Adventures in MuddlerLand

Another Month Down

2011-11-18T22:03:00.005-07:00

Once again life is in flux. And as usual not in a bad way. The seasons have become the determining factor of my life! Water is freezing which means we are skiing!

Fishing season is never really out of season for a person like myself, but I have a feeling fishing time will be dwindling...

That being said, in the past month I've had some great fishing. I've caught some big fish and without a doubt the highlight was fishing with my good friend, Zane. He's a youngster full of wanderlust that, I believe, has caught the wind of the Wild West. Time will tell if he'll be back...

Lately I can't help but be transfixed by skiing. Sliding down a snow covered hill in complete control is a feeling I can't help but love. The moments I lose control are the ones that keep me coming back.

Like fly fishing, one must be completely in tune with everything around him to really get the whole picture and (in fly fishing terms) catch the fish. Unlike fly fishing, one is not depending on another creature to decide success. One decision could be life or death. Sobering. Awesome.

Just a few thoughts...

As usual life is sweet!

Sometimes...

2011-10-10T21:19:00.009-06:00

... the stars align and we are blessed with a day of fishing that compares to nothing else. I experienced a day like this last week. Armed with a new piece of jewelry that was sure to bring good fish ju-ju (my friend picked the fish up in Steamboat, I made the necklace by braiding nylon backing), I set out.

The weather was perfect. Overcast with no wind. Surefire weather to get the fish biting. I hit a stretch of water that isn't fished very much and contains very large fish. I started with a grey RS2 which had been producing in the past few weeks. To my surprise there were no bugs hatching except for some microscopic midges. I fished a few spots I knew held fish, but couldn't get anything but a large bow that came up and sniffed my indicator. I was getting rather worried after fishing an hour with no action. I moved upstream and tied on a large midge that has produced in the past. It didn't take too long to get into the fish.

I nailed a few nice browns as I made my way upstream. I was getting into the groove. I still couldn't see any discernible hatch going on, but they were biting and that's all that matters.

This was a nice brown, but take a look at his coloration. I have no idea what makes some fish look like this. I've caught browns that were completely black on part of their body. Anybody know? He put up kind of a lethargic fight too, weird.

I am in love with this picture. Sometimes, pretty much daily, I look around and can't believe I live and work in such a beautiful place!

I worked my way on upstream, picking off fish after fish as I went. I came to a run which was just upstream of a fence which could be the boundary of the property. Maybe I was trespassing, but this one final run was just too tempting to pass up. I took a look around to see if anybody was watching and proceeded to nail this chunky brown. I was manhandled by a couple large fish that made me feel foolish.

I made four drifts and got four bites, the fourth bite yielding this massive bow. To date the largest rainbow I've caught on the CO. He put up a whale of a fight and I snapped this pic of him before I released him.

I had passed a few rising fish in a tail-out as I was fishing up. I didn't want to re-rig with a dry because the action was so fast. But on the way back to the car I decided to tie on a dry and give these rising fish a go. As I was lengthening my leader with some 6x, I spied this little guy fluttering on the water. Bingo, I found what the fish were eating and the midge I had been throwing was a spitting image. Sometimes it's pretty nice to be lucky.

Having found this little mayfly, I tied on this fly. Look similar? I think so....

...and so did this guy! It's the only fish I caught the rest of the day. But I'm pretty sure it was a cutt-bow. The yellowish gill plates and the spots oriented more to the tail of the fish make me think this. I was pretty stoked when I landed this dude.

The orange gill slits are another reason I believe this to be a cutt-bow. This is the first one I've ever caught. Pretty sweet!

Aww yeah. I dig it...

And sometimes the stars are in disarray and the weather is crap. Bright bluebird skies and gusty winds make for terrible fishing! The fishing may be bad, but these days make for some amazing vistas.

This is taken just down the road from the ranch looking over the divide back towards Denver.

This is the Vail Range. Spectacular.

I had big plans of hitting the Blue and throwing meat for hungry browns. I got to the parking spot and looked down upon the river. I thought it looked pretty high. I made the trek down a very steep grade and ran across these three mule deer. They just stopped and looked at me as I snapped a few pics. These were the only form of wildlife I'd see on the Blue that day.

The Blue is a tailwater. I have never checked the release schedule here, and the other day was the first time it's ever bitten me in the ass. I made it down to the water and was the only soul around; for a reason. The water was raging. There was no way in hell I was wading this river alone. Dejected, I trudged back up the hill to the car.

I made my way back to the CO and hopped on the water in a place I'd only been to once. There were others on the water and nobody was catching a damn thing. I fished for a few hours and caught what I believe to be a retarded fish. This guy ate an RS2 in a very unsuspecting piece of water while there was NOTHING hatching. Not even midges...

Everyone fishing around me called it a day. I moved back upstream and finally fulfilled my hopes of throwing meat. As the sun was starting to set the fish started to eat a streamer. I had many strikes but only connected with two. This being the best of the day. I fished until after dark with the aid of a full moon. I packed it in and headed for some chicken fingers with my tail between my legs. They call it fishing, not catching. And I'm cool with that. Every great day has a not so great day to go with it.

Life is good right now. In fact, life is great! Today, I locked in my plans of heading to Poland in January to meet up with my good friend Maciej. After meeting up with Maciej, we're heading to the French Alps for a week of skiing. What could make this better? My 25th birthday is the Saturday we'll start skiing. HELL YEAH!!!

Keep it reel folks!

As Bob Dylan Once Said...

2011-10-05T11:05:00.000-06:00

... these times they are a' changin'. Summer's been long gone, and fall is quickly winding down. We won't have to wait too long to ski now, Winter Park opens November 16th.

I haven't been fishing too much lately, but the last trip I took was stellar!

This pic is actually taken on the Blue. I caught one nice fish, but he wiggled out of my hands before I could snap a pic. These deer scared the hell out of me though. They came crashing through the brush right behind me and scurried on across the river. I thought I had heard something behind me, but dismissed it as an auditory illusion. Obviously it wasn't...

On to the fish. I headed to the CO in Parshall a couple of weeks ago, and to my surprise I was the only one on the water. This spot gets hammered, the fish are smart, and I have never caught anything of size. This was to change...

The caddis have quit hatching and have been replaced by small grey-bodied mayflies. PMD's or BWO's would be my guess. I can't be sure which one, but a grey RS2 paid off in spades.

The bugs were coming off in swarms and there were twenty-plus inch fish heaving themselves clear out of the water to pick them off. I caught a small brown dead drifting an unweighted RS2 in the surface film, then switched over to nymphing on the bottom. It wasn't too long that I nailed this guy. To date, the best fish I've caught at the Parshall hole. There was one person around to see it, and I made sure he heard my whoop as I landed him.

This is a pic of one of the bugs that were coming off. Anybody know what it is?

I feel like an idiot for not taking more pictures of the fall foliage, it's all but gone now. Anyways, this is a pic of the Parshall hole. I've taken this same pic in every season I've been out here and it's cool to see how it's changed!

I didn't have any more luck where I was fishing and moved upstream. I came upon a guy trying to teach his girlfriend how to fly-fish. They were standing just downstream of the run I was wanting to fish. I asked if I could scoot in just upstream of them, and they obliged. I felt kind of bad watching them flog water while I nailed this nice brown on my second drift. The first drift resulted in a bite where the fish came unglued as he streaked across the swift current.

I got a few more strikes from what I'm sure were big fish, based on how they manhandled me. Then I got a bite and the hook set firmly in this fish's jaw. A beautiful rainbow. Again, right in front of this guy and his lady. I could tell the guy was getting a little perturbed. He slogged upstream and with a dejected look asked me what I was using. I told him and they packed up and left. I didn't have anymore action for the afternoon. I couldn't complain though, I had my best day yet at the Parshall hole.

