Loveland Fishing Club Blog

 Normally this time of year some of us would be planning a day of ice fishing at St. Vrain State Park, and others would be waiting for open water. Now we can all get together and gossip about this crazy warm weather - at the year's first Loveland Fishing Club outing of 2026. We'll meet at 9 a.m. in the conference room in the park's main building facing Mallard Pond, where the club will have snacks and drinks and sound advice on how to catch a fish in any of the many ponds. (Ask for directions at the gate) We'll talk about it at Tuesday's general meeting, 2 p.m. at Chilson Center. You can fish from the bank or by float tube or kayak - even ice fishing if you can find some. Multiple ponds were stocked with trout this fall in anticipation of a winter season that just didn't materialize. 

  For years now we've paused to honor whoever lands the club's biggest fish of the year, and here's Darrell Knight showing off that giant Bass Pond largemouth he caught last spring.  The winning fish is the largest one of any sport species taken from public water in Colorado, as a percentage of the Colorado Master Angler criteria for the species.  Darrell's largemouth was just shy of 120 percent. Remember, no private or out of state waters; no fish caught on a guided trip,   So get out there and start fishing; take a photo of the fish with a measuring rule, and submit it to Bob McHale. Entries are accepted through year-end.    

Okay, not much to report this winter about ice fishing on Front Range lakes and ponds. But Jim Barborak offers photos with young friends from seasons past. Below he and a neighbor buddy show off a day's catch at St. Vrain State Park, and Jim and granddaughter with her largemouth and a green lawn. Meanwhile, bottom photo, last summer gave Cindy Greenwalt the chance to land a gorgeous Wyoming carp. She's now sitting at home planning more fishing trips.   

That sacred club tradition - the occasional gathering at Bruce's in Severance for a plateful of Rocky Mountain Oysters is scheduled for this week. For newbies, know this is a really popular event for our spouses. And there are other things on the menu.   

 It's mid January already, time to start talking about what to do when Spring arrives. Terry Gibbons, Loveland Fishing Club member and webmaster for the Rocky Mountain Flycasters chapter of Trout Unlimited, will tell us about plans for the Northern Colorado Fishing Expo26. The annual fundraiser for Flycasters will be Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ranch, with exhibitors, fly tying and other diversions from this strange winter of ours. 

Okay, we asked for some new fish photos and one determined club member sent us one from a fishing trip that must have taken place a few years ago. Use our new Comment tool to tell the rest of us who this is (and take a stab at how long ago)