The Grassroots of Business Success

Tide rips are one of the most common areas to fly fish for salmon at Neah Bay. I’m addicted to fly fishing tide rips for coho salmon in the saltwater. The stronger the current and the rougher the water, the more I love it.

Tide rips are a general term used by many people but not always meaning the same thing. Many people define tide rips as where two opposing currents meet. Others define rips as any ripple caused by current on a glassy sea. Both are correct, but I think of tide rips as where huge amounts of water are moving causing the ocean to resemble a river. This can be caused by current crossing a shallow bar or reef (the northern tip of Waadah Island is an example of this) or where a large volume of water is constricted and/or crosses a shallow (or not so shallow) reef. A prime example of the latter is where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean north of Cape Flattery. The water in these areas can go from glass calm to rough in a very short time.

The rough water is where I spend most of my time fly fishing the rips. The movement of water is also moving large amounts of feed (mostly baitfish like herring and anchovies) into the tide rips. The fast, turbulent water disorients the bait, making them easy prey for aggressively feeding coho salmon. The salmon use the current as a massive marine conveyer belt that brings them an easy supply of food. The chop on the water also seems to make the salmon less spooky and they will hold in the upper part of the water column, which puts them well within the fly fisherman’s reach. All of these factors combined make fly fishing tide rips one of the best experiences in northwest saltwater fly fishing.

We’ve found the conditions that concentrate salmon within reach of our flies. Now we have to enter the prime water. This is where things become interesting. I mentioned the rough water previously, and I must add even more caution to those attempting this type of fishing for the first or even the one hundredth time. Many times, the top end of the tide rip will contain breaking waves, much like rapids in a river. In the beginning start fishing rips that are not as strong. Look for days with less tidal movement to get used to the way your boat drifts and how to cast flies while being tossed around before casting flies in stronger tide rips. A sound boat is necessary. You need a boat that’s a minimum of 18′ long to deal with the strongest rips. Make sure you have all the safety equipment required and more. Life jackets, VHF radio, and a GPS are absolutely required. Make sure your engine is tuned up and operating properly. This is no place to have a breakdown.

Okay, you are now in the rip holding the cork of a fly rod with a baitfish fly pattern in your other hand. What now? It depends a bit on how your boat drifts through the current. My boat drifts straight with the current, but others drift sideways. For me, I cast straight across to up-current a bit. Usually the boat is drifting slower than the current underneath, so casting a fly up current will give the fly more time to sink and still allow you to strip the fly back to the boat across the current. I usually strip the fly back at varying speeds. Often, I’ll start the retrieve very fast and then slow it down as the fly gets closer to the boat. I think the initial fast burst gets the coho salmon’s attention and the slower strips with pauses is what triggers the coho salmon to strike the fly.

The tide rips can also be a great place to try casting poppers for saltwater salmon. Bringing salmon to the surface is a thrill.

Of course, an article can only get you so far. Time on the water is the key to being confident fly fishing the saltwater for salmon in Washington State. I hope you will give the Olympic Peninsula a shot for your saltwater fly fishing adventures.

Chris Bellows, owner of Topwater Charters, Inc, which runs fly fishing charters off the Washington Coast. His websites offer more information about Saltwater Fly Fishing and Neah Bay Halibut

Have you ever spent hour after unproductive hour fishing on a lake with nothing to show for it? I doubt there’s a serious angler anywhere who hasn’t had that happen to them. So, if you can relate to that, this article about the advantages of a fish finder might be just what you need.

Fish finders utilize sonar. These devices use sound waves to detect the bottom of the lake, calculate the depth, and will also detect anything between the surface and the bottom, such as fish. This technology gives the angler a huge advantage by letting you know right away whether or not there are any fish present.

Fish finders have become increasingly more sophisticated in recent years. Early fish finders simply flashed to indicate the presence of fish. But, today, with improved electronics, you can get things such as LCD’s with a wide variety of LCD types and resolution. The best fish finders today are similar to watching a color display of the water you’re fishing in and show everything with great clarity.