Another view of the fall foliage.

The ranch is changing over seasons also. Pretty much all the summer staff has departed, and we're getting into lonely season. There's one person in particular that I miss, but time heals all wounds I guess. I only have to make it another month and a half... Come on snow!

Life's pretty good, just in a state of limbo right now. Stay tuned!

Hay 'n Hawgs

2011-09-09T20:31:00.000-06:00

Hay and hawgs, that's been the story of my life for the past week or so.

Hay season has been in full swing for over a month now, and it's coming down to crunch time. Days are getting shorter and it's starting to rain more. Rain equals no work in the hay fields. I'll have to say I've really enjoyed the time I've spent haying. I'm farmer Smith and it's strange because were haying the Smith ranch! We have everything mowed but there is lots more to do. There's a lot more to haying than I thought there would be.

This is a view from one of my offices. It's a big John Deere. It's much tougher to stack hay in this tractor than the skid steer. I've mangled a few bales...

This is the "Staging Area." This is where we eat lunch, work on equipment, meet up, and BS. It's centrally located in the middle of about 20 fields were haying on this property.

Mary Jane whipping up a fine lunch. Grilled chicken, carrots, potatoes, artichokes, bread, a Sprite, and dessert. Nothing out of the ordinary. We eat pretty well out there!

We may be farmin', but we're far from roughin' it! The view during lunch isn't half bad either!

A view from another office I occupy. Haying requires scouting, mowing, raking, bailing, stacking, and transporting. Everything is dependent on the weather. I'm raking in this picture. The point being to throw the hay onto dry ground while turning it over to let the wet hay on the bottom dry. We've had to do a whole bunch of raking, it's been raining a good bit here lately.

But enough about hay, what about the fish?

BOOM! I fished hard this past Tuesday and Wednesday. I caught two small fish on Tuesday on the CO, and nailed this brute on Wednesday on the Blue. I was fishing a stretch known as "Jurassic Park." Why you ask? BIG FISH. This public stretch of water is rather tough to catch fish on, but the fish caught here are tremendous.

I had the days off because of inclement weather. Inclement for haying at least. Perfect for fishing. Cloudy, rainy, and cool. I was throwing meat...

This was the only fish I caught, but well worth the time I put into it. I could have really used an extra pair of hands for the photograph, I would have loved a hero shot with this guy. The picture just doesn't do him justice.

Fatty nailed this guy. I had many other strikes, all of which I could easily see. The fishing was very exciting. Conditions were perfect for streamers, the fish just didn't quite connect. Oh well, that's fishing...

The fight Fatty put up was epic! I was throwing 0x flouro with two No. 0 split shot to get it down. Heavy rig. He bit right downstream of the log you can see in the river. I was standing just down from the log on a little sandbar with very swift water on each side of me. He ate my streamer about 12 feet from me and immediately turned into the fast water and smoked line off my reel. I had nowhere to go and no way to chase him down. I palmed the hell out of the reel and tried my best to turn him back into more slack water. Luckily this tactic worked. He darted in and out of the fast water, and I finally saw how big he was when he jumped. My heart froze. I worked him back up to me, and when time came to land him I didn't think my net would be big enough. He fit, but barely.

This evening I broke down and took a bite of the forbidden fruit. I hit up a stretch of water that is "off-limits." But they gave me the combo to the gate! I couldn't help it, it's just sitting there untouched! I'll never say where...

I fished for an hour and a half after work. I caught three fish. This guy ate a San Juan worm and put up a pretty good fight.

I moved upstream as the sun was going down. I got a bite at the head of a good looking run. Didn't connect. Undeterred, I kept on fishing. Shortly after, I got another bite and felt the weight of this guy. I never saw him until he broke the water in a magnificent jump. I landed him and snapped a few pics before returning him to the water healthily. Damn, I love brown trout!

I dig it...

Fall is coming on, the aspens are starting to turn and we've had heavy frost in the mornings. Browns will be spawning soon, and skiing comes after that!

My life is just plain fun!

Peace

Geez!!!

2011-09-02T19:52:00.000-06:00

Good God! Where to begin? The past three days have been off the charts!

I said I would be making a return trip to the Haynach Lakes, and I have kept my word. Tuesday I ventured into the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park. Seven miles in, on the hunt for my first cutthroat trout.

I got a late start and was on the trail at nine on the dot. The morning was cool and damp, and the hiking was great.

This is Big Meadow. I've posted a picture of this before, but now it's really summertime.

This is Tonahutu Meadow. I really need a wide-angle lens to capture the grandiosity of the landscape!

Upper Haynach Lake. I kept a breakneck pace the whole hike until I hit the spur trail to the lake. The last 1.2 miles were killer! Almost vertical. I could have sworn I'd hiked three miles and was wondering where the hell this lake was. Just as I was losing hope, I came across a sign that said 'No Camping, No Fires.' I thought this was a strange place to place a random sign. Just as I was thinking this, I turned the corner and was smacked down by the unbelievable beauty of the place I was in.

The whole hike I kept thinking about how big of a bust it would be to find no fish in this lake. I sat down on the bank to eat a peanut butter bagel, and within seconds I was staring at a 16 inch cutthroat! I couldn't scarf down that dry ass bagel quick enough. Not only had I been watching cutthroats cruising, but they were rising to midges right in front of my face. And the water? You could see for eternity!

It seemed like rigging up took forever. But when I finally was rigged and ready, it took about three casts to nail my first cutthroat. Sweet Success! He wasn't very big, but I could have cared less. On a sour note, I made a bonehead decision to leave the net in the car. This made photographing my catch rather difficult. Oh well...

There were trout in the lake as far as the eye could see. Between wind gusts fish were rising everywhere. Fish of all sizes, EVERYWHERE! I even saw a rather large fish eat a pine cone. He eventually spit it out, but he was making a pretty good effort at eating it!

I only caught three fish, this being the best of the day. I had shots at four or five much larger fish. I just couldn't quit yanking the fly out of their mouths. Think it's easy to have restraint when you see a 20'' cuttie coming up to eat your fly from 20 feet underwater? I know not. Anyways, the size of the fish didn't matter one bit. Just fishing there was enough.

I hiked 14 miles roundtrip. I walked through the woods for six hours, and only fished for three. Crazy? Maybe. Awesome? Hell yeah!

SO, yesterday started with a quick shuttle to Denver on what was supposed to be my day off. Things turned out pretty good though.

When I returned to the ranch I grabbed some food and waders and bolted! With just a short window of time to fish, I headed to a public stretch of the Colorado just down the road. I fished this area before run-off hit and I had caught some fish. I had high hopes. I fished for a little bit and watched some caddis pop off sporadically. I nailed this guy after an hour and then another about the same size, shortly thereafter. This is pretty typical of the size I've always caught here.

I moved on up to a deep pool. Again, I had caught small fish here before. I fished the hole for a bit with no success. I made another cast and got a bite right at the tail end of my drift. At first I just felt a small head shake, then the fish turned it's side into the current and I felt his weight. After three magnificent jumps, I landed the best brown trout I've caught on public water. Sweet!

I broke and headed to the ranch for some dinner. With the fishing mojo in full swing, I couldn't let the evening go to waste without trying to catch some rising stockers. When I got to the creek the fish were rising right on cue!

I made one cast with an elk hair caddis, and watched this brute inhale my fly. He put up a pretty good fight and was released healthily. Not a bad way to round out the day!

Why has today been so sweet? I just got hooked up with a sick new pair of Salomon skis! Bring the snow (but wait for just a little longer, the fishing's heating up)!

