Recent Pics of the Pan and Fork

I had a bit of time on my heads so enjoy some pics from this past week of Pan and Fork fish. See you all soon. -Kirk Webb-

Roaring Fork Midge Mania

It's February finally! The days are getting longer and warmer and with that comes Midge Mania. This is easily one of my favorite months of the year for fishing. It's kind of like a bomb waiting to go off. Any day now the fishing is set to go off the charts and just explode. These longer, warmer days make the midge hatches really intensify. This is the month where the midges hatch in such numbers that fish begin rising and moving out of the traditional deep and slow pools transitioning into the riffles during the afternoons and evenings following the bugs. In my eye it's the first sign that spring is on the way...Thank God. I love winter fishing but there's just something special about the renewel of spring and spring fishing. A good customer was in the shop today and called February the fifth season. I like the sounds of that and it couldn't be anymore true. We're all fired up with the superb fishing taking place, knowing that somehow it only gets better and better each and every day. Needless to say, all of us have been getting our waders wet as much as possible lately. I've been fishing the Roaring Fork more and more lately with the abundance of ideal water and weather conditions Not only are these fish hot, but often the largest fish of the year are caught during the prespawn months of February and the first half of March. I've noticed in my own fishing lately that the big bows of the Fork have come out of hiding and are eating really well too. I'll try to post some more pics and info in the coming week. Until then, get out there. -Kirk Webb-

Demystifying Mysis Shrimp

The Frying Pan River is world renowned for producing some of the largest rainbow trout to be found on this planet. Plus, you don’t have to travel the globe for the opportunity to fish to these behemoths that can easily push the 5 pound, 10 pound, 15 pound and even 20 pound mark. Fish of these sizes are what most anglers’ dream of. It’s no secret that the bulk of these large fish are caught during certain times of year or when river flows are substantially raised or lowered. Some of these factors can be predicted and some cannot. Tying into these unproportioned fish will require skill as well as a little bit of luck.

The Mysis Shrimp Factor

Why do fish in the Frying Pan grow to such large sizes when compared to other quality fisheries? The answer is very simple. Mysis Shrimp, aka mysis relicta. These freshwater crustaceans (shrimp) single handedly are the reason for our fish’s quick growth rates and large sizes. Mysis Shrimp were originally transplanted into Ruedi Reservoir in hopes of making for a good forage base for the reservoirs kokanee salmon. These shrimp never ended up benefiting the intended species and its respective fishery, but instead had a unique affect on the tailwaters of the Frying Pan. Mysis Shrimp prefer the deep depths of the reservoir and this keeps them out of reach from many potential predators. Although living at these depths helps them from being eaten within the reservoir, it does not prevent them from being sucked out into the river below where trout happily do.

Mysis Shrimp are transparent in color when living, and turn opaque-white when dead or dying. Due to this color variance we fish two different styles and colors of flies. When fish are focused on mysis shrimp we typically will tie on a double nymph rig consisting of two mysis shrimp patterns. One fly imitates a dead/white mysis, and one fly imitates a living/transparent mysis. Our two favorite mysis shrimp patterns are Tim Heng’s Mysis Shrimp which is opaque-white in color and Will Sands’ Epoxy Mysis Shrimp which is transparent-clear in color. We will fish these in tandem together until we find out which type of mysis (living or dead) that the fish are focused on, and then switch to tandem setups of the fly that the fish are specifically looking for. These flies typically will range in size from #16’s down to #20’s.

These protein packed morsels are available to the trout on any given day. They do seem to be most effective however, when river flows are high or have just been raised. The more water coming out of the dam equates to higher numbers of mysis shrimp spilling through and into the river. The higher the flows, the further downstream the mysis drift and the more effective these patterns become. Higher flows on the Frying Pan can typically be found in May and June (200 cfs on up). At certain times, flows on the Frying Pan are raised without notice. If the water is noticeably rising count on finding plenty of mysis shrimp and hungry trout available on the upper stretches of the Frying Pan. The fish follow the mysis just like guides would follow a free beer sign. Mysis Shrimp have neutral buoyancy which means you can effectively fish these critters from the top to the bottom of the water column. The key is to watch an individual fish’s feeding rhythm and at what level in the water column that specific fish is feeding at and then present your flies at that level.

