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.
