Fishing a Private Lake with My Buddy Nate

Private lakes are special places.  They can hold big fish, lots of fish, and sometimes they can hold lots of big fish.  Most times, the fish don't get as much pressure as they do on public lakes.  In my opinion, that makes them a little less educated and to me, it makes them easier to catch.  Private lakes/ponds also tend to be smaller than public lakes/ponds which gives the fish fewer places to hide as well.  There also tends to be fewer people fishing the lake/pond which can give an angler time to fish every spot on the water that looks like it could be holding fish.  Like I stated, private lakes/ponds are special.

When my buddy Nate invited me to fish a private lake in central Missouri, I was immediately interested to join him and full of excitement.  Nate also told me that he had fished the lake for many years and knew where the fish spent most of their time.  He told me that he was one of the few people that fishes at the lake so the fishing pressure was low.  He assured me that we were going to have a good time and catch enough fish to make the hour and a half drive worth the time and cost of gas.  So with a box of flies to tempt largemouth bass and my Maxxon Double XX 7 weight fly rod, I headed towards Nate's location.

I met up with Nate at his house, put my gear in his truck, and we headed to our destination.  I hope you can understand why I cannot disclose our exact location.  It is out of an abundance of caution that I don't share the spot.  I don't want to upset the landowner or Nate in any way.  I am always happy to share my fishing spots on public water but I have to keep private water information to myself.

When we arrived at the lake, we both started to prep our individual float tubes.  While I hadn't fished out of a tube in years, Nate uses one frequently during the summer and is more comfortable with his setup.  I, however, struggled to put my flippers on, get strapped into my float tube, and get my gear situated in the pockets.  After clumsily getting into the water, Nate and I had approximately 20 yards of large lily pads to kick through.  

Just after I made it to open water, Nate informed me that I had picked up a rather large spider on my raft.  I'll be honest, I don't care for spiders.  I've slowly gotten over my fears but when I saw that this particular spider was almost the size of a donut, I freaked out.  I might have splashed water, used foul language, and had a higher pitched voice than normal.  It was embarrassing but effective.

As we kicked across the lake to our first fishing spot, Nate informed me about the spots that we would be fishing.  He pointed them out and gave me some information about each spot.  Next, he graciously informed me that I would be hitting all of the good spots first and then he would fish the same spots with a different streamer and try to coax any fish that I missed.  I thought this was very generous of him, but then again, that's the kind of guy that Nate is!

I asked Nate about what streamers he thought I should throw and he said I should use something 3-4 inches long that didn't get too deep because there was aquatic vegetation growing up from the bottom of the lake that would give me fits if my fly got into it.  I decided to go with a Captain Quint because it is a weightless fly with a really slow sink rate and worked really well for me during the late spring and early summer of this year.  It is a big enough fly that smaller fish can't take it down but not so big that comes off as overwhelming to larger fish.

With a plan in place and with gear that was rigged and ready to go, we started catching fish!  The takes were aggressive and hard to miss.  I cannot remember how many fish I missed but I landed significantly more fish than I missed.  I didn't catch a ridiculous number of fish and I didn't catch anything I would call monstrous but it was exactly what I was hoping for.  The takes came in places that looked "fishy" and I didn't catch a single fish I would call a "dink".  The evening passed by way too fast and while gazing at a beautiful sunset, we kicked our tubes back towards where our trucks were parked near the bank.

This lake provided exactly what a good private lake can provide.  There were lots of opportunities to catch fish and the fish were good in terms of quality.  The takes were aggressive and the fish were not picky.  If you ever get a chance to fish a private lake, take it.  If you have access to a private lake already, enjoy it.  And if you have a friend that is as gracious as Nate to share a private spot with you, be grateful!

Fishing with Mr. Miller

Mr. Miller was my biology teacher in high school.  He made a lasting impression on me because of his passion for biology and his love of teaching.  I looked forward to his class every day and I often look back on things that I learned in his class.  After I graduated from high school, Mr. Miller and I have stayed in touch.  He has mounted a couple of deer for me (he's always an award-winning taxidermist), we taught in the same school district for a few years, and we follow one another on social media.  I am grateful to have known him for so long and to be able to call him a friend.

I follow Mr. Miller on Instagram and thoroughly enjoy his posts.  Over the summer, I saw a post from Mr. Miller which described a fly rod that a former student of his built for him.  It didn't take me long to suggest to Mr. Miller that we should hit the water and test (pun intended) his new fly rod out.  He was excited about the idea and within the next week, we were pushing off of dry land in my jon boat.

