Bass Pro Shops Denver, CO

There are a lot of youth activities coming up and I hope all of you can take part in some of them. On May 19th the TBF "The Bass Federation" will have the High School State Championship tournament at Pueblo Reservoir. This is a high school team event where the high school kids, 8th grade to 12th grade, will partner up and find a coach who would be the boater for them and compete against other high school teams in the state for a chance to go to regionals and on to the nationals. This year the TBF weigh in trailer will be at the South Shore Marina to have the kids weigh in on stage. If this is something that you may be interested in and signing up a team, go to highschoolfishing.org

June 9th is the Kids Fishing Frenzy at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Commerce City. There are two derbys on this day and you can get the details at the Denver Bass Pro Shops.

June 16th is the seventh annual Fort Carson Kids Fishing Day. This event is offered to kids that have parents who are deployed. We take them out fishing for half the day and then have a big lunch and award prizes. We are always in need of boater volunteers. This year is especially important due to the 4th brigade deploying. There are the 80 allotted spots already filled and a waiting list has started. There are several sponsors and volunteers who make this event possible every year. If this is something you want to be a part of please contact myself at slamminsam5@q.com or Tom Grace at tmmytomato@aol.com . We meet at 6 am the morning of the event at the North Shore parking Lot at Pueblo Reservoir.

June 17th is the TBF Colorado Youth Championship Tournament. This is a tournament where active TBF youth club members compete for a shot to go to the National Guard Junior World Championships. There will be one form each age group going to the Nationals from this tournament. The age groups are 11-14 and 15-18 years old. This will take place at Pueblo Reservoir and will launch out of the South Shore Marina at safe light and weigh in at 2 pm at the South Marina dock by the store. Please contact the Colorado TBF youth director at slamminsam5@q.com and we will send you the rules and entry forms if you have a qualified youth angler who wishes to participate.

I know these are just a few of the many events that are happening for the youth state wide. There are many organizations that host these types of events. Please take part in as many of these as you can.These kids are the future of fishing and you will enjoy it as much as they do.

Best of Luck,

                    Sam Heckman  Pro Staff

Have you ever been turkey hunting and you have a bird gobbling but won’t move, or he shuts up, or just walks away from your gobbling never to be seen. You can bet these toms have been around the block a few times and know how to play the game. Birds like this just make you want to pull your hair out and scream at the top of your lungs some pretty foul language. Every veteran turkey hunter has been there with myself included, there were times I just wanted to throw in the towel and say you win, I give up. But as time went on I learned some tricks that turned the tables to my side and I won.

One of the first tricks I learned early on was when a bird gobbled at every call I let out with but yet he still wouldn’t move towards me, I  would back out if the terrain allowed me to remain cancelled and yelp as I went making it sound as if the hen was leaving. I would move about 80 to 100 yards away, setup and then sit and not utter another sound. Another part to this is instead of setting up at 80 or 100 yards away, I would make my last call at that distance (80 to 100 yards) and then head back towards the bird as quick and quietly as possibly about half that distance, setup and sit quietly with no calling and catch him as he’s coming past me. If he does pass me then I will give a couple light yelps to bring him back.

Another is the silent treatment. After you and another tom have been playing who can call the longest win’s game, go silent and let him think he won. By not calling anymore will make the tom think that his hen has left and he better go looking for her. When you do this be ready because that love sick tom will come looking for that beautiful hen and he will start at the last place he heard her, so be ready and be PATIENT. It’s a 50/50 chance that tom will keep gobbling or go silent while looking for that beautiful little hen.

This trick is for both spring and fall hunting. If you find a flock of turkeys and you sound like a love sick hen but you still get no response, try running at them yelling and screaming your head off to bust them up. For the longest time I always thought this was only a fall trick and wouldn’t work in the spring. Well I found out that this is just an old wife’s tail because it happened to me and it worked like a charm. The first time this happened to me I was completely mind blown. I had my bead dead on a nice tom about 30 yards in front of me with 7 hens but not a good shot through the oak brush when bam the birds spooked and flew in every direction. To this day I have no clue as to what spooked them, but it paid off for me in the end.

First off, for this to work you need more then just a couple of birds to be more effective. When you do this you have to bust them up so they fly in all different directions. Once this is done find a place to set up that is as close to where you busted them up and listen, don’t make a sound until you hear your first hen yelp, hen assembly yelp, or a kee - kee run (call of a young lost turkey). When you hear any sound from a turkey, you need to start calling back more aggressive using yelps or the hen assembly yelp to get that flock to come back to you. This trick was new to me so when I heard the first turkey I laid it on with my yelps and it worked as if those turkeys had read the play book. Slowly they all started coming towards me until the tom walked through the door and bang my hunt was over.

These are just a few tricks I have learned over the years, sometimes they work and other times they don’t. Nothing is fool proof when hunting turkey, whether with a bow or a gun, you’re after an animal that thinks everything and anything that moves is going to eat them. This is what keeps me coming back year after year.

If you have any other tricks for the willey old tom leave them in the comments and let’s start learning from each other.

Mark Campagnola

Hunt Hard and Shoot Straight

Springtime in the Rockies. Soo many fish to go after and not enough time to do it all. I love Colorado. This time of year you can just about go anywhere and target any species of fish you want at any time of the day or night.

The wipers moved up in the river above Pueblo Reservoir along with the walleyes. Quincy is producing some very nice large mouth bass and Chatfield is starting to turn on for the smallies. Not to mention the Dream Stream is turning out some very large trout right now and Antero, Spinney and 11 mile are all ice free and open for fishing. These are only a few of the many lakes ,ponds , streams and rivers in Colorado that you have the opportunity to go out and fish right now.

I spend a lot of my time in the spring looking for big fish and I focus mainly on Pueblo Reservoir and the bodies of water in the southern part of the state because I live close to them. I can get home from work and grab a few rods and my pack and head out with my son and a few friends just about any time during the week.

I know this is a common thing among many of my angler friends throughout the state. We all have our favorite hot spots this time of year and fish them pretty hard until the word gets out and then we go on to other lakes and do the same thing. There is no such thing as a secret spot anymore it seems. I really don't mind the company when the fish are cooperating and everyone catches a few fish. I try to get some of my youth club kids out with me as much as possible and keep them fishing.

