High Country Angler | Winter 2023

SNOWY SEASON SUCCESS

by Landon Mayer

With the hopes of giant-sized snowflakes overcoming the high country, winter angling can bring out the best of both tail water and fly fisher alike. Yes, the warm sneaker days of heat can bring comfortable conditions for anglers, but the cloud covered skies and powder filled days of winter can supply the best conditions for sub success with nymphs and streamers, even if the wind blows.

The shallow waters on any tail water are usually the first section of the river to warm up, causing lethargic trout to migrate there looking for daily meals. While it can be an advantage for anglers in gaining a visual of feeding trout, the flip side is that the fish can also see better, giving them a chance to investigate everything on your rig. The following tips are techniques I live by during the winter months for success with wary trout.

Chasing Powder

When people take to the slopes as a low front sets in and heavy clouds produce heavy snowfalls, this is also the productive time to take a trip for some of the

best midge action around. Unlike sunny conditions, the thick clouds insulate the air, causing warm temperatures for a majority of the day—not just the afternoon hours.

In addition to the warmth, trout feel more secure, with the cover from clouds and dark water encouraging them to gorge on the heavy hatches. When you hit the right conditions, slow your pace down, knowing that the clouds can make sight fishing a challenge. Even actively rising trout can be difficult to see as the snow falls.

The dark clouds can supply great viewing lanes and window to spot trout. Pay attention to the color of the sky and always face the clouds as they move in. This will place dark glare on the surface of the water allowing you easier visibility to find feeding targets. If the clouds are consistently light, your lanes and windows will be reduced, making your viewing lane only 5-10 feet in front of you.

Snow Season Streamers

The traditional method for fishing streamers starts

with a cast across-stream at the top of the run, letting the fly sink to the trout. Once the fly is deep enough, start a retrieve with the streamer acting like it is escaping away from the fish. While this is an effective way to cover the water in large rivers, it is a problem in winter’s tight quarters or tail waters where you can see the trout. Your presentation is drastically shortened on narrow water, and the fly or flies will line the trout’s back if it is high in the run.To prevent this from happening, cast up- and across stream at a 45-degree angle, similar to how you the start a drift using dry flies or nymphs.

A streamers rig using a weighted fly attached to a 7.5-9 ft Fluorocarbon leader, will have time to sink without spooking or lining the trout in the run. Then, with your rod tip at water level, start a retrieve with your body turning downstream toward the bank you are casting on. Keep your line taut as you retrieve your flies through the run. This angle will expose your fly

to the maximum number of fish in the run.

With this method, you have a variety of ways to present the fly. Especially during the winter when trout are lethargic and stage in deep, cold water, a more natural, less aggressive presentation often works. Start by doing slow strips pauses, allowing the fly to move and dead drifting the same retrieve. Or try fast, short strips with short pauses, causing the tail to dance while the eye of the fly lifts and drops like a jig. This is a good retrieve for aggressive trout looking to ambush an injured meal.

Weight Wisdom

Midges possess some of the slimmest profiled bodies when compared to other food supplies in a trout’s diet, so when you buy or tie an imitation, you want to keep it slim. Bead is a favorite way to achieve weight on a fly, but sometimes they take the pattern

over and destroy the slim profile. In addition to the bead, I like using midges with weight supplied with synthetic materials to the body: wire, tubing, epoxy, or weighted dubbing.

This is why I tie my Tube Midge (Umpqua Flies) with the addition of wire to the body. Not only is it heavier, it is also extremely durable and can stand the test of catching numerous trout, not just one, before it falls apart. I even go as far as applying Loc Tite Superglue to the thorax or body of my midges to ensure they will last. By using the slim flies without a split shot, matched with a small clear thingamabobber or white indicator, you now have one of the best natural rigs to deliver the fly to the trout.

Attention to detail is important when dealing with fine tippets like 6-7 x and extremely small flies. I always encourage anglers to check their rigs every 3 casts, or whenever you think you have touched river bottom. Even a small piece of veg-

etation can cover your imitation, preventing the trout from seeing the next meal. The most common way to clean a rig is lifting the flies out of the water and clearing your rig by hand. Yes, this does work but in cold temps your fingers will become numb fast and it causes unnecessary movement above the water that can cause fish to spook. The fly slap is a more productive way to keep your flies clean. Performed below or above the water where the trout is holding with only one foot of line out past the rod tip, perform fast circular motions with the rod, causing the flies to slap the surface at the end of each rotation. After two or three rotations, you will clean your imitations and move back to presenting to the target.

