Kristen's Log Fish on the Blue River

It was a gorgeous winter day on The Blue, a perfect day to “wet a line” as my husband would say. Snow covered the banks and the water glistened like a thousand pieces of glass reflecting the sunlight. I am always amazed when such a beautiful place is surrounded by a large town such as Silverthorne. People walking by you on their way to a shop, surprise showing in their eyes that you are fishing and filling a net rather than a shopping bag. But Colorado is known for it’s treasure troves; proving that nature still winds her watery fingers through the cement human footprints we are so quick to leave.

I slowly walked into the cool water, thankful for my wool socks and ready to take my turn at these colorful and intelligent fish. Occasionally looking back to see my three year old try her hand at the sport with her makeshift toddler fly rod. Jon sitting next to her taking a break after catching a beautifully spotted lake trout. Many people ask how we are able to bring our toddler on these adventures and our secret is simple, we take turns fishing and spend the rest of the time enjoying nature. Whether that means playing in rocks or making snowballs, our little girl loves being outdoors and I think it is in large part because of these adventures. I hope she never looses that feeling. In our family, fishing seems to run in our veins.

The water was crystal clear and my focus quickly went back to my own rod, feeling the line roll off my cast and waiting for a subtle sign of interest. I am told that the pressure on these fish have made them quite smart, “tight lipped” to quote a few anglers, and I put my wits to the test in this game we call fishing. After quite a few drifts, there is still no sign of triumph and then BAM! No it wasn’t my line reacting to a strike, or my indicator making an unnatural fish twitch for which I was ready. It was a feeling of something hitting my left calf with a good amount of force. I looked down with a mixture of confusion and shock to see a long brownish green figure in the water by my leg. As I stifled a scream and tried to swallow my heart which was now in the back of my throat, I realized that the figure was simply a 4 ft long log making its own trip down river. I wasn’t being eaten by a monster, and I wouldn’t loose my leg…trust me I’m a nurse. As I held my hand over my chest and took some deep breaths I looked up to see my husband with the camera in his hands, laughter in his eyes, and the hugest grin on his face. Yes I admit, it must have looked a little ridiculous to watch me react that way to a piece of wood. I guess I was so dialed into watching for fish that my mind couldn’t comprehend that other things could be swimming by. After a few laughs, we got back to fishing and had a wonderful time exploring The Blue. But I have to admit that the fish story I will likely remember from this particular trip will be the one featuring a 4 ft long “log fish.” Until the next adventure, Tight Lines!