Deerfly Diaries

Another Amazing Fly Fishing Cover Shot

OK, so maybe I'm biased, but I have to say this is one hot photo. My husband Glenn Melus is on the cover of the latest Cabela's fly fishing catalog! Local action photographer Tyler Stableford was behind the lens. Congrats to both Glenn and Tyler!

Fishing the Colorado River in the New Ride

New ride- smooth ride! What a treat to float the Colorado river in our (Glenn's) new guide boat. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's a sweet ride. It's a brand new 16" weight forward ClackaCraft from Mountain Drift Boat in Idaho. The fiberglass construction and GulfStream bottom and Tunnel Hull Technology is designed to handle a variety of waters with exceptional handling and maneuverability.

Oh, and the 5 pound rainbow wasn't too shabby either! 

 

Columbia Sportswear SeaGrass Grow Event in Islamorada, Florida Keys

Some weeks I am slim on content for my blog, but this isn't one of those weeks. In the last five days I attended a seagrass restoration media event in the Florida Keys, caught an 80 pound tarpon, snorkeled a coral reef, toured a Classic American Car show and shot a 3D archery course. What's next?

The trip to the Keys was with Columbia Sportswear. We gathered approximately 15 local writers, editors and radio personalities together for a two day event that focused on seagrass restoration. Seagrass is the native grass that grows in shallow flats in the oceans all around the world. It is vital habitat to ocean life including fish, shellfish, eels and sea horses. Over 70% of marine life is dependent on seagrass beds at some point in its life stage. Seagrass is impacted, however, by human activities including propeller scarring and ill-placed development.

On day one we gathered the editors for a day of hands-on seagrass restoration work with the Ocean Foundation and Seagrass Recovery. There are specific restoration techniques including placing sediment tubes in the scars, placing out bird stakes and creating planting units to initiate stabilization and restoration of the seagrass. 

Columbia Sportswear, in cooperation with Bass Pro Shops, through the sale of a special collection of its Performance Fishing Gear (PFG). Direct financial support will go to the SeaGrass Grow campaign to support conservation of the ecosystem. 

After a day of seagrass restoration everyone hit the water for a day of fishing. We chartered nine boats including seven flats boats and two offshore boats. Columbia sponsored athlete Captain George Poveromo was one of the captains to take anglers fishing the deep seas off the coast of Islamorada. George and his first mate Carl Grassi were both a pleasure to hang out with and a wealth of knowedge.

 

I joined Miami Herald writer and outdoors woman extraordinaire Sue Cocking for a day of tarpon fishing with our guide Dick Hagood. Dick was an excellent guide, but it was a quiet slack tide so the tarpon were laid up and not eating a whole lot. By the afternoon there was a little action and Dick put the two Sues in a good spot to intercept the tarpon as they moved around a near by island.

 

As the day closed on us, my line went tight and a tarpon exploded in the air fifty feet away. After a thirty minute fight my guide had the leader in hand. Unfortunately the hook came free before we snapped any photos of the 80 pound fish, but that is probably better for the survival of the fish anyway.

 

On our last morning, despite wind and waves, Doug Berry, GM of the Bass Pro Shop, graciously treated us to a snorkeling trip a mile off shore from the docks of the Cheeca Lodge where we stayed. It was my first time snorkeling and it was awesome. Just like being in a tropical aquarium. I got a little sea sick from the high water, but it was worth it.

All in all an excellent trip. The best part was meeting the excellent people who attended the event. Everyone had a wealth of experience and ideas to contribute. Of course the oil spill was a main topic of conversation. We were at least 600 miles from the nearest reported oil, but it is clearly affecting everyone regardless. Public perception has already reduced bookings throughout the whole state even though the fishing and vacationing is still great at this time. Time will tell how the story will play out, but it is certain to be an ugly story from many perspectives for years to come. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success. 

For more information:

Press release: Download BassPro-CSCMR_FINAL_060110

View the Columbia Sportswear Seagrass Restoration video.

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Sue Melus contracts with Columbia Sportswear to help with the hunting and fishing public relations. She is the owner of Melus Outdoors, LLC Public Relations and Communications.

Key West Fishing: May Tarpon / Palolo Worm Hatch

Here's a good blog post that I found of the worm hatch that is going on now in the Florida Keys. Glenn is down there tarpon fishing as we speak and it is reportedly off the charts this year. The moon is full this week so they are fishing each night until early in the morning. He said that you hear huge explosions all around you while the monster tarpon explode from the water.

