Nate O Taylor

Food, Fishing, and Outdoor Adventures

A Canyon

July 28, 2014 by n.taylor 2 Comments

Life is about doing things that your other friends haven’t done. Everyone likes to hear stories of adventure, especially if you sprinkle a bit of the dramatic on top. The word “canyon” elicits a sense of uncertainty and often times, danger. Stories are passed on, and noticeable features are named for events or people that helped shape the folklore. Time passes and the water gets bigger, rapids more intense, and eventually even the maps change.

Browns Canyon 2014
Browns Canyon 1989

Johnson Village we were told would add 6 miles to the top, while Big Bend would add a few more miles on the back end. Perfect, I’ll take the double double and do it all.

Johnson Village Launch

Johnson Village Launch

Streamers were the game, and we blasted them on every bank from start to finish. Fish were persistent, over the course of the day we must have had well over 100 follows and more fish to hand than we cared to count.

Streamer Victim

Streamer Victim

The six miles above the canyon were the best advice we received the entire trip. Fish were on it, the float was lonely and reminiscent of a freestone water in Montana.

Above The Canyon

Above The Canyon

As dusk began to stretch through the canyon and fatigue was setting in we passed Hecla Junction and were suddenly the last boat on the river. We pulled over to see what we had in front of us and to finish off the beer.

Seidels Suckhole

Seidels Suckhole

A couple more bumps and runs and we were back in open country. The last several miles proved to be a continuous boulder field that tested the physical limits of the crew. As we pulled the boat into the takeout we watched the sun disappear and leave us to the 4.37 million mosquitos that inhabit every square acre of land around the river.

Enjoy We Did

Enjoy we did

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: Browns Canyon, Drapeau, Floating, Streamers

When All Cylinders Fire

March 27, 2012 by n.taylor 8 Comments

I have this tendency to become so focused on carp fishing that I often laugh at those who pursue trout in their free time. Chasing a simple trout around a river seems so mundane as the carp fisherman is avoiding hypodermic needles along a freeway.

As Greg and I experienced trout nirvana from sunrise to sunset I became a serious trout fisherman all over again. Streamers in the morning, nymph fare in the afternoon, and an outrageous dry fly session during “magic hour” sealed the deal. This weekend it was truly hitting on all cylinders, and I can’t wait to do it again. To all of my carp hardy friends out there I apologize, but a part of my heart is still on the bottom of the river…and not that river that runs through Denver.

Filed Under: Spring Tagged With: Drapeau, On Fire, Spawn, Streamers

A Nantucket Summary

October 5, 2011 by n.taylor 1 Comment

I thought this slight paraphrasing of a conversation with my girlfriend would suffice.

GF: How was Nantucket? Was it pretty nice?

Me: Yes, Nantucket is very cool, here is a picture of the island that I took for you, I will base the rest of our conversations off of this map so study it before I move onto the next pictures.

Wannacomet Water Company

Nantucket Island Map

GF: Did you have fun with your friends and did you use some of the flies you brought?

Me: Yeah, we had a pretty good time. I used a lot of the flies that I brought but most of them were totally destroyed by Bluefish…

I actually got tired of Bluefish because they just destroy flies, we were trying to fish for other things.

Bluefish Fly

Bluefish Carnage

GF: Did you use the stuff Gracie gave you?

Me: Of course I did. This just goes to show that when I say I “need” things like reels that I’m not lying. Had I gotten to purchase a Litespeed 4 or Torque 10 like I wanted to then I wouldn’t have had to borrow someone else’s stuff.

Greg Drapeau False Albacore

Albie

GF: You’re a dipshit. Did you actually go fishing or did you just play dress up?

Me: Yeah, we got some albies. Check out these houses that are about ready to fall into the ocean.

Nantucket real estate

A True “Beach House”

GF: Wow, you think those people have insurance on a place like that?

Me: I doubt there would be anyone in the world dumb enough to do that, but I’m always impressed with the abundance of stupidity in the world so…

GF: Well sounds like it was nice, maybe you can go back again sometime.

Me: Oh I will go again…I will.

GF: Sigh…

Nantucket Island

Goodbye, See You Soon

Filed Under: Fall Tagged With: Bluefish, Drapeau, False Albacore, Nantucket, The Ocean

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