All winter long we have been wanting to get out and do some open water fishing, the weather is warming up and the excuses why not to go are running out. We have spent hours at the BPS attending seminars learning how to go after the species we want and spent several dollars on the latest and greatest gear and tackle. Time to use them.

 Head on out to your local lake or your favorite hot spot and do some fishing this spring. Make it a better time and take a few friends with you or better yet, take your kids fishing and don't forget your camera, some of your best memories are waiting for you. Remember to practice catch, photo and release. They will be bigger the next time you catch em'.

Best of luck, 

Sam Heckman    Pro Staff

It's Dry Fly Fishing time again here in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.  Well, maybe not everywhere or all the time, but midges and Blue Winged Olives are hatching and trout are eating them.  Three of us here in the shop experienced these hatches first hand this past few days with Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout taking midges and mayflies off the surface as soon as the sun made its way above the tops of the steep canyon walls that cradle  the Frying Pan River.

I will warn you that while the trout were feeding with frequent rises they were very selective in choosing their prey.  The bug size, shape, presentation, and color had to be just right.  I tried several patterns that seemed to me to be a good choice.  Several of them did not even get a look from the suspicious trout. Other fly patterns enticed trout to come to the surface follow the BWO for as much as 6 feet and then dart away embarrassed that it had almost been fooled. When the pattern was just right, not too big, not to small and the right shape and color it was eaten without hesitation.

A blue winged olive in #24 and (dread) #26 and (double dread) #28 worked really well during most of the day.  I did not try #30, but am sure it would have worked well also.  Local folklore sure supports that idea.  I find the small ones very difficult to thread so I have implemented the use of one of the magnetic threading tools you can pick up here in the shop to hold the fly while the 7X Seaguar tippet is slid along a trough and then through the invisible eye. I also use the flip up/down magnifiers to help with the whole process.  Once secured the dry fly must be treated with some of the Float Doctor floatant. A liquid silicone paste that helps the dry fly float on the surface.  Once a fly sunk the fish would ignore them for sure.

BWO patterns generally have a grey wing or hackle to give it that “blue” coloration of a dun mayfly that has just hatched, is still riding on the surface, and has not molted yet.  In this state the mayfly wings are still opaque.  Some fish just don’t care that much, but others, like the suspicious one mentioned earlier will take its sweet time drifting slowly to a couple inches below the dry fly and then swim matching the speed of the fly while giving it a good hard look. Wary trout appear to have a check list: grey wing, check, olive body, check, 3mm height, 3mm length, double check, ok I'll eat it.

Early in the day when the midges were the only bug hatching a two fly rig consisting of one of the BWOs mentioned and a dropper of a tiny Black Beauty Midge Larva or Crystal Black Beauty Midge Emerger garnered a lot of interest on the dropper fly.  Note that during the early midge hatch I am fishing a tiny BWO.  Why is that you might ask.  Well it is to allow me to see the floating BWO that is big enough to be seen and will sink or run with the fish who takes the dropper.

To my surprise several trout who were not rising would take the top riding BWO as an imitation for the Adult Midge.  The adult Midge pattern while really effective was very difficult to see in the harsh lighting conditions.  It did attract fish, but because it floated unseen by me I was missing a lot of hits and found I had more hookups when I could track the path of the brighter BWO and could react to the subtle rise of the trout taking the BWO. I also could react quickly to the BWO sinking because of an unseen take.

As the day progressed the hatches changed to where the dropper fly was ignored completely.  Observing the fish activity it became clear they were only taking bugs off the surface with no underwater movements to intercept a larva or pupa.  Changing the offering to a BWO with either a second dry fly such as a Midge Adult or Midge Emerger pattern was greeted with enthusiasm.  Adding a Stuck-In-The-Shuck Emerger pattern was even more successful. 

We are always teasing each other about the use of a Black Beetle as our dry fly of choice all year round.  Yes even in winter conditions.  To prove his point Grant tied on a Beetle and proceeded to catch fish with it and the emerger trailer.  I caught a few fish on the Beetle, but found trout to be attracted to the Beetle long enough to bring them to the surface and then they would turn to take the emerger or trailing adult instead.   The Beetle consisted of a black foam body and a bright yellow indicator wing to improve its visibility on the water for my benefit.

Evening brought a different set of conditions.  As the light intensity waned the wary trout became more careless and made far more mistakes.  Taking flies that were not nearly as small, read that more visible to the fly fishermen as the light dimmed. A really fun part of the evening was when it got so dark I could not see the already invisible grey Adult Midge floating on the surface.  Here the drill was to cast with extreme care so that I had high confidence that it landed straight out from my rod tip and at the proper distance to be in the bubble line where the fish were still rising.  Following the unseen fly with the rod tip at the speed of the current I would wait for the tell-tale rise then gently set the hook.  Sure enough a nice 15 inch Brown Trout would explode into action. This was the perfect ending to a great day on the river. Thank you very much Mister Brown.

Blaine Haskell/Denver Store

Hunting a tom turkey that has hens with him is probably one of the most frustrating hunting situations you can have. When a tom has any hens with him you have a 50/50 chance whether he will gobble or not when you call. I’ve had this happen more times during my hunts then I care to remember, but there are some tactics that may bring that gobbler within shooting distance.

Every flock of hens through their pecking order has one bird that is the boss, so called the Boss Hen. The boss hen dictates where the flock goes and when. So when I know I have a tom that has hens I start calling to the hens and not him any more. The boss hen will be more vocal then any of the others and that’s when I will start to mimic her. I call aggressive to her so as to make her think I’m trying to take over the flock. I want that hen so mad that she breaks from the flock and comes looking for me to fight. When this happens and the tom sees her he is most likely to follow and possible come within shooting range.

If you know where the flock is (point A), and where they are going (point B), get in between point A & B and wait them out. For this to work you have to know the topography of the land and be able to move without being seen by the flock. While you’re moving DO NOT use any type of turkey call to keep them located, use a locator call to get the tom to shock gobble. If you use a turkey call that tom and boss hen will have you pegged every time you call which is what you don’t want. Some times that boss hen wants nothing to do with a new hen in the area and could take the flock in another direction away from you. Once you get between point A & B set up and wait them out, if the tom is gobbling all the better, if he isn’t use your locator call to make sure you are in the right place. This tactic takes a lot of patients.

