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St. Vrain Angler News & Muse
June 27, 2006:
Do you know where your fly rod is?
And so began the last issue of St.
Vrain Angler News & Muse - May 1, 2006! Well, here I am again to catch -
ahem - up with you. I hope all who read this are doing well, thriving in
life and taking time to sniff fish slime from time to time. It's a good
thing, fish slime. Just try it; you'll like it.
The short story is this: I've been
composing and opera. Writing the words, music and everything else that goes
with it. And the project is coming along well. Never have I
had music flow in this manner. If you are interested I'll keep you posted.
Many of you remember working with
Rachel at the Estes Angler. Well, I've lost a daughter and gained a son - at
least that's what they tell me. What really happened is a boy and a girl
fell in love and the girl was my kid; they dated for several years,
discovered they were for one another and he called to ask me to give him my
blessing to marry Rachel. I did. They got married a week ago last Saturday
in an outdoor ceremony that was wonderful. (This picture is of the reception
with Rachel, Aaron and Shan, my wife and the mother of Rachel, the bride.)
The kids looked very happy the entire time they were together. We were
blessed with lots of
 family
from Ohio and so on.
Aaron's family is delightful; Shan's
family is delightful; my family is delightful and now our family is
delightful. Isn't that delightful?
Seeing your daughter fall in love
with a boy, seeing the boy becoming a man and your daughter becoming a
woman, then walking her down the isle and handing her off to the man is
better than ever I could have imagined. Wow!
The happy couple is now in Montana.
They stole my dog, Max, again. He is in doggy paradise, running around the
forests of Montana, living in a one-room log cabin with no water, sewer or
power with two of his favorite humans.
I'll bet they are all having fun.
Most days are spent composing. On
the others I'm doing some guiding at Long Meadow and Boxwood Gulch and some
instruction around Longmont. All of that's been lots of fun. There are a few
days available on the private water of the South Platte just west of Bailey
and when we can work out the schedule I'm teaching folks how to nymph, cast,
fish dry flies, read the water and so on. There's also a rumor of a fly
tying class starting in the near future, which will be fun. If you'd like to
join me for some fishing please call 303-651-6061
and leave a message, or drop me a line at
angler@peakpeak.com.
Let me know what you'd like to do
and we'll figure out a way to do it. How's that?
Here are stories and pictures of
recent trips - and some very good bug shots, if I don't say so myself.
Enjoy!
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That's my nephew from PA,
Ross. He brought his mom (Shan's sister) and dad (Brendan, below) and
two sisters to Colorado for the wedding. When I met him again the first
day I asked if there was anything he'd like to do. His answer? "Go fly
fishing with Uncle Dale." That was set in stone. We did.
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Brendan and Ross have done
some fishing. As a matter of fact, as soon as they returned home after
the wedding they were heading on a fishing trip for a few days. However,
fly fishing hadn't been pursued by either of them.
We rigged Ross up with a
3-weight Winston and a small wet fly and I explained how he would cast,
let the fly swing and so on. On his third cast this is what happened! |
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The feisty - and colorful -
rainbow trout fairly impaled itself on the fly. Ross kept the rod in a
good position and landed the spunky, beautiful trout. He was a happy
camper. His dad was pleased as can be.
Uncle Dale was happy, too!
Come to think of it, everyone except the fish were happy. Still, only
one wild little rainbow can be the first fly-caught fish for an eleven
year old boy. That fish will live forever in Ross's mind! |
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On the Big Thompson the caddis larva are
abundant this year. They are coating the rocks that I've picked up along
the way. This is a detail of a cased caddis. As the larva within grows
it builds the case. |
| The little black heads peek out of the
cases and the bugs crawl along on the rocks they attach to, looking for
food and getting into the proper position to get the most oxygen and so
on. You know, bug stuff. See the little eyes on these bugs? Who knows,
maybe they'll grow up and emerge together, flying freely in the air
until they get eaten by a bat. |
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There really are lots of
them, so the bats can get a few. I'll bet trout tummies are full of
caddis larva along this stretch of river. Note the opening of the cases
all face in the same direction - into the current, I think. There are a
few mayflies mixed in, but not as many as I'm used to up there.
Also, I've seen very few
stonefly nymphs or adults. Usually there are lots of them this time of
year; I guess we'll see! |
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This caddis larva house is
different. The front entrance is through a case made of small stones and
the back is a net the bug built to keep the sun off his back yard.
Actually, the net is to catch food so she can go out and eat to her
heart's content.
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At left, she climbs out of
her net to do some yard work and check on the neighborhood. Note the
black head and olive body, which is long and thin with segments.
Cool. |
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This guy started out of his
case to see why in the world the water stopped flowing. When it stops,
so does the oxygen and as you might remember, all life needs oxygen to
survive. We put him back. See the small case attached to the back of
this one? A younger caddis.
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The larva at left was coerced
into climbing out of its rock case for a photo op. My assumption is that
it climbed back when we were done. Note the segments; the olive color;
the black head and the cute little rock house it built to live in.
Bugs are fun! |
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Beautiful.
Delicate.
Elegant.
Mayfly Dun. |
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This is what the Mayfly Dun
looked like for the rest of its life: it was a nymph, living in the
water, crawling around on rocks eating food.
You can see the tails, the
mottled legs, the segments on the bug's abdomen and the wing pads
developing on the thorax.