Fish finders vary widely in price and, like everything else; you get what you pay for. Larger units with more features will cost more. Generally, units with higher resolution will cost more than those with lower resolution. Higher resolution will give you greater detail as to what is in the water.

Many of the most popular fish finders are wrist-mounted devices and are worn just like a wrist watch. They will only have basic functions but are very mobile and easy to use. Other fish finders utilize large displays and can be mounted to your boat.

Fish finders can be found for as little as $100 and as high as several thousand dollars. There are many brands available with a wide variety of features, so it pays to do your research before you buy. You can check locally or do what most people are doing nowadays… check them out online. It faster and easier.

You can also find fish finders that include a Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS technology is great for anglers as it provides accurate information about your location. This will help you to return to that great fishing spot with ease. All you have to do is simply record the GPS coordinates of any location and you can easily find it again. The accuracy of GPS is about 9 feet so that should be good enough to find those fish again.

And one of the best benefits of GPS is the safety factor. You will never get lost as you can program your starting point and then easily find your way home… even on the largest of lakes and even in dense fog. Don’t underestimate the importance of this feature.

So, having a fish finder is a great way to increase your catch each time out. It will tell you where the fish are (and are not), give you depth information, and return you to your favorite fishing hole. And, with GPS, it will get you back home easily and safely. Do your research online and find the best fish finder to suit your needs and budget. You won’t regret it.

This article courtesy of http://fishingway.com

You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Halloween and fly fishing may seem like an odd mix, but not for true anglers. Yep, I’m talking about the ultimate test of your abilities and nerve.

Dracula’s River

Okay, everyone knows the story of Count Dracula. The book is huge and has been turned into more than a few scary movies. The one the frightened me the most was the recent edition in which Keanu Reaves attempted to speak with an English accent. Truly scary. Anyway, the interesting thing about Dracula is that it is based on a real person.

Vlad the Impaler was a nasty man by any definition. By Vlad, I mean the Romanian Prince, not the Angels outfielder that blasts home runs…except in the playoffs to my dismay. With a nickname like “Impaler”, I shouldn’t have to recite his resume, but will mention that he had a thing for long sticks with one end buried in the ground and the other end sharpened to a point. It was very wise to stay on his good side - “Vlad, did you lose some weight?” and so on.

Vlad ruled Romania during his reign and was such an enthusiast for impaling that those in the lumber business look back upon him with sighs of happiness. As anyone knows from the book, Vlad had his home office at Bran Castle in the Carpathian Mountains although he maintained branch offices in London. In fact, the castle stands today and you can spend your hard earned tourist money strolling about the grounds, buying fake fangs, garlic and so on. What isn’t widely known, of course, is Bran Castle was never the home of Vlad, who apparently didn’t care for the overly religious d©cor and garlic garden in the backyard.

The true home of Vlad the Impaler is Dracula Castle, which sits on the Arges River. The castle is not a hot tourist destination. Perhaps this is because the only things left are a few stones sticking out of the ground. Nonetheless, below the castle runs the Arges River.

Known in antiquity as the Ordessus, this is the spot where Vlad did some of his top-notch impaling and supposedly tied a unique fly or two. Even after all these years, the fish remain influenced and it takes a brave angler to hit the spot.

Body armor, garlic and a shield are not typical equipment for fly fishing. If you’re going to fish with Vlad, however, each is a must. The fish are odd. The locals with missing fingers and hands will fill you in. The “Impaler Pike” is known to react to being hooked by accelerating towards the angler and leaping from the water in the direction of one’s nether region. The Arges Cutthroat, of course, needs no description, but the Big Macks definitely give rise to the need for garlic. Finally, the Vlad Muskie can be caught, but an older gentlemen with only one ear suggested this isn’t necessarily a good thing. All and all, one doesn’t so much catch a fish below Vlad’s castle as survive the experience.