Another good tactic with henned up toms is around mid to late morning you go back to your very first set up of that morning that you had a tom gobble at your calling, set up in the same spot with one hen and jake decoy and start doing some light yelps. The reason for this is the hens will start to go off to their nests to lay their one egg for the day around mid to late morning, and during this time the toms are still looking for hens to breed. A tom will return to a place that he remembers from earlier that morning of hearing a hen in hopes that she would still be there. When he comes in and see’s your hen decoy, and then the jake, he’s going to explode and forget all about the hen and come to beat your poor little jake to a pulp.

Hunting a tom with hens is probably one of the most frustrating times afield, but with a lot of patients and a few tried and true tactics you could be taking home a long beard this year.

Mark Campagnola

Hunt Hard & Shoot Straight  

We had been there for a while with no sign of the large migratory rainbows coming up out of the Lake. A lone fisherman appeared in the distance walking along the bank, he came from around the bend up River. He walked casually, stopping occasionally to peer into the deep water hoping to spot the telltale dark shape of a big rainbow trout. Sometimes he crouched or slowly leaned forward toward the water to get a better view yet not scare the fish. I stopped fishing for a moment to turn my attention to him. Perhaps he will spot one. Eventually he moved on, continuing the ritual. I kept track of him out of the corner of my eye as he approached. My own casting and observation activity distracted me for a while and when I looked up again he had taken a wide berth around us to leave any fish near us undisturbed. Yes we could've chatted for a minute but we both knew the situation, there were no fish.

The dream stream's large ice shelf, low-water levels, and slow current dictated that I stay out of the water and try fly fishing from the bank. The sun was still low on the southeastern horizon having just cleared the large 14,000 foot bump of Pike's Peak to the east so I had to be careful with my shadow. It turned out I pretty much had to kneel on the bank about 5 feet back from the edge to keep my shadow off the water. The water clarity was a bit murky so it was impossible to see the bottom, in other words large rainbow trout that might be lurking there. My only choice was to fish blindly.  I don’t recommend fishing blindly, but today it would have to do.

Most winter fishing in Colorado consists of using the High Stick method with a dead drift.  We fish whatever tactic is needed of course, but a cast of a short distance is common for many nymphing opportunities.  Today the high stick method was not going to be available at least not in this stretch.  An up and across 45 degree cast would be my best bet.  With the cloudy water conditions I would be able to get away with it today even though the water level was fairly low. 

Other tactics must be used when surface sipping trout are in a location across the river from you including the fast water in between.   For this circumstance an across the stream S-Curve, Reach, or Bunch Cast followed by at least one if not five mends will be required for a good double dry presentation.  When the mending needs have been satisfied it is helpful to point the rod tip at the fly you can actually see or even point at your best guess at their location. Say a bubble or stick in the general area and follow that target with the rod tip until the take happens.  You will point at your indicator if you're nymphing. When the fish hits or moves your indicator set the hook quickly but gently and then hold the rod tip up to let it act as a shock absorber for what will follow.  Tippets of 6X and 7X will hold nicely, but you can easily rip them apart with a hard jerk.  A soft tip fly rod helps to soften an overzealous strike.

While drifting a rig be sure to always “be in contact with the indicator” if at all possible.  This applies to the short cast without any exceptions, but for all other casts you must always be mending as the drift progresses to keep ahead of the possibility of dragging the indicator before your line reaches the end of the run you are fishing.  Nothing alerts fish more to your presence that a beautiful fly flashing through a hole or motor boating across the surface.  Another to do is to keep your drifts short.  Five feet of perfect drift will catch a ton of trout.  Don’t worry about getting 20 feet of drift.  Move and fish the entire run correctly by cutting it up into small 5 to 8 foot bits.  Your sneakiness is very important and will improve with practice.  Fish will let you know when your sneakiness needs improving by scurrying away and alerting the fish in the next two runs upstream of your presence.

How long do you fish a spot?  All day if the fish continue rising.  Or until you feel sorry for the folks lined up on the bank for a chance at “your fish”.  Seriously!  We often move out of the spectator hole on the Blue to give others a chance.  After all they traveled a great distance to be there also.  Actually I will move on looking for other fish after a few hours and generally I have messed with the fish enough that they need a rest from my tactics and flies anyway.  If the fish aren’t rising and I can’t get them to take a nymph I will fish about twelve casts and then either re-rig to try another set of patterns or will move to another spot.  Ten to twelve casts should produce at least a hit with the proper rig and presentation so just move on.

The Hot Pink San Juan Worm in #18 worked best on this day. The companion #16 egg in a soft pink also took trout hugging the bottom in a nice bend that was 4 to 5 feet deep. Another fisherman on the river that day reported that a black beauty #22 worked hooked 3 rainbows. The wind was tolerable at only 280 miles an hour; at least it seemed that much. 

Good fishing and stay safe.

Blaine Haskell/Denver Store

During the first part of the season the toms are starting their peaking order. The peaking order is when all the toms are fighting for dominance to see who is the dominant birds are and will be doing all the breading of the hens. This goes on through out the season but is more prevalent during the early part of the season and depending on where you hunt depends on what stage of the peaking order you will hit. The early the better I have found over the years that I have been hunting these thunder chickens. Just like elk hunting, when the bulls are at this stage of the rut they are easier to bugle in because they are coming in to fight, their really not looking for cows at this point. Turkeys are no different; they may gobble at hen yelps but may not come in.

If your hunting and you aren’t getting any birds to gobble at your hen yelps but you are hearing them gobble, it’s time to change your strategy. It’s time to try doing a gobble to see what they do. When doing this I urge caution with safety because this is what other hunters are listening for also, so be careful when you start using a gobble call. When I do this and the toms gobble back that’s when I know they are still in their peaking order and hen yelps aren’t going to be as affective as they will be latter on during the season when they are actually looking for hens to breed.

