The Hopper Juan: Arkansas River 05/02/09

Where are the caddis? Who cares when the BWOs are out and the fish are eating them! I was at the 2nd annual Columbine Fly Fishing Camp this weekend, helping out a friend that hosts this program. There was a great turnout despite the weather being somewhat cold and breezy all day. The water was in good shape, a bit higher and off color than last week, but the fish were still there. After a round of helping people on their casting, it was time for some fly tying and knot classes. As soon as those ended, it was off to the river. I invited a friend from Denver to join the fun and we fished together most of our free time. It was a good day with a lot of fish caught and a lot of instruction. The highlight of the day was the BWO hatch--or was it dinner? The hatch came as a storm was aproaching and soon all hell broke loose. First, shot were being fired, from where? I don't know, but we mooved away from where they were coming from. That put us in a perfect spot to see some noises poking out. Rain was falling and fish were biting and a good time was had by all. After many fish and a couple hours, it was time for some dinner. BBQ at the end of a long day was the perfect end to a great day of fishing.