The Blood Instinct Blog with Crazy Carl: Blood Instinct: Fly Fishing Colorado 2012

Me & Alyson @..well, read the sign!:)

Summer seems to drag on and on if you don't take time to enjoy it. My family has been going to Almont, Colorado nearly every year for the past 15 years to escape the heat of the Sonoran Sun. Almont, CO is the perfect destination for our vacation as it provides access to some of the best fly fishing in the west. The Taylor River and East River combine to create the mighty Gunnison River in Almont. In every direction from that point, an opportunity lurks for a fly to be gently presented to a sly trout. The shops in Crested Butte and the smaller towns in the surrounding area are always fun to pick through as well. The Rocky Mountains provide a picture perfect backdrop for our summer reprieve.

This year was dear to my heart because I brought someone with me who was also very dear to my heart, my sweetheart Alyson. Alyson and I left Phoenix around 10pm and drove through the night arriving in Almont just as the sun started to burn into the shadows of the tall mountains. We were some of the first of the family to arrive. Of course, the first thing on my mind was gettin' a fly rod rigged and wading into cold river water. So that's exactly what I did. My excuse for doing so was to show Alyson fly casting techniques. Alyson is not only beautiful, but smart as well, knew that I really just needed a fly fishing fix;) Within ten minutes I had hooked a nice Brown Trout on a dry fly! The rest of the week we had family from cousins to grandparents stopping by to share a few days in the awesome country side. We do an annual trip to small towns like Tin Cup and Pitkin which take you up over Cumberland Pass. There are beaver ponds and small creeks to fish all along the way. We stopped at one small pond near Pitkin where Alyson worked on her casting ability. The trout were there, but were being picky eaters. I managed to pull off a disappearing act as I slipped off a beaver lodge and into the pond. I sunk so deep I could have checked the lodge for inhabitants! Fortunately, my sweetheart was on the other side and didn't get the chance to watch me flounder for my footing as my hat tried to float away! Alyson and I took one afternoon and hiked up to what we call "The Big Beaver Pond". The pond is in a nook between mountains and is home to alot of high country Brook Trout. I packed a camp chair for Alyson and she read her magazines and soaked up the beautiful scenery around us while I tried to fool a few Brookies. Pretty soon, I'm sure, Alyson wasn't reading her magazines anymore, but was probably more entertained at my frustration as I missed a strike at my dry fly now and again. Our trip to the Big Beaver Pond was short lived as a typical afternoon thunderstorm moved in and we made our hike back down. We had a family night with a fantastic dinner and cousins and grandparents getting involved in some goofy games.

Alyson working on her casting:)

My Dad and I slipped away one afternoon while the girls shopped in Crested Butte to fish Brush Creek. It was an awesome afternoon with a mixed bag of Brookies, Browns, Bows, and a nice Colorado Cutthroat thrown into the mix. The sky was blue and the trout were cooperative making for a great time alone with my dad. The nights were cold and the crisp mornings were perfect for an early jog. One morning escape brought me close to a small group of Bighorn rams grazing by the Taylor River.

Our time in Colorado never seems long enough and the days began to wind down. When it came time to leave Almont, Alyson and I decided to drive through Ouray, Silverton, and a couple other small mining towns. We stopped and shopped a little in each and checked out the mining museum in Silverton. Really I think we were just enjoying each others company and delaying our return. We spent the night in Flagstaff and drove into Oak Creek Canyon the next morning. Alyson had hooked one trout with the fly rod in Colorado, but I decided to take her to the Oak Creek Trout Farm to watch her catch a few fish for the frying pan at home.

After my sweetheart caught 4 fat Rainbow Trout for dinner that night, we headed into Sedona for brunch before our drive home. We sat on the porch of one of the cafes and looked over the red rock terrain as we ate. On the drive home, I thought about all the previous years I had been to Colorado. This year burned a special spot in my heart because Alyson was there to join me. The beauty of the Rocky Mountains will leave you speechless, adding my sweet Alyson in the picture was absolutely breathtaking. We learned more about each other on this trip and grew closer because of it. I believe my family saw how important she was to me as well. An Outdoorsman can be hard to understand. I think I've finally found a woman who understands me ( or tolerate might be a more appropriate word! ). It was a great summer vacation and I look forward to our return.