platte in the mileage closer to Denver is also fishing very well.  Browns are spawning here as well, so again be aware of where you are walking.  Fish are very fat and colorful in this section and both nymphs and dries have been productive.  Below are some pictures of just a few of the great fish we got into this past week.

Big Crowds in South Park

This past week has without question seen the biggest start of what I call the crowded season out in South Park.  While fish are showing up, it is a walking man's game.  Covering water and dodging crowds is without a doubt the toughest thing to do right now.  Fish are starting to show up on redds as well.  Please be respectful of these fish.  If you see a pair or any hen sitting on their redds, leave them alone and keep walking.  Those big girls have the future of the fishery inside them.  This cold front will undoubtedly continue to move fish and keep the crowds heavy.   While the fishing is good and some big fish are being caught in South Park, our private water on the North Fork is fishing great as well.  I took out a buddy from college and his two brothers that were in for a wedding.  We were able to get into a ton of fish and some big guys as well.  Also, big browns are not exclusive to South Park as Nick was able to get a great male brownie on the North Fork.  Below are some pictures from this past week.

Fall Fishing on the South Platte

Well it is now October and with the cooler weather brings on the change of season, leaves begin to turn color, and some of the most exciting fishing of the year takes place.  Brown Trout will begin their spawn and the people will be out in large numbers to try and find a trophy.  I was hesitant to post any photos and have actually decided to keep some of them for my stash reserved for friends and family.  However, while many others having been struggling out in South Park, myself and a friend have been chasing and landing some very large fish. That being said, the flows have now been bumped and more and more people will be on the river as you can see in a picture below.  On that note, please refrain to fishing to fish on redds that are paired up and if you do foul hook the fish, break him off, give him twenty minutes and try again to fair hook him.  Other than the Dream Stream, the Deckers area has been fishing good as well. Both nymphs and dries are producing great numbers of fish.  Once again however, crowds have been very heavy. I have also been on our high mountain private lakes and fishing has been consistent.  We are hooking a lot of nice rainbows, along with a large number of Brook Trout.  This private water is an excellent place to take in great scenery while catching some fish on Dry/Dropper rigs.  Below are some pictures.  The top fish weighed just shy of 8lbs.  Some have been caught this month already, and others were caught in September when others were struggling in South Park.  When it comes to a guide on the Dream Stream, choose someone who spends there whole season there, not someone who just shows up when fish show up on redds.  This advantage will help you in the long run.  Regardless of if it is myself or another guide, that really should be a quality you look for when chasing these amazing lake run fish. 

 

Here is a picture of the crowd directly below the cliff hole.  No wonder the fish are hiding.

 

Kokanee Salmon on the Move out West

Today, Tyler and I headed out for a little exploring and to really just check out conditions in the Gunnison drainage.  On our way down Cottonwood Pass we saw Aspens just below treeline that were in full fall color.  Look for the trees to really hit their full change in the next week or so. Anyways, fishing wise, we stopped at the Taylor C&R for a couple hours to see if we could find any tanks. Since we didn't see many fish over the 5 lb mark, we decided to just get into a few and head to the Upper Gunnison.  Fished between Gunnison and the town of Almont and some great pods of Kokanee Salmon.  Since, I get to chase trout everyday, I welcomed this and we spent the next few hours chasing these Landlocked Sockeye Salmon that are on their way upstream from Blue Mesa Reservoir to spawn and eventually die.  Most of these fish were in the 18-22 inch class but Tyler caught one about 24 and super thick.  We caught fish that were fresh chrome, super red, and a lot somewhere in between the two.  We also caught a few Rainbows, but I figured I would just take pics of the Salmon.  Between the two of us, we probably landed 80 plus fish.  Catching these fish on a four weight is tons of fun, as long fast runs, kart wheels, and flips are the norm during a fight.  These fish are scattered about in different lakes around the state.  However, the three areas with the most notable runs are the Gunny above Blue Mesa, the Blue River above Green Mtn. Res, and the Dream Stream out in South Park.  So far few if any kokes are in the Dream Stream, and I have not heard about Green Mtn., but they are definitly in the Gunny.  Below are a few pics of just a fraction of the fish we landed today.

Fall is Sneaky!

Well as I write this post, the sun in now shining on my apartment window.  This morning the case was the same when we rolled out to the Dream Stream.  However, after a few hours a nice front blew in and brought with it cold temps, wind, and a rain, snow mix.  This is the second front we have had move through in the last week and I was hoping that more fish would respond by moving out of the lake.  Unfortuneatly, the opposite seems to have happened.  While we are still catching some great fish, we are having to walk a pretty good distance to find them.  The fish are not in the basic runs and unless you are sight fishing you are going to experience a day of catching a lot of 3 inch babies.  That being said, if you deliver a quality presentation to a sighted fish, they tend to eat fairly well.  Also, everyone is wondering if the Browns have shown up yet or what the situation is.  They have not even begun to show up.  There are a few big fish in the river but as far as a spawning run is concerned it is still a little ways off.  Anyways, other than the Dream, flows have been dropped at Deckers and I have had mixed reports of great to poor fishing.  Personally, I thought the fishing has been outstanding, with Brown trout starting to spawn in some locations, and the rest of the fish eating very well.  Overall, fall is on the way.  Each day more and more trees begins to change colors, however, fall fishing is still a litte ways away.  Below are a few pictures of some great fish we caught on both the South Platte River and some private High Mountain Lakes.

The Gunnsion Gorge

Over the past 3 days I had the privledge of rowing a raft down the Gunnison Gorge with some great people.  I was on one of three rafts and had an unbelieveable time.  I want to thank Angus Drummond for setting everything up and providing the opportunity to have such an unbelievable experience.  As far as the rowing and rapids go, the water was very low and the rapids were techinical.  I had not rowed in well over a year and during the first three rapids the rust was more than evident.  I just want to thank Darby and Kyle for not jumping ship after those three.  I finally got into a groove and started reading the water much better and by day 3, the touughest rapids came somewhat easy. The scenery and fish that exist in the Gorge are amazing.  Beautiful rock walls, browns, rainbows, and Gunny green water left me in constant disbelief.  The fishing overall was fair at best with nymphs being the best producers.  However, we did land fish on big streamers and dry flies as well.  I also want to say congratulations to Mike on his first trout on a fly rod.  Overall, there are really few words to describe the beauty of the setting and the fun group of guys that floated this weekend. Thank you everyone for making this trip one I will never forget.