February 2008 Newsletter

Annual Trek Tests Members’ Mettle

Sometimes, just getting there is adventure enough

For most of us, an otherwise uneventful journey to Snow Mountain Ranch on Jan. 21 was followed by a tasty evening buffet dinner and tasty Tuesday buffet breakfast.  Missing out on breakfast, and the fine photo opportunity below, were Carol Berg, Polly Costello and Tammy and Tommy Cornfort.  We scornfully learned that their idea of winter fishing involves heading out well before dawn and remaining at their ice holes until well after dusk.

 It was well beyond the crack of dawn Tuesday and Wednesday when the rest of us ventured onto the frozen waters of Lake Grandby, one of the coldest spots in the Continental United States.  As you can see in the group photo below, we were a well-equipped, toasty bunch, wearing more cold weather garb than Eskimos hunting polar bears, carrying more ice fishing paraphernalia than the Sportsmen’s Warehouse of Anchorage.

Meanwhile, Carol, Polly, Tammy and Tommy every one missed the tasty Tuesday evening buffet.  They also caught virtually all the fish, come to think of it.  I realize there’s probably a moral in here somewhere, but your editor chooses to ignore it.  Also, there were undeniable extenuating circumstances.

Undeniable Extenuating Circumstances

For one, in addition to utilizing an unsportswoman-like number of hours to capture both days’ prizes for biggest fish, Carol and Polly cheerfully admitted to using an equally unfair secret weapon, Carol’s new  "Arctic Warrior" tipup.  (Carol says she not Polly would have probably won Wednesday’s prize for biggest fish, had Polly not inappropriately yanked way too hard on the Arctic Warrior. Polly says with a snicker that Carol wasn’t paying proper attention to her line, so she had to do something).

While all that Arctic Warrior drama was unfolding on the north end of the lake, the rest of the club was somewhere in the middle, where Grandby proved unexpectedly treacherous.  We discovered the hard way that nearly a foot of slush was sandwiched between the icecap and a foot or so topping of soft snow.  Going out and coming back, the club’s ATV’s bogged down repeatedly, leading to exhausting heroics that tested the mettle of club members known more for our experience than youthful endurance.

So okay.  Okay!  For most of us the fishing was downright lousy, conditions on the lake were downright scary and the lodge was uncomfortably hot for sleeping.  Still, I doubt that any of us – except for Frank Zupanc, who grouses about every darned thing – would say anything except what a good time we’d had. 

For every misstep on this trip, there was one club member stepping up to help another; for every fall on the ice, a friend laughing at your misfortune but helping you to your feet.  Given ample opportunity for misery, we enjoyed the heck out of ourselves and each other’s company.  The annual ice fishing trip has yet to yield a big harvest of fish, but it gives club members a chance to test ourselves against some pretty harsh conditions, and reminds us that we’re still pretty tough after all. Kudos to Tom Miller, who planned the trip.

Bill
Bill Prater

 

December 2007 Newsletter
Ask yourself, “Why do we fish?”

November 2007 Newsletter
Hey, it's getting cold out there!

September 2007 Newsletter

Frank Z swears he can catch more, and bigger,
fish than you!

For that matter, I swear the same thing about myself ...

Shall we find out?  Frank Zupanc wants us to hold a first-ever Loveland Fishing Club tournament, with prizes for the winners and taunting and humiliation for those who have to hit up McDonald’s afterward for a fish sandwich.

What do you think? We’re talking early October, to give you time to practice, at Flatiron Reservoir southwest of Loveland. No boats, no fish finders, no ice augers. Just me and my Rooster Tail against you and your Pautzke Balls ‘O Fire. Let’s decide whether and when at the next general meeting, 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Chilson Center.

And how about some good deeds the Club can do?

Okay, we’ve settled into the best days of the year for fishing, for those of us who prefer neither getting up at dawn to avoid the heat nor getting up and noon to go break a hole in the ice. Fall is upon us, and with it the opportunity to do more good for our community.

