RMF Day 3 - RMNP...Anyone Have An Elk Hair Caddis?

The Finale

If I had only known how beautiful the Rocky Mountain National Park was, I would have visited a long, long time ago!  Sunday was a real treat...Dustin and Stephanie finally had a day off where they could guide a few of us through the Park.  I was still carrying along CUA...but, he was starting to weigh me down a bit, if you know what I mean!  As we met the group at the Beaver Meadows parking lot, we proceeded to a few small streams in the morning and early afternoon.  Everyone was in their element, it seemed.  The air was cool and crisp...Fall was definitely in the air.  The trees had turned and it was the ultimate setting for a day of fishing.

Jen caught her first Cutthroat...

Sanders was releasing fish after fish...

Stephanie was scouting the waters for the next conquest...

Dustin was teasing a pool of fish with a dry dropper...

And I was enjoying the amazing landscapes throughout the RMNP...

And the many elk along the roadside...

And more beautiful creeks and mountains...

It wouldn't have been an RD adventure without a few tangles...

The group seemed to have a good time in the RMNP...



Sanders, Stephanie, and Dustin



Eventually, we split up.  Some went to the Big Thompson and Steph, Dustin and I went to Lily Lake to catch a few Greenback Cutthroats...

We had another hour or two of daylight as we approached the end of the Rocky Mtn. Frenzy...

Stephanie wanted to head back to the Big "T" to get me into fish before I went back home.

But, there was something else that was interested in my line...

Ok...buddy.  It's your river.  I'll get out, but I'm still fishing!!

Maybe I should try an Elk Hair Caddis!!!

Dustin tied my fly on as it was getting dark... : )

Somewhere Over The Rainbow...

A slurper was caught on top...

A perfect end to a rockin' Frenzy...

But, the Frenzy didn't end there...as we left in darkness, an hour later, we were within a mile of the house and two bucks darted in front of Dustin's car...he admitted that was his closest call to having one in the front seat!

Ahhh...the Frenzy.

Thanks to everyone who came out to participate this year...It was successful because you were there!!

RMF Day 2 - Boulders and Sourcakes!

When I woke up on Saturday morning, it was with great anticipation to see how the Frenzy would unfold.  The true test of putting out a rather large group of people fishing the same water...I was thinking that we would break in small groups and try to stay a 1/2 mile apart.  The plan was to meet at the Rocky Mountain Anglers (RMA) in Boulder at 9 am.  From there, we would carpool up to Boulder Creek and fish until 1 pm...take a lunch break and drive towards the Big Thompson near Estes Park. Well, it kind of went as planned...

My GPS lady was ready for me early that day.  When I got to Boulder, I simply said, "Breakfast"...and five options came up on my phone.  When I go on a vacation, I have to find a new breakfast place.  It's my favorite meal when going out of town... (Because I often skip lunch)  The Original Pancake House was my pick and what a great choice I made!!  Sourdough is my fave...that reminds me that I need to make some more starter pretty soon.  And the apple cinnamon syrup was to die for.  Next year, we are going to have to add a breakfast to the agenda before one of the fishing days... : )  Sorry guys!  Hindsight...

Then, it was time to meet the group at the RMA fly shop.  I was pleased to meet Jay Z...(Zimmerman), who took good care of the group of bloggers at the Rocky Mountain Anglers.  What a great fly shop...if you are ever close to Boulder, you need to check it out!  Top notch service too...as I will tell you about later!  : )  How do you like RMA's mural outside of the shop???  Here's the Saturday group, ready to head out...


Kyle, Erin, Andy, Sean, Gary, Jen, David, Emily, Larry

To some, the Frenzy was about FISH.  To others, the Frenzy was about FRIENDS.  But, by the time it was all over with, I think that most would have to say that it was BOTH!!  We had a really good time.  After the introductions and getting into carpools, we headed up to the Boulder Creek.  There is a reason why it is named this...

I asked Erin if I could join her for awhile and with the big ol' Erin Block smile, she said "sure"!!  So, we discussed our options and decided that we would try the creek in town before heading up to the canyon. 

Erin and I geared up at the shop and headed down the street...Heck, I have heard that this is a pretty liberal town.  So, why not walk through town with waders on??  Haha.  So, "When in Boulder!!"

What I didn't expect, was walking through the tailgater's parking lot before the Colorado Buffalo's football game!! Lol.

Hi!  We are fisher girls...pardon us! eh...



As we approached the water, I was pleased to see a lovely part of the Boulder Creek.  It was time to put some flies on the water...


Erin, deciding what will be pulled from the fly box!

Oh, I forgot to mention that we brought a "special guest" with us...we were presented the famous "CUA" (Cardboard Unaccomplished Angler) (Kirk Werner's look-alike) by Kyle Perkins back at the RMA fly shop.  It had been awhile since I saw CUA last...in the truck with Rebecca to catch steelhead...He was in safe keeping with Kyle and I was now supposed to bring him back to Boise to the "Outdooress" Rebecca Garlock of the OBN...when we meet up in a few weeks on another adventure.

This was where my "Frenzy" began.  Somehow, there is an unlucky phenomenon that happens when CUA is around!  Rebecca caught a "white fish", FR caught "smelt" ok...that was his choosing!, and well...frankly, I would have taken either of those over "catching" a barb in the thumb!  Ahhhh...

Back to the RMA we went.  Erin couldn't get it out and neither could I.  As we walked into the shop, Jay Z. just stared at me like..."Yeah, so it's a fly in the finger!"  Before I could wince or count to three, he grabbed my hand and ripped it right out.  Done.  Thank you very much!   

 

Erin and Jay

 From there, Erin and I headed up to the Boulder Creek Canyon to join up with the others...Here is David, The Back Country Fish Nerd...who is nothing close to a nerd with the fly rod!