Life is good in MuddlerLand

PEACE

Hard Work & Private Browns

2011-08-30T16:30:00.000-06:00

This past week has been crazy! Dial for Men held their second Camp Dirt here on the ranch this past weekend. We started building the events last Monday, and worked like dogs all week. We built a paintball course, a mudslide, an ATV race course, mud football field, life-size game of Battleship, and a skid-steer drag strip. Whew!

The work was all worth it when the contestants arrived. They seemed to have a blast while competing for ten thousand dollars. Two good ol' boys from Florida took home the check. They were cool dudes, I'm glad they won.

The free beer all weekend wasn't too shabby either!

With all this work came no time for fishing or reporting on my last trip on the Fraser River.

Sunday before last I got the chance to fish a private stretch of the Fraser River. The price of admission was a twelver of Fat Tire. I'd pay this anyday! The fishing was stellar and so was the weather. Overcast, threatening conditions always seem to get the big browns active. Sunday was no different. We hit the water a bit after two and fished for about two hours. Green Caddis larvae was the ticket all day.

No more than 15 minutes into fishing, I nailed this guy in a deep run. He fought like a champ and was absolutely gorgeous! Just a short while later I nailed a nice bow, but he jumped me off. Feces Occurs...

I got to fish with a guy I work with on the ranch. Rusty's a super nice guy and I'm glad we finally got to fish together. He had been telling me he had access to this stretch of water all winter, and we finally hit it.

This is looking in an easterly direction at the divide. The weather looked like this all day, SWEET!

This is by far the biggest brookie I've ever caught. But after catching these big browns out here, these guys aren't really doing it for me. However, you will never hear me complain about catching a fish!

Rusty had been fishing the run upstream when I nailed that brookie. He didn't have any luck and moved on upstream. His spot looked way too fishy to pass up. I made a few drifts and nailed this guy. One of the better fish I've caught out here. Rusty was obliging enough to snap a hero shot of me and I turned him loose. Got to love that private water...

We fished on up without much success, keeping our eyes on the skies the whole time. We came up to a nice looking pool that was fed by a deeply undercut bank. The spot definitely held a fish. With Rusty experiencing a very nasty tangle, I took the opportunity to nail a nice brown right against the bank. Green Caddis larvae were under every rock and the fish were killing them! I dig this picture.

Man he was a stubby little dude! He fought like hell and stirred up the whole bank and pool. No more fish came to play.

With eminent torrential downpours, we retreated to the car. We stopped just in time to crack one of our cans of admission with the landowner. We chatted for a minute, and were insured a return trip. But only if we brought another twelve.

What a sweet little window of fishing! Can't wait to make it back.

As for tomorrow, I'm heading back up to the Haynach Lakes in search of my first cutthroat trout. It's about a six mile hike into the first lake. There is a stream that connects the two, and they are supposedly full of cutties. I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

PEACE

KILLIN' IT

2011-08-19T16:44:00.000-06:00

HALLELUJAH, It's time to fish people!

For the past few weeks the fishing has been slowly picking up, and in the last week it has EXPLODED! Hatches are coming off almost like clockwork and fish are feeding, such a great sight to see!

I've mostly been fishing Willow Creek here lately. This is the stream that runs through the ranch. The fish I thought weren't there are showing up, and the fishing is actually pretty good. Most the fish are stocked rainbows, but there are a few wild browns in mix. I caught this guy about 2 weeks ago and although a stocker, quite pretty!

This is Willow Creek at the mouth of Willow Creek Reservoir. This stretch of water is full of little rainbow trout, plus a few stockers that have been washed downstream. Catching 30 fish in an hour or two is not uncommon...

Mom came to visit me this past week, she stayed 5 days and we had a blast! I was also hooked up with some sweet new gear.

The hatches have been crazy around these parts. Stoneflies, mayfies, caddis, you name it, and its been hatching!

These guys were hatching on the Yampa this past Saturday. I came away fish-less, but I can't say I was fishing in the best conditions. Regardless, it was fun fishing some new water. I definitely plan on fishing up that way in the fall.

Quiz: Who knows what this is?

This was a caddis hatch on the Colorado a couple nights ago.

Fatty stocker taken from Willow Creek. These fish eat two flies, a hares ear and an elk hair caddis. Like clockwork...

This is a wild rainbow taken from the Colorado a couple evenings ago. As I've said before, catching a rainbow on the CO is a pretty rare thing. The rainbows were decimated by whirling disease. In the CO there are around 5,000 browns per mile, compared to around 200 rainbows per mile. Before the whirling disease these numbers were reversed.

Not only was this a nice wild rainbow, but it was also tagged. Pretty cool I think...

An Evening on The Colorado

Brown Town

Ripple

The ranch has a private mile and a half lease on the North Fork of the Colorado. It's such a sweet looking stretch of water. But, I was strictly forbidden to fish it unless I was with a guest. Does that make any sense to you? Shouldn't a guide know the water he's fishing? I think so. I've felt like an idiot the few times I've been there with people.

This had to change. I formulated an argument and presented it to the big wigs. My argument was stellar and I gained permission to take the afternoon and fish the water. HOLY SHIT!!! The fishing was epic, even in the middle of the afternoon! I caught alot of fish. I landed four or five fish of this caliber. I had even more fish of this size come unglued, and one broke me off. That hasn't happened in a long time!

These browns blend in so perfectly with the bottom of the CO.

Gazing upon Rocky Mountain National Park from the N Fork of the CO.

OINK, OINK

Life is sweet!

The fishing should do nothing but continue to get better as the fall comes on. Cooler temps are starting to move in, and the aspens are starting to look a little brittle. I'm cool with it.

Next week will be alot of work, but alot of fun. Dial soap company is invading the ranch to film a commercial called Camp Dirt. Pretty much were going to be building mudslides, operating machinery, and blowing things up. I can't wait.

Keep it real people,
Muddler

We're Getting There...

2011-07-18T14:25:00.000-06:00

About three weeks ago, a friend and I set out to fish Buchannan Creek. The creek feeds Monarch Lake, where we have been doing a bit of hiking.

On the walk in we came upon this moose, he was just chilling. This guy is going to have a pretty good sized rack this year! We stopped and looked at him for a minute or two and moved on. He wasn't the slightest bit worried about us being there.

After passing the moose, we hiked on a ways and came upon this view. I have been to Monarch quite a few times, but have never seen the wind totally calm. The weather had been teasing rain all day long, but we pressed on to fish.

This is Buchannan Creek. The water was still high and stained, but seemed fishable. We rigged up and hopped in the creek. The gravel bottom offered zero footing in the swift current, just crumbled under my feet. We had to resort to bushwhacking through the willows. I have to admit I was pretty nervous after our moose encounter. Where we were was perfect moose habitat.

Anyways, we fished on. We were limited to the waters we could fish, and only managed to see a couple fish. These fish were laid up under heavy brush and were impossible to get a fly to. We pressed on until the sky quit taunting rain and made true to it's word. We hurried back to the trailhead and sought refuge at the Forest Service station. We waited around for about 45 minutes and the storm passed. We tried our hand on the lake for a little bit, but to no avail. We called it a day.

BROOKIES!

I found Buffalo Creek a couple weeks ago, and have had a blast catching brookies!

Buffalo Creek is a cool little stream. It runs through a shallow valley, and is surrounded by head-high willow and grass. There are lots of bends, which make some nice holes for the bigger fish to hang in. But talk about mosquitos! The first time I fished buffalo Creek I was run off after a half hour of fishing. I looked down on my legs and couple easily see 50 mosquitos. Unpleasant!

But with mosquitos comes mayflies and caddis flies! There were swarms of mayflies is every pocket of water, and brookies were gorging themselves!

If you look closely at this picture, you can see a cloud of mayflies in the pool just upstream. Click the pic.

