"we probably won't see this fish..." Kelly V. Pueblo trip report!

I could probably start every trip report with something that sounds like "had a great day with _____ today...!"... and every one would be as true as the last! Today, without exception or fail, ranks as one of the best trips this season!

I lucked into a trip today with one of the coolest young women I've ever met. Kelly was open, eager, crazy smart, receptive...and FISHY!

We worked our tails off early in the day and weren't getting the rewards that hard work usually produces. We made a few good decisions, went to a new location on the river, ate up a bit of our day walking, and went back to "work". Kelly was among the hardest workers I fished with this season and finally all that hard work was rewarded. I lost count on her hook up's but know we were deep into double digits. She was hooking so many fish I didn't even have time to light a cheap cigar and enjoy the show! She was landing a proud percentage of her hook up's and giving my net a genuine work out (as the pictures below will attest). Toward the end of our day the fishing slowed down but there was still a very, very, very big fish eating emergers and Kelly was as obsessed with him as I (not too secretly) was! As guides we sometimes argue that certain approaches trump others...my opinion has always been that presentation and sihlouette will bring more fish to hand than the exact right size, color...fly. Part of a good presentation is hard work, it's diligence, it's staying creative...and Kelly nailed all of the above. After about a dozen unproductive casts, she hooked him! A big, strong, male Rainbow! "We're probably not going to see this fish..." Sadly, these were the first words out of my mouth. This was a BIG fish. I only uttered this otherwise discouraging comment because that it took about a millisecond for her reel to scream and this fish to find itself in a deep hole about 80 feet from where she hooked it! If you ever wonder at dropping a few extra bucks on a good reel...Big fish don't come easily. Not many things worth their salt do. We were on 5X TroutHunter tippet and this guy was pretty energetic. After a long and well fought play she got him to within about 20 feet from the net before this big fella straightened our hook.

Sometimes the ones that get away are our greatest teachers.

Joel & CO. (Air Force Strong)

Fished with an amazing young man and soldier today. Joel and his buddies are a great and humbling group that silently reminds me of the great fortune I have due to their commitment and sacrifice! Guides can become possessive of "my" trout and "my" rivers...but at the end of the day, we are reminded that these are "our" trout...on "our" rivers and the price that has been paid in the process of creating Americas great fisheries does not come free, nor does it come simply by developing a good cast and perfecting your drift...

Joel has worked hard at his cast, drift, and entomology, and today it really showed! It was a tough day in terms of numbers but all three of these fellas had hook up's and Joel lost a bbbbbbig fish! He proved that perseverance, a diligent work ethic, and remaining present and observant, even in the face of a hard day, can produce some results! Look how deeply this guys rod was bent on his Deckers slab!

I look forward to fishing together again fella's and am deeply thankful for your service....

Winding River Ranch

Fishing is the center of me. I can feel it in my blood, feel it course through body, supply me with the most valuable of the nutrients of my life. I am fortunate beyond measure to have made a living as a professional fly guide for 20 years (on and off...)! I love fishing with clients, being a small part of somebody's first fish is as close as it gets to remembering my own. Seeing the first light of someone begin a cellular level love affair with this sport is a reward that my meager language does not have the breadth describe. This fortune is made even better as I have had the good fortune of becoming friends with many of my clients

As guides we don't get the opportunity to fish on our own all that often, besides doing it with a friend. Today the stars aligned and I got to do both! Kate (my BEAUTIFUL 13 year old Golden. Look at that girl! She is proof that fishing is good for body and mind and soul...and combining trout, your best friends, and your trusty dog are cheaper and more effective than therapy!) and I fished a private ranch that my friend Robert manages...HOLY COW! Wetting a line with two of my best friends would have been enough even if we didn't hook up fish...but we did...and we did often...and they were among the most beautiful fish I have ever caught! Robert has done a tremendous job building this fishery and it is truly a benchmark property. That Brown Trout in the 2nd picture is not a stocked trout! The fish that inhabit these streams and ponds are healthy examples of what a well managed fishery should look like (other than their gargantuan size!) and the fact that native, non-stocked, fish are moving up into the property is the greatest testament.

