In the heart of Colorado ski country, the Eagle is one of the few freestone streams in Colorado. Fortunately, precipitation remained high on Mother Nature’s priority list last week and both the Front Range and the mountains continued to receive lots of moisture helping to alleviate the drought conditions. Rain and snow can cause havoc with the clarity of a river preventing the normal angler from fishing. I guess I am not normal because I continue to be determined to experience the river as is – good or bad.
I had scheduled a guided trip early in the week and got stood up. The reasons offered to me included cloudy water and a non-working truck. The latter I found acceptable but the first I didn’t. One thing I am known for is the extremes I take to follow through with the things I say I am going to do. This does not translate into being inflexible – just the opposite. I will change course as many times as it takes to get the task accomplished. What I will not do is step on people along the way. If someone decides they don’t want to play, I find someone else who wants to. So, I found another date and fished the river in a spot that wasn’t cloudy and caught my fair share of both rainbows and browns.
Since I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to let each day happen to me, I have found that the unexpected moments bring the most pleasure. Certainly, when you plan something and it goes smoothly, there is great satisfaction but what is even more thrilling is when you let go and just allow an experience to unfold and embrace it. This is what happened on the Eagle.
