Fishing
in the Vail area has changed over the years. Many of usmust
be OK with “urban”fishing
or at least a busier fishing hole. The popularity of fly fishing
has brought smiles to Fly Shop owners and guides, and occasional
frowns from those looking for a more secluded fishing experience.
The rivers are fished earlier in the Spring and later in the
Fall and it’s not so unusual to see a bundled up fisherman
standing mid-stream in mid-winter patiently casting to open water.
Our local rivers are in good shape considering
the impacts of valley wide growth and the consistent parade
of fisherman to the rivers edge to try their luck. I still
visit these places but tend more often than not to fish these
places off-season and off hours. There were places that I thought
of as secret, or at least not popular, but these have been
discovered or bought by someone who must have had an overstocked
inventory of “No
Trespassing” signs .
Now I find myself most often leaving
the main roads and mainstream, heading for those small places
that have not been discovered or purchased. There are plenty
of places and I’m not saying that I eliminate all the people,
but these places are quite, beautiful, sometimes rugged and many
times “fishy”. The Backcountry Small Streams often
provide a bit more adventure, your closest competitor most
likely the resident mink or eagle.
I have taken many clients
to the small streams and seen a variety of reactions. For many
the smaller volume of water makes for more pleasant wading,
reading the water and casting to a “fishy” spot
seems simpler, and the fish albeit smaller, are as wild and
beautiful as anywhere. The reward for fooling the biggest fish
in the pool is delightful whatever size stream.
The sight
of a rising fish, the calculated cast to the cut-bank or the
bending of the rod are the immediate rewards for me. Longer
lasting are the joys of time spent in wild places chasing wild
trout sometimes with no one to celebrate with but me.
I recently returned from a three day Llama/Camping
trip in the Holy Cross Wilderness. The weather was beautiful,
the “Boys” were awesome and the stream we camped
near offered us its flowing song, an array of wildlife and plenty
of Cutthroat and Brook Trout. We ate none. Instead we released
them back into their world of cold water, deep pools and plenty
of bugs to feast on. In turn we feasted on camp food from the
grocery. Our bellies were full as well as our memories.
Returning
to the valley on the third day brought those things associated
with home and business; lots to do. Laundry, emails, phone calls,
an overstuffed mailbox. After a day of this I yearned for the
sounds and freshness that being stream side provides. After fulfilling
obligations I headed for a favorite fishing spot in the late
afternoon.
I have my routines as most of us do. It’s
good to break out of those sometimes, but for me fly fishing
is usually not one of those times. Waders on and fly boxes chosen
I head to the stream with my rod not rigged. Why “rig-up” by
the car when I can do it stream side? As I pass deep pools and
noisy riffles my eye surveys the scene. Birds in the air-snatching
bugs, a subtle rise near a dark cut bank, all good signs for
good fishing. I choose my entry to the stream and look for a
log or hummock to sit on for rigging and watching. More rises,
more birds and a plethora of bug life.
My fly line needs
attention so I reach for extra tippet. Finally, tapered down
to the desired thickness I am confronted with a question; break
routine or not? I choose routine and tie on a favorite attractor
fly. Now on my feet, rod and line ready, I step into the water.
Moving slowly to not disturb the pool I see a rise near the bank.
Stripping line from the reel I make a few false casts to judge
distance and aim. The fly lands softly just above the vanished
rise ring. Time stands still for a brief moment of anticipation.
Now! I set quickly but softly. The rod bends, the line is taut.
 These
days I see a lot of folks looking to access the winter backcountry
on skis. Their reasons are as varied as the snow conditions
can be. If there is a common thread it may be each persons
yearning for an experience that is unique to them. Skiing untracked
powder, carving turns in buttery corn snow, a tree lined trail
that appears to go forever, a ridgeline tour or a gentle slope
that offers soft turns and a quiet mind. For some the snow
is secondary to being in a beautiful place on a blue-sky day,
or a beautiful place on a snowy wintry day. For some the best
can be an early morning tour, when the sun catches the snow
crystals just right and everything sparkles. For others it
is the long shadows at the end of the day, "alpen glow" blanketing
the landscape with soft shades of orange.
Whatever your
purpose, whatever your perception, I hope the experience would
catch you and make you want to do it again. This may be the
corner stone for discovering passion in whatever we do. Do
it again, do it better, and do it just for the joy of doing
it. Do it because your spirit soars and a moment seems perfect.
Find the place in the mountains and the place in your heart
that makes you go back again.
- updated September
6, 2007
I haven’t yet felt the crispness
in the air that begins to tell me that summer is waning. A
few changing colors in the High Country is the first sign that
Fall will soon take hold. I look now for Gentians and wild
mushrooms, when a few months ago I walked through forests of
blooming Lupine and Columbine. I learned things this summer
as I always do by placing myself in the Wilderness.
I learned more about the Lodgepole
Pine beetle infestation that will change vast areas of our landscape.
It is a natural phenomena that has played itself out many times
before, confused now by human presence. I learned about the slow
migration of the Pika upwards on the mountainside. It too feels
the affects of global warming as it must move higher to find
the environment it thrives in. I learned where, on a favorite
stream, the precocious Brook Trout gives way to the Cutthroat
leaving this native inhabitant to occupy the higher elevations
unbothered by pushy neighbors. I learned not to count the miles,
but rather the smiles.
My teachers were not always people! The "boys",
our llamas, continue to show me a quieter way. Am I biased? Oh
yes! Their quiet observation of their world is a reminder to
me that I need to spend less time as a "human doing" and
more time as a "human being". Their companionship
on the trail be it perceived or real adds to the pleasure of
mountain travel.
Soon the "boys" will be gone until
next summer. The crispness in the air will be the norm not the
exception. The Aspen will show their brilliant yellow tints,
the high peaks will be dusted with the winter’s first snow.
My attention will again turn to skiing, knowing that in some
places I will be traveling over next summer’s wonderment.
Donny
Contact Paragon Guides today to join us on a backcountry adventure!
970.926.5299 or Toll-Free: 877.926.5299
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