It is amazing how much you can learn during the winter season with midges and streamers in hand at the ready. Not only do you have a better view of the trout, but seeing all the fish’s movement will teach you a lot about the natural behavior of a feeding fish and what is the best way to approach each presentation. As the midge is the only food supply that actively hatches all year, these tips can be used during every season, and the techniques can be applied during different hatches and disciplines year round. Try these tips the next time you are looking at the forecast and wondering what day is best for your trip.

About Landon

Landon Mayer is a veteran Colorado guide and author of several books. His newest book, Guide Flies: Easy-to-Tie Patterns for Tough Trout, can be purchased on his website at www.landonmayerflyfishing.com. You can follow Landon on Instagram at @landonmayerflyfishing.

by Brian La Rue

The Yampa/Steamboat area can be a blast in the winter. No, I’m not talking about hitting the slopes or hanging out at a lodge fireplace with a cocktail at nearby Steamboat; I’m talking about fly fishing the Yampa tailwater after the roads close and riding snowmobiles to access a hard-to-get-to Winter Wonderland!

“Dress like you’re going skiing,” said Ryan Herbert at Yampa Valley Anglers. “We enjoy some phenomenal days on the Yampa, on the ice on Stagecoach, and when things warm up a bit, ice out can be a blast.”

I fished with Ryan years ago when he was just starting a family and planning this unique sled-in operation on the Yampa (2011). Well, he’s come a long way with his business, family and has put a lot of smiles on angler’s faces over the past decade. He now has a wife and four handsome boys under the age of seven, and five guides on the team this winter! Because it’s winter, let’s highlight his unique snowmobile guided fly-fishing excursions—a fun way to access hard-to-get-to water that few touch during the colder months.

“We offer half-days, full days, and we’ll take you to water few anglers see this time of year,” added Herbert. “One look at our website (https://yampavalleyanglers. com/winter-fly-fishing-trips) and you’ll see epic shots in some amazing, post-card like settings; and guess what, nobody else is around.”

“Access to Stagecoach tailwaters and Sarvis by snowmobile typically starts getting good when they close the road into the tailwaters,” continued Herbert. “Road closures begin Jan. 1 and run until April 1. They do the closure because of the elk migration. But it also keeps out of a lot of traffic, therefore way better fishing opportunities.

“If you’re walking or biking, it’s about two miles from the front parking lot location to the river and it’s definitely beautiful and scenic,” added Ryan. “But that means it’s four miles round-trip, as well. We bring our snowmobiles up through the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Trail. It definitely has a call of the wild factor as far as a winter fly fishing adventure goes.

“Back there, we’ll enjoy great opportunities for big rainbows, brookies, and the occasional brown trout,” says Ryan. “Some of our favorite flies in the winter months are going to be ruby red midges and zebra midges in sizes of 20 to 22. One of my favorite patterns, year-round too, is going to be the gray CDC RS2. Rigging up with 5X & 6X Fluorocarbon tippet is a must when nymphing. We’ll bring the hot chocolate, too!”

By February, Herbert says you can count on more snow and cold, but fishing continues to be hot. On some calm, warmer days, you can get into the middle of epic BWO hatches.

“March and April are fishy months for sure,” added Ryan. “The weather starts getting nicer and more water starts melting so the river starts coming up. I generally like to see the 50 or 60 cfs range. Also, there are some extremely large rainbows moving up from Catamount. Use more egg patterns, leeches and worms.

“Action and flies will depend on water clarity and levels,” said Herbert. “If the water is lower, I’m gonna use smaller things like the Barr’s Emerger and soft hackles. Just depends on what is happening as far as bugs around me at that time. I love to throw small Baettis as well—sizes 18 to 20.”

So, besides this unique sled-in opportunity, why does Herbert feel the Yampa is a must fish in

winter?

“Fishing the Yampa River in winter is definitely more intimate than some of the other Colorado waters,” said Ryan. “You get the feeling of being in a secluded wilderness within a magical trout wonderland. The light traffic alone when the roads are closed means if you’re willing to put in a little extra effort or think outside the box, makes it all worth it. This adventure leaves a lot of people out of the picture. I’m definitely very grateful, lucky, and blessed to be able

We are a huge supporter of Trout Unlimited, and proudly send around 10% of our sales to our partners at TU.

El Jefe Series Packable Fly Rods

Pescador on the Fly is a small, familyowned business. We keep our overhead low to pass on big savings to anglers all over the world. The El Jefe Series uses highperformance components, available from 0-10 weight and in 4- or 6-section rods.

“El Jefe is The Boss of Packable Fly Rods”. Fly Fisherman Magazine Gear Review

to guide people in this beautiful area this time of year. I describe it as the wow factor in a winter guided flyfishing experience.”