You may be wondering about the best flies to use in such circumstances. The old stand by Woolly Bugger? Perhaps a Clauser’s Minnow? Nope. According to locals, just nip a finger, rub the blood on a hook and off you go!

Happy Halloween From Nomad Journals!

By the way, you really can fly fish on the Arges below Vlad’s true castle. No armor needed, but garlic keeps the mosquitoes off.

Little blood suckers.

Rick Chapo is with www.nomadjournals.com - makers of writing journals. Fly fishing journals are great fly fishing gifts for anglers and fly fishing trips and vacations. Visit www.nomadjournaltrips.com for more fly fishing articles and stories.

To this day I can’t explain why I am still alive. I should be dead. My mother and I were visiting my grandmother and uncle, during my summer vacation. I was about 10 years old . They lived in a very rural area. The valley where they lived was quite narrow, running north to south. It might have taken 5 minutes to drive from one side to the other and both sides of this valley, were heavily forested. The western mountain side, very green and wet and the eastern side a bit drier.

A creek snaked its way along the length of the valley. It was fed by the melting snow and ice from the nearby towering mountains. In spring time the creek became a raging torrent of water, several times its summer time width. Very often it would flood the bottom of the valley, where the fertile farm land was located. Grandmother’s farm was often flooded in spring time, if the weather suddenly became hot. This would cause rapid snow melt, feeding the creek, making it turn into a huge monstrous torrent of ever expanding water.

By summer time the creek settled down, to a fraction of its spring time size. There was a highway lane size, main current area, flanked by side pools fed by streamlets. These side pools had been dug by the spring flood waters. A lot of the river bank was undermined by the same water power, that had dredged the side pools.

It was a hot summer day. My mother and I set out to go fishing at the creek. We trekked across a field, then through some brush, to gain access to the creek. I was carrying a fishing rod and a can of worms, to be used as fishing bait. There was a rough trail at the edge of the creek, leading towards where one of the fishing pools sparkled. We walked near the edge of the bank and could see that the flood waters had eaten away the bank a bit, weakening its stability. I had been warned to be careful not to walk too close to the edge, since it could be unstable.

What I recall next is a bit like a series of snapshots or flashes. I sort of remember the bank below me suddenly breaking away. I sensed that falling panicky feeling. There was a mad grab for the creek bank. I recall flashes of trying to grab roots sticking out of the creek’s bank. All these flashes happening in a blink of an eye. And then click. I was sleeping. I was dreaming. That warm fuzzy sleep feeling you get, when you are in the most comfortable bed and are only half awake. I was suddenly surrounded by a pastel light green haze. No more awareness of any thing else. Just floating, dreaming, and comfortable, in my own little green nirvana.

The next thing I remember was my mother pulling me up the bank by the arm. I was all wet, cold and muddy. I have no real memory of what was going on in the real world, outside me, during my time in the fishing pool.

From what my mother told me, I understand that she couldn’t get to me. She didn’t know how to swim herself. All she could do was yell to me to kick or tread water. She also told me to raise my arm so she could pull me up the creek bank. I don’t recall any of that. It’s all blank.

I remember taking a nice hot bath later, to warm up. The water in the tub was just fine. Any thing deeper is not for me.

That event taught me a healthy respect for warnings about river banks, which could cave in. I have since gone fishing in a boat, but never by a creek again.

——————————————————-
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Fishing
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There are essentially three ways to catch fish:

• Use live, natural baits

• Use imitation or artificial baits and lures

• Use hardware such as traps, nets, etc.

One of the most efficient and productive of these three methods is to use live, natural baits. This is especially true if the waters and area you’re fishing are new or unknown to you. These live, natural baits are proven effective when acquired locally. Their price is right since they’re available for free. You “spend” only the time to gather them. Be sure to check local and regional regulations on the use of live baits.

