Tough day at Spinney

Had the day off so I was able to sneak out to Spinney Reservoir this morning! Hit the parking lot about 5:45am and started the hike to the islands. I was told the area was fishing well a week and a half ago. It should be prime Callibaetis and Damsel hatch time with some Chiro's and Giant Caddis around, too. The various forks of the South Platte were still extremely flooded as I passed them on the way in. I figured Spinney would be about capacity!

Well, that was not the case. The lake is something like 3 feet below capacity. I had never seen the islands so bare of water. These pics are usually all water...To make matters worse, the weeds have grown to the surface and that makes it very difficult to fish without snagging. I tried various nymph patterns both with and without the indicator without any luck. I finally put on a sz 10 Lime Stimulator with a Chiro underneath. I didn't see any Caddis yet but needed something bouyant to keep out of the weeds. Well first cast I was able to land this guy:

A 20" aerialist Bow with a huge chin. Fat fish and off the schnide!

Fishing was slow so I hopped in the float tube trying to get away from the weeds to deeper water like my man Brandon recommended. On the way I trolled various nymphs and enjoyed a Casa Magna Colorado :)

The weather started to get ugly with winds coming in at all directions which made float tubing very difficult. I could hear the guys in boats with anchors doing better than I was but I couldn't fish they way they were. I landed a couple more like this one who jumped so much he got the camera wet...

In between the gusts of wind I would see Callibeatis, Caddis, and Damsels come through the channels though there wasn't a prolifi hatch of any of them. There was a midge hatch that was insane right when I got there but the fish were not keyed in on them at all. Millions of grey and olive midges. I had never seen that at Spinney before.

I made a few friends with the Damsels. I named this one Fred.

About 11 the gale force winds picked up and never disappated. It was extremely difficult to paddle back to the islands in the face of the wind. I was exhausted. I wondered for a while if I could even do it but I made it after bypassing the open water for more cover of the islands and up one of the more protected channels.

It's tough to say fishing was poor when the smallest fish landed was 20" but they were few and far between. Lost a couple on LDR's and had my leader snap after what I beleive was a decent sized Pike - almost ripped the rod out of my hand and shredded the 7.5' 3X leader about half way through. I did see a number of Pike as the water was so shallow. I didn't try to fish for them at least on purpose because I wasn't properly equipped.

All in all a nice day, but tough fishing. After the hike back to the car in the face of the winds I was exhausted and very deserving of a cellared Jubilation Ale :)

The water level must have dropped because the guys that recommended the islands didn't say anything about how low the water was. If the resevoir was full it might have been an eipc day. Perhaps next time ;)

Spinney/Elevenmile Canyon

Had the day off today so Dave and I got up early to hit Spinney this morning. We rolled in about 5:45am to the lowest water level I've ever seen at the Reservoir. It was a little shocking. More shocking was we were just the 2nd car in. Our intention was to hike/float tube over to Buffalo Bay. However, as we drove over the dam, the water was boiling with risers...everywhere. We made the decision to at least try it out by the dam before moving over to the Bay. We geared up and on Dave's first cast he landed the hen above. She was spewing orange eggs everywhere and was super fat.
The morning was full of fish like this. Typical Spinney. :)
The morning quickly materialized into the best I've had on the reservoir. The fish were keyed in on Chironomids and were hammering them all over the place. 6 casts = 6 fish. 7th cast no fish? WTF? 6 more casts = 6 more fish! That's more like it. This was the pattern all morning, it was actually rather ridiculous. The sizes of the fish ranged from several younger age class 14" bows to several over 20". These new Hofer strains are aerial artists, too! Very entertaining watching pigs fly through the air and smack the surface like a dinner platter.
Not only is the paint chipping off the bead, the wire is toast, and the TMC 2488H (heavy hook) is bent to hell. The fish were hitting the flies so hard the flies lasted only a few fish before having to be replaced - time to tie some more Chiros!
We figured out that Dave wasn't fishing the depth as I was and as such wasn't into as many fish. We fished the same flies and weight but the difference of a foot made all the difference. As soon as we figured it out Dave was into more fish. We must have had like 4 doubles in the matter of 30 minutes.

Got Chironomids?

At 9am I hooked another fish and then then like a light switch the unusually calm morning we enjoyed for 3 hours immediately disappeared and transformed to Gale Force winds without warning. It didn't build up, it just changed in an instant. It was ridiculous and Dave and I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. The swells with the wind transformed the peaceful shore to the pacific shore. We decided to try and abandon the lake and hit the river. 3 hours, 30 fish. I am pretty sure Spinney is heaven.