Now that I have a bird or birds located I won’t gobble any more. I will move in closer if the terrain allows it and get as close as I can with out spooking any of the birds. If I want to keep track of the bird I’m closing in on I will use a locator call to get them to shock gobble and by doing this they won’t know where I’m at. If you use any type of turkey call they will have you pin pointed every time you call. So by using a locater call they have no clue where you are at. Once I feel that I’m as close as I’m going to get I will set up and gobble. If every thing has worked out I should get a gobble back and then get ready. If I have a bird that is feeling aggressive he’s going to be on his way to find out who is challenging him and he could come in really fast so you have to be ready. If you use a decoy I would suggest using a jake decoy so when the tom comes in he will want nothing else but to kick that jakes butt. I always use my Montana Punk Jake Decoy, it’s a 3D jake in full strut and this really gets a mature tom fired up. I have Mr. T which is a mature 3D tom decoy but I don’t want to scare off another bird that see’s it and goes the other way because he may not want to get his but kicked by a bigger tom, so to me a jake decoy works better during this time of the season.

So if you get out early in the season and the birds just aren’t gobbling at your hen yelps try gobbling back at them and you just might be going home early with a filled tag. If you would like to hear about turkey hunting in person and your in the Denver area on March 24^th & 25^th myself, Wayne Carlton, and a lot of other great turkey hunters will be at the Denver Bass Pro Shops all weekend doing nothing but talking about turkey hunting. If you have any questions about turkey hunting, want to learn how to call turkeys, or just need some turkey hunting equipment, Bass Pro will have every thing there for you. Come on over and let’s talk turkey.

Hunt Hard & Shoot Straight

Mark Campagnola

Ready for Turkey Season

Are you ready for turkey season yet? Now’s the time to start getting all your gear out and making sure it’s ready to go. Even though you may have taken care of this last season, it’s still a good idea to double check everything from your camo to making sure your shotgun is still patterned.

First and most importantly for me is my G5 Quest bow and Mossberg shotgun. I shoot my bow during the winter as much as possible so I know it’s ready and I have already checked my pattern with my Mossberg. Second most important is my turkey hunting vest which carries all my calls, Montana Decoys, water bottle, and snacks. What I do is take everything out and lay it on my living room floor and then I will check every single locater call and turkey call individually and then put it back in my vest if there’s no problems. Then I make sure the rest of my equipment in my vest is ready to go and then I’m done with my vest.

Next is to check all my camo clothes, boots, gloves, head net’s, and rain gear plus cold weather clothing. I want to make sure all my clothes have no rips or tears, especially the cargo pockets on my pants. I had a pair of pants one year that had a hole in the bottom corner of one of the cargo pockets and didn’t know it and lost a couple calls while hunting. Where I hunt turkey in Colorado it’s about 70% oak brush with little openings and 30% timber, so walking and crawling through the oak brush it’s easy to tear your clothes and sometimes not even knowing it happened. During the day that’s where the turkeys like to hang out is in the oak brush because there’s a lot more for them to eat then up in the timber.

When I hunt Texas it’s completely different country, hotter weather and mosquitoes up the yin yang. So when I get ready for Texas I have to bring some more specialized items like my Red Head 16“ lace up Snake Boots because Texas has some really big and bad ass Rattlesnakes that make Colorado’s Rattlesnakes look like little babies. My Red Head Stalker Lite II camo or you’re going to sweat to death. The first year I hunted there I didn’t have any light weight camo and the average temps during the day were in the mid to upper 80’s. Most of all was my Red Head 3D bug suit.  

So it doesn’t matter on where you plan to hunt turkeys this year, it’s time to start getting your equipment ready now and guarantied if you do you will have a better hunt. I’m not saying you going to kill every time you go out but that first morning when you’re getting ready you won’t have any unexpected problems with your equipment and have a bad start to your hunt.

Hunt Hard & Shoot Straight

Mark Campagnola
 

Spring is almost here. After a long winter and limited access to the local ponds the ice has almost completely disappeared in the metro areas. As the water starts to warm it is time to start fishing them during the peak hours when the activity is at it best, at night.

From the full moon cycle in March Until the full moon cycle in April there are some great fish to be caught. We focus on the smaller ponds earlier in the month and as the water warms into April then we start fishing the larger reservoirs.

The main baits I use are suspending jerk baits. BPS Nitro minnows and Smithwick rogues are two of my favorite. I use clown color and fire tiger most of the time with a slow steady retrieve or a cadence of jerk, jerk, pause and just let the bait sit there for a few and work it to the bank.

You will have to dress properly for a night excursion. A warm jacket, boots, gloves, and a head lamp are important to bring along. It may be nice out when you decide to leave the house and if it is clear out the weather can turn cold in an instant,be prepared for this or your trip will be a miserable one. Colorado weather is always changing and I check the forecast before I head out.

The fish I focus on this time of year is walleye. I love to chase walleyes and saugeyes"a walleye,sauger hybrid". These fish become very active in the night as they move in the shallows to feed. The walleyes are getting ready for the spawn and the saugeyes although sterile go through the same motions and feed heavily as well.

Focus on creek channels, gravel banks or dam structures, these areas provide good spawning habitat for the walleyes. This time of year you can catch a giant, please take a photo of it and release it. The big ones are females and we need them to spawn out and help out our future fishery. The smaller males are very active and are usually the ones that hit your jerk baits most of the time. I like to take a few of them home to eat. We have a rule with the guys I fish with. If it is five pounds or more it goes back. Catch, photo and release.

If you have ever had a chance to see the actual spawn occur at night it is a sight to see. The males pack up and chase the female and bump her up into the shallows, she spurts out eggs as the males are bumping her and they are fertilizing the eggs as she loses them. It looks like a boil and there is a lot of commotion on the bank. It doesn't last long but can happen throughout the night.

Now is the time to head out and try the night bite. It is not for everyone but is a great opportunity to get out and catch some springtime walleyes in your local lakes and reservoirs. Give it a try you might enjoy it as much as I do.

