I recently returned from a nearly week-long trip to the Crested Butte area, where I was hosted in princely fashion by Slate River and his gracious and charming
wife, Cindy. It is such a treat to fish with someone who is expert in the art and knows all the local secrets to boot. There were some fine fish caught, but
the catching was quite secondary to the camaraderie and a new-found friendship. I have spent nearly a quarter of a century bypassing the Gunnison River
drainage and heading straight up to the Frying Pan. That will certainly change from this point forward. I invited Slate over to fish with a buddy of mine and
myself a couple of weeks earlier on "my river", the Frying Pan, and it cooperated just as I had hoped, a massive PMD (and then BWO) hatch even though
the river had just come up an additional 40 cfs the day before (which speaks to the inherent quality of that river). We fished dry flies for hours, and then
had a fine meal including a spectacular bottle of Beherens and Hitchcock Cabernet Franc. When I arrived in Crested Butte, Cindy would have none of my staying
at a local B&B, and they offered me a room in their home. Many fine bottles of wine over the next few days, including a spectacular Pahlmeyer Merlot and a
bottle of Amarone, accompanied Cindy's spectacular cooking. Evenings ended up with A.H. Hirsch (is there any better bourbon on this earth?). The Forum is
a wonderful place to meet brothers of the cane, and when things click in person it's just really magnificent. For this trip, I chose the theme (I always
pick a rod theme for a trip, one of my particular idiosyncrasies) of "the Dickersons", bringing up my 7613, 8014, and 801510-D. The 8014 had never
been fished, and the 801510-D was unfished since it had been refinished (it was originally built in 1937). And then, there's the 1951 version of the 7613,
which reminded me (and Slate and Cindy) once again that it is simply the best cane rod taper ever devised by man for casting a dry fly. So the 8014 was a
complete virgin and the 801510-D was a reborn virgin. Both came of age in the Crested Butte area waters, the 8014 in spectacular form with a 22+" rainbow
(only the third fish ever on the rod) which Slate put me on, providing yet another example of his standing as a gentleman and a "water" scholar.
Below is the picture of that big rainbow. A few others can be seen in my images pages on Yuku, along with a couple of the very many landed by Slate. In the
age of Google Maps, the water where all of these fish were taken could easily be shared, but alas, I've already shared too much. Soon, I hope to get Slate
to my other "home water", the San Juan River, and on the Green River in the spring. I still have much to live up to in matching his generosity and
expertise. Slate and Cindy - thanks again!
