Snow Pack Update 2018

With all the negativity in the media surrounding our snow pack I thought it would be a good time to shed some light on our situation.  I am in no way excusing the fact that we have had a light snow year and it feels more like April than February.  However, I do want to offer a few words of encouragement to our fly fishing community.  Currently the North Platte drainage is sitting at 88% of normal.  That is not terrible and we still have time to catch up.

2012 pre run-off fish

Looking through my journal this year is looking similar to 2012.  We were at 60% snow-pack by March 1st, the Delaney Buttes opened March 15^th, and Big Creek Lakes were open by April 1^st.  2012 provided options that we hadn’t seen in a long time.  We were fishing the tributary streams in March, floating the North Platte in April, and hiking into the high country in May. That might be what I love about North park so much is that every year, every season, every month, is so different than anything you have seen before.  It keeps you guessing, learning, adapting, and growing and is what keeps the fire burning.   

It would be nice to see a few big snow storms come in and blanket the valley but if it doesn’t we will have plenty of fishing to do.  As always we will adapt, overcome, learn something new, and gain another year of experience.

On the bright side a warmer winter will prompt early “Ice Off” at the Delaney Buttes and the rivers will open early providing a long window to fish before run-off which is abnormal in a freestone drainage.  To me I see this as a bonus awarding us more time on the water.  Anglers, lets get ready for an early start to the season and not get caught up listening to the media.  Fishing in North Park will be here soon and the fish could care less what month it is.  As soon as the ice starts to recede we will start reporting daily on the conditions.  We will post daily information on our website, facebook, and Instagram pages.  We’ll see you soon!  Fish on! NPA

Playing On The Platte

Do you remember going to the playground when you were a kid? Your parents would drive you there with your siblings, sometimes you’d take your dog for a walk over to the park, or you and your friends would race your bikes there to see who would get to the best swing first (don’t act like they were all the same, you know exactly which swing I’m talking about). When you finally arrived, often times you felt overwhelmed by the amount of possibilities for fun to happen. The swings, the curly slide, the monkey bars, the see-saw, it was going to take all day to do all the things you wanted to do! All too soon your parents would give you the five minute warning and it would be time to go. This scene seemed to be on repeat during those long, hot summer days, until one day it just stopped. Maybe you got too old and “too cool” to play on the monkey bars anymore, or your schedule got too busy to take a ride on the curly slide, until suddenly the playground was just a landmark you passed on your way to school or work.

The North Platte is undoubtedly the prized possession of North Park. Every summer, anglers come from far and wide just to get a chance to experience the beauty and nature’s craftsmanship of it. It’s wide, deep, natural, unique, intimidating, and provoking, but if I had to describe the North Platte in one word it would be “playground.” The North Platte is the ultimate playground for anglers. The amount of possibilities for fun are similar in numbers to those you had on the playground as a kid. Riffle runs for nymphing, grassy banks and deep undercuts for streamers, big slow flats for dry flies, sandstone cliffs, sagebrush bluffs, willowed packed banks, if you can dream it, chances are the North Platte has it. The fish are sizable, more often than not they’ll give you a run for your money and have you double checking your tippet and knots, “just incase”. And the best part? No parents are around to give you the five minute warning.

A North Park Angler picking apart the North Platte.

The North Platte truly is a special piece of water that calls North Park home. The freestone river brings awesome floating in the spring and early summer, amazing wading opportunities in the late summer and early fall, and great hatches all throughout the season. You truly could spend an entire day picking apart a short stretch of water. In fact, most anglers choose to spend multiple days on the river throwing bugs at fish and taking in the sights. With special water, comes special occurrences. The North Platte can go from tenacious to tedious in no time at all. One day your arm will be sore from catching so many fish and the next day you’ll be wondering if you remembered to even tie a fly on your line. When the cards get dealt, you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. So get up here, and try your hand at playing on The Platte.

Written by: Taylor Martin 

Taylor Martin with a spotted-up North Platte rainbow.

Where to fish?

