The Colorado DOW has released the electronic version of the 2011 Regulations, this includes not only rules for certain bodies of water, but videos and other useful information about Gold Medal waters, where to take your kids fishing and how to prevent the spread of invasive species.  Check out the link above, there is a lot of useful and interesting information.

First Boat Trip Of The Year

The family and I got to go to Chatfield State Park for about seven hours today. We packed a lunch and the fishing poles. It was our first chance to try out the new pontoon boat. The day started out in the low 40s with a slight wind. As the day went on, it warmed up and the wind died down. My wife caught the first two fish of the day and I caught the only other one, all while trolling lead core. It wasn't the most productive fishing day we've had, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the outdoors and be on the water for a few hours. As with most fishing trips with little kids, I spent a lot of time trying to fix tangled messes. Hopefullywe can get back out before too long.  I'm already looking forward to catching more fish!

Indian Gulch Fire

Thanks to the many fire fighters that showed up to fight the Indian Gulch fire!  The fire is nearing containment and will hopefully be completely contained within another couple days.  I was sitting out by the helicopter staging area for the fire on Thursday and it started snowing briefly, it helped a little, but more moisture would have been nice.  Here is a photo of one of the helicopters at the staging area:

I had hoped to see the helicopters in action, but due to the cold weather and the winds, the helicopters were not needed.

Indian Gulch Fire

I'm sitting out at White Ranch open space watching two of the helicopters that are being used to fight the Indian Gulch fire.  The wind is picking up again today, but fortunately the temperature has dropped quite a bit and some light snow is starting to fall along the front range.  Hopefully the weather will help reduce the spread of the fire and allow fire crews to contain more of it.  The fire has burned through parts of the Mount Galbraith open space area and has US Hwy 6 and Golden Gate Canyon shut down.

Lake Profiles

Along with my fishing posts I will hopefully start to add some lake profiles.  These will be posts with links and information about different lakes around Colorado.  I will try to provide some information about how to get to the lake, what you can expect to catch and any tips or special info I can find.  I will probably start with lakes that I am more familiar with and have experience with.  As possible I will try to add photos and video from the lake to give you an idea of what to expect if you go there your self.  Feel free to leave suggestions about which lakes I should add.

Hubpages

Hey, if you enjoy writing check out Hubpages.  Hubpages is free to joing and gives you the chance to write about any topic you wish and publish it for others to see.  I have been enjoying writing on my blog, but Hubpages has also given me the chance to write about other things outside of the focus of this blog.  If you want to see some of what I have written, check out my profile on Hubpages.

Check out Hubpages today, if you want a chance to write, you'll be glad you did.

Trolling With Lead Core Line- Getting Set Up

If you read my last post on Trolling With Lead Core Line you should have a pretty good idea of what it is. In this post I will help you to get your first fishing pole for lead core set up.

Rod

Ugly Stick rods are my go to lead core poles.  They are great
value, helping give plenty of bang for your buck.

First you need to pick out your rod.  This will largely depend on what type and size of fish you will be going after.  Obviously a small lake and one of the Great Lakes or an ocean trip will require different equipment.  For Colorado I chose an Ugly Stick with a medium heavy action.  This gives me enough back bone in the rod to handle the heavy lead core line and also handle the fish that I am likely to encounter. 

Reel

You'll need big reels for lead core

Next you will need to pick out a reel.  You will want a large ocean or trolling type reel.  If you can, look for a reel with a level wind, this is a small guide that moves back and forth as you reel in to make sure the line is spread across the reel.  This isn't necessary, but will reduce the likelihood of your line bunching up when you are paying attention to a fish.  Also try to get as much line capacity in the reel as possible.  Lead core line is very bulky and it will fill up your reel very quickly.

Lead Core Line

The first thing to go on your reel is backing.  This is line that goes behind the lead core line and serves two purposes:  first off, it helps to fill the rest of the reel and second, it provides additional line if your fish pulls out all of your lead core.  On top of your backing you attach the lead core line, this comes in several weight ratings and lengths.  Once the lead core line is attached you will need to attach a leader.  I typically use a 20lb mono filament for the leader.  This makes it easier to tie on your lure and gives the advantage that if your lure breaks off you are only using an inexpensive leader, not your lead core line.  I start with about 50ft of leader.  This keeps the lead core line out of sight from the fish, gives you plenty of room to cut pieces off or lose line while fishing and still have some left over.  Another advantage is with 50ft of line you could snag your lure up to 50ft below the surface and still only have to cut the leader off.