The canyon isn't bad either :)

Dave dominated the river, I don't have any idea how many fish he hooked. This was one of the nicer fish, pretty Cutt!

Cutthroats like protein.

I was into some fish as well like this monster! Turned out to be the only brown all day, for me at least. The little dude was actually quite a fighter and had quite a belly.
Dave's Brown was a little bigger ;)At about 2 the wind was unbearable even in the protected canyon. We decided to head to the barn. All in all it was a fantastic day. Lots of fish with a great fishing buddy in an extremely serene, yet windy, setting. I wish I could do this more often.

Don't mind if I do.

Bighorn River - Wyoming

So Doug, Greg, Bill and myself joined up with John and Don of Four Seasons Anglers (http://www.fourseasonsanglers.com/) Friday and fished the Bighorn River around Thermopolis, Wyoming Saturday and Sunday. It was great to get back out on the water with a rod in hand - just doesn't happen all that often any more!! The weather was great, for the most part, and the fishing was excellent. It was a great trip that I am sure to repeat, just a matter of time.

We floated a couple stretches of water above and below town. Didn't do much wading as the flows were high and a lot of water moving through. The only fish I landed out of the boat was a nice 18" bow that took a hot headed leach on the swing. Sorry no photo :(I had a tough time controlling the rod at first due to slicing an inch and a half of my thumb off 2 days prior on some metal. Here you can see John holding what was an average Bow with my goofy face and ridiculously large thumb in the background. After a while it became easier to cast and mend but it was still tough, especially in the wind gusts. Luckily the wind wasn't too bad at all. The fish sure had some shoulders! Pound for pound some of the strongest, feistiest fish I've been into.
Doug and Bill both landed browns in excess of 24"! This fish had beautiful red markings on the back. He hammered a thin mint. Apparently Doug couldn't hear me telling him to hold the fish on the other side so we could see it! It was a really nice fish hook jaw Brown, this photo really doesn't do it justice.
The crew after Day 2 about to head home: me, Bill, Greg, and Doug.
There was an unreal BWO hatch both days, they were all over the place! We only saw maybe 2 trout rise in 2 days though. There would be beautiful drifts with what appeared to be fantastic dry fly holes with bugs everywhere and perfect spots for the trout to hold but no luck with dries at all. Bummer. We did well with emergers and nymphs though.
Bill with a nice Bow.

Bill with another nice Bow. And a rod.
Doug again holding the fish poorly but this time it's a Bow.
Greg was clearly enjoying himself with a beer and cigar over lunch. Looks rough doesn't it?Evidently this is how you transport young children in Thermopolis. Duly noted. Next time I will bring my ATV and ensure the kids can join in the fun by bolting a car seat to the back!

Overall it was a great trip with great guides and good people. I had never ventured that far into the interior of Wyoming before. A whole lot of nothing for the majority of the trip but some great fishing to be had on the Wyoming side of the Bighorn. The river really didn't remind me much of the Montana side at all but we were a considerable distance out. There was a lot of moss and big fish though so that was the same. Great trip.

WTF?

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_17549182

Beyond mere tradition, there has long been an artistry associated with the fish story, a mesmerizing tapestry that weaves the elements of wilderness, mystery and occasional machismo into an enthralling thrill-of-the-hunt narrative.

It's a talent bred by the likes of Melville and Hemingway, perpetuated and honed through generations of riverside campfire worshipers, and now distilled through iPhone, Blackberry and 3G technologies.

Take, for example, the text that made its way across my desk last week, reading in essence: I just caught a fish with two mouths. Call me for a picture.

As compelling as angler Mark Wilson's brief tale was, it's nothing without the visual accompaniment. Indeed, it's all but impossible to imagine. Two gills, yes. Two eyes, no problem. But a second mouth? Isn't that kind of like having two heads? Where would it fit? And how did it get there?

But Wilson provided proof of the two-mouthed trout that took his worm-tipped minnow at Lon Hag- ler Reservoir in Larimer County last Sunday, corroborated through a phone call that conveyed the appropriate shock and awe.

"My reaction was just like everyone I show it to: What the heck are they putting in the water?" Wilson, 45, said. "It really blew me away."

A vigilant outdoorsman, Wilson carried the roughly 12-inch specimen to the Division of Wildlife's Research Center in Fort Collins to unlock the mystery behind the anomaly. Although he doesn't recall the name of the researcher he spoke with, he distinctly remembers his surprise at being told the deformity was no big deal.

"What do you mean? It is a big deal," Wilson said. "When was the last time you caught one with two mouths, dude?"

