Monday, December 19, 2005

Happy Holidays
I am back in the Vail Valley now and was greeted with a ton of snow and all the winter joys that go with it. The fishing in Key Largo was excellent. Several days of bonefishing with Captain Nick Varnberg produced up to 4 fish over 8 lbs each day. Nick landed a bruiser 11 pounder on one of the last days. We also had one day in Florida Bay that was just off the hook. We caught and released over 8 Reds in the 6-10lb class and had a blast. The bay was glass calm and the reds were tailing everywhere we looked for about 4 hours straight. We saw several big Snook on the flat but could never get close enough to present the fly. Offshore was good as well. We released 3 Sailfish one day and caught a couple of gaffer Dolphin which we promptly turned into fish tacos. Vail is a winter wonderland right now. The temperature has been below freezing for a while but we are looking to warm up to the mid thirties next week. This will turn the mountain trout fishing on especially around Glenwood on the Fork and the Colorado. The Yampa and the Frying Pan are fishing well and are about the only options now except for a few select sections on Gore Creek and the Eagle River.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Well at some time I had to get down South to the salty place in the Keys and get the winter program fired up. We came in on the tail end of a cold front and had an overcast day the first day but managed to hook a nice snook on a fly on the ocean side of Key Largo. I saw lots of tailing Bonefish with Captain Nick Varnberg and we hooked one on a fly. I had lots of shots at tailing fish but just no hookups. Lots of bait around and the water is still slightly off color and not very clear from the hurricane but that could be to our advantage. Water temps are warm and there are a lot of fish around right now. I will keep you all posted as the week progresses. I am headed out right now with a cool NNW wind over Biscayne Bay but lots of sunshine. As far a Colorado goes, Mark and Brett say that it is snowing every couple of days and we are working on the snowpack for 2006. Lots of new product is coming in on a a daily basis as we get ready for the Christmas rush. If there is anything you need or any advise on your travels we have many connections throughout the fly fishing world and can help make your trip easier or just a little better!

Live from Key Largo, Florida

Captain John Cochran