Clinton Rez Cuts and Gold Hill from Clinton & Mayflower 29Jun15

After taking the last FNET Staff Mtg and delivering work objectives for the day I installed a new compass on Mon Ami. It did require some hull modifications and I attacked with jig saw and drill.... confidence is inspiring. I affected some waterproofing repairs and damn near asphyxiated myself below deck with spray adhesive - but the job is done and I only lost a few brain cells.

I then tore out for Clinton Reservoir where the ice is long off and the stocked cutthroats awaited. Clinton Gulch is on the Rt 91 side of Ten Mile range at 10K ft about 6 mi south of Copper.

Days prior I'd ascended Mayflower Gulch with Scott Brantley on the other side of Gold Hill (the hill adjacent Fletcher Mtn and Atlantic Crest) so the pics show interesting views of that ridgeline from both sides. I scrambled the snowfield for the full view into Clinton Gulch and a sketchy glissade back to Scott.

The CO cutthroats were gorgeous of course but smallish and thin still. I stuck to my guns and caught most on the orange partridge rabbit thorax thing I'd tied (I know, I need a shorter name) though a peacock herl prince nymph and a bird's nest landed some too. I had bigger guys chase my rig but they didn't take it... most fish were as shown. I was fishing streamer-style with 6" staccato retrieves and the north shore influx spots were the most productive.

Curtain Pond Brookies - So That Works 22Jun15

I stole two hours to try my orange partridge rabbity thorax soft hackle fly (I need a name - maybe Orange Roughy like the fish) on Curtain Ponds. These are next to Copper Mtn between 10 Mile Ck and I70 near Copper. Caught some really gorgeous brookies after a weak start and snaggles in the brush. Lots of on-lookers from the bike/skate path but not too many fishermen. It was a very warm and bright day at 4pm when I went and I'd expect better action at dawn and dusk. I did see a couple rises but I wanted to use the OR. As you can also see, 10 Mile Ck is raging and not fishable.

Recon the Recon 18Jun15

I went out Guanella Pass Rd on the way to Summit (there was a 2.5 hour wait on I70 as traffic was stopped Georgetown to Loveland anyway for a wreck). I found the TH parking at GP summit and trail #600 to Square Top Lks. The snow was gone and likely ice out was happening at least some but as you see - CO killed all the fish in the Sq Tops and won't restock till next season - then with native cuts. Grrr.

So, I headed off to check the put in for Silver Dollar and Murray Lks nearby. I found the road and trailhead easily and its passable via the Crusher or similar. I was fortunate to see a guy just coming back to understand conditions without the hike. His lower legs were all torn up from post holing through a dozen snowfields and muck on the way past the lakes. Lake ice was solid and travel was hard were the indications. Grrr.

I headed back toward Georgetown to eat but when I regained signal I saw conditions on I70 had increased wait time to 4 hours. I passed Clear Lk (mentioned on the sign) and it was under construction and muddy. I turned around bound for Grant on the GP Rd and planned to take 285 from there to Fairplay and head back N over Hoosier into Summit. I took a last pic of the wildflowers and my prior path from Guanella Pass to Mt Evans (the hard way).

It is not my day as here I sit in the valley floor for 40 minutes awaiting the one lane road construction exchange to flip may way for the 12 mile stretch behind a slow construction vehicle. Grrr.

I mean Colorado is cool and all but it will take me 8 hours to reach Silverthorne when I'm used to 1'50". 

New FF Style, Highest Air Show and More 13Jun15

TK's home for the summer and starts at FNET<NTCT tomorrow, so that's cool. The rains and my work are thwarting our rides thus far but he's already gotten back to elevation and looped Ute a couple times daily... and of course wrecked a chain & chainring on the 575.

I'm retro-transcending (is that a word?) to a new fishing phase. I've recently read a lot about the earliest flies fashioned in England (early 1800s); this while the raging rivers in CO have put me in a chair rather than on the bank of a river. I've never fished streamers well except in my very early "western states" FF endeavors after college in AZ with wooly buggers on Canyon Ck. I went there often for a variety of browns and rainbows and states of mind. But now, with long line and Czech nymphing understood and my Awesome midge nearly all I need beyond BWOs and a cool caddis, at least on the tailwaters, I need to tackle a new challenge.

Sure, getting to the best alpine spots in the Gore, Clear Ck County and the FlatTops will be hard and I'm all about it, but I mean down on the Arki and elsewhere like So Platte, Big Thompson, Blue and so on. I am switching to a soft hackle fly from two centuries ago. I've tied a proximate version (but be dammed, I gonna have a thorax). Here ya see the orange partridge (with a thorax). I've yet to add a lot of flash but I will once I understand the action. I caught one big cutthroat last year in 11 Mile on a "birds nest" and that was telling. I know I need to mend the line to enable presentation of a profile view in the current to the fish (called "greased line mending" from very early salmon fishing).

I also caught the highest air show on earth over Lake Dillon Lk last weekend... very cool; met the dudes from Dead Drift... cool Ts; shredded some cocktails and hottub skyviews with Kosbabs... whew; circumnavigated the lake in style on the 9er MGC... winning the battle with Swan Mtn Rd; oversaw the modification to roller furler jib on Mon Ami; more. Nice... Colorado fish will appreciate retro-transcendence.

Canyon Ck Brown

Orange Partridge w/ Hare (kindof) Thorax

SPAD over Peak 1 @ Dillon Air Show

Going Vert in Thin Air

Pulpit Rock Hike 07Jun15

Strange as it may seem, neither Kala nor I had ever hiked Pulpit Rock. We remedied that today on a gorgeous morning and were rewarded with some cool vistas of Colo Spgs and Pikes Peak. Definitely worth it and not much work at 2.2 miles RT and only 500 ft elevation gain. As is often the case, we found a way to make it a loop rather than an out-and-back by hiking the ridge to other outcroppings and working our way down a washed out cliff-hugger trail.

Decked Out 03Jun15

I refinished the deck with Messmer's UV Plus Natural. It kindof makes a difference; the pre-treat with acetone is fun. I guess this extra annual work is what I get for specifying Brazilian hardwoods camaru and ipe. These seem so rare that I can't even use the words on Words with Friends.

Avoiding The Melt Swells... Grape Creek Via West Bear Approach 03Jun15

The West Bear Gulch road to Grape Ck was passable in the Crusher but 10 inches of recent rain had taken it's toll and even I was creeping over exposed rocks and across recent washes and otherwise riding high above rut lines from prior adventurers. The "stream" to Grape Ck was still even flowing. It was a very nice 85° day and data showed the flows were up to a smidge under 100cfs, higher than any prior experience down there in the Wet Mtns. Down on the creek visibility was nil and the flows sharply limited wading... I only fished from the banks really, though I did find ways to cross when needed. As I dropped in I encountered some retired guys from KC saying that I'd enjoy the fishing as they had been there the day prior and did well. So it was after I hiked in about a half mile and fished my way back up over ~3 hours. I caught a passel of ~10" rainbows (1/4) and browns (3/4) on largish ice stones & princes & BHPTs beneath and stimis  on top. Nothing was rising and I couldn't see any fish due the water color but when they saw the flash-encrusted #12 stimi, the browns liked it. It was a good outing given my month layoff due to swelling rivers closer to home but I was ready to leave as my arms tired from landing smallish fish from milky water.

UPDATE... Oh, this is why it seemed high on Grape Ck. It was. It was not 80 cfs when I was there, it was 250cfs. Heed the words "check the flows."