How to Catch a Beautiful Peacock Bass

One of the hardest fighting species of freshwater fish is the peacock bass. This beautiful looking fish is great fun to catch because when it bites it hits hard and then fights long and hard. If you’ve ever considered trying your hand at catching these awesome fish, here are some helpful suggestions. If you want to read more about other kinds of bass fishing, click here.

First you must go to the region where they are found. The most popular place to fish for them is in their native home, South America in the South American jungle. They have long been a favorite to go after in the Amazon River. However, if that’s not your style, they have been introduced into a lot of other beautiful locations. Today they can be found in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Panama, Guam, and the Dominican Republic.

Once you’re fishing in the right water you want to make sure you have the right tackle. If you’re going after the butterfly peacock bass, which is the smaller of the two species, you should use light tackle or medium weight tackle because the record fish is only 12 lbs. 9 oz., however you’ll want to use some good strong fluorocarbon line or braided line because of the way they fight. They strike hard and run and are generally a challenge to bring to the boat. Good strong line is required so they don’t snap it off. As with other fish of this size, using a light weight fishing rod and reel makes the fight more intense and exciting. If you want to learn more about different weights and types of fishing rods, click here.

A good big lure to use for peacock bass is a silver spoon or silver Kastmaster. They love to attack this shiny lures.

Best Deep Sea Summer Fishing Spots

When the hot summer days finally arrive there is nothing better to do than go out on a boat deep sea fishing. Trolling along for fish or just anchored waiting for them to come to you is a great way to pass a summer’s day. Even while you’re waiting for a bite you can be playing online fishing games on your smart phone. If you want to read more about a variety of fishing games, click here. Here are some of the top places to go out deep sea fishing.

Out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is Kona Hawaii. Summer time in these waters is when the exciting marlin fishing occurs. The warm water and the currents bring the fish in from all over. It was in May of 1982 that the record marlin was caught in these waters.

Another great place to go is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The waters off the coast fill with fish this time of year. There are many species here from bonito to marlin. There are lots of wahoo in the region as well. The record was caught in July of 2005. Whether you stay in Cabo or Puerto Vallarta the water is wonderful in this region.

The Gulf of Mexico is another great place to go deep sea fishing in the summer. The fish is almost always biting. Some go very deep to avoid the heat. There are many species of grouper that are fun to catch in this region. The record for the grouper was caught here in May of 2002.

Up north in the Gulf of Alaska, the fishing is wonderful in the summer. When the water and the weather warm up the fish start biting. This is the best time to catch halibut, black bass, and of course salmon. If you’re interested in reading more about deep sea fishing, click here.

Bonito Fishing

Fishing for bonito is a lot of fun, but usually they are caught when trolling for other species. Bonito are found both in the Atlantic and the Pacific. The pacific bonito is smaller, with the all tackle world record weighting in at 14 lbs. 2 oz. The Atlantic bonito record is 18 lbs. 4 oz. Even though the bonito is related to the tuna, it is best known as a sport fish rather than for food. If you’re interested in reading more about fishing for other types of fish, click here.

The pacific bonito are found in pockets from chili to the Gulf of Alaska. They are most abundant from Baja California to Point Conception, California. The Atlantic bonito is found from Nova Scotia to Argentina. In North America the Atlantic bonito’s largest populations are found between southern New England and New Jersey. They are rare in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Bonito are easiest to catch at sunrise and dusk when they feed heavily. They tend to be close to the top water feeding on shrimp, squid, and other smaller bait fish. The fish seem to prefer anchovies and sardines where available. Top poppers and other top water lures that imitate these fish are very effective.

Atlantic bonito spawns in June and July. They reach their sexual maturity when they are about 16 inches long. They will move close to the shore and lay their eggs in the warm water. Pacific bonitos spawn in the spring when the water warms up. If the coastal waters are late getting warm because of a long winter they may not show up. Fishing maps will help you locate the best areas. Click here if you would like to read more bout using fishing maps.

Bone Fishing Essentials

One of the most popular sport fish to catch is the bonefish. It is fun to go after and even more fun to catch. Out of all the saltwater fish, bonefish is the one that you must go after to say that you are an angler. Here are some of the essentials you need to know if you up for the challenge. If you want to read more about fishing for other species, click here.

