Okay, maybe I wrong about chasing that hatchery truck...

 Thursday I may have implied that the Loveland Fishing Club's St. Vrain State Park outing wasn't a true success until after the hatchery truck arrived. I, uh, may have overstated the situation.

Here's what happened. (Pay attention; it's a bit complex) 

Yesterday, along with Pat Bocek, Darrell Knight, Doug Money, Ken Kesterke and a couple other club members, my brand new spinning rod and I probed the murky depths of Mallard Pond for a couple hours, seeking at least a holdover stocked trout. Bupkis.

Otherwise, it was a beautiful day to visit St. Vrain, except for the sight of a dead carp here and there. Eventually abandoning my belly, boat, to gulp down another club-provided pastry and another club-provided coffee, I strolled over to the adjacent Sandpiper Pond. There I shared fishing suggestions with  club members who had abanded Mallard to join Dave Johnson and Chris Nelson. Then I, uh, went home. Possibly prematurely.

Those remaining anglers later revealed that a fair number of  gullible trout were eventually brought to the net . But that happened after a Colorado Parks and Wildlife hatchery truck arrived with a generous supply of hungry stocker rainbows. Perhaps unfairly, yours truly suggested an obvious cause and effect at work. (See Thursday's report posted below:  And then the stocker truck arrived ... )

Those same nitpicking anglers now insist that most - if not all all - of their catch - came from a "fair chase" at Sandpiper. Meanwhile, they insisted, the hatchery truck was dumping its stockers into Mallard - where a brief but intense cold snap a few weeks ago reportedly caused a substantial fish kill. (Which now that I think about it explains how yours truly never even got a bite) 

Anyway, the record is now corrected. And as I told Darryl: "As an angler,  never let the truth get in the way of a good punch line." 

Start practicing now for the club's next monthly outing, the Thursday after the March general meeting. Time and Location to be announced.