Stagecoach Money Holes

I started fly-fishing in Arkansas.  I learned to cast a fly rod in Arkansas Rivers, catching Arkansas trout, in Arkansas humidity, with a dip in my lip… because I’m from Arkansas.  Rivers are deep and wide, and the “perfect drift” might last as long as 30 seconds with the pace of the shoals.  There aren’t shoals so much as there are ripples.  Top water happens all spring, summer and fall, and you can rip brown-trout-lip all day pulling an olive wooly bugger (I say booger, because I’m from Arkansas).  It’s a blast and an incredible experience.  Moving to Colorado, however – I became a beginner again.  Rare is the deep, slow run, and scarce is that “perfect drift”.

 

Fishing Colorado water takes precision, accuracy and flawless presentation.  These fish have seen their share of flies, and a good drift might only be a 3 second run.  For a while, I would always continue the venture upstream to avoid those whitewater flows.  And, generally, that’s the best call.  No [healthy] fish will use its energy to resist tumultuous whitewater crests.  On the other hand, fish food is primarily in main currents where the water is moving, and moving quicker.  Often times, fish will be stacked up in the slack water, where the current swirls and is pushing back (upstream) towards the rocks creating the shoal.  Food from the current floats just on the seam of the fast and the slack water, and the fish will dart in and back out again, just quick enough to nab a midge. 

 

This was especially the case on the tailwater of Stagecoach Reservoir just south of Steamboat Springs, CO.  Of all times you would expect a river to be void of anglers -that time would be 10:30am on a Tuesday.  You would assume incorrectly.  After all, people don’t live in Colorado to work.  I didn’t have time to explore, and the only available spot to cast was just under the floodgates of the dam.  Naturally, this water was truly tumultuous… like, step in and get swept away.  There happened to be one small area, carved out of the bank, where the water from the roaring current pushed out and remained significantly calmer.  I got a hunch, tied a size 14 Red San Juan Worm with size 18 Black JuJu Baetis dropper – very weighted - and gave it a toss.  It was difficult to keep the flies in a natural drift without my line being swept in the roar.  But, using the high-sticking technique, I hooked up on the second cast.  Unfortunately, the current was so swift, the fish swept away and broke my line in an instant.

 

With a stronger leader, I landed a few throughout the morning.

Next time you think about jumping that rushing shoal, look for a small area of slack.  If the water is clear, watch for a few minutes – you might just see some daredevil fish riding the seams.  

 

If so... toss that fly.  

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High Mountain Sculpin Lake, Colorado

Moving to Colorado, fishing was a primary motivator.  It wasn't necessarily the size of the fish driving me to the mountains, but the immaculate beauty of creation, and the challenge of the pure hunt.  In my four years of fishing Colorado’s freestones and tail waters, I've learned that catching a fish isn't as easy as tossing a kernel of corn in a slack water.  Having fished several of the main fisheries – Colorado River, Arkansas River, Big Thompson, Clear Creek, 11 Mile and Cheeseman Canyon… I’m always left with wanting more.

Since my relocation, fishing a high mountain lake has always been a pinnacle of dreams.  Again, it wasn't the size of fish that fed the dream, but rather the surrounding beauty.  Recently, I found it.  Just off I-70, on an unsuspecting exit, I found an oasis with clear-as-day water surrounded by daunting peaks and shadowing pines.  It was a peaceful and small lake, most assuredly holding fish.  Most-assuredly, because I watched trout hit top-water for a solid hour.  

Laboriously tossing dry flies, I decided to run the gamut on my fly box.  After hours of the same results, I pulled a streamer as somewhat of a last resort.   Streamer after streamer, still seeing fish feeding, still getting skunked.  I put on a very close resembling sculpin fly.  It was size 16 with dark hunter green color and distinctively beady eyes.  With only an hour of daylight left, 10 fish were caught.  Wildly successful compared to other scarce Colorado trips.  Perhaps it was the conditions, though ever-changing.   Perhaps it was the season, or hatch.  As I've often found in Colorado, however, it was just the perfect fly. 

I lost several sculpin flies, and resulted to the hunter green with brown hackle wooly buggers I tied years ago.  First cast, second cast, these flies landed fish without fail.  These fish weren't the trophy size monsters we all dream of, but with bright orange underbellies, white-tipped fins, and brilliant blue-surrounded-by-blood-red spots, these brook trout were the fish that inspire art - God’s art.  It was beautiful, and it was a perfect lesson of persistence in Colorado fishing. 

So what's the moral of my short story here?  Head to the high mountain lakes, and when you do, try everything.  Just make sure you have some spare sculpin flies in your box just in case.  And, as always … Cast to the Other Side.

