September 2015!  Finally!  After what appeared to be a hiatus, finally made it back for some quality time.  Thanks to my friend, Marc, I had a place to stay in Breckenridge.  The weather was pretty much the same every day--beautiful, clear, crisp mornings that gave way to clouds and rain by mid afternoon, and then followed up with clear skies in the evening.

On Day One, I fished a private access on the Middle Fork of the South Platte at DM ranch.  While the river is wide enough in some places, it can be a bit narrow in others.  I fished nymphs all day and managed to land about ten fish ranging from very small all the way to the 13-14 inch range.  After escaping to the Jeep and avoiding a deluge, I traveled to Buena Vista and fished the Arkansas as you travel Rt 24 North towards Leadville.  Had a section all to myself and managed to land a few more good sized browns.

On Day Two, I travelled around Breckenridge and Frisco making my way through Rocky Mountain National Park and stopping in Estes Park for a little while.  Had a good dinner and a glass of Moose Drool beer--Outstanding!  After this, I traveled to DIA to pick up fishing partner, Jerry.  He has been a regular on these trips and is an accomplished fishermen.  Jerry has managed to perfect the art of taking your time, reading the water and fishing it, always seeming to end up with more fish and larger fish than I.

On Day Three, we fished the South Platte River between Spinney Mountain and Elevenmile Reservoirs.  Disappointing!  CDW is doing stream remediation work and as a result the water was muddy and for the most part un-fishable.  We did manage to put in on the other side of the work and, well, I kept the kids busy while Jerry went after Mom, Dad and the Grandparents.  After a while, we escaped to Elevenmile Canyon.  Great water and outstanding fishing--landed four decent sized rainbows.

On Day Four, we fished the Arkansas just south of Buena Vista.  We started the day with a stop at Arkansas River Anglers.  If you find yourself in Buena Vista or Salida, stop by and give them your business.  Friendly and knowledgeable!

Day Five was adventure day!  We found our way to the trailhead of Cottonwood Creek and hiked in about a mile before fishing for the sometimes elusive Cutthroat Trout that Jerry has never caught.  Bingo!  After a stealthy approach and a non-stealthy hang-up in the trees around the creek, both of us landed a few with Jerry netting about an eight-incher.  Stunningly beautiful!

Unfortunately, that evening a dear friend and my spiritual mentor (and my boss at the Church) lost his battle with cancer and went home to the Lord.  Through the years, he taught me so much about ministry, humility and simple love of thy neighbor.  His wit, his charm and most of all, his humble presence will be sorely missed.  Needless to say, his passing, while expected, put a huge damper on the end of our trip.  The next day, we attended Mass at St. Mary's in Breckenridge and prayed for Msgr Art Valenzano, his family and his friends, and our parish back in Baltimore.

Our hearts heavy with the loss of Msgr Art, we returned home having once again accomplished what we came to Colorado for--peace, tranquility, and camaraderie that only fly fishing in Colorado can provide.  Mission accomplished!