It has been awhile since my last blog, please forgive absence but I have a good excuse, honestly I do. The past two months has found me dealing with severe back issues, three herniated disc. Perhaps it has been lifting all those big fish I have caught, ha-ha, yeah right! Its more likely due to years of abuse at work and not lifting properly but regardless it has been a real pain in the .......... well you get the picture!
After three cortisone injections and two months of physical therapy I am proud to announce I once again can stand upright and for more than an hour at a time. Prior to the onset of these back problems I did get a chance to make a run down to New Mexico and visit Bluewater Lake and ply the waters there for Tiger Musky.
Bluewater is located about 100 hundred miles west of Alb. New Mexico ( I abbreviated Alb because I never can spell it right and dont want to make a fool of my self here and I am to lazy to look it up but at least I am honest) is listed at about 1200 acres and boast 22 Tigers per acre. The Tigers here are growing quickly and have reached 20lbs plus already with the average fish in the 8lb to 12lb range. My short report here is that while the weather was less than perfect we still managed 5 Tigers in the boat, all on fllies in two days. 5 of these fish came in one afternoon. Needless to say I will going back as soon as I can as these fish are very aggressive and underfished right now! Need I say more..... If you get a chance visit Bluewater and sample the wonderful Tiger fishery they have there!
As of late I have been fishing close to home. I have been fishing the South Platte for Carp and I have covered the river from Dartmouth all the way out to 104th. The action has been spotty due to high water and off colored but some areas have been fishing well if you know where to look. These fish have not had a lot of pressure yet due to the conditions and when I can find them they have been quite receptive to a well place fly. The last three outings have produced a total of 16 carp between 5lbs and 22lbs, several respectable Smallmouth Bass, and even a couple of decent Rainbow Trout.
While checking out the Platte this year I have made it a goal to check out as many of the local ponds located nearby the areas on the Platte as I can and they have been a gold mine for fishing this year. I am not going to name locations but they are there and open to the public and full of fish. While I fished these ponds my search had me looking for Carp, and I found plenty, and some real monsters to over 30lbs but the Largemouth Bass fishing has been a real bonus for me. I have been taking lots of 1lb to 3lb bass with the occassional fish to 5lbs and it has been a blast.
My point to all of this is not to brag about the fish I have been catching or their size or species but instead encoourage everybody out there to get out and fish close to home when you dont have the time to make long trips or other reason that limit where and when you can go fishing! There is plenty of good fishing close to home and these resources(lakes, rivers, ponds, fish) dont have to be big or well known to produce quality fishing but as a matter of fact they many times will out produce and teach you more about fishing than travelling to some far off destination or well known body of water. I for one find this resource invaluable and hard to pass up.
I hope to stay in good health and enjoy more of this quality fishing close to home and spend some more time sharing and communicating will all of you on Colorado Fish Explorer! Until the next time stay healthy, and watch your back!
