Fly Fishing the Wilds

I guided the Wilds yesterday. The weather was fantastic although perhaps not ideal for fishing. We got into some great largemouth with the fly rod. To the right, John Jr. holds a nice fish landed on a large swimming frog fly that is one of my favorites for bringing up big fish. John Sr. was also in the boat and they both landed more fish that we wished to count. It was a pleasure to have a father-son team on the water for a day.

The swimming frog fly (pictured) is available from Mad River Outfitters online or at the store in Columbus, Ohio along with a full selection of flies and equipment for bass fishing on the fly rod.

The Wilds is one of the largest and most innovative wildlife conservation centers in the world. Located on nearly 10,000 acres in southeast Ohio, it is home to more than 25 species of non-native wildlife from Africa, Asia and North America and hundreds of indigenous species. In addition to innovative, in-depth science and education programs, the Wilds offers guided experiences to the public on selected days May through October. With over 100 lakes and ponds, the Wilds also offers unparalleled opportunities for freshwater fishing. Through an exclusive arrangement with Mad River Outfitters in Columbus, Ohio, the Wilds offers guided fly-fishing excursions on some of their finest lakes.

Jon Boat - Bass Boat Update

I’ve been tracking hits to this page and links to and from the page. What I’ve noticed is that many people seem to be interested in my converted Jon boat/bass boat so here are a few more details.

I was looking for a versatile craft to flyfish and guide flyfishers from. I wanted something rugged enough for trips to the boonies but at the same time large enough and comfortable enough for a full day’s fishing. I also wasn’t interested in spending $20,000 on a bass boat or a flats boat. I went with a jon boat.

The basic boat is an Alumacraft 1448 rivited, flat bottom jon. At 14 feet long, the bottom is 48 inches wide and the beam at the widest point is 70 inches. I also went with the optional 20 inch transom. The boat is rated for up to five people but I’ve designed it to be ideal for three. The trailer has the larger 12 inch wheels (standard is 8 inches) which are better suited to longer trips and more importantly offer greater ground clearance when I’m bushwhacking. My only trailer modification so far was to re-mount the license plate higher on the frame to prevent it being torn off on rutted roads.

Right out of the box this is a relatively light and extremely stable fishing platform. I went with 14 feet as the ideal length but I can still man-handle the boat when I need to get it in and out of tight places. The boat has/had a rear seat, a middle seat, oarlock mounts, and a front platform.

Once I got the boat home there was a quick trip to the D-I-Y Mega-Mart and my father and I went to work to customize the boat. Thanks Dad for all your help, I certainly could not have done it without you.

The front platform remains and is an excellent stand-up casting area for the front person and measures approximately 2 feet deep by 4 1/2 feet wide. Between the two seats we built flat decks from 3/8 inch plywood (more details on these floors and the rear casting platform below.) The now flat, non-slip decks in the bottom of the boat have many advantages over the standard jon boat ribbed bottom. Most importantly they make the deck flat so that one can easily move around while fishing and not have to worry about tripping over the ribs. The decks also greatly dampen the vibrations of people banging around on the aluminum.

Finally, we constructed a large casting deck over the rear seat that extends to the back of the boat. The casting deck is 3/4 inch plywood and measures 3 1/2 feet deep by 5 1/2 feet wide. Both the casting deck and the floors were custom cut to fit the space and then coated with varnish to protect them from water damage. The deck surfaces are covered with “Deco Dot” marine vinyl flooring. The vinyl is an excellent alternative to marine carpet as it does not hold water and can easily be hosed down and washed. It’s also scuff resistant, UV protected and the dotted surface is non-slip, even when wet.

I propell the boat two ways. First but least used is a 30lb thrust Minnkota trolling motor that I can mount on the transom if needed. The main disadvantage of the motor is that when fly fishing from the rear deck it’s difficult to prevent the line from getting tangled on the motor and motor mount.

The primary method to move the boat and by far my favorite is the oars. The boat comes equipped with oarlock mounts. I purchased 1/2″ shank bronze alloy open oarlocks and 8 foot long Carlisle economy oars, oar sleeves and stops. With the oars I can easily and quietly move the loaded boat at a pace more than fast enough for serious angling. The versatility of the open oarlocks allows me to quickly turn the boat to the ideal casting angles and stow the oars when I need to assist in landing fish.

