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

ROARING FORK RARITY

Its not to often one finds the Roaring Fork river this fishable this early in post run off.  Last Thursday, the river had four feet of clarity and was fishing extremely well. Driftboat fishing is the way to cover more of the water while getting out and wade fishing all of the public areas.  With several different bug hatches, big Stone Flies in the am, Caddis in the afternoon and evening, and Green Drakes in the evening (Green Drake nymphs worked well throughout the day). Hook ups were most consistent while nymphing  if  the fly was presented at the right depth, close to the bottom. It also didn’t hurt to take a sip of beer, look away and have a fish magically appear on the end of your line. The Roaring Fork eats driftboats, so use caution when floating this river. The upper stretch below Carbondale has the most educated fish, after all these fish live in the high rent district. Fishing often gets easier as you get down stream, as you get onto the less fortunate fish. These are the ones I like!  Dry fly fishing was best in the evening when the Green Drakes came off. Be safe and tight lines!  Bob Dye

Rocky Mountain River High

After coming off my last stint at Grey reef I am now heading back to the fantastic Colorado River.  The last couple of days on the Colorado, from Parshall to Hot Sulphur, the fish are keying in on PMD’s ,Yellow Sallies, and a few larger stone flies. I am always amazed the fish one can catch in this water. It is high, fast, but the fish find other lies in which to feed in, this is the time to fish! Most anglers wait out the high water for more favorable conditions, but this is the time to find solitude on a great piece of water, work the edges with a dry dropper, or mini rig. Flies to use consist of Pats Rubber Legs, Yellow Sallie nymphs, Barrs PMD emerger, and an multitude of beaded flies. Fish have not left the building, they have just switched lies!    Blue Quill Guide Bob Dye

SALMON FLY MADNESS

The other day I had the opportunity to take fellow guide Sarah Barclay and her friend Jay, both who I might add are great anglers. We went down in search of the elusive Salmon Fly hatch and proceeded to find hundreds of flies on bushes, rocks etc. but not a lot on the water.  Sarah caught a lot of fish using a dry dropperrig fishing in close to the bank, while Jay caught fish using the same plus a indicator rig. While both of them fished, I rowed trying to keep the three of us alive in what I considered rough water.  As we went through the eye of the needle, Sarah kept fishing. I don’t think she realized that I was paddling for dear life, just goes to show you what a hard fisherperson she is! Good job Sarah! I enjoyed taking you both down the Colorado. The Salmon fly hatch is a hard one to get a handle on, but with persistence you can find yourself with a bent rod.   Blue Quill guide Bob Dye

Fly Fishing Leadville Ponds – Colorado

Yesterday, in the mix of dealing with Memorial day traffic, I decided to fish the Leadville ponds, good choice if you do not want to deal with high water. Anyways, fishing was very productive on a wide variety of flies, but the best was stripping pine squirrel leeches near the bottom of the ponds. Fish range in these ponds from ten to sixteen inches, with a few eighteen’ers. All was great until the ride home, with traffic backed up to the Eisenhower tunnel, pulled over in Silverplume and fished Clear Creek until dark. While laughing at all the people stuck in there cars, I started to realize how smart I have become. Moral to the story, if your ever stuck in traffic, always have your fly rod in the car.  

Bob Dye – Blue Quill Guide