To Mr. Miller's credit, he had thrown a fly rod before albeit many years prior to our day on the water.  That is why I shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that he picked up casting REALLY fast.  The muscle memory of setting a hook and landing a fish also came back to him quickly as well.  In total, we landed four species (hybrid striped bass, bluegill, red ear sunfish, and crappie) but Mr. Miller landed three of the four!  While the fishing was good, I have to admit that the conversation and reminiscing was even better.

As I stated in my previous post (Fishing with Courtney Ball), it is a lot of fun to spend time on the water with someone that shares a passion for fishing.  While Mr. Miller does indeed like fishing, his expertise does not end there.  His knowledge of birds, mammals, and overall ecology is more than I could even hope to achieve.  He has spent over 40 years teaching young adults about the wonders and beauty of nature and is a role model that I look up to and have for decades.  As John Ashley-Cooper once said, "One thing becomes clearer as one gets older and one's fishing experience increases, and that is the paramount importance of one's fishing companions."

Fishing with Courtney Ball

I've got an interesting story for you.

So there I was, sitting around one summer day and checking TikTok for likes, comments, and new followers.  I had posted a video recently and a gentleman made a comment that read something like, "If you're ever looking for someone to join you in your boat at Watkins Mill, let me know."  I said something to the effect of, "That sounds good.  We should do that."  To make a long story short, we actually ended up setting up a time to meet up and fish together.  Spoiler alert: neither of us were serial killers and we had a lot more in common than you might think.

Going back a little, I found out that the fella's name was Courtney Ball.  As fate would have it, he works in public education just like me.  We also don't live very farm from one another.  On top of that, we share a lot of similar views on life, religion, and education.  If you're picking up that Mr. Ball and I hit it off quickly, you would be right.

Over the course of the morning, we put a few fish in the boat.  We caught hybrid striped bass on chicken livers and panfish on flies.  We didn't catch anything big and sometimes the fishing was slow, but we caught fish.  We also shared a lot of laughs and swapped a lot of stories.  One funny thing that happened during the morning was that each of us received a message from someone that was making sure that one of us had not been murdered by the other one.  We each got a pretty good laugh out of that!  By the end of the morning I realized that I would share a boat with this guy again without any hesitation.

I'm not saying that everyone should meet a stranger on social media and go fishing with that person.  What I AM saying is that it sure if fun to share the water with someone that has the same passion.  Sure, it was a leap of faith to go fishing with a complete stranger and yes, I was a little anxious about how things were going to go that morning.  However, when you bring some anglers together that love the outdoors and get a kick out of putting fish in the boat, you're almost guaranteed to have some fun!

Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery

After our guided trip with Willowfly Anglers (feel free to read the post by clicking here), Wendy and I wanted to try our hand at fishing one more time before we departed for another part of Colorado where fishing was not going to be a priority anymore.  We wanted somewhere that was easy and quick to fish. We were prepared to do some wading but didn't have hours to spend.  We wanted to catch some fish and weren't picky about their size or species.  In essence, we wanted some easy fishing for dumb fish.  When I ran across the fact that Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery was near Gunnison, Colorodo, and had some ponds that were open to the public.  This seemed like the obvious choice and was exactly what we were looking for!  With a lot of optimism and hope, we headed to the hatchery.

When we arrived, I knew we had made the right choice.  There were multiple lakes, vehicles in the parking lot, and people fishing in various places.  There were a lot of fish that were easy to see and some of them were active.  It looked like we were going to have quite a few shots at catching fish so we got rigged up.

Wendy used a 5 weight and I used a 3 weight.  Most of the fish looked like typical 12 inch stockers but there were some bigger fish mixed in with them.  We started off throwing some jigs under indicators and the fish were somewhat interested.  They seemed to pick up on that trick pretty quick so we switched to flies that were more natural in appearance.  I made some hopper dropper rigs with zebra midges and pheasant tails as our bottom flies.  While we didn't get a bite on every cast, this setup seemed more productive than only using jigs.

I'll be honest, we should have caught A LOT of fish.  Maybe we were both late at setting hooks.  Maybe the fish were hitting and spitting as fast as possible because they were wary and well educated.  I'm sure that the fish in the ponds have seen a lot of flies in the past and are both picky and quick to spit out something that doesn't seem right.  Wendy landed a few rainbows with one coming on a hopper and two on a zebra midge that was the dropper.  I landed all of my fish on a dropper and missed a few on the hopper.  Since the bites were quick and subtle, we did a lot of sight fishing due to the blue skies and clear water.

Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery was a great place to visit and offered a fun fishing opportunity.  Was it the same as pulling brown trout out of the Gunnison with nymphs and wet flies?  No, it wasn't but it was still a good time.  Catching fish is always fun for me and there are varying levels of fun and a lot of different ways to catch fish.  The phrase "different strokes for different folks" comes to mind and if you're in the area and think that this looks like a good time, I hope you visit and enjoy this opportunity that is open to the public and FREE!

 

Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo

Link: https://trilakesflyfishers.com/tri-lakes-fly-fisher-expo-april-13-2024-3/

If you live in the Midwest and love fly fishing, I hope you are able to attend the Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo in Clinton, Missouri, on Sept. 11 and/or 12.  This is the first year that this event has taken place in September as it is usually held in early spring.  The organization decided to see if they could get an increase in attendance by holding the event towards the end of the summer and before many hunting seasons get started.  Make no mistake, this event gets a lot of traffic but the organization is always looking to see if they can improve on what is already and outstanding event.

On a personal note, I have been fortunate enough to attend this event for the last four years and it is something that I look forward to every single year.  There are programs put on by knowledgeable presenters, a silent auction, and a live auction.  There are vendors from all over the Midwest that are selling flies, other fly fishing items, and unique fly fishing related things.  There are quite a few fly tyers that tie a variety of patterns that teach a lot of different techniques.  If you like fly fishing, I can guarantee that you will find something interesting at this expo.

How much does it cost to attend such an event you might wonder?  THE SHOW IS 100% FREE!  In my opinion, that is one of the best things about this show.  You don't have to spend a single cent to attend the show.  It doesn't matter if you attend the show on one day or both days!  I will be at the show selling some flies, boxes, and merch.  I hope to see you there and if you do attend, please stop by my booth and say hello!  It would be a pleasure to meet you and talk about the sport that we love so much.

Link: https://trilakesflyfishers.com/tri-lakes-fly-fisher-expo-april-13-2024-3/

 

Fishing the Gunnison with Willowfly Anglers

Link: https://3riversresort.com/fishing/

During my recent trip to Colorado, I had the pleasure of fishing with Chad who is a guide for Willowfly Anglers out of Almont, Colorado.  We floated a section of the Gunnison river and caught some fish that I wouldn't have been able to catch without some assistance.  I lost a 17-18 inch brown but managed to land a 16 inch brown which helped to relieve the sting of losing a slightly bigger fish.  In total, I landed 8 browns, one small rainbow, and a big (to me at least) white sucker.  We caught all of our fish on Pat's rubber legs and RS2's.  Willowfly Anglers has a REALLY nice fly shop as well.  So if you find yourself in the Almont area and need some flies or a guide, stop by and give them a visit!  They definitely have their collective finger on the pulse of fly fishing in the area! 

Link: https://3riversresort.com/fishing/

A Bonus Fish on the Gunnison

Trout are funny creatures.  One minute, they are chasing down baitfish and minutes later, they will refuse everything but a size 16 Parachute Adams.  It can be difficult to predict what they are going to eat, and when they are going to eat something.  On the other hand, sometimes feeding patterns will exist for days or weeks.  This can depend on a lot of things including the stretch of water, the time of year, and time of the day.  One piece of water might not fish exactly like a piece of water one mile upstream. 

In my last post, I mentioned how I caught some brown trout on the Gunnison River by swinging a soft hackle.  This was a stretch of water that I had never fished before and I was experimenting with some different strategies.  I just happened to stumble on something that worked on that particular day, on that particular stretch, at that particular time.  By coincidence, the VRBO that I was staying at just happened to be a few steps away from a stretch of the Gunnison that was about a mile downstream of where I had caught a few fish by swinging a soft hackle.  I had tried some nymphing and threw some dry flies near the VRBO but hadn't caught anything.  However, I had hope and optimism pushing me to swing a soft hackle on the Gunnison one morning.

So there I was, wading through the water and swinging a soft hackle just outside our rental property.  I wasn't catching anything but was enjoying the sound of moving water and feel of sunlight on my face.  I was about ready to call it quits when Wendy came to the edge of the water to check on me.  I told her that I wasn't catching anything and was about to call it quits.  As we chatted, I let my soft hackle fly swing in the water downstream.  I believe she was in mid sentence when I almost had the rod ripped out of my hands.  There wasn't much need to set the hook because luckily for me, the fish that was on the line pretty much set the hook on itself with an aggressive take.

It wasn't a big fish but it was a brown which got my heart pumping.  I like browns more than rainbows so I got pretty excited.  Wendy watched as I landed the small fish and I'll be honest, that felt pretty good.  I like it when my wife thinks I'm good at something and shares joys in my successes.  As I watched the small trout swim away, I started to make a lot of connections.  The fact that my high school basketball coach taught me this technique over 10 years ago went rushing into the front of my mind.  The realization that the same fly had worked two days in a row on different stretches of the same river was something I couldn't overlook.  Finally, the reality of catching fish on new water with a fly and technique that absolutely nobody (AI and websites included) suggested was pretty rewarding.

