Merry Christmas!

Folks please accept a very heart felt Merry Christmas, I truly believe God gave us his only son so we could have some form of PEACE on earth.  I know we all have our challenges and heartbreaks.

Please remember to find some way to give at Christmas (outside of your immediate family).  I really enjoy fishing, right, so last week I had the opportunity to take a fellow out to ice fish for a few hours while he had a break before a show in his hectic schedule of tuning drums for a family member of mine. This fellow, we will call J, spends his idle time much like I do - what are the fish and animals doing right now?  Keep in mind some days J only sees the back of a stage and the bowels of a venue, an airport or the inside of a semi trailer. 

I was so amazed at the life he is passionate about with music and the entertainment industry.  He truly focuses another whole being in the focus and joy of the outdoors.  So you know how you have a feeling about some folks, how they are part of your destiny and path on this earth for some reason.  Well this is a story of a flow of that. 

I met J in Dallas 2 years ago after hearing stories about his love of the outdoors and just how settled he was in his walk thru life.  Bang there was that feeling.  Cool dude, great soul and a parallel passion of the outdoors. So he travels and our paths have crossed a few times and we shook hands, chatted and spoke of some day.  The lovely lady I hang out with (married 32 +- years) remembers the shared passion and suggests to take J fishing last week. 

We set it up thru folks and we took off to fish last Thurs. on the ice at C Creek in Aurora, Colorado.  The ice is 4" thick and clear, I had fished it a couple of times this year already.  We had aprox. 2.5  hours to drive, dress, fish and eat a meal before the show. The life of a supporter of a rock star???  J is from Missouri and loves to fish crappie back home, our target for our flash fish is walleye, it had just gotten dark and J says hey I have one. Remember we want walleye, up thru the hole comes a 13.5 " crappie a trophy fish in any water and a dandy if comparing to Missouri. We run out of time have to leave and loading up J says thanks that was the  most fun I have ever had.  I had to challenge that with a few questions.

Ya he was right except for a few life things like having a daughter or the joy of marriage to a lovely woman. He was telling the truth. In looking back on this I was having a blast just hanging out with someone I hope will become a new friend and just want to be out doing what we both loved.  I got what I always hope to give and that was a opportunity to try something new.  I had no idea this was a first time ice fishing for him.  I would have stressed, not been so relaxed and would have done some more to comfort him on the ice for the first time.  Instead he got the Hurry Up Getter Done version of an ice fishing trip.  It was just what was to be called for, he was so joyful to just experience something I take for granted sometimes. 

I received the joy of giving and sharing the craft of fishing and the outdoors with someone whose soul is fueled like mine.  Hunt and Gather well J, I can't wait for the next opportunity with you and/or a guide client.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and the Joy and some of the Peace we can find in this world by giving to others from just being together without boundaries and sharing a like desire.

Blessing,
Steve G

P. S. Here comes the Ice on the larger higher lakes.

Playing on the Somebody Else's Playground!

Its here (The ICE) but not at my playground, so I am gonna go sample the other play grounds - i.e. lakes around the state.  The ice is somewhat safe on a few lakes and here I come.  Some of the things I think about on early ice are:

1. Where is that spud bar?

2. Is there a rope and something to throw in the sled (Ice Axe)?

3. Who is going with me? 

4. Are they bigger than me (Not usually, ya I usually get to test the ice)?

5. Ya the floating ice-fishing suit will float me I tell myself.  Tried it, its not a life jacket, floats you all over, it does fill and make moving difficult

6. Where are those ice cleats? If my fat a__ falls and smacks the ice I know its gonna break it and go thru. 

SO I have all I need, here we go out on the ice every 10 feet popping a hole or spading thru with spud bar, its safe, its clear and the spikes are on.

My buddy has a mountaineering ice axe to throw at me if the worst happens.  I have never fallen thru the ice, but have been with those who have!  Wear those safety picks.  Play on somebody else's playground until yours freezes up safely.

Enjoy and use the most important tool, our brains so we can do this all our lives, show others and enjoy our families.  Share the craft and share the joy of fishing.

Full Moons I hate Warm Fall

Full Moons I hate full moons in the fall when they are this warm and the elk seem to be not willing to migrate. So it is, I zagged on a zig elk hunt so far.  It's warm, the season is holding long for all species except the one I want for my table.  Solitude, sleeping in a cold tent, long walks (still hunts) daily.  Boredom as a blessing, mediation as a gift. 

Could not think of a better way to spend time, except if I could keep my wife comfortable to see all this with me, but 15-20 degree nights and I will pass on that. 

After this it is the planning for ice season.  Oh and I hope at least one walleye trip in December to Glendo for some eats til ice forms. 

Full Moon

I love the full moons in the fall, the harvest moon with the veggies & the beginning of the fall fishing. The hunters moon and the fall fishing being full swing. I wish had more of the symbiotic relationships with the moon and photo period more dialed in as to be more aware and at peace with my place in nature.

So for what I know right now is:

The kokanees are almost ripe in most lakes in Grand County, Co.

The Lakers are spawning in the rocks at this time (catchable from Shore with Spoons PK of coarse ).

The Pike are sashing all types of baits

The walleyes are on the feed eating cranks and spoons PK Of Coarse.

An elk is gonna walk in front of me in range of my weapon.

The biggest thing, I think of and feel is the urgency to prepare for winter and prepare to rest, like all the animals I pursue.  What a gift this connection to creation is, sometimes when I am outside all I can think of is 'Amen.'

FYI no blog next week.

Gathering and Nesting in the Fall - ? do fish do dat ?

I love the color in the hills and its starting here in the lower sections of town. Its time to gather the meat for winter. You know the fish do the same by putting on the feed bag while the smaller fish begin to stress, consuming as many calories as possible.  It is a great time for all minnow type baits and most of all spoons ( PK ) of course. Twitch, snap em. 

I wonder if fish get that nesty feeling we humans get around this season of slowing down near a fire or gathering those final items in prep for the winter season ahead. I think they do as I always seem to find them where I last found them from the boat, under the ice they don't move far. 

So keep fishing, gathering data and winter meals. Fish chowder may be for lunch today, think about the season change.

A Day Late - Should have been here YESTERDAY

Wow, definitely having one of those weeks where I am behind by a day.  I think about the guys you go fishing with or even if ya take somebody fishing.  The fish have turned off and you can't find a solution.  Then your mind starts to think, man you should have been here yesterday.

When I work at the desk, like I have a lot this week following a trade show for PK Lures, I start behind the eight ball already missing near a weeks worth of correspondence and thoughtful effort.  The computer screen starts to look like the sonar screen and the fish won't bite it hard enough to choose a target fish or even school of fish. 

Then, I remember this can be just like that or those days of 'you should have been here yesterday.'  I usually can end up producing the fish I need by slowing down, looking at the issue in a smaller set and prioritize the info in front of me, instead of looking at all those sonar marks or items on the to do list as a whole.  Just pick one and work on it until it is either solved, caught or the information is extracted.

Oh by the way the trade show was a wonderful success, be looking in stores soon for some new colors of Flutterfish and PK Spoons. Also the PK Predator, a new panfish and trout lure that has rocked in testing.

The fall fishing has begun in the mountains, go up, see some color and be greeted by fish whom are happy to see a meal.

A Passing Breed

I have been blessed to know a few of the type fisherman which seem to need little but a platform to fish from.  I always aspired to be one of those who produce consistently.  The passing breed are the ones who know that they do not need all the latest and greatest gadgets to produce.

You know the ones I speak of, the salty ones who kinda poo poo the thought of yet another type of faster sonar, the type who is still using the same line his dad used (some form of Trilene), the guy who knows what a flat fish is better than a flicker shad.  What makes anglers like these so capable?  Could it really be just lots of practice and patience. 

Even better yet as quoted from my friend and associate (smart ass or angler not really sure at times ) " fish the bite grasshopper."  Fishing when the species targeted is at its best are generally easier to catch.  This type of data takes a life time to accumulate and another one to understand how it all fits together.  This is the stuff the sonar and gps, or even that last issue of your favorite magazine can not provide.  Neither is it easy to google.  This is the type of doing and ________  input we gather over a lifetime.  Its the discussions of how we actually did something and not the smoke or the leftout detail.  

Simple is an opportunity to focus on the fish. I have learned that this is why I like to fish spoons so much, simple as it gets and fish love em too.

Check out this year's new PK Predator for panfish and all species. Shiney simple and will soon be a classic.

Sunrise

Anticipating, what is in store for a day, the fact that it is all fresh, new and clean as promised. The wonder of all this creation is truly amazing, as some in the family call it the universe. 

As a fisherman, I always visualize what is underwater to create an understanding. I wish, we as a society could all go slow enough to be curious about this creation (ourselves and nature). 

"I Saw A Yellow Leaf"

I have a buddy named Jeff who loves to snap spoons in front of fish. One day while talking with him I asked, "How do you decide when to start spooning for fish?"  His reply was, as soon as I see a yellow leaf. I have been paying attention to this for some years and it corresponds to a pretty dandy bite. I always went with its August, time to start checking if the fish will respond with vigor.  My way to decide is now the same as his.  I saw a yellow leaf. 

This is the true beginning of fall fishing for me, when everything that swims responds well to spoons. I have challenged myself for years to fish with spoons instead of plastics in all situations.  Some work out better than others, but it is possible to produce fish for fish with folks using plastics if you will challenge yourself to try.

There is a reason I sell PK spoons, I believe in them and how they fish.  On a recent trip the Kokanee's loved the PK Panics with me switching out the hooks to Trokar Trebles once again produced so well I had no need to test against other products.  We had doubles, triples and just a blast vertically jigging these fish.

The walleyes will respond to the spoons and blade baits as soon as we have our first real cold front. Start small, the younger bait fish stress before the others. 

   

If you live in an area with or without Shad as a bait fish, the late afternoon bite on sandy shore lines facing south is a great bet to check for predators of all types as the bait of the year will converge in the last of the warm water of the year.

On a personal note, I have a quote for my kids as they were growing up, "We Can DO Hard Things,"  mainly as a way to say I know it is hard you can do it.  I would like to share as of this reading I will have been off of tobacco for 12 weeks.  I am tired of hearing myself tell myself  " We Can DO Hard Things."  Thanks to God and  those who have supported and prayed for my success with this.  It is getting better, now to just get past the craziness the Wellbutrin has caused and determine what I have left of a brain after 40 years of pumping it up with a neural stimulant. Nothing like a little self induced brain damage. 

Give It Back!

This is a write up from a recent trip. I have been blessed to be able to earn an income while fishing  for a living. I have had many a cool trips with cool folks, but this one rises  to the top. It involves a neighbor whom has devoted himself to helping the hearing impaired ( his Son is disabled  in this way). I had no idea how empowering, receiving direction and converting it to success was for folks.

This is written by my neighbor Bud, "Imagine a world that is silent.... all the time.... and the many opportunities that are just beyond your reach. Ahhh now imagine you have the opportunity to go fishing on a beautiful lake with a premier fishing guide.  Could it really be possible?  Enter Steve Gerber one of Colorado's very best fishing guides.  A great guide who's patience and skills make anyone comfortable.  Steve likes to focus on helping those with disabilities or special needs. 

On a recent trip Steve Guided Quintin Greenfield who is deaf but by no means inhibited when it comes to catching lake trout.  Quintin caught his limit that day. See the attached photos for the results.  His fishing buddy is Bud who also volunteered as his interpreter.  They had a blast! By the way sign language is the best language to use when fishing.

Book a trip with Steve.  If you need an interpreter he'll try to accomidate. If you don't want to use an interpreter he'll still work with you.  The bottom line is you will have fun, see some amazing scenary and catch some fish."

