Seasonal

Wow, I can't believe it’s the changing seasons already.  I know sometimes when it is a blur it is because we are busy. Yep that’s what it was for me. As I think back on this season and the season of fishing, it has been a challenge as many patterns have been different and the waters all fished colder than previous years. Then comes the flood of memories of folks I have been privileged to spend the day with the talks about God, our lives, our children and sometimes best of all the fish we have caught together. 

Seasonal has a special meaning as we get older because we realize we will only see so many of the changes, the growth of our children, spouses and friends encountered on this journey. The most unexpected gift I get and I hope we can all find in our lives is the gift of companionship and love. I am amazed when I hear from friends and family members how an event/fishing trip was so meaningful and special. I sincerely hope we all take time to slow down and realize, how, when, where we can love on each other. Sometimes just that mind set brings about a mindset of safety in our broken world for those around us.

Ok back to fishing, crap that the hard part that stuff is the fishing and the people for me. The action has slowed on Kokanee at Wolford Mountain, Pike have picked up on Williams Fork, Granby is pre-spawn lakers and it just keeps getting better til ya can't stand the cold.

A fishing story, which inspires:  this is from D & A. D & A were recently pictured on Facebook with a 28" pike. I met D at Williams Fork this spring, he and family were back up last weekend (D is a avid expert fly fisherman). I offered him a few hours in the boat so I could watch and learn from a master how this piking is done, also to learn boat position and control for this type of casting. Well just like mentioned above the conversation is about being positive and loving and we catch fish of well if A is feeling that way we all catch fish and Wham Fish On. Inspiring to say the least. Thanks D & A for the evening companionship and learning as well as an exciting fish.

"BE"

Did you feel it down there?  Here it comes,
Fall is at the door. The days are getting noticeably shorter and cooler at night, a different blanket maybe?

Well you can really feel it up in the mountains. Wow and really see it as well, all the grasses and a large portion of the undergrowth is changing. The cottonwoods along the Colorado will be all yellow in less than a week. The animals are moving, the first hunting seasons have started.

As the season shifts yet again it slows down for me, it gets easier to look around more and see the presence of God or a higher power all around me. It was a great summer season but the present is here now. I really like it when I notice the little stuff (the undergrowth and the bushes changing) and focus on all of it not just the big picture say the aspens.

One of the changes fishing takes I/we notice is fish of all flavors Kokanee, Lakers, Pike and Walleye all start being just a more reactive. That means its spoon season, snapping that metal around for the violent strikes. The spoons I love are my homemade slabs and the PK spoons both the Flutterfish and PK. Sharp hooks seal the deal.  Eagle Claw LAZER hooks are my go to and what I switch out to. If you have lots of spoons try this trick, pull the hooks and only put hooks on the few you will be using that day - far less de-tangling frustration.

Please come up and enjoy Grand County and the great lake fishing we share and have to offer on Wolford Mtn. Reservoir, Williams Fork Reservoir and Lake Granby.

If ya hit the weather right the fishing is great, the sun is warm after the lake fog lifts and the guide is rested up and so ready to put ya on fish.

It is hard to write this thought but "if you see what is around you, you are an active part of what you see" So I think about it like this if you look at it from a photo it was a beautiful moment in time recorded and re-viewed and enjoyed. If you are actually there and view it, you are actually an active part of the whole. Say I see beauty, feel the temperature around me and smell the odors I am then a real part of the whole and part of this beauty.

This is a refreshing thought to me.

Be in all you do.

Damn IT!!!!

It has been a long time since I blogged, 2 reasons the first wow was I busy. That's the great one, the second wow was I tired. The tiredness comes from my 'all in' attitude and work ethic which sometimes will get me in trouble, as I do not realize how exhausted I have become. Well, I learned some new signals and choices that I can make. 

The fishing has been amazing with large Pike, high quantities of Kokanee Salmon. Both Williams Fork and Wolford Mtn are fishing well. Granby continues to be full to the brim and producing at normal August fishing. 

The fishing will remain good in Grand county up until Ice on and just keep going. The fact that we have had a wet year and cooler temps will make for a gradual transition to the fall patterns. Many of the trees have stopped growing and have begun the process of going dormant. The leaves will peak this year in the first2-3 weeks of September . 

Now for the damn it part. It is about loss and grief. As we all experience this and process in our own ways. Mine is sometimes just summed  up as Damn IT!!!!! Well I /We lost one of those folks in life which shows how much love and hope there is in our world. Nick C God's speed and enjoy being whole again I will see you as I am called home. I will watch and be aware of your angelic spirit in our physical world. I know you will watch over K and L. The support group which formed around you to pattern you was an amazing chance to view love in action. I look forward to seeing this Love come into view again.