Best of Luck,            

Sam Heckman

Pro Staff

When I do any type of coyote hunting I carry over half the weight than when I’m big game hunting. You would think it would be the same, but, I cover a lot more ground hunting coyotes then I do hunting elk. The difference is I’m not going up and down mountains at 10,000 feet, instead I’m walking more rolling hills to flat land around 5,500 feet and most places I hunt has cell phone coverage for any type of emergency. When I’m elk hunting we have no cell phone coverage without driving twelve miles out to the main road and then another five or six more miles for phone service. The difference is I don’t have to carry any survival equipment or extra necessities hunting coyotes like I do elk hunting. I know some coyote hunters that carry nothing but a couple hand held calls, box of shells, their gun, and  that's it.

I carry a Red Head Dry Creek Waist Pack which has all my, electronic calls, memory cards for my electronic call, small first aid kit, a small flashlight, and two water bottles on each side. Then I added two Red Head Field Organizer Tech-Lok Accessory Pouches to carry extra shells, hunting license, cell phone, my Garmin GPS and five different hand held calls. Over all my pack weighs six pounds. You may be wondering why a GPS in the flat lands? The reason is if I know I’m going to be a couple three miles from my truck I will make a way point of my truck in case bad weather rolls in. When you’re out in rolling hills or flat land and fog or snow hits you can get turned around real easy real fast.

 I carry my two Montana Decoys (coyote & rabbit) with Montana’s carry case which I can strap to my belt or carry it over my head by adjusting the carrying strap. Then I carry my gun or bow, or both. Depending on where I hunt, I rather use my bow on a close shot then my shotgun.  I do have a Go Pro Hero 2 video/camera mounted on my Bushmaster 223 and a Go Pro mount on my bow so I can remove it from my gun and on to my bow in less then five seconds.  There is three other must have items for me, binoculars, range finder and shooting sticks. I carry my binoculars around my neck and protect them with the S4Gear Lock Down system, shooting sticks from Hunter’s Specialties, and my Nikon range finder which is attached to my belt by the S4Gear Sidewinder EVO retractable tether system. I put both S4Gear products to the test last fall and both came out shining.

So this is what I use when I go out and at the end of the day I might be tiered but I know I went further by going light weight . You may prefer to carry more with a bigger pack or you may not carry anything at all other then your gun, or some where in the middle of all this.

Mark Campagnola

Hunt Hard & Shoot Straight

Wow! The parking lot only contained one other car (and they turned out to be dog walkers) when the three of us pulled in to our targeted spot on the Arkansas River last week.  We left Denver early to give us a good chance at getting a good spot and so far it worked.  Expecting a warm day, but experiencing well below freezing temperatures at this early hour we started by putting on various layers of fleece, Under Armor, and even wind proof protective clothing, ear covers and gloves.  I thought I was being attacked by the Dough Boy when Jack waddled around the corner of the truck all puffy.  Normally quite a slender guy it took a couple double takes to identify him as one of us. 

Since I had not been there this winter I anticipated the need for some on stream research so we rigged with three different setups.  We did have some “intelligence” to help us. We had extracted it out of some friends who had fished the region recently so we were not completely in the dark as to what flies and setups to use. Bill started with #16 red San Juan Worm  as the attractor or top fly and a #18 Bead Head Flash Back Pheasant Tail as the dropper about 15 inches below.   The water flow was about 60 CFS so a small BB size weight would be enough to take everything to the bottom of even the deepest runs.  The Thing-a-ma-bobber indicator placed about 3 feet above the sinker would give Bill an early indication of a fish taking one of his two flies.  Jack rigged up a #16 red Copper John as the attractor fly followed by a #22 red Crystal Midge Emerger with a similar sinker and strike indicator to round out the setup.  I started with a #18 Hot Pink San Juan Worm as the attractor fly with a #22 Go Green Midge as the dropper off the same indicator and sinker setup. 

By the time the three of us were rigged up other cars were arriving.  Some dog walkers mixed with other fishermen, I must hurry to the coveted spot. 

Even though I was in a hurry now it is even more important to follow my spotting fish rule that I often talk about and specifically explain as:

Spotting fish before you start casting is a must.  Walk the shoreline quietly and don’t let your shadow (hopefully for warming purposes you will cast one) as you look for triangles formed by fins, tails, and noses.  Shadows and gill plate movements may give trout hiding locations away.  A mouth opening to take a midge larva may flash white for a split second.  Once found you must situate yourself to present a splash-less perfect cast that can deliver the goods with no unusual movements that would be caused by drag.  I won’t even get into controlling micro-drag in this discussion, but you have been warned. I will note that our most technical winter fishing waters such as the Blue near Silverthorne, the famed Cheesman Canyon, and the Dream Stream do require a perfect presentation without any micro-drag.  Nuf said. 

So following my rules the three of us walked down to the river to observe.  No luck.  Not a single rise and no movement or shadowy figures lurking in the water.  Surely the trout would be there.  Flows were low, perhaps the trout have moved upstream to a deep pool to gain more protection.  After a good look and still no fish we decided to split up for a while to search and ply the depths to see if we could generate some action.  After all the reputation of this section of river was well established and was enough for us to know that trout lived here and gave fishermen fits both to land and outwit.  We decided to go for it. 

Equipment can be the same used the rest of the year.  I like a high quality fast-action 9 foot 5wt rod.  Add a reel with a good drag system and a weight forward floating line to match and you are all set.  Be sure to get a high quality line or its coiled up slinkiness will drive you crazy, especially in the winter.  Vibrum soled boots are best as felt soles capture the snow and builds up on the bottom so you can be as tall as Lerch. Not a good thing when you fall off twisting an ankle in the process.

An indicator should be placed on the leader about 2.5 times the depth of the water above the last fly.  Split shot should be placed about 15 inches above the first fly and above the surgeons knot holding the tippet section for that fly.  The knot will keep the sinker from sliding down to the fly.  A second fly can be added by tying a second section of tippet to the bend of the first fly with a clinch knot. The lead or first fly should be the largest and brightest of the two with the trailing or second fly being the smallest or darkest.  The two dry fly rig or “double dry” is nearly the same rig with the largest of the two dries being used as an indicator (without an artificial indicator and of course no sinker) for the second tiny, invisible, non-existent fly at the very end.   It is the second fly that is the most important in the extreme situations found in our most technical locations.  The tiny dry fly will be taken with the most subtle rise sometimes even being sucked down from below without any surface disturbance.  On some occasions only the intuitive feeling that a take has happened is all the warning you will get.  Just set.  It is amazing what you find. 

