Arkansas River in Colorado Part 3

Terry, Dad, and I spent our last day fishing the Ark down by the Wellsville bridge. This is located just upstream from the Ark Anglers' private lease where Stuart took us the day before. Aside from that lease, I have not found a sweeter spot on the Ark downstream from Buena Vista. There is an island in the middle of the river just upstream from the bridge with excellent holes and riffles on either side. We got there very early to stake a claim, which was essential. There was moderate pressure that day with a few other parties of anglers coming out later in the morning and throughout the afternoon. The other fishermen were exceptionally respectful of our beats, and we all shared this stretch easily.

I spent the morning experimenting with different streamers and nymph rigs. I was having some trouble drawing a bead on exactly what the fish wanted, but with some help from my dad (and his ever calming presence), I ended up catching some very nice fish on a prince nymph/baetis emerger combo. Experience truly won out that day as Terry and my dad nailed fish all day long. The key was using the 5x fluorocarbon tippet that Dad bought the day before. That stuff is worth the money. It sinks like a stone and is completely invisible to the trout. We found fish mostly holding in calm slants within the riffles as well as along the foam lines, making that Thursday a wonderful lesson in reading the water.

Once the afternoon came, things really clicked in for the three of us and we had pretty consistent luck. In fact, just before lunch dad hooked into a huge brown implementing the drop and count method into the foam (see 2nd Ark post for details) at the upstream end of the island. Terry and I watched him from the bank while we chowed-down on some sandwiches. He sprang up from prone with fly line ripping off his reel. Unfortunately for him, dad failed to remember the boy scout motto "be prepared" and had taken off his vest as he edged up to the foam-topped eddy. Without a net, he had no chance of landing the monster and after a good fight the fish was gone. Still, hats off to our instructor, Stuart, who taught us a very productive and sneaky maneuver to hook some giant trout!

This trip was the best thing a boy could ask for. I had an awesome time roaming the country with my dad, got to fish with him and another great pal, and even learned a thing or two about throwing dice in Central City. A long road trip was just what I needed after four months of boards studying. If you have the time, I highly recommend savoring the journey and not just the fishing part of a trip. Tight lines, and thanks to everyone in Colorado who helped make our trip a success.

Connections: Medicine and Fly Fishing

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Richard Formato, one of the top fly fishermen in the country, the other day about his new project which coincidentally is just the kind of thing we're all about here at VMFF (ie. fly fishing and medicine).

In case you haven't watched the Outdoor, Versus, or ESPN Outdoors channels at all, you may not realize what fishing shows consist of.  Most of what you can find out there consists of close up shots of huge fish hauled in using the "newest and most technologically advanced" lure the world has ever seen.  In my opinion, fishing just hasn't translated to the big screen as well as other sports.  Televised golf, for instance, has been able to capture some of what golf is about: slow panning shots of a fairway, the hushed voice of a sports commentator describing how smooth a back swing is, the close in views of a golfer as he intensely examines the subtle curves of a green, the quiet applause of spectators acknowledging a job well done.  Fishing shows, on the other hand, have missed the point.  Case and point: Bill Dance


Fortunately for the fishing community, I think Richard Formato may have a way to help turn things around.  Richard has just recently begun putting together a show about what fishing is really about; trying to show how therapeutic it can be to be out on the river making long deliberate casts to captious trout.  For example, in the trailer for the show, The Healing Stream (watch it here), Richard helps an Iraq veteran learn how to use fly fishing as a way to help in the healing process.  They also pull in what looks to be like some pretty decent brookies.  (On that note, I'll have to figure out where they were filming so I can plan some future excursions.)

Screenshot from The Healing Stream's trailer

Hopefully in the near future, we'll get to watch more of Richard's work and see more about how fly fishing can be an effective form of therapy.  Keep on the look out for more about this and help spread the word!