I have lived in Walden since May of 2003 and I believe getting to live and work in a destination as quiet and majestic as North Park is a true blessing.  Waking up each morning gazing across at the snow-capped peaks daydreaming of fly fishing the valley below is something that will never get old.  However, there is a drawback to living here.  Such as, getting a day off and deciding where to fish.  With the diversity this park has to offer it’s more of a daunting task than one might assume. You must first figure out what it is that you’re after? Is it size, quantity, species, solitude, adventure, hatch, lake, stream, float, wade, etc.…?  Am I looking to toss Big articulated flies on a meadow stream hunting for one big fish.  Or is it that day the drakes are coming off on a tributary and the dry fly fishing is going to be sweet.  But maybe the damsel flies are coming off and sight fishing to 20 inch browns at North Delaney Lake is going to be epic.  But shit, the high country lakes just opened and you know those cutties have yet to see a fly this year and I could easily have a 100 fish day.  Those all sound good but rumor has it the tricos are just getting started and pods of rising fish on the Platte sounds awesome.  It might be time to have one more cup of coffee and then I’ll make a decision…. 

It looks Like I made the right Decision!

Buggin’ Out

Bzzz… SLAP! Another one bites the dust, but not before he bit you. There’s millions of them, and they all call North Park their home, feasting on human flesh during the day before the cold temperatures of the night put an end to their rendezvous. They’re big (legend says some of them can reach sizes up to a small pelican), they’re ugly, they’re relentless… they’re the North Park Mosquitoes.

It’s summertime here in the park and the fish are biting as well as the mosquitoes, but they aren’t the only bugs popping off. Drake hatches in the mornings, caddis hatches in the evenings, recent salmon fly hatches in the canyon, yellow sallies, PMDs, blue wing olives, golden stone flies, chironomids on the lakes, and many more are catching the attention of fish and anglers alike. Dry fly season is making the cold meadow streams boil, and this time of year there seems to be nothing more rewarding than hooking up on fish that are looking up and sipping on top. And while anglers come searching for the perfect dry fly day, streamers are still giving fish and anglers a work out, and nymphing with the trusty pink San Juan Worm is still a hit. In other words, you really can’t go wrong.

It doesn’t matter how much we rave about hatches and summertime fishing in North Park, the mosquitoes are still too much of a fear factor for some anglers across the state (most anglers that come from across the country don’t know what they’re getting themselves into before it’s too late). Are you brave enough? If not, go ahead and stay home doing chores or wrestling for a spot at the local and well known fishing hole. If so, pack your bags, grab your rods, stop by North Park Anglers for some bug spray, flies, and friendly advice, and get on your way to some of the best fishing in the state. We’re buggin’ out for bugs, are you?

Written by: Taylor Martin

NPA’s Rob Stout on the hunt for North Park Butter, fishing with a #16 caddis dry fly (photo by Taylor Martin).

Calling all Trout Bums

Calling all trout bums and tourists! It’s chironomid season at Delaney Buttes and the fish are hungrier than ever. The recent passing of Memorial Day Weekend brought fishermen and women from far and wide into quaint little Walden, Colorado, hoping to get a crack at feeding rainbows and browns lurking in North, East, and South Delaney Buttes. Rumor has it that red, sizes #12-16, chironomids really hit the sweet spot for the fish this weekend, but pretty much any and all colors were working including, black, olive, brown, and blue. The trick of the trade seemed to be deep nymph rigs (about 15-18 feet) with indicators, and if you are the proud owner of a float tube, pontoon boat, drift boat, or a really heavy-duty pool floatie*, you’re going to have the upper hand.

It’s safe to say that approximately 80% of the people who stopped by the shop this weekend were headed out to North Delaney, and it’s hard to blame them. The gold medal water and numerous 20+ inch trout are hard offers to pass up, but don’t be fooled, North Delaney isn’t the only lake with toads in it (and I’m not talking about the frogs). East and South lake both have equally sized fish, and usually half the number of people throwing fake bugs at them. It’s true that they are smaller lakes and don’t have as many large fish in them as North lake, but you’re almost guaranteed to catch more fish and have to deal with less people. If you’re smelling a skunk at North lake, don’t be afraid to head on over to East or South and take a tomato juice bath for your pride, we’ve all done it.

School’s out, summer is here, the sun is shining, and the fish are eating… get up here! Stop by North Park Anglers to get hooked up with everything you’ll need to get hooked up at the Buttes. Fish on!

