Possibly the only lousy advice I've ever gotten from Chad LaChance

 

By Bill Prater

I was headed home from Chicago Friday when I saw that legendary angler's painful video about his cancer diagnosis. The distressing news prompted me into an adventure I’d thought about off and on for the past 10 or 15 years:

In other words, ever since I’d watched Chad's Fishful Thinker program about the legendary I-80 fishing lakes dotting the interstate’s route across Nebraska. I’m pretty sure I recall him saying, “I just picked one at random” before hopping onto that little 12-foot jon boat of his and predictably catching one big bass after another, along with a wad of crappie and bluegill.

Anyway, come Saturday morning I paused on the drive home to try replicating Chad’s long-ago day on I-80 roadside water. I picked a little lake at random – War Axe State Recreation Area, a few miles east of Kearney. It was just as he’d described – a crystal clear lake all to myself,  filled with healthy coontail, cabbage and other fish-attracting weeds. Predictably, I even began the morning with Chad’s most regularly recommended lure - a 2 ½-inch shad color Gulp Minnow on a micro jig. Trouble was, though my float-tubing technique was as flawless as my bait, I then flipped the length of that pond and back and located only one lonely yellow perch.

Even worse, after heading back to the ramp, I paused to study the sign I should have read first: “Lake Renovation. Closed to Fishing until further notice.”

Though I had faithfully followed Chad’s recommendation, I guess I should have been less random in that choice of I-80 lakes. In fairness, if the fellow were dispensing advice now, it would probably be, “Next time, read the sign.”

Also in fairness, an hour or so later I did make an equally random stop about 50 miles down I-80, Birdwood SRA, down a gravel road west of North Platte. And in almost no time, following Fishful Thinker guidance to the letter, I landed and released half a dozen decent bass, a couple fat crappie and a trout. So even though my interpretation of Chad’s advice led to an I-80 fiasco, turns out he was right as always. I have to add, that good man’s flawless teaching and guidance have improved the skills and joy of angling for darned near every fisher man, woman and child in this state. Even the ones who don’t always read signs. ​

June Boat Day is on Boyd, Thursday, June 22, two days after the general meeting

 

Lately even when it's pouring rain with occasional hail, the fishing's around here has reportedly been downright scary good. So if you haven't signed up yet, get going.

This month's Boat Day outing, the first of the season, will be from about 7:30 to noon on Thursday, May 22 at Boyd Lake (two days after the June general meeting, followed by a potluck lunch. If you'd like to participate, contact this month's Boat Day organizer, Tom Miller, 970-669-3585; ranger1936@icloud.com

He'll match up boat captains with anglers needing a ride. 

All club members are welcome, but space is limited based on the number of available boats. The club provides some protein, and everyone is asked to bring a dish to share, and whatever you want to drink. 

Funeral services for Dick Hunsaker will be June 14 at St. John the Evangelist

 

Funeral services for Richard M. "Fish Head" Hunsaker, 89, one of the club's founding members, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1730 W. 12th St. A reception will follow in St. John's Hall.

Burial for Fish Head, who died last year in Ogden, Utah and was cremated, will be at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. (Fish Head was known for his love of fishing and infamous hat.)

Dick graduated from South High School in Salt Lake City.  Dick met the love of his life, Claudia, while they were attending the University of Utah, where he received his Bachelor’s degree.  Claudia preceded him in death.  She and Dick were married June 13, 1956 in Salt Lake City, Utah while Dick was serving an active duty tour for the United States Army. Their journeys took them through Utah, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, eventually retiring in Loveland, Colorado.  

During his career he had many varied interests to include Law Enforcement in multiple states, Real Estate, Phillips 66, and retiring from Marion Merrell Dow Company in 1994. 

For Dick's complete obituary, click here.

Here's a link to a photo album for the 2025 Loveland Kids Fishing Derby

 You can view, copy and share photos from this Google Photo Album; we plan to add additional photos over the next few days. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9BxYzf3pB8U63NEG8

Great Day of Fishing at the 2025 Kids Derby

 Great day of Fishing at the 2025 Kids Derby

The first-time anglers ruled the day Saturday at the North Lake Duck Pond, with a 4-year-old and 3-year old capturing prizes for biggest and smallest trout. But everyone seemed to be hauling in fish on a perfect sunny day.

Herons and cormorants gathered on the Duck Pond island and flew overhead as hundreds of youngsters crowded the banks and kept volunteers from Colorado Youth Outdoors and Outdoor Buddies busy cleaning and cooking trout donated to the event by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Loveland Fishing Club kept busy registering anglers, handing out fishing gear and bait and later measuring their catches and presenting fishing gear prizes at the free raffle on the half hour. 