We rarely cover ice fishing in High Country Angler, but that’s another opportunity with Ryan and his team.

“March and April on the reservoir is also on fire,” said Ryan. “Lots of big fish start to come closer to the inlets. We’re typically fishing 8 to 12 feet of water while using 5/16 chartreuse head jigs with white squirmy tails, along with some egg patterns. That usually does the trick. We don’t get too scientific out there.

Okay, enough about ice fishing; one of the few times a year I’ll fish reservoirs is at ice out or soon after. You know, that time the ice recedes and exposes some open water. There’s always excitement casting a nymph or a San Juan and watching it sink in 4 to 10 feet of water on the edge of the ice. The trout often swim the edges of the ice as bugs thaw and fresh bugs land on the surface. A slow-sinking rig is the way to go. As your offerings sink, your leader will

slowly sink and when you see the sink rate of the line quickly increase, you know a passing swimmer has made a grab. It’s a very visual form of fly fishing and sometimes you might even see that 25-inch brown swimming the shallows on the way to your flies. Just don’t move, and hope for the best.

Ryan and the team at Yampa Valley Anglers also offer destination fishing trip planning and can help you score in Belize, Alaska and even places like Arkansas and Florida. Check out his unique guided snowmobile trips this winter and see what he can arrange to get you on fish in other great flyfishing destinations, and tell ‘em Brian sent you!

About The Author

High Country Angler contributor Brian La Rue enjoys giving fly fishers ideas of where to go for an adventure. Feel free to reach out to Brian at Brian@hcamagazine.com if you want your lodge or guide service featured in an upcoming promotional marketing plan.

Colorado Trount Unlimited Youth River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp

by Dick Shinton

Yes, it’s a long name, but it accurately describes the content of the camp CTU operates for 1418 year-old teens. Our mission is twofold: to teach camp attendees about coldwater stream conservation, and to teach them the fine art of fly fishing. Our emphasis is on the conservation side of the ledger.

With a seventeen-year history, CTU’s camp is one of the longest running programs of its kind among TU’s many chapters across the US. Beginning in 2006 on a ranch along the Colorado River, the camp has been held at various locations around Colorado, including Peace Ranch above the Fryingpan River, at Bar NI Ranch west of Trinidad, at Beaver Run Trout

CTU Campers Ready to Fly Fish

Ranch on Woody Creek near Aspen, and at Silent Spring Resort near Almont. Founders Sharon Lance and Larry Quilling started something special that lives on as a testament to their love for TU and its future.

The camp found a new home in 2021 at AEI Base Camp north of Gunnison near Taylor Park Reservoir. AEI Base Camp sits at nearly 10,000 feet on the west side of the Sawatch Range. It’s most easily reached via Cottonwood Pass from Buena Vista. AEI’s property includes little Illinois Creek with brook and brown trout, and a pair of lakes stocked with sizeable rainbow and brown trout. There is an open wooded area with tremendous views of the Sawatch and Collegiate ranges, where the campers can pitch their tents, along with cabins for the counselor staff. It’s a perfect spot.

During the midday Sunday through midday Saturday week, campers participate in curriculum and activities that teach the basics of stream ecology, stream flow and water quality, macroinvertebrate surveys, electroshock trout surveys, trout biology and pathology, invasive species, hatchery operations, western water issues, conservation awareness, and of course, in-depth instruction in fly casting, fly fishing, fly tying, knot tying and stream etiquette. Throughout the week, fishing takes place on site at AEI as well as off site at other local rivers and lakes.

Macroinvertebrate sampling is a key activity. Students use kick nets and D-nets to take samples of macroinvertebrate life forms in Illinois Creek. They sample riffles, runs and holes, sort the insects by type, count each type and prepare reports that note not only the insect counts, but com-

pare the differences in diversity between the different habitats. This activity teaches the use of accurate sampling methodologies, connects the dots between stream health and macroinvertebrates, and prepares campers to do similar sampling in their home waters. Campers are even instructed on how to make their own sampling nets!

A highlight of the week is a hands-on conservation service project. Past years’ projects have included

Electorshocking with Campers

Checking out Macroinvertebrates

removing tamarisk and Russian olive trees along the Purgatoire in Trinidad, trail maintenance on National Forest land near Reudi Reservoir, and planting willows along the Gunnison. In 2022, campers assisted Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) personnel in removing fencing near Willow Creek, a small stream that flows into Taylor Park Reservoir, in preparation for installation of new fencing to better control grazing rotation. Under the direction of CPW staff, campers built in-stream structures to prevent bank erosion and stabilized the stream banks with willow plantings. We plan to return to Willow Creek in 2023 and continue our efforts to improve trout habitat. With the camp’s partnership with AEI expected to continue, Willow Creek habitat

Campers acting out macroinvertebrate lifecycles

restoration and improvement will become an ongoing project.

