The Rocky Mountain Way

[Tight Lines]

Yeah, it's been extremely rare that I've encountered fish that were so picky I've had to play the micro game.

The morning we absolutely tore them up, I started out with a big bushy Stimmy, #10 or maybe even #8 with a dropper. (Steve, you know the dropper I'm talking about) When they started attacking the Stimmy more than the dropper, I clipped it off and went straight dry fly. Just like here, #12 or #14 in a generic attractor pattern will generally wear them out.

That's right for sure...hard to beat a #10-14 Stimmy!

In my experience, two things amaze people who've never fished out West before...one is the quantity, size and color of the fish which you stated, and the other is the size of the flies that produce large, even monster trout. That is certainly not a prerequisite...but it is one consistent observation over the last 30 years of fishing out there with new folks...they always comment on that...

It just all depends on the time of year, stream/river/creek, and what they tend to be eating...

Up at higher elevations in the freestones where they have to work for their food (where you were), they are way less picky than the tailwaters, which is the majority of the consistent rivers out West like the Taylor, Yampa, Cheeseman, Dream Stream, San Juan, Blue, Frying Pan, etc...while some tailwaters like the Piney are consistent, they almost fish like a spring creek with small flies and very technical approaches...similar to the Tarryall meandering through South Park, which is also technically a tailwater, but also fishes more like a spring creek at times...the Colorado is all three depending on where you are and what time of year you hit it...

The true spring creeks like DePuy's or Armstrong's are super technical, small flies, and extremely spooky fish...#18-20 on 6X or 7X...if you net a half a dozen in a day there, you probably killed it! It's a test of your skill with those uppity trout...

On the Henry's Fork I've used everything from a #4 white clouser to a #18 mosquito, while on the Green last summer where we missed the big bug hatches, we were fishing #18 parachutes behind a #12 Stimmy and absolutely killed the browns, probably 95% hit the #18...on 6X...

Mix it up and get north to Labrador, you can fish huge bugs on 4X with a 6 wt. and kill the monster brookies in freestones between lakes...they hit like bass on the mouse patterns...

All part of what makes fly fishing so fun and interesting to me...there are lots of different beautiful places, and all have their nuances...and I love that!

 

[Michael F Sights]

Awesome pirctures & trip!! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Tight Lines]

By the way @northgeorgiasportsman on the way to that lake is one of the funniest stream names ever, or at least it was to us back then...we had a lot of fun with that one over the years...I can't recall how far it is, but I was telling my buddy about your post and he reminded me of some of our jokes...

 

[Tight Lines]

If you know the stream, you'll get the jokes...

"What fly are you going to use?"

"Well I just tied on a vegan special..."

And on from there, some of which cannot be posted here...got a good laugh out of that today with one of my travel buddies...

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

If you know the stream, you'll get the jokes...

"What fly are you going to use?"

"Well I just tied on a vegan special..."

And on from there, some of which cannot be posted here...got a good laugh out of that today with one of my travel buddies...

It doesn't ring a bell, but there are some pretty creative place-names that I'm sure have a story behind them.

 

[NCHillbilly]

It ain't that hard to do.

If you have money.

 

[Tight Lines]

If you have money.

Nah, before airfare got nuts, 2 guys could do a long weekend out there camping (4 nights-5 days) for $400-425 each all in easy...harder now, but you can still find good fares...basically airfare ($180), rental car ($100), gas ($50), license ($25), and food ($75)...maybe even some flies...used to borrow a cooler or two from a local friend, sometimes even a car, and check one large duffle of gear...may be harder from where you are flying from of course...driving is more expensive out there than flying at times...$178 right now in August to Denver and SLC is often similar...those are back to AirTran fares! Not eating like a king, or drinking like a fish, and have to pack sanely but its doable on the cheap...but certainly not as cheap as just fishing local...and not free...back when I was single we'd go out Friday night, fish Saturday and Sunday, and take the red-eye home Sunday night...again harder now, but if you didn't have a lot of money and vacation, and wanted to fish...you can do it on the cheap if you want to...

 

[Gaswamp]

Man. Wow. I want to say a lot, but this about leaves me speechless.
I have never been out west, and will probably never get the chance to before I croak, but I want to so bad, seeing stuff like this. I have to live vicariously through y'all. That is absolutely amazing. Absolutely beautiful fish, and beautiful country. If I died on that trip, I would die happy.

