bluecruiser
SILVER Star
I can’t tell you. It’s top secret.
Events/Trails 9th Annual 100s in the Hills *SILVERTON COLORADO* July 24-29 2019
- Thread starter paflytyer
- Start date
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You'll need an insulated speedo.
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And you have to be as crazy as @aaronrules to do it.
aaronrules
Coolest person you know!
You should ask @aaronrules about that
The first rule of the Polar Plunge is you don’t talk about the Polar Plunge! I may have found this out the hard way.
Cut to me being signed up for three runs that go to or by lakes...I’m jumping into ALL of them!!!....maybe
You'll be the cleanest guy in camp, looking forward to the Poughkeepsie run on Friday!
aaronrules
Coolest person you know!
I think I do this every year, but here it is again. I like to fly fish...but I barely know what I am doing. I want to spend some time fly fishing while in Colorado. I have a pole and some flies, but I honestly do not know which flies I should have. Can anyone point in the right direction? I am hoping to get some fishing in like everywhere I am going to be...which might be all over the San Juans. Also....waders? I am not going to keep any fish I catch either.
Bloomer
SILVER Star
Others may have more specific thoughts on what can be used, but consider stopping by one of the local sporting good stores and picking up some flys from them. There is a really good shop in Lake City where we stopped to purchase our licenses last year and purchased flys from them that are used in the area.
Call Peter at Ascent Fly Fishing (Ascent Fly Fishing) and have him build you a fly box. He's an aquatic biologist by trade, but runs a killer fly shop out of his garage. He should be able to set you up nicely in that regard.
Pick up a copy of "The Fly Fisher's Playbook" by Duane Redford and read it a couple of times. Follow the approach, re-read, and fish some more. Having a strong nymphing game is essential to catching fish.
Waders - kind of depends. The high mountain streams will be COOOOLD this year; may not be suitable for wet wading until August or September, if at all. You can probably get by without waders if you're trying to be cost conscious, but it never hurts to have them, in my opinion.
Maps - check out Fly Fishing Outfitters on Avenza for maps (Rivers of Colorado 18 Map Bundle - Fly Fishing Outfitters - Avenza Maps)
Also, when it comes to fly fishing, you'll want a fly rod.
If I could make it up early, I could give you some lessons. I caught a mess of brookies in the river behind my camper last year, just upstream from the bridge at HQ. If you weren't so busy hanging out with your friends at camp that are more fun than me, you could have stopped by and gotten some pointers.
As a general rule for mountain streams/rivers in the Rockies, I keep a decent supply of the following basic flies in my box all the time: Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators in orange and green, Griffith's Gnats, Prince Nymphs, Peasant Tails, Hare's Ears, Wooly Buggers, Bunny Leeches. Then I check the fishing reports and stop by the local sporting goods stores and fly shops to see what else has been working in the area and during that time of year. I have a crap ton of other patterns depending on how deep and slow the water is, what time of year it is, water temps, fish I'm targeting, what bugs are hatching, etc. But a good start for a fly box would be the tried and true patterns I listed above. And for sizing, don't go too big. Dry flies should be in the size 12 - 16 range with wet flies being 18 - 24. Most of the fish aren't that big and will prefer a smaller fly over a larger one.
You'll be best served to have a rod/reel in the 3-6 weight range, 6'-7' long, with Weight-Forward floating line, for all around versatility. If you're not going into water deeper than your knees, no waders are needed as long as you wear shoes you can get wet. There are too many sharp things in the water to go barefoot. Plus the rocks are usually slippery so having some traction from a rubber-soled shoe is helpful. If you're going deeper than that, you'll want to use some waders. I don't bring waders when I go to HIH because I don't get enough time to fish to justify packing the extra fishing gear. I just wear some sandals or water shoes and don't get too deep.
Most of what I had written was covered by the post above, written as I was posting. Deleted it out because it was a novel and this thread isn't just about fly fishing.
bluecruiser
SILVER Star
Buy some swimsuits. Enough said
Ya'll are making @westwardCruiser and I want to buy fly rods. You'll be in for at least some entertainment, haha
neilsen100
GOLD Star
I know some of you may be bringing bicycles to HIH9, or your kids will have bikes. On Thursday night I'll be setup to do free professional bike tunes for anyone that wants to come by. I won't have extra parts but will have a complete tool set and expertise to ensure your ride is running well. If any parts are needed we can coordinate a trip to the local shops in Telluride or Durango. Looking forward to seeing you all out there.
bluecruiser
SILVER Star
This group of attendees, both new and old, continue to blow us away with the support. Awesome @neilsen100 Thank you!!!!
Kinda of like Fight Club, but way less "fighty"
Had a good weekend under the LX getting it ready.
For anyone wondering about the CB radios, my first year I had a handheld and it was terrible. I couldn't hear anything. Last year I bought a President McKinley and velcro'd it to my center console and ran a magnetic antenna. It worked flawless even when I was the last vehicle.
This year I'm stepping up to a fire stick and new velcro that wont fall off in the summer heat. At this rate I should be able to talk to the dead.
I have a baofeng with a long, annoying antenna and the CB works just as well on the trail.
For anyone wondering about the CB radios, my first year I had a handheld and it was terrible. I couldn't hear anything. Last year I bought a President McKinley and velcro'd it to my center console and ran a magnetic antenna. It worked flawless even when I was the last vehicle.
This year I'm stepping up to a fire stick and new velcro that wont fall off in the summer heat. At this rate I should be able to talk to the dead.
I have a baofeng with a long, annoying antenna and the CB works just as well on the trail.
The Echo Base rod/reel combo is an incredible entry level set up.
That is one expensive CB! It does seem to have it's own SWR meter though, so I guess it's pretty reasonable. Am curious if it's better than my Midland 75-822 hooked up to a Browning antenna. I don't get a ton of range out of mine and it's got quite a bit of static despite solid grounding and a clean SWR read. I know CB is typically limited, but I'd pay the $$ for an improvement for sure.
Ophir Pass is now clear to the top on the San Juan county side!