My jon boat / bass boat is still a work in progress but so far I’m extremely happy with it. My most recent update is the addition of two foam fly patches beneath the seats (white rectangles in the picture above) that alllow anglers to quickly change flies and have a selection of flies close at hand. I have no plans for sonar, fish finders, live wells or stereo speakers at this time (although a hand held GPS has crossed my mind.)

Go fishing!

Run Off

It’s run off season. The water level has been rising steadily the past two days and is now at the highest point since I arrived in Colorado. I spent Satruday exploring the stretch of the river north of Buena Vista to the headwaters outside Leadville.

There is an incredible amount of public access to the river and many of the areas have designated angler parking. Parts of the upper river are also under special regulations. Left is the Upper Arkansas at the Hayden Meadow access. The character of the river is very different here from downstream. For a couple of miles the Arkansas flows through a high flat valley and meanders its way through multiple channels. There are a few beaver dams and some nice pools and runs. There is excellent access between the Hayden Meadow and Kobe downstream.

On downstream much of the river runs through BLM land and there is access from multiple pull-offs along route 24. Here the river enters a steeper canyon and picks up speed again changing the character of the water. There is public access above and below the town of Granite and then again at Clear Creek.

The increased flows had the river a little off-color and running swiftly. I did fish for an hour where Clear Creek meets the Arkansas and managed to land one rainbow trout.

Spring Run Off?

Left is another brown trout landed on our Thursday afternoon float. Friday I guided down-river for ArkAnglers. The water condition was a little off color but we did manage to land fish.

Today I’m again floating Cambo to Hecla Junction. The thing of note this morning is that the water level has risen quite a bit in the last 24 hours from a low at Nathrop about 550 CFS to almost 900 CFS at 8 am this morning. Looking at the peaks that surround the Arkansas Valley it’s evident that the snow we had last week has already melted. It’s been warm the last couple of days and the increased flow could signal the start of the run off. Another possibility is that some water has been added to the river for the adventure race this weekend in Buena Vista. This morning at 8 am there is a duckie race from BV to Johnson village. It will be interesting to see if the water does drop again or if in fact the run off has begun.

Arkansas River Comes Alive

Thursday Darren, Curtis and I floated the Arkansas and had a fantastic day of fishing. All the factors came together including the weather and water levels and we hit the caddis hatch head on.

We floated from Cambo to Hecla Junction in just under eight hours and caught fish the entire time. Above Fisherman’s Bridge we fished the usual hopper-dropper combo and the prince nymph caught fish as it has done all week. As we got closer to Fisherman’s Bridge around 2 pm we began to see more caddis and switched to the black foam caddis dry fly. That’s when the real fun began.

The top water action was non-stop and at times we were smothered with caddis. Once into Brown’s Canyon the already hot fishing got hotter. We coasted through pools where dozens of trout were rising. We had great fun picking individual rising fish to cast too. The water was so clear we could watch the take long before the fish reached the surface which added to the excitement.

The upper Arkansas is an amazing fishery. Last year I caught the tail end of the mother’s day caddis but by the time I got here the run-off had begun and fishing conditions were tough. I’ve spent the past year imagining what it would be like to fish here under optimal conditions and now I’ve done it.

Fish On!

I fished the Arkansas again today and had one of my best days ever on the river. The fishing came alive between 2 and 4 and I landed over a dozen butter-belly browns.

I fished between BV and Nathrop until the wind came up and made casting difficult. There were some caddis and BWO in evidence but no real hatch and no fish rising. I did have a couple of fish hit the stimulator I was using as an indicator but I took all the fish on either a prince nymph or a small flash-back pheasant tail nymph.

I was curious so I just measured my net. The opening is 12 ¾” by 15″. The net bow is cherry wood and was hand made for me by Ron Thompson of Shelby, Ohio. Thanks Ron I’m sure you’ll be happy to know I’m putting it to good use.