Greg

I've always done well on small beadhead nymphs like hares ear, PT, and zebras. Size 18 or smaller. For dries a griffiths gnat has done well for me. I've always done better on nymphs though. Greg

I did order and have received that 20 dollar C&F box from Sierra. It's a nice box. It looks capable of holding bigger flies than my other more expensive one but won't hold as many flies overall. If anyone is interested you might order one while they last. I've been able to organize my entire fly collection (several hundred) in these 2 C&F boxes. Before that i had them scattered in 9 total boxes. Big improvement for me. Greg

Unless it has just recently changed the website says there are still quite a # of basic sites that are non reservable. And that was the case in June of 2008 when I was there. Example: http://www.mostateparks.com/montauk/camp12.htm# Greg

We had planned to drive up to Fort Collins but didn't make it. I hear it's a great place. I think a few years ago it was voted as one of the top 10 best places to live in the US. Greg

Sierra Trading Post has one model on sale for 20 bucks: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,1677N_...roof-8-Row.html Greg

You know I would really debate that. I just got back from CO and spent several days chasing and catching wild browns, bows, and brookies. Great trip and a good time. But I just didn't see that much difference in the trout. In fact for fighting ability I would put our stocked MO trout above the wild trout in CO. And our trout unless they are freshly stocked are pretty close to as pretty as the wild ones. Just MHO. Nick I completely understand your passion for Montauk. One of the truly outstanding places to fish - both inside and outside the park. Greg

During the week there are usually a few sites available - from the sites that are designated that way (first come first serve). Even during the busy season. I think most of those sites are non electric though? But not 100% sure of that. I think those non reservable sites are more available early in the week and tend to fill up by Fri. Another option is that there are a couple of other campgrounds in the area. http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/tradewinds/tradewinds.html http://www.pinecrestcampground.net/ There are places where your wife can set up a chair and watch you. It just depends on where you are fishing. Hope you have a great time. My family and I love Montauk. Greg

Anyone else using the C&F fly boxes? I just bought one when we were out in CO. My flies were a mess but this box sure seems great. I was able to organize most of my trout flies in one box. I got the one with the slit foam in each end and a leaf in the middle with 2 more sections (4 total). Kind of pricey ($40) but worth it to me just for the organization and ability to carry fewer boxes. Greg

That's a great picture. So you've obviously been horseback riding in the area too. I booked a horseback riding trip for us some time ago mostly because my son had never been on a horse and wanted to try it. I really wasn't looking forward to it. But we all 3 had a great time. We took a breakfast ride at sombero stables. I was expecting a nice little trail ride. Wasn't expecting to go way up into the mountains! We climbed to over 8,000 ft on some pretty intense and steep trails. And the horses were great but they (especially mine) needed a lot more guidance than I expected. Next time you are there if you are interested you might make a quick stop at the elk meadows campground. If you go in the general store there is a lot of history of the place posted. The bar dates from the 1800's complete with bullet holes supposedly made by calamity Jane. The office building was originally a brothel at another town in CO in the 1800's. Interesting and cool stuff. I wish I would have had time to hike up to some of the alpine lakes and fish for the native cutthroats. But time and the weather didn't allow for that. Maybe next trip. I notice you are from KS. So you are a lot closer to RMNP than I am. Lucky you! Greg

Thanks for the kind words Dano and PC. Ness we stayed at Elk meadows RV resort and campground. It was really close (0.5 miles) to the entrance to RMNP and about a mile from Estes park. Really nice place with a lot of history to it. The trip would have been absolutely perfect if the weather had been a little better. I definitely want to explore more of CO in the coming years. Greg