Arkansas River in Colorado Part 2

Day two on the Ark was pretty tough with much colder temps and high winds. It amazed me how much the weather could change in the mountains day to day with highs only in the 40s after 70s the day before. We caught fewer fish, but they were hard earned and still absolutely gorgeous. Sefan at Ark Angers saved the day by putting us on a public stretch not far from town for the afternoon that produced some nice browns. I have the spot marked on the fishing map.

After a tough day two, we decided to book a morning guided wade trip through the shop. I think they pulled out all the stops for us and called in a true ringer named Stuart Andrews. Stuart has been fishing for about 40 years and really knows his stuff. The wade trip was on a private lease starting below the Wellsville bridge that had a great mix of deep pools, short cliffs, and some shallow pocket water on the sides. We started out showing off our casting "prowess" for Stuart who fine tuned our strokes. I was amazed by how he could make small adjustments to my casting and cause huge improvements in minutes. Again, hiring a guide every once in a while is a GREAT idea and made our third and fourth days on the Arkansas truly memorable.

We fished nymph rigs with a small chartreuse Copper John dropper. That little thing was deadly! I had never seen chartreuse copper wire like that before, but it imitated the chartreuse caddis larvae we found teeming under the rocks. Here's another pearl, go ahead and spend the extra money for fluorocarbon monofilament for your nymph rigs. It's completely invisible to the fish and it sinks like a stone. Just another trick I learned from Stuart. This setup gave us a real edge and we caught some truly stunning browns and 'bows.

As for actual fishing techniques, I learned a few awesome tricks from Stuart. First and foremost if you don't know about fishing the foam lines, try it! Stuart reminded us that wild fish don't like to expend a lot of energy while they are feeding. No joke, but how does that help you? Well, look for the seams between faster water and more calm water. These are generally the places where foam bubbles will form and make streaks down the current, and they are perfect spots for trout to lay in wait for food being swept downstream in the faster water.

Stuart also taught us some secrets about finding big fish. If you are on a larger river with collections of foam in the deep eddies along the banks, get your nymphs in there! You'll see lots of spent flies lying in the white foam and maybe even some trout sipping there. Also, bigger fish feel secure because the foam forms a canopy protecting them from birds like ospreys. The trick here is to sneak up on your belly very slowly, and with just a little fly line out, drop your nymphs right into the foam. You may see a take on your indicator, but if not just count to five and blindly set. Repeat this maneuver and work around the foam until you hook a 20+ inch brown.

Not only is he among the best fishermen I've ever met, stuart is also an accomplished artist. His compositions capture the American West and the changes that we have made on the landscape as we have tried to tame it. He has some really beautiful works, and I hope to own a few of them whenever I pay off my student loans. Check out his gallery online, it is worth more then a few minutes of your time. Thanks for your expertise and teaching, Stuart. We hope to fish with you again sometime soon, hopefully on a high mountain lake trip for cutthroat.

Fishing Report: Muddy Run 4/27/2010

The boards have finally come and gone for the majority of us.  Thanks to my procrastination, I was left with only limited time to hit up our friendly Virginia waters.  Right after I finished taking the boards in Lynchburg, I hurried up to the Hidden Valley campground located on the Jackson River.  Last time I was there, it was with a bunch of the guys and unfortunately our first impression of the spot wasn't too spectacular.  In case you didn't know, I'm not a huge fan of chubs or of stocked waters, which was pretty much all that we found when we were at the Jackson's special regulations area last fall.  So I was a little pessimistic.  Upon arriving, I still had about an hour before sunset so I quickly went out to the river to see what the conditions were like.

My first impressions of the Jackson in the spring is that it's got some great insect life.  Stepping out into the section of water near the parking area, I was surrounded with a huge hatch of mayflies.  I have no idea what type they were, but they were definitely large.  Knowing that I only had a few short minutes before I'd have to get back to setting up camp, I quickly put on a size 12 parachute adams and went to work throwing to the great runs along both banks.  I saw a few rising fish and heard even more behind me which, by the time I turned around, had already assumed their hidden positions under the sun-glared surface.