*Disclaimer: don’t actually use a pool floatie of any kind (even the heavy-duty ones), that’s dangerous and we don’t want anybody getting hurt, not to mention…brr.

Written by: Taylor Martin

Spring Special 2017

Its time to start fishing.  The warm weather has given us a jump on the coming season and currently  we’re fishing a few local streams here in the valley and floating drift boats on the North Platte near Saratoga.  Fishing has been good and will only get better.  For the next month (March 15-April 15) we’ll be running a special on spring guided trips.  If you have the itch to either wade or float give us a call and we’ll get you on the water.  give us a call to book a trip (970) 723-4215.  Fish on!

March 15-April 15, 2017 Spring Special

Wade trip $350 Full Day Wade trip for 2 anglers

Float Trip $400 Full Day Float Trip for 2 Anglers

*All trips are full days and include use of Orvis Rods/Reels, waders, boots, flies, leader, tippet, lunch, drinks, and transportation from the shop to the river and back.

Ice Fishing Contest 2017 – Delaney Butte Lakes

Delaney Butte Lakes Ice Fishing Contest 2017

February 4th 2017

– Placing for prizes based on length plus girth of trout caught by individual during one-day contest

– One set of prizes for one-day contest 6AM to 5PM

– $75 for largest fish taken hourly (designated hours)

– Entry Fee: $30 Adults, $10 youth

– Youth under age 16 will compete for separate cash prizes

– Anglers can register at the Moose Creek Cafe Friday February 3rd beginning at 9AM

For more information you can contact the North Park Chamber Of  Commerce at 970-723-4600 or by visiting their website www.northparkchamber.org or by sending them an email www.northparkchamber@centurytel.net

Ice Fishing Contest 2017- Lake John/ Cowdrey

Lake John/ Cowdrey Ice Fishing Contest 2017

January 14-15, 2017

-Placing for prizes based on length plus girth of trout caught by individual during 2 day contest.

-One set of prizes for 2 day contest.

-$75 for largest fish taken hourly

-Youth under 16 will compete for separate cash prizes

-Entry Fee $30 for Adult, $10 for youth

-Anglers can register at the Moose Creek Cafe starting Friday Jan 13 at 9am

-For more info call the North Park Chamber at (970) 723-4600 or by visiting there website at www.northparkchamber.org, or sending them an email at northparkchamber@centurytel.net

Fall Fishing in North Park means Big Brown Trout

Fall is approaching quickly here in North Park.  The grasses, willows, and aspen trees are already starting to turn.  Fall fishing here in the Park means tossing huge flies for big browns.  Come join us on our private water for a Fall fishing trip to help you get that last big fish of the year.  Our smaller tributaries and the North Platte will be producing big brown trout from now through October.

Call us to book (970) 723-4215…  Fish On!

Go Big or Go Home!

Michigan River Brown Trout

Here at NPA we constantly get blank stares on our customer’s faces when we tell them 0X and huge streamers.  It seems that anglers across the west are more use to fishing 6X tippets and size 22 bugs than the latter.  That may be the case on busy tailwaters but here in North Park it’s different.  We use huge leader and tippet and our flies on average are also very BIG.  It goes beyond UN-pressured waters though.  As much as we like to think our fish don’t really care, they really do and if you want to tie into one Nasty North Park Brown you must follow the code, Go Big or Go Home!  The food that our fish feed on is big including, crayfish, minnows, sculpins, snakes, creek chubs, suckers, baitfish, spiders, hoppers, mice, ants, beetles, and stoneflies which stacks the weight on fast and is a major reason our fish get so Big.  With huge food we must use huge flies, and with huge flies we must use huge tippets and leaders.  So that’s why we say Go Big or Go Home!  Next time you come up the Park stop by and load up on some gnarly tippets, leaders, and flies and go catch a Brown of a lifetime!

Streamer Leaders

Our favorite leaders to fish big streamers are Orvis’s Super Strong Plus leaders in 7.5 ft 0-1X and Umpqua’s Streamer Leader 5ft 16 Pound.  These leaders are short and stout making it easier to turn over large bugs and will hold up to the huge strikes this type of fishing produces.  Click the link’s  to check out some of these leaders in our store.  Fish on! NPA