Loveland Fishing Club Blog

 Boyd Lake opened to boats for the season at 8 a.m. March 25; Horsetooth and Carter are set to open for boating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Friday, April 1. Until sometime in May, only the South Bay ramp on Horsetooth and North Pines ramp on Carter will be opened. Aquatic nuisance inspections will be required on all three reservoirs. Other State Wildlife Areas are open, weather conditions permitting. 

Norm Englebrecht drove his new truck all the way to Lake John last Thursday. For all that time and and gas money, he reports catching a single fish through the ice. Okay, okay, this is it below:  a thumping big,  snake River Cutthroat that Norm estimates at at least 5 pounds. Even considering Norm's notoriety when it comes to describing his fish, you have to concede this was one fine catch. Love that white background, highlighting those spring colors. Photo by Rick Palmieri

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is kicking off 2022 with a new State Records by Length program, where the entry must be released to qualify. Coolest thing about it:  there's an opportunity to record a state record for virtually every species. Here's a short description, and a link to the complete story on how it works:  https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/RecordsbyLength.aspx As of January 2020, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a new State Records by Length program. The new program recognizes the longest fish of a particular species that is caught and released by an angler, anywhere throughout Colorado. In this program, records are by length (inches), as opposed to our other program, the records by weight, which does not allow for catch-and-release entries. Unlike the  Records by Weight program , these fish MUST BE RELEASED in order to qualify. The new stand-alone program requires anglers to follow specific steps for record submission and acceptance. Old Length Records Prior t...

It's been a while since the club's fished as a large group, but we're getting together at St. Vrain State Park east of Longmont at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 24, weather permitting. (Note:  not March 23 as tentatively announced earlier) For those wanting to carpool, meet by 8:30 a.m. in the northwest corner of the Sam's parking lot on Eisenhower.  The St. Vrain ponds are still ice capped, but should be clear by next week. Let's start at the south end of Sandpiper Pond. It's on the left as you enter the park.  Take I-25 to Colorado 119, head west about half a mile to County Road 7, turn right and follow the road into the park. Here's a link to the park's website. Hopefully the state will restock with trout by then, but it should be fishing well, regardless. There are picnic tables scattered around the park; bring your lunch or snacks.  Questions? Send a note to Bill Prater at fishingclubloveland@gmail.com  

The International Sportsmen's Exposition, the Rockies’ largest outdoor expo, will be held at the Colorado Convention Center March 24-27. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $16; kids under 16 are free and there’s a pass available, and discounts at various locations.  For further information, here’s the link :  

  The 2022 Colorado Parks and Wildlife fishing licenses went on sale March 1, and the old ones are good through the 31st. For seniors, it's $10.23, with discount for low income. Here's the link for more information: https://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/FishingSeasonDatesFees.aspx

Bob Dierkes this week did pull this fat largemouth through the ice of a local pond, though, and Wayne Baranczyk snagged something rare for the Front Range:  a redear bluegill.

 The 2022 Colorado Parks and Wildlife Fishing Brochure, with information on licensing, regulations and other fishing-related information, is available online. Here's the lin k.

It's hard to argue with the widely held belief that Dan Barker is Loveland's finest walleye fisherman. As part of the 2 p.m. Tuesday event at Chilson Center, Dan, a past winner of the Loveland Fishing Club's Angler of the Year contest, will talk about best methods for trolling for walleye and other species on northern Colorado/southern Wyoming waters. Bring your questions.  Dan and friend.

The award for the long-time community volunteer was presented to Bill on Saturday at the Bassmaster Classic in South Carolina. Here’s a link to the the writeup from  Larimer County Department of Natural Resourses: LOVELAND - Bill Wilson, a Larimer County Department of Natural Resources staff member and community volunteer, is the recipient of the 2022 C.A.S.T. for Kids B.A.S.S. Humanitarian Award presented by B.A.S.S. and the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation. Nominated by Colorado Bass Nation, Wilson will be presented the award on Saturday, March 5 at the Bassmaster Classic in Greenville, South Carolina.

A Celebration of Life for Charlie and his late wife Ann will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, March 14 at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 2000 S Lemay in Fort Collins.  Here's  a link to Charlie's obituary