Eventually my fly disappeared and the line went taught.  Quickly, however, my enthusiasm waned as I didn't feel the fight of a huge fish and did not witness any aerial jumps that one usually associates with a healthy rainbow trout.  Reeling in I found my disappointment was appropriate at the sight of a huge chub.  This guy has obviously been feeding well.  A few more casts later and BAM, another bite with yet another lackluster fight.  Chub number two.  It was pretty disappointing to be surrounded with such a beautiful landscape and a perfect evening mayfly hatch but head back to camp troutless.

Exhaustion took over quickly and my 5:30 a.m. wake-up routine resulted in me being the first fisherman the next morning to be on the long hike up to the special regulations area of the Jackson.  At the first bridge crossing, I became disoriented and continued straight instead of heading to the special regulation area.  This, however, was a supremely awesome mistake.  This unknowingly led me to the much smaller but much more amazing, Muddy Run.  I quickly found myself on a path that was very overgrown next to a beautiful stream that reminded me of the uppermost parts of the Rapidan yet with even better pools and runs.

I realized my mistake after about a half a mile more of hiking and was about to turn around.  But, I thought I should just make a few casts, just in case.  Having had such poor luck with the chubs the day before, I wasn't expecting anything too great.  Boy was I wrong.  First cast and WHOMP, next thing I knew I was holding a beautiful, healthy 'bow.  A couple casts into the same little pool later, a brookie with great colors and decent size.  For the next 5 or 6 hours pretty much consisted of the same experience; pulling from the same pools, wild brookies and rainbows that had acclimated to their environment, acting like wild fish by the time they saw my parachute adams or snowshoe humpy float by.  I lost count quickly.  I'd keep trying to describe it all but I think you get the point.  It was perfect.

Before I headed back to camp, I made a quick dash over to the special regulations area (after stopping to talk with the game wardens who were there checking licenses, I love it when I see them doing their job well) to see how the fishing was there.  I was unimpressed.  I saw a bunch of spincasters sitting right below the beginning of the area and there was someone throwing out line practically every 100 yards.  I found myself a quick spot on the river and fished for a few minutes and did have a few follows but I was unsure if they were trout or chubs.  Frankly, it paled in comparison so much to the rest of my day that I quickly stopped chasing these stocked fish and headed back to camp.

So my final opinion of the area:
Muddy Run - Rapidan brookies but + rainbows = 9/10
Jackson River - Stupid stocked rainbows and overcrowded waters = 2/10

If you're going to fish the Jackson, I'd recommend just sticking to below the dam, especially if you have a drift boat/canoe.

*Apologies if there are spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes.  I've decided that I'll be less worried about all of that stuff because I'm lazy and in case you didn't know... I don't speak english good.

Little Stony (5.1.10)

Spring is in full force, and the brookies are hungry and active.

This morning I ventured over to Little Stony (a short 20 minute drive), next to the Cascades trail, with my classmate and friend Will. March Browns are hatching, but I didn't see too many flies. As it tends to be with Brookies, they will take any reasonable fly presented decently well, and I had some success with tan X-Caddis. I later changed to a size 16 March Brown to see if I could entice any of the local rainbows that the stream also harbors. For such a beautiful day, the action was surprisingly slow, and during the 3 or so hours we were on the river, I managed only to catch about a dozen. Many of the really 'fishy' spots and pools went without an acknowledgement of life, while the smaller pockets in between the larger pools seemed to produce more fish. In this way it felt like someone had already fished the section we chose. That's my excuse anyway... Luckily on my way back to the car to grab a bite to eat, I stopped in one of the good looking pools close to the trail and caught a beautiful fat 9 inch brookie that had possibly the reddest side stripe I have ever seen. I have a good bit to learn about this stream, and I think it will take some exploring both below and above the cascades to find out the best sections and what works well. Being a nice Saturday morning, the hikers were out in full, and I noticed that many areas of the trail get really close to the stream, so much so that I think that all the kids running around may actually put down a lot of fish in some of those better pools. Even Will pointed that out as we walked back to the car. It makes me wonder how the river fishes during the week, when less hikers are barraging the stream.

