A sweet largemouth bass at Riverbend Ponds

July 17, 2012 will go down as one of the best times I've ever had while fishing.

I took off for Riverbend Ponds in eastern Fort Collins at around 1 p.m., when Weather.com said would be the best weather patterns for fishing all day.

It turns out, they were right.

Right when I found a suitable spot on the biggest of all the ponds, free of downed trees where I could see the bottom well, there was a massive bass swimming just feet from the shore.

It got my blood pumpin', that's for sure.

Some 20 minutes later I felt an enormous tug on the line--one of those big largemouth bass hit my yellow Rooster Tail!

He swam hard, then after fighting the fish, it went airborne in an attempt to throw the hook!

What excitement.

I finally pulled it into shore and it turns out it was the biggest bass of my life.

At just over 14", it must have weighed in at over five pounds, though I don't have a scale.

(Note to self next time I'm shopping for fishing gear, buy a scale.)

The fish was big and beautiful, and even as I had it laying in some very shallow water, it fought and got back into the pond, trying its hardest to pull away. Luckily it didn't pull my rod and reel into the pond and I got it back onto shore for a few pictures.

Just holding that massive bass by its mouth was amazing and my adrenaline surged for minutes beyond the catch.

Around a half an hour later, it was a very nice sized bluegill--a much different color scheme than the ones from North Shields Ponds too I might add.

After a few hours passed, I moved over to the smaller pond near Prospect, but caught up in someone else's old line for 10 minutes before rescuing my favorite yellow Rooster Tail, and took off to look at the other ponds.

But when I saw an inlet area, I discovered some 20-30 very big largemouth bass lounging around.

I had to get to that area, but couldn't fish it from the side I was on due to very steep walls and lots of overgrown trees.

So I went all the way around the pond's edge--it could be some 20 feet higher at maximum, though I doubt it ever gets that high--and had to hike for 20 minutes to get to my spot.

It was a sweet adventure though, and well worth the effort in the end.

I fought through thick cattails just by the shore, and cleared a spot to fish from.

The sun beat down in my face and was still blazing, even at 5 p.m.

Seeing the silhouettes of the big bass in the water made me forget--at least for a second--how hot and humid it was and on the fish.

Of course, for whatever reason, I couldn't get another great big one to bit my lures.

The big floating Rapalas I have scared the bass away, and they didn't care about the spinners.

But two smaller bass did, one around 8", the other only a mere 3", bringing my total up to four fish caught on the day.

What an amazing day of fishing it was.

One I'll certainly never forget.

The Good, Bad and Ugly at North Shields Ponds

July 10 and 12, 2012

North Shields Ponds is a great destination for people that want a chance to fish multiple bodies of water in one afternoon/evening.

Just north of Vine on Shields Street, the Ponds' parking lot is on the west side of the road.

Right off the parking lot sits the first pond, though it was no more than 8" deep, so I didn't even throw a line in.

If you follow the trail back a few hundred yards, you'll walk along the Cache La Poudre River and end up at the two other ponds.

One is quite small, the other, much bigger.

I've had luck fishing out of each.

My favorite spot on these days was a small trail between the two ponds, where I could fish each one by simply turning around.

On this evening--I arrived around 4 p.m.--the fishing was fast and furious.

One bluegill jumped on my yellow Rooster Tail within five casts, and came in at around 6".

Many more followed, biting on anything and everything--as bluegills are known to do, especially shiny objects--and I caught six on the day.

Two liked the little baby rainbow trout spinners, another few bit on Kastmasters.

Interestingly, I caught every one of the six fish out of the small pond, and zero out of the larger pond.

The first time I went with Anderson, we caught a combined three bluegills out of the larger pond.

When I went on July 10, I saw a ton of wildlife.

Birds of many variety are there roosting, singing away and lots of fish. But this day there was also a little turtle, that surfaced for some food right by shore, a deer and lots of muskrats in the water. Watch out for them and if you see something visibly swimming along the surface, it's one of them, so don't accidentally hook a muskrat.

There are many rumors floating around that big largemouth and smallmouth bass live in the North Shields Ponds as well, and when I went back two days later, that's what I was fishing for.

