The weather here in the Colorado Rockies during springtime can be very unpredictable. You just have to be ready for anything. Some cloud cover and rain is almost always a good thing for fishing. The Blue-Winged Olives (BWOs) tend to hatch in big numbers during this time, and it can really get the fish moving. And when it’s really good, you sort of forget about the weather.

Another nice Gunnison River rainbow. A few more of these and I’ll forget all about the long cold winter…and 32 below zero and frozen pipes.

The big rivers are in run-off right now, so it’s a great time to fish the small creeks. I’ve been fishing a 7-foot bamboo rod and throwing small streamers and wooly buggers. It’s been great fun! This nice brown here had such amazing color for this time of year, I just had to get a photo.

The rainbows are getting ready to spawn and have some really beautiful colors right now. They are also nice and chunky, and are on the feed. I got several good rainbows today, including a very nice fish you can see on my fishing reports page.

It’s late April, which is springtime for most people, but here in the Colorado Rockies it can still look and feel like winter. In the photo below, Taylor Reservoir is still completely frozen over and there is a pretty good snowpack up on the Continental Divide. On the way back down Taylor Canyon, we saw some Big Horn Sheep, including one really nice ram. I like to get out in early spring each year, especially after a long, cold winter, to just take in these incredible Rocky Mountains and remind myself why I am here.

Early spring is a great time to fish small creeks. I really look forward to getting out on the small streams with a bamboo rod every year from April through June. I look for the bigger fish with buggers and streamers during this time. But once the hatches kick in, then it’s dry fly fishing heaven. Today was a great day with lots of fish and not another angler in sight. Check out the video.