My Custom Built "Blue Halo" From The Beginning

I wanted to share with my readers how things were coming along on my custom built Blue Halo fiberglass rod.

 If you are a regular reader of my blog then, as you recall, I have been blessed to asked to be a Field Tester for Average Joe's Fishn Poles.  Phillip Butterfield does some beautiful work on custom built rods and I have been eyeballing them a lot over the past year or so.  I was ecstatic to have Phillip offer me this opportunity to be a Field Tester.  I am ready, willing, and able to put this custom built sweetheart to the test this year on The Big Thompson River and my favorite ponds near home.

Phillip sent along some pictures for me to get the idea of what the rod's appearance and quality are.  I would like to share those pictures with you here.

It is a 8' Three Piece 5 Wt.

Yup, that would be me...................

Three Piece All Maple handle group

This is a note attached from Phillip:

" Thought I would give you a little look see as to the rod that you will be getting: The first thing that you'll notice different is the three piece maple handle group; next is the lack of an agate stripping guide (trust me those are purely for decoration and they don't come on the $299.95 factory model) Next you will notice that the mid section and the tip have matched guides. That is about all of the differences between my build and a factory build.  Oh I have also wrapped the furrel the full length to provide additional support, that too is different from the factory model."

Headed to Colorado..................................

Those are sweet words to my ears.  Anticipating getting out and putting a line on this and beginning my evaluation.  I am sure you will hear more from me about Average Joe's Fishn Poles. 

 Stay tuned...............................................

Nature's Exhibit.... A Colorado Fall

The "Fall" season has always been my favorite time of year here in Colorado.  Now, Colorado is a beautiful state year round, but, something about Fall being in the air in Colorado seems to bring out the best that nature has to offer all of us who are lucky enough to be here during this time.

Now I love this time of year for various reasons.  This guy and our team being one of the main things I can't wait until each Fall season comes around.  Go, Bronco's!

However, I want to focus on the things that make the Colorado Fall season just as spectacular and meaningful too me, as  is my love for the Bronco's.

Brown Trout have always had a place in my heart.  From a beautiful small stream Brown like this one to gargantuan size Browns in other areas of Colorado.  Brown Trout have my attention come Fall.  There are some beautiful spots on the Big Thompson River that I like to go to challenge a Brown Trout when I can.

Hello, Estes Park, Colorado.  Is this not a beautiful setting for the Fall season.  The wildlife, the outdoors, the waters, surround you.  Take it all in.  You won't for get it.  While you are out and about in the Estes Park or Rocky Mountain National Park nearby, be sure and listen for another of my favorite Fall wildlife friends.

This big guy coming ashore after a refreshing time in the water made for a great camera opportunity.  Fishing can wait.....................

Here is another big guy who is out for a morning stroll.  Make sure you stay focused on the road while driving and maintain a cautious speed.  This is up close and personal enough!

If you have never heard the "Call" of the Elk, you are truly missing one of Colorado's wildlife treasures.  I listen in awe!  I can't explain it in words, you just have to be here to know what I am talking about.

The colors of Fall be they, Yellow, Gold, Red, Green, Blue are spectacular.  Fall foliage is spectacular, too! Sorry, I did not take pictures for this post to show.  Maybe, more to come.......

As a final note here, be aware that just because you live in one of Colorado's Front Range communities, doesn't mean that the wildlife don't come to pay a visit this time of year.  They make their way around to handle their life needs.  Be cautious.  Here are a couple of pictures from my close neighborhood in Loveland just this Fall.

"Looks like it is about time for me to s-c-a-t-"

This fella' wandered into my apartment complex while headed to the Big Thompson River beds

 

***Just want to do the obligatory reminder here that all of my pictures posted here are easily viewed and easier to see when double clicked for a closer view.

 

Thanks for allowing me to share Nature's exhibit here in a typical Colorado Fall.....................

 

 

 

Prospective New Neighbor............

One of the benefits of living in Loveland, Colorado, is its close vicinity to the Big Thompson River canyon, Estes Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park. A short drive puts you into some of the most awesome country an outdoors enthusiast could want.  I am not going to go into promoting this any more in this post, that has been well done by other writers and bloggers for quite some time.

