Once a year, my family and I go up to steamboat for the annual wine festival. This year was a blast. I had just gotten a new tfo fly rod, a new fishpond pack, and a bunch of new boxes and flies. I started at the local pond in town, and had a little hammer handle on my second cast. Not only was it a blast, but it was my first pike on the fly. He ate a #6 white meat whistle. The next morning my dad and I headed to a nearby SWA on the Yampa, and I got a few ripping some big articulated meat. I fished the pond a bit more, and got two nice pike on a #6 white Krystal bugger, along with two slimers on a #14 San Juan and a #14 pheasant tail. We hit the SWA one more time in the morning, and I got a big surprise. As I was fishing a little riffle plum full of 8in slimers, my indicator, daintily dipped. Expecting a little guy, I lifted up to be greeted by a brute heading up stream. The fish went around 18in, and ate a #20 rainbow warrior. I got a few little ones on a para addams, and then called it a day. I fished the Yampa right in town as well, but walked away with a skunk. We then headed to leg two of our vacation, Glenwood springs. We spent the first day at the pool, but it was up at 5 and off to the pan the next morning. We fished the flats, and the flows were up a bit, but fish were caught. My dad stuck a few on a black #6 bugger, but I walked away with a big fat skunk. Overall it was a blast of a trip, and I can’t wait for next year!
Tight lines,
Rob
Pic 1: 18in yampa bow on the rainbow warrior
Pic 2: 15in yampa brown on the articulated fly
Pic 3: 14in pike from the pond on the krystal bugger