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October TOSFly White River Trip

October fly fishing in Northern Arkansas can provide some of the most ideal fishing conditions one could ask for. The Other Side Flyfishing Crew went to the White River in October to hone in on some pre spawn brown trout action. On this trip, we brought rookie fly fisherman, our featured angler, Hunter Hibbard. Hoping for low water opportunities, we came prepared for sight fishing and small nymph patterns. The Corps of Engineers did not cooperate with out longings for low water, and instead tainted the weekend with fluctuating generation and water levels. Over the course of our 3 day trip, the Corps of Engineers ran between zero and three units, with the number constantly changing.

A General Rule of Thumb: Fish Rising Water and Falling Water
As a general rule of thumb for those who are fishing tailwaters, some of the prime fishing opportunities is rising and falling water. As the water levels drop from high to low, fish begin to move from their shoreline structures to the mid-river feeding zones. During this "migration," fish are on the move allowing anglers to fish all sections of river for decent numbers of fish. The same applies for rising water. As the fish migrate from their mid-river feeding zones to find shelter behind shoreline structure from the strong, high-water, currents.

This rule of thumb does not apply to consistent water level fluctuation. Every hour the Corps of Engineers was turning generation either on or off, throwing the river and the fish's feeding habits out of balance. We managed to land quite a few fish over the course of two days, but we had to earn every fish we caught. We were constantly digging through the deepest parts of our fly boxes to find what patterns would unlock these fish's jaws. Oddly enough, during the higher water periods, we had great success on size 18 olive scuds, once again breaking the rule of thumb of "bigger water, bigger flies." We often had to break the rules of fly fishing to find patterns that would generate strikes as the water level plagued the two days.

We spent most of our weekend at the Rim Shoals area, as this is our favorite trout water in Arkansas. Olive scuds in size 18 produced fish, and the saving fly of the weekend was the RAY RAY (Ray Charles). In my experience, the Ray Charles is the secret weapon on Arkansas tailwater trout. This fly ALWAYS produces fish.

When you're fishing the Arkansas tailwaters, NEVER rely on the voice recordings to tell you what the water is doing. Safety is the first priority, and the best way to keep an eye on the water level is to get a FIXED point of structure in the water and make mental notes of the water level every hour or so. The water can rise QUICKLY and can leave you in very dangerous situations. When you are experiencing fluctuating water levels, and you know you're in a section of river that holds fish, do not be afraid to try flies that you generally do not use. Sometimes it takes some trial and error to find that PERFECT pattern. For us it was the olive scud and the Ray Charles.

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Fishing Report 11/11/10

It's that time of year when the air starts to cool off and the fishing starts to heat up. If I had half a brain I would of called in sick today...if you know what I mean. And now for our main event...The SPAWN! Brown trout are hitting the spawning grounds hard and if you're looking for a wall mounter now is the time to be fishing.

The white river is producing 100 fish days and the casual angelers are sitting on their couch drinking a beer watching Dancing with the Stars. So strap up and hit the river.

The browns are stacking in, and the bows are storing up for winter.

Guide Davy Wotton says the zebra midge is the go to fly and nymphs are producing big numbers. Sow bugs, olive scuds and streamers are also healthy choices. If fishing deeper water, throw on a smaller streamer and tease those browns until they can't take it anymore. If overcast, throw on the olive scud or sow bug. If you are forced to drift, the San Juan (of course) is producing miraculous numbers. Now...don't judge me, but if fishing darker water, don't be above throwing on a high vis egg pattern... as a last resort of course. Now let's get it on. Hit the river this weekend. Cast to The Other Side, and you'll have less bad days and more "Chad get off my leg we've only caught 50" days.

-Lukifer

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Ole Faithful

My late Grandfather had a saying, "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Terrible grammar I know, but when applied to fishing, the man was on to something. My Papa was a bass fisherman at heart and spent countless hours trying to figure out the perfect bait to entice the prey. I saw him pull out the biggest, ugliest lures you could find and somehow he would always catch the monsters. However, when the fish just weren't biting he would always go to the "ole faithful." For him it was the purple trick worm rigged Texas style. Now, if your like me there are good days and slow days on the river, but never a bad day on the river, and I like to chalk that stat up to my "ole faithful".

For Arkansas trout fishermen it's sometimes difficult to peg exactly what the fish are feeding on. Some days you might tie on 25 different flies before getting a nibble. When I'm losing confidence in my selection there is one fly that always comes through for me. The "San Juan Worm" (above). I've experimented with different colors and I've found the best color is blood red or wine color. There are a hundred different ways to rig this money fly, so I'll leave that part up to your creative mind. Confidence is key on the days that are slow, and a confident fisherman always catches more than a frustrated fisherman. So, next time you're on the river and the action is just not where you'd like it to be, throw on your "ole faithful" and see where your luck takes you. And of course cast to The Other Side, and you'll have less bad days and more I can't wait to show my friends these pictures days!

-Lukifer

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