Seems Crazy But Winter Fly Fishing in Colorado is a Thing
I do not fully understand why people do it, nor do I want to do it, but winter fly fishing in Colorado is a thing.
I'm the first to admit it, I'm a fair-weather kind of guy. Born and raised in Colorado, I've lived here over half my life, but that doesn't mean I have some naturally inbred affection for winter and the cold that comes with it.
So, it should come as no surprise that when I see a dude standing in the middle of the South Platte River river in the dead of winter, surrounded by snow-covered riverbanks, I'm going to think the guy has lost a few marbles.
Having said that, I have great admiration and respect for Dan, the man in the video. I appreciate his passion, dedication, and enthusiasm for something he loves to do.
Dan acknowledges the challenges of fishing in winter, discovering he had apparently stepped on his brand new rod and broke it. Fortunately, he had brought along a back-up rod.
The water looks extremely cold, but, Dan says the water is actually warmer than the cold air. However, I can only imagine how cold his hands must getting while unhooking a fish and releasing it back into the water. He does comment that winter fly fishing is not for the faint of heart. I'm sure that having some success in landing some nice sized trout makes it all worthwhile.
It will be a cold day August day in Miami before you catch me doing something like this in the middle of winter, but I know all of the folks in Colorado who love to fly fish will appreciate Dan's efforts, and may even wish they could be standing out there in the middle of that river.
After watching this video, all I want to do is grab a cup of hot chocolate and go crawl under my electric blanket and get warmed up. I'm also thinking I need to watch some more Colorado winter fly fishing with Dan.