Prespawn: The best time to Hog Hunt on the River

The prespawn period is bar-none the best time of year to find large rainbows scattered on the upper Frying Pan. At this time of year, when the fish are staging near their spawning grounds will provide anglers with sight fishing opportunities to these big fish in shallow water. This prespawn period is usually from mid February to early April. In addition to mysis shrimp we also will fish with midges and baetis (bwo) patterns at this time of year. The best area to sight fish to these fish are in the Flats. The Flats is the area directly below the first plunge pool below the dam (aka Toilet Bowl) prior to the first bend in the river appropriately named the Bend Pool. It is about ¼ of a mile long and has good river bottom substrate (pea sized gravel) that the fish find most suitable to do their annual spawning rituals. The key to fishing the Flats is being able to read the river bottom and to look for any slight deviation or hole that is deeper than the surrounding areas. Often times these divots might only be six inches to a foot deeper than the water surrounding them. Much of the Flats is only knee deep with very little structure and variations in the water. Sight fishing to these fish require a keen eye and good polarized sunglasses. If you do not have polarized glasses you are literally fishing blind. Other good areas to fish at this time of year include the Gauging Station, Two Rocks, Boulders, Bridge Pool, and C&R #1 (you can find these areas on the newly updated Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Access Map which sells for $9.95 and is available at Taylor Creek’s two store locations). Mid April through May are the peak spawning periods on the Frying Pan River. Large female rainbows can be seen on their spawning beds often paired with one or several smaller male rainbows. At this time of year we do NOT fish to these trout in order to let them spawn undisturbed to better improve the gene pool and population of fish in the river. Plenty of post spawn or non spawning fish can be found throughout the river anyway at these times. Spawning fish are immensely fun to watch doing their annual dance and can make for some fun viewing when eating lunch or passing time by.

Going Bowling

Easily, the bulk of the large fish hooked in the Frying Pan every year come out of the Toilet Bowl. The Toilet Bowl is the first pool below the dam where the discharge comes out of the reservoir. The Toilet Bowl is a true phenomenon among Mysis tailwaters. On other mysis tailwaters the discharge below the dam is off limits to fishing, hiding many of the large fish from anglers. Not the case on the Frying Pan! So let’s talk technique here.
For fish that are holding in the depths of the Toilet Bowl which is an estimated 20 feet deep or so we employ some unconventional setups. I want to get my fly to the fish’s level as soon as possible. Throw away your conventional leaders and pull out your tippet material. A 10’ foot piece of tippet in size 0X (16lb) will be attached directly to our butt section. This smaller diameter “leader” penetrates and sinks in the water quickly, in addition to providing a miniscule amount of drag or resistance in the water. To finish our leader we will then add 2’ feet of 2X tippet, followed by an additional 2’ feet of 4x tippet to round out the overall leader length. Split shot is added above the knot junction of the 2X and 4X tippets. Our first fly (Tims Mysis Shrimp) will be attached to the end of the 4x tippet. We will then add an additional 18” inches of 4X or 5X tippet to the bend of the first fly and then complete our setup by attaching another different mysis pattern (Will’s Epoxy Mysis) to the end of our remaining piece of tippet. We recommend using fluorocarbon tippets when constructing this leader for its ability to sink faster than that of the equivalent monofilament, having a higher pound test strength, and for it being more abrasion resistant.

No strike indicator is employed in fishing this setup. Instead we are tight-line fishing. We’re basically making our cast, letting our flies sink, and keeping the line taunt as it dead drifts in the water. You will feel the strike when tight-line fishing. More often than not the fish hook themselves when fishing in this manner. This technique single handedly accounts for most of the large fish hooked in the Bowl.

Excerpted from a 2006 article by Kirk Webb published in our annual newsletter, The Fly On The Wall. We strongly encourage you to sign up for our newsletter: http://taylorcreek.com/newsletter3.htm

