Colorado Cowboys

Having grown up a dairy farm boy in a Connecticut town sandwiched right in between two gun manufacturers, Winchester and Colt, I learned early on that I’d rather be ropin’ ‘em instead of milkin’ ‘em. But the closest I got to my cowboy fantasy was watching John Wayne westerns and staging a few gun-slinging shoot-outs with my pals. While I eventually found a new passion I could really rope, fishing; I never lost the urge to live out my cowboy dream. Guilty as charged, I am a cowboy at heart.

After 35 years of Eastern trout fishing, I decided it was time to relive the past, this time, to fish in the land settled by the Conestoga wagon, gold nuggets, the Winchester 94 and the Colt Peacemaker. Wanting a similar view of the world as Wyatt Earp, it made sense to pick up where Doc Holiday left off, namely, the ring around Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

I planned my trip based on the simple adage: “anything done in moderation shows a lack of interest.” I had waited a long time to travel out West, and I wanted a broad enough sampling to satisfy my hunger until my next Clint Eastwood adventure. With one week to hit streams, ponds, spring creeks and a float trip, this was no doubt a Go-Hard or Go-Home trip.