Row,Row,Row Your Boat.

Once again I apologize for the length of time between blogs, so much water and so little time. As many people know fishing and getting ready to go guide in Alaska are taking most of my time. With that being said I want to tell everyone about some great times on the raft. If you have never taken a raft trip with fly rod in hand let me tell you it's a blast. If your like me no doubt you have flipped through a few articles talking about row vs wade, every time I read one of those articles I can't understand why people pick a side. As fly fishermen and women I think we should take every chance we can to explore new country and take advantage of all the great opportunities Colorado has to offer. So with a little run off, me and the gang have been floating some river every chance we get. We even got Connell on the raft and have created a rowing monster, there is something about rafting a river that gets into the blood, maybe its the rapids and hoping you have picked the right line to get through without getting into to much trouble that gets your adrenaline up or the spray of whitewater coming over the raft, maybe it just takes you back in time to when the first explorers ran the rivers just to see what was around the next corner. Maybe it's coming up on that perfect spot knowing you only have one chance to get it right before it passes by (don't worry there will be lots of perfect spots if you miss one)and if you lay that perfect cast right were you want it, and the drift looks good watching that fish from the casting deck of the raft slam your fly is a rush. So me, Connell, Cat, Alex and some great friends have been running the Rio Grande (before the big fire in South Fork) the upper Arkansas and the tailwater. The upper Arkansas is fishing awesome right now from a raft, the water clarity is perfect and the flows are good and not to mention every bug on the river seems to be coming off daily. Now if your thinking about running a river please think safety and invest in a good whitewater life vest and go with someone that has experience rowing a raft that can show you the ropes. Before I go I have to introduce the fly fishing monkey, he is the fly fishing adventure monkey and he goes by the name "MONKEY". The adventure monkey is new to the gang but is already becoming a self proclaimed expert on the river, a little pushy and a bit of a know it all but fun to have around. He is always quick to point out a bad cast or bad presentation but will also take his turn rowing the raft or spotting fish. I think you will see a lot more of monkey since he is already planning his trip to Alaska(don't know who invited him?)and any other trip to the water he can wiggle in on. From everyone at the Drift Tight lines!! And as always your friend on the water Freaky Frog.

Bad Rap

Hope the spring finds everyone well and exited for the warmer longer days ahead, more time on the water and the laundry list of fish to chase on your fly rod.As everyone knows this is the time of year my mind starts to wonder into the the world of one of my favorite fish on the fly rod,yeah i'm not afraid to say it carp.This misunderstood fish definitely gets a bad rap,but like I always tell people if you have'nt tangled with one on your fly rod you don't know what your missing.People spend thousands of dollars and search the world over in the persute of bone fish, and who can blame them what an amazing fish to take your fly fishing to the next level,but carp in my opinion are not much different.A carp will test your casting skill, presentation and your patience at every turn, they are spooky picky and one of the smartest fish you can fish for in fresh water.I was at the fly fishing show in Denver a few years back and thought I would check out a few seminars,the trout seminars were standing room only as always,but there was one seminar I really wanted to attend and of course it was the last one for the day.It was put on by a man that I have alot of respect for and after talking to him for just a few minutes had an instant connection with, his name was Jeff Currier.As I walked into the room I took notice that the room was anything but full, there was a gentleman introducing Jeff and saying how he thought the next big thing in fly fishing was going to be carp,as Jeff took the micro phone he looked around the room and with a smirk said the next big thing, could have fooled me.The seminar was great Jeff has a huge amount of knowledge on the subject and a drive that has taken him all over the world in pursuit of anything he can catch on a fly rod.One thing to always remember about carp is they are not easy to catch but if you keep after them they will teach you so much and they will make you a better fly fisherman no doubt.If your planning a trip to the salt I don't think there is any better practice than the carp.There is so much to say about carp, I could go on for hours but the best thing about them is the fight they put up they don't know how to quit.So next time your trying to catch a carp and someone ask how the fishing is and you tell them your after carp and they give you that look,you know the one,don't worry they will never know what they are missing.And don't forget the bass,wiper.pike and all the other things that make fly fishing great.Anytime you need some tips or tactics for these other fish or would like to take trip to target any of these fish don't hesitate to stop by the shop,we are always ready to talk fishing and help any way we can.From all of us at the Drift Fly Shop and your friend on the water freaky frog.

 

 

The Secrete To Life

I was asked the question the other day how I do the things i do,fish the places I fish and just go at life like a kid hitting the playground at recess,now don't get me wrong i do have bills to pay and responsibilities I just don't let them run my life.It got me thinking about something I had not thought about in years,now for those of you that have seen the movie city slickers(Jack Palance,Billy Crystal)then you will know what i'am talking about,if not then watching the movie might help.There is  a scene in the movie were Billy Crystal asks Jack what the secret to life is,Jack holds up his finger and Billy says the secret to life is your finger,Jack replies with a look of frustration and says no its one thing the secret to life is one thing ,Billy asks what is that one thing,Jack responds that's what you have to find out.Now I know at this point your thinking this is getting pretty deep,but hang in there I promise there is a point.Some years ago I was faced with one of the scariest things I think one will ever have to encounter,I won't go into detail but my wife was in the hospital and I didn't know if I was going to get her back.My wife is fine now and we couldn't be happier,but at the time this was all going on I found that one thing.That is when my life started to change and I started to see things from a different perspective.That's were all the fishing adventures come into play, me and my wife decided that we would start doing the things we want to do and not let life pass us by.That is what took me to Alaska this past year something i have wanted to do for years and just let me say it is exactly like in the books AMAZING!!!What a trip and its just like they say getting there is half the fun,from the bush planes to the boats the place is unreal.We flew into Anchorage and that is pretty much were the world as we all know it ceases to exists,we boarded a small plane or what i though was small till I saw the next one,no long security lines,and for that matter no security to go thru at all.That was nice to see how things could be in a better world.We landed in Homer and from there we took a boat ride to the small fishing village of Port Graham,now we were in the backcountry of Alaska.From there we took a very scenic drive to the lodge and mind you this is a old road that goes from the lodge to Port Graham and that is it.The lodge was top notch the food was five star, you stay in two person cabins that where tended to daily and the best part the fishing is crazy,salmon and dolly varden everywhere.I know some people think with that many salmon in the river you are snagging fish, not true these fish are fresh from the ocean and they are aggressive and ready to take a fly for what ever reason.Also these two rivers the Rocky and the Windy river are miles of private water owned by the Port Graham corporation,so the people at the lodge are the only ones fishing them.This truly is a trip to see Alaska as it was meant to be.I could go on for hours about the trip but seeing how I dont like typing on the computer as much as  Connell does(just kidding)we have planned a presentation at the fly shop on the the 19 of April from 6pm to 8pm.So if you think a trip to Alaska might be in the future or just want to come hear some cool stories and see some great pictures,do you self a favor and try to make it,you never know that one thing just might be in Alaska.As always your friend on the water Freaky Frog.