The entirely volunteer camp staff is made up of experienced fly fishers, guides, fly shop employees and TU chapter members. Several of the counselors have been with the program for most of its history. Exceptional former campers have been brought back as youth counselors. They not only provide continuity to the program but give peer level instruction and support to campers. Several past youth counselors have become regular adult counselors as well. These volunteers are the backbone of the program and without their dedication, time, support, and volunteering, camp would not be possible!

In addition to the camp staff, outside experts are engaged to offer instruction in specific areas of

2022 CTU Campers, Counselors, and Camp Staff

their expertise. CPW and US Fish and Wildlife employees lead the trout electroshocking activity. CPW personnel also conduct a comprehensive Roaring Judy Hatchery tour and teach campers about native cutthroat trout, and the efforts to protect them and reintroduce them into their original habitats. TU water lawyers and other experts explain the legal aspects of water usage and how water is transported around the state through diversions and transmountain tunnels.

Does the camp make a difference? The answer is YES!

• “I care an insane amount more about conservation…”

• “I know way more techniques, flies, rivers, and fishing.”

• “This camp has really made me want to have a career in conservation.”

• “Amazing and helpful. I found my passion and [it] helped me straighten out my life.”

• “One of the best weeks of my life […] and I learned a ton.”

• “I learned much that I hadn’t known before about conservation Loved the discussions about conservation…”

Anecdotally, several past campers reported how deeply camp impacted their lives, resulting in careers in the outdoor industry and in conservation, fisheries and forestry sciences.

With strong leadership and a dedicated staff and volunteers, CTU’s Youth River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp is poised to continue producing committed conservationists and lifelong fly anglers.

Registration for camp in now open! Visit our CTU River Conservation & Fly Fishing Camp page at https://coloradotu.org/youthcamp to learn more, register your teen, apply to be a counselor, and/or support this impactful youth program.

To Learn More.

To learn more about this story and Colorado Trout Unlimited, visit coloradotu.org.

Have You Covered!

Reintroduced Greenback Cutthroats are Reproducing

by Kyle Perkins

After more than a decade of strategic efforts, the greenback cutthroat trout is now reproducing in a remote area in Colorado, in part thanks to Trout Unlimited volunteers.

On a cool mid-September morning in 2015, I, along with other Colorado Trout Unlimited members and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) staff, met at a 10,000-foot elevation trailhead to venture into Herman Gulch, located in Arapaho National Forest in Colorado. We had gathered to begin a multi-year effort to restore a wild population of the Colorado state fish, the greenback cutthroat trout. Normally this is a hiking destination with a six-and-a-half-mile roundtrip hike to Herman Lake along the Continental Divide Trail, but we were there because the small stream that runs through the gulch was identified as a prime location for reintroduction by CPW.

The first major historical note on the greenback was that it was declared extinct in the 1930s. However, small populations were thought to be found in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, which led the species to be listed on the endangered list. Intensive efforts to re-

introduce these fish were made in the 2000s, but those fish were eventually found to be more of a Colorado cutthroat ancestry. Then, in 2012, in a small stream in the Pikes Peak region named Bear Creek, a genetically pure strain of the greenback cutthroat was discovered. The first step toward reintroducing the greenback to Herman Gulch was a trout salvage, as there was a strong population of other cutthroat trout reproducing there. Volunteers that day were allowed to fish the tiny creek and transport the fish back down the trail into adjacent upper Clear Creek. With buckets and oxygenated backpacks, we successfully transported approximately 100 trout that day. CPW returned two more times with electroshock equipment, and overall, successfully transported approximately 400 fish to their new downstream location. CPW then completed chemical removal of any remaining fish that had not been relocated.

In 2016, with the habitat cleared and ready for native trout, I returned with other Trout Unlimited volunteers to stock the first greenbacks into the stream. CPW provided fish from various state hatcheries and

transported them to the location via a specialized truck. Carrying large backpacks filled with youngerof-year greenback cutthroats, we ventured miles up the difficult trail. The first few miles of the Herman Gulch trail climbs at an extremely steep rate, but spirits were high, and the pace was fast. We reached the open area of the gulch where the trail evens out, and were assigned beats to release our fish. After letting the bags equalize with the cold temperatures of the stream, we watched as those young fish entered their new home. Approximately 4,000 hatchlings were transported and carefully introduced to the stream that day. While that reintroduction wasn’t deemed the most successful a year later, the total of five reintroductions over the course of four years apparently was.

