u/bateneco

I’m going to be in Silverthorne/Breck tomorrow and was hoping to bag a salmon. Obviously we all know the flows are terrible. Has anyone had any luck on the Blue, Green Mountain Reservoir, up near Kremmling, etc?

I’m taking the day off work tomorrow and planning to head to Rocky Mountain National Park. Not quite sure where I’ll focus yet, but likely one of the rivers/streams. Does anyone have recommendations for what flies have been hitting there lately? I prefer dry flies, but have no problem with streamers or nymphs if that’s what’s needed to catch some fat trout.

And, if you want to DM me a favorite spot or two within the park, I’d be happy to return the favor!

I got a special dispensation from my wife to go fishing this weekend and she’ll hold down the fort at home. Where are the Kokanee salmon running right now? Is it exclusively Blue Mesa to Roaring Judy, or are they in other places by now as well?

I’ll be wading/fly fishing, so preference is for rivers or other places where I won’t need a boat.

I’m a decent fly fisherman, but have never tried for Kokanee during their autumn run through our state. I am hoping someone can give me some decent tips on how to target these fish—what flies are effective, any specific advice about drift, where they hang out in the river relative to trout, etc. I’d never ask for anyone’s honey holes, though if you’re willing to share via DM, I’d be happy to tell you a few of my own for trout in return.

Thanks!

My son is 6 and has been very interested in fishing now for about a year. It’s something I want to cultivate (fishing buddy for life??) and I got him a very cheap Spider-Man-themed rod and reel a while back, but I’d like to get him into fly fishing, which is the style of fishing that I do and he is increasingly curious about.

When and how did you start your kids fly fishing? Did you get them a cheap rod and reel and have them go at it, or did you start with something else, like a Tenkara rod so they can just high stick and not worry too much about line maintenance?

Let me know what works, and how to get started with this!

Lately I’ve been killing it throwing tan chubby Chernobyls in this area, but the fish aren’t very interested in those before around 10 or 11am (air temp ~65F, water temp 55F). I will be fishing on the Big Thompson in the Moraine Meadow of Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow early AM. Does anyone have any recommendations for what has been hitting well? I love throwing dry flies but will use nymphs or streamers if I need to.

Water temp will be around 53 degrees, air temp around 50 degrees. I’ve been seeing a lot of caddis pupae on the bottoms of submerged rocks, so am assuming I should throw a caddis larva or similar, but I just never seem to do as well in the early morning with fly selection as I do once it starts to warm up.

Help me make the most of my timed entry in RMNP!

I am an avid fly fisherman, and am looking for a smallish (~5" blade) folding filet knife i can throw into my hip pack and use to filet fish that I catch riverside. However, I've been having difficulty finding a knife that meets my somewhat precise requirements. I was hoping that this community could help me find a few contenders. The ideal knife would be:

* Must be a folding knife. Fixed knives large enough to filet a trout don't fit in my pack.

* Approx 5-inch flexible blade, no more than ~6-inches in length when closed.

* Ideally light, slim profile, and locks while in use.

* water resistant materials (stainless steel or similar, handle material that won't swell when wet, etc)

* Budget is ~$50. I know this won't get me a great knife, but let's be real...I don't catch and eat tons of trout, either.

The closest I've gotten on this is an Opinel no. 12 effile slim, which is just about perfect except for the fact that it only comes with a wood handle, which notoriously swells the second it gets in contact with water and affects the folding mechanism. I've thought about getting one and soaking it in mineral oil or similar to give it some water resistance, but would prefer a non-wood handle if possible.

I also saw the Columbia River Kommer Surf 'N Turf Folding Fillet 5" (CR3075), which looks great, except it's more expensive than I'm hoping for and it's no longer made.

Any recommendations would be very much appreciated!

I just bought my first Opinel, which is the no 12 effile slim with a beech handle. I plan to use it exclusively for filleting fish I catch while fly fishing. I am concerned about all that I’ve heard about the wood swelling. I would have bought a polymer/micarta/non-wood version of this knife in an instant if one was available, but I guess they don’t make them.

What’s the best way to waterproof this knife while still keeping it foodsafe? Can someone give me step-by-step instructions?

