Sage 99 Series 9′9″ 4 weight – 4 piece Specialized Nymphing Rod

One of the coolest rods we have seen in a while is the Sage 99 Series Nymphing Rods.  Here in Colorado the majority of the fishing we do is below the surface and finally a rod built for that.  You may ask what makes this rod different from a regular Sage Z Axis or Orvis Helios, well we asked Jerry Siem, the chief rod designer at Sage the same question.  We had no idea what we were in for and left that discussion with a better understanding of rod design and also came to the conclusion that Jerry is one passionate individual when it comes to fly rods.

 

 First off the rod is designed to flex more into the middle of the rod which created a wider loop when casting and will reduce the amount of time spent untangling those two and three fly rigs that have somehow mated with the yarn indicator.  Second, the tip is super stiff which provides a quick and powerful hook set as soon as the angler reacts and the butt section of the rod is like most Sage products, super stiff with the ability to stop the hardest charging fish.  The one thing that really blew me away was the thought process that went into the spacing of the guides. 

 

When you first look at the rod, you notice that most of the snake guides are pretty large to facilitate stack mending and shaking line out of the guides but the spacing of the guides as you get closer to the tip section is the real science in this rod. Jerry said he built 3 to 4 tip sections, each with different guide spacing near the tip to figure out what spacing combination would allow the line to shoot freely out of the guides while mending or shaking line out of the rod to extend the drift that few extra feet we are all looking for.  We were somewhat blown away by the though process that had gone into this rod and were also somewhat skeptical as to whether it would work. 

 

Our Sage Representative was kind enough to shoot us over the 9′9″ 4 weight 4 piece and we headed to the river. The first thing we noticed is that in fact, the rod does cast a more open loop and when we began mending, the line was flying out of the guides.  Our main concern was that the softer middle section of the rod would be a detriment in getting a good hook set even though the tip is fast.  Our concerns were proven wrong with the first of many Cheesman Canyon rainbows that day. All of the rod in this series are 9′ 9″ in length which give the angler better mending and high sticking capabilities without the cumbersome feeling of a 10′ rod. 

 

 Bottom Line: This is an incredible rod and for the angler looking for that nymphing specific stick, this is the one!

Simms G3 Guide Pant

We all loved the “original” Simms Classic Guide Pant, especially if you were guiding or fishing from a drift boat most of the time.  Easy to get in and out of and alot cooler that a chest high wader.  When that went away, that left a huge gap in most guides fishing attire so we just made due.  Simms made an o.k. attempt with the Rivertek pant but durability for hardcore anglers was an issue. 

In 2007, Simms introduced the G3 Convertible wader that was built along the same lines as the Simms G3 Guide Wader in the lower section but the upper was a lighter Gore-Tex fabric that could be stowed in the built-in belt portion of this wader and accessed via a zipper and the upper slid up the straps and attached in place via velcro tabs.  This is the wader most of us were looking for but found the convertible feature of this wader a real pain so we just took the scissors to the upper section and removed the straps making this more like the original Classic Guide Pant.  Hard to fathom cutting up a pair of $379.95 waders but when the upper was stored, it was very awkward when seated rowing a boat. 

Simms then introduced a true pant wader in 2008 called the Headwater Pant that was built with a 3-ply Gore-Tex lower with 5 layer panels in the front for added durability.  This was more like the original Classic Guide Pant but some were able to wear a pair of these out in less than two months of guiding as there are not as durable and the Simms G3 Convertible or the Simms G3 Guide Wader.  They are super light and really breathable, especially in the summer months but the door was still open for a “true” pant style wader that is bombproof.

The one nice thing about Simms is they poll the guides throughout the country and actually take the feedback and head to the drawing board to produce products that we are asking for.  In Spetember, 2009 at the Fly Fishing Retailer show, Simms introduced the G3 Guide pant which incorporated the lower section of a G3 Guide wader with some added features like a RiRi waterproof front zipper at the fly and two angled pockets with YKK waterproof zippers.  There is a tab that snaps at the front and the integrated wading belt with elastic in the waist for an incredible fit.  Of the first thing we had to do was try them on and see how they fit.  All I can say is, “thank you Simms for listening and making a pant style wader that will stand up to the abuse we guides can dish out”.

Availability on this wader is looking like March 2010 but there may be a few pair that sneak out of the factory in Bozeman before then so stay tuned!!

RIO Trout LT (Light Touch) Fly Line

When it comes to delicate presentations to selectively rising trout, the RIO Selective Trout II fly line was the perfect choice.  Long front taper that landed that #20 Blue Wing Olive Pullover Emerger right where you wanted it.  This was a great line and when we heard that it was being discontinued in leu of the Rio Trout LT (Light Touch) there was some mumble and grumble as to whether we would be downgrading to a line that would not perform the same, but it is RIO and they are definitely obsessed with your next cast.