Life is short. Fish often, fish hard, and fish with your friends!

Family first

This season I had the great fortune of fishing with the Recca family! ...Fishy, Fun, FAMILY!

We made it out on a couple trips and pulled on quite a few fish in both 11 Mile Canyon and Deckers. I'm certain that few experiences have taught me more about what makes this sport the center of my life. I've learned more about fun and the importance of family on these trips than I have on many others. Fishing with multiple generations of anglers in a family has always been a secret joy of mine. Add to that joy, a group that is fun and fishy and you have all the ingredients that make you wonder if it should be fare that I get paid to do this!

I honestly can't wait for next season and spending a few more days on the water with the Recca Family (this time we need the whole family...hint, hint)

What if it is all wine and rises?

     Life has a funny way of sneaking up and planting one right on your kisser...weather it be a square left hook, or a big wet kiss. Clearly the left hooks are easier to recognize and "learn" from, but the happier moments are usually as educational, if maybe a little harder to recognize.
     Recently I had a client sit on the bank during a so-so hatch. She was just elated...I was just freaked out! We worked our butts off all morning looking for the trout that wanted to cooperate with the contract I had secretly written with them years ago: "I bring clients, you give up the ghost at least a few times during the day and we'll save any days spent skunked for when I'm alone". We were finally there! She hooked a healthy, wild trout, brought it to hand, and went to the bank.?. Trout were selectively rising, I had finally found the combo (a drown RS2 trailing a Trico) that would surely bring a few more to the net...and she was satisfied. I asked if she was tired? "no!", hungry? "nope!", thirsty? "...uh...no." I was screaming in my head for her to get off the bank and come enjoy some (decent at best...but all things are relative...my job had finally gotten "easy" that day!) great fishing. She asked if I had seen the deer on the far bank when she was fighting her 14" Brown Trout.... I hadn't. I hadn't noticed much that morning outside of the 16' window that represented her drift. Not the canyon, not the mist that the sun chew up and replaced with bright light, not those random, cartoonesque clouds that Colorado skies can produce...not the deer that watched her catch and release her first ever trout on a fly rod...and sadly, not the complete joy and satisfaction she was having from sunrise until her (...untimely?) break.
     I failed the first half of my day as a guide last week. This story has been written a thousand times, it is pretty cliche. 'trout trout trout trout trout'...my mantra was wrong. I believe her mantra sounded a little more like 'oh my gosh this is amazing'. The trout we started with was little more that a punctuation mark on the morning. Not even necessarily an exclamation mark. Just a pause in our dialogue.
     We spent the next hour going over stream structure, trout behavior, other wildlife that occupy the canyon, and entomology.... At the end of a good healthy seine, I opened my (way too many...) fly boxes, and asked her to pick the next rig she would tie on of she were the guide. She picked a tan (14) scud and a small (16) San Juan worm. She hooked up again within a couple casts! Wash, rinse, repeat for the afternoon! We probably brought another 6-8 trout to hand that day. All but the last below the surface and all on bugs she chose from her now obsessive interest in entomology!
     We ended the day sitting on the bank enjoying a little snack and watching a few trout nose the surface. She asked if they were keying on anything in particular. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure. There were a few BWO's up but not a "hatch" by any measure. The Tric's weren't around. I suggested we get back in the water, sans any rods, and see if we could continue to let simple observation and science be our guide....we did...back to the bank, opened a few more boxes, she selected a size 20 "Neil's BWO", made a few horrible casts, followed by one near perfect cast...sip, "SET"!

(I'm a guide after all...shouting 'set' is by now in my DNA), and she brought to hand a wild and beautiful Cheesman Canyon Brown Trout!