                                                                                       Morning fog

What? Expecting?

We as anglers, pattern fish to create expectations of behavior and location. A responsive angler knows real fast, um something is different. When this happens we experience locations to vary, or a response far different than we are used to.

The question comes to mind, how do we alter our approach when we see this variation in our quarry. What I hope to do each day is to go out on the water interpret the environment / fishery, gather info via fishing and sonar, make choices and respond not react to the variations of weather, water level and others until I find a pattern or sometimes I call it a recipe for success. 

A good example of this is, say the pike fishing is on fire via top water and in 1' to 5 ' then a slight cold front comes thru. Slight right, well ya but the thunderstorms that night with a lot of lighting. Are those same pike gonna be shallow first thing in the a.m., well no I think not. Um probably change my approach.

Yes as most things fishing, I see a parallel to daily life. We pattern our spouses, friends and co-workers, I think it's a human trait, I know I take this for granted at times not acknowledging what environmental affects have altered the friend or spouse's patterns. To take time to be aware of this, is to be focused on them and how we can lovingly interact and give to their needs. 

What? How is your life affected by the environment or world today?
Expecting? Careful this response is seldom the same, although we try to make it that way for our comfort.

First ?

I recently have had the joy of lots of first time experiences with folks guiding. First fish ever caught, first time to fish in Colorado, first time to deep jig for a fish, first fish larger than my foot (kind of a weird comparison, but real).

Sometimes these firsts will leave ya thinking. It created in myself the wonder of all the conditioning and habits we create for our minds.  Can we adjust and direct our thoughts to experience these firsts again?  I have not found the recreation of the first time for myself, but I have found the joy of watching and being a part of creating an environment in which others do.

One recent satisfaction was the opportunity to share with a young man who is sensitive, yep sensitive like myself, some coping strategies to be able to handle this time of awareness and insight into his spirit as well as others.

It is truly a pleasure to guide folks fishing and spend time with them while learning about each other and helping each other. All while fishing and being outside in our beautiful world.

Oh, you gotta be Fast

Being reactive and fast to change to conditions is a difficult thing to do sometimes.  Then there are the variables of the fish are present but in different moods all the time.

This season with the flood stage filling out lakes in Grand County has had me very reactive almost jumpy.  Most groups of fish have moved daily and continue to be very tight to the bottom requiring a very sensitive sonar and a slower scan when I want to search fast.

Ya I am admitting this transitional season is stumping me some. We are still catching the fish we need to create satisfaction, exposing clients to the process of finding targets and then going after them. Granby seems the most affected by this effect and it is still filling. Williams Fork is full and spilling slightly. Wolford is full and spilling slightly as well as still muddy looking but settling as we go along.

Hey, fish well and watch out for the debris that moves out into the lakes daily as they fill or wind changes direction.

Also who came up with the easy button idea should be slapped, because like all good things we have to work for em.

The Quick Shift

I got stood up for the first time as a guide in 10 plus years of guiding.  Wow a lack of respect to not even contact and advise me, I won't make it something has come up.  I truly hope they are alright and so are all their family members. 

Now for the quick shift so from guiding to free fishing practice.  A whole different mind set and a shift from the really he blew me off to just fishing and enjoying the day.  Um, a lot like having faith or just trusting things are different and allowing the mind and body to change chemically to a whole different energy.  Kinda like when you are arguing with someone and you realize crap they are right, how hard is to shift then.

Well the lakes around Grand County - Williams Fork, Granby, and Wolford are all on a quick shift of their own as well, the extra high temps and run off have fish and environment shift every day.  The fish are here today and gone tomorrow, with the rising water as well temps going up 2-3 degrees a day.  The fish are quick change artists as well.  I really like the challenge and succeeding and ending up in places where I might not have if things stayed the same.

One of the different places involved passing under this eagle, we were only some 40' apart and it became a message of trust.  Yep an Indian moment where the world of animals speaks directly into your soul.  The message trust in the universe (GOD) go slow and know we are all one.

My response was to relax and just enjoy all the change, and to let it speak peacefully to my soul as 
the eagle trusted my passage.

Waiting is Over

Wow what happened, awhile back I think I was waiting for it all to start. Well it did with big fish and and good times. We have shared moments with folks from Texas, new arrivals from Australia and folks from Georgia. The fishing was worth waiting for and big fish as well as numbers are being caught with the Eagle Claw Sabalos reel with Fins Super line handling fish peeling drag and having to be dragged back to the boat for a quick photo.