One of the reasons bonefish are such a challenge is that you can stalk them and hunt them. They like to spend their days in the shallow waters like sand flats, mudflats, and mangrove lagoons. The adults travel in small schools of 5-10 fish. They can move slowly when they are feeding or looking for food, but when spooked or hooked they will run with amazing speed. They can go from 0 to 100 in an instant. This is why you need lots of line on your reel and have the drag set fairly tight.

Mainly anglers go after bonefish with a fly rod. When they are searching for food they stir up the sand or mud and then eat with their heads down and their tails sticking up out of the water. These tailing fish are easy to spot making sight fishing fun.

When walking through the sand flats you can come upon 5 or 6 tailing bonefish you can cast your fly past them and strip it in front of their noses. They casts are usually long distance so practice your long cast with a 10 weight fly rod. Once their hooked they will run hard. The amazing thing is that they may run at you or away from you or any other direction. They run so fast when they run away the reel just screams. To read more about fly fishing click here.

Fly Fishing in Colorado

The Colorado Rivers and streams after all the trout spawning is finished, fly fishing really begins to pick up. Colorado is blessed with many medium sized to small sized rivers and streams that are just amazing for trout fishing. If you’re interested in reading more about trout fishing click here.

Fishing for trout on a fly rod is almost the greatest thing in the world. Down on the Arkansas River, between canon city and Buena Vista, there is a caddis hatch that begins towards the end of April in the Buena Vista area and then slowly works its way downstream to canon city. The hatch will generally make it to canon about around then end of May. During this month fly fishing is exceptional in the area where the hatch is occurring. Caddis is signaled to hatch out of their aquatic larval stage into their flying adult stage by temperature.

In the region of water were the hatch is going to occur, the cool morning begins with wet fly caddis larva. The fish go crazy for these and in the Arkansas River this means 10-16 inch fish. As the day warms up you switch up to a caddis emerger pattern which the fish are expecting and will go crazy over. Then, when the temperature reaches a perfect level the caddis hatch and completely engulf the river. Using a dry fly elk hair caddis pattern will keep them busy. However, for some there are too many caddis. You must present your fly just perfectly to the fish. You can see the fish gorging themselves on the caddis as the bug sits on top of the water waiting momentarily for their wings to dry enough for flight. If you want to learn more about fly fishing click here.

Greatest fishing spots in Virginia

Virginia is an amazingly lush state that has many rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs that provide fresh water fishing. Virginia also has a great coast line and offshore areas that have excellent saltwater fishing.

Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay along the estuaries of the James River, the York River and Rappahannock River are some of the greatest cod fishing in the area. As the fish move in and out of the bay they pass through this area and feed on the food that is brought down from the rivers into the bay. To read more about deep sea fishing click here.

The North Fork Shenandoah is a great river to fish. It is peaceful and pretty, fast in some spots and slow in other places. It is a great river to fly fish, especially in the fall and spring. Fly fishing is wonderful here. If you want to learn more about fly fishing click here.

Virginia’s largest body of water is the John H. Kerr reservoir. This lake was formed by damming the Roanoke River. This big body of water is home to some great fishing for several species including bass, crappie, and catfish. If you want to read more about bass fishing click here.

Smith Mountain Lake is another large reservoir on the Roanoke. There are several rivers that feed into the lake, including the black water river. There are many species living in this lake and the fishing is wonderful. The lake has many coves and fingers where fish thrive

Claytor Lake was formed by damming up the New River which flows through the southwest part of the state. Claytor is smaller than some of the other bodies of water, but there are lots of fish and very pretty country. The lake has lots of cover on the bottom to support a good population of bait fish and therefore a good population of game fish.

Best Spots for American Shad Fishing

The American shad is a wonderful fish to catch because they love to run and fight hard. They are also known for their strong jumping antics. They are found up and down the east and west coast of North America. They have never caught on for sport fishing in Canada, but are very popular in the US. Here are some of the best spots to go fishing for the American shad.

One of the greatest rivers to fish during the spawning season is the Delaware River. The shad stage in the estuaries and eat while they get accustomed to the low salinity levels. Once they are used to the water they shoot up the river to their spawning grounds. During this time shiny spoons may catch their attention, but they are off their feed until they have finished spawning. On their way back down the river they start eating again. This is perfect setting for fly fishing using some of the bigger bugs. They are hungry and need to regain their strength so they will be eating as large of bug as they can swallow. To read more about fly fishing click here.

Another great east coast shad fishery is the St. Johns River in Florida. Because the water is warm almost year ‘round Spawning begins in late November. This gives you an opportunity to fish for shad for many months by starting on the St. Johns and working your way along the coast in the spring. If you want to read more about Florida fishing click here.