We just got word from the IBM Corporation's grant administrator that we’ve received another $1,000 Community Grant to be used to support Fishing Club projects related to fishing and fishing education for seniors and youngsters. With the $1,485 from the Dick Bunce Memorial Trust of $1,485, and $2,190 on hold for us by the Loveland Parks and Recreation Foundation, we’ve got nearly $4,700 to invest in community service projects. We also have several months ahead of us before the ice freezes solid and the stranger members of the club start getting their winter fishing gear together. What would you like to do? Let’s discuss on Sept. 18, or take your ideas to any club officer.  Yes, the purpose of the Loveland Fishing Club is to fish - but we can also do a few things to improve our fishing grounds, and help others become better anglers.

Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Float tube launch sites. We could start with Jayhawker Ponds (waiting until after the first frost so we won't have to compete with the local alligator) and see where we go from there. We could build them based on plans used by Boulder County Parks & Recreation at Pella Crossing and other spots in that county. They don’t sound expensive; they mostly involve sweat equity.
- Big Thompson stream improvement. Dave's been talking to Larry Callahan of Loveland Parks and Recreation about this, in what seems like a very good addition to plans in place to fix up the old fairgrounds park.
- Recruiting brochures about the club. How about this as a winter project, also doing some handouts on the different kinds of fishing we do, like local options for fishing by float tube and bank fishing. (Maybe the winner of the fishing tournament?) If you’ve got skills you’d like to share, even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, raise your hand and let us know you’d like to help.
- Fishing Club library: Pete Gibbons, our club librarian, says we don't really have a place to store books or videos for convenient use by club members. Should we instead poll the club for recommended books and DVDs, and donate in the club's name to the Loveland Library?
Anyway, let's discuss. And let’s get some fishing in before the snow flies.

Bill Prater, Editor and Webmaster, 970-988-9174; thumpre@comcast.net

Newsletter, August 2007

Hey, what about our plans for a float tubing trip?

Well, Club members, you’ve all read the news and know the city has finally lifted its No Trespassing signs at Jayhawker Ponds and we’re free to start a search party party for the Great Pond Monster, or as the Loveland Herald-Reporter described it: “ Pond Monster may be a Gator." 

At risk of appearing immodest, your faithful editor reminds you he was right on when he responded in a letter: “Pond Monster may may be a Crock.”

Okay, maybe we’ve giggled at the frantic search for a runaway reptile long enough. You will recall, though, that before the city’s "no trespassing" reaction to the Great Pond Monster Mystery, the Club planned an official LFC float tube outing to Jayhawker, to test the value of the 14 or so brush piles we and the DOW dropped into the ponds in late spring to improve fish habitat. I say we petition the city to drop its newly announced, ill-considered prohibition against belly boats, and go troll the waters for gators. I’m thinking at least a 9 weight rod, 20-pound test with a steel tippet, and one of Shirley’s bananas for bait. Those who suggest we troll Jim Clune as bait should be ashamed of themselves.

I for one have this recurring vision of a dozen or two of the Club’s Finest -- snug in our waders, hiding gray or non-existent hair under LFC hats and clutching our tubes -- solemnly backing into the murky depths while Channel 7 and the Reporter-Herald breathlessly report the historic moment. I’m also thinking that Lou Colson and his cute little flippers might be more than any croc could resist. Bob Peterson: please make a note to include Jayhawker in the September Fishing Calendar. 

This really isn't what we want when we hope the fishing's "hot"

Gators aside, this has been another unusual angling summer. Free at last from the drought that closed most boat ramps by this time last year, we’ve had one of the hottest darned summers on record. Fishing has at times been excellent, other times frustrating.  But the good news is, most favorite spots remain fishable, though Milt May reports stream trout are being severely stressed by the warming water.  Consider fishing very early or late in the day, or heading to a higher elevation.

Thanks again to Bob Peterson (petebojo@aol.com) for putting together the monthly calendar, and imploring us for suggestions. This month’s calendar offers good variety, including some new experiences like Wellington #4 and Watson Lake, along with old faithfuls like Boyd and Carter (hopefully still accessible for the planned August 28 trip). A five-day outing to Chambers Lake runs August 6-10, planned by Lou Colton, (LOU@frii.com). Again, if you have some fresh ideas, let’s hear them. I for one am looking forward to fall.

How about St. Vrain State Park?

