It is my last weekend before I have to get busy getting ready for the school year. All next week is teacher's work week going to meetings (someone shoot me now) and doing a bunch of required online courses for things like ethics, first aid, equal opportunity etc... In other words I am going to be bored out of my skull. First day of school is the 16th. So, I decided to head to the high country one more time.

My plan was to go to the Bosque de Oso State Wildlife Management Area west of Trinidad. This is the same area I did my bear hunt last year. It normally doesn't have many people there and there is a stream full of trout that runs through it. I intended on camping and fishing the stream. However that plan was bust on the fishing end because the stream was running high and really muddy. They must have had a serious rain somewhere upstream. Since I couldn't fish I went on a 5 mile hike just looking at the countryside and the wildlife. I got back to my campsite a little before sunset and officially established the Marriot of the Mountain's Executive Suite.


I fired up the Coleman stove and heated up a can of Dinty Moore Stew and made a pot of coffee. Seems the only time I ever eat Dinty Moore is on a camping trip. Really don't like the stuff but it is quick and easy and you heat it and eat it right out of the can. No dishes. After I finished eating I poured a hot cup of coffee and watched the sunset over the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range.


Got up the next morning, heated up the coffee, broke camp and drove over to Lake Dorothey State Wildlife Area to put the float tube on the lake. Since it was just after daylight I saw quite a few deer and elk along the hillsides and also saw this guy. Not the biggest bear in the state but after he bulks up in the next few months for hibernation it should be about 200 lbs. It was only about 40 yards off the road. This bear needs to get smart because this is a public land hunting area and they begin archery and muzzleloader season in mid Sept. If he stops to stare along the road then someone will make a rug out of him.


I was the first car in the parking lot at Lake Dorothey and packed up the tube and set off. It was a really good morning and I tied on a silver Kastmaster and began working it. Took about 20 min to get the first trout and that was when I realized I left my phone in the truck and couldn't take photos. I spent about 4 hrs on the lake and had it all to myself for the first 2 hrs and then had some people show up to fish from shore with fly rods. The thing about this lake is it gets weedy along shore and the guys fly fishing couldn't land a fish. I just kept catching them out of the tube. I'm guessing I took somewhere between 15 and 20 trout, all rainbows. Nothing huge with most of the fish going 12-15 inches. My intention was to release everything but I had 2 that took the lure deep and were bleeding from the gills so I kept them. The bigger fish is slightly over 14 inches and the smaller one was exactly 12 inches. They will make a good supper.


Cheers Y'All. Life is good.

Awesome post Flags. You fish some beautiful places for sure. Thanks for sharing your trips.

Nice !...What was the temperature where you were camping ?

fabulous

80s during the day. Dropped into the 60s at night. Good camping weather not too hot and not cold.

You said it...perfect camping weather! Nice trout! Thanks for sharing

Awesome trip Flags!

Great post and I sure miss trout stocking season.

Great post Flags. Love the bear picture.