My family and I just got back from Estes Park CO from a family vacation and fishing trip. Good trip overall although the weather was kind of lousy. It was unseasonably cold and rainy the past week. Still the fishing was pretty good. The 2nd day there we (my wife, myself and our 14 yr old son) took a guided trip in the RMNP. We fished the big Thompson pretty far up between Moraine Park and the Fern lake trailhead. The fishing was completely different from what I was used to. But all 3 of us caught fish. The guide spent most of the time with Ryker and I was on my own after a short tutorial by the guide. I took 8 or 9 fish for the day one being a fairly decent brown. The rest mixed browns and brookies. It was ROUGH going. He took us through some serious brush and it was tough going upriver for approx 5 hours. Still a good day. The best fly was a black foam beetle. On another day I fished the canyon area of the big Thompson below town. Again I did fairly well taking 7 or 8 fish with one pretty good bow and one good brown. No pics from this day. It was raining HARD off and on. Couldn't get a take on top. Tried several things subsurface. The best fly was a good old MO pattern mohair leech. My last day of fishing and our last day in the park was also my best. I was in the Moraine Park meadow area in RMNP on the big Thompson. Beautiful area. I had been warned not to fish it by the guide and by a guy in an Orvis shop in Boulder. They said the trout were too finicky and the area was fished too hard. But on this last day I caught probably 20 fish all browns. All on the black beetle. Just a lot of fun. One observation. I have not caught a lot of wild trout. A few in MO. But this was my first experience fly fishing for trout out west. I loved it but the trout certainly didn't seem much different than our stocked MO trout. Comparatively speaking fish of similar size I would have to say I've caught MO browns and rainbows that fought harder (especially Taneycomo fish) and were just as beautiful. It was Michael from BCO that suggested this was a good place for a family vacation and he was right. My thanks to him. The pics were too large to attach. So here is a link to the online fishing pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/glm3864/COFishing2009# And if anyone is interested here is the link to the family vacation photos (with a lot of beautiful scenery of the area): http://picasaweb.google.com/glm3864/COVacation2009# Thanks, Greg

Dano thanks for posting this. I had not heard. I'm very sad. Bill Tappley was probably my favorite author period. Loved his fiction AND non fiction stuff. A big loss to us all. Greg

I've been vacationing in CO and missed out. What a funny and entertaining thread. I just caught a lot of trout on a beetle pattern in CO this past week - I really like the pattern Gavin posted. Greg

I agree with you. LOTS of good choices in the Branson area. Greg

One kayak I didn't see mentioned was the manatee brand? Does anyone own one? They make an angler edition that sure looks like a good one: http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/se...3-sub2&np=Y They also sell the same one without all the fishing add ons for $100 less (399). I'd sure like to try one. Greg

I think if you could find a good quality blank to build on for a low enough price - you would have a real winner!! I would be interested. I've got an old fenwick glass rod I like. I've looked at the steffan bros and mcfarland rods but find them too pricey. Greg

Dana's is awesome. The only drawback is that they are not open on Sundays. A couple of other places we like are Famous Dave's (bbq) on the Landing and Montana Mike's. Greg

I used to fish that area a lot when I was younger. Back then (20+ years ago) there were really good numbers of smallmouth and largemouth. As well as channel cats. I used to catch channels occasionally on the rapalas and crankbaits I was throwing. I'm glad to see it still fishes pretty well. Greg

I'm looking too. Have been for some time. Any idea what that Native Ultimate 12 costs? I've been looking at this one: http://www.ems.com/1/1/28822-old-town-vapor-10-xt-kayak.html It's a kayak obviously but it looks to have more of an open cockpit. I recently took a float in a sit in kayak. I enjoyed it but it was a bit small for me (9ft). I didn't fish out of it much that day though. Greg

I don't think you need to apologize for your kayak. You obviously enjoy it and that's all that matters. I would be interested to hear how your weekend overnighter goes. Please let us know. Greg

So you are saying a solo canoe is going to be faster than a tandem canoe with 2 strong paddlers? I had no idea that would be true. But I guess if it's true of a kayak then I'm sure you are right especially if using the double ended paddle. Greg

Hey thanks. Looks like a killer fly. Greg

Tim Can I ask what sizes you tie these mini buggers in? Do you have a pic of one? Thanks, Greg

I appreciate the info and respect your opinion Mr. Agnew. I definitely see certain advantages of a solo canoe. I'm relatively experienced with a canoe. But based on my recent float trip with my sons - we just found the kayak faster. And our rental was a pretty good old town canoe (not aluminum). I know it's rather unscientific but my younger son and I just couldn't keep up with my older son in the kayak. And it was a cheap kayak at that. Of course it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that my older son is 21 with shoulders and arms like an NFL linebacker?? LOL. Anyway unfortunately in these tough economic times price counts for a lot. Even for those of us with relatively secure, well paying jobs. Greg

Thank you both for the info. I have thought of a solo canoe but I can't see why they are so expensive? A kayak seems like a reasonable much lower priced alternative. Like you both said the kayak doesn't have as much room for gear for sure. But they sure do seem faster and more maneuverable. Greg