Fishing is an experiment.  We fish different places with different flies/lures.  We target different species of fish at different times of the year.  Sometimes we use what worked the last time we fished a spot.  Sometimes that works.  Sometimes nothing seems to work and we just have to start trying different flies/lures and strategies.  Sometimes our guesses work and sometimes they done.  When you are fortunate enough to catch a fish, especially in conditions that have you questioning your confidence, it's a darn good feeling.  So keep experimenting, getting out of your comfort zone, and trying new things when fishing gets slow.  You might find something that works and brings a smile to your face...and a tug on the end of your line!

 

Black Canyon of the Gunnison and West Tomichi River Park

Day 2 of my trip to Gunnison Colorado involved my father in law, Mark, and I visiting a couple of spots that contrasted one another greatly.  Our first stop was Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  We went there for the opportunity to drive down to the river and do some fishing but we stayed for the scenic views.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to wet a line at any point due to a series of landslides that had made the road to the river impassible.  While I was a little bummed about not being able to fish, I came away from the park with the belief that this Canyon is one of the most beautiful locations I have ever visiting.

If you ever get a chance to visit this park, there are a large number of spots to visit.  The visitor center is a great place to start.  It is full of interesting information and points out notable locations.  Along the scenic drive that takes you around the south rim of the canyon there are places to park and short trails to hike.  The trails lead to spots that overlook the canyon and provide stunning views of rock formations and the Gunnison River at the bottom of the canyon.  The hikes are easy but if you're scared of heights, you might notice a rise in your pulse.

As we left the park, I started looking for another spot to fish.  My wife, Wendy, and my mother in law, Sharon, were due to arrive in the early afternoon so I knew I needed to pick a spot near the airport in Gunnison, Colorado.  I didn't have high hopes about the fishing because I felt like I would be hitting a lull in the day but we didn't seem to have anything else better to do.  So when I stumbled on a small park that was on the bank of the Gunnison River in the city of Gunnison and located very close to the airport in Gunnison, it seemed like an obvious choice.

When we pulled up to the parking lot, we were the only vehicle at the park.  By the time I got my waders on and fly rod rigged up, the parking lot was almost at capacity.  When I was finally ready to start making casts, rafts were drifting by, families were splashing in the shallows, and other anglers had started fishing.  While the situation seemed to look increasingly more difficult to fish, I was determined to at least make a few casts and hoping to catch one single fish.

I started off throwing a couple of small flies under an indicator but quickly found that I needed to make a couple of changes.  I was fishing right where boat traffic was passing through and my backcasts were getting close to families that were sitting on the bank.  I decided to tie on a soft hackle and move further downstream where the river widened and became less populated.  The reason that I settled on the soft hackle was because the water was fairly swift and reminded me of the a situation that I had experienced with my former basketball coach, Jeff Tebbencamp.  

One day on the White River near Cotter, Arkansas, coach taught me how to swing a soft hackle.  It was unlike any fly fishing I had ever done at that time. It took me a little while to recognize the bites and how to properly set the hook, but eventually I picked up the technique.  I then used the same technique at Bennett Spring State Park to catch trout which gave me the confidence boost I needed.  So as I stood in the Gunnison, looking at the soft hackle I tied on, I thought to myself, "Well coach, let's see if I can make you proud."

It is important to note that this was an idea that did not come from anywhere else.  I'm not being arrogant or trying to boast.  It's just important to the story.  Fly shops never mentioned swinging a soft hackle.  AI didn't suggest it.  Internet research never recommended it.  It just felt like it might work.  Don't get me wrong.  I had tried other things that this was just another dart that I was throwing at the dart board and hoping for a bullseye.  When a fish hit my fly so hard on a dangle on my fifth case, I just about came unglued.  There was no need for a hook set and the fish was properly buttoned.  I landed that fish with a smile as big as the Rocky Mountains and while joy filled my heart, my brain turned quickly to my basketball coach.  That fish would not have been caught on unfamiliar water, in the middle of the day, in a river full of fly fishing rafts and families splashing around in the water if it hadn't been for him.  

I made a few more casts in that spot and after not getting any bites, I decided to move downstream where there was similar water and fewer people.  I landed two more fish and I was a variety of emotions rushed through my mind like the riffles I was fishing.  None of them were big fish by any standard.  However, they were all brown trout and I cherished their beauty as long as I could before successfully releasing each fish.  I think brown trout are the most beautiful freshwater fish in the world (feel free to disagree with me like my dad does) and I see every single one as a gift that I get to borrow for a few seconds.

