Today was Labor Day (a celebration of the contribution of workers) in the United States and so Blue Cat got the day off. His scribe’s son set up a fishing trip for Blue Cat and his scribe, so off they went to Rampart Reservoir. Located in the Pikes Peak National Forest in Colorado, the reservoir is at an altitude of 9,000 feet and is really big (13 billion gallons big). And it’s stocked every two weeks or so with tasty trout.
The first thing you need to know about Rampart Reservoir is that, while it’s close to the Blue Cat’s home in Colorado Springs (and supplies a lot of the city’s water), it’s hard to get there. That’s because there’s a military base (the Air Force Academy) and a mountain in the way, so Blue Cat had to go around the mountain to get there. A scenic drive, but a long one!
But it’s really beautiful once you get there. Here’s Blue Cat and his scribe’s son enjoying the fishing:
As you can tell, Blue Cat is a little small to be fishing, especially since the fish in Rampart Reservoir are pretty big. His scribe had to take over, and was lucky enough to catch two rainbow trout. If you’re wondering, he used Powerball Trout Bait and a small trout hook – once with a floating rig and once with a bottom rig.
Here are the fish – and yes, one is over 13 inches long!
Since this was Blue Cat’s first foray into the world of fishing, he had to learn how to clean the trout and cook them. We’ll leave the cleaning process to your imagination (or you can look at the video) but here’s how the fish were pan fried – flour with salt and pepper, then frying in butter (about 5 minutes on each side over medium heat). Watch out for bones – there are a lot! (Blue Cat is going to try to fillet the fish he catches next time.)
And they were very tasty!
So the next time you’re in Colorado Springs you might consider fishing at the Rampart Reservoir! It’s a pretty drive, a beautiful location, and there are plenty of fish to catch. Tell them that Blue Cat sent you!
© William P Doyle, Jr All Rights Reserved 2015
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