I couldn't respond to this thread better...Amen

 

[redneck_billcollector]

If you have money.

If you camp and take your own food, you are just paying for gas, licenses and whatever expenses you might encounter in a fly shop for "local" sure thing flies. If you can sleep in your vehicle, you do not even need to pay for rooms on your trip out there and back. Lots of large, friendly truck stops on the way out there that allow "boondocking" and you can get a shower, etc...I know things are a little more expensive now, but me and my son did a multiple month-long trip all over the US fishing and camping and we spent roughly 1k (summer of 1990 we could both sleep comfortably in the vehicle I took), truck stops are your friend when you are living on the road. I did make it back home on fumes and roughly .50 cents in my pocket, but it was a great trip and caught countless fish from Salmon on the Olympic Peninsula to cutthroats in Montana and even my PB brown trout on the UP of Michigan.

 

[cowhornedspike]

NCH, I've said this many times to many folks that feel like you do about not being able to hunt or fish out west.

I don't regret a dime I've spent hunting and fishing the West and the fact is I'd be just as broke as I am today it I hadn't done it. Fact.

I've made several trout trips and LOTS (20+) of hunting trips out west and always have done it on a shoestring budget. You DON'T have to spend a bunch of money to fish the west.

 

[Tight Lines]

NCH, I've said this many times to many folks that feel like you do about not being able to hunt or fish out west.

I don't regret a dime I've spent hunting and fishing the West and the fact is I'd be just as broke as I am today it I hadn't done it. Fact.

I've made several trout trips and LOTS (20+) of hunting trips out west and always have done it on a shoestring budget. You DON'T have to spend a bunch of money to fish the west.

Truth.

 

[redneck_billcollector]

NCH, I've said this many times to many folks that feel like you do about not being able to hunt or fish out west.

I don't regret a dime I've spent hunting and fishing the West and the fact is I'd be just as broke as I am today it I hadn't done it. Fact.

I've made several trout trips and LOTS (20+) of hunting trips out west and always have done it on a shoestring budget. You DON'T have to spend a bunch of money to fish the west.

I agree 100%! You do not have to do lodges or outfitters, there is so much public land and with the internet now, DIY is relatively cheap. My first trips out west were long before the internet (learned about possible areas from outdoor magazines "Fur, Fish & Game" was the best for it, was geared towards the average guy) and involved a cheap K-Mart tent, a sleeping bag, a Coleman stove & lantern, frying pan, Igloo cooler, maps & compass and one used fly rod I purchased from a yard sale for maybe 25 dollars at the most (luckily they wanted, and still do, you to keep invasive brook trout so ate fish most meals I have even done "poached trout in Raman noodles"). Literally the gas I purchased to get there and back were the largest expenses. I have done western hunting trips the same way. An old Winchester model 670 .30/06 I purchased from J. C. Penny's, knives plus a bone saw, backpack and the same camping gear.

These "shoestring budget" trips are why I am building the vehicle I am building now. I am in my 60s and at a point in my life I can afford to spend extra money on items I have dreamed about. I can afford lodges and outfitters now, but I like the challenge of the DIY. I do use lodges and outfitters on my international fishing trips but that is because it is just hard to do DIY trips at my age in Mexico, Belize, etc.....

My learning trips started at age 16 going to the mountains of N. GA, Tenn and N.C. and I figured if I could do that for a couple of tanks of gas, for just more gas I could head out west by the time I was 18/19 years old.

 

[cowhornedspike]

I agree 100%! You do not have to do lodges or outfitters, there is so much public land and with the internet now, DIY is relatively cheap. My first trips out west were long before the internet (learned about possible areas from outdoor magazines "Fur, Fish & Game" was the best for it, was geared towards the average guy) and involved a cheap K-Mart tent, a sleeping bag, a Coleman stove & lantern, frying pan, Igloo cooler, maps & compass and one used fly rod I purchased from a yard sale for maybe 25 dollars at the most (luckily they wanted, and still do, you to keep invasive brook trout so ate fish most meals I have even done "poached trout in Raman noodles"). Literally the gas I purchased to get there and back were the largest expenses. I have done western hunting trips the same way. An old Winchester model 670 .30/06 I purchased from J. C. Penny's, knives plus a bone saw, backpack and the same camping gear.

