Durango, Colorado - Destination Home Base

We arrived to find perfect weather in Colorado.  We were ready for some serious exploring and some physical activity in the mountains.

Durango is a quaint small town, nestled in and around the beautiful Animas River Valley and surrounded by the majestic San Juan Mountains.

 










The Animas River—El Río de las Animas—runs through the center of town and offers excellent fly fishing waters.  This time of year the snow melt is nearly over but earlier in the year it is and popular for whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing.

We fished both the mountain lakes and the rivers as well.  Since it was late in the season, the rivers and streams were not full, in fact, they were quite low in places.  The goal in trout fishing is locating water that could hold fish.

River Fishing:

Most important---- It is a river’s pools that provide the trout with a combination of fast and slow-moving water that it seeks most. 


 

Pools in a river or stream are fed by a boiling ‘rapid’. A rapid is the fast, shallow, aerated (sometimes called ‘white water’) water at the head of the pool.

In most rapids, a river drops a meter or more on its course towards the sea. Rapids flow over large boulders and of course contain a steady supply of super energy food for trout like mayfly, stonefly and caddis nymphs – especially when a hatch is occurring.

Usually a rapid is concentrated by the rock formation of the riverbed into a major serious narrow V-shape as it enters the head of the pool. The fast white water runs directly into the pool from the rapid and creates a stretch of quieter water, smooth really cool water, on either side of it. It is this quiet water, HOT WATER----- that lends itself to being described as a  super charged ‘pool’.

Some rapids enter at a sharper angle than others, thus creating some major cool slack water on only one side of the fish laden pool. A well-defined pool is the TROUT's river favorite....... feeding station.

Pools give a big trout a concentrated super hot supply of food directly contiguous to, are u ready------ slower-moving water that doesn’t require much energy to occupy. 

Do you get it ?

Trout habitually "Hang really......Hang in this really super cool quiet water, watching for...FOOD." insects as they come cruzing down in the fast water.  All, I can say is....."Lets get hooked up" !!ll

Thanks for your time and I’ll see you in the Wide Open Outdoors.

Dave

 

Hunting Doves in Hondo Texas

 The hunting was amazing again in Hondo.

We hunted for three days and had an excellent time.  The birds were in big numbers and we had all different conditions.

Birds in big groups, birds as solos and high flying birds.

At times it was more of a tactical game you had to wait and let birds that were high,  flyover and wait for the shot and then take it.  My great friends,  Chris, Paul, Garrett, Lucas and I got limits of Whitewings all three days.    We were out there in the moment, it was great.

As we move into dove season the doves become more wary and smarter and you have to become smarter to.

It's really a waiting game but pick a bird get the AIM on him----lead him the right amount and take the shot.
























What I love about Dove season is it's mono e mono you against the birds.

As these birds came over the trees when they were flying fast you have to be ready get your game on and lead  the bird and make your shot.

It was a great time with friends something I'll never forget and we'll do it all over again next year.






















I shoot a shotgun with both eyes open, I look over the barrel and I focus on the amount of lead to give the bird.

Whitewing season was again amazing.

Our next trip is Colorado.















Knowledge is power in the outdoors.  Thanks for your time today and will see you next time.
  Dave

Tarfu Lake---”Recon in the Yukon”

August 18^th, 2012   --    Tarfu Lake---”Recon in the Yukon” – Fishing Canada

My great friend Joe Warchuck, his buddy Matt O’Boyle and Troy Leblanc, our show editor and camera man, left Alaska on August 18th heading for the “Recon in the Yukon”.   We were going to Canada to fish the Tarfu lake and in fact it became our own private late for two days.  We were far away from civilization; no electricity, no gasoline, no cell phones and nobody to bother us. 

We were on our way to hunt or in this cases fish for Grayling on the fly rod and some Pike with conventional lures.  Our sites were high for some great outdoor adventure time.

Our goal was to make a TV show in Canada showcasing the wonderful Alpine Lake fishing and that's exactly what happened on the Tarfu lake.  This lake is fed by snowmelt and so as a result the water was very, very clear.  Clear water is a good thing, we can see the structure and we could see the fish.  The only problem is, they can us too.

 

This lake had pristine tall pine trees lining the lake all the way around.  There were several beaver dams on the lake parameter. 


 
 

Anglers Note:

We worked the edges of the lake since Pike like to back themselves up into the grass and wait in an ambush mode.   We worked those shorelines hard in what I call Strike Zones.  We would keep the lures along the shoreline as much as possible since the fish were up in the grass.  We started out catching fairly small Pike.  They are really an interesting looking fish, reminded me of an alligator gar.  Along way we found some really nice spots to fish for  Grayling.  We could see them sipping the water, eating bugs off the surface so we put the fly into action and caught some nice Grayling too.  A floating fly and floating line was the best choice for us.

We shot this in high definition video and Troy was our cameraman.  He is the man who edits all of our TV shows so we had the best of the best on board.   We had a couple really nice days at camp and we had 2 tents and a full camping kitchen.  We did not miss any meals and we had really good times by the campfire.

