Loveland Fishing Club Blog

Here's part of the Reporter Herald's lead article today on a fish kill back on March 7. BIG THOMPSON CANYON City: Water supply not threatened Thousands of fish die between Drake and Loveland after exposure to chemical BY SAJA HINDI Reporter-Herald StaffWriter Despite state wildlife agency reports that more than 5,600 fish died last month in the Big Thompson River upstream from Loveland’s water treatment plant, city officials stress residents’ drinking water remained safe. Colorado Parks andWildlife officials confirmed Wednesday that a significant fish kill occurredMarch 7 on the Lower North Fork of the Big Thompson and mainstream Big Thompson River from Drake downstream to the canyon mouth in west Loveland. WATER from page 1A Initial reports of fish kill from residents launched a multi-agency response, and Parks and Wildlife officials said when they found out it was limited to rainbow and brown trout, suckers and dace, the age...

Boat ramps at Horsetooth and Carter reservoirs will open for the season on Friday, April 1, so all Larimer County waters should be accessible. Not all ramps will be open immediately.  Here's the schedule: Carter - north ramp open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week Horsetooth - South Bay and Inlet Bay ramps 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week; Satanka ramps only from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.  Zebra mussel inspection will be available only during those hours. Boyd has already opened for the season, and no inspection is required at Lonetree, Boedecker or Lon Hagler.

Okay, it's supposed to snow early this week, and get ridiculously cold, so we don't know exactly where we should go fishing next.  We are pretty sure about when:  Thursday! If the weather allows, we're thinking of North Michigan Reservoir, a couple hours west on highway 14 just over Cameron Pass, or perhaps stop short of that and try Barnes Meadow.  If there's too much snow in the high country, we'll do St. Vrain State Park just east of Longmont, or Lon Hagler. Any preferences?  Drop BillP a note.  Watch for an e-mail or an update on the blog for more information.

Boyd Lake will host an ice fishing tournament on Saturday, Jan. 9, with $3,000 cash for the winner and a total of $10,000 in prizes between cash and gear. Interested?   The event is sponsored by Tightline Outdoors and Clam.  Last year's tournament was heavily attended, but fish were pretty scarce.   Here's a posting from Tightline Outdoors Facebook . With the Boyd Lake Ice Addiction event just around the corner here are a few commonly asked questions.... It's $40 a person to enter, the heaviest single fish caught will win $3,000 cash. There will be over $10,000 in total prizes between cash and gear and over 20 places. Anglers can weigh up to there legal limit of each species. The event runs from 8am to noon, check in/registration opens at 5am. Once you are checked in you are welcome to go on the course and pick your hole.  The reason we pick a course and pre drill the holes is to ensure a fair fun event that makes angles rely on skill and not k...

Shortly after our Perkins' pancakes digest Friday, stout-hearted Fishing Club ice anglers will be heading to the mountains, with maggots and toe warmers in tow.  We're thinking Dowdy or West Lake, possibly due to lack of imagination, but also because they should be solid and pretty accessible after this week's cold and snow.  If you have a better idea, let's discuss.  Call or e-mail  Bill Prater

I just finished stuffing two nephews' new tackle boxes with a variety of baits to get them hooked on bass fishing, and thought it might be something you might find worth trying this spring, or worth sharing with a young angler buddy of your own . Merry Christmas.  Bill P Dear nephew, You are at a perfect age to perfect the one skill most important to your future happiness:  fishing!  I didn’t realize it when I was your age, but that short period between ages 10 and 13 is absolutely the perfect time to be a boy:   First of all, though Mom and Dad may tell you different, no adult really expects much from you yet in the way of time-wasting chores or other responsible behavior.  You also likely haven’t discovered girls yet. Trust your uncle; they will eventually really eat into your fishing time.  But for now you have time to really obsess over how to outwit a bass!

The wind's been howling at about 35 miles an hour up at Red Feather, with no sign of a slowdown, so Tuesday's ice fishing trip has been scrubbed.  We'll reschedule as soon as weather permits.  Hey, this ain't Florida.  Bill