Thursday was a balmy 70+ degrees in Boulder (and really windy) but I had to get out in the warm weather to try out the new Tenkara Rod.
Sawtooth rod from Tenkara Rod Co
I was a little concerned about the snow and ice situation up in Boulder Canyon but drove up anyways. There have been so many warm days lately that most of the snow has to have melted. At least anything that sees sunshine. What I found were pretty good flows and long sections of ice-free water.
Ice free Boulder Creek
Parked at one of the first few pulloffs
Coming from a Redington 5/6wt rod the Sawtooth felt really noodly. But casting felt great and accuracy was generally better than with the Redington. With that came lighter presentation from the lighter line on the Tenkara. The wind made it pretty annoying at times though, leaving me snagged in various branches or just standing there with the line floating in the air waiting for the wind to die down. Regardless, the fish were biting.
In addition to the Tenkara rod, I was also testing out a new fly. I came across the Killer Bug in some late night browsing. It’s generally tied with wool yarn but all I had was material I use for other flies. So I improvised and came up with this:
Killer Bug with tungsten head
It killed! I managed to get 3 Browns and 1 Rainbow trout on this thing within a half hour. Not bad for February. I’m definitely going to make some more, and the exact materials don’t seem to matter much. The yarn might be cheaper long-term but for now I’ll use what I’ve got.
After the sun went down I snapped some shots of Boulder Creek around The Dome and Elephant Buttresses. I think it might be time to get out climbing soon!
Boulder Creek and The Dome
Boulder Creek cascades