Thanks!

I’m going to be hiking/camping in RMNP next month and will be focusing on fly fishing for ~2 of the days. I’d like to eat any of the fish that are large enough for dinner, but am not sure how to keep the fish for what could be several hours or more between when I catch them and when it’s time to eat. I will not have a cooler, ice, etc. it seems cruel to keep the fish on a stringer for that long, but not sure how else to do it. Any recommendations on what’s humane + sanitary? Thanks!

I’m allergic to down, and am looking for the lightest, most compressible mummy bag with synthetic insulation as possible. From my research, that seems to be something filled with Primaloft Gold. However it’s weirdly difficult to search for bags with this specific type of insulation that are commercially available. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!

I'm an avid fly fisherman thinking of taking the plunge on a fishing kayak. There's a Crescent Ultralight available on FB marketplace that seems like a good price. Does anyone have any experience with this boat? I'd like to use it for fishing (duh) but also some casual paddles in lakes/reservoirs of what i'd consider to be a medium distance (5-10mi over a few hours).

Any thoughts on whether this is the right boat for me?

I am looking for a kayak for calm freshwater and slow rivers. There's a Wilderness Systems Tsunami 135 being sold for $300 in my area that looks like it could be a good fit for what I'm looking for, but all of the reviews for this model say it's most appropriate for women + people with small frames. I am 6'1" and 185lbs. Is this going to be too uncomfortable for me to use as a recreational kayak on medium-sized lakes?

I am looking for a person or meal service that would prep a couple of ready-to-heat meals for my family each week. We’re two adults who will eat anything, and two small kids who are a little more on the picky side. Doesn’t need to be fancy, but we’d would be looking for well-rounded dinners (protein + veggie + starch). We can pick up meals or work out a schedule to have them delivered.

Let me know what you’d charge, or if there are meal prep services in the area that you like!

I've had a bad run of luck with Scientific Anglers line, and am going to try a different line manufacturer this time. I've been fairly impressed with my Airflo Superflo Ridge 2.0 Tactical Taper line on my 3wt, so am looking at their line models, but getting confused.

Is there a line that closely imitates the SA Magnitude Infinity (smooth or textured) made by Airflo? By imitates, I mean a weight forward floating line, half-weight heavier, has similar "slickness" like the Magnitude does with the EST+ coating, etc. I don't care about the clear line tip as much.

Thanks!

I recently bought some SA Magnitude Infinity Smooth WF5F line from a reputable fly shop, and then realized shortly after I purchased it that the line had a bunch of gouges and knicks in it. No worries, mistakes happen, so I got it replaced through SA/the store.

The second line lasted about 3 outings before I noticed that the line was shedding like crazy—tiny bits of line were peeling off, creating tons of friction when passing through the eyelets while casting. That’s weird, I thought, but ok at least I can replace it. I got a little bit of guff from the shop for asking for a second replacement, but they still did it.

On the most recent line I’ve been out with it maybe 5 times and there’s a cut in the line like 15ft back from the tip. There’s not a thing I can think of that would have caused this.

I’m using an excellent, name-brand rod and reel, and don’t do dumb stuff that would cause all these issues. Has anyone else been having trouble with SA lines recently?

It’s last year’s model of the Hydros II for $200 and the current Helios F 5wt for $850. Both pretty decent prices, but I still saw that and had to lol just due to such a bougie brand selling their higher end gear through Costco.

Looks like the Helios uses some other type of wood grain in the reel seat area—on the F’s that I’ve seen it’s always been a grey-washed wood with black metal reel seat lockers, but this one has a black/orange wood with silver lockers. I wonder if it’s a Costco-specific line of Helios maybe?

I recently lucked into a Dyna-King Professional, but have never tied a fly in my life. I am eager to try though. I live in Colorado, and would like to buy materials for ~5 different flies. Being an avid fly fisherman, I know what flies are appropriate for my area, but not what’s an appropriate level of difficulty for a brand-spankin’-new tyer.

Can someone give me a shopping list of materials and tools that would be appropriate for someone like me? I’m leaning towards Dr Slick for the tools, but have gotten dishearted by the sheer number of options (so many different scissors, who knew…)

Thank you!