Typical Day at the Ford

Here we are in the middle of the midwinter fishing blues, rivers are high, lakes are frozen, but Dad called and reminded me of the one place that is always fishable - Rocky Ford Creek. Melinda was dying to see cousins, so we drove up together Friday night so Dad and I could get an early start. Of course Dad wanted to wait until the sun was up and temps were above freezing, but my experience is the colder and darker the better (and the fewer people). So we left at 6:30, hit McDs for the #8, but Dad got something else, and you know what that means....

Arriving at the Ford about 8 am, we found four cars in the lower lot! Those people were just leaving from below the bridge, so we started above the bridge. Nothing on stripped, olive simi-leech. Moved down below the bridge where Tom and I had killed them dead drifting leeches last time. Nothing. Moved up to the reeds above the bridge, and I started seeing action. About 6 wakes on 8 casts, including two landed like the one below.

17" rainbow

Then dead again. Switched to a new fly, the skully bugger, a big ugly black thing with rubber legs. 

Skully Bugger, a good-looking fly that was well received

It was well received. After tying it on, I saw a trout suspended right in front of me. I dropped the bugger in and watched as the trout moved right up to it, then sucked it in. Sight fishing buggers! With some more interest and another fish on that one, I went up where Dad was at the big rock above the reeds and gave him a skully bugger to tie on and suggested he move down a bit where there was quite a bit of action from fish swirling. Soon after, he had this nice rainbow to hand.

Dad and a nice rainbow on the Skully Bugger

By now the sun was up, no more ice in the guides, and fishing had slowed down. I went down to the rocky peninsula above the skinny water and caught several dead drifting the simi leech, but they were pretty small (12 in. or so). Back up to the reeds, there were some risers so I tried some small emergers. No luck, although, after tying them on, I dropped them in front of a monster that was suspended right in front of me. He immediately rushed up to the fly, stopped about an inch away, then turned around. Finally tied on a bead, and landed one sight fishing it. The big guy in front of me was also interested, approaching it three times, but never enough interest to suck it in. So ended the day at the Ford. Decent enough for me, but typically slow after the early hours. A chance to be out with Dad. Maybe next time he will order the number 8 so he can see a little more action!