We received one of the Rio Trout LT (Light Touch) line in a WF4F and immediately spooled it up, paired it with the Sage ZXL 9′ 4 weight – 4 piece and headed to Clear Creek.  The fist thing we noticed was the line was two-tone (our sample was beige/sage) which according to RIO changes colors at the optimal load point for most rods which is around 30′.  On the water, the line casted like no other RIO line we have had in our hands and floated like a champ.  The most noticable thing was how easy this line mended and the tip floated all day.  This is mainly due to the AgentX coating on the line which is a dual-density coating that has a specific gravity less than water and the the Super Floatation Technology which like RIO states, “it will keep the line floating” works like a champ. The most impressive feature of this line is how well it loaded the rod at really short distances and when we needed to stretch one out, the line had enough head weight to properly load the rod.

In conclusion, RIO has hit another home run with this line across the board.  If you are looking for a dry fly line or a line for slower action rods, definitely check this offering out from RIO

Titan Rod Vault – Rod Transport System

A wonderful friend of the shop Doug Bode, owner of Titan Rod Vault, has come up with a strong, safe and secure rod storage system, that easily mounts to the top of your vehicle. This makes things really easy as you can rig your rod(s) prior to leaving the house and they are ready to go when you get to the river.  If you are working a section of river that gets a little crowded and you want to move to another location, just slide the rod inside of the Titan Rod Vault and head out without worrying if they are going to blow off of the rack of slide out from underneath the windshield wiper.

This rod transport system has been well thoughout, designed with top notch materials and will last a lifetime.  They will protect your rod investment and make your day of fishing alot more enjoyable.

For more information visit – Titan Rod Vaults or give us a call at 800-435-5353.  We all use them and love em!!!

Fall Fishing

This morning, two bull elk woke me early before sunrise with the sound of love in the air. While listing to them go back and forth my thoughts drifted back to last September were I spent most of the month chasing pre-spawn brown trout on the “Dream Stream” section of the South Platte river. With the cooler temperatures in the  morning and evening the males Browns should be moving up river from Eleven Mile Reservoir.  Sometimes you can fool some of these guys with bigger flies, like size 16 or 18 Copper Johns or Woolley Buggers. There are still Tricos hatching in the mornings and Blue Wing Olives throughout the day. Using a nymph rig with a small Flashback Pheasant Tail as the top fly and dropping Spent Tricofor the bottom fly, would be a good ste-up for the morning. After lunch switch the bottom fly to a size 18 or 20 Barr’s Blue Wing Olive emerger or a Juju Baetis.  The staff at the Blue Quill can help with fly selections if you are planning a trip so make sure to stop by on the way, coffee is always on and we still open at 7:00 a.m.  If you see redds with fish on them, please stay clear of these areas and move on.  These guys and gals only get one shot a year at love, so let them have at it.  There should be plenty of trout above or below them. This is a great time to be out and about in Colorado and the opportunity to see some really magnificent fish whether you catch them or not.
Ron Pecore, Guide for the Blue Quill Angler

Ross Evolution LT

Well, we all heard the news the tried and true Ross Evolution that we have all come to love was being discontinued.  Some shops held on to their stock and others were blowing them out at rock bottom prices.  We were somewhat indecisive as to what to do but we felt that if Ross was making a change to this reel, it has to be an improvement although we wondered how? 

We laid eyes on the new version, the Ross Evolution LT this past week at Fly Fishing Retailer and I think all were pleasantly surprised at the outcome.  This reel has has a major overhaul when it comes to machining.  Ross always does a really great job in this category but they have really outdone themselves here.  The entire spool, body and even the reel seat have been redone to shave weight and they replaced the Derlin plastic drag adjustment knob and spool release with anodized aluminum for added durability and corrosion resistance.  The internal drag that was the most attractive part of the old Evolution remains the same and feels better than ever.

It is going to be hard to wait until November for this reel but it will be well worth it!!

Simms Star Cleats for Vibram Soles

Most anglers who have purchased the new Simms Vibram soled boots have also purchased the HarbBite Studs to go with them including myself.  The offer that added traction on those super slippery rocks we have all come to hate.  I got wind of a new cleat in the works that will work in conjunction with the Vibram soles so I made a call to Simms to get the scoop.  After an in depth conversation Simms was gracious enough to shoot down a couple of pair of the new Star Cleatsdeveloped exclusively for the Vibram 360 StreamTread soles for us to test out and send feedback on.

