A great outing at Wyoming's Diamond Lake

 It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt! 

Darrell Knight appears to be getting bitten by this over-sized brown Monday at Wyoming's wind-swept Diamond Lake near Laramie. Fortunately he was wearing gloves.and other protective gear. Plus, your editor may be making up this part of the latest fishing report from this remote southern Wyoming trophy lake. 

Fishing was tough at times, but that lake's got some big, mean fish, including rainbows, this ill-natured brown, and several Snake River cutthroats, including one nearing 23 inches. And another that I swear was even bigger, but escaped by diving into the weeds. Other than that, Darrell, Wayne Baranczyk and your editor can't complain about much but the wind, which wasn't even that bad.

Wayne Baranczyk, left, and
cutthroat

July Boat Day at Boyd! "A Great Club Outing"

 The weather was as questionable Thursday, but turned sunny by the time the club hit Boyd Lake Thursday for the July Boat Day outing. Most of the folks even caught fish.

"It was a great turnout," says Boat Day organizer Dave Boyle. "Food was awesome and friendships are outstanding. A great club outing.

Top fish catcher of the day was reportedly Rick Golz.
Sounds like most of his catch were under-age,
but he also landed this handsome walleye. Photo by
Dave Boyle.

Sportsmen's Caucus meeting is Thursday, July 13 at Scheels

JOHNSTOWN, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is holding a "Sportsperson's Caucus" Thursday at Scheels in Johnstown, with area wildlife managers and biologists on hand to answer questions from the public. 

Kyle Battiege, senior aquatic biologist for the region, and Assistant Aquatic Section Manager Josh Nehring will present an aquatic division update, and elk herd management and area turkey populations will be discussed. 

The meeting will start at 6 p.m. The caucus will also be live-streamed on the CPW YouTube channel.

CPW Northeast Region Sportsperson Caucus representatives Paul Navarre and Brian Soliday will open the meeting with announcements.

Rocky Mountain National Park Biologist Bill Deacy will highlight elk herd management in the area.

Deputy Region Manager Shannon Schaeller will cover big game season structure. Northeast region sportsman Steve Hilde will address past license allocations.

An overview of Colorado’s turkey population health and management will be presented by caucus representative Navarre.

Newly appointed Area 3 Wildlife Manager Todd Cozad will be available to answer wildlife questions pertaining to the Sterling, Fort Morgan, Fort Lupton and Brush regions.

Northeast Regional Manager Mark Leslie will update the caucus on the approved Wolf Reintroduction Plan.

The caucus will conclude with time for the public in-person and online to ask questions to wildlife officers and participate in open discussion with CPW staff.

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Master angler smallmouth!

Celebrating the 4th of July a day early, LFC angler Darrell Knight landed a 17 1/2-inch smallmouth Monday, getting out early to beat the paddleboarders and wake boats to Horsetooth.

 

Club calendar updated; here's the link

 The Loveland Fishing Club Board meets on at 9 a.m. at the Chilson Recreation Center and the club's general meeting is held at 2 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month (except for the annual picnic in August). These and other club activities like fishing trips can be found on the Club Calendar. Here's the link.

Thanks to all who helped make June Boat Day a success

LFC Vice President Dan Barker, organizer of the club's Boat Day outings, reports a good day on the water Thursday at Boyd Lake.

It was windy as they come in northern Colorado, but Dan reports most anglers caught at least a few walleye, and everyone had a good meal. 

Recognize this cap? Found after the May club meeting

Looks like something you'd hate to lose. This Vietnam veteran cap was found after the May Loveland Fishing Club meeting at Chilsen Center, and went unclaimed at the meeting in June. If it's yours, contact Bob Dierkes, rdierkes51@gmail.com, 970-819-2349.

 

Didn't know we even had smallmouth this big around here

 

Jim Visger reports  a pair of memorable May outings, fishing from the dock of Hertha Reservoir, a private lake southwest of Loveland.

With remarkable candor for a veteran member of the Loveland Fishing Club, Jim reports using a #5 jointed Shad Rap in a perch pattern to tame both beasts, including a smallmouth topping 5 pounds. Here they are:

It was cold, dark and rainy. Not that young anglers seem to notice at this year's edition of the Loveland Kids Fishing Derby

This old angler's memory of the Loveland Kids Fishing Derby goes back almost two decades, and there's never been a derby so thoroughly wet from start to finish. Parents, grandparents and club volunteers seemed to  notice, but all the kids seemed to care about was a very satisfying day of fishing. It was a very good day on the Duck Pond of North Lake Park.

Here is a link to the Google album of photos from the event: 2023 Loveland Kids Fishing Derby photos

Thanks to a generous stocking of rainbow trout large and small, along with cool water temperatures,  Colorado Youth Outdoors volunteers were kept busy cleaning and cooking kids' catches, and club members were hard pressed to keep up with fish measurements. "Scarlett" won the raffle prize for largest fish of the day, a 13 1/2-inch rainbow, and "Cooper" took the prize for smallest, at 7 inches.

Always scattered among the relatives of derby competitors are folks who fished the derby themselves, back over the years. Prominent among this year's alumni: Jason Mahrlig, who proudly recalls winning the derby back in 1992, as a lad of 6, and again in 1993 and 1994. Today was his 37th birthday, and his son finished second in the contest for largest fish of the day, with a 13-inch rainbow. Thanks to all who supported the event.

Following are photos taken during the day by Bill Prater and LFC Derby Chair Rick Golz. 

1992-93-94 Derby alumni Jason Mahrlig and son

Raffle prize winner Ellia

Soggy but triumphant Everitt

Fish on their way to being measured, then eaten

Kids Derby, LFC featured in Reporter-Herald

The 2023 edition of the Loveland Kids Derby was featured in Thursday's Loveland Reporter-Herald newspaper, reflecting the event's reputation as a terrific opportunity for families to introduce their children to fishing.

The derby will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Duck Pond at North Lake. Club members are reminded their volunteer help will be sorely needed.

Rick Golz, chairman of the fishing derby with the Loveland Fishing Club, was quoted as saying the event is a great way for kids to come out and learn a great skill and simply have a good time.

“It is getting kids and families doing things together, and we need that so badly,” Golz said. “There are going to be some kids … who are going to fish for the rest of their lives because of this event.”

To read the entire article, click on the following link: https://www-reporterherald-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.reporterherald.com/2023/05/31/loveland-kids-fishing-derby-scheduled-for-saturday-at-north-lake-park/amp/?amp_js_v=0.1#webview=1&cap=swipe

Rick Golz with prizes kids can win during the derby.

Loveland Reporter-Herald photo by Jenny Sparks