The dry dropper rig is built by adding a larva, pupa, or emerger stage of the same species as your chosen dry fly in hopes that you are tuned in to the right hatch and it is just the stage of the hatch you must discover by catching fish.  Any of the patterns mentioned herein can be used in this setup.  By the way a two fly rig is not mandatory.  It does improve your chances by 4 times however so please consider using the rig.

You will need small Midge and Blue Wing Olive patterns.  Just yesterday I received two separate reports of success on the Colorado and Blue Rivers where nice sized Rainbow and Brown Trout took four different flies: Crystal Black Beauty Emerger #22, Crystal Red Beauty Emerger #22, Blue Man Midge Emerger #22 and #16 Hot Pink San Juan Worm.   Other flies to use include: WD-40 and RS-2 in #22-24, Parachute Adams #20-22 along with #22 Adult Midge or Wisco Midge flies fished on the surface are also bringing success if you dare to switch to a tiny dry fly.  We carry all these patterns in our Denver White River Fly Shop.

As for the three of us last week. We caught the most fish on the Hot Pink San Juan Worm.  Followed by the Adult Midge on the surface after the sipping started just after noon.  The red Crystal Midge Emerger and Go Green Midge attracted a few takes when used as droppers below both attractor patterns. 

Blaine Haskell/Denver Store

When I start off in the mornings I like to be in my hunting area just before the sun comes up. I will sit and listen for any type of coyote vocalizations. Right after the sun comes up is usually when the coyotes are more vocal and when they are I have them located if I haven’t done so already. Once I have them located but they are quit a long ways off, I will sneak in closer using the terrain to conceal my every move. If they are within a few hundred yards I will find a good place to set up with the wind in my favor. Both ways I will set up my Montana coyote decoy (Kojo) and my speaker for my remote electronic call, plus a rabbit decoy (Miss Hoptober) so any coyote coming in will see both decoys. The reason I put my speaker out with the decoys is if I do need it for other sounds I don’t have to take the risk of moving and being busted. Depending on the terrain and wind depends on how I will set up; I’ll have my decoys out in front and to the right or left side of me with the wind in my favor. I will start off with a normal howl to hear or maybe see what kind of response I get. If I don’t get a response within 15 seconds I will howl again only this time with a little more emotion, meaning, I will bark a few times before I howl. Still if there is no response I’m NOT going to get up and move and set up again. Coyotes sometimes will come in silent so I will throw a few more barks out with my mouth reed and then wait with my gun or bow ready to shoot. If still nothing, I will use my electronic call and do a howl and then a rabbit in distress with it. Now I’m acting like another coyote invading their territory plus killing something in their backyard which is a double slap in their face. I will play the distress call on and off for about ten minutes and if still nothing then it’s time to find another place to set up and do it all over again. I will continue doing this all day or till I run out of land, or bullets.

Sometimes I have to deviate from what I just explained when I’m out hunting. Maybe the weather turns nasty or it’s warmer then normal. If it’s been cold and or a lot of snow you can use an animal in distress call because they have to eat, especially during the mating season. If the weather has been warm, use coyote vocalizations to bring them in. If I’m using coyote vocalizations I will use both decoys and speaker. If it’s an animal in distress call I’ll use my rabbit decoy and speaker. Sometimes you just have to mix things up and adapt to the situation at hand, and sometimes it’s just good old lady luck.

Mark Campagnola

Hunt Hard & Shoot Straight

We are well into the ice fishing season and I have not taken advantage of the many opportunities that Colorado has to offer this season. To be honest some of my youth club kids finally had to drag me out on the ice and away from the river. I had forgotten how much fun ice fishing was.

There was a time I had to be the first one out on the ice, Tarayall was first to freeze up and then Antero and finally 11 mile res. I have put hundreds of miles on my truck chasing those fish in South Park year after year.  There are huge trout in South Park and northern pike to make anyone an addict on the ice.

Last year I had to make a decision weather or not to finally have surgery on my shoulder that I have put off for years and it was a tough one to choose what seasons I would have to miss. Ice fishing and Hunting were the ones that I missed out on during recovery.

This year I told myself that I would make up for all the trips I missed last year and would do as much as I could whenever I could. That of course didn't happen as planned. This winter I spent a lot of time fishing the reservoirs till my line was at constant freeze and then I switched to the river and that is what I always wanted to do. Ice fishing wasn't my passion like it has been in the years past. I don't know why.

I finally committed to my youth club kids that I would go with them. We ventured to Monument Lake. I have been hearing that there were trout, perch,bluegills and an occasional bass being caught. That sounded like fun. A short trip from Colorado Springs North on I-25 to Monument and there we were. The Ice was a good ten inches and there were already people set up on the ice.

We walked around and figured out that there was probably some good structure around the West end by a beaver hut and drilled a bunch of holes. It wasn't long before we had several small trout on the ice and released them back into the lake. Then the yellow perch started showing up with some bluegills and every now and then someone caught a sucker. We caught a bunch of fish and it was a blast.

We started out using small teardrop jigs in chartreuse and white colors tipped with a wax worm or a meal worm. Those colors seemed to do the trick. You don't need to have a bunch of tackle to go ice fishing. a small box of mixed Lindy ice jigs will do along with a few kastmasters or swedish pimples for jigging up some fish.

You will accumulate many different ice fishing jigs and lures throughout the years there is always something new to try every year. Go with your confidence lure of choice. Better yet with all the fishing networks out there you can research where you are going and they will pretty much tell you where to go and what to throw. That is what the trend is. Wish I had it when I got started several years ago.

I really appreciate my youth club kids for reminding me what I have been missing, We have plans to make a few more trips on the ice this year and have more to share with all of you. If you haven't been going out as much as you would like try something closer to home. The fish may not be giants but the end result is still a smile.

