Hard Work & Private Browns

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

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...

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