By: Brian Rich
Just a few weeks ahead of our family vacation, my brother, my Dad and I booked a half-day float trip on the Colorado River through Gore Creek Fly Fisherman in Vail, Colo. We explained that while we have spent lots of time fishing at home on the salt bays of South Carolina, we had little to no experience on freshwater streams. To top it off, Dad had not picked up a fly rod in at least three decades. We were assured the guides would accommodate us and would even bring a blasphemous spinning rod on board just in case.
Our two guides, with drift boats in tow, picked us up at the resort to start the adventure. Since we had an extra spot on one of the boats, I invited my dear brother-in-law to join us on the trip. After a 45-minute drive through scenic mountain roads, we were launching the boats onto the Colorado River to begin our four-hour float. Our guides were nothing short of excellent. With extreme patience, guides Jeff Cooke and Scott Ferguson provided a comprehensive casting clinic and practice session in one of the first pools we encountered. Within 15 minutes, we had knocked off the rust, and it was time to start fishing.
It should be noted that none of us had ever caught a freshwater trout on the fly. I cannot over-emphasize the patience with which the guides helped us get into the rhythm of fishing from the boat. Within the first hour, we managed to create wind knots and tangles of epic proportions, but like a walk in the park, they would have us re-rigged and ready for the next bend in the river.
“Nice cast… mend it, mend it… pick up your tip… strike!” And like that, I landed my first rainbow trout! While on the smaller side, we netted this fish and snapped a quick picture for proof. As they say, without a picture it didn’t happen. Within minutes, Dad made a perfect cast to the section of water to which Ferguson had pointed. Before Dad could remove the slack, the strike indicator was under and a large brown trout cleared the surface threw the fly. This was one of many misses Dad and I would experience in the early hours of the float. Not to be deterred, Dad landed his first trout on fly, a nice brown, within a few minutes.
Throughout the remaining hours of the float, Dad and I tightened up our game. With steady action the whole time, Dad ended up releasing a brown and two rainbows. I managed a brown and three rainbows.
When we arrived at the end of our float, we connected with Cooke and the other two members of our party. My brother pulled the hook on the biggest brown Cooke had seen all season and, all in all, they had a super fun day releasing at least seven fish.
It was a day that we will not soon forget… and we never touched the spinning rod.
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