In 2017, the reintroduction strategy changed. Instead of only hatchlings, we transported nearly 1,000 year-old fish and approximately 10,000 young-of-year fish. In 2018, we again transported about 900 year-old fish into the gulch. CPW continued to stock greenbacks into the stream for an additional year, and has conducted ongoing monitoring.

This September, CPW announced that their monitoring had documented continued growth of the fish – some reaching 12 inches – but most importantly they found successful reproduction of the greenback cutthroat in Herman Gulch for the first time. “Our

team of field technicians literally high-fived right there in the stream when we captured that first fry that was spawned this year,” said Boyd Wright, CPW Aquatic Biologist. “When moments later we captured a one-year-old fish produced in 2021, we were truly beside ourselves. After many years of hard work and dedication, it is extremely satisfying to see our efforts paying off.”

I couldn’t tell you in words how satisfying being a part of this effort was, but today, we need to celebrate all the volunteers. This effort is only one example of how Trout Unlimited volunteers make a difference in native trout conservation in the state of Colorado and the nation. We, as an organization, couldn’t do these types of projects without your help. This is a project that all Trout Unlimited volunteers should be extremely proud of, so here’s a loud and appreciative standing ovation to all our volunteers. You are a part of something extremely remarkable that generations to come will cherish.

About The Author

Kyle Perkins is the Communications Coordinator of Colorado Trout Unlimited.

Only Fools and Bears

Ilooked down in surprise at my thumb, bleeding profusely from a clean slice across the top. I had been struggling to gain enough dexterity in my hands to get my nippers to cut a slender piece of tippet, unaware of how cold I had become over the preceding two hours spent standing in the river. While I felt no pain, the flow of blood managed to complicate an already delicate task, given the cold, low light, and my general clumsiness.

A hundred yards away in the back of my truck was a first aid kit, but I knew once I left the river, I’d likely not return, and fish were rising. I shook blood off my hand, selected a small dry, and fumbled my way through several attempts at a clinch knot, a usual fewseconds procedure taking the best part of two minutes. Despite the discomfort, I determined to catch a fish on a dry fly before calling it a day.

“Shoulda been here a couple of days ago, before the front,” the guy in the fly shop had said earlier in the day. “This’ll have put the fish down for the season. You might be able to dredge a couple off the bottom, but no way will they come up for a dry. Besides, everybody’s hunting now, not fishing.”

“That’s why we’re here,” said Kev, my fishing buddy.

We paid for out-of-state licenses, bought a few flies, thanked him for his time, and headed for the door. A job at the local chamber of commerce did not seem to be in the cards.

We followed an access sign just outside of town that led to the river. A concrete boat ramp ran down to the water’s edge. For half the distance to the far bank, the river ran ankle-deep and gin-clear before darkening into a trench that curved upstream in a gentle arc. Multiple boulders—some submerged, others protruding above the surface—were scattered along the trench and formed the far bank. Tasty looking water, we agreed, but how many other anglers over the season had already cast flies to what were surely by now fish as jaded as the guy in the shop?

A gentle rain began to fall, turning briefly to snow, then back to rain, before clouds lifted half-heartedly to reveal distant mountains covered in snow-dusted pine. We layered up beneath our waders and headed for the river.

“There has to be a big one down there somewhere,” remarked Kev, rigging a couple of nymphs and adding some split shot onto his line. I followed suit, minus the split shot, deciding to fish the tail of the trench where the current broadened and shallowed towards the next riffle. A missed strike and a rig lost on a snag was all I had to show for a half hour of effort before a yell from upstream told me Kev had located his big fish, a cuttbow that did its best to fill his net.

I battled on, crossing the river to work up the far bank amongst the boulders, losing two more rigs for the reward of a chubby rainbow hooked down deep. My new

fishing pack refused to sit comfortably, swinging off my hip as I moved from boulder to boulder, causing balance issues and almost pitching me into the water.

I continued another quarter mile upstream for no reward, then decided to wave the white flag and head for the truck. Perhaps the guy at the shop was correct. Wading back across the shallows toward the boat ramp, I heard a gentle slurp. I stopped and turned. Thirty seconds later, I saw a rise, then another. Small fish, but feeding off the surface. A last shot at redemption, a last salvage of the day, at least from an angling point of view.

Whatever hatch the fish were rising to, the bugs were small, too small for me to see on the water. Same with the fly I had selected. Ordinarily I’d tie a larger one on first as a spotter, but given my clumsiness and sliced thumb, I kept it simple and settled for a single.

