News Magazine ~ September 2009
Dedicated to bringing people and fish together

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read editions dating dack to 2003

 ~ Daily Fishing News & Commentary ~

IN THIS EDITION
FISH TALES~REEL NEWS ~  DOWNSTREAM ~ ANGLERS THAT CARE ~TIPS & TECHNIQUES ~ LOCAL DESTINATIONS ~ FLY TYING ~ FORWARD CAST ~ FIELD TRIAL ~ THE DEEP END

Win a Cliffs Beast Jr Series Fly Box!
Click here to take the quiz

Above is very nice Calico Bass that Al Quattrocchi of Los Angles, CA enticed with one of his "minty mac" flies off Catalina Island in July of this year.

We received several nice pictures of fish taken by Sergey Sapronov during a recent trip to Kamchatka.

Buy the Backstabber selection Here, Six flies in four different colors for $15.

KEEP ON SENDING US YOUR PHOTOS & STORIES
click here to submit a photo

Another Great Book

 We have it in stock...click here to reserve a copy

 Dorsey's book is a true tailwater guide...Charlie Meyers The Denver Post

LONDON—She was big. She was beautiful. And boy was she popular with the fishermen. 

The death of Benson, the monster carp, has sent grief rippling through the British fishing community. Enthusiasts used to flock to Benson's home, the Bluebell Lakes in Cambridgeshire, for a shot at yanking the 64-pound (29-kilogram) behemoth out of the water. Her sheer size and picture-perfect looks won the hearts of the readers of Angler's Mail, who voted her Britain's favorite carp in 2005. 

State Record Catfish

Mike Stone caught a 35-pound channel catfish while fishing at Aurora Reservoir on
July 26, setting a new Colorado state
record.

Stone, who fishes Aurora Reservoir with unwavering devotion, said he never set out to break any records on what he thought was just another typical morning at his favorite fishing hole. 

Lance Marshall Boen Engraved Reels

   A gift for the angler who has everything - click here to request more info

What to look for in upcoming issues of the Front Range Anglers News Magazine

"Playing time and the amount of time fish are kept out of the water clearly are the most important elements....if you reduce the playing time in half at 70 degrees, you reduce the probability of dying by more than half when fishing with artificials" Jeff Spohn, DOW Biologist

  Don't even ask about the stats on bait fishing....they're horrendous

All calculations were based on a DOW model using an 18-inch trout

New Study Shows Mercury in Fish Widespread .... 25% of US fish are not safe for eating!

No fish can escape mercury pollution. That's the take-home message from a federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday that tested fish from nearly 300 streams across the country.

The toxic substance was found in every fish sampled, a finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has become.

But while all fish had traces of contamination, only about a quarter had mercury levels exceeding what the Environmental Protection Agency says is safe for people eating average amounts of fish.

The study by the U.S. Geological Survey is the most comprehensive look to date at mercury in the nation's streams. From 1998 to 2005, scientists collected and tested more than a thousand fish, including bass, trout and catfish, from 291 streams nationwide.

"This science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation's waterways, and protect the public from potential health dangers," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement.

Roadless Rules in Colorado

With the Federal 9th Circuit Court reinstating the 2001 Roadless Rule, Colorado roadless areas again enjoy strong protections.  But the future of Colorado's backcountry areas - and the quality streams they support - will be shaped by how the state and the U.S. Forest Service act on the proposed Colorado State Roadless Rule.  While the latest draft is improved from earlier versions, it still falls short of the protections provided by the 2001 rule.  Visit CTU's roadless rule page and learn more about the proposed Colorado rule, take action by submitting comments to the state, and sign our online petition to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack!

Colorado Streams & Wetlands at Risk

The Clean Water Act has been in place since 1972. It is the basis of all water quality programs in the United States. The act applies to navigable waters, defined as waters of the United States.  Two recent Supreme Court cases have severely reduced the ability of the CWA to  protect our waters and created confusion as to what waters are still protected. The Clean Water Restoration Act  (CWRA) would simply restore the Clean Water Act to its original scope. It does not expand the original provisions of the act.

 •    An estimated 75% of Colorado’s waterways are intermittent and would not meet the new, court created, definition of “navigable” and therefore would not be subject to any of  the basic water quality protections of the Clean Water Act.

•    The rules issued after the 2006 case are a major step backwards.  Region 8 EPA acknowledges that we have literally hundreds of Oil Pollution Act cases languishing in EPA’s ‘no further action’ file and there is a long list of violations on which EPA simply elected not to take cases.

  Middle & South Fork of the South Platte & Tarryall Creek

In addition there are the Rocky Mountain Angling Club properties

For more information and some recent pictures on why we recommend this destination click here

Charlie Craven is back to answer your advanced questions on fly tying. Charlie is one of the best fly tiers and fly tying instructors you'll run into. No matter how much you know or how long you've tied you'll be sure to learn a few more tips and techniques during this show.  More about Charlie Craven...

 Click here to go to Ask About Fly Fishing Internet Radio

If you haven't seen it there is a nice article/profile about Charlie in the new issue of Fly Tyer Magazine

Click here to see it all

When Dave Clark and his wife, Marian, signed up to go on the Cloud Peak Wilderness trip with Rusty Borgers of Flatirons Troutfitters they new it would be fun but it was even better than they ever imagined...click here to read about it.

