Deerfly Diaries

Video: Ice Fishing for Yellow Perch at Harvey Gap Reservoir

A short video clip of ice fishing at Harvey Gap Reservoir between New Castle and Rifle, Colorado. It was a cold, but sunny bluebird day. We fished the down-time at midday, but still managed to each catch a handful of small yellow perch. 

This was my first day ice fishing, so as usual, Glenn did a great job of teaching me the ropes. I learned how to prepare the ice hole, rig the jigs, find the bottom of the lake with the plumb-bob, recognize a hit and set the hook.

We had a lot of fun. Glenn even landed a rainbow trout. A relaxing way to spend the day.

Sue Melus owns Melus Outdoors, a PR and communications business for hunting, fishing and shooting.

Winter Fly Fishing Tips

Glenn and I made it down to the Roaring Fork River for some winter fly fishing. Or rather Glenn fished while I stood safely on the bank supervising the situation. Here are some winter fly fishing tips that are worth noting.

Tip #1 Stay away from the edge of the ice.

Tip #2 Use a long handled net.

Tip #3 Try to ignore your worried spouse who is snapping pictures of you.

 OK, tip #4: Find a deep pool to drift your fly through.

In no time Glenn had a nice trout on the line.  

The long handled net worked well to both retrieve the fish and to put them back in the water.

 

Glenn caught mostly 10-12 inch brown trout.

I give these other guys A+ for effort, but I didn't see them catch any fish. 

 

A half dozen fish in 30 minutes and this fisherman was happy.

 

Time to go home and warm up by the Christmas tree.
 

Sue Melus handles public relations and communications for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industries. 
  

Video: Herman the Sturgeon at Bonneville Fish Hatchery east of Portland, Oregon

I was able to take a day of sightseeing today on a trip up to Portland, Oregon. I drove out the Columbia River Gorge to Hood River where I took in the sights, enjoyed talking with the locals and had 8 incredible ounces of Full Sail Brewery's Full Sail Wassail Holiday Blend. Yummy!

On my way back to Portland I exited the highway to check out the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. The folks at Columbia Sportswear told me I had to check out Herman the Sturgeon. Herman is a 450 pound, ten foot long, 70 year old white sturgeon that was taken from the Columbia River in 1998 when the hatchery was built. Unfortunatley, I couldn't get Herman to show his face. The other more brightly colored fish are rainbow trout.

Bonneville Hatchery sits on Tanner Creek in the Columbia River Gorge about 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon. Tanner Creek flows into the Columbia River about 145 miles upstream from the ocean. The hatchery, run by the Oregon Department of Fish and Game, raises salmon and steelhead for sport and tribal fisheries in the lower Columbia River and along the northern Oregon Coast. 

Sue Melus handles public relations and communications for hunting, fishing, shooting sports and resource conservation. Check out her website at Melus Outdoors, LLC.