In Search of Rio Grande Cutthroat

Wes with a Rio Grande Cutt

One of my small cutts.

Keeping a low profile was key here.

Wesley, in predator mode.

He took it.

Cutthroat markings.

Brilliant slashes and beautiful parr marks on the side of this Cutt.

Wes hooking one!

Don't let him get away.

Big fish in a little stream.

According to my rod, this one was 16+".

Wonderful morning.

No Rainbow trout on this trip, but we did SEE a rainbow.

Another medium-size Rio Grande Cutt.

Andrew contemplating the universe!

Drew scouts the weather to the west checking for rain.

Wes kickin' it at the fire.

Andrew and Wesley warming their bones at sunset after a long day in the wilderness.

Andrew spotted Bambi under a tiny pine on one of our hikes! Super cute!

Andrew was wanting a shave after 3 days in the bush.

Don't hate me for this, but I probably won't be sharing the location of this year's locale for our annual Guys with Flies in July gig. It's not that I don't want anyone else to experience complete and utter fish bliss. It's more of a "delicate stream pressure" situation than anything else. I mean, when a guy can have a 40 fish day and only fishing about 6 hours, all wild brooks and cutts, and one of the cutts runs over 16",  and the stream is just a few miles long and averages only six feet across... well, maybe you see the problem with allowing everyone in on a stream like that.

I will say this. We were in southern Colorado, and that the weather was divine. I will add that there was a large lake that this particular stream feeds into, and that we tried fishing it, but it wasn't really worth it. I will also add that if you read mine and Williams' book (Colorado Flyfishing: Where to Eat, Sleep, Fish) that this stream is near the mentioned "best campsite of the summer." But that's all I'm gonna say. I'll leave the rest of what I'd like to gloat about up to the pictures, since they are each worth 1000 words.