Fish Tomorrow, Ski Today: Spring Storm Wirlwind Hits Front Range

How can I resist skiing when there is a foot of snow in my back yard? Time to ski but I will fish tomorrow and give a report. Overcast conditions should bring some BWO's to the surface with big bows chasing them. But, today, the last day of April, the conditions were perfect for making some turns in powder in the foothills of Manitou Springs. 

Strong Winds Moving Over The Dream Sream: Fish Feeding Below

We had to keep it simple. No false casting. Just roll cast the weighted nymphs and keep them drifting. Lay low and out of the wind (which is kind of difficult to do in South Park) .  Yet, with patience and persistence we were able to catch 8 nice fish or so on Sunday morning. Brown and red San Juan worms took some fish along with RS2's, and brown/black midges.

Sunday morning? Why were we not in church?  Could fly fishing on the Dream Stream, in the vast valley of South Park, on a Sunday morning  be "church?"  I think so. Why not?

Each one of us was over come with the overwhelming and vast  beauty of South Park. We broke bread. We gave thanks. We helped each other. We talked to each other. Imagine that; people talking  and getting to know each other in church! We were the "Two or Three gathered in His name."

And at other times we were silent within the howling winds. If I had a prayer it was simply, "Give me the God of the whirlwind. Give us a few fish."

I have little interest anymore in listening to lectures on Sunday morning. I have no tolerance of a tame and domesticated God. 

Give us the God of the whirlwind; wild and free. No pretense. 

Great Fishing and Dialogue On the South Platte River

I love to catch fish but I also love good dialogue. Most recently the fishing on the South Platte has been great but the conversations have been even better.

I have finally found and learned that to merely catch fish can be a lonely existence. I would rather at least attempt to talk about life; the life that is all around us, among us, and in the river. I would prefer, at least at times to talk about what is in our hearts. And yes, strangely, that often has something to do with what we capture in the net or what eludes us.

Eleven Mile Canyon Trout Feeding In the Warming Waters

Deckers Low Water: Fish Stacked In Obvious Holes But Selective

If you ever questioned how many fish live in the South Platte at Deckers, now is a good time to observe for yourself.  With the water low and clear,  it is a great time to observe good numbers of fish laying in the depressions. Anywhere the water is slightly deeper the fish are holding. Some of the fish are large in the 20-22 inch range but are very wary. 

With the fish easily visible, there are many folks out there "observing wildlife." On weekends, crowds can be quite large. One angler I spoke with called it a parade. The fish can be picky but are also willing to take a well presented fly. Some BWO's are emerging in the early afternoon. Overcast days are best.

Small RS2's in gray and olive along with small black midges have been the best flies. My client pictured above caught several good fish; his first time fishing the South Platte. It is always a pleasure to help a young person catch their first fish on a fly on the South Platte.

Deckers South Platte River Emerging Into Spring

Nymph fishing is good at Deckers with the usual assortment of tiny midges. Try zebra midges, black beauties, RS2's,  behind a San Juan worm or an orange egg pattern. Some BWO is taking place with some fish rising to the surface. Nice to dry fly fish in March. Spring is trying to emerge.

Dream Stream: A Place of Vast Beauty, Yet Harsh

How can a place like South Park and it meandering Dream Stream be so beautiful, rewarding and yet at times so harsh? Today we fished but we were in "survival" mode, trying to keep our hands warm, our rods free of ice and our casts from being driven by the cold relentless wind. While we are in survival mode it is common to make mistakes and it is easier for the big fish to elude us. As the wind cuts through our layers entangling our leaders we often want to just "give up lay down, and die."

Yet, now that we are home and warm, I realize there is also something about surviving that place and managing to catch some fish, that makes the Dream Stream and all of South Park so mesmerizing. It is a "God-forsaken" place and yet at the same time, a glorious aspect of God's creation, not caring about our little pains and discomforts. And, ironically, there is something comforting about that fact.

Here is a place that I cannot control. There was the bald eagle that so gracefully, and freely soared twenty feet above our heads.  It knew how to fly in the harsh wind without complaint. The pronghorn ran freely over the frozen meadow. The fish easily moved in the cold.currents. These are creatures at home in their world. Only we, stood out, exposed to the harsh conditions.

We stood out clumsily trying to entice the elusive fish that were hiding in the undercuts as we stumbled along the banks trying to peer into their world.