The fishing over the weekend was outstanding. I did manage to get a few pics with my camera but it acts up quite often since it got dunked and right now I can't get them downloaded. I started fishing at about noon on Saturday and caught 15 or so fish that were all this size and either cutts, bows or cutt bows. We took a beer break at about 5 and ate some food. Once everyone got off the water at dark we went back out with big streamers and headlamps. We saw some really nice fish and were out until about 9 before the rod guides started to ice up too much to cast. Scott and Steve were going to camp but I didn't feel like heading down the road and paying for a site when I can sleep anywhere in my bitchin' van for free. So...we all piled into it and drank beer and laughed the night away. We got up in the morning and ate some breakfast before heading out for another long day. What a weekend.

This was just one of the beauties that I was fortunate enough to land. These fish were angry about being hooked and I lost count of how many broke off. This is a Snake River Cutthroat by the way.


This is a nice one that Scott landed.


I just love the way this pic turned out. Fooling a trout into taking your fly, watching it actually open it's mouth and gulp it, are both fantastic. However...for me...the coolest part of the entire experience is the release. You can't just let the trout go in the water and watch it swim off. The fish needs you now and that part of it just gets me every time. You have to revive each fish. Eventually...the fish lets you kow when it's ready to go and it gently glides out of your hands and back into the depths of the water. I love the moment when it gently wags its tail and I get to watch it swim away while I'm crouched down in the water. Even in the dead of winter when the water is so cold it stings it's just part of the process. I know the hook hurts so it's only fair that I keep my hands in that water for as long as necessary. After all...if I don't...that fish might not live to be caught again. For a fly fisherman, there's nothing more heart breaking than watching a gorgeous trout that just gave so much pleasure and magic sink slowly to the bottom and start to get washed downstream when it's not ready to go yet.

Coupla things

1. I recently had to go to the Urgent Care facility in town here. I've gone there before and had no issues with insurance as the place is in our network. This last time I paid the $100 co-pay but just got a bill for 500 clams b/c the insurance refused to pick it up. So...the facility is in network but the doctor is out of network. How the hell am I supposed to know that? To make things even more entertaining, Rocky Mountain Helth Care sent the bill to collections without notifying me. Why they gotta hate?

2. After the fun-filled week I've had with student problems and multiple calls to the po po, I'm going to cut loose in the van and do some serious fishing. I'm finishing up grad school stuff tonight and then for the rest of the weekend it's game on! A new state 5 weight record may be set this weekend if I have anything to do with it.

Any guesses?

What's going on with this here picture? OK....I'll save you the trouble. This is what the last pic in the life of a Canon Power Shot camera looks like after it's been dropped in a river.

It was a rough day for me. I made it almost halfway to the river and then realized I forgot my wading boots in the tub. I had to turn around and go back home to get them. Once I got sorted I walked to one of the first oxbows that's downstream from the spillway and it looked GOOD. Normally I don't fish water just cuz it looks fishy. I gotta see fish to make the effort. But it looked so good and it had a nice little foam line running through it. On about drift #5 there was a real nice flash down in the pool. I set the hook and had a real nice rainbow hen that was pushing 18". I left that run afterwards and hit up some different stuff and caught a few more. This is a pic of the one I caught a few seconds after the camera fell out of my chest pack. So...this is it. It's broke now. It won't open. Oh well. I thought my wife was gonna kill me but she just said, "Shit happens."

Other than that it was a great day to be out on the water. Saw a nice herd of elk with 2 good bulls. Saw a small group of mulies with a decent buck in charge of the harem. And.......I also saw numerous Salmon in the deeper pools. It'll just get better this week.

I don't know...

what it is about this van but......it does it for me in a BIG way. It ould be the wheels. I've always been a sucker for Hockenheim's and ANY wheel in black is a winner. The fact that it's a Syncro only earns it points. There is an Audi badge on the lower right corner of the hatch and the exhaust comes out the wrong side so it must have a transplant of some kind.

I'm on the lookout for a storage box for the top right now so I can keep my waders in it. My van smells like musty fish. It is SO damn hawt.

A look in my box

I recently received an email from a guy in Tierra del Fuego that wanted to know what kind of flies I use on the South Platte. Well....under normal circumstances this kind of request would simply not be tolerated. However, I just happened to glance in this box that I damn near always have with me. It's kind of like a Major League baseball manager looking to the bullpen and trying to figure out who's gettin' the nod. Right away I know that I'll be using an egg pattern as my lead fly tomorrow and dropping one of my favorite flies for this time of year off it; a #20 Buckskin. The Buckskin and other small aquatic worms are great flies during the spawn. The egg pattern gets their attention and, while some take it, others leave it but the small worms eat the eggs and so they really piss off the territorial trout and don't stand much of a chance.

So there you have it man. And when I'm looking in any of my boxes (no exception tonight) it's nice to drink great beer. Tonight I'm enjoying an Oatmeal Stout from Samuel Smith.

Last night Scott called me to see if I wanted to hike back into Rocky Mountain National Park. Don't get me wrong...the park is beautiful but the big fish are gearing up right now and I don't wanna miss it. Plus I can crash in the van for a while with a sleeping bag and some scotch if conditions get too nasty.

Today it was a balmy 19 degrees and visibility was nil. Loads of clouds all around town and heavy fog with some snow now and again but mostly just lots of frost on everything. Bodhi decided that everyone had to get up at 0600. So I put on coffee and laid on the couch most of the morning while Heather went up to school at 0900 to tutor students. It was one of those days where I just didn't wanna do anything but keep stokin' the fire and drinking coffee. Eventually we decided to run down to Colorado Springs and pop in to visit the boys at Anglers Covey. I had planned on night fishing tonight until late but decided to pass. I'll go out in the morning and see what's goin' down. As always, I'll get pics if I can but I really don't like to put the trout on the ground or in the shallows for a photo shoot so you might have to just take my word for it.

Oh Dear Lord!!

Loads of work in this van. I think I'd actually feel bad getting this dirty.