A couple of weeks ago I had a day off from the four grey walls and decided to jump into my auto and head West. My intention was to get in on some of the "crazy, ballistic, jumping out of the water" fishing that was supposedly happening out towards Salida, CO on the Arkansas River.
I used to guide on the Arkansas, albeit miles above Salida just above the lovely mountain town of Buena Vista. I used to do pretty well up there. My clients always caught fish in sometimes difficult weather and wading conditions, and when it was my turn to fish I generated some really good days for myself.
Funny thing is, ever since I left BV the Arkansas has been my nemesis. It's like she's pissed off that I left her for the Front Range and is withholding all trout from me. But I thought I'd give her a whirl.
I hit the road fairly early and gawked at the sunrise in my rear view mirror as I rolled over the big hills. I started rumbling pretty bad, so I kept an eye out for some sort of town that might have an eat 'em up joint serving biscuits and gravy in particular. I've been on this road before, but couldn't remember if there was any civilization to speak of...especially the kind of civilization selling hot breakfast.
My radio, which was set on "scan" made a full loop through the channels before getting caught by 93.7, "The River Rat" http://www.ksbv.net/. The Rat is the perfect radio station for up in the middle of the mountains. I was introduced to it by some fellow fly fishing guides in BV a few years ago. The completely local station plays a mix of classic rock, mostly obscure or "deep" tracks, which is essentially new music to a lot of people. It was the perfect way to end a long day on the water with some cool people over quite a few beers. And now, I listen again to Leon Russell, Little Feat, and the Stones before the DJ (can't remember his name...) rants on about local politics in Salida...and then plays a commercial for the "Cannabis Connection", a medicinal marijuana dispensary. That's a real radio station. It's the best radio station.
Then, over the hill I came upon Baily, CO and the Cutthroat Cafe, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner (157 Main St, Bailey, Colorado 80421(303) 816-5099). Fucking A. Bs & Gs? You bet. But it was the hashbrowns, surprisingly, that stole the show. None of that frozen Ore Ida crap. A cup of coffee, glass of orange juice, and a plate of happiness later, I got back on the road.
Unfortunately when I got to the river, it was rolling hard. I noticed a lot of wet weather tributaries muddying up the water and making it difficult to wade and fish. On top of that, I had 45 mph winds trying to sink me. How's that for excuses? If you're wondering, she's still pissed at me. One fish...about a 16 incher, which I didn't even land. We call that a "quick release".
I decided to head back up to Buena Vista to my old stomping grounds, confident that there would be a bit more action. There was not. Same result...nada. Probably a good idea that I stopped guiding...
Although the fishing was tough, I saw some beautiful things. Like the snow storm brewing over Mt. Princeton; the elk herd stopping traffic in front of me; several enormous rainbows spawning, obviously much more interested in humping than eating. And I met some cool people, like the sheriff that pulled me over for speeding. Never had a cop talk to me about fishing for 10 minutes on the side of the road. "...the golden stones are starting to hatch below Salida in the canyon. A buddy of mine got a 17 and 22 a couple days ago...oh yea, I'm going to go ahead and give you a ticket, but I'm reducing it to the minimum fine. Good luck!" Nice guy.
Oh yea, and seeing as how I'm pimping products that helped my excursion...if you ever want to pick up a pair of new waders, buy Patagonia http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/patagonia-guidewater-waders-regular?p=82645-0-050. I'm going on five seasons of putting them through hell. Sliding down rock embankments, traipsing through briar patches, bushwhacking to the river...they're still holding up remarkably well. They didn't help me catch any damn fish though.
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