Eventually it was time to head back to the truck and go pick up the ladies which would make our group whole.  As we waited for the flight to arrive and the women to deplane, I thought about the beauty that I had witnessed since I woke up.  The canyon, the mountains, the river, and the fish all got tattooed on my brain and I hope the ink never fades.  People find beauty in a lot of places.  For some, it is a New York City skyline at night.  For others, it is graphics in a video game.  Some folks find it in their imagination while creating the mental images that are inspired by a book.  For me, the most beautiful things (not people, you will always be #1 if you're reading this Wendy) that I have ever seen in my life come from nature.  The sights and experiences of that day were beautiful in the truest sense of the word...and my trip to Colorado wasn't even half way over!

Fishing The Hog Trough on Taylor River and Hiking Pine Creek Trail

Recently, I returned from a trip to Colorado where I got to spend some time fishing among other things.  While I have fished in some numerous parts of Wyoming, I had only fished the Big Thompson in Estes Park and a lake in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park.  My experience was minimal but not anymore.  

I won't bore you with all of the details of our trip, and instead just focus on the fishing.  The first leg of our trip was spent in Gunnison, Colorado.  My father in law and I drove out on Thursday, July 16 and we stayed at a VRBO that was right on the Gunnison River.  My wife and mother in law flew in on Saturday, July 18, so for a couple of days my father in law, Mark, to do whatever we wanted.  So after a nice breakfast at the W Cafe on Friday, July 19, we started exploring.  

He had heard about a place called The Hog Trough which was a catch and release section of the Taylor River and the name certainly got my attention.  After picking up some flies at Willowfly Anglers which is a part of Three Rivers Resort.  The folks I spoke to were really helpful but also cautiously optimistic.  They said that while the section I was headed to was full of big, beautiful fish, they were also hard to fool. 

When I arrived, I found out how right they were.  There were brown trout everywhere you looked with a few rainbows sprinkled in as well.  It was a little crowded but not like a Missouri Trout Park so that didn't bother me.  After fishing for almost an hour and only getting a few fish to sniff my flies, things changed.  Clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped, and sprinkles started to fall.  I noticed the fish were becoming much more active which gave me hope and optimism.

What I'm going to tell you next might seem like blasphemy to some, but I stand by my decision.  I put all of the size 22 nymphs away that I had recently bought and tied on what I would call, "A Missouri Trout Park Special".  The reason is two fold.  One, I actually had success on the Big Thompson with flies that work on trout at Missouri Trout Parks.  Second, I had confidence in this fly.  I find that confidence in a fly or fishing lure is extremely important and I had faith in my fly.  In case you are wondering, the fly I am referring to is just a 1/80 ounce jig with a thread body.

What happened next was beyond my wildest dreams.  I was hoping to just land one fish and I didn't care about the species or size.  I ended up missing two fish, losing one, and landing two absolutely beautiful brown trout.  After the rain stopped and clouds moved off, things went back to being slow and we headed to the next spot.

Our next destination was a place called Pine Creek Trail.  A very nice gentleman that I met on the water told me about it.  He said that at the bottom of the 232 step trail was a section of the Gunnison that was fed by a dam that held back a reservoir.  This sounded like my kind of spot and I was willing to put in the steps for smaller crowds and better fishing.

To make a long story short, the hike was nice and the scenery was beautiful but the water was not conducive to fishing.  It was fast, deep, and wide.  I actually ran into a guy that suggested I go talk to a fishing guide that was down the path.  That got my attention because I was hoping to get some good fishing advice.  Oddly enough, the guy I that told me about the guide, I later found out was the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos.  I thought that was interesting but was more focused on the guide.

The fella I met was a really nice guy named Kyle.  He is a part time fishing guide and had all kinds of information to share with me.  As I started to look over his rig though, I could tell that I was grossly outgunned for this section of the river his 24 foot (I'm guessing but it was big) pontoon that was equipped with heavy spinning tackle and down riggers communicated to me that fly fishing from the bank was going to be a lesson in futility.  I still fished a jig with a scud dropper and did the best I could but ended up getting skunked.

In all, it was a great day.  I caught some browns (the most beautiful freshwater fish in my opinion) on new water that was tricky.  I hiked down into a canyon and got to learn a lot more about the area from a nice guy.  Mark was extremely accommodating in terms of taking me where I wanted to go and his encouragement was genuine which made me feel supported in my endeavors.   There is more information to come in regards to my trip, but this was a great start to fly fishing some spots that were new to me in Colorado!