Golden twilight bends across the South Platte riffle. A horde of infant insects rises off the water like a helicopter army. The hatch is on.
My iPhone is silent. I cast. I mend the line. The drift is set. I repeat. No voicemails buzz. Fish spotted. A brown trout divulges his camouflage. I crack my fly box to curate a pairing for the big brown—a double dry fly rig that’s the equivalent of a fat steak with a full-bodied cabernet to a trout. No text messages chime. Mr. Brown trout, I’m coming for you.
The bending light fades to dusk. Facebook remains even darker. I cast. Mend. Drift. Boom. Fish on the line. But there’s no cell service. Nothing but the river. Nothing but this moment.
Get Started: Take a class at Angler’s Covey. Ask for Cody Lovecchio as a guide. anglerscovey.com
Get Going: Eleven Mile Canyon on the South Platte River is one of the last great swatches where Verizon or AT&T can’t find you.
Get Equipped: “Perfect dry flies are Parachute Adams No. 18-20, Blue-Winged Olive No. 20-22,” Lovecchio says. “For a nymph rig, use olive or grey color RS2 No. 18-24 and a BWO No. 20-24.”
This Field Report first appeared on Springs Magazine.