On the west coast, the Sacramento River in California has a great run of shad. They will also stage for a week or so in the estuary before moving upstream. As they return they will begin to feed. Fish eggs and small crank baits work well for catching these hungry fish.

Best Season to Fish for Amberjack

Amberjack fishing is some of the most fun deep sea fishing there is. There are many amberjack found all over the world; however, different regions fish better during different seasons. Here are the best locations, and some of the best seasons to fish for amberjack.

The best time to fish for the yellowtail is during the spring and summer and the best place to find them is along the southern coast of California all the way down into Mexico. In the spring they move into shallow water along the rocky coast to eat some of the small newly hatched bait fish. Then in the summer they spawn along the surface of the water. If you want to read more about fishing, click here.

The winter is the best time to catch the greater amberjack out in the warm pacific regions of Hawaii. During the winter these big fish, some over 100 lbs. are in warm water looking for schools of bait fish and squid who are spending the winter in these waters. They tend to be in shallower water during the day and deeper water during the night. A good set of fishing maps will help you find the best areas. Fishing maps show the currents and the types of bottoms where the amberjack food lives. If you want to learn more about the usefulness of fishing maps click here.

The waters off the coast of Florida have wonderful amberjack fishing most of the year, but during the winter the fishing seems to be the best. Around the oil rigs bait fish feed along the metal structure and use the pipes and rigging to hide from predators. During the winter the bait fish seem to be plentiful in this area which draws the amberjack as well as other game fish in the area. Click here to read more about Florida fishing.

Best Spots for Amberjack

Amberjacks are a group of fish that include pompano, greater amberjack, Atlantic horse mackerel, yellowtail, and Almaco jack. They are hard fighting and fun to catch as well as great to eat. They are found in many places where the water is warm, but here are a few of the best spots to go fishing for jacks.

One of the greatest places to fish for amberjacks is off the coast of Florida. They love the warm water as well as the plentiful food. The best places to find them are around oil rigs. Bait fish tend to hang around the rigs and so naturally the jacks are there as well. If you want to find out more about fishing for amberjacks as well as other species in Florida click here.

Kona, Hawaii, is another place to fish for large amberjacks. There have been many large jacks caught in these waters, the same wasters where you find the big marlins. Many of the greater amberjacks will tip the scales at over a hundred pounds. In these waters using squid for bait seems to be very effective. To learn more about deep sea fishing for amberjack in the Pacific Ocean click here.

Off the coast of California, there are many yellow fins. They like to spend the spring and summer feeding along the coast from about Monterey all the way down to Mexico. When the summer ends these fish leave for the warmer winter grounds, but during the summer they are plentiful to catch. They travel in schools so once you get into them you’ll catch a few, they are not large, the larger ones will go about 30 – 40 lbs., but they fight hard. Using lighter weight tackle also makes catching them very exciting. Click here to learn about the differences in fishing rods.

Fly Fishing in California

The beautiful state of California has so many amazing streams, rivers, and lakes that are great for fly fishing. There are so many mountain rivers that have been deemed for hydro-electric power that in turn create marvelous tail waters for fly fishing. Here are a few great places and some helpful hints for California fly fishing.

Most of the lakes can be fly fished close to the shore. It is possible to stand on the bank and cast out or use a pair of chest waders and wade into the lake a few yards and cast out further. Using a belly boat is another great way to fly fish the lakes. The great thing about belly boats is they are easy to put into the lake and easy to take out. All that is required is a fairly shallow or gently sloping bank. You can step into a belly boat and simply walk into the lake. When it is deep enough your feet don’t touch the bottom, you float and cast for trout. If you’re interested in reading more about fishing for trout click here.

In most of the lake a five weight fishing rod works perfectly. They also work perfectly in a belly boat. To read more about fly fishing rods click here.

The tail waters below the large California dams make some great waters to catch fish. The water brings in food and other items that have been sucked out of the lake and pushed through the turbines. When it exits and the water settles down it is perfect for fish. Tail waters usually fish best with wet flies like midges. Click here to read more about fly fishing in California and other parts of the country.

Top five Best Fishing Spots in Alaska

Alaska is home to some of the best fishing in the world. There are so many species and so much water it’s hard to decide where the best places are to go fishing. However, after careful consideration, here are five of the top fishing spots Alaska has to offer. Before you go you should check the local fishing regulations to make sure of the limits. Click here to see the importance.