Then, it was time to head back to the shop and for the group to head out to the Big Thompson by Estes Park in the RMNP.  Most of the bloggers went on up in their carpools.  I lagged behind as the heat wasn't agreeing with me and Erin decided to go get some lunch for us.  Then, the news came that Howard was out of the hospital and on his way to to RMA to visit us...and that was a real treat!



Howard, Emily, Erin, and Kyle



Way to avoid the skunk, Howard! j/k. There are easier ways than landing in the hospital!... : )   Seriously, we are glad to have him back with us, sharing his wit and charm... The bond of on-line bloggers is real.  I can attest to that fact, now that it has turned into off-line friendships.    

To Be Continued...Day 3...RMNP.  

Day 1...RMF At The Poudre

The alarm rings on my phone to get up!!  It's 7 am, Friday, Sept. 30th...the first leg of the Rocky Mountain Frenzy!  I was supposed to meet Sanders, Jen, Larry and Howard in the afternoon on the Poudre.   Or would I???  I had all intentions of going up to the river in the morning and getting a head start.  But, for some reason, my old bones just don't want to get out of bed yet.  Maybe because they get up every day at 4:30 am...Or maybe it's jet lag...haha (1 hr flight)  At any rate,  I am a bit late heading out, so I decide to check out Fort Collins and get some breakfast.  Now it's time to turn on the GPS lady and find the Poudre again...the GPS lady really was my friend on this trip! 

It's 1 pm and I find my blogger friends waiting at the

Ted's place (Shell station) at the base of the canyon.  We find out from Larry, that Howard is in the hospital...not what we want to hear!  (I'm thinking that there is going to be a hospital visit in my trip plans)   We put Sanders in charge of leading us to the lucky spot for lots of fish.   Let's roll!!  The canyon was beautiful and the fall colors and golden aspen against the dark green pines were remarkable.  As we looked down at the first place to throw our lines in, we found out how amazing the beauty of the Poudre really is.  It was like a little bit of heaven on earth.

Sanders and Jen checked out "the nursery"...This was pretty much a pool of fish just stacked on top of each other... Some very nice fish in that little stretch!

Larry found his spot in the river...

My 5'9 always looks tall...ha!

Friday afternoon was done...it was time to meet up with the others at Coopersmith's Bar & Grill.

Suprisingly, there weren't too many "tall" fish stories told...But, plenty of laughs and smiles.

Day 1 ended with a few fish and without any casualties...no falls, barbs in the fingers or...oh, wait!   

That is next up...Day 2...

Prep Day Before The Frenzy

As I looked out of my airplane window going home, so many memories of the past few days flooded my head.  So many rivers in so little time!!  But, that is what a Rocky Mtn. Frenzy is!  Ok...several of the bloggers that attended have given us definitions of a Frenzy.  Well, to be honest, the only one that I know is this...Frenzy = FUN!!!  And that is what we had...and plenty of it.  Where else could you find Friends, Fish, and well...a little bit of Frenzy Fun!  Yes, we did quite a few rivers and streams and a lake in 2 1/2 days...But, I haven't heard a complaint yet.  We fished some incredible waters... And Stephanie and Dustin wanted me to see as much of the RMNP as we could and so we did!


So, let's go back to Prep Day, as I call it! Flying in, getting settled in and visiting a very important friend. (VIF)  The one, the only, Rod (The Midgeman).  My anticipation was great to finally meet the man behind the Czech nymph vise...I went straight from the airport to grab a bit of lunch with him.  I have to tease him here...I wasn't expecting the guy without his fishing hat, waders and boots on!  Ha.  I got the "primped up" version as I have been told that not too many get to see.  Nice dress shirt, cologne, hair combed and shoes shined, ever so nicely.  Was this the Midgeman???  We had a great visit.



Emily, Are you listening??  

And after lunch...I was treated to a private casting lesson in his yard...and did I learn quickly!!  Never bend the wrist.  Or you might get a rubber band attached from your wrist to the rod handle.  Yep!!  After he showed me about 20 different ways to cast your line...even some kind of western swing thing...we were off to the Poudre River.  Rod had me follow him there and then showed me around a bit.  Then, he was off to check his wife into the hospital for surgery.  I am sorry that the other bloggers didn't get to visit with him this round...I spent an hour and a half at the river with two on and two off...kind of hard to swallow that last loss...it was a very nice fish.  But, on the bright side, my casting was now 1/3 longer in distance and more on the money than ever before.  Thank you Rod!  Next year...we will fish the Poudre together...because it is a little bit of heaven on earth.  Do I ever love this river!  Perfect pocket water and nymphing runs...

Finally, I arrived at Stephanie and Dustin's place...they were so nice to have me as a house guest...I was greeted by the whole clan at the door...Steph, Dustin and their three furry friends...two labs and a german shepherd. Where else could I get a few doggie kisses each morning as I woke up...haha.  They all made me feel very welcome and another big "thank you" to them for their hospitality and expert guide service. These two have the most amazing relationship.  They have so much respect for each other and how they love the outdoors and it's many opportunities for them to share time together.  It was going to be great to get to know them better. 

As I unpacked my bags and sorted my gear out for the next day, my excitement was such that I wasn't sure if I would sleep much or not!  What would this Rocky Mtn. Frenzy be like?...Everything that I had hoped for and more???  Oh, yes...you could say that again...

To be continued...

Haunted By Waters

From "A River Runs Through It"...


"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."

 

        Thanks to Brian Schiele for his most incredible photography...http://mtbbrian.blogspot.com/

Another favorite "A River Runs Through It" quote:

"My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation - came by grace; and grace comes by art; and art does not come easy."  

Brian has been featured on several well known publications and blogs as of late...And his Trout Dream series is unbelievable.  Check it out.