I kinda squished this guy, but this is what the fish were eating.

I really love this picture! I couldn't get a good pic of the bugs in the air and was getting frustrated, the light was wrong. I did some editing to one of the pictures I had taken, and this is how it turned out. You can see three or four bugs in flight, and the colors are just plain sweet!

This is one of the better fish I've caught from Buffalo. He had some great color on him! It never ceases to amaze me how a brookie will SMASH an Elk Hair Caddis when they won't sniff anything else. I guess an EHC is like brookie crack!

On the way back to the ranch, I saw a double rainbow. I stopped to take a picture of it, but had the same problem as photographing the mayflies. The overcast conditions weren't the best. But once again, I did some editing. This is how it came out. I can dig it!

I had a friend tell me about Beaver Creek. On this creek there were supposedly, of all things; beaver ponds! Well, I hiked a few miles only to find a couple beaver "puddles." I was not impressed with what I saw. I never rigged up. I did come across some flora, though. I'm not too sure what this flower is called, but it's everywhere out here. I think they're pretty cool...

As I was leaving Beaver Creek, I was happy to be heading for blue skies!

Oh man! This past weekend was the Solshine Music Festival in Winter Park. I made sure I had the day off in advance. The concert was free and pretty much all bluegrass. We had such a great time. The two headliners were Trampled By Turtles and The Punch Brothers. I had heard of both of these bands, but never really heard any of their music. All I can say is KILLER!

The concert started at noon and was scheduled to run until 6 pm. We ventured in around one o'clock, just about the time it started raining! Undaunted, we headed back to the vehicles and a very well placed awning. We could see and hear the stage from where we sat, just on the other side of Vasquez Creek. The rain lasted about an hour, which gave us plenty of time to get our heads right for the show!

The skies cleared up and the sun shone bright! Trampled By Turtles took the stage just as we staked our claim on the lawn. They played driving bluegrass for a couple hours, and were awesome!

I have had a waterproof travel blanket in my car for the longest time, and it finally came in handy. Kept a dry bum the whole show!

The Punch Brothers came on after TBT. They also put on a killer show. My two highlights were when they covered Sexx Laws by Beck, and Ophelia by The Band!

Our motley crew!

That's what's been going on around here... Give it another week or so, and we may be able to fish some real rivers! Life is good in this 'hood!

PEACE

Just Kickin' It In CO

2011-06-21T22:34:00.000-06:00

WHOA! That's a yellow-bellied marmot, also known as a whistle pig. Possibly one of the goofiest and unintelligent creatures in this region...

Monday, I returned to North Inlet, the stream we hiked past last week. I had high hopes of catching some brook trout, but this was not to be. I was rained on the whole time I fished, I didn't even get a bite. However, I did encounter some wild life.

The weather has been pretty wacky this past week. Cold, wind, rain, mud, even a snow shower with a bit of accumulation! It seemed to me as if May had returned. Morale around the ranch was sinking fast. Luckily the weather finally broke Monday afternoon. I was greeted with this rainbow as I returned to the ranch.

Today was great. I have been itching to get into Rocky Mountain National Park, and today I scratched that itch. I've been told of a couple lakes and streams that are worthy of exploration. I dropped fifty bones for the RMNP annual pass and we set out for the Haynach Lakes. A little over six miles from the Green Mountain Trailhead.

1.8 miles from the trailhead lies Big Meadow. Not a very original name, but very fitting. The trail took us around the edge of Big Meadow. The more we walked around it, the bigger it got. Big Meadow was pretty impressive!

Tonahutu Creek meanders for a ways through a meadow, providing what should be outstanding fishing. I would say one more month, and this area will be on fire! I will without a doubt be back through here. There are a couple sweet campsites in this area. This stretch is roughly around three miles from the trailhead.

We hiked past Granite Falls, about four miles in, and started to run into large patches of snow on the trail. We made it up to a higher meadow, and continued hiking until we unanimously agreed that walking in the snow was a pain in the ass. We were a a little over 5 miles in, SO CLOSE! We sat down on a log and ate some sandwiches in the middle of nowhere, pretty cool if you ask me. I feel like a jerk for not snapping a photo of the snow, just didn't occur to me. I believe the reason is that I'm sick of snow.

There was a very large Golden Eagle residing in this cliff. He was too fast for me to get a picture of.

This is Big Meadow on the return trip. Really impressive.

BEARS!!!

Ok, ok! They aren't Grizzly bears, but there are some damn big black bears prowling the ranch lately. Also, one confirmed mother with cubs. It seems as if everyone has had at least one run-in with our bears, and they are becoming more frequent. There are bear tracks of all sizes throughout the parking lot, and around the dumpster. The bears are also hanging out right behind the kitchen and MY PLACE. There were two encounters outside the kitchen this evening.

Four nights ago, I walked out onto my porch, looking down on the ranch. I turn around, and not 15 feet from me sat a VERY large, very unafraid black bear. He was completely silent, and had to have been there the whole time I was standing there. We finally shooed him away, but it seemed like we didn't bother him at all. That startled me.

Anyways, life is good. The rivers are starting to come down, and I'm prospecting every chance I get!

Cheers,
MuddlerMan

Ah, Sweet Summertime!

2011-06-14T19:31:00.000-06:00

Well folks,

It's been a while since the last report of happenings in MuddlerLand. With all the rain, mud, hail, thunder and lighting, moral had been sinking rather low.

Luckily, the weather has broken. We've had about a month of bright blue skies and warm temperatures. This has led to many opportunities of exploration as the snow recedes. The rivers as still high and muddy, but are starting to come down a little. Some predict we still haven't seen the worst of it, but I can not agree.

I've found a couple places that are fishable, though. I managed to get out a little over a week ago, and caught two fish in two days of fishing. The low number of fish was worth the effort I put into catching them. They were wild browns, something I haven't seen in a while. I had a few short strikes and a couple really big fish take a sniff at my streamer. I could see the fish coming up to eat my fly, it was really cool. The only solace I've had has been catching dumb, stocked rainbows in the pond. I do not knock any kind of fishing, but over a period of time stockers become rather mind numbing.

I have most definitely found other ways to entertain myself, aside from fishing. Yesterday, Tony, Raliegh, and I took a canoe trip across Monarch Lake. I will most certainly be doing more of this! I had been to Monarch before, and promised myself I would be back with a canoe. There are no motor vessels allowed on the lake. Monarch is as pristine as it gets, and we had a great time on a beautiful Colorado summer day!

We paddled across the lake and saw some cool waterfowl and enjoyed the sun. We pointed the canoe in the direction of a large dome shaped rock. We had to make a short passage into an oxbow to get there. We climbed to the top of the rock and were stunned by the beauty. After admiring the scenery for a minute, my stomach told me it was lunch time. So I descended the rock, bound for the subs in the canoe. We enjoyed a makeshift picnic of subs, apples, and powerbars.

I looked at the clouds and noticed a full rainbow surrounding the sun. I thought this was pretty cool!

I absolutely love this picture. We had to paddle clear across the lake directly into a stiff breeze. At this point, I was pretty glad I had Tony with me. We paddled towards two islands that helped to break the wind a bit. As we paddled between the islands, I could see lots of good bottom structure. I definitely want to come back and fish this little gem. But I'll have to ask the right person to borrow the boat next time. I got an earful when I returned to the ranch with what I thought was a community boat. Oh well...

Today was another killer day! I awoke this morning to ominous clouds filling the sky, but never faltered in my plan to go fish scouting. I recruited Ben and Lindsey to head into the woods with me. We drug our feet a little trying to leave, which ended up being a great thing. After grabbing some more subs, we headed for the Tonahutu/North Inlet trailhead. The dark clouds had departed and blue skies prevailed. We headed up the North Inlet trial for a 3.4 mile hike to Cascade Falls.