Local Fishing Opportunities
One Hour or Less

CLICK HERE FOR RUSS MILLER'S PHOTO MAGAZINE OF FLY FISHING FOR GREENBACK CUTTHROAT IN RMNP

He Does It Again!

Click here to read about the Carp Slam Results
Click here to read "Carp Slam will help breathe life into restoration plans for South Platte River" By Charlie Meyers, The Denver Post

On August 22, 2009 Rob Kolanda from Front Range Anglers won the Denver Carp Slam for the second year in a row. His pattern of choise was the VSCF (Very Simple Carp Fly) which was discussed on our blog in early August

RECIPE:

Hook: TMC #3761 size 8
Weight: Lead wrap 3/4 of shank
Thread: Brown UTC 140
Legs/Antenna: Montana Fly centipede legs speckled brown small. Note 4 @ the tail & 2 in the center
Body: Crawdub from Wapsi. I like to mix several colors together - Orange (10%) , Mud Brown (20%), and Rusty Brown (70%). Apply in a split thread dubbing loop, pick it out and shape with scissors.

Click here to see the tying sequense for the VSCF 

Captain Matt Wirth offers charters out of Wrightsville Beach or Carolina Beach, N.C. and covers Wilmington, Topsail Island, Bald Head Island and Southport.  If you're in the area give him a call.

Click here to see how to tie this pattern

Reel Adventure Charters ~ 910-540-0570 ~ www.reel-adventure.com
Wrightsville Beach, NC

RECIPE

Hook: Tiemco 2488
Thread: UTC 70 denier
Tail: Byed and Barred Braided Leader Butt (Available from Hareline Dubbin’ as “Adult Damsel Body”)
Thorax: Super Fine Dubbing
Wing: Organza
Foam Back: Narrow strip of 2mm closed cell foam, majority of length split so foam is 2 narrow legs joined at one end
Spot/Post: ParaPost Yarn

"Growing up in Michigan I've fished as long as I can remember.  While living in northern California in the early 1980's I began fly fishing almost exclusively, just shortly after I began tying flies.  In 1989 I moved to the northern front range of Colorado, where Diana and I currently reside.  While working in the robotics and industrial automation field most of my career, I have also worked for 2 large outdoor equipment retailers and for a local fly shop. I've taught fly tying since 1995 both for area fly shops and independently for individuals and small groups.  I've also guided and taught fly fishing for local fly shops since 2004."

Al Ritt Flies    al@alrittflies.com    www.alrittflies.com

New Site for Serious Fly Tyers

Antique Pike Fly

Hook: 2/0 10X Long Shank Pike Hook
Thread: Bright Yellow 6/0
Tag: Gold Oval Tinsel
Body: Bright Red Seal's fur or Salmo Web twisted in a dubbing loop and brushed out
Rib: Flat Gold TinselWingPair of Peacock Swords
Hackle: Bright Yellow
Head: Bright Yellow Thread

The website is www.flyrecipes.com and it offers several hundred videos and several thousand fly pattern recipes for fresh and saltwater....take a look

 Must Have Thread

A week ago I noticed a new thread in the rack.  As I picked up the 95 denier Lagartun one of the guys said "that's the best blank blank thread on the market...its incredibly strong and lays down flat.  You need to buy all the colors now otherwise you'll be back for the rest."  He was absolutely right,  this is an awsome product.  You can buy them individually for $2.50 or get all five for $10.00

LARRY JURGENS

This past summer I have been “field” testing two products that Front Range Anglers stocks.

Scientific Anglers Compact 216 Waterproof Fly Box  
I have been a fan of the C & F Design System Fly Boxes with the removable inserts for the past several years. They are a great fly box BUT they have a major drawback as far as I’m concerned.  Namely they aren’t designed for DRY Flies in sizes larger than size 16.  

I found the Scientific Anglers Compact 216 Waterproof Fly Box (see pictures below) to be the perfect day and/or destination dry fly and nymph box for me. This box has 108 slots per side. With two sides this equals 216 fly slots, if filled judiciously. This box is “deep” enough for up to size 12 traditionally tied and parachute style tied dry flies. I can vouch for the waterproof function as I had to chase it down while fishing a couple of weeks ago.

When I embark on a day fishing trip I like to carry only one fly box. If I am planning on using
streamers then I carry 2 fly boxes.

Dr. Slick Nippers
The second tool I found to be an excellent tool for me is the Dr. Slick Nippers. These nippers I found to be extremely sharp, as are their scissors. The design of the angled cutting edge is very user friendly especially for me. Due to my “AMD” my depth perception is pretty much non-functional and the angled cutter helps me to cut the tippet tag rather than the tippet or the hook eye. The nippers have a needle for cleaning the hook eye that is hidden in the picture by the cord that comes with the nippers.

If you happen to find my first pair of Dr. Slick Nippers while fishing Bear Creek in the O’Fallon Park area, enjoy them as I have.

  So...what's on the other arm?

This Indonesian Oranghutan had seen locals fishing with spears on the Gohong River. 

We have it on good authority that he is currently enolled in a fly fishing class to be conducted by Jay Zimmerman

The image is part of a series taken for a new book, The Thinkers Of The Jungle, which also includes the first photograph of an orangutan swimming.

THE END