 

Just Around The Corner

 I want to start with an apology for not writing more,I would like to thank everyone for reading and I will try to stay up on my blog more.As some might know I have a bit of a fishing problem,Some might say an obsession I like to say passion(ok obsession probably fits better).I love to chase big fish all over the country and I say country just because I haven't fly fished in a far away lands yet,some day soon I hope to change that.With that being said big fish in your back yard are pretty dang good,and sight fishing for these guys is a blast.Covering water this weekend seemed to be the ticket,me and a good friend hit the water about mid morning the fishing started fair but no big fish to speak of came to the net.A quick chat with Cat and Connell revealed more of the same.So we went on the hunt and made tracks down river,what we saw next was just short of amazing,big fish off there beds(redds)and moving into feeding lanes.Game on is all that came to mind, this is my favorite way to fly fish,now i am a big fan of indicators but this day I would have to do without.The fish were in gin clear water and the sun was high in the sky,spooky fish, stealth was the name of the game.This is were a good fishing buddy who can spot fish well is invaluable,that is exactly what we did one would spot the other would fish.Seeing fish in low clear water is not the hard part in my opinion,but getting a good presentation without spooking the fish and seeing the take with no indicator is the challenge in my book.But like I said there was no shortage of opportunities,the fish were on the feed and the fishing was great.Plenty of 17''s and 18''s and a nice 20 to top it all off,there were some big fish that got the best of us those were the 22s and 23s right,that's how i like to tell the story after all we are fly fishermen and women we cant help it.No but all kidding aside what a great river we have,and I can't say it enough if the fish are on there beds please let them be it will only make the river better.Now sighting fish is not always easy but if you know what your looking for and with practice it can become the best skill you have anywhere on any water.I would also like to give a big congrats to Connell who landed an absolute pig of a fish,that he spotted and made it happen.Cat got it on film and I know everyone will get to see it soon on there blog.From all of us at the Drift thanks for reading, your friend Freaky Frog.

New and Improved

The new Arkansas tailwater,with the new improvements comes new water to fish and a river to explore.Me and Alex got a chance to get out last Friday and it turned out to be a great day on the water,the fish are spread out and have taken to the new improvements well.As we all know this river is very special and these improvements only add to that,so me and Alex shot a little bit of  video, when one of us could but down the rod long enough to run the camera.There are alot of fish actively spawning,so if you come across some pull up a seat and enjoy the show,but please let them do there thing.I also got out on Sunday and had some good streamer action.I will write more about that on my next post,but for now enjoy the video and as always thanks for reading,your friend on the water Freaky Frog!

Freaky Frogs First Blog

First I would like to thank everyone for checking out the new blog.My hopes are that this blog will both inform and entertain.If anything I think my spelling and writing skills should get a few laughs.Now I hope everyone will bear with me as i grow this blog and learn how to type.Cat and Connells blog is amazing and will be hard to keep up with.But if anything it will be more fish pics and stories from the water.Now the story behind the name of this blog.(Thanks Cat)The freaky frog comes all the way from Arkansas.A friend of mine Chad Johnson who is a guide and innovative fly tier on the White River came up with the frog.Chad along with another very good friend of mine Justin also a guide on the White River fish for everything they can with a fly rod,so the freaky frog was born taking big bass along the shores of Bull Shoals lake.The freaky frog will no doubt get its fair share of swim time on pueblo reservoir.But for now the river is were the action is and this week was outstanding I hope everyone saw the great footage Cat and Connell got on the river last weekend.If you haven't your missing out go to there blog and check it out.The fishing this Friday was amazing with multiple fish in the 17'' to 18'' range and my personal best a gorgeous 24'' male all colored up and ready to go.Now that brings us to Sunday me and some of the gang got to the river early geared up and headed down to the river.As we left the parking lot the army's where already massing for the charge to the river.My move at this point is to move and hit water that might not be the prime areas, but the way i look at it big fish don't like pressure either.So as we heard the the cry to charge (just kidding)we went on the hunt looking for feeding fish in unlikely places.The river was very crowded but not unfishable by no means, the great weather and the fact that we live on one of the best tailwaters in the state of Colorado makes for some busy days.But don't let that discourage you there is always a place to fish.Remember try to be courteous to others and enjoy the fact your on the water fly fishing and not at the the 9 to 5 for  now.As always from the gang here at the drift if your struggling or just want some pointers stop by the shop book a trip or just geat some info we are here to help.Thanks again for reading more to come real soon your friend on the water FREAKY FROG!!