We were hoping for a big finish and sure enough, next to one of those beaver dams in about 12 foot of water,  a monster 3 1/2 foot Pike came up from the deep take a white curly tail soft plastic and we had the trophy fish for the show.

 




















Well the “Recon in the Yukon” / Canada was all that we expected it to be.  It was great rod bending, great weather, clear water and excellent times with friends.

As I always say…..Thanks for your time today and we’ll see you in the next ---Wide Open Outdoor Adventure.

Dave

Fishing Skagway Alaska - The Target “King Salmon”

August 16^th, 2012--- Fishing Skagway Alaska – The Target “King Salmon”

Troy Leblanc, our show editor and camera man, and myself headed from San Antonio, Texas to Skagway, Alaska to meet up with my great friend and fishing guide, Joe Warchuck of  “Fat Salmon Charters”.

We arrived in Skagway via the “Wings of Alaska Airline”.  That meant we had a 40 minute flight down the passage to see some amazing country that God created.   The snowcapped mountains on both sides of the single engine plane gave us an amazing opportunity to shoot video of Alaska since we had smooth sailing at about 2500 feet above the surface of the water.

 

Joe gave me the conventional Alaskan bear hug when I saw him since it's been two years that I’ve had a chance to fish with him.   It didn't take long before were motoring out of the harbor in his fishing boat.  Our sights were on catching Kings with Downriggers. These waters are glacier carved Fjords, and the water depths were over 2700 feet.  We used up to four (4) downriggers simultaneously to get hooked up on some big King Salmon.  It started out little bit slow but we knew sometimes you just got to… work, it work, it work.  We had some nice 20 inch fish for our first rod bending action but we were targeting fish over 28 inches, which is keeper size.  King salmon are truly awesome eating.

 

 

 We had doubles and singles.    Rods were going down at the same time and that creates quite a challenge, remember, you still have downrigger's down which means we've got fishing line down and we've got the Scotty lead 10 pound ball downriggers down so when you get a good fish you have to bring up all the other downrigger's  and the fishing lines so you don't get seriously tangled up.  It was like moving into battle stations, Joe would, for example, get on the rod with the fish and I would bring up the other lines and downriggers, it was fast action for both of us. 

 

Anglers Notes:

When you're using downrigger's you’re really “controlled depth fishing”.  We where working from 60 feet down into the water to over 100 feet down into the water and we did have some of our downrigger's at one depth and others at another depth.  

We tried out different options, another words we have a lure behind a flasher or we have some herring rigs with the hooks throughout the body behind a flasher.   The flasher looks like a king salmon and of course the herring is bait.  The water clarity was not too good, which is typical, so sometimes you really got to put some flash in the water to draw in the bite.   Water clarity is only about 3 feet, so fish can't see very far.  They can see a flash from the flasher and come in to investigate and then they see a piece of herring swimming erratically and he'll take it.  We would rig the herrings so they had a little bend in the body. That's pretty important since the bow in the body would make the bait, kind of twirl in the water and you know what twirling the water looks like.  It looks like a wounded bait fish.

We’ll I think Joe was trying to wear me out.  We caught 32 King Salmon in one day and we finished it out with four monsters.  It was awesome rod bending action with my great buddy Joe Warchuck of Fat Salmon Charters in Skagway Alaska.

We made an amazing fishing show for Television.   Contact Joe at 907-209-7335… fatsalmoncharters@yahoo.com......and he can put you on the fishing trip of a lifetime.

Make sure you budget some time for seeing the sights around Skagway.  You can ride the train up into the mountains, take a high speed raft trip with “Ocean Raft Alaska”—(907-947-9012), and do some sightseeing on Dyea Flats with “Dyea Dave”---(907-209-5031) maybe you'll find some black or grizzly bears snatching salmon from the river.  Also, check out “Sergeant Preston’s Lodge” at –(866-983-2521) it was a great place to stay for us.

As I always say…Thanks for your time and will see you in our next…Wide Open Outdoor Adventure !!

Dave

Pleasanton, Texas – Rio Grande Turkey Hunt

Turkey Hunt --- Late in the Season

I really wanted to get out there late in Spring and Get a Rio Grande Turkey.   I contacted Robert Steenbeke, and we set it up.  We were going to hunt an area that had high trees with little foliage for roosting and water nearby.  I met Robert early in the am, 5am to be exact and we headed for the ranch.  I will let Robert Tell the Story from here:

Robert:  It's getting to be late season for Spring turkey. The dumb ones are dead, it's getting too warm for a turkey's liking, and the hens that have lost nests are coming back to the roosting areas now, so it's getting tougher to find a horny gobbler by the day. But, like the old saying goes, even a blind hog finds an acorn every once in awhile. He just has to keep looking. Dave Valtierra and I were the lucky blind hogs Friday.