Worms

The world’s all-time favorite. You can dig them up from your yard or garden or a wooded area near your fishing grounds. If you’re not that energetic, get some kids to do it for you. They’re available most of the year (winter might be tough), easy to find and gather. Leave the smaller ones. Use the larger earthworms or night crawlers.

Minnows

A technique I like involves using an old window screen. We used to walk along in the surf of the Chesapeake Bay with a framed meter-square piece of window screen to trap all kinds of small salt water fish, crustaceans, sand worms and even small crabs. It made for an interesting series of “catches” and provided endless hours of simple fun for me and my siblings. Minnows swim in fairly large schools so you can scoop up a bunch of them fairly quickly. Walk a few feet with the screen in the water. Lift it up quickly to scoop up your catch. Then dump it into a bucket. Repeat the procedure as you walk along the beach or shore. Keep them alive and fresh in a bucket partially filled with the same waters you collected them from.

Crabs

To catch crabs you can use a crab pot or home made traps. Be sure to check local regulations. These can be used in brackish and salt water shallows baited with a chicken wing tip or other bony meat. At a beach fronting a wooded area more than one kind of crab can be caught. I designed a simple “drop in” trap that I set into the sand near the edge of a coconut grove and caught hermit crabs, fiddler crabs and sand crabs. I even got a small snake once, but that’s another story.

Insects

Crickets, grasshoppers, beetles and other insects can be caught in a meadow, wooded area or park using a butterfly-type net. Lightning bugs (which flash their tail lights at night) are a good bet too. Crawling insects, grubs, maggots and larvae are good too. They are often found under rocks, fallen logs or other materials which have been on the ground for some time. Again, you could just get a bunch of kids to do it for you if you don’t have the time or need the exercise. Cockroaches make good live bait too if you can stomach using them. Not the small North American varieties that plague households mind you, but the large, three-inch long ones common here in South America and in Asia.

So, look into what live, natural baits are available locally near your favorite fishing grounds. It never hurts to have a variety of presentations for those “dog days” of fishing. Fishing with some new offerings can add an extra dimension to your next fishing trip. Getting them might even be a bit of fun too, especially if you “involve” the kids. On vacation, abroad or simply “away” from your usual fishing haunts, it’ll put more than an extra bit of enticement into your presentations. Good luck.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Cali, Colombia, fishes the South American Pacific coast, Amazon and Orinoco River basins for exotic salt water and fresh water game and food fish. For no-obligation information on how to get original, exclusive Exotic fishing stories, fishing technique articles, fishing-action photography and one-of-a-kind content for your fishing-related newsletter, blog or website contact him today at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com for more free, action photo-packed, South American fishing adventure articles.

Obviously by what it’s called, you’d know that a Bass fishing homepage would be all about bass fishing right? Well, it is, but its not just slapped with pictures and some word contents and left like that. Bass fishing homepages are provided with the utmost attention and dedication to details. They cover everything you need to know about bass fishing.

Many people have been bitten by the pleasure of bass fishing. Now it’s all over for many of the other things in your life because you have been bitten by the bug, and for most of the ones that are bitten it seems like the “Bass Fever” just gets worst and keeps on spreading. A good number of people out there are being hooked to this activity.

Just to bring up some interesting stuff that can be found on bass fishing are, owning and operating a 3-Day “On-Water” Bass Fishing School, bass charter service, being the co-host on coast to coast radio and TV shows, teaching seminars, fishing bass tournaments, and some articles that can be read all over the world from magazines and over 200 outdoor internet sites.

Don’t you know that calls (about 70% of such) come from the ages that ranged from around 12 years old to about 35 years old. You can imagine that when it comes to bass fishing, it does not choose age as long as one possesses the passion for the sport. Once in a while, you can get a few questions non-related to angling, but mostly anglers seeking information to help them understand more about this great sport, and it is referring to men, women, boys, and girls. The “Bass Fever” has bitten so many people that now bass fishing is considered to be America’s (# 1) number one freshwater sport. It is literally a multi-million dollar industry because it’s certainly addicting!

