St. Vrain Anglers TU Weekend
My weekend with the St. Vrain Anglers TU group was a great one. Mark Rayman and his wife, Barbara Laneau graciously hosted me at their home. Friday night they held a small, informal, and fun-filled get-together to kick off the weekend events. The next morning we were at the River Ministries Church in Lyons, Colorado (where the event was held), and I gave a presentation on the development of fly fishing over its 2,000 year history, and a session on introductory fly casting. Being long-winded, it was easy for me to chew up the morning hours. Lunch was held in this very unique facility of restaurant-turned-church. In the afternoon I delivered a session on fly designing and a second casting session covering advanced techniques. That evening, we were treated to a dinner of pulled pork (from a freshly roasted pig, cooked in an outside barbeque for a full day). It was great. Of course the homemade blackberry-peach cobbler certainly didn’t distract from the meal! After dinner I present the conservation message, “Where the Trout Are.”
Sunday morning, Mark, Barbara, and I headed off to 11-mile canyon on the South Platte River. USGS flow records showed that the water was being released from 11-mile dam at 135 cfs—perfect for a day of sight-fishing to the picky trout in those waters. We arrived to well over 200 cfs—the release had been greatly increased overnight. Though clear, the water was deeper than expected and moved along in a decidedly brisk manner. The usually very prevalent trout were not prevalent. But we hunted them hard and found a few willing to look at our flies—some even took them. All-in-all, though, the blue sky, crisp mountain air, and “trout hunting” were a very refreshing break from the icy grip of winter, and we had a most relaxing and fun day.
Practicing our pantomime casting in the morning session.
Mark and Barbara going fishing hand-in-hand.
Barbara with the day's first fish and her devoted and willing guide.
It looks to me like Mark has done this before, once or twice.
I worked hard to keep up with Mark and Barbara.