The Northern Pike bite is just turning on and it is a test in patience, the ability to slow down and pause sometimes up to 1 minute before moving a bait is brutal. Until you slow down and think it thru. How I slow down is to think about the other predators. Cougars which stalk or lay in wait for the prey to appear.  I also visualize the Pike staring down the bait, then triggering its striking instinct.

The longer I fish the more I realize its about the sport and all the activities involved.  Mostly the ability to use my mind to think thru the environment and challenge my understanding of it thru my fishing techniques.

One of the parties mentioned above and I shared about the challenges of raising our children.  It always surprises me when I run so parallel to folks I spend a day with.  It is truly refreshing and increases my faith.

Waiting

Man I want the ice to hurry up and melt so I can get back to the fish, I love to catch so much. Grand county fishing and reservoirs should get plenty of water and the fish are going to love the extra fertility. 

Why is waiting so hard? I think about what is in front of me and not what I am doing. Everything is reloaded with Fin's line on the Sabalos reels.  The boat is tuned and ready. So I get to be where I am, waiting and learning how to wait. I don't want it to go too fast as it may include stuff and experiences I do not like.

I was recently with a few friends in Texas whom had lost their spouses this last year. I can only imagine the pain and loneliness. I think about this as I wait on something like ice to melt. Seems really trivial at times, but it has me also thinking about what a spouse would want for their partner. I get excited again about the ice coming off and a new season. I hope I can continue to share the changing seasons with those whom I love.

Fishing is a craft which reflects my passion to provide and gather for my family. If you read back through my blogs you will find an open personality, open view of a person experiencing nature and the crafts surrounding it to become an expert at viewing the environment and responding to the opportunities available to the given day and those whom are with me. 

Come share a day on the water with me at Grand Lake, Williams Fork and/or Wolford Mtn. Reservoir and if you want a big fish fun day with Bernie I can hook ya up with him for Granby Reservoir.

So while I wait, I will fish with friends and catch me some walleyes and catfish. Heading to Clayton New Mexico to fish this week end.

"It's Here"

Do you know the wait, that wait, waiting for something to arrive like a whole season. Say the season of ____________________ or the season of being a parent or grandparent. I sure hope you folks find this insight spilling out of my head and the point of view of life which creates a wholeness in ourselves as well as others around us entertaining and thought provoking. 

Yahooooooooo, I am a grandpa, wow I used to think waiting for spring and fishing to kick back in and the preparedness to be a thrill once it arrived. It is an amazing journey being a parent. When my kids were born I was so terrified and busy providing I truly missed the creation which was in view right in front of me. To have time now in life to look at this creation brings into view so much more other forms of creation and love. Ya I know you tough guys think this is mushy so this is what life is. We cannot be tough or know what to protect until we love or it needs us. I am trying to convey the feeling and thoughts that we are all one and there is really only one love (Just Like U2 states in its song). We all strive to live with others and be with them as friends, lovers, spouses, brothers, sisters and children. Then why is this so tough sometimes? It is because just like the fish, life is not the same every day. Us and them, we all need to swim to a different place occasionally.  Loving others in our world is about noticing what is the same and what is different today then being gentle and providing a being next to another.

This has me thinking of the joy I feel when I catch a fish, that primal response (God, the world /universe) gave that to me, I was here making a choice to catch this and it worked. I am grateful for the gift and proud of my choices to create this success (Yes I do see the world this simple). 

I ask for all who read this to stop and think for a few of the joy of just being outside and how safe a place this can be to just be in the world (i.e. going to sleep this night being able to think back to something like I saw a falling star with a friend, child or my parent). This life is not forever and a day is such a short event as well as an eternity. It is only me and my attitude that make the difference.

Like I said I hope you guys find this entertaining and thought provoking, if you would like to fish and spend a day with someone who see's the world a little slanted with love and creation, please join me on Grand Lake, Williams Fork Reservoir or Wolford Mountain Reservoir. 

Oh we can just have fun and fish as well. This season looks good for pike, lakers and kokanee. 

My closing thought or words of wisdom are from a friend and fellow guide Bernie Keefe (fishingwithbernie.com) "FISH THE BITE DO NOT FORCE THE BITE, JUST GO FISHING"

When A Pattern Falls Apart

When a pattern falls apart, we need to make some changes! In fishing we begin to look for an alternative pattern using the information we developed from the last pattern. I know those who don't fish on a regular basis are thinking what is Steve talking about now?????