Prespawn: The best time to Hog Hunt on the River

The prespawn period is bar-none the best time of year to find large rainbows scattered on the upper Frying Pan. At this time of year, when the fish are staging near their spawning grounds will provide anglers with sight fishing opportunities to these big fish in shallow water. This prespawn period is usually from mid February to early April. In addition to mysis shrimp we also will fish with midges and baetis (bwo) patterns at this time of year. The best area to sight fish to these fish are in the Flats. The Flats is the area directly below the first plunge pool below the dam (aka Toilet Bowl) prior to the first bend in the river appropriately named the Bend Pool. It is about ¼ of a mile long and has good river bottom substrate (pea sized gravel) that the fish find most suitable to do their annual spawning rituals. The key to fishing the Flats is being able to read the river bottom and to look for any slight deviation or hole that is deeper than the surrounding areas. Often times these divots might only be six inches to a foot deeper than the water surrounding them. Much of the Flats is only knee deep with very little structure and variations in the water. Sight fishing to these fish require a keen eye and good polarized sunglasses. If you do not have polarized glasses you are literally fishing blind. Other good areas to fish at this time of year include the Gauging Station, Two Rocks, Boulders, Bridge Pool, and C&R #1 (you can find these areas on the newly updated Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Access Map which sells for $9.95 and is available at Taylor Creek’s two store locations). Mid April through May are the peak spawning periods on the Frying Pan River. Large female rainbows can be seen on their spawning beds often paired with one or several smaller male rainbows. At this time of year we do NOT fish to these trout in order to let them spawn undisturbed to better improve the gene pool and population of fish in the river. Plenty of post spawn or non spawning fish can be found throughout the river anyway at these times. Spawning fish are immensely fun to watch doing their annual dance and can make for some fun viewing when eating lunch or passing time by.

Going Bowling

Easily, the bulk of the large fish hooked in the Frying Pan every year come out of the Toilet Bowl. The Toilet Bowl is the first pool below the dam where the discharge comes out of the reservoir. The Toilet Bowl is a true phenomenon among Mysis tailwaters. On other mysis tailwaters the discharge below the dam is off limits to fishing, hiding many of the large fish from anglers. Not the case on the Frying Pan! So let’s talk technique here.
For fish that are holding in the depths of the Toilet Bowl which is an estimated 20 feet deep or so we employ some unconventional setups. I want to get my fly to the fish’s level as soon as possible. Throw away your conventional leaders and pull out your tippet material. A 10’ foot piece of tippet in size 0X (16lb) will be attached directly to our butt section. This smaller diameter “leader” penetrates and sinks in the water quickly, in addition to providing a miniscule amount of drag or resistance in the water. To finish our leader we will then add 2’ feet of 2X tippet, followed by an additional 2’ feet of 4x tippet to round out the overall leader length. Split shot is added above the knot junction of the 2X and 4X tippets. Our first fly (Tims Mysis Shrimp) will be attached to the end of the 4x tippet. We will then add an additional 18” inches of 4X or 5X tippet to the bend of the first fly and then complete our setup by attaching another different mysis pattern (Will’s Epoxy Mysis) to the end of our remaining piece of tippet. We recommend using fluorocarbon tippets when constructing this leader for its ability to sink faster than that of the equivalent monofilament, having a higher pound test strength, and for it being more abrasion resistant.

No strike indicator is employed in fishing this setup. Instead we are tight-line fishing. We’re basically making our cast, letting our flies sink, and keeping the line taunt as it dead drifts in the water. You will feel the strike when tight-line fishing. More often than not the fish hook themselves when fishing in this manner. This technique single handedly accounts for most of the large fish hooked in the Bowl.

Frying Pan Piggies

Taylor Creek Fly Shop manager, Will Sands, fished the Frying Pan on Tuesday with Nick Williams from http://www.flycurrents.com/ and http://www.flycurrents.blogspot.com/. They set out with one goal in mind. Head-hunting some big fish. Head-hunting generally involves sight fishing the river and only casting to big fish. You generally don't catch many fish, but the rewards are often worth it as you can see by the picture. There's no doubt that the Frying Pan River holds some of the largest trout in the Rockies and are infamous for being highly educated and picky. Hiring a knowledgable local guide makes a world of a difference when it comes to technical fisheries like the Pan. They take you to the best water, with the right flies, and educate you on all aspects of fly fishing and often become lifelong friends on and off the water. Winter is the ideal time of year to head hunt these large fish as they feed more freely and openly due in large part to having such less in the way of fishing pressure. Basically more fish per angler. Some key flies you'll want to have in your fly box include: Flashtail Mini Eggs, Epoxy Mysis, Capt. Hooks, Medallion Midges, Jujubees, TC Red Midge, PT's and RS2's. Don't forget a pair of good polarized sunglasses, layering your clothing to regulate body temperature and it never hurts to fish with a partner to help you spot and locate some piggies! We hope you are able to make it out this winter. Poke your head in the shop and we'll be happy to dial you in or set you up with one our talented guides. -Kirk Webb-

photo courtesy of Nick Williams

Winter Float Trips? Really?

