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How Close is Too Close?

When fly fishing here in Colorado on any waters that are less than two hours away from Denver you will often times find it to be a little crowded, especially on the weekends. That is why, when possible, I like to go during the weekdays. You get a better chance of it just being you, the outdoors, and hopefully the fish.

Earlier this week I took a day off work in hopes of enjoying a little solitude and catching some trout on the fly. I arrived at the river fairly early and just as I hoped there was no one around. It was pretty cold so I took my sweet time getting my gear on and rod set up. After about a half hour of fishing (mostly knocking ice off my guides and trying to keep my hands warm) I noticed some guy coming down the mountain towards the river about 300 yards downstream. I continued to watch as he crossed the river and headed upstream towards me but on the opposite side. “I wonder where this guy is going,” I thought to myself. Soon enough I found out. He stopped about 15 yard upstream from me and proceeded to fish just outside the run that I was fishing. Was this some sort of practical joke? Am I being filmed? I looked upstream about 500 yards, not a soul. I looked downstream 500 yards, not a soul. I didn’t get it. There was so much river and so many open spots and this gentleman decides he is going to come as close to me as possible without actually fishing in my spot. I didn’t know what to do. Should I say something or just keep fishing and try to ignore this guy. I kept quiet and just tried focus on fishing but he was hard to not watch. Besides being close to me he was also very distracting. He had two rods with him. The one he was fishing was set up for nymphing and I assumed the other was set up for dries in case it warmed up. Anyway, he leaned his extra rod against the bush while he fished and then kept looking back at it making sure it was still there. Dude, it’s just me and you here. No one else. Your rod is safe!

After about 30 minutes he went upstream about 50 yards. No luck there so he then went downstream about 300 yards. At that point I could finally relax and enjoy myself and what do you know, I was able to catch a nice rainbow! It was like his presence was affecting my fly fishing mojo. I didn’t have any more luck after that, but I didn’t stay much longer because the wind was quite annoying. Check out a couple shots from the day. Stay Fly.

This guy is third from the top on the Trout Names shirt.
In the Net

Wore the Red Colorado Trucker Hat.
Red Trucker Hat

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Warm Winter Ride

Mountain bike from Savers: $25. Two bicycle tubes from Walmart: $10. Not catching a thing on a winter day: priceless. Sunday my buddy Esteban and I took a ride up Waterton Canyon to try our luck on the this closer-to-town stretch of the South Platte. We rode five miles up and for someone who doesn’t ride bikes and hasn’t owned a bike in years, it was pretty tough. I thought it would be easier and faster than walking the five miles. Faster, maybe. Easier, definitely not. Nonetheless it was probably good to get the old heart pumping in the fresh mountainous air.

Once we got up there and found a nice looking deep pool we got rigged up and started fishing. And fishing is all that occurred. No catching, just fishing. Winter fly fishing is something I need some work at. I’ve been out three times since December and three big skunks.

One of the positives of the day was being able to use my Blue Halo Gear rod that I recently finished. It was a really warm winter day and I was hoping for a midge hatch to be able cast some dries, because I think this rod would be perfect for that. But it was kind of windy and I only saw a few bugs, thus I was relegated to a nymphing setup. The wind made it tricky, but the rod was able to cast my indicator, split shot, and two nymphs.

All in all I can say it was nice to get out after being locked up by the snow and cold, but man catching a fish would definitely be more satisfying. Spring cannot come fast enough. It’ll be nice to fish in the warm sun with no jacket and just a t-shirt. Check out the pictures from my bike ride/casting session and Stay Fly!

Dang! You got shocks, pegs… lucky! You ever take it off any sweet jumps?
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You see a mirror on a trail and you have no choice but to take a picture.
20140218-090247.jpg

I like my new rod. I can’t wait to cast some Elk Hair Caddis flies with it.
20140218-090304.jpg

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First Fly Rod Build

During the winter I don’t get out there on the water as much as I wish I could. There’s the holidays, the weather, the Super Bowl and other various reasons. The Super Bowl is not really a reason. I just threw it in there because it’s Super Bowl week! If you haven’t seen the aptly colored Property Of t-shirt, you should check it out. Anyway, to fill up some of my time while I’m not printing and shipping t-shirts, I decided to build a fly rod. I really had no idea where to begin. Luckily in this day and age with social media, you tube, and all sorts of sites I was able to find some really great instruction and tips. I was also able to get some inspiration from a few professional rod builders out there like @snowman_custom_rod_works on Instagram and Southern Appalachian Rod Co on Facebook. Check those guys out if you want a custom fly rod. They do amazing work.