One place we should consider is the newly renovated St. Vrain State Park, just off I-25 east of Longmont. Anyone tried it since the state put in so much work? I lived in Longmont for 12 years, and only fished it twice. Kinda noisy, and mostly spring and fall put and take trout. But the state’s spending about $18 million for expand and improve the park, with four new ponds including a new, clear one called “Bald Eagle,” that’s catch-and-release only for largemouth and smallmouth bass, flies and lures only. I spoke with a park employee who said Bald Eagle and adjoining new campsites have just opened, and the other three trout ponds are accessible, but not "officially" open. Float tubes are allowed.

I’m thinking a September trip would be a good idea. Any others? Please let Bob know.

See you Friday, folks ...

Bill Prater, editor, (thumpre@comcast.net)

Newsletter June 2007

A new look for the old web site
We’ve made a number of changes in this Web site, aimed at making it easier to update and display information. Dick Bunce, great friend, fisherman and Webmaster, died unexpected on March 31, leaving us saddened – and without a clue as to how he did all the things he did for the Club, including editing of this web site.  Dick’s son Phil graciously helped us recover the sign-on password and other information needed to update the site.  But as you’ve seen, information on this web site was growing stale as I struggled to figure out this webmaster business.

I’ve still much to learn, but the new layout should make it easier  to keep Club information current.  We’ll keep tweaking it, and your suggestions are welcome.

Know something you should share with the rest of us?

We’ve got a tremendous variety of fishing knowledge scattered around this club.  I welcome your photos after a good trip -- but we also need information so we can catch our own!  Here’s a chance to try your hand at writing: if you've done really well at Boyd or Lonetree or wherever, don't just gloat, give us a hint how you did it!  Write your story down and send to me, thumpre@comcast.net. Or if you prefer, send me notes or give me a call and I’ll put draft something for the Club based on our conversation. I’ll edit for style; the important thing is to share useful info while it’s still useful.

I’ll start this off, with one of my favorite topics, late spring/early summer bluegill fishing.

Okay, they don’t get as big here as they did where I grew up in the Ozarks, and some of you may turn up your nose because it ain't a trout.  But in decent water Colorado 'gills can grow to 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound, fight like scorned lovers and fillet like a crappie. Since the end of May, the bluegill around here that normally stay deep and inaccessible swarm into the shallows to spawn. The rise and fall of water levels can really mess with a bluegill’s spawning success, so I recommend you concentrate on ponds that don’t fluctuate much. Here are two I’ve had success with this spring:  Pella Crossing,  just south of Hygiene, near Longmont; and Dixon Reservoir, just east of Horsetooth Reservoir. Both escaped the winter kill that hit so many ponds in this area, and have clear water and some decent bluegill habitat.

The best approach is by float tube with a fly rod and floating line. If you've got Polaroid glasses, now's a good time to use them.  It’s tough to go after spawners from the bank, but it can be done if you’re sneaky.  Either way, use a fly rod and a small popping bug or mosquito imitation or somesuch. Just be really quiet, and cast first to fish at the edge of the spawning beds so they won't spook right away. And when they do, try another spot and come back in an hour.

Right now the active beds are in very shallow water, generally on the west/northwest side. If there’s gravel or sand, that’s even better. As the water warms, some fish will be spawning in deeper water (4-6 feet) well into July.  At Pella Crossing, one of the best spots is also in the one pond where you can’t use a tube:  Webster, the pond furthest south on the east side of Hygiene Road. There’s a big bed on the northwest corner, but kinda hard to fish. The only other drawback with Pella is, it’s a fair walk from the parking lot to where you can put in your float tube.  The two ponds on the far west side are my favorites.  The big pond on the east side ( Heron ) also has some good structure and catch and release largemouth fishing. 

I’ve only fished Dixon once, but it’s darned attractive. Probably has decent largemouth too, but I didn’t catch any. You should find active beds up in the northwest corner. The weed beds are growing fast, but you can still get in there after them. The day I was there last week, there were a couple fellows wading in the shallows, and they seemed to be doing pretty well.

Got some other tactics to share?

