Colorado River - Parshall, CO - 10/10/2010

Had the opportunity to fish Parshall on a cold day in the fall before the winds blew through.  Only hooked one fish during the short time we were there and the fish were not rising whatsoever.  I'd like to return to Parshall to hit this stretch of water again next summer as it had plenty of great spots for dry flies and is acclaimed for sizable rising trout during days of BWO and PMD hatches.  Lots of fast runs.

Lily Lake - Estes Park, CO - 10/3/2010

Christi's Dad, Jim, came to visit as he drove through from Antelope hunting in Wyoming.  We decided to go hit a small lake in Estes Park in hopes of fooling a few on dry flies.  Imitation ants, beetles, and hoppers were the name of the game.  Sizes 14-20.  Bright appendages seemed to work best.  When cloud cover rolled over, the bite stopped.  As soon as the clouds moved, the bite was back on.  Wonderful weather and +35 native greenback cutthroat trout landed between Christi, Jim, and I.  Awesome day!  We were the only people on the water other than a family in a canoe.  Made for an exceptional outing.

Beatle - size 12-14

 Parachute Adams - Size 14-18

 One of Christi's many catches

After lunch, we spent a couple hours nymphing on the famed Big Thompson river in Estes Park.  Lots of deep pools and wide runs.  Lots of large fish.  We only had a few take, although it was a great stretch of water.  There was a heavy hatch going on but I couldn't figure out what type of flies were hatching.  They almost looked like small caddis.  Next year we'll need to bring a siene.

Bathing ducks continued to challenge us as obstacles.  I accidentally hooked one's leg with a dry fly and had to cut my line.

Cigars make for better fishing.

Jim landed the largest fish on the Big Thompson that day.  Too bad it was a CARP.  =)

Don't catch brown trout that often.  Cool colors

Taylor Park - 7/10/2010

How convenient, an old outhouse along the trail

View near campsite

Dirk attempts to maneuver over a fallen tree

Success!

Highest point of our ride that day

Scenery was amazing

Taylor river, downstream several miles from the acclaimed "Hog's Trough"

Pulled this tree to the campsite with the quad.  Emmie questioning the commotion

Time to make fire wood

Lake Wehrspann - Omaha, NE - 7/5/2010

We decided to take the boat out to Chalco Hills to try for a repeat of our fantastic 2009 4th of July largemouth outing.  My nephew Jacob had the opportunity to try out his new gift from Grandpa, a spinning outfit "Cabela's finest" as he told us.  Jim and I fished plastics along shoreline cover, catching several 2-3lbers while Jacob practiced catching bluegill with a worm under a bobber in order to get used to casting a spinning reel.  He quickly earned the nickname, "backlash" and will never live it down.

A couple hours into the outing, after Jim finished un-knotting another one of Jacob's bird's nests of a backlash, we casted Jacob's worm behind the boat and began trolling to our next spot.  I turned around to see his bobber gone and a huge wave around it.  Long story short, he caught a monster female largemouth that was, no doubt, the largest fish any of us have caught out of that lake...ever.  Funny enough, he was fishing a bluegill rig.  It weighed in at 5lbs on our old rusty spring scale, although I would venture a guess it pushed 6lbs.  It's outings like this that can make a young guy a fisherman for life.  Awesome catch!

Colorado Wine Country (and fishing) - Grand Junction, CO - 5/28/10

In May of 2010, Michael, Mary Beth, Christi, and I had a wild idea to embark on a 3-day weekend mini-vacation to west CO in search of good wine and fish on the fly.  Vineyards and fly fishing?!?  Didn't take much convincing.

On day 1, we drove 1hr45min S.E. from Grand Junction to wade the waters of the Uncompahgre river.  This was the most beautiful part of Colorado I've seen to-date.  Ralph Lauren owns the land behind the stretch we fished, and after seeing it in person...I totally understand why.

I must say we look good, geeked out in fly fishing gear.

Nymph-Dropper was name of game.  Copper John (size 16) trailed by Bead Head Black Beauty (size 22)

Hare's Ear Nymph (size 18) trailed by Black Beauty (size 20)

 Fish ON.

Fish ON.  Who ever said fly fishing isn't a couples sport?

Michael's turn to net

 Fish ON.

 The owners of this vineyard are ex-aerospace engineers.  Mary Beth immediately fell in love with the place.

Underground cellar

A beaver seen at the Grand Mesa lakes area.

Making some high-altitude cobbler using the Jet burner stove.

Reeder Mesa Winery

WineOpoly:  a unique spin on one of my favorite board games

This is God's Country.