Beginners luck ?

We arrived in Taylor Canyon, a few miles south of Crested Butte, in
the later afternoon, drawn to the area for it's proximity to amazing
rock climbs, but also because we had heard the fishin was good. We
quickly found a lovely campsite and jumped on our bikes to check out
our new surroundings.

After a little instruction from Christian (who learned from his grand
daddy in Montana) I set out into the chilly river, to try my hand at
fly fishing for the first time. I quickly got the feel of it, enjoying
the art/challenge of dropping to fly into the desired location, the
peacefulness of learning to read the flow of the river and anticipate
where the fish might be hiding out- The conditions were ideal, sun
setting, calm waters... The fish were jumping and after a few well
placed (lucky) casts in a nice hole, I was thrilled to reel in a Brown
Trout. What a beautiful creature, brown sleek body with a pearly
mustard yellow underside, it's entire top half covered in brownish
black & orange spots rimmed by gold. As we fumbled with our fishing
rules & regulations booklet (to ensure it was the proper size to
keep), my heart ached as it struggled in vain to breathe through it's
gills - truly a 'fish out of water'. As soon as we confirmed it's
proper size, we paused a moment to honor the wild spirit of the
creature and offer gratitude for it becoming part our sustenance for
the evening. Christian quickly ended it's life, I did not have the
heart.
We brought it back to camp, fried it up over the fire in our cast iron
pan and enjoyed trout burritos, garnished with fresh cilantro grown a
few miles up the road... Couldn't be a more sustainable or delicious
meal :)
Good living !