One of the great places is Old Harbor Alaska, on Kodiak Island. All round Kodiak Island the water is teeming with fish. Between May 15^th and June 15^th the King Salmon is excellent. Fishing along the shoreline using herring, either whole fish or cut bait will cut many kings that are in the 40lb to 50lb range. After catching your share of kings you can go out off of the coast and catch black bass. These are best caught using jigs while deep sea fishing. If you’re interested in finding out more about deep sea fishing, click here.

Another great spot is in the heart of downtown Anchorage, on Ship Creek. This great river is full of salmon, mainly silvers. This piece of water is great because you can wade and catch fish without having to worry too much about bears. Because it is in the city it has a different flavor of Alaska fishing, but has benefits such as hotels and fine restaurants.

Skagway is a great spot to go fishing. The ocean in front of the town, as well as the stream running through the town, provides some great salmon fishing.

Juno, the state capital, is an island surrounded by great fishing waters. Here there are many charters waiting to take you out to catch any of the salmon species, depending on the month.

Ketchikan is also an excellent place to fish. Click here to read more about fishing on WFN.

Best Rigs for Deep Sea Fishing in spring

Some of the best fishing is springtime deep sea fishing. This is when the big fish are beginning to get active because the water is getting warmer. Here are few of the best rigs to troll for big fish.

One of the best rigs to troll with is a soft plastic squid. Squid is a favorite food of most large fish so they will key in on the shape as its being trolled. The key with trolling soft plastic squid baits it to troll at speed that will imitate the speed that squid swim. In calm seas this is between 6 and 9 knots.

Another great rig is hard plastic tuna imitation bait. Large fish love to eat tuna and the bigger the bait the larger the fish that will try to eat it. A 14 inch hard plastic bait with a 12/0 fish hooks are just perfect. It is also advisable to use a good strong leader. A 12 foot leader of 500lb monofilament line will do the job. The shock and abrasion will be absorbed by the leader without damaging the main line.

The umbrella rig is another great rig to use in the springtime. The umbrella lure is designed to simulate a school of bait fish. Some use hook less blades that look like the flash of a fish, but others use full-fledged hard plastic swim baits. Umbrella rigs come in many styles from a simple 4 prong rig to a complex 12 prong rigs. Imagine how a 12 prong rig would look with each prong holding a 14 inch tuna lure. It is almost impossible for a large game fish to pass up a school of 12 fish. It is a perfect rig to use on a Florida fishing trip.

Will Fish Farming Harm Natural Habitats

During the last couple of years there has been a lot of discussion regarding fish farming and how much damage they do to the eco system of the ocean. Some studies indicate that they do a great deal of harm, while others show that the harm, if any, is minimal. Reports that contradict each other make it difficult for the average angler to make useful conclusions; however, here are some of the issues and what has been discussed.

Fish farms are designed to raise the largest number of fish in the smallest area of water. The purpose of farming fish is to reduce the fishing pressure on the most popular species of fish. When the numbers of fish drop during the excessive pressure, fishing regulations respond by lowering the limits. This makes the prices rise and overall the consumer is unhappy. The problem with fish farming is the uneaten food and feces drop out of the pens and collect at the bottom of the ocean. Because the fish farms are located in coastal waters this pollutes beaches or shores. The waste even travels out into the ocean and effects deep sea fishing. It appears that the waste particles stay together in large plumes instead of dissipating throughout the ocean.

The ocean has its own natural way of handling waste that accumulates on the bottom. Certain species of fish and bacteria will eat the naturally occurring waste and recycle it into the ecosystem. However, these organisms aren’t able to keep up with the volume of waste created by the fish farms.

It has been suggested, after consulting pie charts and fishing maps, that if the number of fish in the farms was reduced and there was a resting period between crops, that the ocean could accommodate fish farms, in other words, moderation in all things.

How to Catch a Trout: fly fishing

Fishing for trout using a fly is one of the most fun, relaxing and enjoyable sports in the world. However, both sports, fly fishing and trout fishing, can be challenging for the novice. Here are some strategies to help you catch a trout on a fly.

First lesson is to find the right places to look for the trout. In almost every stream trout will be in the slower water. They like to conserve energy whenever possible. One of their favorite places is along the seam where fast water meets slow water. The trout will sit on the slow water side and watch the food float by in the fast water. When they spy an inviting morsel they’ll dash into the fast water, biting quickly, and get back into the slower water. This makes for some great hard bites on a nymph or midge.

