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Cutthroat Newsletter - 4/16/07

Spring is knocking on our door and the fish are shedding their sluggish winter attitudes for a more aggressive feeding state of mind. Granted, we're just as likely to see 30 degrees and snow as we are to see sunny and 50, but BWOs love cloudy, humid weather so don't let a few clouds discourage you from heading to the river. With ski season nearing an end, its time to switch your mentality to fishing. Early season anglers are being rewarded with nearly empty rivers and rising fish. Who would turn that down?

Reserve your spot today for a guide trip during the Mother's Day Caddis hatch and the Salmonfly hatch on the Colorado. This spots fill quick, so don't be left behind waiting for next year's hatch!

Our guide trips are returning with reports of grandeur. Early season floats are awesome. Floating the Arkansas during the BWO and Caddis hatches is something every angler should do at least once. This is the ultimate way to target the hatch! Floating the Roaring Fork can be just as rewarding. The Roaring Fork is usually tea color at best this time of year, but as long as you have 12" to 18" of visibility you should catch fish. The murky water can play to your advantage because they fish are definitely less demanding for exact fly selection and perfect drifts. Just get it in front of them and they'll eat. Treat yourself to an early season guide trip or float trip. We think you deserve it after being stuffed in your office for the winter.

The Blue is set to pop any day as Lake Dillon continues to approach fill-and-spill capacity. Once this happens, we expect to see a feeding bonanza. Mysis shrimp will flush the system with an easy meal for the trout, so don't miss it! Tie on a big shrimp and San Juan Worm and you'll be rewarded with a bent stick. Until the flows jump up, the standard nymph rig of a mysis shrimp trailed with a BWO will work great. We're still seeing a few risers on warmer, cloudy afternoons too. Our new fishing reports page boasts realtime stream flows, so you don't have to search for gauging station website anymore! Click here for up to the minute flows and reports.

We're always of the opinion to fish as much as possible. Once runoff arrives you'll be hard pressed to find consistent action till the flows and clarity stabilize. Fish as much as you can until then. Runoff is hard to predict, but it usually starts sometime the middle to end of May.

Stop in the shop for up-to-the-minute predictions and fly selections. We're in the middle of complete fly bin overhaul. Please excuse our mess, but the finished product is going to be awesome! We're adding almost 300 new patterns to the bins. Our selection will set a new standard for Colorado fly shops.

Lake Dillon Near Record High

The Summit Daily News recently published an article reporting that Lake Dillon is already nearing capacity. As of April 1, the lake was at 95.6% capacity - only 3.5 feet below Fill-and-Spill. This is the highest Lake Dillon has been since 1984 and the fourth highest total ever! What does all it mean? We should be in for a great year for the entire Blue River below Dillon.

Adding to the positives, the Front Range is reporting above average water storage also, so Denver's water call should pull less than normal CFS through the Robert's Tunnel. For those who don't know, there is a 24-mile tunnel connecting Lake Dillon and the North Fork of the South Platte near Bailey, CO. For example, last year the release into the Blue River averaged about 150CFS for the year, while the pull from the Robert's Tunnel averaged about 400CFS. Now imagine if even half of that water went into the Blue instead of water lawns in Denver. The tailwater section of the Blue would be amazing!

Even with a warmer than average March, snowtel is reporting 95-100% snowpack. As long as we can get a little precipitation during the Summer, we should see above average flows on the Blue.

Higher flows equate to more holding water for trout. This means the fish can spread out more allowing people to spread out more. If we can reach fill-and-spill for any significant time we will see the water temps soar. Warmer water temps are a gift from the fishing gods! Aquatic insects thrive on warmer temps, so the BWO and Green Drake hatches could be spectacular. We'll keep you posted as things change, but keep your eyes on the flow. Once it rises and stables, there will be a Mysis shrimp feeding frenzy!

Guide Trips Going Fast

We don't want you to miss out on the fun, so we'll remind you one more time that its not too late to book a guide trip for the Mother's Day Caddis hatch. We don't think you ignore Mom on her special day, so we offer two alterntive choices. 1) Bring mom along. What could be better than spending a day on the river with your mom or wife? 2) Book a trip during the BWO hatch. I feel like we're beating a dead horse, but the BWO hatch does not get the credit it deserves. The fish in the Arkansas are hungry. They've had a tough, cold winter. When they see a Baetis floating overhead they can't help but rise and sip. Take advantage of this aggressive attitude! The trout in the Ark are going to be on feed from now until runoff arrives. Find a day in your busy schedule for a guide trip and you will be rewarded!

Also, its not too early to start thinking about the Salmonfly hatch on the Colorado. This usually coicides with runoff, so the window of opportunity can be as little as a day or two or could last for a few weeks. When the hatch is on you can't keep fish off your line. You don't have a pulse if you can't get excited about casting flies the size of your finger to careless, rising trout. You canBling Bling Fly Pattern target this hatch on foot, but the best way to cover water and find fish is from a drift boat. Floating below Gore Canyon is great because you float through a variety of terrains including multiple canyons with rushing water - the exact environment Salmonflies thirve in!! Why limit yourself to a few hundred yards of public access or boldering through into Gore Canyon like a mountain goat? Book a float trip for an easy ride down the Colorado filled with flying Salmonflies and rising trout. The hatch is usually towards the end of May, so clear your calendar and be flexible but reserve your guide today.

Grand Cayman Bonefish

Chris Hall and Shooter recently returned from a warm weather escape in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. The weather wasn't ideal for flats fishing - 20-30mph winds - but the tandem persevered in paradise to hook into a few bones, snapper and tarpon. The two embarked on a day of guided fishing with local Caymanain, Capt Ronald Ebanks, and also tackled the flats on their own from foot.

The Cayman Islands are hidden gem among diamonds like the Bahamas and Belize. Grand Cayman is very small island - only 22-miles long - and is surrounded Shooter with Cayman Boneby very deep water (one wall drops straight to 14,000 feet deep!!); however, there are still a decent amount of flats that hold bonefish, tarpon and an occasional permit. The limited quantity of flats is quickly compensated by the solitude and lack of other anglers.

Grand Cayman offers the perfect family vacation. The anglers in the group can easily fish during the good tides while non-anglers can enjoy the beach and other Island activities. Grand Cayman is extremely safe (the police don't even carry guns) and the quality of living is higher than London. This is definitely not your typical salty-shack, mosquito infested fishing lodge. You can choose to stay at the Ritz-Carlton or somewhere a little more wallet-friendly. Where ever you stay, you're in for a treat unlike any other flats destination can offer.

Tight Lines,
Chris Hall and Trapper Rudd
Cutthroat Anglers

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