Late Season Trout
The thing about tent camping, especially in Colorado at higher altitudes in October, is to not forget anything that’s really necessary for comfort or, dare I say, survival if the weather turns quickly. Planning should be done from the personal level outward, meaning it’s essential to pack enough warm clothing, hand and foot warmers, and implements to build and keep a fire going before packing the truck with every conceivable assortment of fishing flies the river might hatch. I’m a visual person, so I literally pull out my gear onto the driveway and think of the camp in stages: I need to sleep…tent, mattress pad, 0-degree sleeping bag, fleece hat, fleece blanket, pillow…then I think about an iPod, a lantern and a book. Similarly, I think about eating…camp stove, matches, fry pan, water bag, dehydrated meals…then I worry about how many rods and reels to bring to catch a nice rainbow trout for dinner.
Certain must-haves are always in my truck – emergency clothing, including winter gear, a tarp for shelter, several knives, a rope and a first aid kit. I’ve never needed them, but that’s of course because they are there. The moment I remove them and embark on a long drive, you know what will happen.
The supreme upside about late season fishing is that most Colorado camp sites close at the end of October, so the summer crowds are long gone. The fish aren’t getting pounded every day with artificial flies and people in waders sloshing through their habitat, so relative fly-fishing rookies like me have a better chance to fool a rainbow on a less than perfect drift with a not quite perfect match to the hatch. The best part, of course, is spending a weekend with my cousin away from jobs to enjoy something we both love – being outdoors in Rocky Mountain solitude.
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