It was supposed to rain today, but we got snow here in Steamboat Springs… lots of it! When I arrived at the Steamboat Flyfisher Shop I feared they might cancel on me. Instead, I had one of my best fishing days ever for a multitude of reasons.
First of all, we traveled by snowmobile to get to our fishing spots near Sarvis Creek. The road is closed in the winter, so you either have to hike in a couple of miles or do it the easy way as we did. The last time I snowmobiled was in the UP in Michigan over 20 years ago.
Next the weather meant a few things happened. There was not another soul on the river. The fish rose to the occasion, literally and figuratively. There was no wind, so casting was easier. But, pure and simply, how often do you get to spend a whole day outside when large gentle snowflakes are falling?
And then there were the fish. Lots and lots of them and I actually caught and landed several over 20 inches. These were healthy fish with some of the largest girths I’ve ever seen. I discovered that many of rainbows had been bred to be resistant to Whirling Disease and had been planted in the last several years and are now spawning.
Last, Rob Burden is the epitome of a great angler and a great guide. If only I could have started fishing when I was a toddler. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. I am fishing… now.
