It's never easy to leave Rawah Ranch

This column first appeared in the Sept. 11 print edition.

GLENDEVEY, Colo. - I came, I ate, I slept.

And yes, I fished - and then I left with a dark cloud hanging over my head. It's normally called depression.

End of story.

That was easy. Or was it?

I said goodbye to a ranch altitude of 8,400 feet. My body left, but my mind remained entrenched in the Aspens.

The typical late-morning traffic jams in the immediate area are interesting to witness, with maybe a dozen or so pronghorn antelope coming close to crossing one of the mountain roads.

Rawah Ranch is a rare piece of geography nestled in the wilds of the Theodore Roosevelt National Forest.

It's also a place where youthful energy helps drive determination in order to satisfy the desires of eager fly fishermen.

Just one hour west of Fort Collins, Colo., off highway 14, the Big Laramie River begins its "life" as a small freestone pouring out of Chambers Lake in a very remote valley in Northern Colorado. The Laramie grows quickly into a perfect medium size trout fishery as it reaches the confluence of the West Branch of the Laramie River, a high mountain tributary fed by several high alpine lakes and creeks.

Each of us has our own particular fly rods, with names emblazoned on them, calling out Orvis, Sage, and Grandt. These fly rods are simply thinly veiled graphite tubes of various lengths, thickness, and capabilities. You think? But boy, my rod was a dream come true.

We attach almost microscopic insect imitators to lightweight leaders and then finish off the whole shebang with what's called a tippet. This is nothing more than an almost invisible piece of even more super-lightweight mono that does the honor of connecting the fly. It's more simple and easy than it sounds.

As I stepped into the frigid, gurgling water of the Laramie River, I vividly recalled last year's hard-fought battle with my prize, a 24-inch soldier. After pictures, I saluted that tough rainbow trout with a release, back to its guard post.

Rawah Ranch owners Melanie and Patrick Timmons gently coddle this mountain jewel as if it were one of their children. It's easy to proclaim Rawah's magic is never failing, and yet always amazing because it never fails to be ready to prove itself as paradise reborn.

Young men and women answer the call of employment here while us codgers concern ourselves as to where and when the next big brown or rainbow trout will reward our efforts and those of guides like Rob Rymph. The eyebrows on this 27-year-old full-time fly fishing guide curled upward when he examined my 9-foot, 6-weight Grandt fly rod.

"Nice stick," he exclaimed.

No kidding, I thought.

We fished stretches of the Laramie as it wound through the ranch as well as drifting along in a western-style drift boat on Hohnholz Lake No. 3, where Angling Escapes ramrod Paul Melchior and I caught quite a few brown and rainbow trout that ranged 14-19 inches long.

Even first-time guests, including non-angling individuals who hear about Rawah's mystical attractions, are eager to become converts to the fly and the feisty trout that reside behind boulders and sunken trees.

Of course, there is always the option of excellent horseback riding and splendid hiking adventures for visitors.

This is a very special place for me, where not only is there the possibility of a red hot angling sizzle, but also the reward of a juicy steak and everything else the gourmet chef dreams up in the ranch's kitchen.

• For more information about a trip to Rawah Ranch, contact Paul Melchior at Angling Escapes (847) 272-3195.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, and catch his radio show 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM.