Rainbow Falls "TIGHTLINE" July Newsletter

Summer Fishing at Rainbow Falls!

Our lead pic this month- Dave Herber showing us how it's done with a beautiful Brown caught in the creek section just below Cougar Lake. With it's high canyon walls, this little section fishes very well any time of day.

   Summer is here, and with that comes warmer temps and lower flows. I've seen anglers who have adapted their methods having great success....as well as those using the same methods and schedule that worked great earlier in the year......with the resulting frustration. All on the same day!
Overall, hot mid-day fishing is the toughest, but still can yield great results if you know where to go and how to rig.

Rainbow Falls fishes great all through the summer heat, so- How do you approach these changes, and still have those legendary Rainbow Falls fishing adventures?
Here's a few tips to ensure success-

1. Early and Late:
    We all know that fishing is the best in the mornings and evenings. This is greatly accentuated during Summer months. The Gate activates at 5:30 AM. Mornings before 10AM, and evenings starting around 6 PM the fishing has been great!
What's working? Mornings can be good with streamers, but more often surface action is the way to go. Midges, Caddis, and increasingly mid-size Hoppers, like a size 14 Amy's Ant, and Lady Bugs. All the lakes, including Cougar, have been doing great.

The evening Extravaganza is just that! Multiple hatches, Caddis, some Mayflies, and all the terrestrials. If you haven't been here to see the "switch" go on about 7:00, you should make the trip!

2. During that 10 - 6 window:
   Go deep on the lakes, or head to the streams. Streamers have been very effective, especially light colors such as whites, white/silver, olive/yellow. On the creeks, smaller terrestrials or dry/dropper combo's, such as Parachute Adams or Trico's with RS2 or Caddis emergers.

Make sure to watch the attached Video Link to see where they are hiding!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcHVUs-KNYQ&feature=youtu.be

With our Monthly Stocking and Summer Feeding programs, Summer fishing at Rainbow is better than ever!
See you soon-
Richard

Stocking Day -- Friday, June 28th

Come Join in on the FUN!
Stocking Day at Rainbow Falls!

We are planning our June Stocking Day for Friday, June 28th.
We will be moving our Donaldson Steelheads to new homes, concentrating on the Creek sections below Bear Tail, Cougar Lake, Elk Lake, Roll Cast Creek, Ute Lake, and Palmer Lake.

Come HUNGRY as we will be serving coffee and doughnuts at Camp Goldie at 8:00
Lunch provided at Noon.

Bring your waders and camera's!

Video of our May Stocking Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnsV6q5XK9M&feature=youtu.be

Summer Water Temps - Handling Trout

Summer Handling Techniques!

Higher water temps bring an increased risk to Trophy Trout. Release methods that work well earlier in the year
will (and do) kill larger trout. These casualties, usually found after anglers are gone, are typically victims of these 3 common mistakes:

1. Playing the Trout too long, leading to total exhaustion.

2. Lack of taking time to properly release. Even when
using the right methods, releasing the trout too early
means it will simply swim off and die.

3. Lack of attention after release. I've seen most anglers
release, turn away, and fail to observe the fish.

Here are some Guidelines to Practice:

Retrieve Trout Quickly

- Use size 3x or larger tippet. Bring trout in a quickly as possible, do not overplay the fish. Large Trophy Trout can be played to exhaustion resulting in loss of the fish.

Keep Trout IN the Water

- Keep trout in the water as much as possible. Netting and fly removal in the water is the preferred method. If Trout is removed from the water for pictures etc, a good rule to follow is- Hold your breath when the fish is out of water. When you need air, so does the trout. If for any reason additional time is required, keep trout netted in the water and upright.

Proper Release

- If Trout is netted, Do NOT simply roll out of net. Hold net so that trout is upright and breathing. When it struggles to get out of net, then release. When net release is not practical, hold trout by the tail, upright, and (A) Still Water: gently move forward and back, with back motion very slow, not forcing water backwards through gills. (B) Moving Water: Hold trout with nose upstream, use gentle side-to-side motion, allow current to revive the fish. Wait until fish struggles to swim on it's own to release.

Take your Time

- Be prepared to take 5-15 minutes to properly release a Trophy Trout. The larger the fish and/or longer the retrieve, the more time necessary to properly release. Warmer water temps dramatically increase the release time.

Follow - Up

- Observe Trout after release. If trout is still sluggish, or begins to roll to one side, retrieve again with net or hand and spend additional time for a proper release.

We appreciate the fact that you are as concerned and conscious about this as we are. Following these guidelines will ensure quality fishing both here at Rainbow Falls and everywhere there are large Trophy Trout waiting for your fly!

Stream Fishing Etiquette

We received this email from one of our Members as suggested content in this month's TightLine. One of the biggest perks to owning this facility is the quality of our Membership Family here at Rainbow Falls! We want all our Members to feel a very real sense of ownership, and have the utmost enjoyment of your experiences here. I think these are great suggestions.

"As a new member at Rainbow Falls, I have developed a great respect for the members, the property and especially the fish. I especially enjoy the sense of community that gives us a chance to make this the kind of place most people only dream of visiting. Occasionally however, some visits could be more enjoyable with better adherence to proper fishing etiquette. Specifically, polite respect for another angler's position on the water. Most of the time, we all want the same thing, to have a fun day and catch some fish, but occasionally some are not aware of proper etiquette or how
their actions affect the enjoyment of fellow anglers. Here are some suggestions-

Avoid crowding other anglers. It is polite to leave at least one open hole between you and another angler and whenever possible avoid fishing right around an angler who is working a section such as the holes around Cat Tail hole or the creek below Cougar Lake. On lakes this means staying far enough from your neighbors that your cast will never intersect theirs.

Do not camp in your favorite hole. Lots of us have favorite places
to fish or things we want to try and it is only polite to share the
prime locations.

Respect the property. Rainbow Falls is a beautiful place but trash and waste are not beautiful. Make sure to keep the porta-jons clean, and pick up all trash to carry out with you. There is a trash can near the exit for anyone who doesn't want to pack their trash all the way home.

Do NOT put unnecessary stress on the fish. The fish of Rainbow
Falls are worthy opponents and deserve our respect. Nothing is more painful than watching someone drag a trout 5 feet across the dirt to avoid getting his feet wet or holding a trout by the gills for a
picture. These beautiful creatures are the reason we head to Rainbow Falls so let's treat them well. A properly handled fish has a better chance of living to be caught another day."

New! Foot Bath @ Camp Goldie

Avoid spreading New Zealand Mudsnails

According to DOW information, New Zealand Mudsnails have been reported in many popular waters near Rainbow Falls. 11 Mile Canyon, South Platte @ Deckers, etc. Many of our Members fish these waters.

New Zealand Mudsnails travel from one fishery to another hidden in the soles of shoes, in the folds of waders, etc. They can be very small and difficult to see. Please view the following link from
Colorado D.O.W. -
http://wildlife.state.co.us/SiteCollectionDocuments/DOW/WildlifeSpecies/AquaticNuisance/NZMudsnails.pdf

For more information-
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/InvasiveSpecies/Pages/NewZealandMudsnail.aspx

Here is what the DOW says regarding these Mudsnails and Anglers:

"Keep all angling gear free of mud, plants, and organic debris in between each and every use. Unknowingly moving a species from one body of water to another, even within different stretches of the same river, can start a domino effect of invasion, causing irreversible ecological damage. It is especially important to keep waders clean.

Anglers should scrub the bottom of boots or waders with a brush and remove all mud, plants, and organic materials in between each and every use."

We have provided a foot bath wash facility by "Camp Goldie." This bath has the appropriate solution to avoid the spread of these species. If you have stepped into surrounding waters, even to release your catch, please wash your shoes and/or waders before entering waters here at Rainbow Falls. Thank You!

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IMPORTANT:
Membership Renewals

Members, Do not forget to renew your membership for the 2013 season.

Remember, we are a LIMITED membership club. So don't lose your membership to someone else!

If you are not a current member and would like a membership now is the perfect time! To purchase a membership call 719-687-8690 or visit us on the web at:

www.RainbowFallsMT.com

Feeding in the Creeks

Where the TROUT are:
Video Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcHVUs-KNYQ&feature=youtu.be