Save to del.icio.us

See Video On Flies And Fins West

Recently, I had the opportunity to fish the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs Colorado. This trip was above and beyond your ordinary fishing trip to new water. Through a little luck and some extremely kind hospitality, my buddy Walter and I were able to fish some exclusive Yampa River private water as well as some excellent public water. Walter is a full time guide in Park City, UT and one of his clients offered him the opportunity to stay at his hotel. These were not your usually “trout bum” accommodation to be sure. This was luxury living at the Christie Club. He also pulled some private water favors for Walter in exchange for a Wyoming guide trip “well done”. I was lucky enough to be invited along as Walter’s guest. Some of this property was so exclusive, like the water near Catamount Lake, you needed to be a landowner or landowner’s guest to fish it and they only let a few people on it per day. I have to say the Yampa as a whole is an unbelievable river. Even the public sections fish well, holding large fish that fight hard. The pressure was a lot less than I thought it would be. The private water was ridiculous, filthy (as my buddy Whip would say) with stout brightly colored rainbows that reminded me of steelhead. I have never cared much for easily caught fish and the Yampa did not disappoint. The fish did not always come easy and landing them was even more difficult. Many times these large rainbows came unbuttoned after bending my hook nearly straight, but I am not complaining. Most of the time we were treated to socked in sky’s with light, rising clouds clinging to the valley walls. These were the best days, when hungry rainbows ravenously

gobbled up Beatis or waked after a streamer. Throughout the midday the sun would burn off some of the clouds and the fish would turn their attention to the small stuff like micro may flies and tiny midge pupa. They all worked well, as long as the hooks did not bend. I have fished many rivers in Colorado and the Yampa is one of the finest. The public water is plentiful and the private water is extraordinary. I would highly recommend hiring a guide simply to gain access to leased properties. It is well worth the money. It makes me cringe to think how many times I drove over the Yampa without giving it much of a thought. I wonder how many other rivers I bypass because of some preconceived idea about the quality of the fishing. It will be a lot fewer now!