Bill Prater, Editor and Webmaster
thumpre@comcast.net; 970-988-9174


May 2007 Newsletter
Who, what, when, where and why:  The Primer for club members

Loveland Fishing Club is still a relative infant, barely four years old. So even though the club is full of old timers, you can’t really say we have any long-time members. As of the April general meeting the club had 62 members, already up 20 percent from year-end. This means that even though we’re a talkative, welcoming bunch, new members may not know about or be taking best advantage of all the club has to offer. So here is a basic primer for newcomers, and those among us who used to know it all, but forgot …

Who we are: The club is open to everyone, but meetings and outings pretty much take place during the week, and we meet at the Chilson Senior Center. We’re predominantly retired, with women who are very active but outnumbered roughly 5 to 1.

If you ask, our fairer sexed members will tell you this is a safe, welcoming, non-competitive place for anyone wishing to pursue the sport of fishing. Some of us have fished all our lives, some of us took up the sport when we retired. If you want to learn, or to teach, this is the place to start. We fish by boat, by float tube, on the bank and in the stream waving a fly rod. Some of give our catch a little hello and goodbye kiss, and set them free. Others, like Tom Miller and Dotti Bethel, can show you how to fry, bake, pickle, smoke or make sushi out of just about everything that swims.

What we do: It’s a fishing club, as Lou Colton sometimes reminds us, and our basic purpose is to get together and fish. Some of us pursue the sport the way a Wall Street banker chases nickels: with an all-out passion. Others pretty much limit club activities to conversations at our weekly coffee klatch and monthly meetings. And that’s okay too. It’s all about fishing, and we interpret that basic mission pretty broadly.

LFC is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit, which means we also do a fair amount of philanthropy, and that usually has something to do with fishing. We just assumed a leadership roles in rescuing the Loveland Police Fishing Derby for kids, to be held June 2-3; and each summer we teach youngsters and special needs adults how to fish, working with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Colorado Division of Wildlife and others. We’re also in the midst of a fish habitat improvement project at the Jayhawker Ponds, and under the leadership of President Norm Engelbrecht, we plan to do more of that sort of thing.

When and where we do it:
The club’s regular monthly meeting is at the Chilson Center, at 3 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. The club Board, which sets the agenda for club activities, meets at Chilson at 9 a.m. on the first Monday of the month. All club members are welcome and encouraged to participate in Board meetings. And we also pour into K-Mart for coffee and conversation about 8:30 a.m. each Friday, to catch up on the successes of our fishing in the prior week.

Be sure to check http://www.lovelandfishingclub.org for the Club Calendar and 2007 Trips for a list of outings. We fish throughout the year, with a sizeable contingent of ice fishermen and women. In warmer weather, we try to have local fishing trips each Tuesday and Thursday, meeting at 8 a.m. in the southeast corner of the Loveland K-Mart parking lot to confer and carpool. We may also change the location for that day’s outing. Everyone is encouraged to suggest a lake, pond or stream, and to take the lead in organizing bigger trips. Bob Peterson keeps track of our calendar.

About once a month during spring, summer and fall, less frequently in winter, we mount more ambitious trips, such as the May 16-20 trip to Blue Mesa Reservoir, and the July 9-11 catfishing trip to Glen Elder Lake in north-central Kansas. Individual club members step up to organize such trips, and cost is kept to a minimum through carpooling and other pooling of expenses.

Why do we do it? That’s easy. This is Loveland’s Fishing Club, with traditions to build, tales to swap and fish to be caught. We tend to attract people who like that sort of thing. This is a great place to learn to fish, to become better fishermen, or to learn to fish with techniques other than those you already know. We learn from each other - constantly.

Bill Prater, Editor
thumpre@comcast.net
970-988-9174

April 2007 newsletter
So. Who’s Loveland’s Toughest Angler?

