Playing On The Platte
Do you remember going to the playground when you were a kid? Your parents would drive you there with your siblings, sometimes you’d take your dog for a walk over to the park, or you and your friends would race your bikes there to see who would get to the best swing first (don’t act like they were all the same, you know exactly which swing I’m talking about). When you finally arrived, often times you felt overwhelmed by the amount of possibilities for fun to happen. The swings, the curly slide, the monkey bars, the see-saw, it was going to take all day to do all the things you wanted to do! All too soon your parents would give you the five minute warning and it would be time to go. This scene seemed to be on repeat during those long, hot summer days, until one day it just stopped. Maybe you got too old and “too cool” to play on the monkey bars anymore, or your schedule got too busy to take a ride on the curly slide, until suddenly the playground was just a landmark you passed on your way to school or work.
The North Platte is undoubtedly the prized possession of North Park. Every summer, anglers come from far and wide just to get a chance to experience the beauty and nature’s craftsmanship of it. It’s wide, deep, natural, unique, intimidating, and provoking, but if I had to describe the North Platte in one word it would be “playground.” The North Platte is the ultimate playground for anglers. The amount of possibilities for fun are similar in numbers to those you had on the playground as a kid. Riffle runs for nymphing, grassy banks and deep undercuts for streamers, big slow flats for dry flies, sandstone cliffs, sagebrush bluffs, willowed packed banks, if you can dream it, chances are the North Platte has it. The fish are sizable, more often than not they’ll give you a run for your money and have you double checking your tippet and knots, “just incase”. And the best part? No parents are around to give you the five minute warning.
A North Park Angler picking apart the North Platte.
The North Platte truly is a special piece of water that calls North Park home. The freestone river brings awesome floating in the spring and early summer, amazing wading opportunities in the late summer and early fall, and great hatches all throughout the season. You truly could spend an entire day picking apart a short stretch of water. In fact, most anglers choose to spend multiple days on the river throwing bugs at fish and taking in the sights. With special water, comes special occurrences. The North Platte can go from tenacious to tedious in no time at all. One day your arm will be sore from catching so many fish and the next day you’ll be wondering if you remembered to even tie a fly on your line. When the cards get dealt, you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. So get up here, and try your hand at playing on The Platte.
Written by: Taylor Martin
Taylor Martin with a spotted-up North Platte rainbow.
