FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
“SAVE OUR WATERS”
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt
Brought to you by
The Best Wading System on the planet.
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(This is my 1, 149th post and all is right with the world. If there ever was a time to call it a day with the blog this was it. What looked like a daunting task beyond my abilities updating the site was resolved with a little perseverance. I am not done yet, there is way to much to tell, so many places to go. The final way to check is to finish off the Colorado trip. I wanted to fish today but fixing the blog took precedence.)
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Colorado
This trip had 2 goals, besides just generally having a good time, do some fly fishing, a big success, and see and photograph wildlife, another great success. I drove out early and then picked up the Boss at Denver International on Pena Street. Didn’t know neighbor Jesse’s fame spread that far! As you know I was in South Fork fishing and my wildlife viewing started off with a bang. A huge full curl ram, then mule deer bucks fighting, set the tone and it went from there.
We stayed at McGregor Mountain Lodge which could not have been better situated. Only 2 minutes from Estes National Park, and 5 minutes from the town of Estes Park, all on the same road. As usual the Boss made a great choice. From seeing around 100 cow elk in town the first morning, to the big bull bedded down 15 feet from our porch when we left, it was up close and personal the whole trip. So without further blather here are the critters!
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The new Knockin Tail Lures are coming soon. Now I am really excited.
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Day 1
Each day was different. On this day it was cold and below freezing.
Everything was laid up all day, but when we came around the corner we spied a set of horns on the hillside. And from there on it was nothing but big bulls. We basically dive and glass, looking for whatever we can see. And if we are lucky the 600 lens can reach them. It takes patience but if you take it slow amazing what can be seen.
How many do you see?
We would see lots more of these big boys over the next 3 days.
Though we saw a few mule deer does, until the big warm up the next few days the bucks were few and far between.
Mid afternoon the big boys were out of their beds and feeding. It was really something seeing big elk that close, and we spent plenty of time watching them. The guy on the bottom right was a hoss, and his horns were broken and worn down from a tough fall rut. He was obviously the boss.
As the sun began to set they started to bed again. The bottom right was right across from the lodge. Looks like he broke off a pretty good piece of his rack. So day 1 was a real success. We have never been fortunate enough in our travels out west to really get to observe so many nice bulls up close. So day 2 we were going to go to the fly shop and set up our trip but when I went outside it was so nice I knew they would be moving, and it was a great choice.
Day 2
Before we get to the wildlife trust me, we took time to stop and take it all in. Estes Park is beautiful and the day started off warmer after a fresh snowfall. So here it is, the park.
The front was about to blow through bringing the sun out and making a perfect day for being alive.
The roads were slick with ice under snow but the 4Runner had no problems. We did see 3 cars in the ditch, not sure why they were driving on it, but the park was fairly busy as much of it is open this time of year.
We did stop and take a mile hike around a lake, then back to chasing animals.
Hard to decide which is better. No matter what it was just to beautiful to be true. We really appreciate the ability to explore new places and it never gets old.
As it began to warm out came the mule deer. They were scarce day 1 but on the move today.
They were browsing on the clumps of grass with the occasional bite off a pine tree. We wanted to be back in town by 10:00 to get our fishing trip settled so after a short morning in the park it was off to town. Changing plans and hitting the park at daylight was the right choice. After getting that squared away we looked at the map and decided to take a scenic drive in the national forest and of course, there were the elk.
The first one was the only elk we saw on the morning park drive that we were able to get a picture of. The big boys were way out in a field in the park but once on the afternoon drive we saw plenty.
These guys were in a field outside of town. The cows had already moved down and the bulls were on the way. We never saw them together except for the big herd in town headed to the golf course. So with another successful day we headed to supper, which included elk!
Day 3
Being out last full day, and having to meet the Kent at 10:00 for the fishing we were in the park before the sun came over the mountains. Whether fishing or looking for animals, daylight is the money shot and we had another great day.
It was such a pretty day for our last drive in the park. And the mule deer bucks appreciated it.
This guy decided to bed down with a buddy. It was one nice buck.
What majestic creatures. The last guy was the master of all he could see. This was the last picture before the fishing trip and it was the perfect end to 3 days in the park. Each day was different and you never knew what might be around the corner. And our timing could not have been better, and we were so glad we had the 4 wheel drive. It is a long way there, and of course even longer back, but not only having 4 wheel, much less all the “stuff” you could need for cold weather and fishing is a load, made every inch of the drive worth it.
It is hard to put this trip in perspective but it had it all. Great weather, fishing, and animal viewing checked all the boxes. The place we stayed, good eats, fishing with Kent, seeing a big ram, snow, mountains, the park, South Fork, the Big Thompson, elk, mule deer, people stuck, the Boss falling on her rear end, and on and on. We made a pact last winter when viewing the Whooping Cranes at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge, lets see how many animals we can see this year, and it has been a success.
And on a travel note the Boss just outdid herself. In October of next year we are embarking on the biggest fishcatchingtravel of all time. Plans are made, deposits are down, now comes the hard part, the waiting. First up will be 4 days at a riverside camp on the Zambezi River in Zambia. I will be able to fish for tiger fish, a bucket list fish, anytime I want. Not only game drives but walking drives, yikes! And you can take a canoe trip on the river amongst the crocs and hippos! They say to bring the bino’s as you can see animals from your porch. It is known for elephants to stick their head into your cabin! Tons of wildlife, lions, hippos, crocs over 12 feet, wild dogs, even leopards are commonly seen. The leopard is the only one of the big 5 we have not seen and I can hardly wait.
Then it is off to Uganda for 2 days viewing the gorillas. Just thinking about that gets me all giddy. We chose 2 days because we have heard the following form other folks – Day 1 to much time on the camera, Day 2, really watch and see how cool it is. You hike into the jungle and can spend an hour just watching a group, and you see a different group every day. The travel time to get there is something. 4 flights in 2 days until landing on a small plane in the jungles of Zambia, it will be worth every minute. And as usual she has folks waiting at every step of the way to keep us from getting lost. This is going to be something.
So now it really is back to “real life”. Since I spent today working out the kinks in the blog tomorrow morning it will be off to the lake. Then I will be getting the 9wt fly rod out and heading to the creek to try my luck. Next time you are our fishing or hiking take the time to appreciate your surroundings. The catch is the bonus, being alive in the outdoors is what it really is all about. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