Many bass fishing homepages provides forums wherein bass fishing enthusiasts can come in and discuss bass fishing. The good thing is that you can come in and ask questions about bass fishing.

These are the most common questions raised about bass fishing;

First are the most important questions that are continually asked by folks, so here goes. The number one question asked about is in terms of equipment such as, what kind of boats to buy, rods, reels, line, electronics, hard baits (because there are a lot of kinds), plastic baits, hooks, weights, colors, fish formulas (or as some refer to as attractants), containers, and on, and on, and on. All the answers can be located on its home page.

The second most asked questions are about the water and weather conditions, how to locate fish, what baits are the best to use, and so on. These are now the factor for searching the proper place and time for bass fishing.

Just a pleasant advise for all of you who are hooked to the game, always ask around it first particularly in purchasing your needed material in bass fishing;

Here are some simple tips and guides most bass fishing homepages provide to their visitors;

1.Don’t buy everything on the shelf that looks good! (There are a handful of baits that will work anywhere in the nation, face it, bass are bass and pretty much act the same anywhere you go.

2. Learn as much as you can by reading, but try to find an experienced angler who is willing to share his information with you.

3. Check around and talk to anglers for information. Most bass anglers are great people that love bass fishing so much and would love to share information about the sport of bass fishing with others.

4. Enroll in a bass fishing school if at all possible.

5. Always think of safety while on the water, and be courteous to others.

6. Shop around for the best quality equipment for the money you can afford to spend.

These tips and guides are just but a few of the offerings that a bass fishing homepage can offer their visitors. You can get lots of information in a short time. Bass fishing homepages can help you in a lot of aspect about bass fishing; they can even help you out arrange a bass fishing adventure. Check them out today, all you need is a computer and an internet connection.

For a free course on central Florida bass fishing and where to find the best bass fish equipment, visit www.bassfishingsystem.com/ today.

Finally.

After years of environmental impact studies, debate, and loss of aquatic bug life, the “Gem of the Cascades”, is about to begin it’s comeback as one of the best trout lakes in Oregon.

Once known for it’s rich aquatic life and fast growing trout, Diamond Lake in the southern Oregon Cascades has been battling an infestation of “chubs” for over a decade now. Without sugar coating it, some “YAHOO” decided to introduce live bait-namely the tui chub- to try and catch some of the large trout that used to swim in Diamond Lakes cool waters beneath the mighty sentinels of Mt. Thielson and Mt. Bailey.

As the chub prolifically reproduced to ungodly numbers, the trout were slowly squeezed out, as well as the bug life that once thrived in the shallows of the lake, leaving a “trout dead” lake and a ruined natural ecosystem. (Note: Diamond Lake historically is not known to have any native fish to it’s waters.)

That is about to change.

This September, around Labor Day, Diamond Lake is scheduled for a rotenone cleansing, which will kill off more than 200 million tui chubs, as well as what is left of the 35,000 -mainly planted- trout that are estimated to be left in the lake. Obviously, not a scene for the squeamish, the rotenone will choke off the oxygen in the lake, and it will be like Thanksgiving come early for hawks, eagles, racoons,and any one else who likes “chub chowder”.

The suffocated fish will float to the surface and the banks will be littered with the dead fish in what will surely be a memorable, albeit ghastly killing fields scene. I also guarantee that if you happen to comb the shores after the dirty deed is done, you will see some VERY LARGE Williamson River Trout that had been introduced into the lake a few years back to try and take a bite out of the chub population. Surely, many of these trout have been surviving, and showing up on fish finders as large 10 to 12 pound uncatchable blips.