I decided to go with a fiberglass rod from Blue Halo Gear. I have some good things about their rods and back in December they had a nice special going so I ordered two. I won’t go into all the details of the build but here are a few photos of the results.

Fly Rod Full

Fly Rod Close-up

Look out for the my next build coming soon to a blog near you! Stay fly.

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Merry Troutmas Giveaway

MerryTroutmasGiveaway2013To get into the holiday spirit we’re doing a Merry Troutmas Giveaway. On Christmas Day we’ll be having a drawing for some pretty cool prizes. We’re giving away one Fly Names T-Shirt, one Blue Fly Trout Logo Trucker Hat, one Colorado Beanie, and five Fly Fishing Love Stickers. That gives 8 people a chance to win one extra present on Christmas! Entries will be taken until Christmas Eve and the winners will be announced on the day after Christmas. To try your luck at this giveaway, you can enter the drawing the following ways:

  1. Facebook – Like us on Facebook, then like and share our contest photo.
  2. Instagram – Follow @theflytrout, then repost our contest picture and include @theflytrout #merrytroutmas in the caption.
  3. Twitter – Follow @theflytrout and tweet the following: I just entered the Merry Troutmas Giveaway from the @theflytrout http://theflytrout.com/2013/12/merry-troutmas-giveaway/ #TheFlyTrout
  4. Newsletter Sign Up – Sign up for our fly newsletter below.

      First Name (required)

      Last Name (required)

      Your Email (required)

    FOUR ways to be entered in the drawing. Good luck!

    Official Rules
    Entries taken between December 16-24th, 2013
    Winners announced December 26th, 2013

    WINNERS

    After many entries via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Newsletter Signup we have drawn some winners!

    Fly Names T-Shirt:
    Brad Wigginton (Newsletter)

    Brad, please email me (joe@theflytrout.com) with your shirt size and address and I will get your shirt printed and shipped!

    Blue Fly Trout Logo Trucker Hat:
    flying_high_again (Instagram)

    Colorado Beanie:
    Matthew Kuma (Facebook)

    Fly Fishing Love Stickers:
    Patrick Cromer (Twitter)
    Miles DeBardeleben (Twitter)
    Michael Gaul (Newsletter)
    fisherousdotcom (Instagram)
    Juan Ramirez (Facebook)

    Sticker and hat winners, please email me (joe@theflytrout.com) with your address and I will send you your prize!

    Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. If you didn’t win and would like a shirt, hat, or sticker check out our shop. Keep on the lookout for more giveaways, new shirts and other cool stuff! Stay fly.

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    Baby it’s Cold Outside

    What do you do when it’s too cold to fish? You’re probably thinking “It’s never to cold to fish!” And while technically you’re correct, high temperatures in the single digits or lower keep me at home. I’ll wait until we get up into the twenties or thirties to get back out there. Anyway, what is an angler to do when stuck at home? Here’s a list of things I like to do, all fly fishing related of course.

    Create new shirts – I mean this is a fly fishing apparel site and what better way to spend time than to come up with some new creations! Check out our newest shirt Fly Names.

    Tie flies – I like to go through my fly box and see what flies I may need for my next trip out. I also like to look at new patterns that I might not even use until the summer. If you have never tied before now is the time to learn a new skill. The internet is full of good resources on getting started. Also check out your local fly shop. They can get you set up with the basic tools to tie your own flies.

    Read fly fishing blogs – When you aren’t able to be on the water it’s always fun to read about other peoples fly fishing experiences. Besides blogs there are tons of cool Facebook pages related to fly fishing and if I just want to look at pictures, I’ll just hop on Instagram on my phone.

    Organize my gear – Now is the perfect time to go through my gear and be reminded that I ran out of tippet or that my leader needs to be replaced. I also like to get my bag organized so I am ready to go the next time I am on the water.

    Build a rod – Now this is a first for me. I just order a couple blanks from Blue Halo Gear and I will be attempting to build my own fiberglass fly rod. I will be taking some pictures and will post about my rod building experience.