Wow! |
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Last Sunday I guided a group
of folks on Boxwood Gulch. The water is high, but the fish are still
eating bugs. This beautiful and very large rainbow was hooked, landed
and released by Rick.
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Later in the afternoon,
Rick's lovely bride hooked several big rainbows, including this bright,
colorful fish at left.
Fishing with family is fun. |
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As I recall, the day Dick and
I spent - it was probably an evening, to be sure - along the Big T did
not see many fish hooked, but we did find smiles in the lovely confines
of a delightful local trout stream.
There is something about
camaraderie of fly fishing that is worth the effort. Even in tough
times, regardless the issue, fly fishing is fun. We find ourselves in
beautiful places being restored to improved mental health because we
forget when we're out there.
Fly fishing is a good
invention. |
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Earlier in the month I had
the privilege of hosting a group from Office Depot at Boxwood Gulch.
Steve and I had fished there a few time together and he decided to bring
his management team down for a day of fun and teambuilding. It was
great!
This is Steve's son, Chase,
who had to join us when another person was forced to miss the day. Poor
kid. Fishing with his day. Hooking big trout on flies - the first of his
young life.
Well, he did have to be with
me. I guess there are drawbacks to everything. |
| Together, Steve and Chase had a fine time
hooking fish, telling jokes, laughing and carrying on as a dad and son
ought once in a while. |
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Steve hooked some nice fish just below
where Chase and I fished. Here, he's getting into position to net a
trout. |
| Once the fish was properly played and
ready to be netted, which usually means their head is up, Steve slid the
net under the fish, then scooped it up. As soon as the fish is in the
net he released all the tension from the rod so the fish would settle
into the net. |
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Here Steve holds the net mostly parallel
to the water to keep the fish in the bag. He's walking to the edge of
the stream so he can set the rod down, unhook the fish and safely revive
and release it. |
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This pretty cutt was the
result of this action. The right fly was in the right place. A hungry
fish ate it and a ready angler set the hook. After a fair fight the fish
was safely netted, unhooked and released to feed again.
We're all left with a
wonderful memory that will linger in our minds for a very long time.
Fishing with family is very
good.
Fishing is great! |
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Holding a fish near the water like Steve
is here is a very good way to get a good photo. Note that he's
supporting the fish under its gills - his fingers are not touching the
delicate gills! - and he's holding the fish near its tail. I know that I
feel lighter in water and that's where a fish always lives - until we
make it famous, of course. |
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To revive a trout place it
head first into the current while continuing to support the fish, as
Steve is doing here. Gently lower the fish into the water and move it
into the current and back several times. When the fish is ready to swim
off, it will!
It's just as well to leave
the fishery as good as it was before we got there. We can also continue
to work to improve areas so they get better for other anglers.
Isn't this fun? |
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Yep, they caught a few very nice, fat
brown trout, too. Actually, Chase's first fish was a 15" brook trout.
His next fish was an over-twenty inch rainbow which he hooked on a
Stimulator! With the cutt his dad hooked and the browns they both got a
grand slam was accomplished for the father and son team! |
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Terry was visiting Colorado
for a few days. It seems his nephew was graduating from something or
other. Terry decided a lesson on fishing fast water was in order, so we
did it.
It worked, too! We had a
great day together on lovely water hooking a few wild brown trout on dry
flies.
We both made new friends,
too.
Each other. |
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A day or two later Mike decided he needed
to know more about reading water, line control, casting and so on. So we
met, ate some breakfast, talked about a variety of things and headed to
the water. |
| Hooking a few pretty brown trout was part
of the fun. |
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When we moved to a smaller
stream Mike and I worked on casting and line control. We kept talking
about how the rod works, how the line moves and carries the fly, then
how to make adjustments once the fly is on the water so it drifts
properly. He got it.
I think this is a wonderful
picture of a beautiful wild brown trout that was hooked in a lovely
place by a very happy man.
Go fishing soon!
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Another trip was to Long Meadow with
members of the Colorado Avalanche, including
one of their security men, their equipment manager, the Av's Chaplain and a
good friend.
These guys had a good time fly
fishing with one another on some nice water. They hooked some fish. The
fellow on the right, who is the security detail during practices and gives
all of the player plenty of grief, was a real character. He fell and jammed
his little finger on a rock. It was bent as a finger ought not be bent.
I decided to take him somewhere to
get it fixed rather than pulling it back into place myself. I'd have done it
- he was willing - but a man needs his little finger. We drove all over
looking for someone to pull that finger back in. We finally landed in
Conifer at a small medical center. The folks there were so kind and
friendly. They got Jim right in for a look and a few X-rays, then the doctor
walked in to shake his hand. Instead he pulled on that finger VERY HARD! It
popped into place. The entire time Jim said the finger didn't hurt. That
changed with that hand shake, I'll tell you. I'm not sure most of the staff
and patients had heard that sort of screaming and language from a full
grown, bald man in some time.
We returned to fish. Jim hooked some
lovelies and a fine time was had by all.
I hope his finger is doing well. |
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Well, that's what I have for today.
I hope you are well. I hope you will go fishing soon and often.
I also hope to see a few of you for
some of the schools I'm offering with John Hagen at Boxwood Gulch and Long
Meadow Ranch.
If you'd like some casting or tying
tips, or if you could use some coaching on the water please let me know!
Dale Darling
303-651-6061.
PS: Now that I think of it the kid
took my daughter, my dog, one of my Winston rods and Ross reels all to
Montana. What a fine young man! What great taste he has in people, dogs and
gear. |
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