Rotenone is a chemical/ plant extract which quickly breaks down in sunlight. According to numerous sources,when administered properly, the effect on wildlife, other than fish, is minimal. However, it is considered toxic prior to it’s chemical breakdown, and even though I have heard that humans can eat fish that have been treated by rotenone, I think I am going to opt for the pizza at Diamond Lake(which can be equally toxic) rather than the “pan fried poison trout almondine”.

There have also been some “bad experiences” with rotenone(see Davis Lake California) so I am sure many environmental groups will be monitoring the pre and post treated lake.

The last time Diamond Lake was treated was in 1954, and it took three years for the lake to return to an aquatic rich, trout smorgasbord.

But it did return, and there is no reason to think it won’t have the same results this time.

The bad news is, that sometimes the rotenone does not get all the invasive fish. Fish will find underwater springs where they can draw enough oxygen to survive, and the chub life cycle begins anew. That is why it so hard to eradicate illegally introduced fish once they are set free.

So MR. YAHOO, don’t put any chubs, goldfish, or other invasive fish into any body of water…PERIOD!!

While we wait for the treatment of the lake, the ODFW has increased the daily limit to 20 trout per day, with no size restrictions.So, if you are a guy or gal who likes to eat trout, or if you are normally a catch and release fishermen, now is the time to put some trout in the fridge–guilt free- because these fish are not long for this world.

I myself smoked up about 18 nice Diamond Lake trout the other day,so you better hurry because there are only 34,982 left!!

Or, you can come back mid-September and fill your freezer with 200 million Rotenone treated chubs….

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Running a Bass Fishing Boat. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Running a Bass Fishing Boat properly and safely.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

Bass fishing is the second most sought after sport in U.S. Indulging in this kind of sport is really fun and entertaining. Before, bass fishing is normally done for food purposes, but it turned out to be a sport in later years.

If want to become an angler, you need to provide yourself with equipments essential to bass fishing. One of the things you need is a bass fishing boat. How can you choose the best bass fishing boat?

In this article, you will learn how to run a bass fishing boat. In fact if you are new to the sport you need to follow some tips on how are you going to run the boat with safety precautions.

Many people enjoy bass fishing boats. This is a fact that boating amuses most of the people. However, you need to learn some important tips about safe boating. It is important to operate your boat with safety and security.

Guidelines for safety boating:

• Do not use an outboard that overpowers your boat. Always use power that your boat is rated.

• Undergo education about safe boating. If your area offers course about it you can take it and pass it.

• Make use that your visibility is not distracted. You can lower down the pedestal seats most especially the front area. While the boat is moving, do not allow anybody to use the pedestal seat.

• Let your passengers wear the personal floatation devices and all the needed devices for safety, approved by the Coast Guard.

• Secure all the items before boating, especially safety clothing and devices.

• Before you run the boat, check the emergency engine cut-off switch. This device is attached to passengers while the boat is running.

• Do not drink while running a boat.

• Remember that you take responsibilities for your passengers, so, never hot-dogs your boat.

• Common courtesy must be exercise in the boat. Never run your boat to other boats or anglers. Always be aware and take extra precautions on areas where no-wake zones are posted.

• You must be watchful to be you are going.

Tips on launching:

• Before trying to launch your boat, find a place where there is no much traffic. Never block the ramp. Make sure that the engine is tilted. This can assure you of sufficient clearance. Also, check if the jackets are aboard, the plug is secured and the entire tie down has been removed. Keep the bow rope attached before you are close to water.

• Go slowly at the ramp when your boat is secured. Make sure that the path is safe. Letting a person stand on the ramp is also a good suggestion.

• If you are alone, make sure that you have secured the entire things to be secure before you go out of the boat.

• If you have company, let him watch over for your safety while you secure the necessary things to be kept inside the boat.

• Repeat the procedures when loading the boat again and never ever block the ramp.

These are the things you need to remember when you are running a bass boat. Be aware of these things for your safety and security. Always remember to put safety first before anything else.