Choosing Your Lead Core Line

Trolling with lead core line

So what lead core line do you need?  There are two main points to look at when choosing.  First off, you want to pick the line weight.  Just like any other fishing line, this affects the strength of the line.  It can also affect the rate at which the line sinks, though as far as I can tell the sink rate doesn't change a lot.  The second thing to look at is the length of the line.  Lead core typically is color coded every ten yards.  Line typically comes as 5, 10, 15 or even 20 color spools.  I have used 10 color, which gives you about 100 yards of lead core line.  Each color pulls your lure down about five feet while trolling.  So a 10 color line will allow you to present your bait about 50 feet down.  Depending on where you are fishing you may need more or less. Many Walleye anglers use 5 colors because they may not need to get down more than 20 feet or so.

One trick for putting your line on your reel is to use two identical rods.  Start by putting on your leader, then your lead core, followed by the backing until your reel is full.  Then attach the backing to the second reel and reel all of it in.  Now you know exactly how much backing to put on your second rod.

Check out my next post on lead core, In The Water

What is a downrigger?

The New Year For Fishing

If you have a fishing license for Colorado that was issued last year it is good through March 31st of this year.  That means you have a couple weeks left to hit the water and try to catch some fish.  Or if you won't be able to get out by the end of this month make sure you pick up your new license before heading out later in the spring or summer. 

If you haven't been fishing in awhile this would be a great year to get back out there, take your kid fishing, or just go out and relax.  Here are some tips for getting ready to fish.

The Fishing Season Approaches!

Ah, the beginning of March.  I don't know about you, but I typically don't fish a lot in the winter.  Now that the temperature is starting to rise and the lakes are starting to melt I am starting to think about fishing more and more.  I have tried to fish Standley Lake a couple times in the last two weeks, but have not been successful in catching any fish.  If you are looking forward to wetting a line I will give you some tips to start your fishing season smoothly.

First off, it is time to start thinking about a fishing license.  Here in Colorado your fishing license from last year is good until March 31st of this year.  So you could head out now on your previous license, like I have been doing, but you will need to get a new license as of April 1st.  Not only do you want to make sure that your fishing legally, your license fees will help the DOW to manage Colorado's wildlife for us. 

Next, it is a good idea to look into changes in regulations.  Year to year the DOW often makes changes to certain lakes and bodies of water to better maintain the fishing resources.  They may increase or reduce fishing limits of certain species of fish at certain locations to help manage the lake as a whole.  Blue Mesa Reservoir is one example.  This year DOW has changed the limit of lake trout under 38 inches to unlimited to help reduce the affect they are having on the Kokanee Salmon population.

Next, check your tackle.  This is a good time to get your fishing tackle out of the closet, garage or basement and dust it off.  Start by checking your rods and reels.  Are they in good working condition?  If necessary you can clean it up or replace anything that is broken or unusable.  While you are at it, inspect the line on your reels.  I use to leave mine on until I didn't have much left.  After loosing a number off fish due to broken line I realized that fishing line wears out and degrades depending on use, temperature extremes and exposure to UV light.  Fishing line is not that expensive and replacing it at the beginning of the season might just help you land that next fish.

Check all of your lures, hooks, weights and baits.  If any of your lures are damaged, or just heavily worn you might want to get a replacement.  I have certain lures that I always replace if they are worn out or lost because I like to use certain patterns and designs.  Also check to see that your hooks are sharp and either replace them or sharpen as necessary.  A sharp hook will make it easier to catch that fish that hits your lure.  A dull hook may prevent it from setting properly, resulting in a lost fish.  Also make sure you have enough weights and bobbers, these items tend to get lost and you want to make sure you have enough for the coming season.

Hopefully these tips will get you started on a prosperous fishing season.  Let me know in the comment section below how you do and I will update as I get out to some of the various lakes this year.