Playing zone defense, setting the hook anytime a fish rose in proximity to where I thought my fly floated, I shivered thought the next ten minutes until finally, success.

I hooked and released a diminutive cuttbow, then immediately headed for shore, chilled to the bone but satisfied.

“What do you think about a motel for the night?” suggested Kev. Until now, we’d been camp-

ing by the side of whichever river we were fishing that day. He brooked no argument from me. Only fools and bears would choose to fish, let alone sleep out, in this kind of weather.

About The Author

Fly

Hayden Mellsop

Recreation,

Hayden Mellsop is an expat New Zealander living in the mountain town of Salida, Colorado, on the banks of the Arkansas River. As well as being a semi-retired fly fishing guide, he juggles helping his wife raise two teenage daughters, along with a career in real estate.

Old Timer Fly Fishing Wisdom that Will Help You Catch More Fish

The origins of fly fishing wisdom is as elusive as trying to pin down the wellspring from which a great trout river is born. Passed on from grandfather and fishing guide, or shared over the displays at your local fly shop, these sage proverbs are often short and sweet, but in them is born the weight of countless lifetimes on the water and fish in the net. To have these words shared with you by a seasoned angler is a gift, while applying

this water-worn wisdom to your fly fishing game grants you the opportunity to grow into one of the fly fishing greats, as well. Heed now the tried and true wisdom of the fly fishing elders!

When the old timer fly fisher is asked, “What are they biting on? They respond, “A good presentation and drift.”

by Peter Stitcher

Photos Credit: Mark Jessop

Of far greater importance than matching the hatch with the perfect fly pattern, if you want to catch more fish you should always be working on your fly presentation and drift. Focus on consistently placing your fly lightly on the water upstream and in line with your target feed-

ing lane, with time for your nymphs to reach the feeding pocket on the bottom of the river. Don’t just accept sloppy casting and bad habits, but work on your cast with more seasoned anglers and practice in the yard between trips to the river.

1. Adding weight allows the angler to quickly drop their flies into the feeding zone along the bottom of the river where aquatic insects spend 99.9% of their lives, and where trout do the vast majority of their feeding.

2. When using adequate weight, the speed of your drift will be slowed as the split shot drags across the bottom of the river, in turn reducing the drift of your flies to the actual slower water speeds found on the bottom of the river.

When setting up your nymphing rig, and after you pinch on your split shot, pinch on another. Don’t be afraid to go heavy, and when you think you have enough weight, add a little more. Remember that the difference between a good nymph fisher and a great one is that one more split shot!

“90% of trout are caught in 10% of the river.”

The vast majority of trout are found congregating in a small portion of the river. This concentration is due to several reasons:

1. Trout need to feel safe from predators, and to achieve this, they choose a position in the river where they have at least one foot of water over their heads, while remaining in close proximity to deeper waters and structure they can retreat to when startled.

2. Trout require shelter from the energy- sapping current of the river, and will either find this by holding in between the rocks on the bottom of the river, or behind an energy- diverting structure such as a boulder, log, or root wad.

3. Finally, trout need access to food, and they will position themselves adjacent to concentrated flows of food where they can duck in and out of the current as they pack on the calories.

With these criteria in mind, you can begin to approach the river with an economy of casts, understanding the limiting factors of where trout will hold, and selecting the optimal places in which to place your flies. Let these words of the fly fishers who have waded before us guide you to greater success this season, and many seasons to come! About The Author Peter Stitcher is an Aquatic Biologist and owner of Ascent Fly Fishing. Originator of the Biologist Crafted Fly Selection, Peter and his team build their clients’ fly selections specific to the bugs in the waters they fish, when they fish them. You can contact Peter or restock your fly box at: www.ascentflyfishing.com.

Legendary Fisherman with Legendary Skills and Flies

We recently heard of the passing of fly fishing legend Dave Whitlock. Dave was a lifelong fisherman, but also a man of other extraordinary talents as an artist, illustrator, writer, author, and teacher to the fly fishing world.

In this modern era of fly design and fishing technique, Dave was an out-front fly pattern inventor and demonstrator of how to effectively fish those patterns. His work covered not only the fish-

his books or search online to find several references to this fly by Dave himself, and multiple other references from fishermen who have tied and used it for decades.

To honor Dave,

ing world of trout, but most every other species we commonly chase with a fly.

No short article here by me can do justice to his lifetime contribution to the sport. So as a fly tying columnist focusing on trout, I wanted to honor Dave with a review of his favorite pattern. In his own words, Dave choose his Red Fox Squirrel-Hair Nymph as his best fly. Quoting from an article I found online written by Dave, he said “If restricted to one fly pattern, I would have to say that my Red Fox SquirrelHair Nymph is the most consistently effective fly, both in numbers caught and size, that I use.”