I am a big fan of the new sole with and without the studs and I did not see it getting any better, well I have been wrong before and here I stand, wrong again.  The instructions that Simms gave me were to put three cleats in the forefoot and two in the heel.  Of course I asked why and was told that the new cleat acts like three of the studs due to the star design and its ability to work with the sole since it is almost flush mounted in the open receptacle between the treads.  I was completely blown away at the amount of traction this set-up gave me in an out of the river.  When you need the cleats to work they do where I have found the studs to be slippery in certain situations because the stick out farther and do not allow the sole to come in contact with the rocks. 

Simms has a real winner here and if you want your Vibram boots to perform at their best in all conditions, the new Star Cleats are a must.  You will most likely not want to get in your buddy’s raft with them but and risk a puncture but  I wore them in a drift boat with no damage at all.  Your best bet is to still remove any and all studs prior to entering any type of boat and since there are only 5 cleats per boot, you can remove them in a matter of minutes.

“Now is the time to fly fish the Blue River!”

I recently went fly fishing on the Blue River in Silverthorne with fellow Blue Quill Angler fly fishing guide Joe Shafer. We got to the river about 1:00 pm. The water was gin clear and the flows were 144 CFS. We both started off using a Dry Dropper rig using our 9′ 5wt Sage TCX fly rods. It didn’t take long before I landed my first chunky 18′ rainbow on a size 18 Barr’s PMD Emerger. Right after that Joe nailed a beautiful rainbow on a red Amy’s Ant. It was non stop action after that. Occasionally we would throw some streamers to fish sitting in heavy currents with great results. We were fishing a double streamer rig with a #8 Laney bugger and trailed it with a #10 Pat’s Rubbberlegs. The fishing was awesome all the way until we got off the river at around 9:30pm. We both got the hat trick, landing numerous rainbows and browns on dry flies, nymphs and streamers. Now is the time to fly fish the Blue River in Silverthorne.

Jerry Vigil fly fishing guide for the Blue Quill Angler

Dream Stream – South Park Colorado

Tricos on the Dream Stream. If you haven’t noticed the Tricos are emerging in full force on the Dream stream. On August 1st I took  clients, Buffy and Duane Bradley to Spinney. When we got to the river edge there were swams of female tricos hatching. It was 9am and the mating process was just beginning. At one point Duane and I looked up  and could see thousands of tricos  against the blue sky. Buffy caught a 15 inch rainbow and I did a quick stomach pump.  What I found in this sample was almost exclusivly tricos and a couple of pmd nymphs. I set up both clients with a two nymph rig consisting of a size 18 pmd Barrs emerger and a spent wing size 22 black trico. For the next 4 hours, we experienced a fantastic morning, catching and releasing 14 fish, with the largest netted in the 18 to19 inch class, with a couple breaking us off that were over 2o inches. What made this trip interesting was Duane has been to the Dream 2 or 3 times before and has never caught one fish.  As an Orvis Guide, I always make it a point to meet anglers at the parking area and I hear this all the time.  I beleive most people move up and down the river to fast. One of the most important things I teach is to be patient and slow down. On this trip my clients started to see the trout and site nymphed. It was very exciting for them to spot the fish and then catch them. A very important tool this morning was the stomach pump.  When I showed them how to do the pump sample,  thier excitement and expectations grew and confidence soared.  If my clients are tuned in like this we are bound to be sucessful. Come down to the Blue Quill and pick up a stomach pump tool and a few spent wing tricos and pmd barrs emergers and get out here. Be sure to slow down, it’s not how much water you cover but how thoughly you cover the water.

 Ron Pecore, guide for the Blue Quill Angler

WHAT DO FISH THINK?

Well……. think about us for a moment, our whole lives are where do we live, what do we eat, and what do we do for recreation. Most of us focus on where do we eat, think about it this way, your driving down the street, there is a McyDees a Wendys, a Taco Bell and a Burger King, you make your choice and begin devouring your favorite food. The fish are the same way, one day they decide Mayflies is on the menu, the next could be caddis,maybe an hour later they decide midges are the key. Anyway, we get so involved in what the fish are keyed in on, we forget they splurge for a banana split every now and then , the next time you are fishing your favorite stretch of water do not be afraid to think outside the box, and I dont mean Jack in the Box, put on somthing out of the ordinary, and you might be surprised. Just recentily, the Blue Quill has stocked alot of  new flies which is basically all of your old favorite patterns, with a new twist. Take a look at these new patterns and   fish them with your little twist to give the fish a different point of view.  

Bob Dye