I never wrote a post about my last day of the Tenkara Summit weekend…aka fishing in the Park on a Broncos bye-week Sunday…
Unlike prior Summits that I had attended, the Sunday following the conference was more of a “free for all” fishing day. The unofficial, official Summit outing was along Boulder Creek, and the Tenkara USA crew was going to seek people out during the day, drop in, and fish with them, give tips, etc… Me, we’ll I kinda went on my own, bypassing the Boulder Creek outing for a solo trip up in Rocky Mountain National Park. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t care about the potential for crowds, I just wanted to fish and see some elk.
It was a gorgeous, somewhat brisk morning, and for better or worse, there were a ton of people in the park that day. I couldn’t find a place to park at any of the trailheads, but did find a spot to pull off on the side of the road. It made for a bit longer walk to and from the water than I had hoped, but it was definitely worth it.
I had an absolute blast fishing the Big Thompson River near Fern Lake Trail. It wasn’t difficult fishing, but the brown & brook trout were more than accommodating. They especially seemed to like the white hackled, light bodied kebari I was tossing that day.
There were probably a ton of other spots to go fish in the park, but as I mentioned before, I really wanted to see the elk, and during the drive in, they were out in the Moraine Park meadows bugling up a storm. Literally. Some rain clouds started to roll in on my fishing outing, so I packed up the gear and headed back to the parked car to do some wildlife viewing before the rain started. I was fortunate to get a lot of that in amid the drizzle.
Simply stunning. My sub-par pictures don’t do the beauty of this area justice. I’d really like to get back and make a vacation of just exploring the park. It’s a truly special place…and what an awesome way to end this four day Colorado tenkara adventure!
I understand why you wanted to go fishing there, it is so beautiful.
I see you haven't lost your “Trout touch”. Just might have to get up that way some day. The pictures of the Elk were great.
Mike, if/when you and the family make it back out I'll make sure to stay healthy so we can hang out.
Wow, Mike, love this post. I assume you know why. Love me some Big Thompson River and the Elk are just majestic! Just (30) miles or so from my front door to Rocky Mountain National Park and all the fun and greatness it offers. Would think that the family would enjoy the time spent out here and look forward to the time. Like Howard said, would love to meet you and hang out on the water somewhere……………………………
Nice!!! I love the Park too… Lots of wildlife and small streams. Perfect for you! Glad you found anxious fish. I had an elk cross the river right in front of me on the Thompson. That was fun. When Howard gets healthy… let's all have a get together at the Park. I will bring the cookies.
Sounds like a plan Howard. I was going to put something in the post about our foiled breakfast plans, but kept it out. Rumor is the Summit may be in Colorado again next year, would make a return trip a no-brainer!
I'll bring the non-medical…oh never mind. Colorado Rocky Mountain High,
I'm in… stay an extra day for the non-tenkara fishing bloggers… heehee
Thanks Christophe. Have you ever fished in the United States? If not, Colorado would be an excellent place to visit!
Thanks Mark. I think fishing in Colorado is just too easy. Those folks are spoiled. There's fish EVERYWHERE!
Only if Mel comes too.
Speak of the Devil! Mel, if I knew you were that close, I'd have stopped by and said hello. Shame on me. You're my Godfather of Blogging! Gotta be done the next time. A no-brainer.
Oh my. I got a little bit of the scoop on that while I was there. Not my scene. I'd rather eat a Larkburger.
RD cookies? Headed to USAirways.com now…
Great post, Mike! That spot you picked was my first experience ever with RMNP. A friend of a friend took me there and we fished up stream. They needed to leave, but I continued and finally landed my first fish of the day. What a beautiful park and fishing local. Thanks for bringing back some nice memories.