The scenery was amazing, and the trail was really neat. The falls were absolutely raging! I'm sure when the water recedes, they will be more "cascading." Regardless, they were cool.

This is another picture I really like. This is Mt. Enentah. We could see this just about the whole hike. I thought it looked like a fortress. This picture is taken looking South.

I have no idea what this flower is, but I really like it! We only found them along really shady stretches of the trail for a half mile or so.

The three of us had been talking, since we started hiking, about seeing wildlife. We had only seen a few birds and a couple chipmunks. We joked that if we only looked for wildlife while walking, we would assuredly trip and break something. We were making our way down into a boggy meadow, and Ben suddenly belts, "MOOSE!" What a good spot it was. The moose were feeding probably 200 yards away, but making their way toward the trail. There was a cow and two young'uns. We watched them for a bit and made our way further down the trail. We kept a lookout and Ben spotted them again, this time much closer. Seeing the moose made our day, and we finished the hike strong!

Another picture I really dig. This is North Inlet. Clear and very fishable. I talked to a man I saw with a fly rod, and he told me there were mostly brook trout in this water. Do I have a problem with that? Not ONE bit. I don't have to work until two tomorrow, so I am planning on leaving early and fishing this stretch of water. It may be hard to tell, but this stream runs placidly through meadows and stands of pine.

The weather is doing nothing but getting nicer, which means there are more and more places to explore! I have many places on my map to hit. Colorado is in my blood! I received my CO drivers license today, and plan on registering my car out here next week.

If you get a chance, check out the song "Colorado" by Railroad Earth. You'll probably get a small dose of what I'm feeling right now!

Cheers,
MuddlerMan

What'r Ya Knowin?

2011-04-03T16:24:00.000-06:00

The winter has been rather eventful, but SPRING is in the air. We've been seeing robins, bluebirds, and mice...

A few weeks ago I was taking out snowmobile tours. People would get these machines stuck, Jamie and I would have to dig our asses off to get them out. But, along came the Snow Bunjee. "Stuck Sucks." With this contraption there is no digging. A couple pullers and a throttle, done deal. Best investment I can think of when it comes to snowmobiling!

These days the name of the game is snow removal. With rising temperatures, the snow melts. Duh. The problem here is flooding. The snow piles formed over winter have to be moved. I guess it was time to learn how to really operate heavy machinery! I spend alot of time in the skid-steer moving piles of snow...

And the heavy jobs call for the backhoe. Hell Yeah!

The scenery isn't the worst. The bull moose have lost their antlers, but majestic to see, none the less.

It's not all work! I get to play my fair share...

Much to my chagrin, I've been doing some skiing. I'll have to say, I'm a little better than I thought I would be. After a few trips to the mountain, it's a little easier to get into the "Groove." Aww yeah...

Papa Georgio made it out here. What a treat!

Let's not forget why I came out here. The fishing has been pretty good the past few weeks, but things are about to get weird, shortly. With the warming temps, the rivers will be more and more blown out, decreasing fishing opportunities. It's this little thing called "Run Off."

Regardless, here's some pics of recent fish...

The river I've been fishing exclusively is the Colorado. In the Colorado there are around 5,000 brown trout per mile, while there are around 150 rainbows per mile. The rainbow population was drastically reduced due to Whirling Disease.

The Colorado has opened up through Hot Sulphur Springs. I FINALLY caught something other than a brownie! And it just so happens that the first rainbow I caught was tagged. That may not mean much to some people, but I think it's pretty damn cool!

Speaking of the rivers getting weird, we're feeling the first effects of it nowish?

Fished this past Saturday and the conditions were my favorite. Off-colored water, just a bit higher, and PERFECT for fishing. I slayed fish on whatever I threw in the water. Copper Johns, Woolly Buggers, Hares Ears, Pigstickers, Egg. It was nice to say the least...

The best fish I caught this past Saturday was a beautiful 'bow! He ate the Bugger and put up a nice fight!

Overnight Saturday never got below freezing and it rained. Melting snow and rain made for a sloppy Sunday on the Colorado. I barely made it through an upstream riffle from where I wanted to fish. I couldn't see where I needed to be standing. One step and I would have been over my head. Sketchy to say the least. I made about 10 drifts, the wind got up, and I called it a day. Blown Out!

Hopefully I'll be guiding my first trip come Saturday. Weather permitting, we'll be on the water and it'll be official!

Coming home the 11th-18th. Gonna see an old friend married and plan on raising some hell!!

Heading to Cody, WY for the Orvis Rendezvous April 19-21. We're gonna take a day or two afterwards to fish.

STAY TUNED

Fly-Fishing Fail

2011-02-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, negative temperatures don't make for the best fishing conditions. Who would have thought?

Originally, I was going to have a nice long weekend off, but with a last minute booking I was back to working. I had planned on seeing Umphrey's McGee Friday night in Denver, and fishing Saturday and Sunday. Not to be.

I had yesterday off and there was no way I wasn't going to try to get on the water. Fly-fishermen aren't the most sane people on the planet, and I'm pretty sure we embrace this. A reasonable person would never think of trying to fish in this kind of weather.

The weather man has been a total ass lately. We've been getting snow dumped on us relentlessly, and it's been COLD. Had a morning last week that greeted us to -52 degrees. The forecast for the weekend is in the 30's, perfect for fishing. Yesterday, not so perfect. The high was 7 degrees, never reached that temperature. It was -10 when I woke up and had only warmed to a balmy -4 by the time I got to the water.

Undeterred, I donned my waders and got all my ducks in a row. I headed down to the hole I've been fishing almost exclusively to find the water like a slushy. The water was steaming and had a strange blue-green tint to it. Turns out this blue-green tint was the ice forming on the river bottom. And the water was so much warmer (a chilly 33 degrees) than the air, that it was steaming. I should have been smart enough to call it a day then, but the stubbornness that fishermen possess kept me pressing onward.

Seeing that the water was unfishable, I headed upstream to look for some warmer water flowing from the Williams Fork Reservoir. The hike to the confluence of the Colorado and the Williams Fork isn't very far, maybe a half to three-quarters of a mile. But, trudging through snow made this trek arduous.

I hiked up to the confluence to find the Williams Fork just as icy as the rest of the water. I did manage to jump a couple of whitetail deer, both does. Seeing those deer somehow made the walk worth it. I also came across a large flock of ducks in the river. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to snap a picture of either.

I never rigged up, and I never made a cast.

I worked up a pretty good sweat trekking through the snow, and soon got rather chilled. I headed back to the car in defeat.

But the day wasn't a complete and total bust. I decided to head to Golden, CO for a couple beers and a growler. Evolution IPA is delicious!

Life is Groovy,
Muddler

Karma Karma Karma

2011-01-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

I like this poster!

There is no way to describe the feeling of somebody getting just what they deserve!

I got out on the water yesterday, and the weather was perfect! Bright blue skies, no wind, and the temperature rose to 25; which is pretty warm. The day before, the temperature never rose above 10 degrees. The wind was howling, so it felt much colder. It was -22 when I woke up.

I was excited just to be fishing! It felt like forever since I'd been out, and in all reality, it had been the longest stint of not fishing I can remember. I hit the water and rigged up. I fished for a little bit, but couldn't get the fish dialed in. I knew there would be a midge hatch with the sun shining on the water. Sure enough, cream midges about size 22 (which is tiny) started fluttering around the surface. I knew the fish would be keyed in on these little guys, so I switched to a pulsating emerger (which I brought from NC, deadly on two sides of the country). I quickly nailed one, but couldn't get another fish to look at it.

