Thanks for sharing all aspects of your adventure. Just finished my annual trek from CT to the Wisco Driftless with my best friend . We do it every year both in are 60s. Nothing better then the commeradery formed when fishing with your best friend.
You, sir, are on your way to becoming another Sparse Grey Hackle with modern technology! Keep filming, keep telling your stories and start your book. I love your style. It appeals to us all, even the boomers in your audience. As always, looking forward to your next video and planning my evening adventure on Little Piney Creek. As you say....."Gotta scoot now!" Cheers!
Mike very cool to mix in the old school family trip which I remember so well with the current gig. I wish I was there throwing a line. Thanks for another great video
Wow, Mike! What a superb video. The cinematography, the narration, and the editing are simply exquisite. I loved the intro. It was humanizing and provided insight to the evolution of your passion for the outdoors. Thanks for taking us along. It made me happy😊
Estes Park is one of the most beautiful places. I got married at the YMCA last year and this year I caught my first trout ever on the big thompson right before it spilled into lake estes.
Blessed to have been born in the footsteps of the rocky mountains, I've been to alot of places in the u.s but whenever I pass raton into Colorado I feel at home
Hey Mike, another one here, born & raised in Missouri (and firm believer in the Crackleback). Great video, brought back memories for me, too. Over 50 yrs ago, headed to college at CSU in Ft. Collins. So, RMNP was a regular spot for me as a Wildlife Biology major, who fished and photographed more than he studied. Then, went through Ft. Collins a couple yrs ago and saw the exit for RMNP off I-25 was choked, bumper to bumper in mid-week. Couldn't believe it. Back in the day, spent many an exciting trip in RMNP; one heading for Sheep Lake on a long weekend, but got hit with weather. So, cut it short and hunkered down overnight trailside at -5°F. You found some gorgeous fish and beautiful water! Thanks for sharing!
A "show me" brother! That is fantastic! With the way places like boulder and denver have blown up in the last 20 years.. it sucks seeing it.. But then again more people are getting to experience some of the same things you and I found that made us MO boys fall in love with the rockies! It is for sure a catch 22 when you see the full force of summer tourism though..
❤️ Beautiful video Lad . Memories, fishing make up many of my most cherished. Great video again and fantastic fishing 👌👌🇮🇪🇮🇪 Aná Mhaith a buchaill , Slán go fol 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
@@FLYALLSZN you mentioned you were sorry to see it change so much, how did you mean it’s changed ? Thank you again for your videos. Always good to see other Missourians getting it done!
Hi Mike. Awesome video. My wife and I just returned home from 7 weeks in Estes. This was our 6th trip. We are not sure why we never hiked to Thunder Lake in our prior trips because the awesome beauty was amazing. It was very windy. We mostly fished along the shoreline up from the rangers cabin and we absolutely nailed them. They mostly hit stimulators and ants. We had an amazing time. We did not camp. We did it as a day hike. I guess even at 65 we are fairly tough. Loved your video and commentary.
I Agree Mike , This video was well shot and Narrated! The wild life, florals and cutthroat shots were Amazing. I have been to this park a couple of years back but did not know you can fish the mountain lakes! Well Done!
Me and my girlfriend absolutely love watching your videos, we get so excited seeing a new video pop up! Cannot wait for you to make it big soon and hopefully get more time out on the water!!
Such an awesome video!! We visited RMNP for the first time in July! This makes me want to go back sooner than later. I actually followed along with ONX to see where you all were.
Some lovely fish Mike. Great to share it with your family and friends 👍. You still haven't told me if you use glass or graphite rods? With the colours, I am inclined to think glass, but I may be wrong 🤔
Awesome vid Mike! Got the chance to go on a guided trip with Kirk’s Fly Shop last summer for Greenbacks - was such an amazing experience & really got me into fly fishing. Love that place
Great video Mike! I have to say that I really enjoyed the tone of this video. Super chill, with fantastic video storytelling. I especially enjoyed the introspective parallels drawn between past memories and present day experiences. Keep up the great storytelling, and thanks as always for taking us along with you on your journeys. Tight lines!!
ROB!!! Thank you so much! I think it is so important to look back at the past to help explain the present! Kinda helps explain why I am so wild about fly fishing haha
Dude, that was so much fun! You get it...I mean you got a great attitude even when you hit "the grind" and keep on having fun. Bro, love your content. Yeah, I subbed a while back.
Great video. All of my fishing in Colorado has been south of I-70, so I haven't experienced RMNP or the joys of tourist traffic in Estes Park. My "home" trout fishing waters are the Smokies (since they're only a day's drive from south Louisiana); GSMNP is the most-visited national park in the system, and Gatlinburg is probably ground zero for the tourists. Due to the layout of the park, I sometimes have to hold my nose and drive through that horrible bumper-to-bumper traffic to get from one side of the park to the other to fish. I've never understood why people who (until recently) probably commute to work in traffic every day, and then on their vacation...they do the same thing. A lot of people never get out of Gatlinburg to actually go into the park - it's amazing. Fortunately, most of the places I fish there are well out of the way. Great to share the family memories; I dragged my 3 girls up to the mountains, and I made them all fly fishermen. BTW, at the risk of sounding like one of the "snobs" you mentioned at the beginning - I'm getting a custom-made bamboo 4wt...I hope to pick it up in a few months. The price, while not cheap, was too good to pass up, and I figure it's something I can hand down to my kids when I fold up this earthly tent and head home.
I’ve always wanted to fish the smokies! Those southern brookies are on my bucket list! By snobs, I meant folks who are hypercritical of the genetic purity of the fish they target!
@@FLYALLSZN I tell you what - I was pretty disappointed, after thinking I had caught "pure" Greenback cutts, that it turned out all those restoration efforts were in vain. But, I think you put it in the right perspective - unless you took a DNA sample from those fish, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between "pure" and "hybridized", and we're talking about hybridization between very closely related cutthroat species - it's not quite the same as a cuttbow. I know they're making efforts again to restore the Greenback - there are a few places in northern Colorado where they've got projects going on.
@@FLYALLSZN Let me know if you ever plan a trip there - I can put you on the "specs" as the locals call Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. They're definitely different - they tend to be smaller, more colorful, and breed more prolifically than their 'northern' strain relatives. One thing to keep in mind is the size, or lack thereof; the waters of the Smokies are relatively infertile, so there's a lack of density of aquatic insects. Also, they seem to have a more rapid life cycle - it's rare for them to live much past 3 years. You catch a lot of 4 to 6 inch fish...the largest brookie I've caught there was 9 inches. Finally, get used to claustrophobic casting conditions - the streams have been described as "tunnels through the rhododendron". All that said, they're gorgeous fish - they're what I target most of the time when I go there.
@@FLYALLSZN thanks for the response. Recently found your videos and they’re great! Another question, do you wear wader boots or waterproof hiking boots? Reason for one over the other?
Mike, I just caught this video. Great job. Really enjoyed it. I have a permit for two nights/three days at Thunder Lake at the end of September. I see you posted this vid on Aug. 15th, 2021. Is it fair to assume you shot it early August? Really looking forward to the trip. Ive fished many of the RMNP alpine lakes and I fish Jams Peaks and Indian Peaks Wilderness alpine lakes a couple times a week for cutthroats. Nothing beats it!
This was a bit closer to late July if my memory serves me right! Things could be quite a bit colder than what you saw here! (My editing usually has a bit of a lag from the actual trip)
Thanks! Yes, we always prepare for everything when we camp in Sept/Oct. Btw…I also watched the Box Lake video. We’ll probably do the same…hike up one day, catch some brookies, and cook them up for lunch right at the lake. Nothing better than catching your lunch at an alpine lake! Take care.
