Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2024 i Fly Fisherman

"WILL YOU MARRY ME?” I ASKED. THE GIRL ACROSS THE TABLE FROM ME LOOKED PUZZLED. AFTER ALL, WE’D BEEN INTRODUCED TO EACH OTHER LESS THAN TWO HOURS AGO. A SMILE FORMED ACROSS HER FACE AND SHE SAID, “WE WILL SEE.” There are many people who believe in divine intervention, but at that moment I was not one of them. In time, Cathy would change my mind about that, as she did with many people. I’ve been asked over and over again how Cathy and I met, and I’ve always said I was “lucky.” Maybe there’s more to it than that. When you hear our story, you can make up your mind whether God intervened or not. I believe she was sent by a higher power. CHANCE MEETING In 1980 I…

Montana guides Rance Rathie and Travis Smith founded Patagonia River Guides 20+ years ago. The two childhood friends eventually bought an existing lodge in Trevelin in 2010 and expanded it into a luxury fishing outpost with 14 single-occupancy guest rooms, a complete spa, a 10-acre vineyard on the premises, and unparalleled service with a 3:1 employee-to-guest ratio. Each day of fishing includes a senior and a junior guide, and the lodge provides top-tier outerwear and tackle for each guest, so you can fly to Argentina easily with no worries about delayed luggage. Lodge guests fish with R.L. Winston AIR 2 rods; Abel SDS reels; Airflo lines; Simms waders, boots, and jackets; and all the flies and terminal tackle you require. The well-appointed rooms have everything you need as well, including…

AS I EVOLVE FROM A TROUT SNOB INTO A FISH BUM, I’M BEGINNING TO EXPLORE COUNTLESS NEW WATERS CLOSE TO HOME, WHICH HOLD HEALTHY NUMBERS OF WARMWATER SPECIES. COMPARED TO MY TROUT WATERS—WHERE WALKING AND WADING OPPORTUNITIES ARE ENDLESS—THESE LARGER WARMWATER FISHERIES ARE BETTER ACCESSED USING WATERCRAFT. AS A RESULT, I’VE GONE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE THAT THREATENS ALL FLY FISHERS WANTING TO TAKE THEIR FISHING TO THE NEXT LEVEL—PURCHASING A FISHING BOAT. This notion of finding the perfect watercraft is like searching for the perfect fly rod. It’s a fool’s errand. Speaking personally, I’ve purchased ten boats during the last seven years (johnboats, jet boats, drift boats, rafts, stand-up paddleboards, and now kayaks) as I searched for the one that will check off all the boxes. In many ways…

THE HEADWATERS OF THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER FLOW WITHIN THE MAGNIFICENT LANDSCAPES OF SOUTH PARK, A RECREATION MECCA THAT OFFERS A DELIGHTFUL BLEND OF PRISTINE WILDERNESS AND OUTSTANDING FISHING OPPORTUNITIES. COLORADO’S SOUTH PARK REGION HAS LUSH VALLEYS, MEANDERING MEADOW STREAMS, AND MAJESTIC PEAKS THAT ATTRACT OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS AND ANGLERS FROM ALL OVER THE CENTENNIAL STATE AND BEYOND. Tarryall Creek, affectionately referred to as “the Tarryall” by local fly-fishing aficionados, is one of the South Platte’s key tributaries. Tarryall Creek begins its scenic journey high atop the frozen snowfields of Mount Silverheels, and flows southeast until it merges with the South Fork of the South Platte River approximately 9 miles northeast of the small town of Lake George. Tarryall Creek plays a significant role in stockpiling snowmelt in Cheesman Reservoir, doing…

A ROUND QUITTING TIME, PETER JENKINS GOT THE GOUGE OF A KNOT OF BIG STRIPED BASS AT 40 STEPS. EVERYONE KNOWS THE ROCK STAIRCASE THAT DESCENDS TO THE SEA. IT’S BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND SCENE SINCE THE YOUNG SERVANTS WORKING AT THE VANDERBILT, ASTOR, AND MORGAN MANSIONS USED IT FOR A HANG. JENKINS HAD A TOUGH DAY AT WORK, AND HE WANTED TO UNWIND: YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, HE WANTED TO UNWIND 100 FEET OF FLY LINE AND AT LEAST 75 YARDS OF BACKING. In Newport, just about everything drips opulence, even the rocks along the shoreline. Some are 300 million years old from the Coal Age, while others display a yellow hue caused by iron oxide bleeding from the rock. Their beauty will disappear when…

In 1900, Argentina had one of the most robust economies on the planet. It was a “super exporter” with a rapidly developing railway system. It was self-sufficient and shipped huge quantities of raw resources overseas, including wool, beef, and wheat. The profitability of the agricultural sector attracted foreign capital for railways, and with all that cash flowing back and forth across the vast pampas and across the Atlantic ocean, Argentina quickly earned the reputation of being “The United States of South America.” This expansive landscape and Wild West economy attracted two of America’s most famous criminals at the time: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Robert LeRoy Parker and Harry Longabaugh (their real names) had grown famous by robbing banks and trains as members of the Wild Bunch gang that…

$999 • NEWPORTVESSELS.COM Newport’s newest model of stealthy and user-friendly outboard motors brings a lot to the table for dedicated kayak anglers on the hunt for hard-to-reach, spooky fish. The NK180PRO Electric Kayak Outboard Motor offers a 25 percent noise reduction over the previous NK180 for a more tactical approach. A 16 percent increase in speed with 25 percent more efficient propulsion extends your range and gets you to the fish faster. “We revisited every aspect of the NK180PRO, from the ground up, to ensure we delivered an exceptional product,” says Jason Kardas, head of product development at Newport. “We maximized efficiency and performance by designing a completely new propeller and refining internal structures.” The newly redesigned throttle system is IP67 rated, giving anglers confidence that no matter what Mother…