About this time, two bumbling idiots came shuffling down to the edge of the water, opposite the bank I was fishing. I know what happened. They saw my license plate, they were parked right next to me, and decided an out of stater didn't deserve fishing "their" water. I've seen and heard of this happening out here before. So, these two assholes stare me down and literally JUMP in the water right where I was making my drifts. They then proceeded to slog up the river, right through the water I was going to be fishing. Needless to say, I had a few choice words for them, although I didn't let them know it bothered me.

I heard these two guys saying things like, "Oh man, look at all the little green bugs!"

They could not have sounded more unintelligent fishing wise, but they still had their pretentious heir about them. These "little green bugs" were actually tiny cream midges. I will give them the benefit of the doubt though, I had to actually catch one before I knew exactly what color they were.

With the two assholes upstream and with their back turned to me, they didn't see what I knew was about to happen. I'd seen this happen before on a day just like yesterday. The fish started rising to the midges that were now on top of the water. There were a few rising in the run, but most of the action was taking place in the shallow tail-out. This was the water the assholes passed up. I just so happened to have the perfect fly, another transplant from NC, a cream midge dry size 22.

I slowly slinked downstream and started casting to the rising fish. It's tough enough to see a size 22 dry fly from the start, but throw in a deadly glare, and it's downright impossible. I just had to set the hook when a fish rose in the vicinity of my fly. I'm pretty in tune with my casting and know pretty much where my fly is, but I have to admit I set the hook on a few ghost fish! Anyways, I soon hooked into the first fish. It was a decent sized brown. I made sure to let out a little whoop to get the two asshole's attention.

They hadn't caught a fish.

The action was hot and heavy for about an hour and a half. I ended up landing 18 fish, and missed a few more. All the while, the assholes were fish-less and left scratching their heads.

The bite slowed considerably until there were no fish rising at all. About this time, asshole 1 and 2 came trudging down the bank towards me. I made it a point to wade over to the bank they were coming down.

They then asked me an awesome question, "May we fish here now?".

My response was, "Sure, but I've already caught all the fish!"

Then a stupid question, "Did you drive up from Denver?"

Mustering the most southern accent I could, I responded, "Naw, I'm from South Carolina. And I just schooled y'all up on your own water!"

I turned and walked away. I felt a little bad for sounding like a jerk, but I didn't really. I remembered what they did and how they acted, and the whole scene seemed a perfect way to justify their actions.

Karma's a BITCH.

I didn't take pictures of all the fish, just the nicer ones. I also ended up catching one more downstream on a size 20 flashback baetis. Nobody saw me catch that fish, and I'm cool with that. My appetite for revenge has been filled for a while!

This is a picture of asshole 1

Stay Tuned Folks,
Muddler

CABIN FEVER

2011-01-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's pretty hard to put into words how boring this place can be when not working! It's been snowing like crazy here lately, which makes the snowshoeing a major pain-in-the-you-know-what! The hike up is still not worth the ride down... I don't have the scratch to drop on lift tickets to the ski resorts, even with free ski rentals. The wind has been howling and the temps have been extremely cold, making fishing nowhere close to an option.

I got out the other day and shot my pistol, but with the price of ammunition, I wasn't able to shoot for very long.

I've always heard of Cabin Fever, but didn't really expect this amount of sheer boredom! I can't wait to go back to work tomorrow!

I've been contemplating a new tattoo for a while, and I was sure that I wanted a trout. A brown trout. Would it make sense to get anything else? I think not! After sitting on the couch all yesterday morning, I decided it was time.

Mom told me to buy something with the gift card she sent me, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean a tattoo...

I headed into Winter Park to meet with AJ, the tattoo artist. He said he was busy in the early afternoon but would make up a sketch and could do the deed around 6.

I was excited and a bit nervous as I walked into the shop. But AJ let me put on my iPod, which was jamming Derek & The Dominos. The pain was nowhere close to what I thought it would be, and AJ did a fine job! I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

This is definitely the biggest fish I've caught in a while, but it's hard to practice catch and release with something as permanent as a tattoo!

Now I'm thinking about what I'm getting next! Just kidding, Mom! Maybe...

Peace Out People,
MuddlerMan

What's Been Going On

2011-01-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

Well, the holidays have come and gone. So have most of the guests and staff. There are a few of us left, and aside from the guests on the weekends, it's pretty slow around here. Not to worry, there is plenty to keep one busy!

First of all, there is tons of great beer to be had around these parts. This past Monday, had to drive a friend to Denver International early in the morning. Had another friend tagging along and we had decided to make a day of it off ranch. We had heard of a neat little brewery in Golden, CO. And no, it was not Coors. The brewery is called the Golden City Brewery, the second largest brewery in Golden. The only way to describe it is neat and little.

We sat down and ordered the beer sampler, which was a great deal for $7. The two beers we fell in love with were the seasonal Black Hops, which is a DARK IPA. The other was their flagship beer, Evolution IPA. I was not really a fan of IPAs before heading out west, but these people are really onto something! Had to get a second sampler, and left with a growler of Black Hops and a 22 oz of Evolution. We also managed a tour of their brewery, which was pretty cool!

We've got other breweries on our radar, the Odell brewery being the one I look forward to most. There is also one to never visit, atleast in my opinion, Grand Lake Brewery. Arf...

I've had to find other things than fishing to occupy my time on days off. It's just too damn cold, plus the rivers are frozen. Cabin fever is starting to set in and I'm nowhere close to seeing the end of the tunnel. Oh well, we've been doing some snowshoeing to the top of Baldy, which is the mountain with ski slopes right here on ranch. I'll tell you, the return on investment is VERY low when skiing without a ski lift. Before I was shown the "fast" way, it took me at least an hour and a half to get to the top, just for a 5 minute ride down. Now that I've found the "fast" way, it only takes about 45 minutes, still not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze...

But, once you get to the top, you are treated to some really breathtaking panoramas! Clear days on top of Baldy really can't be beat, you just have to be willing to put forth some effort.

And to keep from offending my fishy followers, here is a pic of my new stick. It's an Orvis Hydros 9ft 5wt Tip-Flex with the Battenkill Large Arbor III reel, and Olive Dun Wonderline. I got this rod for Christmas. Had Christmas Day off of work, so I HAD to wet a line. The only problem was, it was about 10 degrees. Undeterred, I rigged up. I made one cast, caught one brown, unrigged and took it back to the ranch. I've always thought it bad luck to catch a fish on the first cast. Weird, I know, but a superstition nonetheless. Anyways, I'm sitting on a 100% catch-rate with it, which isn't bad I don't guess!

On a sour note. I have since realized the rod is flawed and has been sent back to Orvis for fixing. The grooved O-ring the reel seat fits into was backwards, so the groove was facing the butt of the rod. I don't think it would have made much of a difference, but I didn't want to have to find out the hard way after hooking a behemoth!

I'll be out in the western-world for a good long while, I've been hired to work through the summer, which seems very distant at the moment. I am ready for the snow to melt and the weather to warm, but that too seems very distant. But, you won't hear me complaining! I'm stoked to be out here living the life I'm living! I just NEED to go fishing, or at least hurry up and learn how to tie flies!

Take Care People,
Muddler

Greetings from Colorado

2010-12-10T13:07:00.001-07:00

Greetings folks, longtime no-talk! I've made my way to Colorado, and let me just say this place is amazing! The natural beauty is breathtaking and the cold really isn't that cold. Although I've been told to wait until the -30 degree days... not looking forward to that. I'm just at the south end of Rocky Mountain National Park, working at the C Lazy U Ranch. People here are super cool and laid back, and everybody likes to drink beer! I'm working as a ranch hand, which means I do whatever anybody tells me to. It's not a bad gig, I'm never stuck doing the same thing very long and I'm always outside.