Mike, one more question. I'm not opposed to doing my own work, but I'm also not opposed to saving a couple hours of traipsing around a lake, when I could be fishing...any thoughts as to the best spots on Thunder to fish? Is it pretty obvious? Good drop-offs? Few open areas? Am I forced to fish certain backcastable areas? Inlets/outlets? Areas to avoid? Box looked like there was a series of large rocks to fish from. Should make it really nice and easy to decide... Thoughts? Thanks. BTW...not sure where you are located, but if you get up to Colorado much, try out Ypsilon Lake in RMNP. I generally try to avoid RMNP during the peak season, but yesterday hiked up there and caught 46 beautiful cutthroats with my wife.
@@adventuresofmattmarlen398 Matt I'm sure your trip is already over and from the sounds of it you already know how to find fish. My wife and I were just at Thunder a couple of weeks ago and caught most of our fish up along the shoreline from the rangers cabin. The fish were literally at our feet. I was casting mostly up along the shoreline. We caught a lot of fish. We probably missed you by just days.
My Brother and I are planning a trip out that way in a month, we are looking to visit Box Lake for the famous Brook trout. I'm having trouble locating permit information, any input would be greatly appreciated! wasn't sure if we could acquire the permit from the wild basin ranger station or if we would need to go somewhere more central first. love the videos, keep em coming!
Oh yeah........been there.............done that! Great memories also!
It is so much fun!
Thanks for sharing all aspects of your adventure. Just finished my annual trek from CT to the Wisco Driftless with my best friend . We do it every year both in are 60s. Nothing better then the commeradery formed when fishing with your best friend.
Very nice trip, thanks for sharing.
Of course! So glad you liked it!
You, sir, are on your way to becoming another Sparse Grey Hackle with modern technology! Keep filming, keep telling your stories and start your book. I love your style. It appeals to us all, even the boomers in your audience. As always, looking forward to your next video and planning my evening adventure on Little Piney Creek. As you say....."Gotta scoot now!" Cheers!
Thank you so much!! That really means the world!
Mike very cool to mix in the old school family trip which I remember so well with the current gig. I wish I was there throwing a line. Thanks for another great video
Thank you so much! It was a fun one to make!
Oooooo know that hike well. That opening shot is a cool little area. That's all flood damage what you walked up.
Amazing to see how much damage one faulty dam can create!
im in estes park right now. its not as busy here as i thought honestly. its beautiful. just hiked bear lake area today
Bear lake is a classic!! If you can hit it just right Estes can be a real treat!
Wow, Mike! What a superb video. The cinematography, the narration, and the editing are simply exquisite. I loved the intro. It was humanizing and provided insight to the evolution of your passion for the outdoors. Thanks for taking us along. It made me happy😊
Thank you so much Greg! I'm so glad you liked it!
Keeps getting better and better- that intro with the old photos was spot on ! Proper movie maker these days
Thank you so much! I figured the context was needed!
Great content. Some of the most brilliant color of trout I have seen. Those greenback cuttys are spectacular.
Thank you so much! I really like them too! The colors get me every time!
This is so good. You really show RMNP as it actually is in person. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
hats off on this video!
Thank you so much Michael!
I must tell ya fantastic video, perhaps your best ever! Enjoyed immensely...keep it up buddy 👍👍👍
Thank you so much Rick! I am so glad you liked it!
I’ll be there Thursday! Super excited my man :-)
That is going to be so fun! It is prime time in the mountains!
Great video and awesome fishing group. I can say I’ve never gone in a group except I did go on a float. Going down a float.
7:08 haters hate…I love these fish! Great job.
Thats what I'm sayin!!!
Estes Park is one of the most beautiful places. I got married at the YMCA last year and this year I caught my first trout ever on the big thompson right before it spilled into lake estes.
That is phenomenal! I love the YMCA camp so much!
Those are some beautiful looking fish, I need to venture out of the Driftless Area one day 🤔
Nothing wrong with the Driftless! But there sure is a lot to see and explore outside those hills!