This time, I showed up around 6 p.m. and with my brother Alex.

I went to the same spot as before, though I had much less luck overall.

Alex, on the other hand, caught three small bluegills, the first ones he had ever reeled in.

I came up empty handed, and when he left around 8 p.m., I stopped at the Cache La Poudre River and threw a couple casts in. The water was a dark, oily black, and while many fish were surfacing, I again caught nothing.

So, it was one great day--if you enjoy catching bluegills--and one very bad day--including getting my backup reel completely tangled in the near-dark and North Shields Ponds.

Have fun and good luck everyone!

A week of bad luck

Sometimes you got it, sometimes you don't.

On the week of Independence Day, July 4-9, I didn't have it.

The Fourth of July, what better way to celebrate Independence Day than to get outside and enjoy nature?

I went out east, to Prospect Ponds. Originally, the destination was Riverbend Ponds, but I stopped a little short and tried the ones off of Prospect and Sharps Point.

It was my first time there, and the water was incredibly murky, green and seemingly lifeless.

Of course, it was midday--and a hot high-90s day at that--which could have all the fish hiding and resting.

After an hour of throwing my entire tackle box at them, and roasting in the sun, I moved a few hundred feet away to the Cache La Poudre River. At the first spot, there was no luck, though I saw a small bass go for the yellow Rooster Tail on the first cast.

Off to just north of Prospect I went, and found a sandy beach area across from a downed tree. This, I thought, would be where I would catch some fish.

Luckily, I did catch one, a small bass, which salvaged the long day.

A few days later, I went out on Sunday night, after work and before softball, to the McMurry Ponds, on the north end of Fort Collins.

It was my first time at the ponds, and they were small and a quite cloudy on this evening.

I started with spinners, as per usual, switched to Kastmasters, and even tried balls o' fire on the bottom.

No luck, in only an hour and a half.

The next night, it was off to a private lake for a little over an hour, with no fish caught once again.

I guess that's why they call it fishing, and not catching.

Trout Fishing Tips and Tricks

Trout, a fun and fiesty fish that's delectable to eat.

It's soft, buttery and great prepared in a variety of ways.

For all my life, I've fished for trout.

All over Colorado I've searched and fished for rainbow, brown, lake and--the Colorado state fish--cutthroat trout, and caught a great many over the years.

There is no real "right" or "wrong" way to fish for trout, and these are simply some tips and tricks that should help you land a big, beautiful and tasty fish the next time you go out.

1. Styles of fishing

There are an almost unlimited number of ways you can fish for trout; from bobber fishing to fishing the bottom, to lures and fly fishing.

Of course, it all depends on where you are and what the fish are biting on that particular day.

I've never been fly fishing--though I plan on learning and buying the gear soon--and many anglers say this is by far the best way to fish for trout. Dropping the fly on the top of the water and quickly pulling it away time and time again will result in multiple strikes, and I've seen it work on both lakes and rivers alike.

But this blog pertains to reel fishing, at least for the time being.

When at the Poudre River or other rivers, I like to use lures that are light, ones that will stay off the bottom and not get hung up.

Spinners work wonders, especially vibric rooster tails, as they create a clicking sound in the water that is irresistible to all types of fish, trout included.

A variety of colors is key, from yellow to blue and silver and even rainbow colored--it's good to have a variety to test and see if the fish are biting on one color rather than the other at that particular time and place.

When using spinners on the river, cast a little down stream and make sure to reel very slowly as the current will help the lure spin and maximize the time in the water.

When fishing from the shore of a lake, the options open up.

You can bobber fish near the surface, using a weight above the bobber and a hook with either live or powerbait 12-18" below the bobber.

Nightcrawlers work well in some places, and balls o' fire seem to work nearly everywhere.

If you want, you can fish the bottom, using a few small barrel weights 12-18" above the hook with 2-4 balls o' fire. Simply cast out, let the weights take the bait to the bottom and reel your line tight. Trout like to fish the bottom of shallow places and hits can be near immediate.