Dave wrote extensively about how to tie and fish this fly, so rather than repeat that here, I will ask you to review

Remembering Dave Whitlock

It’san editor’s worst nightmare to have to write something about the loss of a team member.

But that task is unimaginably more difficult when that person is your role model, inspiration and very dear friend.

Dave Whitlock, who passed away on November 23, was among the kindest, most gracious, humble, yet supremely talented, energetic and insightful people I’ve ever had the honor to know in the fly-fishing world as a whole, and it was one of my life’s greatest honors to be able to work with him on the many “Art of Angling” columns he and his wife Emily faithfully produced for TROUT magazine, where I am editorin-chief.

Dave was the consummate gentleman angler, and he embodied everything I consider great, even sacred, about the culture of this sport I love so much. If there were a “Mount Rushmore” of fly fishing, he should surely be carved in rock.

I’d bet dollars to donuts right now that if most of

by Kirk Deeter

you combed through your fly boxes, you’d find traces of Dave in the fly patterns you find… Dave’s Hoppers, Whit’s Hoppers… numerous streamers and nymph patterns… he pretty much ran out of things to name all the bugs he created. When you fish, whether you realize it or not, you use techniques Dave pioneered… “tres emergers” and “dry-dropper” rigs, and more. He was Ben Franklin-esque in terms of ingenuity. And best of all, he was an egalitarian angler, shining love on everything from farm pond bluegills to the underappreciated common carp, beloved brown trout, to all the native species of trout and salmon throughout North America and far-away destinations throughout the world.

Dave caught ‘em all. But best of all, he appreciated and respected every fish. He was all about the why, the what and the how, and not just the how many.

He also respected and appreciated the many people who read the words he wrote, or enjoyed the fine art he produced, far beyond any level of gratitude most

artists and authors ever show.

I remember once standing in a long line at the Fly Fishing Show in Denver (this was a few years after I had inherited Dave and his column as editor of TROUT magazine) and watching as Dave meticulously signed copies of his books and chatted with every person in the queue. Dave didn’t just sign books. He often took the time to draw an impromptu fish or fly on the title page. You rarely just got a signature from Dave. When it was my turn, he leapt up from behind the signing table to give me a big bear hug, and that made me feel very special.

When Dave would write me letters, the old-fashioned way, to talk about ideas he had for his column, they’d come with elaborate drawings on the envelopes. I never told him or Emily, but I’ve saved every one of them. I knew that they, like everything else Dave produced, were artifacts. He sent me prints, signed “Special to Kirk Deeter” that I proudly hung on my walls.

When Emily called to tell me the sad news that Dave had passed, she said that Dave always appreciated the “freedom” that I, as editor, had given him to create on his own terms. I was humbled and honored, of course (actually flabbergasted), but I had to state the obvious… “what the heck was I supposed to do?!” He’s Dave Whitlock, after all! I pretty much just switched a word here and there, threw in a comma or two and sat back and learned like everyone else. What a luxury it was to learn to be a better angler, and edit a magazine column at the same time.

The most valuable, lasting lesson of all, however, was Dave’s humility.

We live in very cynical times… and also in an era of instant gratification. There’s no shortage of chestpounding, Insta glamor shots and hyperbole that all revolves around the “conquest” when it comes to flyfishing media these days. There aren’t many people now who can explain how the fly-fishing world has evolved over the past few generations, and use a box of colored pencils to illustrate how it really happened.

Dave did that, better than anyone. But the thing is, he always maintained an almost bashful country gentleman persona, with a wink and a smile and a friendly hand on the shoulder, never once implying that he’d already cut all that hay… already done more adventurous and “out-there” stuff, and yeah, caught more big, beautiful fish in interesting ways than any

hard-charger from Gen-Next might ever imagine. He simply wanted people to find the essence, and the beauty of fly fishing, wherever the passion led them. He mentored by example.

And that, to me, embodies what the true beauty of fishing really is. Dave Whitlock was, in every sense, a beautiful man, who cared very much about beautiful sport, for all the right reasons, in all the right ways.

So he will be sorely missed, and although in the short term, TROUT magazine and the fly-fishing world may be a less colorful place now without him, in the long term, he left us a palette and a purpose to take the “Art of Angling” to newer, greater heights.

We have indeed all been blessed. Godspeed, Dave Whitlock, and thank you from the bottom of my aching heart.

To Learn More.

To learn more about this story and Colorado Trout Unlimited, visit coloradotu.org.