What I would like to share with this post is the day to day adventure that comes in our local neighborhood when someone new comes too town.  Or, even when someone comes to tour your neighborhood in hopes of becoming a new tenant.  On Wednesday evening, Diane and I, went our for our normal evening walk.  It is a routine we follow most every evening and also in the morning right after our first cup of coffee.  Anyway, our route in our neighborhood is always the same.  Like clockwork, we have a certain distance we walk to meet our health needs.

Well, on this particular evening we were surprised to meet a prospective new neighbor just as we started out our walk.

Note: Don't forget to double click on the picture to enlarge

How many new prospective neighbors let you take a picture of them right when you first meet them?  How many prospective new neighbors let you ooh and ahh at them and their values of what they bring to the neighborhood and don't talk back too you? How many new neighbors leave you alone as long as you don't irritate them or stick your nose in their business?

The new neighbor allowed us to do all of the above and then sauntered on down the sidewalk crossed the street and ventured off into the trees in the direction of another neighborhood.  

Keep in mind that I don't live in a really rural area.  We live just south of the middle of downtown Loveland!  Amazing where new neighbors will go and to what extent to check out the life in the neighborhood where you live....................

Such is life in "Happy Valley", U.S.A.

Fly Fishing With Mother Nature

Since Mother Nature intervened with the all the rain and the "so called 1000 year flood", fly fishing any water in Northern Colorado has been put on a serious hold.  It may be quite some time before she releases her hold and all the damages can be assessed to life, home, family, animals, etc.  

That being said, I have already began to wonder what Mother Nature's fly fishing plan has in store for me and my local ponds that I love to fish so much.  Include in The Big Thompson River locally, let alone that which flows through the washed out canyon, and, it does look pretty bleak for those of us who love to fly fish and fish local waters in Northern Colorado.

The picture shown above is an aerial view shot that I came across that shows what used to be an area for several ponds that I like to fish for Bluegill, Bass, Carp, etc.  Note that I said used to be!  The area is now one flooded looking piece of water that more resembles one pretty good sized body of water instead of some home water for the PondStalker.

The Big Thompson River I love to fish in the canyon or down lower near my home looks like this before the flooding. 

The Big Thompson River looked like this a day or so ago.  Where to begin to assess the problems?

Set me to pondering what happens when Mother Nature takes over, and if you will, moves the fish where she wants them to be.  What happens to the fish in the ponds?  Will they be there when the waters recede and the damages are assessed?  Or, will the ponds have different fish in them?  For example, a top notch pond for bigger bass, will those bass now be gone or spread out to who knows where? What about structures and other holding areas for the pond fish?  Are they all gone, or, do they remain? 

Another concern I have is the warm water ponds are in close proximity to the Big Thompson River in the lower stretches.  Will we see Walleye, Catfish, Bass, and other Panfish, now reside in the Big Thompson river as a result of being washed there via the floods?  Having never been through a major catastrophe like this before, I am pretty much clueless as too what we may find when the waters recede and calmer days are brought to us.  I am sure the rest of 2013 near my home is not going to offer much, if any, fly fishing opportunities.  What will 2014 bring?  Any of my readers want to ponder this situation and provide comments?  Sure hope you do.  I have lots of time to read blog comments.

Colorado Flooding? If You Have (15) Minutes.....

I would appreciate your time.  Please take a look at my hometown Loveland, Colorado.  We need your Prayers and Support!

This video is a long one and taken by a local.  It runs about (15) minutes or so.  So if you have a cup of coffee and (15) minutes to spare, please take a look!

Colorado Flood Perspective

Depending on what part of the United States you happen to live in, you may not have been inundated with video from the massive floods that have wrecked Northern Colorado in the past few days. Thought I would post a couple of videos from near my home in Loveland, Colorado, near the banks of what is (was) The Big Thompson River.  Just needing to take in it all, and somehow, have a perspective that I live here and fish here often.  Just not in the last few days!  If you haven't seen these on You Tube already, here are a couple of borrowed ones.  Pond Stalker Headquarters appreciate those who took their time to shoot the videos.

 First video is from not too far from town as one would begin travel up Big Thompson Canyon.

 The second video is from about a mile from my home where I have spent lots of time with my family enjoying The Big Thompson water.