Blue River Ahead

On Sunday I will do something I've never tried before -- fly fish for stream trout in the winter. I've spent much of the last 26 winters standing in nearly freezing water fishing for steelhead, but I've never tried to catch your standard brown, rainbow or cut in the winter. There are plenty of opportunities to give it a try as the Central PA limestone streams are fishable throughout much of the winter, but why risk hypothermia for a 12-incher when you can do the same and catch a ten pounder?

But this weekend I'll be visiting the Cadet out in Colorado and I've decided to try the Blue River near Frisco. I've hooked up with Zeke Hersh at Blue River Anglers and we'll give it a shot on Sunday. I've written before that I haven't had the greatest of fishing luck when out with guides. And I'm certainly testing my luck by planning on fishing when the high temperature on Sunday is about freezing. But I've learned that fishing a new stream without a guide can make for a frustrating day. And even if the fishing isn't great, the lessons learned and experience gained from spending a day with a day with a skilled anglers pays dividends in the long run. And besides, Zeke can keep his hands warm while I fish and the he'll be able to tie the knots that I'm too frozen to tie...

I look forward to learning a little more about the mountain streams of Colorado and experiencing a mile-high trout or two -- if I'm lucky. Zeke told me to dress warm -- thankfully I've got the gear for that. And he said the winter fishing has been pretty good this year. Of course, that was before the temperatures dipped below zero earlier this week. We'll see what Sunday has to offer. Regardless, it will be new, fun fishing experience.