Is it actually Spring?!?
Life Update:
It's been a hot minute since I wrote a blog post so I'll start with a quick life update. In June of 2022 I moved to Eagle County in Colorado and sold my condo in Aurora. I moved because I took a new teaching position (World History and college level U.S. History), but many people also thought that I moved to fly fish more often and they weren't wrong.
I must have fished everyday the first two weeks after I moved in June and loved every second. Fly fishing is an addiction, but I can think of plenty of others that are much worse. I also started a fishing club at school that has been organically growing and it's fun to not only spread knowledge, but learn things from my students as well.
Last week I was lucky enough to take our new fishing club up to a public spot on the Eagle River and meet up with several members of my old fishing club. Two of those kids (now men) are guides and it was so amazing to see them again on the water and talk fishing, life, and flies.
So, with that said, it's officially Spring! It's currently snowing outside so that's Spring in Colorado for you. March can often be the snowiest month of the year, so here's the link to the USDA SNOTEL Report, which is looking great right now. This summer could be epic, but I won't say anything just yet...
The Mono Rig:
I have been tying a lot of flies and also working on making more efficient nymphing leaders. I've also been listening to the TROUTBITTEN podcast quite a bit and reading about their Mono Rig. Joe Humphreys originally wrote about it so I give them credit for giving him credit. There are so many articles on their website that it can be a bit overwhelming, but if you search you'll hopefully find what you're looking for.
If you're interested in making your own nymphing leaders, here's a link to an article (one of MANY) Domenick Swentosky (the creator of TroutBitten) has written about the Mono Rig.
A little while back I made a video for a much shorter version (lengthwise) of my idea of the Mono Rig and I have fished that since 2020.
Here's that video if you want to check it out: How to make a nymphing leader with a micro swivel
What I find interesting about the Mono Rig is its versatility. You can nymph with it in a variety of ways, fish streamers and even throw dry flies with it. It took a little getting used to casting all of that 20lb Mono around, which is much lighter than fly line, but after 1/2 day on the water it felt normal. As Dom says in one of his articles, "Fly line sucks."
I don't think people realize how precise casting a nymph rig can be instead of just flipping your flies out into the water. If you use an Indy (strike indicator) with the Mono Rig you can place it anywhere, which helps in a myriad of ways.
However, if you go this route it will take some time, energy, $, and of course, practice. However, I will also say that the results and logic behind the whole thing just make way too much sense. Fly line on the water creates drag you don't even know about because it's heavy and cumbersome. This can slow you down or limit your catch rate without even knowing it. I recently rewatched the Christopher Nolan Batman movies and, "I believe in the Mono Rig." Sorry, Harvey.
I'll be honest that I started with a shorter version of their Mono Rig, but I also made a much longer version than the rig shown in my video. Perhaps start somewhere in the middle (12 feet of Mono and then the rest) before you go with the 24 or even 30 foot version. I have had more control with less line so far, but I'll eventually get to the longer version. The idea behind their perfected version is that you never have any fly line on the water.
My motto for 2023 is "Get Better" and I continue to work on that in my life, work, and on the water.
Spring Fishing:
I love fishing in March. Before I get to that though, I bought a pair of heated socks back in November and they changed winter fishing for me. Keep them charged and your feet will stay warm for up to 6 hours per charge. Winter fishing was amazing and I had some epic days, but I also don't mind fishing when the air temperature is above 32 degrees either.
March is part of what we call a "shoulder season" here in Colorado. The spring breakers are either skiing or in Cancun and locals are out hunting or ice fishing. I have noticed a slight increase in the number of people on the water since daylight savings time gave us that extra hour of sunlight, but it hasn't been too bad. It was amazing that the first day over 50 degrees brought people out of the woodwork. Makes sense I guess, but I had to laugh because there were days I was out when the air temp never got above 20. #heatedsocks
If you do go fishing, turn over some rocks and see what's moving around if you're not sure what flies to use. I also use a paint strainer to seine the water in order to find out what's in the drift and under the rocks. We have the "Big Spring Midge" here in Colorado (currently hatching on a creek or river near you) so fishing a Black or Dark Olive Pheasant Tail in size 16 or 18 is definitely not a bad idea. Lately, I have had fish whack it in slightly faster water as soon as they've seen it.
I also have to share a video from Tightline Productions called the France Fly. Tie some up, seriously.
The fish are starting to move around a bit more so you don't have to fish the slowest, deepest holes to have success. I will say though the fish are not completely spread out yet so if you find one you'll probably find more in the same area or water type. Check water temps with a thermometer or online before you go. Not all gauges give you the water temp, but some do. The new USGS pages allow you to check CFS and Water Temp on the same graph, which is pretty cool if you're a nerd like me.
Midges are still on the menu, but I have been fishing some small stoneflies and mayfly nymphs as well. BWO's are hatching in some parts of the country and in Colorado as well, but I have not found them yet. We had a nice warm up before the cold returned, but more days of solid dry fly fishing are on the horizon. If you happen to fish tailwaters though, some of the midge hatches have been amazing. One of my videos is a great one if you like to fish midge dry flies. It's called the CDC Midge Emerger and it's a winner. I use a white CDC Puff in the video, but try gray or natural dun as well.
That's a lot to chew on (get it :)) so enjoy and here's a few pics from Below Green Mountain on the Blue River. I hadn't been there in well over a year because flows can be unsafe to wade some of the time as water is released through the canyon to merge with the Colorado River in order to meet downstream demand.
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