Excellent write-up Robert and congratulations to you and Bono Fly on an amazing trip! Kind of makes you want to quit your job, sell your stuff and live out of a tent, don't it?

I'm going to Colorado for the first time in September and I'm having a hard time thinking about anything else. Sort of like a small kid a few days before Christmas. I'm bringing the wife and so far I haven't been able to convince her to start fly fishing, so I won't be fishing as hard as you and Bono Fly, but I will get in at least a solid half day if not a little more. Heck, after seeing your pics I might wait 'til she falls asleep then sneak out of the hotel to do a little night fishing!

Great pics, great write-up.

One "AWESOME POST"! It just don't get any better!

Purple pheasant tails! Had no idea. Great post Robert!

Wow, what an incredible trip and outstanding post Robert

Thanks guys was an amazing run for sure. Yes smurfs Purple pheasant tails lol. They do great at broken bow as well. Only problem you really need to go natural if the clouds are out flash looks unnatural in the shade. I think any midge dropper would have worked but baites and rainbow warriors both sz 20 were working real well. The fish were almost all on the second fly till about 11 when bigger bugs started showing up. I really should have just been 2 phesant tails then.

Smurfs I had no idea you were up there that long much less now. I would have had you join us for sure! Shoot me a on with your number and I'll give you a shout my make another short run coming up:)

Great pics Robert. Love seeing all the different species, Cutts sure are cool looking.



I love this photo. At first your "Never Skunkt" (thought to be appropriate name to fly rod) looked like a pipeline going over the creek to me lol. Anyway... this picture shows how pretty trout and their whereabouts are.

Lmao it does look like a pipe and would be a very appropriate name for that rod. I also just noticed I didn't get the brookie posted from the grand slam day with the new platform. The grand slam day was all on a small stream except the surprise snake rivers. The slam most 3/4 small fish stream but cool to do it in a day. The small stream really fun all the same.

I just noticed you had the GoPro chesty on! you gotta make a video man!

Brendan yes I have a bunch of the fish in videos it was hard to figure out what to leave out. Several of the bigger rainbows I didn't get stills of I got video of them kicking my butt getting the hook out lol. Got a bunch of great dry fly takes on film as well. I need to upgrade my computer though it's not running fast enough to suit me. I've just recovered enough today to start looking at video.

You know if one wanted to get into bigger fish and solitude I've always packed in on foot. The further you get from parking areas for cars the better the fishing gets. And I'm not talking you have to walk all day the fishing improves almost double probably every half a mile away from the parking lot in most cases. This was a very fun run this year though having the side-by-side as we were able to get on trails that did allow ATVs and get way further before we headed out on foot than normal. In most years I would have gotten there but I would have spent more time walking then we did this year. If you look at some of the roads we were on in the pictures that is hell you get to fish that have never seen a fly walking or not you absolutely have to get off the beaten path. @ Texas9 we were sandwiched between Alamosa,South Fork, Pagosa Springs,and creed. There is a myriad and maze of feeder Creek's,major tributaries, and main rivers all within an hour and a half. You can be in the San Juan and rio grand side in the same day.

Beautiful Browns, beautiful bows, but I sure am a sucker for those high country brookies and cutthroats.

Thanks McKinney good to see you around here!!

That would make a killer title for a book, Robert.

Yes I tend to stay away from places you can just fall out of the truck into the river. So often is the case if you go up stream from the last parking area crowds die quickly. Just walking in as little as a mile before starting to fish will find all day solitude. The further you go chances are you may be casting a fly to fish that have never seen one. Finding these special places leads to high fish populations and generally much bigger average size. Not to mention when you get back there the surrounding are simply breathtaking. I think we saw every kind of wild life minus bear,lion,moose,and elk. We saw bald eagle,bighorn sheep,grouse,marmot,chipmunk,ground and grey squirls, and also what looked to be a peregrine falcon. One medeow we fished looking around you felt like you were in a bowl because the river had made a turn so it looked as if we were surrounded by Mnts. with no exit.