Spring Reflection

So, it's been a productive end of winter/early spring. I have caught a bunch of fish and enjoyed some fresh air both in Fort Collins and Red Feather Lakes. I made some discoveries, one of which is that there are some really nice sized fish in West Lake! As a new part time resident of Red Feather Lakes, I had more opportunities to fish there, and because of the weirdly warm winter, I had some open water around the edges in early February. I used one fly...The most versatile fly in my box; The GS II Wooly Bugger. The GS II gets its name from the Gunnison River, where we first started to slay with it, and also from its creator, Greg Smith. So it's the "Greg Smith Gunny Special", GS II for short. After we had bonanza after bonanza on the Gunny with it, I have tried it everywhere else I've fished. I drift it under an indicator, I fish it down and across like a streamer with sink tip line, I strip it with and without an indicator in lakes and ponds. I almost exclusively used it this winter and spring, with great results, both up in Red Feather and in Fort Collins ponds. A couple things that I think make the GS II effective are a tungsten bead and weighted wire wrapped around the shank of the hook when tying. These ingredients allow it to get down deep faster. I've caught more fish on this fly than any other by far. So, in between hatches if you want to get some bites, give it a try! Let me know if you're interested in learning how to tie it, fish it, or if you want to buy a few for your box.