Forward-facing sonar through the ice: my setup, and whether it's worth it
Forward-facing sonar through Colorado ice: what it shows, what a full setup costs, how it's used to find and hold fish, and whether it's worth the money.
The journal · Page 2 of 13
Blog.
River guides, fly selection, and field notes from the South Platte. Written from the water, not a desk.
Page 2
151 posts · page 2 / 13
Where Do Trout Hold? How to Read Water and Actually Find Fish
Trout aren't scattered randomly — they hold where food, comfort, and safety overlap. How to read a river, spot the lies, and fish the right water first.
Loon Outdoors on the Tying Bench: The Tools Worth Buying
An honest look at Loon Outdoors tying gear: UV Clear Fly Finish, the UV Bench Light, the Ergo whip finisher, Swax, the Core kit. Not sponsored, no commission.
Bamboo Rod Builders Are Getting Older, and Cane Needs New Hands
Bamboo rod builders are getting older and too few new small shops are starting. Why that worries me, the hopeful side, and five ways to help.
First Ice Is Coming to Colorado — What the Hard-Water Season Actually Looks Like
Colorado's hard-water season is close: when the ice forms lake by lake, CPW's thickness rules, where a first-timer starts, and what this drought winter changes.
Brook Trout in Colorado: Why I Love Them and How to Catch Them
Colorado's most willing, most beautiful high-country fish — and they don't belong here. Where they came from, how to identify one, when they spawn, and what CPW lets you keep.
Detecting the Take You Can't Feel
On a tight line, most takes never reach your hand — they show in the sighter. Reading the stall, the tick, and the pause that break the drift, and why you set on all of them.
Why Your Euro Leader Sticks to a Wet Rod (and How to Fix It)
Why a euro leader glues itself to a wet rod blank in rain and wet snow, the five-minute tippet spiral that fixes it, and what never to put on the finish.
Reading Rises: What the Riseform Is Telling You Before You Cast
The shape of a rise tells you what trout are eating — sip, splash, head-and-tail, or gulp. Here's how to decode each one and tie on the right fly.
The Point-and-Dropper Rig: Two-Fly Tight-Line Tactics
The two-fly tight-line rig is about strategy, not the leader: which fly rides point, which the dropper, how spacing changes with depth, and when to change depth vs. fly.
Best Trout Streamer Rods for Colorado Tailwaters: Six Worth a Look
Six trout streamer rods for Colorado tailwaters, sorted by 6wt vs 7wt, sink-tips, South Park wind and swing weight, plus the upgrade I'd make from my Vice.
The Blue-Line Setup: Gear & Tactics for Small Colorado Creeks
The rod, reel, leader, flies, and on-water tactics I use to fish small Colorado blue-line creeks — short soft glass, dry-dropper rigs, and a stealth game built on moving slow.