| Since the water is slow, clear and shallow, the fish | | | | will never forget the time I hooked a large native |
| seem to be extra skittish. This means you need to | | | | cutthroat trout in a small beaver pond in Colorado. |
| practice extra caution to have any luck. If you can | | | | Again, I approached the pond just under the dam |
| see the fish in a beaver pond, more than likely they | | | | and hooked it on my first cast, which is often the |
| can see you, too. All but the very small and gullible | | | | case in beaver ponds. After a rather lengthy battle, I |
| fish will retreat to safety. Avoid the overwhelming | | | | finally got the fish within arm's reach when the |
| temptation to walk up to the pond to spot the | | | | unthinkable happened. The fish made one final run, |
| fish.Instead, keep a low profile and delicately cast to | | | | but this time dove below the dam and tangled itself |
| any rising fish or bulges you see in the water. Be sure | | | | around large piece of wood. I tried my best to |
| to concentrate your efforts on the pond's inlet, the | | | | untangle the leader, but to no avail. I had to snap the |
| main stream channel, the deeper water at the dam | | | | tippet. With a long branch, I reached the line and |
| itself and any other good holding water you may | | | | pulled the fish up to the surface of the water.Besides |
| notice. Since beaver ponds offer such an abundance | | | | a sly approach, the key to successful fishing on |
| of food, the majority of trout will feed on the | | | | beaver ponds is to give them a break. Unless it's a |
| surface only when there is a large hatch in progress. | | | | huge pond, don't plan on fishing more than 10 to 20 |
| Some of the smaller fish may feed on the stray | | | | minutes before all the fish are spooked. Instead, |
| bugs, but for the most part they will be eating | | | | catch a few trout, give it a break then come back. I |
| nymphs under the surface of the water.I like to | | | | usually fish a beaver pond pretty heavily when I first |
| stand just below the actual beaver dam and cast into | | | | get there and then break for a half-hour or so. During |
| the deep water behind it. It's easy to sneak up on | | | | this time, I usually have lunch, take a nap (ah, fishing!) |
| the fish from here and you don't need much line to | | | | or more likely fish my way up the creek until I hit |
| present your fly. This will usually yield a fish or two, | | | | another pond. If there are several beaver ponds in |
| but it is a tough place to fish (although there really | | | | one area, as is often the case, some of the best |
| aren't any easy places in a beaver pond). Most of the | | | | fishing can be in the channels that connect them. |
| time, you will either snag your fly on a piece of wood | | | | Concentrate on these channels while you give the |
| or hook a fish that beelines to its shelter under the | | | | ponds a break. |
| dam. Whatever the case, plan on losing lots of flies.I | | | | |