When you feel those first few little nibbles, wait a second, then pull on the rod quickly and forcefully to set the hook. Then reel in and enjoy a great dinner!

My friend Koby and I caught our limit of eight trout in 45 minutes using this method on Pinewood Reservoir, just west of Loveland.

If lures are more your speed, try 1/8 and 1/4 oz. Kastmasters, especially blue and silver, brown/rainbow trout and gold colored ones. Reel them in at about a medium speed and feel the play on your rod as you reel, which will let you know you've got the right speed that makes the lure look like a baby fish swimming along.

2. Trout have a strong sense of smell

Trout can smell very well, even in the water, which is why the balls o' fire work so well. That salmon smell is irresistible to those little fish and they go for it every time.

But when hooking your bait, make sure to not touch the salmon eggs--or any other powerbait or live bait your're using--because your human smell can scare away the fish. So can the smell of cigarettes if you're a smoker, so make sure not to touch the bait while smoking or soon after.

A trick I've learned is to pour three or four salmon eggs into the top of the container and grab the eye of the hook and turn it sideways to then hook the bait without using your fingers to grab the eggs. Use the rim of the lid to help push them on the hook and boom, they're on!

3. Trout can hear you as well

Trout can also hear quite well, so you want to make sure to keep quiet.

This is especially important when on a boat or canoe, as dragging things on the bottom of the boat will scare away potentially caught fish.

It's also important while on the shore, so keep communication with your fishing partner to a minimum as to not scare away the fish.

4. Wet your hands before grabbing the fish

After landing your fish, make sure to get your hands wet in the river or lake you're fishing from before picking up the fish.

Dry hands will hurt the fish's scales and we don't want to do that now.

5. Nurse your trout back to health before releasing

Don't keep your trout out of the water for too long, or it will die.

If you're going to release the trout, put it in the water, oriented top up, and let it get re-acquainted with the water for 30 seconds to 1 minute before letting it go.

Let it swim away from your hands otherwise it may just go belly-up and drift away from the shore, something that should never happen.

If you accidentally kill a trout, or any fish, take it home to eat--if eatable--do not just leave it to float along dead in the river or lake.

Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you land lots of trout!

Have a great time in Fort Collins, and all of Colorado fishing for brown, rainbow and the state fish, cutthroat trout, my friends!

Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. Follow him on facebook and/or twitter.

Anderson lands his first trout from the Poudre River

It was a hot, but not scolding, day in Fort Collins, with high clouds creating a nice bit of overcast.

Anderson and I headed out to the Poudre River, Nix Natural Area to be more specific, and fished from 4-6:15 p.m.

The river was surprisingly low, the lowest I've seen all year, but the fish were still lively.

It was so low, and due to the overcast skies, it was very easy to see through the water and see the fish.

After around 45 minutes of fishing, Anderson caught the first--and only--fish of the day, a nice 9" rainbow trout.

He was using a rainbow colored spoon that seemed too big for the foot-deep river, but it worked like a charm.

I tried a variety of lures; three different rooster tails which got a few bites, and multiple different Kastmasters as well. I actually saw a few trout follow the rainbow colored lure all the way into the shore but it didn't bite.

After a few hours, we moved a little bit down river, and I ended up going swimming.
It was cool and refreshing and all, but I would have much rather stayed dry and caught a fish.

For the first time all season I went out and didn't land a fish, and it was completely fine, because I had a great time in the end with my fishing buddy.
And it was special to see him bring in his first ever trout, the first of many to be sure.

The key to this spot is to have patience and to switch lures often as to find what the fish are biting on.

Good luck anglers!

Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. Follow him on facebook and/or twitter.

Bass fishing Spring Creek: Take Two

June 25, 2012

Another day off from work presented another opportunity to go fishing.

Getting out into nature is so wonderful to me, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life in the urban jungle and to where the animals roam--and swim--free.

I wrapped up a lengthy piece for Bleacher Report on the NBA Draft before taking off, and it limited my time before sunset.

So instead of hitting the Poudre River, as I did only a few days earlier with good luck, I jumped on the bike around 6:30 p.m. and decided to just stop by Spring Creek.

