Loveland Fishing Club Blog

 Every spring Loveland Fishing Club volunteers help with the Chilson Centere's Pancake Breakfast; it's one of the ways we repay the center for use of its facilities. The event begins at 7 a.m. and runs through noon on April 11. If you'd like to help, contact Lauren Pavlish, 970-962-2336; or email laurenpavlish@cityofloveland.org. Three shifts need help: Kitchen, 7 to 10 a.m.; Kitchen 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Kitchen and Cleanup, 10 a.m. until noon.

  Normally we would not be discussing this for another six weeks or so. But like the mosquitoes around Boyd Lake, Ice-Out this year is ridiculously early at the Delaney Lakes and Lake John. In other words, it is time for the time-honored Loveland Fishing Club tradition that separates the women from the girls, the men from boys. Those of you previously unaware of the Delaneys are in for a treat - and possibly a touch of frostbite. Normally those clear North Park lakes are ice-capped until around the first of May; Club members debate the precise time when the ice cracks open and big, scrappy browns, rainbows and cutbows start cruising the shallows. Unfortunately it's also a time when northern Colorado can feel like southern Wyoming: with high winds and occasional plummeting temperatures competing with the prospect of a personal best fish. We generally watch the fishing reports from North Park Anglers in Walden for news about the arrival of spring in the high country. Here's what...

  Once again Loveland Fishing Club leadership has failed to provide adequate ice for a day of  ice fishing for club members. So once again we'll be meeting at St. Vrain State Park for a day of warm water sports. 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  today'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. 

About a hundred Leland Carpenter fans turned up at his home Saturday to wish him a happy 90th birthday. Even the Loveland Police stopped by the wish him well.  "This one meant something extra," a police spokesperson said on their Facebook page, after posing with friends and family (Leland, Robbie and friends shown at right) "An Army veteran celebrating 90 years. Nine decades of life, service, sacrifice, and stories most of us can only imagine. Showing up for moments like this reminds us why we love what we do ... . A sharp salute to you, sir. And a heartfelt thank you for your service. Happy birthday (again) from the LPD." Like the celebration the club held for Leland at the February meeting, the gathering was a surprise. 

 Thursday I may have implied that the Loveland Fishing Club's St. Vrain State Park outing wasn't a true success until after the hatchery truck arrived. I, uh, may have overstated the situation. Here's what happened. (Pay attention; it's a bit complex)  Yesterday, along with Pat Bocek, Darrell Knight, Doug Money, Ken Kesterke and a couple other club members, my brand new spinning rod and I probed the murky depths of Mallard Pond for a couple hours, seeking at least a holdover stocked trout. Bupkis. Otherwise, it was a beautiful day to visit St. Vrain, except for the sight of a dead carp here and there. Eventually abandoning my belly, boat, to gulp down another club-provided pastry and another club-provided coffee, I strolled over to the adjacent Sandpiper Pond. There I shared fishing suggestions with  club members who had abanded Mallard to join Dave Johnson and Chris Nelson. Then I, uh, went home. Possibly prematurely. Those remaining anglers later revealed that a fair...

 It was a beautiful day at St. Vrain State Park Thursday - temps in the '60s, a bit of a breeze, coffee and pastries for about 10 Loveland Fishing Club members who arrived ready to fish. Early on, the fish didn't seem ready to cooperate. Until late morning, that is, when Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff arrived with a generous stocking of gullible rainbows. Skills had much to do with it, of course, but over the course of the day our folks all caught fish, with a little help from our friends. Here are a few samples.: Pat Bocek Ken Kesterke and Bob Dierkes Bob and new friend