Getting to the field at first light, we found a nice gobbler on roost in the same tree as three hens, just like the landowner said they would be (It helps to have a good scouting report).  As we tried to sneak in to a good set up, he gobbled one time. I assume that meant he saw us. Between that and having hens right there with him, I was not optimistic, but we were going to try it anyway.

The plan was to let the hens start talking, or fly down, and then I would start doing assembly calls. Hopefully, that would bring the hens to us, and they would drag the gobbler with them.

It didn't work out that way. The gobbler actually flew down first and started displaying his stuff about 100 yards away, so I started to yelp at him a bit. Immediately, he gobbled and started strutting our way.

Then the hens hit the ground and started the opposite direction. So did he, so I got on the call pretty good.

Miracle of miracles, the hens answered and held up. At that point, the gobbler turned, actually left the hens, and came closer to us.... and closer.....and closer. Finally, he was in shotgun range.

As he passed behind a screen of brush, Dave eased up the shotgun and took the safety off, but moved just a tad too quickly. The gobbler saw that motion and started to vector away slightly (their eyes are incredibly good). He was still going to emerge in range though, just stretching that 3-1/2 inch magnum load of #5's to about as far as I am comfortable with it.

"Let me know when you're ready and I'll alarm putt to stop him.", I said.    As soon as the bird emerged from behind the light brush, Dave says, "Ready!"   I give it the PUTT! The bird stops, gobbles and sticks his head about half way up all in about one second. POW!     50 yards away a gobbler fell over stone dead. It was Dave's first gobbler, and it must have been quite an adrenaline rush for him! His hands were shaking pretty good trying to fill out the tag.  

So were mine! 100's of birds have gone down to my calling now, and I STILL get the thrill!

 Yours in the great outdoors,
Robert S. Steenbeke
1A Hunting in Texas Guide Service, Inc.
www.hunting-in-texas.com
Phone: 210-872-2771

Contact Robert and he can put you on the “Hunt of a Lifetime” !!  Look at  some the other Turkeys he has hunted in the past.  He is on top of his game. 

 I can assure you !!      

Dave

Winter Fishing Techniques

Let’s look at Winter Fishing from a tactical perspective.

During winter, bait fish will be slow moving due to the colder water temperatures.  Your presentation should also be slow and sometimes even stagnate!  (Slow rod movements and slower retrieves will do the trick)

 Warming of water occurs on the flats.  Wind and tides or currents will move this warm water.  Pay attention to your particular area – where is the warmer water and it is moving?  Moving water is critical.  A falling or rising tide will always be more productive with regard to fishing when compared to very little tide movements.

 

Shrimp Migrations --  You most likely won’t find live shrimp in the wintertime.  Therefore, you will have to go to artificials.   Suspending baits and soft plastics will work great.  Suspending hard plugs and soft plugs will require a very slow twitch and drag thru the water.   Soft plastics are often called “tails”.  Rigged weed-less, they are very effective baits.  In reality, Paddle tails are my favorite.  They are easy to control, cast very well and appear live even with a steady retrieve.   You can change the weight of the jig and control the water depth you work.  Keep in mind, soft entries into the water can avoid spooking your fish.  Also, they fly very well, even with strong winds.  Remember, move them slow for the Winter Bite.

Okay let’s get back to winter, during winter months; winds can cause water conditions to be even shallower than normal.  To survive, game fish will search for deeper water, 2-3 feet or even up to 5 feet.  They will find natural bayous and channels.  Deeper water also offers a more consistent temperature throughout the year.  During really cold weather, channels offer warmer, safer water for a fish’s cold-blooded system.

Also, structures, such as a cement columns or dam, will absorb sunlight and that heat will be transferred to the water that comes in contact with the structure.  Rock pilings also emit this same heat transfer phenomenon.   Bait fish also congregate near these structures and eat algae.   Game fish are drawn to areas where conditions are favorable/comfortable and…….a food source is available.

Red fish often will partially bury themselves in the mud, since it too absorbs heat energy.

Remember, Pipelines and Gas Wellheads create an artificial reef.  They also can radiate heat into the water.  Barnacles and other crustaceans grow on it and bait fish hide on the leeward side of the structure.  As the current hits the structure, it will create a low-current phenomenon on the back side of the structure.  Bait fish often hang in this low-current area since it requires less energy to stay there.  Position your bait on the down current side of the structure since it is likely to be the highest probability area.

During Winter-----Surface water is chilled by the air temperature and therefore it becomes more… dense.  As this occurs, it sinks in the water column.  As it sinks, it lowers the water temperature of the deeper water.  In shallower water, this occurs very quickly and to a larger degree.

-In winter months, when air temperatures are colder and water temperatures are lower, a game fish’s metabolism slows down.

-What happens when metabolism is slower?  Fish become more lethargic because:  1--They conserve energy

2--Eat less often and 3--They migrate to the warmest water for comfort.

Also, don’t forget to wear layers and take the big coat too.

Thanks for your time today and I’ll see you on the water.

Dave