Tired of sitting around the office, we reached out to our buddy Ron at Lowry Outdoor Adventures to give us a glimpse of a side to Colorado that we "city folk" had never experienced before.

On a Wednesday morning in August, four members of our OCN team slathered ourselves in sunscreen, piled into an SUV, and drove out to the Aurora Reservoir for a few blissful hours on the water. 

Out of our group, two of us had essentially not been fishing before. But never fear: Ron Lowry of Lowry Outdoor Adventures provided poles, bait, instruction, history, patience (!!!), and even a nifty sonar fish finder to maximize our fishing experience. (Bonus: Ron -- a [professional fisherman and guide who spends hundreds of hours on the water each year] also handled all of the icky parts of the sport for us -- from the squirmy worms we used as bait to all of the slimy fish we caught!)

While the Aurora Reservoir is not the most picturesque body of water in Colorado, it is handy to the Denver metro area, and it's quiet and peaceful in the early morning hours.

Parking costs $10 per car (you should come prepared with cash), and there are restrooms on site for your convenience. Also, don't forget to purchase a one-day fishing license in advance for $9 (we purchased ours in the sporting goods department at Walmart!).

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We boarded "Real Eye Candy," Ron's fishing boat, admiring the way it sparkled in the morning sunlight. Each of us chose a seat, and then Ron walked us through instructions and reservoir history as we drifted gently out onto the lake, where he set each of us up with a fishing pole, baited our hooks for us, and taught us how to drop our lines. Let the fishing begin!!!

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Within about 15 minutes, we had our first catch of the day -- a walleye! The excitement on the boat was palpable as Ron rushed with his net to help scoop the fish up onto the boat, and everyone cheered. After showing us the walleye's teeth and sharp fins, Ron threw it back into the lake, and it swam away. (We released all the fish we caught that day!)

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The walleye catch was followed by a perch and then six rainbow trout over the next four hours, as we moved slowly but steadily around the reservoir (we logged three total miles, according to the GPS!). Each catch was just as celebrated as the first. We experienced a few false alarms, too, thanks to weeds that liked to bog down our lines, and we lost a couple big fish before we could reel them all the way in.

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The sonar device allowed us to see how deep the lake floor was in each area (so we could adjust our lines accordingly) and whether or not there were fish in the vicinity (so we didn't waste our time). Ah, the joys of fishing in the age of technology! 

We had lots of time to sit in silence and contemplate the meaning of life (nothing better than fishing for that!), and we visited with Ron, too, who is such a fun, comfortable guy to talk with. He truly enjoys educating his guests about every aspect of the sport, and he has tons of great stories to share. We also appreciated his patience with our inexperience! As it turns out, Ron leads fishing excursions for a variety of guests, including terminally ill children. He has a real heart for working with kids and helping them to explore nature in a safe, enjoyable environment.

All told, OCN's investigation into Colorado's fishing world went off splendidly. We had tons of fun, learned a lot, and gained a healthy appreciation for the sport! 

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If you're interested in booking your own fishing excursion with Ron, visit his website to check out all the different adventure packages that Lowry Fishing Adventures offers.

Watch the video of our fishing excursion, below:

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What do you think? Have you ever fished in Colorado? What are your favorite fishing spots? Give us some advice in the comments below!

We went to Velorama -- Check out these pics!