Roaring Fork Fun

We fished with Shook today on the Roaring Fork and had lots of fun. We actually talked Shook into wearing a helmet cam but it did not turn out exactly liked planned. The movie Blair Witch project comes to mind! We caught lots of nice browns and rainbows from 10-18 inches.

Mount of the Holy Cross

We set out on a hike this morning to get a look at Mount of the Holy Cross (14,051 ft). We climbed 1580 feet to a great spot where we could see the Holy Cross and the Holy Cross ridge. We were at about 11,900 feet and the view was spectacular!

Click to play movie

Jani's Backcountry Journal

My friend and flyfishing guide, Janis Putelis, from Colorado is going to do a Backcountry Journal from the alpine meadows and aspen pockets of Central Colorado. He is a great elk hunter/guide, flyfishing guide, backcountry expert and and a great guy. I look forward to his periodic journal of his 2009 Archery elk adventure. I have already featured some of his great elk pics on this blog. Enjoy!

Eagle River 7-13-09 Part 1

We had a great day on the Eagle with Janis Putelis of Alpine River Outfitters. The water was at about 600 cfs. The day started off sunny and then had a small rain shower. It was a typical Colorado day. The fishing was excellent and the dryfly fishing was on from start to finish. Jeanne fished dries all day and I switched back and forth. We caught some beautiful fish! Janis and Mike Shook both fish with Scott Fly rods, I was curious so have been fishing the heck out of them. I have to say I am quite impressed with the G2 Scott Rod. I have always fished with Sage but this G2 is Sweeeeeet!

Eagle River 7-13-09 Part 2

Cover of Outdoor Life

Here is a photo of our friend and guide in the Roaring Fork Valley, Michael D. Shook, on the cover of Outdoor Life Magazine this month. His dog Gordon is also pictured. Nice job Shook!

Flyfishing the Roaring Fork

We fished with Michael Shook today on the Roaring Fork River and had a ball. We had multiple double hookups and the action was crazy! Check it out! Shook guides for Alpine Angling in Carbondale. You probably have to push pause and let the video load before viewing.

Eagle River Fishing

We fished with Janis today on the Eagle River. The water was at 1200 cfs. The fish have finally started looking up and I even abandoned the nymph rig to get in on some of the action. Janis put us right in the middle of a bunch of fish today. We started getting lots of surface action but a down pour in Alkalai Creek ended up catching up with us and turned the river into a chocolate mess. Great fishing today on the nymph and dry fly! Check out some of the action below! You may have to push pause and let it get ahead, I tried to post high quality resolution

Happy Independence Day!!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL AMERICANS!!

LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR OUR FREEDOM! WE THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE SACRIFICED FOR OUR COUNTRY. PLEASE BE WITH THE FAMILIES OF ALL AMERICANS IN THESE TRYING TIMES. BRING OUR TROOPS HOME SAFE AND GIVE THEM COURAGE AND STRENGTH. AMEN.

GOD BLESS THE USA!!!

Chocolate Milk Creek

Check out this shower on July 3rd!

Now look at the video of the Creek below!

Roaring Fork Rain Float

We had a fun day with our man from the Roaring Fork Valley, Mr. Michael Shook, from Alpine Angling. Mike also is the one who does the fantastic maps of most all the flyfishing rivers in Colorado. As well as owning his own publishing company, he is a very successful and knowledgeable realtor in the Aspen/Carbondale Valley. It rained like cats and dogs pretty much the whole time but we still had a great time and caught lots of fish. Unfortunately, with the rain the photos ops were not plentiful. We caught lots of browns, rainbows and even some fighting whiteys! Capt. Shook is the best flyfishing guide in the Roaring Fork Valley. We have caught tons of fish over the years and have had even more fun and laughs with him. Make sure to check out the video of our anchor! Thanks Shook and we look forward to next week!

Awesome looking meal!

Ammo for the day

Hike to Shrine Pass

We hiked up to the top of Shrine Pass today. We made it to the top which is at 11,977 feet above sea level. The views at the top were awesome and the wildflowers were just starting to bloom. We had great views of the Ten Mile, Sawatch, Flat Top and Gore Mountain ranges. We could see Mt of the Holy Cross in the distance. I looked for bucks and bulls above timberline. We packed our gear in the Outdoorsmans Pack Systems Backpack. I used their prototype pack all last fall and really love the new pockets on the new backpack. I can't wait to use it this hunting season.

Flyfish the Eagle River 2

It is not time for these flies yet!

Poor Master Guide Janis is untangling my mess and notice what is attached to his hat!

Lunch break

Flyfish the Eagle River

The flow on the Eagle today started at 1710cfs so we decided to try it. Our Master Guide, Janis Putelis of Alpine River Outfitters, had some more custom strike indicators for us that were painted like red and white bobbers like old times. The fishing was good and the laughs were plentiful. I still can't understand how much of a tangling twosome Jeanne and I can be sometimes. Well, OK maybe its just me. Watch the videos for some action and some tangler angler action that had us rolling with laughter. We landed several 18+ inch fish today and Jeanne even caught one on a dry. I stuck to lots of weight and got down and dirty which is my preference. Enjoy

Huge Flows!

As you can see by the photo, we are waiting for the water to subside. The runoff was thought to be over here in Colorado but the rivers had something else to say about it. The Eagle, Gore Creek and the Roaring Fork decided to suspend our fishing trip for awhile. Stay tuned for more fishing updates to come soon.