When the fly is drifting on the bottom the floating fly line will be drifting fast on the top of the water, which pulls the fly unnaturally. By mending the line, flipping it upstream from the fly, you’ll get a natural drift.

When the trout bites small fish hooks they have to be set carefully. It is very easy to pull the fly out of the fish’s mouth. Trout also have soft mouths so if you set the hook too hard all you’ll reel in are lips. The best way to set the fly is to let the fish set it. When the fish bites, pull back an inch or two, just enough so the fish thinks the fly is getting away. The fish will then hit it hard and run. You simply jerk back smoothly about five inches. This sets the little hook usually right in the lip.

Fly Fishing in Montana

Montana has been blessed with stunningly beautiful landscape that has been seasoned with trout filled water. These alluring waters are irresistible to anglers, especially those who are addicted to fly fishing. There are so many great places to wet a fly that it is hard to decide on just one. Here are a few of the best places to go trout fishing in Montana.

Going out of Yellowstone national park, the Yellowstone River boasts of beautiful trout. These big fish are almost always hungry which makes fly fishing incredible. Depending on the season and time of day nymph fishing or streamer fishing techniques are very effective. This stretch of river from the state line north through Livingstone generally fishes very well. In addition to good fishing, this part of the river flows through charming country.

Madison River is known as an amazing fly fishing river. The entire river is just absolutely remarkable. However, the tail waters of Earthquake Lake flowing down to the inlet of Ennis Lake seems to have been made with fly fishing in mind. This is midge country. The tiny little flies tied onto tiny #20 or #22 fish hooks seem to be fish magnets.

Madison River ends by merging in with Jefferson River and the Gallatin River. The largest of these three rivers forms the head waters of the Missouri river. At the contours of these rivers there is some very impressive habitat created that is home to many fish and some spectacular fly fishing , the combination of fast water and slow water along with the changing depths of water and even and island or two makes this entire area an anglers paradise. All of the different types of fly fishing may be used in this one area with great success.

Five Best Grouper Lures

Deep sea fishing for grouper is an exciting adventure. The best place to find groupers is to go Florida fishing out in the deep water. There are many different kinds of lures that can be used for grouper. Here are five of the best.

The Williamson Live Squid lure is a great way to attract their attention. This nine inch squid imitator uses either 8/0 or 10/0 fish hooks. The rigged model is set up with 8/0 fish hook and 6 feet of 200# test line. It has life like swimming action as it’s pulled through the water.

Mold Craft makes a lure called CastaHoo that is set up with a 1 ½ oz. 9/0 jig head and a soft plastic body that have great swimming action. This lure can be fished deep with a large sinker to get it down to the depths where the grouper are. It is made from several bright colors to attract their attention.
The new Whirligig by Shimano is a great lure to use for grouper fishing. It is designed to swim in a circular motion like a wounded bait fish. It comes in several colors and sizes so it can imitate many species of bait fish.
The Wobble Deal lure by Atom is a great grouper lure that can be fished in many different ways. It can be trolled or jigged, but fishing at 600 feet depths you will most likely jig it. It has a great wobble action that attracts the groupers attention.

Atom also makes the Vi-Ke jig. This is a great all around lure that works well with grouper as well as many other species. It has a highly polished nickel finish that creates a flash in the water that makes fish want to strike it. It is made with a red tail that helps it attract fish. It comes in many sizes from 8 oz. to 24 oz. The big 24 oz. model will sink down to the baited depths.

Best Rigs for Walleye in Spring

When the winter weather finally leaves and spring moves in to warm up the water, walleye begin to wander away from their deep winter retreats and move into spawning mode. As the water temperature approaches 42° to 52° the spawning season begins. Here are some of the better rigs to try during this difficult season.

Walleye spawn where there is some form of structure or gravel to protect the eggs. This could be along a dam, a stone reef, rubble piles, gravel bars, or even in an area of flooded vegetation. These are the areas where you want to be fishing during the spring spawn.

For the most part, walleye are not interested in eating during the 2 or 3 weeks during the spawn or the 2 or 3 weeks after the spawn, however, a few males will occasionally nibble on a few things here and there. With this behavior in mind, the best tackle to use is ultra-light fishing gear. Load up your fishing reels with 2lb. test monofilament line. Attach the reels to graphite fishing rods. Thiswill help you feel exceptionally light nibbles. Care must be taken when setting the hook during these gentle strikes or you will pull the hook out of their mouths and far enough they won’t go after it again. When you feel alight nibble pull the line about an inch and wait. When you feel it bite again, pull it another inch or inch and a half and wait. The third time you should feel a good strong strike and you can set the hook.