All I can say is thanks Quintin for showing me another area where fishing brings joy to another. Yes I do love to share this with the youth and those whom we would  consider disabled. These anglers always seem to show me something new and from a fresh perspective. 

Grand county fishing, stevegfishing.com, fishingwithbernie.com,steve.gerber, fishing guide.

Why?

Why?  Why do we fish?

Because it is a way to ____________.

I do it because it is ____ and I can __________ with folks.

Because they are ______________ to eat.

Just a little fun for this week as the fishing has been tough, up where I fish any how. 

Smart Phone vs Sonar

Do you use a smart phone more than a sonar unit? I am proud to say I use a s________onar more than smart phone.  Although sometimes I think it is more important to know where or who is climbing aboard for a fishing day than where the fish are. It also helps my wife know where I am, do you get an invitation from your wife on your phone to attend a gathering?  This is an efficient way to get in front of me when I am not looking down at the sonar.  The sonar helps me figure the next move while fishing, the Phone guides me to the next event or the next endeavor.

Sonars are great, I use Lowrance HDS 10 and an older LCX 111CHD.  I love em both for what they are.  I have a buddy with a Hummingbird 823, I am learning this unit as well as it will be fished over also.  I have another  fishing buddy in Texas who states this is what happened to fishing it only takes money now, anybody can find fish if they use a unit and learn it.  He is an older gentlemen who just loves to fish and has been around to see the evolution of our sport, some is good and some is bad. I think this is just like the smart phone and my love/hate ( sometimes I could just throw it in the lake ) relationship with it. 

Now on to some funner stuff like being excited for fall and the change of fishing styles and the fish putting on the feed bag for winter.  My all time funnest bite is crappie in Texas, the declining lilly pad, the 24" - 30" ones hold lots of mature crappie ambushing minnow and the last hatch of shad for the year as the water warms each day.  This is target fishing.  Micro targets as sometimes it is only a stalk that is holding a fish. My favorite and now I let the cat out of the bag is PK Predator with its blade and ability to change the view of it 80 or so percent with only moving the target half the length of the lure which is only an inch long. The crappie have loved this on a 8' 6" fly rod and old Eagle Claw Trail Master that stays down there just for this bite.  I just hook it on 6# mono and drop or should I say plunk it 8" to 18" under the surface and 1' or so away from the target and twitch, don't watch the stalk watch the target.  The crappie make a sweeping bite at it and they just seem to appear.

Now for some local fare, the Kokanee will be schooling soon and already are at Blue Mesa.  If you have not tried spooning for salmon try it with Robby Richardson of Sportfish Colorado www.sportfishcolorado.com.  It is a fast and furious bite at times and really unique opportunity to fish a different way.  The Kokanee in Grand County are always fun and there are so many ways to catch em and places, more to come on that as the bite develops.  The lakers will start to spawn as the color changes on the leaves, it is awesome to be in a boat, to be quiet and hear elk bugle.  Plan some time or times to get to the hills and enjoy the changing season the evening temps are already droping and I am lowering the old motor just in case a freeze surprises us.

 FYI, Bernie with FishingwithBernie will be on large fish right up to the spawn and right after if you want some adventure and stamina fishing for plus 20# fish consider it. Sometimes using a snow shovel in a boat on a big fish day is a blast.

Size Doesn't Matter

Oh heck I missed a week, I am trying to figure out how to write about "Size Doesn't Matter."  What brings this to mind is a fellow I watched catching fish before I headed out on a charter on Grand Lake in Grand County, Colorado. 

This fellow was doing what I often do while traveling, grabbing some alone/quiet time in the early morning and fishing the local fare. Mind you he is up and at it at 5:30 a.m. on a board walk area, a few folks walking and enjoying the first breaths of a new day.  I don't start my trips until at least 6:00 a.m. I love this time of day and being in the boat or just outside to experience how nature is waking on a given day ( This is my "Be Still and Know I Am" time). 

