We're Getting There...

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

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!

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?

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

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