For 5 miles, Tarryall Creek meanders through the historic 1,860-acre Collard Ranch, which sits immediately off Highway 285 10 miles northeast of Fairplay, Colorado. The ranch is adjacent to the existing Cline Ranch State Wildlife Area near the town of Como. For decades, the ranch’s trout water was held private, and in recent years, access was leased to RareWaters, a company that works with private landowners to secure private fishing access for paying fly fishers. But the ranch owners wanted to sell, and in recent years the property was listed by various agencies for asking prices up to $9.7 million. To avoid the threat of development, subdivision, or worse, in December 2023 Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) purchased the property to preserve this outstanding stretch of Tarryall Creek, and the rest…

NOTE TO READERS: THE FOLLOWING CONTENT CONTAINS DISCUSSIONS OF SUICIDE AND SELF-HARM. THESE TOPICS CAN BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME INDIVIDUALS AND MAY EVOKE STRONG EMOTIONAL RESPONSES. We lined up along the riverbank, all six guides, fly rods ready, playing it cool. We waited for the start whistle, volleying good-natured trash talk and boasting with unruffled poise that got us this far. Far, geographically, isn’t that far. At least not far from our home base in West Glacier, Montana. It’s a jaunt upriver at Rainbow Bend, the final campsite before the Spruce Park series of Class IV rapids on the Upper Middle Fork of the Flathead River inside the Great Bear Wilderness. To most of our clients, it’s as far from their regular lives as they could imagine. It’s another planet.…

THE SUN WAS PIERCING. AS IT REACHED ITS APEX, I PULLED UP MY HOODIE AND MY FACE GAITER TO PREVENT YESTERDAY’S SUNBURN FROM GETTING WORSE. THIS ALSO HELPED TO MUFFLE THE STENCH OF A ROTTING ARMADILLO CARCASS A FEW PACES AWAY. MY EYES WERE DISTRACTED BY A MALE RHEA AND HIS FIVE LITTLE CHICKS AS THEY KICKED UP DUST IN RESPONSE TO OUR APPEARANCE. BUT MY SUPER-FOCUSED GUIDE AGUSTIN CEA SHOWED ME THE PALM OF HIS HAND—THE UNIVERSAL SIGNAL TO HALT—AND THEN DRIBBLED AN INVISIBLE BASKETBALL TO TELL ME TO CROUCH LOW IN THE GRASS. WE BOTH DROPPED TO ONE KNEE . . . FLY-FISHING COMMANDOS TRYING TO AVOID DETECTION. Agustin had spotted a 20-inch-plus rainbow hugging the streambank. We had almost walked past and spooked it, like we had…

IN THE YEAR 1803, LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN WAS ENTERING THE PEAK OF HIS POPULARITY AT THE AGE OF 33. HE WAS STILL ABLE TO HEAR AND HE COMPOSED WHAT IS CONSIDERED ONE HIS GREATEST WORKS, “SYMPHONY NO. 3, THE HEROIC SYMPHONY.” IN FRANCE, NAPOLEON BONAPARTE WAS ON THE VERGE OF CLAIMING THE TITLE OF EMPEROR WHILE CLOSING A DEAL WITH U.S. PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE. RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME THAT RALPH WALDO EMERSON WAS BORN IN THE LAST WEEK OF MAY, TWO PROLIFIC PERIODICAL CICADA BROODS WERE ON THE VERGE OF PERFORMING THEIR OWN FINAL SYMPHONIES OF SORTS. THIS RARE OCCURRENCE WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE YEAR 2024, A MERE 221 YEARS LATER. Cicadas are part of the largest group of terrestrial insects, and belong to a…

AT THE NARROW PULL-OFF ALONG THE QUIET TWO-LANE COUNTY ROAD, WHERE A WEATHERED WOODEN LADDER STILE STANDS AS AN “ANGLERS WELCOME” SIGN, MY FRIEND CLIFF GATELY LETS OUT A LOW WHISTLE. “CHECK THIS OUT,” HE SAYS AS I WANDER OVER TO SEE WHAT HE’S FOUND. HE’S POINTING AT THE PASTURE BEYOND THE STILE, WHERE BILLINGS CREEK MEANDERS BETWEEN LIMESTONE OUTCROPPINGS, BUT I DON’T SEE ANYTHING. “Exactly,” he says. “Not a blade of grass disturbed. No worn path. Nobody’s parked here or crossed this stile in, what, maybe weeks? How can that be?” Then, a few minutes later, on a still pool below a small riffle, where I lay out a short cast, something suddenly pulls my indicator under, shakes its unseen head with authority, bends my 4-weight rod nearly double,…

ADULT CRANEFLIES HAVE HAUNTED ME FOR A LONG TIME. I RECALL AN EARLY MORNING ON COLORADO’S SOUTH PLATTE IN CHEESMAN CANYON DECADES AGO, WHEN I SAW MY FIRST CONFIRMED ADULT CRANEFLY SKATING ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, DOING ITS BEST TO MAKE IT FROM ONE BANK TO THE OTHER. IT WASN’T THE CRANEFLY ITSELF THAT HELD MY ATTENTION, IT WAS THE MULTIPLE TROUT THAT CHASED AND SLASHED AT IT TRYING TO END ITS TRIP PREMATURELY. THE SPEED AND VIOLENCE OF THE ATTACKS SET ME OFF ON A SEARCH FOR A FLY THAT WOULD MIMIC THIS COLOSSAL MIDGE AND ITS ALMOST DAINTY WAY OF HOPPING, SKIPPING, AND SKATING ACROSS THE WATER. Being a young guy at the time, I of course went digging through books (that’s what we old guys…