Naturally, it didn't take me very long to get to the important thing, fishing. I'm located right on the headwaters of the Colorado river. It's hard to believe this is the same river that runs through the Grand Canyon.

This photo was taken on the road to Steamboat Springs coming out of Rabbit Ears Pass. Photos just do not do this place justice. The panoramic views are insane! I went to Steamboat looking for the Yampa River. It's about an 80 miles drive from the ranch. I got to Steamboat and couldn't find any public water, so I turned around and made the trip all the way back to the Colorado. Wasted alot of gas and time, and wasn't particularly happy about that. I've since found out where the public water is and plan on heading back that way as soon as possible. There are supposedly some bruisers lurking in the Yampa's waters.

This picture was taken one evening as I was heading back into the ranch.

FISH!!! These are a few of the fish I've managed to nab from the Colorado. The first picture is the best fish I've caught so far, and I know there are bigger out there. Right now they are really keyed into small nymphs and midges. On warm, sunny days there are midge hatches and the fish turn on. Unfortunately, the water is so cold, you can only stand to be in it for short periods of time. Unless you're catching fish, of course. Every fish I've caught has been a brown, and I'm cool with that. Browns are my favorite, I think people know that!

I figured out the self-timer on my camera. This is taken on the ranch looking North.

This is by far the best picture I've taken while out here. It reminds me of Trey Anastasio's song, "Mountains In The Mist." This picture was taken in Fraser, CO while looking for a fly-shop. Turns out we drove 20 miles for some Taco Bell. Apparently, the fly-shop closes down in winter to make room for skiing equipment. Who would rather ski that fish? Nobody I care to know!

I have the feeling I'm in for a long winter, but that's what I signed up for. I can't wait until the snow melt is over and the fishing opens up everywhere. There is so much water around here that it boggles one's mind.

Anyways, y'all keep it real, and I'll do the same.

PEACE

Feast or Famine

2010-10-04T17:12:00.001-06:00

Wednesday, Sept. 29th: FEAST

I've had my eye on the gauge of a favorite stream of mine. With the rains last week the water was on the rise, and the weather was cooling off. I decided to make a day of it. Started fishing around 10. I fished the usual fishy places with no action. I missed the first bite, but it was a little feller. My fly was much bigger than his mouth... Came to another usually fishy place and missed two bites right on a row. I was getting pretty bummed and frustrated. I had my video camera with me, hoping to get some footage of a big brown being landed. I wasn't going to set my camera up until I caught a fish. Man do I wish I'd had it rolling at the very next spot.....This beast came out to play with the Terresticator

It was like a switch had been flipped!!! Just upstream I nailed this guy...

I caught a couple dinks, then had this guy nail the Terresticator. What a crazy looking fly to catch a trout on!

Sunday, Oct. 3rd: FAMINE

With the recent success on my "home waters", all I could think about was getting back on it. The only thing I could think about was getting that pig brown on video. This was not to be. I woke up early and got to fishing a little after 8. It was a chilly 46 degrees. I flogged the water to no avail. It was definitely one of the most frustrating days of fishing I've had in a while. I nymphed, threw streamers, dry flies, nothing was getting any attention.

I don't know if I ever posted my run-in with a gold panner back in the Spring, but I ran into the guy again Sunday. We both recognized each other and got to talking as I passed him fishing up. He said he hadn't seen a single fish come by, and he usually did when someone was fishing downstream of him. When he said that, I didn't feel so bad. Something was up with these fish. Wading back downstream to the trail, I passed the guy again. This time we got to talking about his gold panning. He told me about how he and two friends had gone a couple weekends back and came home with a little over an ounce between them. They split $1300 for the weekend. I told him I had the wrong hobby. We laughed and he showed me what he had found in the couple hours he was there. Not much, but gold none the less! I asked if I could take a picture and he obliged. My "gold mine" is literally that, a gold mine!

WHEW!!! Got this guy right upstream of the panner in the last 45 mins I fished. I caught fish when I was around him last time... I don't care where it was, it broke my skunk for the day right as I was losing hope! And a nice fish to boot!

Regardless of the fishing, it was a great day on the water. There were alot of bugs out. Saw some brown caddis, BWOs, a big black mayfly (don't know what, and couldn't get a pic), and all kinds of midges. I really think that with the water rising and the weather cooling down, these big brownies are spawning.

My mission is to film a big brown being landed.

Peace

New Video

2010-09-25T06:24:00.000-06:00

Here we go again. I've been working on this video for the last month and must say I am very pleased with the results! This was filmed over multiple trips, and I got some pretty cool pics and video, at least in my opinion. I hope everyone enjoys watching it was much as I did making it!

A Workweek's Requiem from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

More Brookies 'n Bows

2010-09-18T06:07:00.000-06:00

Took off up the mountain yesterday to get some fishing done. I was also looking to get more footage of catching fish for the movie I've been working on. The fishing was so so, but it was nice to be out there. I don't want to sound like I don't enjoy myself brookie fishing, but I sure am ready for cooler weather, higher water levels, and lower water temps. I think I've had my fill on brookies and small streams for the year. Anyways, here are some pics I took of my trip yesterday.

I hate those pesky hang gliders....always dive bombing me while fishing....

These are the two flies I used all day. The big nymph was thrown in one single pool where it had produced before. Although yesterday, it produced only a frayed line where the 6x couldn't handle the weight of the big fly. The dry I was using was a really ugly foam spiderbeetlehopperant. It floats like a champ and really catches fish.

This caterpillar was really cool looking. I didn't catch the detail of it until I uploaded the picture onto my computer. This thing is wicked looking!

This spider was really big, and luckily posed for the camera until it was crunched under my friends flip-flop. His girlfriend demanded this harmless spider's life to be cut short. I'm not too sure what kind of spider it is, but it looks like he's wearing a helmet. RIP

All in all, a good day was had on the water. It seems like yesterday I was saying, "Man, I can't wait 'til Spring!" Well, Spring has come and gone and summer is now waning. I now find myself saying, "Man, I can't wait 'til Fall/Winter!" I really dig winter fishing. Although this winter will be different. I got a job in Granby, Colorado starting Dec. 1. Talk about a change in climate. I made sure before I took the job that there was fishable water during this time of year. Colorado here I come, but I have some great fishing to get done this Fall in the mountains of WNC and SC. Soon the waters will be safe from MuddlerMan. Peace

A Day In The Life

2010-08-30T20:02:00.000-06:00

Here it is, another little movie I've put together. I'm pretty stoked on this one, in my opinion, the best I've made so far. Got some really good fishing done this past week, and I hope people get the theme I'm going for!

A Day In The LIfe from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

I'm really getting into this movie making thing. I'm just now getting to know the movie editing program I have, and I'm looking forward to progressing.

It's Been Too Long

2010-08-23T20:53:00.000-06:00

There has been a whole lot going on around MuddlerLand these days. It's been quite a while since I posted, a month to be exact. In this month I've gotten a fair amount of fishing in. I produced a fishing movie that I am quite proud of, I just hope people enjoy it and get what I was going for.

My Kind of Madness from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

I'm honestly ready for Fall to arrive. Brookies are fun, but I'm in need of cooler water temps on the lower elevation streams. I am jonesin' for a wild brown out of a bigger stream.

There's been some deep thought and some decisions made recently. I'm going fishing.....for good.

Back In The Game

2010-07-23T05:49:00.000-06:00

Alright folks, I'm back in the game! It's been a while since my last update, but I have gotten some pretty good fishing done. Picked up a Nikon Coolpix S8000 and it takes incredible pictures.

