Staking a claim to trout in Colorado's high country

VAIL, Colorado - I whispered a very quiet "yes" when the first trout grabbed the beadhead prince nymph. A split second later I yelled 'Oh no!' when the fish spit the hook.

Guide Jens Werner, a "refugee" from Pekin, Ill., said there were probably more fish holding in the slackwater pool.

So I kept casting the 3-weight fly rod to the back end of the pool. A slight tic on the end of the fragile leader signaled another strike.

Once again I set the hook with a lift of the rod. One more small trout didn't want any part of my challenge. Two more hits occurred a short time after that, and still nothing for my efforts.

"I thought we'd have hookups by now," noted Werner as he conducted his own casting pursuits.

I'd purchased my fishing license at Gore Creek Fly Outfitters, right in Vail and just feet away from the famous Gore Creek. The stream is classified as one of Vail's gold medal fisheries, with all kinds of fat trout normally eager to inhale an artificial bug.

Jens is a 31-year-old public relations specialist. With his original roots back in central Illinois, Werner admits he's found a magnificent outdoor paradise here in Vail and its surrounding locales. When not convincing out-of-staters to come and enjoy the spectacular skiing, he's urging anglers to grab their fly rods, waders and boots, and work these world-class streams and rivers for the unbelievable cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout fishing.

The only thing Jens misses is the Canada goose hunting back in the "flat lands", as well as the smallmouth fishing he had come to love.

This trip here to Vail was a birthday outing for my wife Charlotte. We stayed at the Lodge in Vail, a 5-star experience located right in the center of Vail Village. The Lodge and village itself resemble a quaint European, alpine location.

Even though Charlotte is well versed in the art of handling a light fly rod and has caught some rainbow trout in New Zealand, she opted to spend the day browsing and shopping through the village's selection of unique shops.

Jens brought along a good selection of both dry flies and sinking nymphs that he uses most of the year. And when there's snow on the ground, Werner, like many others here, has no compunction about stopping his angling. Cold-season fly fishing here is challenging, but the rewards are numerous with big cutthroat and rainbow trout exhibiting ravenous appetites for minnow-imitating offerings.

Werner and I stood in the chilling current of Homestake Creek for a good hour just talking about the fantastic year-round fishing available to any visitor.

I also fished the upper Colorado River, and I'll tell you about that great experience in a subsequent column.