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.