Ok now to the size doesn't matter and the fellow fishing from the board walk. I was testing some fish I had spotted in the area to see if they would give me a bite for the clients who were to fish that day. I watched this fellow of more years than I fish with a crappie rig or it was one of those Eagle Claw two aberdeen hook tree rigs and worms hooked on each under a bobber. 

He would cast it 10' to 12'  let it sit and the stocker rainbows were eating it up.  These fish were 7"-10," he caught at least 3 - 4 in the 15 minutes I was there watching.  He noticed I had not seemed to be enjoying the same success as him and graciously offered all the intel for which I could succeed and enjoy the bite he had dialed in. 

I am telling you he was on cloud nine and the size of these fish did not matter "Size Doesn't Matter."  It was the fact he was catching them and he could share this joy with another.  Remember its 5:30 a.m. and its quiet.  He is sharing his info at a loud voice and others have stopped to watch him catch a few, you could observe these folks smile as they experienced his excitement and joy.  

Oh and by the way the fish I was checking would not bite for me.  He was king for the day.  I share this kind of stuff about fishing and my experiences with it as a means for all of us to remember the times and the joys of this craft, sport or gift of extracting a creature from the depths of our mind and the environment in which they swim. 

Please share the joy, use your mind to preserve and give our sport a future.  Take a kid fishing or just help the other guy find success and the joy of fishing.

stevegfishing.com, fishingwithbernie.com, Lake Granby, fishing Grand County, fins.com, pklures.com, Williams Fork Reservoir

It does not seem like the Middle

It does not seem like the middle of summer, I just got started.  Were not the Walleyes and Lakers just shallow in cold water, what happened?  I guess, I just follow the fish right on out and never thought to much about the change in seasons, just went fishing. 

This year, guiding so far has been fun with lots of kids and family trips. It really is the middle of summer and I can see the cool season coming.  What must I do to prepare?  I think a lot of the prep is just follow the fish as our bait grows in size. 

On the lure front, PK I mean, its finalize placement with the distributors and get the new pricing out. Wait 'til Aug 8 or so for the new colors and the PK Predator to arrive at the warehouse and continue enjoying the relationships with our pro-staff. I love connecting with these guys, in different states or locals and fishing and being excited about the lure company. 

I continue to be surprised with what Pat O'Grady comes up with and always enjoy testing new products and variations on the spoons and crank. I am looking forward to this Ice Season as I have pulled myself out of the guide Queue ( Ice Trips upon Special request ) and will focus on lure promotion and travel ( Fishing New Areas with New Folks ).  I can't go wrong with that.  

And I continue to be blessed with a great wife, good friends, new folks and opportunities to share in God's creation of the outdoors while making a living doing so, could it get any better????? So much for the middle, its all good. 

Challenges and Changes

Challenges and Changes are what it is all about this week and last. A big shift has taken place with Bernie Keefe and myself.  I have shifted my entire fishing experience to the waters of Grand Lake. It is a cool place to fish with a variety of things to entertain ourselves with, with antique Chris Craft Boats, Bears on shore, oh and fish: Lake Trout of all sizes with most being 15"- 20", Rainbow 12" - 14", Brown trout from 12" to a few larger at 18". 

The challenge is that this is a shift form my standard lake trout bite at Lake Granby. I am loving it, it feels like practicing for a tournament. It will take a few more trips and experiments to create some additional comfort on my part. As I experience Grand Lake boy am I glad I use the Trokar hooks provided by Eagle Claw. After beginning to use these hooks a few years back I have the confidence that if the fish has the hook in his mouth he is in da boat.
 :  ) 

We are catching 8 to 10 fish in a day with a mixed bag of techniques. So far all of the clients to experience the lake with me have been really happy. Here are two testimonials from this weekend:

7-7-13 Bob C from Kentucky, " Steve was a great guide - took us to where the fish were. He was helpful with casting and jigging tips. Personable & lots of Fun."