A good bait to use are live minnows on #2 long shank fish hooks. They seem to like live baits during spawn. If they are slow biting try adding a couple of bright red beads and if they still won’t work, try chartreuse beads. If they’re being stubborn ultimately try a jig.

Spring Goliath Grouper Fishing

One of the most fun fishing trips a person can have is deep sea fishing for the goliath grouper. These big fish offer an endurance test and a technical challenge to catch them and get them into the boat. Here’s some of the best ways to go after these great fish.

The goliath grouper like nice warm deep water to live in. The deep water off of the Florida coast is home to many of these fish because of the great water, structure, and temperature. If you choose to go Florida fishing for grouper you’ll be in good company with many guides and boats for hire.

It’s best to begin the day early by going to oil rigs. The oils rigs are home to many bait fish like blue runners and hard tails. These fish are easy and fun to catch on light weight tackle like spinners and spoons. You want to fill a live well with a couple dozen of these bait fish that are between 10 and 13 inches long.

After you’ve caught your bait, which is almost as much fun as bass fishing back home, you’re ready to go out to the deep water where the big grouper like to hang out. The fish like some of the deep water areas around 650 feet. They like to hang out on a shelf and eat the bait fish that swim below them. The best way to find these areas and the fish is to use a fish finder. A good fish finder, like a Garmin, will allow you to clearly, with sharp accurate detail, see into the depths and find both the structure and the fish.

Essentials for Lure Creation

Fishing has always been both art and science. One of the best demonstrations of this is creating your own fishing lures. To conceive, design, and fabricate effective fishing lure requires knowledge of both the art and science. Here are some of the essentials for constructing your own lures.

It doesn’t matter if you’re deep-sea fishing or bass fishing; the first thing you must know is what attracts a fish. Science shows that fish are attracted by sight, sound, smell, and vibrations. The most common lures try to attract fish by appealing to their sense of sight. There are several ways to visually stimulate a fish. These include shape, color, and texture.

It seems every type of fish has certain colors that will attract its attention. Some fish like yellow, other fish, like trout, like florescent orange and bright red. Bass seem to like bright colors like the bright colors of yellow, green and chartreuse. All fish seem to be attracted to a shiny flash of light no matter if it’s silver, gold, or brass.

Once the science part of the fish has been thought through, then the art portion of the lure becomes critical. The art segment includes materials and design. Should the lure be plastic, wood, or metal? There is nothing more impressive than a handcrafted basal wood lure shaped like a shad or minnow and then perfectly painted. Metal lures can be cut, filed, and polished before they are painted. The design of the metal lures can vary from fish-like to spoon-like to just a piece of metal like the Kastmaster.

Other important part of designing a lure is the type and placement of the fish hooks. Some designs use single hooks, others prefer treble hooks. Generally, lures incorporate one to three treble hooks for a great hook-up.

Fly Fishing in Colorado

Colorado has amazing fly fishing. There are so many places west of I-25 to wet a fly that you could go fishing for years and not touch all the water. But one area is especially great for fly fishing, which is the Poudre Canyon outside of Fort Collins.

The Poudre canyon starts at a spot called Ted’s place and goes west to the top which is Cameron pass. The Cache La Poudre River flows all through the canyon. At the mouth of the canyon the water is deeper and slower. It is full of rainbow trout and a few browns. The wet fly fishing is wonderful year around.

As you move up the canyon fishing on the lower half is great the scenery is beautiful. Most of the year the river is gentle and wade able. Most of the shoreline is open enough that you don’t have to worryabout snags.

From the town of rustic to the top is the best fishing. Most of the fly fishing is done with barbless fish hooks. Small nymphs will catch huge rainbows, but be sure to check the fishing regulations for size limits. Above the fish hatchery a few miles is Joe Wright reservoir. This fairly large body of water is great to belly boat in and fish for trout as well as the few remaining graylings.

A good steep hike above Joe Wright is Zimmerman Lake. This great little lake used to be stocked with graylings but is now stocked with a cutthroat subspecies called a greenback. These are great to fish for and at sundown will go crazy for dries.

At the top of the pass is CameronLake. Thislake was drained a few years ago and has been repaired and re-stocked. It has great fly fishing along the shore, but is even better in a belly boat.