It's true! People are often astonished that we offer winter float trips. There's no doubt that you definately have to time the weather right and hit those days when we have high overnight low temperatures, but winter floats are certainly doable. There are many benefits to floating in the winter time. For starters, it's much warmer than wade fishing. All of our float fishing is done inside of the boat. There's no need to get out and wade into the cold water. Propane heaters are stored in the boat and give you some serious warmth to warm your hands when needed. A thermos or two of warm coffee, (mine usually has a spike or two of Kaluha) tea and soup will help keep your soul warm as well. Floating offers you the opportunity to fish miles of river and focus on the better deep pools and runs where the fish congregate. Some of the largest fish of the year are hooked and landed at this time of year too. The most popular section of river for floating is from Carbondale to Westbank along the Lower Roaring Fork River. This large expanse of water receives more sunlight than other sections of river and provides more comfort for both fish and angler. Oh, and did I mention how spectacular the scenery is? Not to mention all the wildlife that lives along the valley floor. What else could you ask for? -Kirk-

Good Stuff On The Roaring Fork

The Roaring Fork River fished quite well yesterday. Crowds are nonexistant with seemingly all anglers heading up to go fish the Frying Pan. Fine by me. The great thing about the Fork is that the water is very easy to read. Where you think a trout should be holding, it is. I love picking apart structure and holding water and the Fork has a wealth of it. I also get to use and fish "real" flies. By real, I mean Princes, 20Inchers and the like, instead of the ultra-techie midge and mysis shrimp patterns that you commonly fish on the Frying Pan. Normal flies, normal water, abnormal fish. That's what the Fork is all about. Quality. As much fun as it is to go poke a 5-8 pound fish out of the Pan, an 18" inch fish out of the Fork fights much harder and has those wild "freestone" genes that just make them incredibly strong fish. Spent most of the day fishing right through town with Monday Morning crew member and guide, Travis Lyons. Trav and I fish a lot together so we thought we'd fish "out of the box" and hit some overlooked water that neither of fish too often. Driving down on Two Rivers Road in Basalt, Travis suggested hitting the Lower Bypass Bridge. By the time I was done rigging my rod up Travis already had six good fish in the net within fifteen minutes. Once rigged, I quickly landed a 13" inch brown. Once on the ice bank, the fish coughed up a still living 5" inch sculpin. Way cool! This has happened to me before but never has the sculpin still been alive. I was fired up after that. We stuck a few more fish and decided to head up river to go poke around the Lower Woody Creek Bridge. We fished the downstream side of the bridge in a long run where both of us landed more than our fair share of fish. My largest was a solid 16" inch rainbow. I do want to make mention of the fact that many fish are keying in on stoneflies. A #12 20Incher was my best fly, though we did stick fish on princes, eggs, and midge patterns as well. All in all, a great day. Out. -Kirk-

Colorado River Still Picking Up

Fished the Colorado River with fellow guide, Travis Lyons and Fly Raft Works owner, Josh Lively (http://www.flyraftworks.com/) on Sunday. We started at Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs after hitting up the 19th Street Diner for breakfast where the weather was warm and in the 30's, even at eleven o'clock in the morning. We began on river right where I quickly hooked a decent rainbow on a #18 Buckskin. After another half hour of not catching anything Travis and I followed Josh to river left where we watched him yard about 4-5 trout on his "top-secret" egg pattern. His largest fish, a solid 16" inch bow, put a large smile on his face. Not long thereafter we hopped back in the car and took off to go fish the Sewage Treatment Plant in West Glenwood. We lasted there for another 20-30 minutes and didn't so much as even touch a fish. Back in the car, after a quick pitstop at Dairy Queen as we pressed further down-valley to the Canyon Creek exit. We stayed for 15minutes as the river simply didn't fish in those few bread-and-butter spots. We eventually stopped and slid down the hill to fish the upstream side of the New Castle Bridge. After switching up flies to a tiny #20 Freestone Emerger I finally hooked two or three rainbows. The last area we hit up was near the town of Silt. After a long walk to go fish "our" prime run we noticed another angler already fishing there. That caught the three of us off guard as we hadn't seen another angler on the water all day long. Oh well. We blanked in that spot too, though I feel confident that we would've wrecked a few fish in that area had no one been there. We caught fish on the Colorado but it definately paled in comparison to the Roaring Fork and the Frying Pan. It won't be long until blanketing hatches of midges put those big, strong Collie fish back on the feed. As many of you know, this is my favorite hatch on the Colorado and I'll definately be keeping you up to speed on how it transpires. Stay tuned. -Kirk-