These "shoestring budget" trips are why I am building the vehicle I am building now. I am in my 60s and at a point in my life I can afford to spend extra money on items I have dreamed about. I can afford lodges and outfitters now, but I like the challenge of the DIY. I do use lodges and outfitters on my international fishing trips but that is because it is just hard to do DIY trips at my age in Mexico, Belize, etc.....

My learning trips started at age 16 going to the mountains of N. GA, Tenn and N.C. and I figured if I could do that for a couple of tanks of gas, for just more gas I could head out west by the time I was 18/19 years old.

Exactly! What NCH doesn't understand is for most of us a trip up to the spots he fishes would be about as expensive as a trip to CO trout fishing other than the gas and time it takes to get there and back.

 

[Tight Lines]

There is so much self guided water out West that you can never ever fish it all. And if you are willing to camp and backpack you can get to the secluded spots away from crowds and no need for an outfitter or lodge. The ONLY time I’d do either is if we need to float like the Yellowstone or it’s a friends or family trip where they need guides.

If it’s me and my son or buddies we can do it on the cheap easily. I don’t drive it because I don’t have that time to burn but at some point I will like @redneck_billcollector is doing. I can be on water outside SLC after lunch if I fly out in the morning with the time change.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

I've done far more budget trips than I have luxury trips. I've enjoyed both.
Just a few minutes checking this morning. Cheapest airfare I found out of Atlanta to Denver was something like $118. Checked Turo for cheap car rentals and saw a few in the low $40s per day. I did see a Smart Car for $36/day but, just no. If you checked a bag with 1 man tent or even better, a hammock and tarp, with a few backcountry camping essentials and clothes, you could take a 4 piece rod and your reels and snacks in your carry on. 5 day non-resident license is something like $36 + $11.50 habitat stamp.

The absolute best way to do it would be to coordinate with a buddy that's already out there. Fly to the nearest airport and have your buddy pick you up and fish for a few days, then get dropped off back at the airport and fly home. We've done that too. I've been both the buddy and the flyer. That way, you're only out the airfare, license, and food. Even in today's inflated market, I bet you could do a 4-5 day trip for under $500 pretty easily.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Exactly! What NCH doesn't understand is for most of us a trip up to the spots he fishes would be about as expensive as a trip to CO trout fishing other than the gas and time it takes to get there and back.

What y'all don't understand is that often, $500 for gas might as well literally be a $million to me. It ain't the accommodations, I'd be roughing it too. It's literally that most times I can't afford enough gas to drive out west and back, much less get enough time off work to make it worthwhile. And I don't have any desire to get on an airplane if it was free. Anywhere that I can't have a pistol and can't smoke = nope.

Someday, though, I hope.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Someday, though, I hope.

We'll work towards that, brother.

 

[Dustin Pate]

What y'all don't understand is that often, $500 for gas might as well literally be a $million to me. It ain't the accommodations, I'd be roughing it too. It's literally that most times I can't afford enough gas to drive out west and back, much less get enough time off work to make it worthwhile. And I don't have any desire to get on an airplane if it was free. Anywhere that I can't have a pistol and can't smoke = nope.

Someday, though, I hope.

Quit them dang cancer sticks and put that money into a ton of trips wherever you want to go.

 

[Tight Lines]

What y'all don't understand is that often, $500 for gas might as well literally be a $million to me. It ain't the accommodations, I'd be roughing it too. It's literally that most times I can't afford enough gas to drive out west and back, much less get enough time off work to make it worthwhile. And I don't have any desire to get on an airplane if it was free. Anywhere that I can't have a pistol and can't smoke = nope.

Someday, though, I hope.

While I can't say I understand it, I respect it. My dad is EXACTLY the same way. After Vietnam, planes and any kind of standing in a line isn't in the cards for him. Him and mom did both quit smoking, so that's not the driver...

You'll make it someday...

Just don't wait too long, as we all know, it don't get any easier...

 

[NCHillbilly]

Quit them dang cancer sticks and put that money into a ton of trips wherever you want to go.

That still leaves the disarmament.