LONGMONT — Blame it on that mild form of lunacy that besets an angler confronted with open water and a thermometer on the rise.
But save some culpability for the beaming TV weather lady who looked me straight in the eye and swore the wind would not blow the next day. Heck, my teeth were all brushed, ready for bed. I might even have smiled back. Big mistake.
The notion was to pull a sneak attack on the wiper that populate Union Reservoir, a handy 620-acre impoundment in far western Weld County, one of those foothills affairs that offer an early-season tease for people who have been trapped inside too long.
I could say the idea wasn’t really mine, but that would be one of those partial truths that might cause the fish gods to turn really nasty. Truth is, I’ve always had this curiosity about March wiper bites, sudden explosions that come and go, leaving behind a heightened curiosity and determination it won’t happen again without me.
One of my companions had read a recent blog posting telling of a big wiper catch at Douglas Lake, farther north in the vicinity of Wellington. Heck, if they could bite there, Union seemed just as good a choice — particularly since the other guy in our vehicle had caught fish there in the past.
Operated as a park by the City of Longmont, there seemed a good chance that Union, which had been drawn down by irrigation, might be filling, an event that usually wakes up the wiper and brings them running.
By now you’ve probably guessed most of the rest. The inlet canal ran not much more than a trickle, the bite never materialized and the wind blew hard enough to rattle the horns on a mountain goat.
Certainly the timid flow wasn’t sufficient to energize those early spawning urges — or at least not in broad daylight with a half-dozen fishermen crowded around, making at least partial argument for modesty among fish.
Tossing a combination of flies and lures, all chosen to imitate a shad forage base, our threesome flogged the water and endured the wind. The net result was a 15-inch, cutt-bow trout. Two other fish were hooked for a couple of surges, both of a size that might have allowed them to be played out on the end of the line like a kite. A large carp finned past, nose into the wind, feeding on small stuff and not the least bit interested in heavier fare. Conventional wiper wisdom holds that once you find them, these mean, eating machines will take whatever reasonable offering is served them, a large part of the charm.
For those who gravitate to flies and lures, this generally means some type of shad imitation. But Ken Kehmeier, regional biologist with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, holds a different notion. He contends anglers are missing a bet when we don’t factor crayfish into the equation. “Crayfish are much easier to catch than shad,” Kehmeier reasons.
This explains, at least in part, why peeled crayfish tails make such effective bait for bank fishermen. By extension, the same holds true for shrimp, much more easily obtained at the seafood counter of the local supermarket. It’s a strategy that catches fish, but seemingly is beneath the dignity of such a magnificent fish — or maybe even the people who try for them.
This much is certain: Few fish that swim in fresh water pack such a wallop, put so much effort in their struggle to escape. An 18-incher can get a fly-fisherman into the backing in less time than it takes to tell; a 10-pounder can leave tough spinning tackle limp.
We left consoling ourselves on better days to come. Bait fish will stir, prompting a similar vibration among all manner of predators. An optimist might presume that someday the wind indeed will not blow. The trick is to remember to keep smiling.
Not too far from madding crowd
Looking for a close-to-home wiper hot spot, something a little less hectic than the hubbub at Cherry Creek or Aurora reservoirs?
Consider Douglas Reservoir, near Wellington, where an average fish measures 21 inches, and about 5 pounds.
“In 2008, we netted fish up to 24 inches, but I know of catches 28 or 29,” informed Ken Kehmeier, Division of Wildlife regional biologist.
Douglas also has been planted with pure sauger, giving the state a homegrown source of milt for the production of saugeye, another popular sportfish.
Lonetree offers wiper up to 24 inches, averaging 4 pounds. This Larimer County reservoir also has a surging largemouth bass population.
Union ranks only third on the list, with a large age group of fish from 17 to 22 inches and another solid class measuring 12 to 15. Kehmeier suggests fishing pressure as a reason this lake doesn’t grow larger wiper.
Charlie Meyers, The Denver Post