Winner of the fishing pole and tackle box for largest catch of the day was 3-year-old Weston Pharris of Loveland with a whopping 14-inch rainbow. Winner of the prize for smallest trout of the day was 4-year-old Lilah of Loveland.

Weston Pharris, 3

Lilah, 4

Captains and riders needed for May 22nd Boat Day at Boyd!

 

 This month's Boat Day outing, the first of the season, will be from about 7:30 to noon on Thursday, May 22 at Boyd Lake. If you'd like to participate, contact Boat Day organizer Danny Barker asap at danbarker2337@gmail  or 970-302-8965. He'll match up boat captains with anglers needing a ride. 

All club members are welcome, but space is limited to the number of boats. Fishing is followed by a potluck at the state park beach house. The club provides some protein, Dan says, and "everyone is asked to bring a dish to pass, and whatever you want to drink." Dan will also bring cold water. Here's a look at one of last year's outings:

Let's see some fish pictures.

 

Barring a little late spring rain or snow, we should be out fishing! And the rest of the club needs to see some fish pictures. So let's have them! Got any favorites from the distant past? Let's see those too. You can reply to this note or e-mail to billjohnp@gmail.com.

A Big Fish Story about Tiny Little Fishing Gear

 

By Bill Prater

I’m not one to either endorse or talk ugly about anyone's fishing equipment. But I’ve got to tell someone about the remarkable experience I had this week with the lightest  gear I can lay hands on, especially my new 7’ ultralight Fenwick HMG Trout & Panfish rod. And I want to tell everyone I know to forget that old cliche’ about it taking a big lure to catch a big fish.

So there I was, peacefully fishing a small Northern Colorado pond from a belly boat with that 4.8-ounce Fenwick rod, a 1000 series Daiwa reel spooled with 4-pound Nanofil braid and a fluorocarbon leader, tied to a barbless 1/32-ounce Mule Fishing mushroom head jig. Just hoping for a nice bass or bluegill, with no warning I found myself confronted by the biggest carp I’d ever seen: 34-inches long, just a tad under the Colorado state record.

That bruiser and I battled it out for well over half an hour, likely longer. At least I thought of it as a battle; the fish seemed indifferent as it tugged me around and around that pond in a Colorado equivalent of a “Nantucket Sleigh Ride.” Nonstop, the rod was bent like a pretzel and yanked from side to side. From the outset, I was pretty sure I was about to test the replacement warranty on that Fenwick.

Anyway, though it was terrifying to see that $160 rod being put to such an ultimate test, the sweet little thing just wouldn’t break. When part of the fish was finally crammed into my net, I was exhausted, my right wrist was bruised and sprained, but the carp and the Fenwick were unharmed.

Over seven-plus decades of fishing, I’ve managed to torture and snap my share of rods: tried to pull a jig free from an overhead tree, mishandled more than one rod while landing a fish, dropped a couple over the side of my belly boat, even had the wife slam a trunk lid on three rod tips all at once. Also had a kinda costly, heavier rod snapped by a much smaller carp a decade or so back.

Anyway, I’m sold on that ultralight rod and ultra finesse fishing, and thinking I really should add that little Fenwick one-piece 5-footer to my arsenal. Father's Day is coming.

Help us at 9 a.m. Thursday get our loaner fishing poles ready for the Kids Derby

 

Please join Pat Mikulak at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Fairgrounds Park Pavilion to help get our loaner poles ready for the May 17th Kids Derby. Pat will have all we need to get the stuff ready for the Derby at North Lake Duck Park.

The Delaneys are open!

 Okay gang, we've messed around and flat missed first ice out of 2025, but hungry fish still await. North Park Anglers in Walden today reported the following:

"The Delaney lakes and Lake John are fully open. The wind over the last few days has taken care of the last of the ice on the valley lakes. The smaller lakes like Cowdrey, Seymour, and many of the other lakes around the valley are fully open as well. Nymphing with leeches and chironomids is the main game during the day, and stripping buggers, leeches, crayfish, and boatmen in the early and late hours of the day is always a good bet." (I still prefer a good old Gulp Minnow, 2.5 or 3 inch smelt.)

Trouble is, your editor is dealing with the aftermath of a suspect unprecedented fifth visit by Covid-19, and not yet ready to go back to living, much less fishing on a cold, windy but trout filled lake. So if you want to take part in this annual Loveland Fishing Club tradition, someone needs to step up and get things going. Jim Roode last week indicated he was about ready, and willing to carpool. Let me know how you do. Bill

Club members on a previous ice out adventure.​