Don’t limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about Bass Fishing Boat. The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what’s important.

Puneet Singhal is a seasoned bass fisherman who is always on the lookout for the new tricks and techniques to catch more fishes each time he go for fishing.

For more information, related articles and resources on bass fishing please visit http://www.bassfishing-center.com

The “Dream Stream” section of the South Platte River is a beautiful winding stream that’s filled with trophy trout. Deep bends filled with large boulders and logs are typical fishing holes in this section of the South Platte. The nickname “Dream Stream” is a perfect description of this tailwater fishery.

Like most famous tailwater fishing rivers, the Dream Stream gets a lot of pressure from fly fisherman. It’s not uncommon on weekends for parking lots to be filled, and every bend of the first two miles of the river having a fly fisherman in it…all in search of those trophy fish for which this section of water is reknowned.

As a spin fisherman, its intimidating to read the reports on the Dream Stream. All they usually talk about are these tiny little flies that the super educated trout “microscope over” before biting. While spin fishing its impossible to delicately present a tiny fly with a drag free drift using a clear bubble. Your standard trout spinners and spoons will produce results from time to time, but for the most part these big P.H.D. carrying trout will pass them up. So do you need to pick up a fly rod and learn how to use it in order to catch fish out of the Dream Stream? Of course not! With the method I’m about to tell you about, there will be many times you will be catching fish and leaving the fly fisherman next to you astonished and bewildered.

Most of us have heard the phrase “match the hatch” while either learning how to fly fish or just reading through fishing magazines. It’s simply matching your fly pattern to the insects the fish are currently feeding on. It’s a time proven fishing method that can really put you onto countless fish in a single outing. However, sometimes hatches are so prolific that artificial flies get lost in swarms of emerging insects and getting bites can be very difficult at best.

Sometimes during these hatches, trout feed exclusively on that particular insect, ignoring all other aquatic life forms and any terrestrials that might fall into the water. Situations like these are what fly fisherman dream of, and why so many of us have picked up the sport. Having your fly rod and a fly pattern that matches the emerging insect can’t be beat at times like these.

Do trout feed in between hatches? The answer is yes, and heavily. A common misconception is that trout feed exclusively on small flying insects. A big portion of a trout’s diet is indeed on small insects that are in different stages of their life cycle, but trout are also opportunistic feeders with hearty appetites that make crayfish, smaller trout, grasshoppers, and even field mice the meal of choice. Another myth among anglers is that trout are finicky eaters that only eat certain flying insects. Trout, like most game fish are opportunistic feeders that find it hard to pass up an easy meal, or for that matter a big meal that’s rich in protein.

So how do spin fisherman take advantage of all the information stated above? We “Crash The Hatch” instead of relying on weather conditions for certain hatches to take place and trigger a feeding frenzy. We are going to use the aggressive and territorial nature of big tailwater trout to our advantage. Not only relying on hunger for strikes but also anger and territorial responses that will put fish on the end of your line.

While Crashing the Hatch, two different types of fishing lures are vital to success. The first is minnow imitation jerk baits such as floating Rapalas or Smithwick Rattlin Rouge Shallow Diver. A few other fishing lures to consider are the Storm Thunder Stick, Bomber Long A, Rebel Minnow, and Yo-zuri Crystal Minnow. I generally look for fishing lures with a tight wobble that run at a depth between 1 and 3 feet of water. Most of the lure companies have the running depth printed on the box, but if not, you can always tell by the size of the plastic lip on the front of the lure. The bigger the lip the deeper the fishing lure will dive. Between the different companies, there are hundreds of different finishes, and all have certain situations in which they will shine. For the Dream Stream stick with natural colors like a rainbow trout finish or a silver minnow finish.

