Walleye on the fly? Brush Hollow Reservoir here we come!

Last Saturday night, some of the Angler’s Covey family were planning on heading out to Brush Hollow Reservoir to try our hand at fly fishing for walleye, with the guidance of Colorado Tackle  Pro’s Chris and Travis. With the wind howling and the temps dropping, several of us dropped out. Yes, I admit, some of us are wimps when it comes to freezing our tails!

 

But die hard Mark Mahler (AC instructor) was willing to give it a try. After countless casts into the frigid wind, late at night, he was rewarded by landing this walleye – on a fly rod. Nice catch, Mark!

 

Well, those of us who wimped out saw Mark’s fish and we were inspired to try it again. So Monday night, we – David, Scott, Jon, Sharon and I  – geared up with 6-weight rods, streamers and even saltwater flies, (not to mention plenty of hot coffee). The weather was warmer – but not warm – and the wind was still wailing. Most of us had never fished for walleye and I, for one, had never fished completely in the dark, save for the moonlight. Blind casting into the black water was a new experience for me! At one point I looked up the shoreline, and smiled: there were my friends spaced out along the shore, illuminated by the full moon, enjoying a new adventure together.

 

When the fish moved up toward the shore, we shone our headlamps on the water and Chris pointed out the glowing eyes. That, he said, was our target. Knowing they were actually there, we made cast after cast, trying fly after fly, but to no avail. Sharon and I both had bites, but only Travis, using a spin rod, caught anything.

 

We left after midnight,and although we didn’t catch anything, we had a great time. This season, I encourage you to try a new adventure in fly fishing. What do you have to lose?