Blessed to have been born in the footsteps of the rocky mountains, I've been to alot of places in the u.s but whenever I pass raton into Colorado I feel at home
Hard to beat the front range!
Really love fishing northern Colorado I think it’s some of the best freshwater!fishing in United States
There are a ton of great streams!
Hey Mike, another one here, born & raised in Missouri (and firm believer in the Crackleback). Great video, brought back memories for me, too. Over 50 yrs ago, headed to college at CSU in Ft. Collins. So, RMNP was a regular spot for me as a Wildlife Biology major, who fished and photographed more than he studied. Then, went through Ft. Collins a couple yrs ago and saw the exit for RMNP off I-25 was choked, bumper to bumper in mid-week. Couldn't believe it. Back in the day, spent many an exciting trip in RMNP; one heading for Sheep Lake on a long weekend, but got hit with weather. So, cut it short and hunkered down overnight trailside at -5°F. You found some gorgeous fish and beautiful water! Thanks for sharing!
A "show me" brother! That is fantastic! With the way places like boulder and denver have blown up in the last 20 years.. it sucks seeing it.. But then again more people are getting to experience some of the same things you and I found that made us MO boys fall in love with the rockies! It is for sure a catch 22 when you see the full force of summer tourism though..
Love the vid Mike, they never disappoint!!
Thank you so much! I’m stoked folks dig em!
Awesome video and scenery Mike
Plus the great fishing
Thank you so much!!
❤️ Beautiful video Lad . Memories, fishing make up many of my most cherished. Great video again and fantastic fishing 👌👌🇮🇪🇮🇪 Aná Mhaith a buchaill , Slán go fol 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
Thank you so much!!
Beautiful video as always. I’m headed to Estes in October so the timing of this was fantastic. Thank you sir.
Fantastic! That will be such a good time to be in the park!
@@FLYALLSZN you mentioned you were sorry to see it change so much, how did you mean it’s changed ? Thank you again for your videos. Always good to see other Missourians getting it done!
@@nicholasmortallaro221 By change I mean the number of tourists and the size of Estes expanding!
@@FLYALLSZN gotcha thank you! It’s such a pretty place.
Hi Mike. Awesome video. My wife and I just returned home from 7 weeks in Estes. This was our 6th trip. We are not sure why we never hiked to Thunder Lake in our prior trips because the awesome beauty was amazing. It was very windy. We mostly fished along the shoreline up from the rangers cabin and we absolutely nailed them. They mostly hit stimulators and ants. We had an amazing time. We did not camp. We did it as a day hike. I guess even at 65 we are fairly tough. Loved your video and commentary.
I love the video. I’m headed RMNP in September. I hope I find a place to fly fish.
That is a great time to be out there Jeff!!
Excellent video!
Thank you!!
I Agree Mike , This video was well shot and Narrated! The wild life, florals and cutthroat shots were Amazing. I have been to this park a couple of years back but did not know you can fish the mountain lakes! Well Done!
Thank you so much! There are so many hidden gems up that way!
Beautiful fish
Thank you!
Me and my girlfriend absolutely love watching your videos, we get so excited seeing a new video pop up! Cannot wait for you to make it big soon and hopefully get more time out on the water!!
Make it big?! Oh man I don’t know about that 😂 thank you so much for y’all’s support though!! Seriously it means the world
I’m with u them out of state crowds get crazy trust me I live in the spring I get it
Just gotta get off the beaten path a little and you’ll find solitude for sure!
i've watched nearly all your videos, and this one has got to be your best so far! similar fishing to what I do here up in Montana/Alberta
Thank you so much!
Such an awesome video!! We visited RMNP for the first time in July! This makes me want to go back sooner than later. I actually followed along with ONX to see where you all were.
First off, ONX is my absolute favorite tool to find new spots and track old ones! Secondly, thank you so much! I am so glad you liked it!
@@FLYALLSZN Forgot to mention the crackleback too! Caught my first fish on one at Bennett Spring!
@@nate_stanton The crackle back!! I was shocked and amazed that was the ticket!
Good vid. Was the crackle back fished dry or wet?
Fished dry! I was stripping it on the surface of the water!
Some lovely fish Mike. Great to share it with your family and friends 👍. You still haven't told me if you use glass or graphite rods? With the colours, I am inclined to think glass, but I may be wrong 🤔
As a KU alum, I love the old Jayhawk shirts in the family pictures 😁
The majority of the folks in my family went to KU! Kind of a tradition at this point
Awesome vid Mike! Got the chance to go on a guided trip with Kirk’s Fly Shop last summer for Greenbacks - was such an amazing experience & really got me into fly fishing. Love that place
Thank you so much! Kirks is the best!
This is awesome! Estes is one of the best places on the earth! I was wondering if you have heard of camp Cheley that is situated in Estes?
Estes is amazing! I actually haven't heard of that camp!
Awesome fly fishing film!!!
Great video Mike! I have to say that I really enjoyed the tone of this video. Super chill, with fantastic video storytelling. I especially enjoyed the introspective parallels drawn between past memories and present day experiences. Keep up the great storytelling, and thanks as always for taking us along with you on your journeys. Tight lines!!
ROB!!! Thank you so much! I think it is so important to look back at the past to help explain the present! Kinda helps explain why I am so wild about fly fishing haha
What lake are you fishing in the last portion of the video? Great work!
Fly fishing is fun.
Dude, that was so much fun! You get it...I mean you got a great attitude even when you hit "the grind" and keep on having fun. Bro, love your content. Yeah, I subbed a while back.
Thank you so much!! Gotta embrace the grind haha you’re a true OG then brother!! I appreciate the support so much 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Really like your videos. If ever in Maryland, hit up Big Hunting Creek.
Thank you so much Kyle! I will do just that ! Thank you for the heads up.
Great video. All of my fishing in Colorado has been south of I-70, so I haven't experienced RMNP or the joys of tourist traffic in Estes Park. My "home" trout fishing waters are the Smokies (since they're only a day's drive from south Louisiana); GSMNP is the most-visited national park in the system, and Gatlinburg is probably ground zero for the tourists. Due to the layout of the park, I sometimes have to hold my nose and drive through that horrible bumper-to-bumper traffic to get from one side of the park to the other to fish. I've never understood why people who (until recently) probably commute to work in traffic every day, and then on their vacation...they do the same thing. A lot of people never get out of Gatlinburg to actually go into the park - it's amazing. Fortunately, most of the places I fish there are well out of the way. Great to share the family memories; I dragged my 3 girls up to the mountains, and I made them all fly fishermen. BTW, at the risk of sounding like one of the "snobs" you mentioned at the beginning - I'm getting a custom-made bamboo 4wt...I hope to pick it up in a few months. The price, while not cheap, was too good to pass up, and I figure it's something I can hand down to my kids when I fold up this earthly tent and head home.
I’ve always wanted to fish the smokies! Those southern brookies are on my bucket list! By snobs, I meant folks who are hypercritical of the genetic purity of the fish they target!
@@FLYALLSZN I tell you what - I was pretty disappointed, after thinking I had caught "pure" Greenback cutts, that it turned out all those restoration efforts were in vain. But, I think you put it in the right perspective - unless you took a DNA sample from those fish, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between "pure" and "hybridized", and we're talking about hybridization between very closely related cutthroat species - it's not quite the same as a cuttbow. I know they're making efforts again to restore the Greenback - there are a few places in northern Colorado where they've got projects going on.