Mallard's Nest, the natural area along Spring Creek where it's legal to fish, again kept me entertained.

This time, I went east of the Stuart underpass and found a good spot with 1-2' deep water that was moving slowly compared to other parts of the creek. It was near some reeds, where bass love to hang out, so I dropped a line in with two bullet weights and balls o' fire.

Hits were immediate.

There was no point in even allowing the bait to sink because the hungry little bass swallowed it in mere seconds each time.

One after another the 3-6" bass took the hook and I caught four within an hour.

Unfortunately, the hooks I was using were too big for those baby bass and one of them swallowed the hook so deep it took out his eye. The little guy swam away though and will hopefully grow big and strong.

If you ever go fishing in Spring Creek, make sure you're in the Mallard's Nest Natural Area only, as you can't fish the rest of the creek.

Have fun and good luck everyone!

Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. Follow him on facebook and/or twitter.

Fishing the Poudre River: Take Three

June 22, 2012

I've got fishing fever, what can I say?

After going out with Anderson to North Shields Ponds and the Poudre for a few hours the day before, I still had the urge to get out and get my line wet again.

So, I set off for the Poudre River, Riverbend Ponds to be more specific, just east of Lemay on the Poudre Trail.

I biked over there after work, and arrived at the same spot as in my first trip there only a few weeks earlier, which is right off the bike path.

The water was noticeably higher, at least another 6" in the middle, and moving at a higher rate of speed.

I figured it was a good sign there'd be more fish to catch, and it seemed that way.

I started off with the balls o' fire once again, just like I did the day before a few miles upstream with Anderson.

But there, it was quite shallow and the hook was able to sink to the bottom easily. At my favorite spot, the river was moving too fast to allow the hook and bait to sink where I wanted it to, so I gave up and switched to lures.

First I tried my new 1/8 oz. silver and blue Kastmaster, the same lure I lost the last time I was at that spot and caught three fish on. I had no luck, though a few nibbles, with it.

So I switched again to some spinners, and my little yellow and black spinner landed my first fish of the day.

It was a pretty 7" rainbow trout that grabbed on near the middle of the river and only around 20 feet from the shore.

It got my blood pumping and I kept that lure on the line.

Around 10-15 casts later, no bites, so I switched to a rooster tail that landed a greatly sparkled rainbow.

I actually thought of grabbing the tape measure, and he measured in at 11", not bad for the Poudre River.

I nursed him back to health and got him swimming again.

After around three hours, I called it a night and rode the bike back home happy.

On my way home, this striking sunset was in my view, with the smoke of the High Park Fire billowing wildly out of control.

Fishing North Shields Ponds on a hot day

June 21, 2012

After another long day of work, Anderson and I decided to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather with some fishing.

Beautiful it was, and hot.

Temperatures soared into the high 90s and I rode my bike the five miles to North Shields Ponds.

It was worth it, because it's not only a scenic spot within city limits, we caught a few fish!

We fished from the eastern bank, not the best choice when the sun is beating down on you from above. But we did have a great view of the High Park Fire, that was still burning strong to the west of Fort Collins.

We were fishing for big bass, which it's rumored there are some monsters in the ponds, and used 1/4 oz. Kastmasters to start.

Anderson landed the first fish of the day, a good sized blue gill, that easy released itself.

Then it was my turn, catching a tiny blue gill, only about two inches long, then a nicer sized one, around six inches. Both bit the rainbow trout colored Kastmaster, the bigger 1/4 oz. sized one, even though they were small fish.

After a little over an hour at the pond, we took a little hike through the Poudre River and found a spot to fish.

Just on the east side of Shields street, we found a nice spot on the bank and casted our lines in.

After doing so well only a few days earlier at Pinewood Reservoir using balls o' fire, I tried my luck again and with the first cast, caught a 9" rainbow trout.

Unfortunately the small guy swallowed my hook and I had to take him home and grill him over the fire, which was a tasty dinner indeed and good protein after biking 10 miles in all.

Ando caught a trout too, possibly bigger than mine, but it quick released itself again.