Anadromous Fish versus Modern Civilization

When nature and modern civilization disagree, which one has priority? If a hydroelectric power dam will provide electricity to light thousands of homes and power to operate industries that provide hundreds of jobs, but block the migration of salmon that have provided critically needed food for indigenous people for thousands of years, whose needs prevail? How can ecological principles guide society in these decisions that are also driven by economic and political considerations?

These questions are very real in our present-day world, but the history of human effects on natural systems is much longer in time. Before humans organized small family or tribal groups into villages, cities, and other modern forms of society, questions about ecological principles did not provide dilemmas for decision makers in those hunter-gatherer populations. Technologies were simple, populations were small, and Mother Nature’s unwritten rules provided sufficient guidance to prevent serious arguments and resource abuses. When variations in climate and/or local weather conditions led to violent weather, such as floods, tornados, droughts, or even ice ages, these early humans simply moved to more favorable areas. If responsibility needed to be assigned, they blamed themselves, or at least some members of their community, for making their gods angry—so angry that the gods punished them with an array of catastrophes. Ecological principles existed, but not in the minds of human

beings. Humans were a part of nature. Those ecological principles still exist, but the economic and sociological concepts and beliefs typically override Mother Nature’s rules. Few people, far too few in my opinion, accept responsibility for their part in destroying nature’s carefully evolved balance. There is a long history of humans placing greater importance on economic factors than ecological factors. Development of agriculture and the needs of humans who had congregated in town and cities started to take place at least 6000 to 7000 years ago. Human religious beliefs changed about the same time and the concept that humans held dominion over all of nature became a widespread belief. Property rights and economic principles promoting profit-oriented activities provided additional emphasis on beliefs that humans had escaped the “tyranny of nature.”

As the industrial revolution and scientific discoveries carried human cultures to new levels of comfort and escapement from the limits of natural systems, humans came to believe that they were no longer dependent on nature. From corporate headquarters, to government offices, to private homes, humans had grown apart from nature and ceased to believe that they were a part of nature.

Now, let’s take a quick look at three present day situations that focus on human interactions with anadromous fish and human developments. The proposed Pebble Mine development in southeast Alaska would provide thousands of tons of copper and gold as well as thousands of jobs, and enormous profits to the developers. But - thousands of miles of streams and thousands of acres of adjacent watersheds would be totally destroyed. Stream flows would

be reduced and toxic wastes would flow downstream all the way to Bristol Bay. One of the most productive salmon spawning areas in North America would be gone forever, for the sake of some temporary jobs and a temporary supply of gold and copper. But - the developers would rake in hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, of dollars.

A few hundred miles south of the proposed Pebble mine development an unrelated event involving anadromous salmon made global headlines a few months ago. Photos showed thousands of dead salmon littering the dry bottom of the Neekus River. The salmon had made what once appeared to be a successful spawning run. But, the river dried up. What little water was left flowing in the gravel river bottom was far beyond the temperature limits of the salmon. No salmon smolts will be returning to the ocean from the Neekus River this year. Why did this disaster occur? Apparently the Neekus watershed was a victim of drought brought on by global warming and the associated climate disruption. Humans did not act directly to destroy the salmon in the Neekus River system, but human caused pollution of the Earth’s atmosphere led to the drought conditions that left the salmon high and dry.

Salmon spawning runs in the Klamath River system in northern California and southern Oregon have been blocked for more than 40 years by 4 dams generating a small portion (perhaps a little as 2 per cent) of the electricity needs the

utility system requires to service the homes, businesses, and industries in the area. Recently a decision was reached to remove these dams; an action that will be the largest dam removal project in American history. But - will the salmon spawning runs that once fed the indigenous people in the area and provided thousands of hours of recreational fishing return? Perhaps, eventually salmon will spawn in the soon to be accessible headwaters, and newly hatched fry will thrive on the invertebrate fauna of those headwaters before heading out to the coastal ocean waters to feed on forage fishes and reach maturity before returning to their natal waters.

Recent decisions for the Klamath and Pebble Mine suggest that people are beginning to look at our part in nature again, not simply assuming we are above and apart from nature. But situations like the Neekus highlight how large the challenge is. We can only hope that the effects of the irresponsible dam building and other developments of the past can be restored and that once again anadromous fish and modern society can exist in harmony under Mother Nature’s rules.

About The Author

John Nickum, is a retired PhD. fishery biologist whose career has included positions as professor at research universities including Iowa State and Cornell University, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s fisheries research facility in Bozeman, MT, and science officer for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mountain-Prairie Region. He was inducted into the National Fish Culture Hall of Fame in 2008.