Written by: Cori Brago
It’s been a few weeks since my trip out west, and I think about it every day. I was given the opportunity to travel to Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming on an Orvis Adventures Getaway weekend with Georgia Pellegrini. The weekend was an opportunity for women (of all ages and skills sets) from different parts of the country to get out and experience the adventure and wonder of the great outdoors…with guns and fly rods. Because I was on a work assignment, I was prepared to witness the women on the trip having these experiences; I had no idea I would be experiencing this adventure with them. Now I find myself asking, “Did I really just spend two days learning to fly fish in Wyoming?” “When am I going back?” “Am I too much of a beginner for a Helios 2?” “Oh my goodness, I am really hooked!” (Pun intended.)
Before the trip, I had spent a total of two hours holding a fly rod—casting on dry land without a hook or even a water source in site. A chance trip to Wyoming, where I turned a three-hour lesson into a two-day fly-fishing binge session, changed that forever. With some of the finest guides in the West, I learned to fish the open waters of the North Platte and the more technical waters of Brush Creek. Love at first set. I caught and released eleven fish in two days, one of which was a pretty handsome 16-inch rainbow trout. (I’ve got my very own “grip n’ grin” photo to prove it.)
As someone who doesn’t get out and experience the outdoors enough, this trip reminded me to slow down, take a look around, and find what makes me smile. Since my trip, when I’m neck deep in work or rushing to get the kids to school on time, I remember the scent of sage brush in the brisk morning air, golden aspen trees on the horizon (so vibrant that Mr. White may have hand painted each one himself), and the calming sound of the rushing water. I relax and I think about the day I fell in love with fly fishing.
Cori Brago is the Women’s Merchandising Assistant for the Orvis Company. She gives special thanks to Orvis, Brush Creek Ranch, Trey Mullen and Jonathan Rachal for an amazing few days.