Best of Luck,

                        Sam Heckman /   Pro Staff

Rutting Time for Coyotes

From January to early March coyotes start their rut or mating season. This time frame can vary from region to region. In early January male and female coyotes will start pairing up for mating. Usually it is the alpha male and alpha female of the pack that do the mating. It is at this time that they become very territorial and aggressive toward other intruders who invade their territory, plus they become very vocal compared to other times of the year. This is where we now have an advantage while hunting them.

When we hunt and call any predator (coyote, bear, mountain lion, ect.) we are playing on three different instincts. First is food, we’ll use some type of animal in distress call. Second is sexual, we use vocalization calls during the mating season. Third is territorial, these calls are a lot like the same calls we use during the mating season but are more aggressive and challenging, basically we are invading their territory and antagonizing a fight.

Coyote vocalizations are really just yelps, barks, whines, and howls with different emotions in their tones. To make these types of calls there are three different calls you can use. One is a mouth diaphragm, which is the most difficult to learn. When I use a mouth reed I use Hunter’s Specialties Carlton’s Premium Flex 2.5 Elk Reed and the Carlton Premium Flex Triple Elk Reed. With both these reeds I can make all the sounds a coyote does. Plus if I get into a barking challenge I can mimic that coyote’s bark for bark or howl for howl. Second is a hand held internal or external reed call. My favorite is the Johnny Stewart Mac Daddy Howler with Megaphone. Anyone can learn all the vocalizations fairly quickly with it because it is so easy to use and it sounds great. The cool thing with the Mac Daddy Howler is I can take the mouth piece out and use just the megaphone with my mouth reeds to get a loader volume when needed, just like an elk bugle tube. The third call is by far the easiest and most expensive and that is electronic digital calls. There are two types of electronic digital calls, remote and non-remote. A non-remote has a wire attached to the speaker and it is plugged into the hand held pad. This limits how far you can place the speaker away from you; average length is about 50-60 feet. Then when you’re done you have to roll up that wire and when it’s cold the wire is very stiff so it is not a fun task. With a remote caller you have no wires attached so I have the freedom to place my speaker up to 100 yards away in any direction or in a bush or tree and depending on the terrain up to 250 yards and still operate any of the calls with just a push of a button. Then when I’m done I grab my speaker and off I go, no tangled wire in any brush and no trying to roll up 50 feet of frozen wire. The draw back though is the cost. Wireless calls can range from $50.00 dollars up to $600.00. The wireless digital call that I use is the Wireless Preymaster from Johnny Stewart. It has 3 different memory card slots and each memory card has 4 different sounds on it so in all I have 12 different sounds right at my finger tips. Another advantage is the Johnny Stewart has every type of memory card you could want and all the sounds are authentic and not computer or man made; they are real sounds of real animals. The Johnny Stewart Wireless Preymaster run’s about $200.00. It was the exclusive call that won the World Coyote Calling Championship two years in a row.

There is so much to talk about hunting coyotes during the rut and then when the pups are born. That I’m going to cover all that over the next couple months. I will also be out there hunting in between so I can bring in some new stories, successful or not, and pictures to go along with my blogs.  

Mark Campagnola

Hunt Hard & Shoot Straight

In order to catch a trout during the winter you must abide by all the Winter Fly Fishing Rules. Unfortunately the rules were not established by humans. Rather they were established by the trout. Seems unfair and I understand that, but rules are rules as they say. 

Recently I discussed the locations to fish in the winter and also those to avoid. To summarize the earlier account let me just say that you should fish for trout below dams where the water is released from the bottom of the lake. Water from the bottom of the lake is much warmer than the air temperature and remains in its fluid state for several miles before it cools enough to change state. Please look for my recent blog focusing on “locations” if you missed it as I identified more than two dozen awesome fly fishing locations within driving range of the metro Denver area.

After determining and arriving at a suitable location, one that is not choked with ice, you will want to be very observant by looking for any hatches that may be happening. Even if a hatch is going on the trout may not be paying any attention to the airborne adult midges or Blue Winged Olives that are present. If trout are not surfacing it is still important for your bug selection process to know what insects may be active under the surface. It will help you determine what nymphs to rig up if you can match your selection closely to larva and nymph stages of the flying insects.  A quick seine of the water column with an aquarium net may produce a bug larva or two for you to use as you try to match what the trout may be eating. Don’t rig up until you observe trout activity. 

Next you will have to find a trout. As you start your search please do so with a solid understanding that the trout are NOT randomly distributed in the river. It is common to find really good looking holding spots that just don’t have any trout in them. I know and I feel your pain. Just move on and keep looking. Trout may be congregated together in the deepest water behind large boulders. Look for them along the edges of deep pools and undercut banks. Of course they will be under limbs, behind logs and in slack water if it is just right for them.  Normally they will be in deeper water than what they hang out in during the warmer months.   A resting trout may be found hanging out in a couple inches of skinny water, but you will find that those trout are easily frightened and generally make a mad dash for deeper cover at exactly the same time as you spot them. Oh, if only I had stepped softer and been more observant is a common thought for winter fly fishers. Winter trout are not normally in fast water, it just uses up far too much energy for them to hold in the fast current, but they will be near those seams in the slack water. They will also be hanging out on the bottom behind the smallest rock or in a tiny depression. 

Other rules established by the trout include the fact that they become highly selective in their feeding strategy, scarcely moving to intercept insect larva as they pass by. Sometimes it requires a drift so perfect that the presented fly actually has to hit the fish right on the lips before it is sucked in. Then you must be really quick with the set as the trout will quickly feel the steel and out it comes, sometimes long before any indicator can spill the beans about the take. Sight fishing becomes the norm including setting the hook on the movement of the trout’s lips. To summarize the trout actions:  selectively feed, do not feed aggressively, will not move, seem lazy, appear lethargic, and they just may be feeding in a determined rhythm. If in a rhythm then match it even if it is a period of 5 minutes.

You will need small Midge and Blue Wing Olive patterns. Just yesterday I received two separate reports of success on the Colorado and Blue Rivers where nice sized Rainbow and Brown Trout took four different flies: Crystal Black Beauty Emerger #22, Crystal Red Beauty Emerger #22, Blue Man Midge Emerger #22 and #16 Hot Pink San Juan Worm.  Other flies to use include: WD-40 and RS-2 in #22-24, Parachute Adams #20-22 along with #22 Adult Midge or Wisco Midge flies fished on the surface are also bringing success if you dare to switch to a tiny dry fly.