Luckily for him, we're going out on Tuesday the 3rd, and I have a good feeling we'll catch something. I really want to catch a nice sized trout, or have him catch it, because he said he's never eaten trout before.

It's so delectable, soft and buttery.

Trout is a must-try for all fish-lovers.

Good luck and have fun out there everyone!

Pinewood Reservoir Day 3

June 18, 2012



After getting to bet at a reasonable hour, I woke up at 6:30 and watched the sun come over a foothill just east of the reservoir.

I had always wanted to make myself get up early to go fishing, and it just so happened I was already up so I got everything ready and set off for the lake.

But just as I looked down the steep hill to our lucky fishing spot from the day before, I though I saw a person already there.

I looked again and it was a deer, contently feeding on the tall grass in the early morning. I watched him for a few minutes until he scampered away and I was off to the lake.

Using weights and balls o' fire to fish the bottom--the same way we had all the luck the day before--I caught a smallish 7" rainbow trout right away. It was much slower than I thought it would be though, and moved down the bank towards the dam a bit where I had a little more luck.


My brother Alex joined me around 9 a.m. and he must have been my good luck charm because I landed a 10" cutthroat trout right after he arrived. Soon thereafter, he caught his first fish of the trip, an 11" rainbow.




At 10:30, we went back up to camp to pack everything up, and as soon as we did, we got back down to the lake.

This time, we went over to the inlet, where we immediately saw many giant Tiger Muskies swimming and floating alongside one another.

It was quite a sight as all the muskies we saw were at least 24" long, though the size limit to keep one is 36". I can see now how the state record--43"--tiger muskie was caught out of Pinewood and I'd love to catch a keeper one day.

We fished for three hours in the inlet, with no luck. It's why they call the tiger muskie the "fish of 1000 casts."

But, Alex very nearly landed one as he dangled his rainbow colored Kastmaster in front of a patrolling muskie, who went for it, but decided not to take the lure.

Tip: If you're fishing for muskie, make sure to use a steel leader so they don't snap your line with their thousands of razor-sharp teeth.

After roasting in the sun for three hours at the inlet, we headed home, happy at the new fish we saw for the first time ever and excited to get back to Pinewood for another chance at landing one.

Read about our camping/fishing trip at Pinewood Reservoir on Day 1 and Day 2 as well!

Pinewood Reservoir Day 2

June 17, 2012


After a little fishing fun in Day one, and much more late night fun by the fire, Koby and I were determined to make an impact and take a whole bunch of trout out of Pinewood Reservoir.

I must say, I absolutely love Pinewood.

I've been going to the lake for at least 15 years, visiting it almost annually as my Dad used to take my brother and I up north from Denver in our childhood to camp, fish and enjoy the majestic Rocky Mountains.

Why I love Pinewood is easy to explain.

Firstly, it's a great lake to fish. Even when I was young and fishing with my Dad, who had limited fishing experience, we would always pull some trout out and eat well.

Next, there are a good amount of camping sites, and if you're lucky, you get one in the Windy Pines area, where you have a bit of space between you and your closest neighbor.

Another cool aspect is the fact that there are tiger muskie, and lots of them, in the lake.

We went out this late morning in search of trout though, and we weren't disappointed.

After a long wait for breakfast, we broke camp at around 11 a.m. and went down to the cove pictured above.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, around us was catching fish and I wanted in on the fun.

I started with some lures; a rooster tail, a Kastmaster and others, to no avail.

Still, even the three year old kids just 20 yards to our right were catching fish, so something had to change.

I overheard them talking about using worms, so I switched up to worms with a bobber--nothing.

Another group said they were using balls o' fire, so I tried that, but this time without a bobber.

It turns out, everyone else was fishing the bottom, and as soon as we did too, we caught fish.

It was so easy; a couple of small weights, a small to medium snell hook and even as little as one fire ball worked, and almost immediately.

Within 45 minutes Koby and I caught our limit, and as my brother came in the middle of the action, we took in nine trout in all since we could use his license as well and the limit is four trout per person. (I'll upload a pick of all the fish as soon as I get one from Koby.) They were all 8-11" and either of the rainbow or brown trout varieties.