Ya sometimes I wonder myself. I am going to use an example from fishing which happened while fishing a tournament a few years back with Jim T.. We had found a group of fish in 22'-30' water in a clear spot in the middle of a seasonal, very large weedy flat. As we fished and cared for the fish in this spot, we practiced in other areas but never came up with a more consistent bite or place for success. SO this became our first and our go to spot on Saturday morning. We started there and had success, we placed 2 of the right fish in the live well and were looking to upgrade the size as the fish on this spot had been in the 20" plus range all week. 

You know as fisherman we train ourselves to notice stuff. Well our fish began to raise up from 1' to 18" off the bottom to 3' then 10' and we saw a ball of shad go thru and then our spot was bare. We took as much as 15 minutes to verify this and acknowledged, yes this pattern had just converted to a suspended chasing shad bite which would require a change to pulling cranks in the same area to stay with the same group of fish. 

Well, we decided to go fish the fish others were catching in 3' to 5" of water up in the trees. This would somewhat support what we had watched happen to this group of fish but they would have to make it to the trees for us to have found them there. The hind sight decision would have been for us to have switched our technique and stay with this area fishing to a known group of hungry fish. 

Well to bring this thinking to life in real life is this. Some of you and most of you know I am affiliated with a company called PK Products dba PK Lures. I will be ending my work relationship as a part of the sales force as of March 31, 2014. The reasons for this are mostly on my part this pattern has begun not to produce for me in my situation. I find myself thinking and seeing a new pattern develop as minimizing and focusing my efforts in my focus as a fishing guide and being an educator of this craft. I see, think and feel a new pattern developing in the area of helping folks learn this craft as well as find peace in the use of this skill set to view and think about the choices they make in there lives, ya what is he talking about. Ya I really do not know either but its real a vision of fishing with folks and helping them heal emotionally and physically. 

Please know as far as PK Lures go I will always be a friend of the company and support the folks involved as Pat O'Grady is a long time friend and a bother in Christ. I have always chosen the folks I engage with to have some form of emotional bond or second reason, besides funds and that is the case here as well. I have always thought of PK and its lures as a great product to be fished and succeed with. I hope the folks with PK all the best. I just find the pattern is no longer providing desired result and my passion is shifting to the vision as stated before.

Thanks,

Steve G

Warm VS Cold

That darn ground hog any way, I am going back and forth between if I want warm or cold. I am starting to think about pre-spawn fish stacking up in areas and the wind blowing in on the rocks still cold but open water. And what do I need to prepare or can I focus on to cure this bug for open water, oh travel to Texas. Ya I think that will be something to do next month. 

One thing I did last week was to go thru all last year's GPS and log it to the appropriate lake maps and data files. This was a little mind numbing but very doable using a remote cord to my Lowrance HDS 10 and my computer. It always feels good to be organized. 

Now I will begin working on the open water tackle organization by species Lakers, Pike, Walleye, Trout and Bass. Man I think of all those boxes and how much crossover there is, having Eagle Claw as a sponsor is a blessing as I get to change out the hooks I fish with to the best. 

I am getting excited to see old clients, make new friends and meet new fish this coming guide season. I will be guiding on Williams Fork , Grand Lake and Wolford. Looking forward to these new waters and the classic older one of Grand Lake. I meet a whole lot of tourists who just need some time on the water. 

I hope everyone enjoys this last bit of winter and the spring snows, it seems we will be blessed with water for the summer if the snow fall continues to go this way thru April. 

Well on to the next fish and this years tackle needs.

Oh, I thought I should relate a story about Eagle Claw from my childhood. We used to write to companies in the auto racing industry and ask for stickers to make us look cool to our friends. Well as you might guess I sent a letter to Eagle Claw back in 1973. I already had a Trail Master rod and used it and broke many times which Eagle gladly fixed (which they still do now). If they can not repair it they will help you out with a small fee to a new rod. Hey they also sent me stickers, I mean a bunch of em and some big enough for my bedroom window. Now who do you think the coolest kid on my block was (at least in my mind ). I have always had a warm spot for the company, its folks and its culture. I am so proud to have developed a relationship with a company like this over the  years.

Fishing With Friends

I saw this on a persons blog signature it went something like this. " When I am too old to fish,  I want to remember the large friendships I enjoyed over the years instead of the large fish I have caught." This speaks so true to me. I have enjoyed relationships with folks I would never have introduced myself to, as I really am a shy person. It is amazing to me how we hunter gathers share such a bond. I experience a lot of different aspects of the fishing industry from guides to factory staff and competitive anglers as well. I believe we have one truly common bond "We Love to be Outside". The greatest gift I have ever received is the acceptance I feel when I slow down outside to be a part of the creation, universe, oneness with mother nature or God's creation however we as individuals name it, it is our common bond. 