The weather has been HOT, which has affected the fishing quite a bit. Not catching as many as I was a month ago, but catching enough to keep me happy. I checked out the river I call home this past Monday, and the water levels were scary low. The water was very warm and dirty and the fishing was tough. We desperately need rain. I've been spending most of my time in the high country chasing char, but managed to get the slam this past weekend.

Some sad news. While I can't be 100% sure, I believe the monster fish I caught Memorial Day Weekend has been killed. Received the news when I went into a fly shop and showed them the picture of the beast. They promptly showed me a picture of a 24'' brown taken from the same water a couple weeks ago by a FRENCH tourist. We compared the pictures and all agreed that the fish looked eerily similar. Regardless of whether it was that fish or not, that bastard took some good genes out of the river.

Anyways, here are some pictures of my most recent endeavors. Enjoy and stay tuned it!

Brookies Before The Storm

2010-06-28T19:52:00.000-06:00

Headed up the mountain this past Sunday to try my luck against some brookies. Last Thursday I dropped my digital camera in the water, VERY displeased with myself. That being said, all I had to capture my endeavor was my trusty Sony HD video camera. Luckily a few little guys were willing to smile for the camera; although be biggest ones seem to bite when the camera isn't rolling! I'll let the video do the talking, as it sums up the entire day. Fished for about 3 hours before the storm rolled in. It's wild, on those little streams the fish completely turn off when the sun goes behind the clouds. Hope y'all enjoy!

Brookies Before The Storm from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

IF YOU GO TO VIMEO.COM YOU CAN VIEW IT IN HD, JUST TYPE IN THE TITLE: Brookies Before The Storm

Slammin' Video

2010-06-25T17:14:00.000-06:00

Got the Appalachian Slam on Thursday. The day was bittersweet; the fishing was great, but my camera went for a swim. I think it's a goner. Oh well, feces occurs. If you go to vimeo.com you can watch it in HD. Hope y'all enjoy the video!

Slammed from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

Gone Phishin'

2010-06-22T18:01:00.000-06:00

Really stoked! Got my ticket for what will probably be the only concert I get to see this summer, PHISH in Charlotte. Can't wait for July 2nd. If they don't let me off work, I'm quiting!

EPIC

2010-06-21T20:19:00.000-06:00

Don't really know where to start with this one folks. Sunday was an absolutely epic day of fishing. Left the house at 8 and headed up the mountain to meet up with the Mayor of Raliegh aka Transylwader aka Mike. Cool ass South African dude that turned me onto a couple creeks he had scoped out previously in his fishing endeavors. I'll try to let the pictures do most of the talking.

I really like mushrooms...

The first creek we hit was a beauty of a wild brown stream. The day was forecasted as being hotter than hell, so Mike very fittingly put us on a well canopied stream.
We both managed some nice wild browns, this being the best I brought to hand. There were many more hooked, but we chose to fish barbless hooks....so there were many fish lost also. Adds to the challenge!
A couple insects I'm sure the fish were slurping down, when they weren't eating our flies!

Left the first stream for this jewel around 1:30. I'm not too sure why we didn't catch any fish in this pool, it looked so pristine! All jokes aside, I thought this would make a pretty good picture as we were getting off the first stream. Mike obliged.
Next, we headed not too far down the road to test our skills against some little wild rainbows. This is one of the better I brought to hand. Realized my camera was dying, so I didn't take too many photos... We fished some beautiful water though!
We planned our location so we could try our best at the Appalachian Slam, we were not disappointed! Fished a beauty of a high elevation bedrock stream that produced as many brookies as casts we made. They were all really colored up and of really good size too!

Rounded the day out with a few beers and some map studying, preparing for the next Transylvania County Takedown!

Stay tuned, will be following the same circuit Thursday and hopefully capturing the venture on HD video....

Cheers

Little Brookie Video

2010-06-16T09:33:00.000-06:00

Brookies On The Fly from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

Lots to Report

2010-06-07T16:53:00.000-06:00

Been getting some pretty good fishing done here lately. These first two pictures are from this past Sunday. I was fishing up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the elevation was 4700 feet! It was my first adventure into the highlands, and I was really struck by the beauty of it all. Managed some nice brookies!
This picture was taken while I was fishing last Thursday, the fishing was really good that day also. Caught some nice brookies and a rainbow out of the same stream. One species short of the slam!
I got this past Saturday off due to a little shindig one of my buddies was throwing Friday night. Let's just say I had felt better in my life when I set off for the river. I managed to catch a few little browns, no monsters like the behemoth from last week, but wild browns none the less!

Stay tuned in, a hardcore day of fishing on the Parkway is due this Thursday!

Rainy Day, Temporary Bad Attitudes, BIG Fish

2010-06-01T19:24:00.000-06:00

Sunday was another rainy day, but the difference was I got to fish in it. Me and a good friend set out to battle with some finned vertebrates. The only trouble was that not many wanted to battle. We fought the rain, fishless-ness, and sinking morale. Managed to catch a dink brown and had a couple really nice fish come unglued. My buddy managed to snag himself a dink also. I was getting frustrated with the fishing and my friend and I were starting to get a little testy with one another. I had figured out the micro focus feature on my camera and snapped a couple pictures while waiting for the fish to bite. Here is what I saw!

At this point there were still no fish biting and my buddy and I were really getting tired of each other's company. I wanted to fish one more spot before we called it a day out of shear frustration. Low and behold, my friend starts to trudge right through the water I'm wanting to fish. I lost it, said a few choice words, and he had a few for me in return! Finally got him out of the water I wanted to fish. I made one cast upstream, and this beast chomped a size 16 green rubber-legged bead head nymph. What a fish. I made the comment before we started fishing, "Dude, there's big fish in this water." The only response I got was, "Prove it." Well here is the proof!

Jam On

2010-05-25T19:12:00.001-06:00

WHOA!!! Had a friend turn me onto this band called Mama's Love. Let me tell you they rock. Go see them, I can't wait until I get the chance. You can buy their new album from their website, but you can also download two sets of live music for free! Take a listen, you will not be sorry you did....

Brookies and Beer

2010-05-25T19:03:00.001-06:00

What a great day this past Sunday was! Caught some really nice fish at the hatchery, but the crowning jewel was the hike in and catching of some beautiful brook trout on a beautiful creek I found on the map. These pictures say it all! Washed it all down with a delicious Sweetwater seasonal brew called Road Trip. Couldn't ask for anything better!

What's On Tap and What's Playing (Nothing spins anymore)

2010-05-19T20:01:00.000-06:00

Tonight it's the always delicious Corona Extra! Why you ask? Because nothing tastes better than a nice cold Corona Extra after work, and because I had some in the fridge....

As for what's spinning, the answer is nothing. But, Mind Bender by Stillwater is playing digitally on the pod. I know this song is much older than I, but Rock 101.1's Classic Rock Z to A found me at the right time on Monday. I had to purchase the song on iTunes and have been jamming it nonstop. When that song ends the standard Phish resumes....

Free Beer Will Haunt You

2010-05-17T18:38:00.000-06:00

WHOA NOW!!! Woke up with a hangover from Hell this morning from drinking free cold beer all day at the BMW Pro-Am in Greenville, SC. Had to drag myself out of bed and attend class at 8 am. Stumbled up the mountain to try and cash in on the tailend of the low pressure system that came through this past weekend. Managed to catch a few and battled a few others. No real hatches, but did have this big stonefly land right on my finger. Fishing got really tough when the skies went to bluebird. We'll get back on it Sunday

2010-05-13T21:07:00.000-06:00

Here it is people, the page where MuddlerMan's true views can finally be expressed without rules (except my own) or censorship. Fly-fishing isn't as hard as people make it out to be. Just put some time into it, and the benefits will be reaped soon enough! Just a few pics I want to add to kick this whole shebang off with....Tune in frequently, as the pics and topics will change with the weather!