Little Stony is a great mountain freestone stream. True, it costs $3 to park at the head of the trail, but the river is very reminiscent of the Rapidan and Rose rivers (of better known reputation), and the trail is as well maintained as any I know of in the state. That said, it was another welcome day away from studying and a fun day on the river.

The South Holston and Watauga Rivers (4.24.10)

I’m not sure why I didn’t know about this sooner.

For years now I have been making an annual trip to the Delaware River near Hancock, NY with Dad and our fishing buddies in search of big browns and rainbows. But, this weekend I found out that there are two rivers within only a two hour drive of my current home in Blacksburg, Va that share a lot of similarities to the Delaware: the South Holston and Watauga Rivers.

The similarities? Big river tailwaters, good hatches, and HARD TO CATCH big trout. After nine weeks of neuro block, time alone on any river was a welcome breath of fresh air. But the South Holston and Watauga Rivers are not just any river, and after this experience, I will undoubtedly be going back as soon as I can, and as often as I can. The drive from my place to Emmett, TN where the South Holston Fly Shop is located, is about a 2 hour drive, which makes for a very tempting day trip.

I started the day on the SoHo (as it’s called locally), which is literally 0.3 miles from the fly shop. I drove down the road a few miles, trying to find a secluded side-street entrance, and found a great spot with no other cars with relative ease. From where I parked, I followed a well-worn path 10 minutes to the awesome views you’ll find in some of the pictures. For the first 4 hours, I was the only one on the river, and during that whole time fish were rising everywhere. I was able to confuse and fool a few on Sulfur nymphs, emergers, and duns (size 16), as well as little black fly patterns (size 20-22). I only caught about 10 fish, with the biggest being about 15 inches, but to my surprise I caught one of each variety: brookies, browns, and rainbows. However, it was quickly obvious that the bigger fish, and the majority of the fish I was casting to, were not so easily tricked, and I spent a lot of my day making a few casts to sipping humpbacks, getting frustrated, tying on a new fly, making a few more casts, getting frustrated, trying a new pattern, and so on, repeating, etc. But like the Delaware, this is mostly an enticing challenge and part of the reason for the river’s awesome appeal. Around 1pm, one other fisherman found my claimed hole and introduced himself. When he told me he was from Florida and that he had been here on a fishing trip for 8 days, I knew I had found a big-time place to fish. He kindly gave me a few black fly patterns he had tied the last few nights and both of us proceeded to have a bit of luck for the next hour or so, but still I had a very difficult time hooking into many. At around 2:30, the dam opened up, and the water levels rose noticeably within a couple minutes, which killed the activity of the morning session.

Remembering that I hadn’t eaten or brought anything for lunch, I decided it was a good time to find some food and check out the Watauga River. It’s only about a 20 minute drive in between rivers, and on my way I passed the Bristol Motor Speedway, which was cool to see even though I’m not a huge Nascar fan. For the rest of the afternoon, rain came down in a light drizzle, but not enough to detract from the fishing. The difference between the Watauga, compared to the SoHo, is that for much of the immediate mileage below the dam, it is lined with housing properties and there are many big, slack, slow-moving deep pools and fewer riffles. This, I would think, may make it better fished on a float trip. Parked immediately below the dam, and was discouraged to find a few plunkers casting to rising fish in the riffles below. But the rain seemed to quickly scare them off, and I had the section to myself for the rest of the evening. Again, there were fish working all over the place, but in the few hours I was there, I managed only to catch two.