I have to take a few minutes to thank those who make this lifestyle possible first and foremost is my bride, Debra who also shares my love of the outdoors as long as we can keep her warm. The folks at PK Products the home of PK Lures and the long time friendship of Pat O. The anglers which I hold close to my heart:  Kristen, Jim T, Bernie, Charlie, Dave, Pat O x2, Ryan, Bud and Barry thanks for putting up with me and my need to control the boat or have to see the sonar all the time. The folks at Eagle Claw, Fins Premium Fishing Lines who help support the habit of guiding. Bernie, how we have shared the learning and challenging aspects of being a fishing guide and worked together to share our passion with others has been fun and hard work.

If you have been on a  guided trip or fished a tournament with me, I will say its not about the camaraderie its about the fish. I mean it too. It has taken many years to learn to know the difference between working and playing while fishing.  I hope you know how to separate competing with those around you from being able to just enjoy the presence in creation with them. I challenge you to think this thru!

P.S. Thanks for the inspiration, Z Man


Steve G

What We Think

The winter is a time for goals, thinking, reflection and most of all patience. I have fished with a young friend Nik a few times this year. I always love to watch his desire to catch fish and to learn more about the sport and the quarry we pursue. I always seem to come away with a refreshing thought after hanging out with him.  Here is the latest (darn I guess it is a group of thoughts all related to each other with a common theme): 

So the thoughts which come to mind are what we think affects us and our outcome. Boy we have all heard this before, just saw it the other day on a friends Facebook post 'pick an attitude its up to you.' I agree whole heartedly, what a gift it is to be able to think and choose to have Peace in a life of chaos. I know how hard this can be at times, but the simplicity is amazing and leaves me with a child like view of the world. 

When I really get to the point, I can be a part of the environment in which I pursue the sport and provisions of fishing, it is refreshing. In our world of such differing opinions and goals as humans we all share a common bond, our souls and our desire to know some form of peace. I as a parent was taught by both of my kids to think and take care of the little stuff.  Creating a freedom of self and soul allows me to experience as well as watch as others form opinions and thoughts of our world. The process of thought and the ability as well as the desire to choose well comes from within for me. I hope I can continue to be present with those I fish with and learn and grow from the thoughts, opinions and direction they choose for themselves. 

My mom used to talk about how her generation was the first to have the luxury of time for contemplative thought as a mass, versus the few whom had the opportunity. Please take time to think for yourself and what you value in a day.

This may be a little weird for a fishing guide to share all this stuff, I may be a little crazy but I enjoy fishing friends and time outside with creation. We are of the same carbon base with a soul seeking Peace I think.

Yes I do see fish sometimes when I close my eyes. I sometimes see young folks grinning ear to ear with a fish or or just being outside joking around.

Be well friends until the next ramble,

Steve G

Photo is Sabine River in east Texas at Sunset in November. 

                                                                      "Peaceful, let the river flow."

"It's a New Year"

I love the fact this is the last holiday for awhile, I love family and friends but a lot of em don't like to be outside as much as me the time of year.  The ice is building in the hills and here we come.  

I sometimes wonder how and why we look at the new year and celebrate so much.  It really is just another day, right?  Nature doesn't act any different, do they the animals know its all new?  I think we are still gonna suffer the consequences of our choices good as well bad.  Even though the year changed, my fishing skills did not magically change overnight. 

Oh I just thought maybe its just a reason to act silly and party.  It does give a full day of fishen not silly but lots of fun in the work week, if you kept yourself from getting to silly the night before.  If it was a change in seasons I guess I could get my head around it more.  I still think I am missing out on something when I think about fishing  and going to bed before the ball drops. 

What's the deal with a ball dropping anyway, sounds like somebody is trying to steal it and dropped it, oops.  When the bell sounds seems more appropriate.  I sure could find more reason to celebrate if it was when the winter solstice cycled just past the longest day of darkness.  I guess, I should stop, this is getting dark and depressing.  I'm gonna go fishing and think about how fun and silly I get to be standing on the ice enjoying nature with a friend.  

If I had a goal it is to keep doing that which I already enjoy and reduce those things I don't.  Goal/Resolution crud there goes my mind trying to figure this thing out, yikes I better get out on the ice. 

SO GLAD I CAN LOOK OUT A WINDOW AND VIEW CREATION, IT DOES GIVE ME PEACE AND HOPE.

Happy New Year and God Bless,
Steve G.