After fifty years I finally decided to go to one of my U.S. Air Force Academy reunions. This was the big one – number fifty. I decided to go for the entire week of festivities – golf tournament, dinners each night, memorial service for those that have passed away, a class dedication, and meeting with old friends. Some I haven’t seen in over fifty years. But you don’t go to Colorado and not fly fish – so I did that too.
After my reunion I headed to Denver to meet up with Greg Krochta, one of our members that lives in the Denver area. We contacted Tim Graham to see if he could get away to fish also but he was unable. So, it was just Greg and I on this Colorado adventure. We both had some Rarewaters days to use and decided to plan our trip around this great organization that gives us a nice discount. Rarewaters is growing throughout the West. They find private rivers that have some great fishing and work with the landowner to allow no more than four fly fishers to fish those waters for a fee. The fees per fly fisher can run from $120 – $200 per person per day. Think about it, if you know what you are doing (and all of you do because you took my class) then it is much cheaper than a guide. Guides in Colorado can run from $450 – $650 per day. AND Rarewaters is also in Montana, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington Wyoming. Check your discount sheet for details on how to use Rarewaters.
Greg and I made our way out to Glenwood Springs which would be our base camp for the week. On the way out we fished the Eagle River for about an hour or two. Our four days of Rarewaters would be to four private waters: the Studebaker Bend Colorado River, Crystal Creek Redstone, Roaring Fork Scenic Ranch and Winding White River. Each location was unique in its own way. We had fished Crystal Creek before, but the others would be a first-time look.
Without going into each day’s fishing let me tell you our overall fishing or should I say catching was tough. Even on waters with low fishing pressure – it can be tough. Our best day was at Crystal Creek Redstone where we caught at least twenty-five trout between the two of us. Greg was throwing streamers as I was throwing nymphs and midges. Greg had a beautiful 20-inch cutbow and my biggest was an 18-inch rainbow. As I said we fished this same spot last year and had success too. Now for the other spots we fished. Fishing was tougher in the other three locations. Yes, some fish were caught but not in the numbers that we wanted. Rainbows, browns, and whitefish were caught but in small numbers. I’ll let the pictures do the talking for me.
Overall, it was a great trip – great to fish with Greg and see members of his wonderful family, great to be back in Colorado and visit my alma mater, and great to use Rarewaters again. We are truly blessed to be living in this country. As our motto says, “It isn’t just about the fly fishing.” As men we need other brothers in our lives, and we need that special time to re-energize our lives so when we go back to our families, we can be better fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and friends.
