Rilke says, "I live my life in widening orbits." I often think of these words when I take folks fishing on a guided trip and are willing to try something new.
Jim told me that he had been fly fishing for only two years and it was mainly all in the upper 1/4 mile of 11 mile canyon. This is a common tendency when we start off with a new sport; We tend to go back to what is familiar. I don't think there is anything wrong with this approach. Even a 1/4 mile stretch of river can have an infinite array of complexities and dynamics. Yet, there comes a time to broaden our horizons and challenge ourselves in new ways.
Therefore I suggested the South Platte at Deckers. Jim's good friend could not make it on this trip but his daughter came along. Lauren had only fished a few times for stocked trout in a pond which to her was not the "real thing." But here she was also trying to broaden her horizons; or living life in widening orbits, as she maneuvered herself among the rocks in the river.
Deckers is the real thing. A good size river (currently with a high flow of 450 CFS) with complex currents, seam lines, pools, riffles and runs. When Jim looked at the river he said to me, "Good call Anthony; glad we came here." I was almost jealous of Jim; relatively new to the sport of the fly fishing and how he has all this new water in front of him to explore. And more just down stream or upstream. Miles and miles of river he has never stepped a foot in or cast a fly in. I told him he would some time need to venture into Cheesman Canyon; 3 miles of catch and release water, access by trail only. Wow! We have some options on the South Platte.
So we started nymph fishing. I offered my standard patterns; a brown San Juan Worm and a black or gray RS2 in black or gray (size 24). And the fish responded. We had a good number of hookups. Lost a lot to the heavy water but also were able to move some good fish to the net.
Jim and Lauren had widened their orbits.
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