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 Colorado Fly Fishing: Strong Trout With A Facefull Of Water And Pebbles
Posted by troutaddict1 on April 11, 2009
(1667 reads)
Colorado is a place of pure beauty. It can be seen in everything: ranging from its skies, to its valleys and rivers, and to its fish. It was the end of August, and also the end of our two week Colorado road trip. As sad as we were, we were still in trout country and had a little bit of time on our hands. As my father's truck raced along the asphalt under a blue bird sky, we began to see the city limits of Montrose, Colorado. We had read books and seen pictures of rivers near Montrose but never actually fished it. Desperate to throw just a couple more casts and maybe hook a trout or two we stopped in a local shop and asked for suggestions. We were amazed to discover that there was a section of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River that was easy enough to fish in just a couple of hours. Thrilled and shaking beyond belief, we raced out of the shop and headed to the Park entrance. After a long winding road to the bottom which seemed as if we were in a dried up desert, we saw a large, winding, deep green body of water. After looking around and getting our barings, we geared up and hit the path we were told to take. The section we were fishing was a stretch of about a mile to a mile and a half. Anywhere past that, you needed a boat. Anyway, after leaving my dad
behind to hit the best water first (call me selfish) I rigged up with
a two fly set up under an indicator and began casting to a very long, deep seem on the biggest run available from the section we could fish. Because I was looking at the scenery so much, I had absolutely no idea what my indicator was doing. Deciding to move up and to start focusing, I made my way up to a pool I had passed. I tied on a small #22 Midge Larvae and began casting. Although the river was very big, this seam was just inside of the extremely fast water. A giant tree tucked tight against the bank cast a good amount of shade on the slower water. The spot I was aiming for was anywhere from 4-5 feet deep and behind a big boulder. I slowly inched my way up behind the boulder and cast above and behind it. Although i was hoping to hook up, I did not expect anything substantial if anything at all because of how easy the access was. What I forgot though is that we were in Colorado, and anything was possible. After making several casts, I watched my indicator as it neared the tail of the pool where the bottom rose. Sinking to the green placid depths I thought, "There is no way that can be a fish. The water is dark and green but is only like 2 and a half feet". Setting the hook hard to the bank told me otherwise. The fish bounced around a little bit and gave me signals that it was an average, healthy trout. My rod suddenly started to turn downstream and all I heard after about 3 seconds had to be equivalent to a bonefish peeling line on a flat. Without hesitating, I began to sprint. Now, some people may exagerate their story by adding words here and there. However, I literally took off in a full sprint, as if I was at a high school track meet. Keeping my rod pointing slightly at the fish and tilted slightly towards the bank I continued to sprint. All of a sudden though, I tripped and for lack of a better term, I ate s**t. That fish practically knocked me out. Coming back to my senses I was stunned to see that my reel was still singing. Not even second guessing, I got right back up and sprinted another 30 yards before netting my 18" rainbow in the calm water. Dripping wet and almost dead, words cannot describe how happy I was to have landed that fish. Throughout the rest of the morning, I landed several more gorgeous fish within 3 inches of where I hooked the first one. Without a doubt, one of the best places I have ever fished in my entire life. Not because of the fish, but because of the scenery, the water, and what the fish make you do. Highly reccommend it to anyone in the area with little time and a craving to lay just a couple more casts on some beautiful water. Colorado beauty at its finest.
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Re: Colorado: Strong Fish With A Facefull Of Water And Pebbles
by jeremy on April 11, 2009 http://www.fliesandfins.com | | Great writing! I enjoyed reading your fish tale - I laughed when I read, "Anyway, after leaving my dad behind to hit the best water first (call me selfish) I rigged up..." -- Whenever I fish with older slower guys - I still do this, as I just can't resist getting on the water and start fishing. But someday, I know, that I will be old and there will be someone younger and more willing to run down and beat me to the first drifts .. until then, I'll continue to sprint:) ... Nice work on landing that fish! I bet that will be a fish you will remember forever and whenever you think of Colorado you will remember "that rock" and every time you make it back to Colorado you will want to seek out "that rock." -- Funny too, how you probably fished all sorts of harder to access and more remote spots and the "fish of the trip" came on the last day from a spot with "easy access" when you had just enough time to make a few casts and pass some time. That's one of the greatest things about fly fishing, I think. You just never know when something spectacular is going to happen. Great work, great writing and great fish .. hope you have many more days like this -- and keep sprinting to the river to get the first drifts! Trust me, your dad doesn't mind! |
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Re: Colorado: Strong Fish With A Facefull Of Water And Pebbles
by waterwhippa on April 12, 2009 http://salmonriverspecialists.com | | good read. Looks like you had a splendid time under those blue bird Colorado skies. |
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Re: Colorado: Strong Fish With A Facefull Of Water And Pebbles
by joey on April 13, 2009 http://www.fliesandfins.com | | Good stuff glad to got to experience some Colorado Trout. Sorry to hera about the face plant sounds like it was a good one. It amazes me that when you fall down chasing a fish it never seems to hurt but if your were to take a fall of the same caliber doing something else you would need a minute to re group. Nice pics. |
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Re: Colorado: Strong Fish With A Facefull Of Water And Pebbles
by kory_k on April 15, 2009 http://www.fliesandfins.com | | Gotta love those wild western trout! Sounds like a great trip, brings back many memories. I love your dedication to landing the fish persisting through a fall and all. |
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Re: Colorado: Strong Fish With A Facefull Of Water And Pebbles
by geib on April 18, 2009 | | Great looking fish. I've never fished outwest, I gotta get out there sounds amazing! |
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