![]() Doing it all myself, based on what information I could find in fly shops, books, magazines and the detailed itinerary from Joel Hays, I was satisfied to catch trout every day, and as a bonus catch as many different trout as were possible. I packed it all up and headed out of Bridge Campground, down the increasingly rough 631 and into town. It was an early start with the idea of catching a cutthroat. I had heard about Crater Lake at some point, so I hit 160 and headed east at what seemed like blazing speeds compared to the dirt roads I had been on for the past two days. Through Pagosa Springs and out on 160, and just before Wolf Creek, I finally found and took a right on 667. Somewhere at the end of the road begins a four mile hike to Crater Lake. It was a beautiful if hurried drive that gradually became more and more difficult. Things took a turn for the worse after my second water crossing, and I arrived at the proverbial fork in the road. “A” was what I wanted, but I could see extremely bad road conditions a hundred yards ahead, as if what I just came through wasn’t bad enough, and a sign saying “Four Wheel Drive Only.” The original 667 (also on maps as East Fork Road) split into 667a. Now, I don’t want to take the risk of offending the Subaru Forester, and I am sure that my four-wheel-driving skills were up to the task, but at the end of the road lay a four mile hike to Crater Lake along “Crater Lake Trail 562.” The math of time didn’t add up, so I turned around and bailed out. I went back through Pagosa Springs and fell back on one of the recommended days, big water at 160 where it crosses the Piedra. The idea of fishing a little, and getting blanked for the day, was setting in. Driving isn’t fishing just like talking and writing isn’t fishing. ![]() I turned off 160 again, this time at 622 north bound along the east side of the Piedra. And the Piedra was flowing pretty good on the strength of daily monsoons. I parked when the clock said to stop, and boulder hopped my way in. ![]() Fly fishing, shooting video, and staying dry were all too much to ask, so video was out – as it should be.Ī good drift and a nice take brought an extremely aggravated German brown trout to hand. There was not going to be any sight casting in this water. It was text book riffles behind boulders, edges of currents and classic holding spots. Time was ticking, but I managed another rainbow trout before time ran out. I parked myself in a booth at Farrago Market Cafe, and tried to get an internet connection to go with my Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap. It’s just west of Kip’s Grill and within eyesight of all church vans passing through Pagosa Springs.
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