I’m no different from my friends. I’d love to open the paper on Christmas day and see that world peace had broken out, hunger was now gone and the United States now had political parties that weren’t selfish. However, now that I am a septuagenarian, I know there is a better chance of the tooth fairy leaving the winning lottery ticket under my pillow. So, what to ask for Christmas becomes a problem. Yeah, right.
Since I have plenty of fly rods, and reels to match, I’m not going to ask for those, So, first and foremost, I want to see lots of fresh water flowing into our rivers and streams from a banner snow year. Then spring and summer rains to augment the runoff would be nice. To go with normal water levels, I want to have fish that will only eat large dry flies. I don’t care if they’re bass, trout or pan-fish; I just want to be able to see the fly being eaten. I also want to have the correct flies in my box.
How about Denver television? I can’t for the life of me figure out why the incredibly selfish people in charge of what we watch want to keep the people of Durango watching the crime and mayhem in Albuquerque instead of watching the crime and mayhem in Denver. I guess it’s because no one would voluntarily watch crime and mayhem in Albuquerque. Go figure.
As I have aged, I have realized a river helper, in addition to my wading staff, would be very helpful. I need someone to help steady me in fast-flowing rivers that have slippery rocks. Help to tie on smaller flies would also be nice. The helper has to be female, pretty, smell good and able to back a trailer. If she has a dog, that would be an added bonus.
If the runoff and spring rain are plentiful, I’d love to see the Animas River fish like it did 20 years ago. You had to have been here to understand that.
Since Lake Nighthorse opened this year, I can’t re-ask for that. (See, some things actually happen when asked for a thousand times.) So, for 2019, I’d love to see bass and pan-fish legally appear in the lake. I’d also love seeing everyone continue to enjoy the lake. And, I would want those folks that are using the lake to continue keeping it pristine. Good job to all those people that worked on doing that this past year. I also want to keep seeing moose around the beaver ponds outside of Silverton. Seeing those beautiful animals really made for a fun day while catching really aggressive brook trout on dry flies.
The early gift of a road trip to the Texas Gulf Coast was great. It was so much fun watching a good friend have his first saltwater fly fishing experience. Even though we were weathered in the first day, John made the best of the situation and had two great days. Not only was he able to spot redfish like a veteran, he caught a large number of them.
From a purely material standpoint, I need a new pair of wading boots. I know the local fly shops will be happy to help gift-givers with that request.
So, in closing, I will leave you with the annual politically incorrect statement – I have had lots of good examples this year. I wish everyone Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukkah, a good Eid al-Adha, and, of course, Merry Christmas. If none of these fits your beliefs, then may whatever touches your heart with hope be with you all of 2019.
Reach Don Oliver at durango_fishing@frontier.net.
