My wife gave me time to go fishing this year for Father’s Day. This may not seem like much to those without children; but to those of us who raise grommets as our own and have a severe love of fly fishing, finding time can be tough. Since much of our local rivers are high and muddy from runoff, my options were limited.
Rumor around Duranglers was Salmonflies were poppin at the Piedra River. With limited time to make the most of it, my choice was blatantly obvious. Father’s Day Salmonfly Hatch? Heck, why not; Mother’s Day get’s the famed Arkansas Caddis hatch.
What followed was a Father’s Day fishing trip of unexpected turns. To save time and get to the meat of this story, let me just lay out some highlights:
- -Got a flat tire on First Fork Road…and not just a flat but a sidewall shredder of a flat. Truth be told I didn’t know I was driving on a flat tire for a few miles thanks to the bumpy dirt road.
- -Changed and inflated my spare tire like a boss with the handy fix a flat kit I got on Father’s Day last year.
- -Hit the river, Salmonflies were flying…as were Green Drakes, Black and Yellow Stones, and Caddis.
- -Fished for about an hour, caught a solid 20″ brown. A personal Piedra River best.
- -Left early as I was pretty worried about driving the road back on a donut spare. I didn’t want to be stuck out there all night.
- -Made it home on time for a Father’s Day kiddie pool swim with the boys.
Mountain adventures are half of what living and fishing in Durango is all about. In a few years, the boys will come along and change my tire for me.
