Loveland Fishing Club Blog

 If you need one more reason to crimp the barbs on fish hooks, let me admit to foul-hooking my brother's ear. It was 1958 or maybe 1959. But you'd swear it happened only yesterday, as Paulie still works that story into darned near every shared conversation we have with a new acquaintance. (And the older he gets, the more likely it is he's recalling and embellishing the same incident to relatives at every major holiday.) Okay it happened; took place on the muddy bank of Lake Wappapella, in the Missouri Bootheel. I don't recall how it came into my possession, but I was armed with an ancient steel, telescoping fly rod. Didn't even have a reel, just some thick flyline-like cord attached to the butt end, poked through the guides down to some kind of big old fly. Obsessed with getting that beauty into the water, I was flailing away while paying insufficient attention to Paulie, who was using a simple cane pole to my right. Wham! the fly slammed into the softest part of a ...

 We  typically sit around in early May and wait for area lakes to refill with water from the high country. But rumors began spreading last week that there'd be no influx in Boyd this season, and that was confirmed in today's Loveland Reporter Herald. As we begin the Memorial Day weekend the campgrounds are full but the lake is somewhere below 55 percent of capacity, 17 feet down. Those who recall the drought-plagued year Bill and Linda moved north to Loveland, 2004 or 5 as I recall, know the Boyd boat ramps closed for the summer on July 10 of that year, and so did the marina. No speculation on where that leaves us today, but the Reporter-Herald quotted a member of the Loveland Rowing Club as saying, "We're screwed." The club has pretty much suspended its seventh season. Here's a link to the article:  https://enewspaper.reporterherald.com/?token=ace8e8899d35956b49e476870e249bc4_62921b72_d8547_0&selDate=20220528&goTo=A01

 Chris Nelson and John Gwinnup are working up plans for a Loveland Fishing Club Open Golf Tournament at Cattail Creek Golf Course, and practicing their swing instead of a cast. "For giggles, let's get together," says Chris. Here's what he's suggesting: Where :  Cattail Creek Golf Course 2116 W 29th St, Loveland, CO 80538. When? To Be Determined, probably Monday, June 13 or June 20. The event will be open to club members and spouses, Chris says. "My wife, Jamie, wants to play and if there are others lets welcome them. I think a blind draw for teams is a good way to go." Gwinnup is talking about arranging a prize for winners and whomever gets the highest score. "It will be a good time for sure, and I look forward to it.  Chris and John are putting together a list of interested golfers; e-mail Chris and he'll add you to the list. The goal is 16 or more participants. To e-mail Chris, click here.

 We've got a special guest for Tuesday's 2 p.m. general meeting at Chilsen Center:  Kyle Battige, aquatic biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the Poudre River and North Platte River drainages. He'll be updating us on Horsetooth, the Poudre and other bodies of water around here that hold fish.  Kyle's territory runs from the Weld/Morgan County line north to Wyoming and west to the Continental Divide, and on the west side of North Park and south the to Loveland/FortCollins border.  

 Here's the latest from the lad, hauled from an unnamed local pond this week. He didn't say what he caught it on, but we assume it was that half a nightcrawler he takes everywhere.

  Okay, hopefully things will work out soon, but for now Larimer County has a shortage of aquatic nuisance inspections at Horsetooth and Carter reservoirs, and low water level on Boyd Lake has led to closing of the Heron Cove boat ramp. Heron is basically used for launching jet skis, and the main Boyd ramp is still open.  Until the county can solve its labor shortage, though, Satanka ramp on the north end of Horsetooth and the North Ramp at the marine on Carter will be closed. As of  May 1, the South Bay and Inlet Bay ramps at Horsetooth open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. North Pines ramp at Carter is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and the S outh Shore ramp is only open Saturday and Sunday , 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Almost every year (forget 2020) for a long, long time, the Loveland Fishing Club and other kid-loving Lovelanders get together to host the annual Kids Fishing Derby on the first Saturday in June, a free fishing day throughout Colorado. This year, at the club's request, the derby will be a couple hours shorter than years past, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 4th at the North Lake Park Duck Pond. Club derby chair Rick Golz says the club will again handle event registration, tackle for kids who need it, measurement of fish and free raffles. In addition to prizes in raffle drawings throughout the competition, we'll provide prizes for biggest and smallest trout caught. If you've not signed up to volunteer; rickdgolz@gmail.com This is one of the club's biggest events, and we need all hands on deck.  Organizers besides the club are the Loveland Police, Loveland Kiwanis Clubs that provide low-cost food and drink, Colorado Fraternal Order of Police with their free kettle corn, C...