We have returned from our yearly outing to the beautiful mountains and valleys of Northwest Colorado and, boy, was it ever an action packed summer. There were plenty of family visits, campfires with friends, starry nights, frosty mornings, chipmunks running scared from Dottie and Ruby (the family dogs), wildlife sightings, delicious dishes from family recipes and, most importantly of all, plenty of trout fishing!
What a sight to behold early in the morning.
A friendly moose gives us the eye on the way to the stream!
A couple of young bucks stare us down.
Pretending not to see us. Clever.
Now that I
have returned and have had time to contemplate the days that I was out
fishing, there are a few tips that come to mind. As we all know there
are plenty of small things we need to do to be successful in the water.
Let me remind you of a few:
- If you are walking the river or stream and you reach a junction where you merge with another river or stream, there probably will be a deep pool that results from the two coming together. Fish it well because there will be a predator or two waiting in the deeper section.
- Sometimes, you will see a nice overhang of bushes but it is across and down stream. You just know there is a lunker hiding under it. If you are going to try and reach it with a cast, use two hands. This will improve your distance and your accuracy. This works well for me since I usually have a Rapala lure on the line.
- If your cast does make it through those bushes and you do get a strike, it will not be easy to set the hook. Make sure your lures always have sharp hooks and you know how to set the hook with a quick motion. Practice this as much as you can and you will soon see good results.
- As you progress down the stream, be aware of the outside bends that form in the river. There will be pools that develop and hold some very nice fish. Fish the flow of water into the pools, as there could be a larger fish feeding. Fish the entire pool all the way to where it once again begins to flow downstream. There could also be larger fish in hiding and feeding here as well.
- So, if you think you are in a nice stretch of trout water, TAKE YOUR TIME and fish the seams, the deeper runs and feeder channels, and of course fish the entire pool that forms at the end of most runs. If you hit an area that has smaller fish, remember that this is what the larger fish feed on.
- The waters in a trout stream do not always have to be filled with deep pools, large feeding channels, and overhanging bushes. Streams with rocky bottoms and shallow waters still have plenty of hiding places for trout. This offers you a change of pace to catch some larger fish.
- As evening comes and the sun is setting on the waters
you are fishing, keep an eye out for emerging fly hatches. If the fish
start to boil up to feed, it is time to break out the fly rod and reel.
Always be prepared.
Looks like a good place to bed down ... except for those fishermen.
An evening sunset over Northpark Colorado.
Picture taken by my wife on an evening drive.
...And a few fish for dinner
'til next time
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