7-8-13 Kerry H from Colorado, " I had a great time with my two young nephews!! Steve is a wonderful guide and great company."

The dark spot in the upper middle of the photo is a large male bear 
strolling along the shore.

Fishing Is Such A Wonderful Metaphor For Life

Folks, 

This is a sad blog post for me, my family lost a close friend, more of an angel recently.  He had been ill, we all had prayed and wished, but God said it was time. I always find it interesting how fishing is such a wonderful metaphor for life.  I guess it is my coping mechanism. 

I truly have little to say about fishing this week and more about how a man can live quietly and touch so many lives.  BV lived in East Texas, I knew something was up when I could never beat him to a door to open it for others, this is the quiet type of politeness folks now call pay it forward and crap like that, for BV that was how a man was given the opportunity to love someone before himself.  It really is that simple.  Thank you  BV for being such an angel to our family, your family and most of all your lovely wife D.

Ok I gotta put a little fishing stuff in here, so if I am to fish the way BV would have it would be:

1. BV would say "Cast right there I just caught one over by that stump."
2. When asked at the dock how was fishing, I would tell em how to catch em. ( there is enough fish for all of us.)
3. I would let the other guy have first crack at the spot.

Thanks for reading and please take sometime to think of those who teach us by example how to live and fish.

Thanks to Eagle Claw and staff, PK Lures and staff and Fins Premium line for the relationships which make this lifestyle possible to touch other folks lives with the craft of fishing.

Thanks,
Steve G


Oh P.S.
You want a good laugh at a professional moment of a fishing guide with lots of experience?  I was guiding an existing client and her sister whom had never caught a fish in her life. Well I got so excited when she caught her first fish, I knocked it off with the net while netting it. Now that is a professional moment.  I keep telling myself passion for the sport is far better than being calm, cool, collected and professional. : ) 

                                          It's about the time we spend together!

Good Tired

What is good tired? When you wanna go fishing but you know you should spend a day out of the sun and just be. 

The last week was filled with old clients and new ones, the fun-est trip for me was watching a couple with a 18 month old (yep) on board take turns fishing and caring for their daughter, ya and Mom caught the largest fish of the day. It continues to amaze me the types and variations of folks whom choose to charter a fishing trip. 

The best compliment I have ever been given also happened last week,  "This is the best time, I have had in a boat since my father passed away." If you wonder if our words carry weight into people's souls they do mine (Tears of Joy for me as I use the gifts given to me by Our Loving Father).

The other item in an awesome week is a student angler, I had offered that if he gets an average A or 4 point level in school, he'd fish for free. Well, I have offered this many times and this is the first time I have had someone accomplish it and take me on it; and he pulled  his average up in one semester. I can't wait to fish with him. FYI you will most likely see this young fellow fishing in some form of a professional setting some day. The first time he fished with me was for 8.5 hrs, no food only water. I know a few other folks with passion like that.

The fish are biting well at Lake Granby and becoming more predictable, fish well folks.

Fishing and What We Are Reminded Of

First I must say as I write this a close friend who is more a brother than a friend is fighting for his life in a hospital in Longview Texas.  

I was reminded as to why I guide and what it means to those who travel and fish with me.  Most of all it is the companionship and the experience of sharing nature and God’s creation. I know it seems we are all focused on fishing but when we break it down it is as this photo of a family shows, its about the grins and giggles of what might or does bite your string.  Sharing the moment of joy when you accomplish the difficult task of mastering the soft and rapid bite of a Lake Trout.

In the second photo of Sean it’s was about a day of new skills and the reminder of others, the joy of sharing a craft that has been passed down for centuries by show and tell. 

Please pass along or pay it forward with the gifts and skills you have, it does not matter what they are our world thrives on this joy.

          

The fishing at Granby Resv. has been amazing this last week with opportunities for all species available.

Please remember if you would like to bring a youth fishing with you, they fish with me for free up to the age of 15.  I encourage you to take advantage of this offer and create a day of memories and adventure.

Steve G.