After some discussion, it was concluded that the hatchery rainbow likely had been injured as a fingerling and adapted to the damaged jaw with the formation of a second mouth, teeth and all, behind the first. Wilson speculates the 1 1/2-pound fish had some feeding challenges, as it took nearly five minutes of nibbling before the bait made it into the upper mouth and he set the hook.

Wilson's tale is clearly not the type of story you hear every day, unless your name is Mark Wilson. The lifelong outdoorsman followed his nephew, CSU sophomore defensive tackle Curtis Wilson, to Fort Collins after being laid off from his job as a construction project manager in Alabama last year. He has a short list of unusual outdoor tales to his credit, including one of shooting a seven-point doe while hunting in Georgia.

"I'm into it more than a lot of other people, so maybe it's just a matter of statistics," he said. "If you catch 10,000 fish in your life, eventually you find one with two mouths. You kill 50 deer, maybe you'll kill a doe with antlers. It happens."

Yes, on occasion, it does happen. And when it does, The Denver Post would like to hear the tale and share it with readers.

Devoted Colorado outdoorsmen have no doubt lamented the now year-long loss of distinguished outdoors writer Charlie Meyers and his contribution to the community through inimitable narrative acumen. The Post also has felt the loss, and this week marks our attempt to return to the tradition — and occasional artistry — of the outdoors journalism genre, with a few modern twists.

Among them is an invitation to readers to connect with us to share their photos and unembellished tales of outdoor adventures. We'll be revealing others in coming weeks. Until then, keep fishing for those stories.

Scott Willoughby: 303-954-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com

Editor's note: Scott Willoughby is taking over as our new Outdoors editor. Willoughby has covered Outdoor Extremes for the past several years and has written extensively on fishing and other outdoors topics through the years. His columns will appear each Sunday and Wednesday.

Read more: Willoughby: Crazy fish story, you say? I'll bite - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_17549182#ixzz1FvtDafz0
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

Dry Flies at Spinney

Pretty sure this place is heaven.

So the wife let me sneak out for a morning at Spinney! I finally was able to take the 6 weight out of it's case and hit the water. I could only fish until noon so I knew I had to make the most of it and got up at 3:30 to be at the parking spot before 6am and on the water by 6:30am. The hike to the spot is generally level but it's a long way with a backpack stuffed with a float tube (which I never ended up using).By the time I got down to the water the hot air balloons were taking off East of Fairplay. Happens every time I fish Spinney on Saturday mornings, pretty cool.

Anyhow, I had heard the damsel and callibaetis hatches were in full swing so I rigged up a calli nymph with a stillwater nymph. I only used the rig for 5 minutes and missed a fish. While nymphing I saw this giant caddis come down and start skittering across the water. She lasted about 30 seconds before a nice rainbow annihilated the surface and took her down. That was all I needed to see. I quickly switched my setup and threw on a size 10 yellow Stimi.A few minutes later my efforts were rewarded! This was the first fish of the day and destroyed my fly. This isn't dry fly fishing on a stream with gentle sips of mayflies - these fish attack these giant caddis with reckless abandon often hurling their entire bodies out of the water as the attack the fly. There is no mistake about it, you know when the fish has hit your fly. One of the caddis hatched right next to me and made her way to my waders and I was able to take a couple pics before she flew off only to be inhaled by a trout. She was exactly the same size as my size 10 stimulators. I tried to get a picture of the underside as it's hard to tell the color from these pictures. While she appears a light olive here, the underside is more of a cream color. I didn't have anything to match exactly so I ended up using yellow stimulators until all I had were torn to shreds or broken off. I switched to olive, which was too dark, but still effective. I need to tie some to match this coloration. I had a quite a few fish reject the fly at the last second and I wonder if the color had much to do with this.
It's hard to take good pics when you're fishing by yourself. At least it is to me. I can't grip a 5lbs trout with my left hand well enough to snap a photo with my right. But here's another bow.This guy was a tough one. He not only destroyed my fly, see photo below, he jumped 10 times and took me into my backing twice. I have never had a fish take me into my backing on dries ever so that was pretty exciting. All the fish were about the same length in the 20-22" range and varied from 3 to 5 lbs. My arm/shoulder was tired when I left but I am not complaining!Hi I used to be a stimulator. This is the fly that took the fish above. I have no idea how I got him in as you can see the barb was broken off the shank of the hook. This was a perfect fly prior to that fish, oh well. I ended up not going back to nymphs all day. I saw a guy in a pontoon who came around nymphing and he was hooking up petty consistently. I might have had better success nymphing, but I did quite well on dries, ending up with about 10 before I started the hike back to the car about 11:30. I love fishing dries and as I am unable to get out nearly as often as I'd like due to the babies at home I simply stuck with it. As enjoyable as cast....strip-strip....pause....strip-strip-strip is it was much more of a challenge to mimic the skittering caddis on top of the water without drowning the fly. It was a game of finesse. By the end of the day I could cast to the opposite bank/island and perform the maneuver fairly well. Fish will strike a fly that isn't moving, but I had more success in skittering and pausing. A few times the fish hit the fly within a second of landing. It was difficult to cast 1 dry with the notorious South Park winds that picked up mid morning but the islands protect the channel fairly well and fish were feeding all over so it didn't matter much really. I tried to combo a yellow and an olive but that didn't work as I couldn't control the flies as well and it didn't seem natural. These caddis don't fly in groups so I switched back to the single. The key seemed to be making as much "noise" on the surface as possible. The real caddis leave a wake and flutter their wings in a very distinct pattern so my twitching and popping the fly it seemed the best I could do to replicate.Can't think of a better way to finish up a great day on the water and a long hike back to the car from mosquito central. I didn't see any callibaetis of damsel nymphs in the water all day. Early on there was a little chiro hatch but that was about it. When the Calli hatch is on the fishing is unparalleled, but its tough to have more fun that the caddis hatch. I wasn't expecting to see any as I hadn't heard reports about them all year and there weren't really that many of them around but the trout were keyed it on them. I didn't see 1 skitter on the surface more than 30 seconds or so before a trout took it down. I remember a couple days last year where the caddis were everywhere and the fishing was amazing. This trip wasn't quite up to that standard but was a hell of a lot of fun. Hope to make it out again soon.