Key West Updated Fishing Report:May 18, 2005Tarpon Season 2005 Fishing this spring has been pretty great and compared to last season. Although tarpon have been not as strong as recent years for May, it's been good and fly fishing for them is a great way to get them to eat when they are not feeding like crazy.Tarpon can be found migrating from the Marquesas Keys all the way up the Florida Keys island chain. Typically the migrating fish travel along the oceanside flats but there will be layed up tarpon just about everywhere in the backcountry. Tarpon will hang around and move through the Keys for another month or so and then the rest will hang around in the shallower flats and channels throughout the summer.Bonefishing and Permit fishing are still great. Lately my anglers have wanted to concintrate on tarpon fishing while they are here. I've seen permit on deeper flats while tarpon fishing this season but the majority of them are still offshore spawning for a few more weeks. The population on the flats has been stronger than I've seen in recent years.The Palolo Worm Hatch is something tarpon anglers and guides look forward to during the Full or New Moon phases in May and June. This Atlantic Palolo Worm Hatch is one of the unexplained rituals in saltwater fishing and until you see it with your own eyes, you will not understand.The Palolo Worm hatches from hard coral rock that mainly covers the bottom of the Atlantic side of the Keys. These tiny worms look like a red and white earth worm. They hatch and head for the surface of the water. The neatest thing is that they all travel in the same direction, towards the reef located offshore. Meanwhile the tarpon gather together and eat these worms. It seems to have an intoxicating effect on the tarpon and the only time I really hit a hard worm hatch, I could see tarpon rolling as far as I could see.I'm sure there are more scientific articles about this worm hatch. I kept one in a glass of saltwater for two days. It just kept swimming in circles and eventually it's red color faded. I have done some research on this ritual and the tarpon fishing that follows, but not many articles are written on it.If you are fishing the flats this year in May or June and happen to stay out for the sunset, take a look off the beach and maybe you will see some tarpon shining in the water munching on worms.September & October are spectacular for bonefish and permit. If you can't make it down here in the summer, try our fall fishing. The winds are light and despite our hurricane season the weather is pretty nice.Warm Regards from the Florida Keys Capt Justin

via keywestfishing.blogspot.com

You might ask why I am not in the Keys fishing with Glenn? Lucky for me, I'll be in Islamorada next week on a Columbia Sportswear Seagrass Grow event. On Wednesday we will do hands on seagrass restoration work. Thursday is our guided fishing day. I'm not banking on catching a big tarpon, but I'm excited to see the action first hand.

Here's a great video on the seagrass restoration work that Columbia Sportswear is working on. I imagine much of our conversation will turn towards the effect of the oil spill on the coastal habitat.

Spring Weather Turns on the Fly Fishing in Colorado

If you took a hiatus from fishing this winter, now is the time to get back out there. The recent warm temperatures and longer days have turned on the fishing in our local rivers. The insect activity is on the rise and the fish are feeding.

Roaring Fork River and the Colorado River Fly Fishing

Fishing on the Roaring Fork and the Colorado has been exceptional lately. Both brown trout and rainbow trout can be caught on small midge nymphs. There is even a little dry fly activity when the conditions are right, so be ready.

The fish are staging in the deeper pools getting ready to move into the faster moving shallow water where they can feed on the hatching insects. Later in the spring the rainbow tout will spawn in the shallow gravel riffles.

  

Colorado Snowpack below average: Low snowfall can affect fisheries and angling in the summer months

Below average snowpack in Colorado's mountain basins

Colorado's snowpack is currently at 79 to 90% percent of average for this time of the year. There is still time to catch up, but the fact is that a low snow pack can spell trouble for months to come, affecting agriculture, fish and wildlife, recreation and tourism.

Endangered species program affects local fishing economy in Colorado

 Yesterday representatives from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation addressed the Basalt, Colorado town government to make it clear that the endangered species program trumps local fishing concerns. 

Members of the Basalt governments and local fly fishing shops are concerned because fishing in the Fryingpan River was compromised last summer, mostly in the month of August, when high water flows resulted in cancellation of booked fishing trips. Apparently, there were 23 days between June 1 and Sept. 1 when water flows on the Fryingpan River exceeded 350 cubic feet per second.

The high flows came after the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service practiced its right to make a call on water, for which they have a contract, to supplement flows in the Colorado River to protect fish habitat near Palisade, Colorado. The endangered species of concern include the pikeminnow, razorback sucker, humpback chub and bonytail chub.

Western water rights are complicated

There are several factors that affect flows in the Colorado River, including water calls made upstream by the Shoshone Power Plant, front range water use, agricultural water use, releases from Reudi Reservoir and weather factors. Last year, was an unusually low flow in the Colorado, which resulted in an additional call on the water from Reudi Reservoir, above the Fryingpan River for the endangered fish recovery program.

Ultimately, however, the goal to save the rare fish in the Colorado the Endangered Species Act takes precedent over local economic concerns surrounding angling in the Fryingpan River.

Additional resources:

See the full article in yesterday's Aspen Times.

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program

Roaring Fork Conservancy

Taylor Creek Fly Shops

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.

The Best Fall Fishing on the Roaring Fork River

Glenn and I got out for some much needed quiet time on the river yesterday. It was a beautiful unseasonably warm day in the Roaring Fork Valley just outside of Carbondale, Colorado. The fly fishing was great and we both caught several good sized brown trout. You can't ask for more than that.

 

 

Sue Melus owns Melus Outdoors, LLC, public relations and creative communication for the outdoors. Sue has two German shorthaired pointers who can't run enough and a husband who she is pretty sure has grown gills from spending so much time on the river.