In all, my first experience on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers was great. I enjoyed the waters and seclusion of the SoHo more, but both are obviously very good rivers with lots and lots of trout. I will be going back again soon, when the Sulfur hatch starts to get serious in the late spring and summer months. Too bad this med school thing is getting in the way.

Arkansas River in Colorado Part 1

After finishing Step 1 of the USMLE (the licensing exam to become a doc in the U.S.), I needed a big change after sitting in the library for 3 months. This was the perfect opportunity to take the road trip my dad and I had been talking about for years. Randy and Richie’s excellent adventure rolled out from Virginia on April 7th and returned April 20th. We saw incredible countryside, met interesting and very welcoming people, and experienced some of the wildest tourist traps this truly amazing country has to offer. I’ll limit these next few blog posts to the fishing highlights in Colorado, but as I hinted before, the journey was just as fun as the fishing.

Dad and I stopped in Oklahoma City to pick up our friend Terry Weber. Terry is a great fishing buddy and he took a bunch of the pics you’ll see in the next few posts, so hats off to him for adding to the blog. After picking up Terry, we drove through the panhandle of Texas and northwest New Mexico en route to Colorado. It was breathtaking standing on Mount Capulin in New Mexico and watching the Great Plains sweep up into the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rockies. If you can’t tell yet, I fell completely in love with the West on this trip.

After a drive full of gawking at the still snow capped peaks of the Rockies, we pulled into Salida, CO and met up with the staff at Ark Anglers. Stefan was our point man for the entire trip, and he did an amazing job of both putting us on the fish and getting us oriented in town. I highly recommend booking guided trips through the shop; they are first class outfitters and very friendly people. I want to make sure y’all make no mistake about pronunciation when you call the shop in Salida. I automatically went for the Spanish pronunciation, but I quickly discovered that the local folks call it “Suhl-eye-duh and town just up the road is called “Boona-vista” (Buena Vista). I guess that’s about the same as us calling Staunton here in Virginia “Stan-tin”, but these things never cease to amuse me.

On the morning of the 12th, Terry and I headed out with Will, a fellow Okie and our first guide from Ark Anglers, for a 14-mile float trip on the Arkansas River from Salida to the boat ramp at Rincon. I had never floated for trout before, and fishing with Terry and Will made for an awesome trip. We started out fishing right in town and had early success on some white articulated streamers that Will ties. I looked for some in shops during the rest of the trip, but was unable to find any like them. Will, if you’re out there reading, post me the name of those flies or please tell me where I can score some. They were money! One fish chased a Will-tied streamer for a solid 10 feet. Just as an aside for Chuck Kraft, the Kreelex also worked beautifully in Colorado throughout the trip, and we handed them out like candy at every fly shop we visited.

Will also taught us a new streamer fishing technique that definitely adds more life than simply stripping in line. You can really make a streamer dance by using the rod tip to jerk the fly erratically toward you, making it seem like a distressed and enticing meal for a trout. Another thing I didn’t expect was the success we had fishing our streamers just under the surface. The fish really went wild after using the rod-jerk technique to make the fly skip the surface a little. Terry and I both agree that the best part about having a guide is LEARNING. Being put on fish is obviously fun, but learning new techniques and about the way fish feed and what they eat really adds to your repertoire as an angler. Thank you again for an awesome float, Will.

We ended up catching about half browns and half rainbows that first day. Most of the rainbows came after we switched to a two fly nymph rig with an indicator. I am a new believer in using indicators after this trip. Waiting for that thing-a-ma-bobber stop dead in its tracks or jump a few feet really puts you on edge. It also doesn’t hurt when it results in a tail dance by a fat rainbow covered in spots and stripes. That reminds me, we didn’t catch a fish under 10 inches the entire trip, and an average brown in the Arkansas from what I can tell is probably 14 inches. Every single fish we caught had vibrant color and they were all much harder fighters than the fish back East. I think that’s about enough for now.

Check back soon to read about more adventures in Colorado and some other very helpful techniques I learned out West.