    So instead of sitting around and watching Christmas moves I like to try and stay busy with anything to do with my favorite hobby. Stay warm and Stay Fly.

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    New Shirts: Beards and ‘Staches

    Bearded  Bluegill

    Troutstache 2

    Whether you call it Novembeard or No Shave November or Movember, this is the time of the year to let those mustaches and beards grow. To get in on the fun we have created two new shirts that fall in line with all the facial hair madness. For you beard guys check out the new Bearded Bluegill t-shirt. And for you mustache men we have theĀ Troutstache 2: Return of the Wax t-shirt. We also have the original Troutstache shirt. So grab a shirt, grow some man hair and Stay Fly.

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    Stop and have a Beer

    You’ve heard the phrase “stop and smell the roses” I’m sure. I’ve got a new phrase for you, “stop and have a beer.” Saturday I was able to spend a good part of the day at one my favorite places to fish, Cheesman Canyon. When fishing in the canyon you’ve got to hike in a ways before you can get your line wet. We had planned on hiking for an hour and a half, but 45 minutes in we came upon a calm pool with several rising trout and had no choice but to stop. I got my rod set up, had a breakfast beer, and after few casts I had my first fish on. The perfect start to a great day on the river. Sometimes it pays to stop and have a beer. Stay Fly.

    Stopped to have a breakfast beer

    …then caught a nice brown.

    Got to try out my early birthday present.

    This dude needs to put on a little weight.

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    Fly Ladies Giveaway

    Ladies Giveaway

    Ladies GiveawayThis weekend’s giveaway is all about the ladies. We’re giving away one Ladies Logo T-Shirt, one Pink Fly Trout Logo Trucker Hat, and a few Fly Fishing Love Stickers. Just because the prizes are geared toward the ladies doesn’t mean all you dudes out there shouldn’t enter! You need to enter to win something for that special fly lady in your life! Entries will be taken this weekend and the winners will be announced on Monday. To try your luck at this giveaway, you can enter the drawing the following ways:

    1. Facebook – Like us on Facebook, then like on and share our contest photo.
    2. Instagram – Follow @theflytrout, then post a fly fishing related picture and include @theflytrout #flyladies in the caption.
    3. Twitter – Follow @theflytrout and tweet the following: I just entered the Fly Ladies Giveaway from the @theflytrout http://theflytrout.com/2013/10/fly-ladies-giveaway/ #TheFlyTrout
    4. Newsletter Sign Up – Sign up for our fly newsletter below.

        First Name (required)

        Last Name (required)

        Your Email (required)

      FOUR ways to be entered in the drawing. Good luck!

      Official Rules
      Entries taken between October 25-27th, 2013
      Winners announced October 28th, 2013

      WINNERS

      After many entries via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Newsletter Signup we have drawn some winners!

      T-SHIRT:
      Aimey Musgrove (Facebook)

      Aimey, please email me (joe@theflytrout.com) with your shirt size and address and I will get your shirt printed and shipped!

      HAT:
      Elizabeth Ferreira (Facebook)

      STICKERS:
      True North Trout (Facebook)
      Jami Montoya-Ulibarri (Facebook)
      Debbie Trotter (Newsletter)
      trailblazingjamie (Instagram)

      Sticker and hat winners, please email me (joe@theflytrout.com) with your address and I will send you your prize!

      Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. If you didn’t win and would like a shirt, hat, or sticker check out our shop. Keep on the lookout for more giveaways, new shirts and other cool stuff! Stay fly.

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      Gimme a beat

      I recently went to a public stream that had four sections of water called “beats.” And the parking space you parked in determined which beat you were able to fish. This was the first time I have been to water with a setup like this. I guess the idea of this is to give the fisherman some nice breathing room and not let the stream deal with too much pressure. It was pretty nice to know that I wouldn’t run into another fly fisher as I worked my way upstream. The only problem I ran into had nothing to do with the beat system. It was that I had no idea that the creek would be so brushy making it difficult to maneuver and cast with my normal rig. Here are some shots from the outing. Stay Fly.

      I was the only one here and chose Beat 2.

      Fall is definitely here.

      Hooked up with a few but could only wrangle in this guy. Always remember to catch then release, so you can catch again!