You’d have to give consideration to Frank Zupanc, who swears he once went elk hunting on crutches in a snowstorm, fishes from a small inflateable because he can’t figure out how to launch anything bigger since that unfortunate broken neck incident, and recently concluded a late-season ice fishing trip to Lone Tree Reservoir by wading from the remaining ice cap to the shore.
And there are other tales of angling bravado by club membership, some of them that even include eye witnesses.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the latest report from Tommy Kornforth, who spoke to the club at the March general meeting about fishing for crappie and catfish. Before he could offer any secret tips on late night catfishing on Lake Loveland, though, club members demanded to know why he was still wearing that big cast on his left hand, the one that forced him to let Dotti Bethel reel in his lake trout during the club’s perilous, 18-below zero trip to Lake Granby.
This, it turns out, is another long story. It happened, Tommy swears, like this:
“I was going ice fishing, and my auger wasn’t working, so I borrowed Dotti’s. Turns out, hers wasn’t working either.”
It seems Dotti’s auger is stuck on full throttle. Rather than risk an unbored ice hole, Tommy sits the auger down on the ice, fires it up, and tries to bring the roaring beast into the upright and locked position. The rest, as they say, is history, and another trip to the surgeon, who repaired the two broken screws in the steel plate in Tommy’s hand, replaced the cast, and warned him of the dangers of competing against some of the world’s toughest anglers.
That story told, Tommy resumed his tales of secret catfish lunker holes, but never really addressed the question on every tough Loveland Fish Club angler’s mind: “So, did you catch any fish?”
Know of any other nominees for LFC’s Toughest Angler? Bring your heroic tales of candidacy to the Loveland K-Mart lunch counter on any given Friday, for the 8:30 a.m. Club Breakfast. (Come by 8 if you want a good seat.) Previously discredited bull may be rejected at the Editor’s Discretion. And you may be asked to provide verification of veracity from your spouse. We are trusting, here at the Loveland Fishing Club, but we’ve heard some pretty tall tales over coffee.
Meanwhile, the Front Range lakes and rivers are thawed and the ones at higher elevation are loosening up. The talk at the Larimer County Parks and Open Lands Fishing Expo included predictions by DOW biologists of good walleye potential early at Horsetooth, but smallmouth bass will offer the premier fishing opportunity there. Carter’s good, but dropping, and there were an unusual number of dieoffs in small Larimer County ponds during this long, strange winter. Pprospects for Pinewood and Flatiron are good, so go wet a line.
… Bill Prater, Editor, thumpre@comcast.net
970-988-9174

March 2007 Newsletter
What do you expect? It’s March!

Yes, it’s March already, a cruel time of year for the angler: the ice is beginning to rot, and so are last year’s lines, but two months of snow and wind stand between us and the promise of spring spawn. Still, some of us will continue to gather at least weekly to wet a line somewhere. And most of us will at least be talking about fishing at the club’s weekly Friday breakfast. And there are plenty of other activities on the near horizon to keep us distracted:
• March 7 is Loveland Kids Day at the Chilson Center, and the club will co-host a booth with the Division of Wildlife from 1-4 p.m. Interested? Talk to Tom Miller.
• March 8 is our first work day to build brushpiles at the Jayhawker Ponds, for habitat improvement. We’ll meet at 12:30 p.m. at K-Mart. Talk to Bill Prater
• Milt Mays is planning to host one or more fly tying sessions at his home; no date yet. Check with Milt.
• As we did last year, the club will have a booth at the Sunday, April 1 Larimer County Parks and Open Lands Fishing Expo. It’s from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 1st National Bank Building at the Budweiser Events Complex in Loveland, and admission is free. Watch for details.
Here’s the lowdown on Carter Lake:
While the rest of us have been wondering what will happen at Carter Lake, with all the talk of dam repairs and plunging water levels, Tom Miller has been finding out from Larimer County Parks and Open Lands staff.
He reports that the county planned to raise the water level to 5,735’ by March 1, 24’ below the full mark. Then the lake level starts dropping, dropping, dropping – about 2 feet per week until mid-May. The water’s going to fall even faster from mid-May to mid-August, when the weekly drop increases to approximately 5 feet. By around August 1, all launching ramps will be closed and the water level will stabilize about 95’ below full pool.
The water lowering will allow the same type of dam repairs performed on Horsetooth, but on a shorter timeline. Tom was told the water level will be kept 95’ below full pool until March 2008. The water level will be allowed to rise to the 5,715’ elevation by mid June, and all boat ramps are expected to be usable again by April 2008.
Meanwhile, thought, Frank Zupanc reports Carter is ice-free; he’s had success there bank fishing for trout and suggests someone else try it from a belly boat. As of March 1, Boyd and Lon Hagler were still ice-capped but getting unstable. The club trip to Eleven Mile was reported to be good fun, but rotten fishing.
What the heck; go out and wet a line.
As always, if you have something to share with the club, give me a call or note, or catch me at K-Mart Friday morning.

Bill Prater
thumpre@comcast.net; 970-988-9174