@@FLYALLSZN Let me know if you ever plan a trip there - I can put you on the "specs" as the locals call Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. They're definitely different - they tend to be smaller, more colorful, and breed more prolifically than their 'northern' strain relatives. One thing to keep in mind is the size, or lack thereof; the waters of the Smokies are relatively infertile, so there's a lack of density of aquatic insects. Also, they seem to have a more rapid life cycle - it's rare for them to live much past 3 years. You catch a lot of 4 to 6 inch fish...the largest brookie I've caught there was 9 inches. Finally, get used to claustrophobic casting conditions - the streams have been described as "tunnels through the rhododendron". All that said, they're gorgeous fish - they're what I target most of the time when I go there.
awesome video. What lake in rmnp? thanks for sharing
I mention both in the video!
@@FLYALLSZN ok sorry i missed it. would you mind telling me. thx
Great video, as always! How long was the hike in and out?
Round trip just under 14 miles!!
Those Discord Flies go brazy!!!!
Preach the good news brother!!
Where’d you get the backpack??
I think that was on sale a few years ago at REI!
@@FLYALLSZN thanks for the response. Recently found your videos and they’re great! Another question, do you wear wader boots or waterproof hiking boots? Reason for one over the other?
Mike, I just caught this video. Great job. Really enjoyed it. I have a permit for two nights/three days at Thunder Lake at the end of September. I see you posted this vid on Aug. 15th, 2021. Is it fair to assume you shot it early August? Really looking forward to the trip. Ive fished many of the RMNP alpine lakes and I fish Jams Peaks and Indian Peaks Wilderness alpine lakes a couple times a week for cutthroats. Nothing beats it!
This was a bit closer to late July if my memory serves me right! Things could be quite a bit colder than what you saw here! (My editing usually has a bit of a lag from the actual trip)
Thanks! Yes, we always prepare for everything when we camp in Sept/Oct. Btw…I also watched the Box Lake video. We’ll probably do the same…hike up one day, catch some brookies, and cook them up for lunch right at the lake. Nothing better than catching your lunch at an alpine lake! Take care.
Mike, one more question. I'm not opposed to doing my own work, but I'm also not opposed to saving a couple hours of traipsing around a lake, when I could be fishing...any thoughts as to the best spots on Thunder to fish? Is it pretty obvious? Good drop-offs? Few open areas? Am I forced to fish certain backcastable areas? Inlets/outlets? Areas to avoid? Box looked like there was a series of large rocks to fish from. Should make it really nice and easy to decide... Thoughts? Thanks. BTW...not sure where you are located, but if you get up to Colorado much, try out Ypsilon Lake in RMNP. I generally try to avoid RMNP during the peak season, but yesterday hiked up there and caught 46 beautiful cutthroats with my wife.
@@adventuresofmattmarlen398 Matt I'm sure your trip is already over and from the sounds of it you already know how to find fish. My wife and I were just at Thunder a couple of weeks ago and caught most of our fish up along the shoreline from the rangers cabin. The fish were literally at our feet. I was casting mostly up along the shoreline. We caught a lot of fish. We probably missed you by just days.
I have seen other videos you made, do you Live in Colorado?
I do not Vince!
My Brother and I are planning a trip out that way in a month, we are looking to visit Box Lake for the famous Brook trout. I'm having trouble locating permit information, any input would be greatly appreciated! wasn't sure if we could acquire the permit from the wild basin ranger station or if we would need to go somewhere more central first. love the videos, keep em coming!
Shoot me DM and I can fill you in on what I know! Thank you so much!
I'm thinking about going to rocky mountain national park any recommendations on day hike fishing area like 5-7 miles?
Hit me up on IG and we can discuss a few spots!
@@FLYALLSZN I sent you a message on ig I'm new to the play form but I'm pretty sure it went thru
Mike looks like his pops
Dude you need to do a collab with @nwfishingsecrets
Oh man he is huge on YT! I don't know if he'd collab with this little channel haha
@@FLYALLSZN idk I bet if you asked he'd take you up to s9me alpine lakes in the cascades
He does stuff with other channels all the time so you may never know!
rage on! pretty Cutties
Once you go Crackleback…
You need a partner in Colorado. I am here.