The midge train pictured above depicts several progressive stages of midge development with the left fly representing the larva. Thence the pupa, emerger, emerger stuck-in-the-shuck and what I call a pre-adult. Note these flies are all tied on a pupa style curved hook which brings good hook setting success probably due to the open gape.  The Hot Pink San Juan Worm below is also a hot winter pattern.

I will continue next time with more details about spotting fish and winter hatches. See you then.

Blaine Haskell/Denver Store

Minus 20 was emblazoned on the temperature display of the truck thermometer. The truck door cracked as the frozen seals separated and then the door swung open.   A blast of the super cold air hit me in the face as I swung my legs out and then my shoes crunched the icy snow.

Thought I would paint a realistic picture of how the weather affects winter fly fishing here in Colorado. Yes, it can be really cold. This day is an example of one of the toughest, but thankfully the high elevation, ~9300 feet in South Park, allows the sun’s rays to warm poor fishermen’s bodies. Sometimes it is wise to get back in the truck for a hot beverage while you wait for some warming rays. Be sure to have proper gear to keep you warm and keep your fingers and ears protected. 

I don’t recommend starting out learning to fly fish during the winter; it just won’t be that much fun. For those of you who are ready and interested it can be a lot of fun although there are several deterrents to even trying to fly fish in the winter. Some reasons may include: your lack of knowledge of areas to fish that are not choked with ice, you have had trouble in the past with catching fish in the winter, you don’t like freezing in the cold, or you like to ski instead. 

Why would you choose to fish in these or even somewhat better conditions? Well here is the newsflash, winter fishing provides access to some of the largest trout in the State. Rainbow and Brown trout can generally be located in their feeding lies in the lowest flow conditions of the year. Once spotted they become the target of your complete attention to get the drift right, the size of bug exact, the shape and color right… you get the picture. Oh, you must also hold your mouth just right.  

Areas to fish would include larger rivers where irrigation and flood control needs have installed dams with bottom release of warmer water. Such releases provide miles of great fly fishing opportunities where the water flows around large boulders, through deep runs, bubbles over riffles, and even glides through slicks before it turns to an ice capped stream.  The consistent flows and water temperatures are key components to bug life with midges and blue winged olives thriving while providing a well supplied dinner table for trout eager to dine on mostly small bugs that can hatch every day of the year, if the weather permits. There are a dozen such dams within 4 hours drive of Denver and quite a few of those within 2 hours. The South Platte River provides many notable places to fish close to town including: Cheesman Canyon, Deckers, 11 Mile Canyon, Dream Stream, and Waterton Canyon. The Blue River has two: Dillon and Green Mountain. Taylor, Gunnison, Fryingpan, Colorado, and Yampa Rivers are a bit farther away, but can be well worth the trip. The Arkansas River, Big Thompson River and Boulder Creek round out the list of the locations for you to try. Smaller streams are generally choked with ice by late November although this year there were a few areas open into early December and are generally not available for fishing.

 I mentioned you will need small Midges and Blue Wing Olive patterns. Try Crystal Black Beauty, Crystal Red Beauty in #22-24; Blue Man Midge, WD-40, and RS-2 in #22-24. Parachute Adams #20 along with #24 Adult Midge flies fished on the surface for those afternoon sipping trout can bring a big smile. 

More on this subject in a forthcoming blog so please stay tuned.

Blaine Haskell/Denver Store

A Look Back at 2011

All Photos by Mark Campagnola

I hope everyone is starting the New Year off with a bang and looking forward to a great year of hunting, I know I am. Last year my goal was to harvest a spring turkey then an elk and last but not least a draw private land only rifle deer tag, all with my bow, at least that was the plan. I shot my turkey with my 12 gauge, (read May 2011 blog) I couldn’t get a clean shot on three different  bulls so I came home with no elk meat, (read October 2011 blog) and finally my deer which I ended up shooting the last half hour of the last day. I started out with my bow but the deer where so spooky and on end that you would have thought it was the middle of a major rifle season. The last three weeks of the season I hunted only one buck, a big 5x5 about 28” wide and at least 25” tall with brow tines close to 4” on both sides. The closet I could get to him was 87 yards according to my Nikon range finder. So the last weekend of the season I decided to pull out my Savage 270 but he still remained elusive. He was running with 6 doe’s and trying to pattern them was impossible.

 
He had no interest in rattling, grunts, or my Muley doe Montana Decoy. To the right is a picture of him over 1,000 yards away and zoomed in. Animals like this don’t get that big by being stupid. He was on another ranch that I did not have permission to hunt when this picture was taken. This buck had no interest in anything other than the doe’s he already had with him. After hunting almost a month, on the last day of the season in the last half hour this buck walked by about 200 yards and I decided he was going home with me in the back of my truck.

Mark Campagnola

Hunt Hard & Shoot Straight

It’s hard to believe all the big game seasons with the exception of a few special late season tags are over. Successful  or not, now is a great time to start planning for next year’s big game hunts while everything is still fresh in your mind. If you are looking at changing areas it is very important to start looking now because before you know it the deadline for draw tags will be here before you know it.

If you are looking at changing units or just want more information about the unit you’re hunting now, I would highly recommend purchasing the Colorado Outdoors Big Game CD. This program contains multiple statistics for the past 15 years. It comes complete with a statewide map of Colorado and the ability to overlay unit boundaries, summer and winter concentrations, plus migration routes for deer and elk. It also shows all the kill sites for sheep, goat, and moose. Each year the software is updated free thru the internet.

If you want to hunt in a draw unit this CD will give you the information on how many points it takes to draw as a resident and nonresident. Plus you can find out harvest information for all units. The maps are 1:500,000 and include Land Ownership (BLM), shaded relief (USGS), and (USGS) Topographical.

I have used other mapping programs before but none of them have the kind of information like the Colorado Outdoors Big Game CD does. This program has so many statistics that it is great for new hunters just starting out and looking for an area to start. It’s also great for a hunter who is not looking to change areas but wants more information about the unit he hunts.

Mark Campagnola

Hunt Hard and Shoot Straight