Chama Area
Brandon and I have not fished together for a few months. He has been busy with Boy Scouts, school, etc. So I called Brandon’s mom a week before and asked if I could have him for the weekend. She checked his schedule and it was a go.
I booked us a room in Chama and bought a couple tickets for a ride on the Cumbres – Toltec Scenic Railroad for Saturday, the second of October. We left the depot for our train ride though the Southern Colorado Rockies about 10:00 am for a round-trip ride to Osier, Colorado train station. Traveling through the mountains at 10,000 feet elevation in the fall of the year is nothing less than breath-taking. The colors of the turning leaves and the low flowing water of the Rio de los Pinos at the bottom of the wide meadow meandering through Northern New Mexico on its way east through the Toltec Gorge is a sight to behold. And, in my view, there is only one way to experience it and that is with a loved one and on this narrow gage train ride.We arrived at Osier for our lunch a little before noon. There was a Meatloaf line, a Turkey dinner line and a salad bar in the basement…I just love Americana! The food was great and the buttermilk pie was the best. Brandon had a hot dog and mashed potatoes with brown gravy. It was apparent he liked the mashed potatoes with brown gravy better than the hot dog. I tried to get him to eat some dessert and he simply said, “I’m OK Grandpa.”
After lunch we had about an hour to take pictures and walk around to view the local sites and that we did. At 1:00 pm we boarded the returning train that would soon be on its way back to Cumbres the summit of the railroad and then the final leg of the trip back to Chama by bus. The train normally travels all the way from/to Chama but because of a trestle fire between Chama and the Cumbres summit earlier this year bus travel has become the first and last leg of the trip for Chama. The railroad is projecting the trestle will be repaired by next season. Brandon and I arrived in Chama went to the Cubres Suites and settled in our room by 4:00 pm. We went for dinner about 6:00 pm where Brandon more than made up for his low volume snack he had for lunch. We had a nice evening together watching TV and relaxing. Having fun can wear you out.
October 3, 2010
Chama River (below El Vado dam)
Some days you can’t even buy a fish...
We arrived at Chama River at the Cooper’s Ranch access about 8:00 am ready for several hours of fishing before heading back home.Brandon and I hiked downstream to some good pocket water and fished for an hour or so getting some strikes but no fish to hand. The river flow has been running at 900 cfs for some time now but was reduced to 600 cfs by the time we arrive and since then the flow has been reduced to 300 cfs.
We chose to go upstream and hiked to the foot bridge to cross the river hoping to have better luck fishing the other side. There were several nice and deep pockets swirling near the bank and we both fished them hard. This water was definitely not for dry flies on this day. I tried every fly I thought might work for us, such as a Prince Nymph, pheasant tail nymph, peacock lady and a peacock nymph.
Neither Brandon nor I got any hits. About 10:00 am the fish started to nibble a little and sparked our enthusiasm. Brandon was really having a hard time getting much action so I helped him for a while and he started to get a little action but still bringing no fish to hand. I gave him some more tips and I headed upstream.
I tied on a black wooly bugger with a little crystal flash in the tail and after a few casts I finally got a really good drift and then Wham! A nice rainbow was on the other end of my line and was not going to let me bring it in easily. I fought with it for a while and finally brought a 20 inch rainbow to hand. We had decided to take some fish home this weekend and this was the first on the stringer.
I got Brandon’s attention and waved him over to where I was. I helped set him up and showed him how to use a streamer. He and I fished for an hour or so with little more than a nibble or two. I found a real nice pocket of slow water coming from around a large boulder and fished it very methodically. After about three or four casts I got into another nice rainbow. This one was a 15 incher and fat too.Brandon did everything right but the fish were just not getting the message. I was rather proud of his technique and persistence but still no fish to hand.
We were both getting hungry so Brandon agreed we should go back to the truck for lunch. We sat at a picnic table and had a nice lunch talking about what strategy we should use and when we should start back home. We agreed that 1:30 would be a good time to head for home. I put my gear up and was determined to help Brandon catch a fish. We tried every pocket of slower water we could and still nothing to hand. However, Brandon was not going to give up. He got is line hung up on the bottom and had to break his line. I was sitting at the picnic table when Brandon came back to fix the line and get it ready for more fishing.
He went back down to the water by himself while I was putting away my camera and other stuff when he walked up to me and said, “Grandpa, look”. I looked up and he had a nice fat rainbow on the end of his line. He said, “Grandpa, now I am ready to go home”. He wanted to release the fish and I agreed. We packed up and headed for home. The weather this weekend could not have been better; cool mornings and warm afternoons and very little wind.
… if you are persistent and patient perhaps the day will turn out OK.
…tight lines…Phil
