I've spent almost a week here already and right away I can tell that this is going to be a great summer. I rolled into 4UR Ranch last Tuesday and began work on Wednesday. We did quite a bit of work around the ranch the first couple days but managed to get a few floats down the Rio Grande ripping streamers for whatever gave chase. Once we exhausted the duties needed around the ranch, the real "work" began and I have since been spending all of my days walking the rivers and fishing the highlighted holes (and getting paid for it). The two veteran guides Les and Jesse have been showing me and the other new guide A.J. the ropes, telling us where the fish are and how to fish them. Most of the creek is pretty self explanatory but there are some sneaky spots that I wouldn't necessarily fish unless the fishing was crap, because at that point, you will try just about anything.
The fishing on Goose Creek is just dumb. I know that it will eventually become pretty technical and we will have to really work to get our guests on fish, but for right now, the fish have not seen flies for the entire winter and don't think twice about eating a #2 girdle bug or giant foam on top. The fish that are coming up to eat on the surface have no business eating what we are throwing at them. So to repeat myself, the fishing is absolutely dumb.
Yesterday, the three other guides and I were on our way to the water to do what's called "mock guiding" where the two veteran guides act like idiots and fish left handed. They will act out every bad habit that they have ever seen to put us on the spot and correct them. It was a particularly windy day yesterday and on our way to the river, we spotted a mini tornado, whipping up dust and debris into a sporadic vortex. I have to take a moment and remind you that this is a dude ranch. With horses. That crap. Everywhere. So what we saw as flying debris, was soon realized to be horse shit whipping us in the face and getting all over us. A good old fashioned poop twister. Anyway, after wiping off all of the fecal layer that we were so blessed to be baptized in, we eventually got to the water. Les was my "guest" and he acted like he had never seen a fly rod before. He proceeded to bring out every bad habit and mistake that every guest has ever done while guiding them. Tangling his line, walking into good fishing water, asked every ridiculous question known to a fly fishing guide, and then when I finally got him into a fish, he straight lined the fish by pointing his rod tip right at about an 18 inch brown trout, nearly breaking him off before I corrected him. If this is what it will be like, I will not be at a lack of patience before this summer is through.
I've almost seen the entire river as of today. I only have two more stations to fish before I have fished the entire 6 miles of river. I'm looking forward to spending more time on my own and really breaking this water down and figuring out its secrets. When the fishing gets tough, every guide needs his bag of tricks to make sure the day is a success. I'm not a magician yet, but I will try my best to at least have a couple of go-to places where I know I will have the opportunity for fish.
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