We went back up to camp and grilled the biggest three fish for lunch and they went quickly.

After Koby left due to a softball game that night, Alex and I went back out for more fish and fun. I didn't have more luck at the same spot and decided we should hit the inlet for a little more fishing before sunset.

I tried lures, nothing. Then balls o' fire again and caught a 10" carp. Since it was hooked well in its lip, I left it on the line and re-casted in hopes of catching a muskie.

On the third cast, the carp either got caught under a huge rock or was swallowed by a muskie as I reeled and reeled but came up with nothing but a whistling drag. After a few minutes, the line mysteriously snapped.

We hiked back to camp as the sun set and called it a night.

What a great day of fishing, with a ton of sun and wind, but fun nonetheless.

Read about our somewhat bad luck in day one at Pinewood here.

Pinewood Reservoir Day 1

June 16, 2012


Camping in June, what could be better?

My roommate Koby and I left Fort Collins for Pinewood Reservoir, which is located just west of Loveland, and a quick car ride from Fort Fun.

Of course, we couldn't go through Loveland without a stop at Sportsman's Warehouse, where we found everything and more we could ever need to fish, camp, hunt and more.

I had both of my reels re-lined, which was free, and picked up some new Kastmaster lures, some swivels, a flashlight, a cheap propane camp stove and some steel leaders for catching the elusive Tiger Muskie.

We finally arrived at our campsite at 6:30 p.m. and got the camp together as quickly as possible as to get down to the lake and get some fish caught.

I really wanted to get at least one trout for dinner that night, and luckily, Koby came through.

We used a litany of lures, to almost no avail, until Koby's black fury spinner landed a 12" rainbow. We fished until past 10 p.m. and there was surprisingly still a little bit of daylight to see, just barely.

We headed back up the steep 300 foot climb back to camp and got a fire going to cook that rainbow with red onion, some spices and a piece of bacon.

It was a delectable dinner and a wonderful way to start our camping trip out.

Just wait until you read how well we did in day two!

An Evening on Douglas Reservoir

June 15, 2012


After a long day of work, my good friend Anderson and I decided to go out for some evening fishing.

We took off at 7 p.m. and arrived at Douglas Reservoir at around 7:30 p.m. and got his canoe wet.

Usually, I always fish from the shore. I don't own a boat, raft or canoe--though I'll be buying an inflatable two-man raft at some point this summer--meaning this was a special venture for me.

It was only my second time fishing out on a canoe all year, and it was incredibly relaxing and fun.

When we arrived, it was perfect outside; around 80 degrees with the sun beginning to rest behind the mountains and only a light breeze coming from the south.

We went straight out into the middle of the lake and got our lines wet as soon as possible.

I started with a countdown Rapala that's blue and silver, which got me a few bites and I hooked a medium sized bass only feet from the canoe. He got off the line before I could net him, but an angler friend of mine said it counts as catching the fish and an "easy release" because you don't even have to touch the fish. So I count it as my first catch of the day.

After that, I tried my brown trout colored Kastmaster, the clownfish Mepps and many other lures to no avail.

As the sun set behind a giant cloud, and some smoke from the High Park Fire that's still burning out of control, I used a big trout colored spoon.

While I retrieved quickly, I thought I had a bite, but it was only the action of the lure in the water--until one hit!

I hooked this one much better and let him run with my line for a bit--he even went under the canoe--the drag did its job while I reeled him him.

After Anderson netted him, I saw a beautiful little brown trout, at around 6-8" long. (No picture this time because I left the phone on shore in case we tipped the canoe, sorry.)

A little while later we paddled back into shore, content with the wonderful night out in northern Fort Collins.

In all, it was a blast!

I love the experience of fishing on a boat/canoe as you can use much bigger and heavier lures without too much risk of them running bottom and catching something other than fish.

Douglas isn't the deepest lake I've been on, but it's certainly at least 10 feet deep in the middle, and I suggest using big spoons out there if you ever get on the reservoir.

Happy fishing!

Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. Follow him on facebook and/or twitter.

Spring Creek bass?

