I can't pinpoint the exact day, but as we begin to leave winter, a day comes when the ice begins to recede from my heart and I then find myself walking the Dream Stream looking for a response from the beautiful forms that lie in the runs of the meandering river. I am not alone.
Even on a Friday, hopeful hearts are gathering on the Dream Stream as the ice continues to recede from the banks of the river and of our hearts. My friend Zac and I counted 25 cars among the three main parking lots; Anglers looking for the love of their life in the form of large Rainbows, Cutthroats and Cutt-bows making their annual migration up the South Platte River.
While we encountered many resident fish, for the most part, the "Big" fish from the lake are not in the drainage. We did see one fish that went about 26 inches and eight pounds, that wanted nothing to do with us. Tough to be rejected on Valentines weekend with Love in the air. We tried not to take it personally as we know such fish are harassed hour by hour, day by day.
It will be interesting to see what the coming weeks bring. Low flows will make it tough for the big fish to move and the growing crowds will make it more difficult for us as anglers to move around. The competition will make it challenging as it often feels as though there are more anglers than "beauties" in the river.
This is the game we play; always a gamble, no matter how much we woo, even on Valentines weekend.
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