Delaney Buttes 5/15 & 5/16

Made the trip up to Delaney Buttes last weekend to fish with Dave, Wade, and Jeff hoping to hook into some hot Spring action. We had contemplated hitting up Antero or Spinney but had heard such mixed reports we decided Delaney was the way to go.

I arrived at South lake about 8am to the scene above looking north from the south side of South Delaney. It was snowing off and on with some serious gusts of wind, shocking, and got quite cold. The sideways snow proved too much for my "waterproof" jacket, but it wasn't too bad if you took a few breaks out of the water.

On my second cast I landed a decent sized Cutt on a grey chironomid. A few casts later I caught what turned out to be my biggest fish of the day, above, on the same fly, the fish weighed in at about 4 lbs and 20". As tough as the weather was it allowed for a little chop on the water which helped the fishing. When the wind died down at times it was tough to hookup.

Dave and Wade showed up about 9am or so. Wade was able to land a nice Cuttbow on the grey Chiro.

Here's Dave with a yellow Bow that looked like it had been in a few fights. It was a pretty fish, but scratched up presumably from the spawn. He jizzed all over Dave while Wade took the picture. Nice hook jaw though. Overall, the fishing on Saturday was a little slow but we all got well into double digit fish and each netted a 4-5 lbs trout. Most of the fish landed were taken from the north cove of South Delaney on grey Chiro's and were all about 12-14" Cutts. We must have gotten into a year class as it was pretty consistent for a while. A few bigger Cutts took egg patterns, but most on the Chiro.

This was the hot pattern, though a grey version. It's Craven's Jumbo Juju Chiro. Dave and I tied it a little differently as we didn't epoxy (used Hard as Nails) and didn't include the gill tuft. It's an easy tie and was quite productive in size 12-14.

Jeff made it up just in time to strip streamers on North Delaney. Here's the group shot, not sure what my problem is, perhaps I was upset that I drank all my homebrew? North Delaney was dead. In fact I cannot confirm that there are any fish still alive in this lake the action was so slow. Hopefully it heats up soon. Everyone we talked to had the same response. Therefore we spent most of our time at South.

A little dark, but it was quite peaceful tubing North at night. After zero success on a variety of streamers I threw some mouse patterns hoping to entice a huge brown, no luck. The calm water did allow for a nice Cuban cigar though!

I had to take off home early Sunday morning but the other 3 fished all day with better luck, Dave thought everyone caught about 20 or so in similar size and fashion to Saturday's fishing.

As you can see the weather improved considerably, sorry I missed it!Dave with a solid fish from the tube!

From the "WTF is That!?" Department...

Anyhow, we had a good time, even if the fishing was a little slow. It was nice to meet Wade and Jeff, thanks for the photos Wade! I look forward to getting out to Delaney soon again, hopefully the fishing picks up a bit. After hearing Darren's report of South Park it sounds like we made the right decision.