Overview:
Springtime in the Rockies is known as big fish time.
This is the season
when many of the largest fish of the season will be hooked and landed. Ice off usurers
in the spring spawning season for cutthroats, cutbows and rainbows and with the
days lengthen and eggs in the water trout will grow more in the April and May
then they will all year. This is perhaps the most productive, most aggressive
big fish fishing on the entire season as well as the most productive deep
nymphing of the season takes place from now until the end of runoff. Remember
after runoff the best fishing may not long be deep nymphing and your techniques
should change accordingly.
Flies: Organize your fly box. Most of us have not
looked at our boxes since last fall. Now is the time to re-stock and organize
to make the most of our time this spring. Take a look back at the fishing
reports from 2008 and 2007 and see what bugs where working when. Make sure you
have those bugs in stock and be sure you have enough to lose a few to the
river. My favorites for spring include eggs, caddis, micro black stoneflies,
bwos and midges in that order. As we move toward runoff and the water swells it
is time for large stoneflies. Ready yourselves with olive, brown, black and
golden stones in sizes 2-10. PMD’s will be hot on their tail as the water
starts to recede along with green, brown and gray drakes.
Line, Leaders and Tippet: Fly lines should
be checked for cracks and cleaned. It is also a good idea to pull the line off
the spool and stretch it and let it lay out for a couple days before your first
trip. This will help get the coil memory out of the line before it causes you a
problem on the river. Make sure you have leaders in 7 ½ feet for water
conditions up to about 400 CFS and 9 1/2 foot leaders for deeper swifter moving
flows. I prefer to start with a 3X leader and cut it back as necessary to get
to the diameter best suited for tying in the tippet I plan to use that day. You
should be prepared with tippets ranging from 4X in the low water following ice
off to 1X or heaver during runoff. Remember that monofilament leaders and
tippets go bad over time for exposure to sun and the elements. It is a good
rule of thumb to start the season with new mono if that is you tippet material
of choice. Fluorocarbon on the other hand never goes bad so you should be good
with late year’s batch. Remember the longevity of fluoro when you are working
with it streamside. Whatever you leave behind will be there for your children’s
children.
Rods and Reels: Farrell wax is a nice way to prepare your rods
for a new season. Simply apply a bit of the wax on the male end of the connecting
rod section and you will be sure to have good, non-slip, easy to remove rod
sections for the season. Cork grips can be clean with a mild detergent and some
elbow grease, cleaning your grips each year can extend the life of your cork. Preparing
your reels for the season varies depending on the model and manufacturer, read
up on their recommendations before cleaning or oiling a reel.
Nets: For those of you using rubberized baskets you
should take a minute to check and be sure there no cracks in the plastic or
hole in the bag. Unlike cloth mesh nets the holes or cracks that turn into hole
in rubber baskets stretch under the weight of the water and fish so what looks
like a very small hole can be large enough to allow even the best 10 pound fish
to escape. I speak from experience on this one!
Waders and Boots: It is always nice to start the season
smelling great. Gortex waders can be washed in the machine using powder detergent.
Revivex can be used to restore the “bead up” ability of water on the outside of
the waders. The new Revivex is much easier to apply and achieves great results.
Check the laces in your boots, especially in Simms boots; they are good for one
season at the most. New laces and a good rinse off with 409 will ensure you are
not transporting aquatic hitchhikers.
Fishing License: Remember that all 2009
fishing licenses expire at the end of March 2010; be sure to renew your license
before you go fishing the DOW will be out in force between now and run off.
Thanks to our affiliate Catch Magazine for the photos.