Schooled on the Poudre

THought this might give some of y'all a chuckle. We fished Colorado's Poudre (a quick jaunt over the pass from here) last monday, and got SCHOOLED. As in, lessons learned. Low water, difficult fishing, very wary browns.

I caught a couple small browns in the afternoon on little beadhead peacock nymphs bumping the bottom. So we were complacent and expecting little fish. They started rising 90 minutes before dark, we staked out a nice big pool under the cliffs, and we were tossing tiny BWOs on long, fine tippets. I was grabbing some tobacco out of my pack when something big and yellow came up out of the depths and grabbed my #22 BWO -- and I was in no position to even try to set the hook, as the rod was propped up on my shoulder at the time, and the trout spit it out.

Soon after, my buddy Ken had the same experience. Not grabbing a smoke, but he also was not even prepared for the yellow-bellied leviathan that boiled up out from the depths and grabbed his #22 BWO....Flash, BAM, and -- gone. The right set and he'd have had that trout. I know that brown was 17 inches or bigger...he was HUGE. But we were expecting little fish, and were not ready.

So, I guess the lesson learned was, expect the average or less, but prepare for the best? We've been laughing about it all week. We're headed back again tomorrow, and I'll 1) rely on nicotine gum instead of smoking on the river, and 2) try to be ready for that big brown that I KNOW lives in the pool. If only.....

The whole thing has convinced me to quit smoking....
DANBOB

(grin)

Yep danbob,
The Poudre will certainly humble you at times (I took a few ego beatings). That's another reason Fort Collins has a lot of pubs !!!!! lol

Just got back from the same spot on the Poudre today. We both got a small brown and a nice-sized rainbow.

I tried to keep away from 'pre-concieved notions' and smoking, and it worked. They were rising, but just under the surface -- took off the tiny BWO and put on a tiny CDC emerger, and it did the trick.

DANBOB

Talk to German....he might be able to give ya some advise !!!!!!

The Poudre certainly isn't one of my favorites. I'll take the Big T, Williams Fork or CO over the Poudre any day. It's certainly beautiful, but the great fishing sections are crowded and it's such a "tempermental" river for my time and effort I'll leave it to others to enjoy.

-John