June 13, 2012

After an unsuccessful outing at Simpson Ponds with James, my fishing thirst wasn't quenched.

I got home at around 6 p.m. and decided I'd go back out, this time to a new fishing location in Spring Creek.

It seems crazy to think, but there are actually fish in the small creek that winds its way through Fort Collins.

It's a virtual oasis in the middle of a metropolis and one can often lose the sense of feeling like they're in the center of Colorado's fourth largest city when walking, running, biking or even fishing along the creek.

The Mallard's Nest Natural area is only a very small part of Spring Creek, so don't just go out and throw a line in anywhere. You can find Mallard's Nest just east of Spring Park and it runs almost all the way to Lemay.

I pulled the bike over just after the natural area begins, just before the Stuart Street overpass and, to my pleasant surprise, enjoyed a great amount of luck there.

I found a spot just after some rapids where there were a few pools and decided to use a small weight and some Balls O' Fire to lure in whatever happened to be floating in the creek.

After a few unsuccessful attempts along the bank nearest me, I noticed a deeper part of the creek behind a wall of reeds and next to the other bank, around 10 feet away.

A few casts later, I was hitting exactly where I wanted to, and the fish were hitting too.

I felt the most slight of hits vibrating the rod and pulled quickly to land my first--and the biggest of the day--bass.
He was a strong little bass, and so were his little brothers, which I caught too.


In all, I snagged four small large mouth bass from that pool in Spring Creek, many more than I expected when first showing up and seeing the 8-12" depth.



Plus, I caught a craw daddy's claw, after wrongly thinking I was hung up on a rock, and tried to use it as bait but the bass weren't biting on his pincher.


The best part of it all may have been the sunset that was special due to the High Park Fire burning just west of Fort Collins.

In all, the short bike ride down to Spring Creek was definitely worth it, as it salvaged my fishing day, and I'll be back again this summer.





Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. Follow him on facebook and/or twitter.

Simpson Ponds take one

June 13, 2012


An off day from the day job always welcomes a fishing trip, be it long or short, with or without friends.

This day was great, as I got to go fishing with my buddy James, our first outing together.

He hails from Loveland, some 15 miles to the south of Fort Collins, and he came and picked me up to show me around his stomping grounds around 3 p.m.

We cruised down to Loveland, while the smoke from the High Park Fire billowed wildly out of control into the thin Colorado air.

Our first stop on this wild Wednesday was at Long Hagler Reservoir, my first time, and apparently his first as well. We were shocked to see how shallow the water was, only dropping around a foot some 5-7 feet off the shore, and the broken shale lining the bottom was an ominous sign we shouldn't cast there. We hiked a good quarter of a mile down the south side of the reservoir and came across a thicket of bushes, where the water was certainly deeper, but we couldn't get to it without waders or, even better, a boat.

So we turned and wandered our way along the shoreline back to the truck and James decided we should head to Simpson Ponds.


I'd heard of them and the incredibly large large mouth bass that can be caught there, but had never been.

It's a simple little natural area, with three or four smallish ponds, with enough fishing area to serve lots of anglers at the same time.

At this point, it was hot, and the sun was mirroring off the lake and hitting me straight in the face as I fished facing west from the eastern shore, staring in disbelief at the immensity of the High Park Fire burning out of control in our view.

I also had to stare at my reel, noticing after losing my silver and blue Kastmaster at the Poudre River a few days before, my line was only at some 40 feet.

We started with some Rapala's that float on the surface of the water, mine a jointed one, with no success. I switched over to my Mepps clownfish colored lure, nothing. The black fury came out, to no effect. Just then, James caught a Crappie at around 6", our only catch of the day at Simpson. He caught it using a panter martin spinner.
I later moved over to his spot and got a few bites on a rooster tail, but didn't actually hook anything.

After an hour or hour and a half James decided we should leave, and even though I wanted to stay a little longer, we did.

It was a serene and quiet time at Simpson Ponds, and knowing how many giant bass there are--along with the many other types of fish--I'll certainly be back again, and soon.


Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. You can follow Rich on facebook and/or twitter.