The next type of fishing lure we are going to discuss has been highly under utilized by trout fisherman for years. The tube jig!!! Bass anglers have been successfully using tube jigs in clear water for years. Tube jigs are extremely versatile fishing lures that produce when nothing else will. Some of the most productive tubes include Berkley Power Tube, Chompers Ultra Tube, Strike King Bleeding Bait Tube, Yum Wounded Mega Tube, and Zoom’s Big Tube, to name a few. Color schemes are endless, but the colors that produce the best results are white with black flakes, black, and pumpkinseed. Some people prefer to Texas rig their tubes with an offset hook, but for fishing the Dream Stream the hooks made specifically for using tube jigs are much more practical. With the weight hidden inside the tube and the eyelet of the hook barely showing it makes for a more natural presentation.

Before we get down to the nitty gritty of fishing the Dream Stream, lets cover an invaluable tool for stream fishermen. Polarized glasses are a must for river fishermen in Colorado. They not only protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays, but will help you see fish that otherwise would go unnoticed. Although they can be pricey, a good pair of polarized lenses will, without a doubt, will help you catch more fish. I never fish a river or stream without my polarized glasses and after using them for the first time, I strongly doubt you will either.

When using spinning gear on the Dream Stream, there are a few different types of structure that will produce the best results. The Dream Stream, from the dam below Spinney Mountain Reservoir to the bridge close to Eleven Mile Reservoir has a great number of deep pools usually located on one of the many river bends. The bottom of these deep holes often has big boulders which are perfect ambush points for the resident population of big rainbow trout, cuttbows, and brown trout. Targeting these boulders, cast your tube jig a few feet past them and start with a slow retrieve with pauses just before and after rocks. Many of your strikes are going to be on the initial drop of your jig, so be ready!

Another great location for spin fishing on the Dream Stream is right below the makeshift dams made out of boulders located all up and down the dream stream. Casting a minnow type jerkbait across these area’s with a jerk, jerk, pause retrieve will without a doubt stir up some reaction strikes.

With your polarized glasses, sight fishing on the Dream Stream can be unreal at times. Look for fish sitting in shallow rocky bottomed water gorging themselves on bugs being washed down by the current. The strategy here is not to provoke a strike out of hunger, but from anger. These fish are very territorial when it comes to feeding lanes, and bigger fish defend their feeding lanes violently. Cast your jerk bait just past the feeding fish, bringing the lure past him with a steady retrieve. Now stop your lure six inches to a foot in front of the feeding fish, letting the resistance of the current give your lure its swimming action. If you don’t receive a strike right away, stay persistent. After a few casts, the fish’s territorial instincts will kick in and it will strike to protect its feeding lane.

A couple things to consider while fishing the Dream Stream. Fish here can run anywhere from 10 inches to well over 10 pounds!!! Make sure you have a smooth drag thats set properly before taking even one cast. Every cast is a possible trophy when fishing this section of water. Watching a 10 pound plus rainbow trout snap your line due to an improperly set drag will surely turn your Dream Stream experience into a nightmare.

The water running through the Dream Steam is extremely clear. Smaller diameter fishing lines are a must if monofilament is your preference. If you like using super fishing lines such as Spectra Power Pro or Stren Super Braid, make sure you attach an invisible fluorocarbon leader. I personally use P-line’s Fluoroclear in 8 pound test. It’s a fluorocarbon coated copolymer which has great strength and is virtually invisible underwater.

This section of the South Platte River that runs between Spinney Mountain Reservoir and Elevenmile Reservoir is filled with trophy trout and serious fishermen. It fishes well year round and is considered by many to be the best trophy trout destination in the state. With the “flies and lures only” restriction and being a “catch and release” water it’s perfectly managed to insure trophy trout opportunities for generations to come. A beautiful winding river filled with monster trout and a gorgeous mountain back drop, this section of the South Platte River has certainly earned its nickname the “Dream Stream.”

Eric Allee is a phenomenally successful fisherman in Colorado. He has a website dedicated to helping anyone catch more and bigger fish.

http://www.fishinsecrets.com