Arkansas River – 11/04/2026

Leave a reply

Time: 11:00AM – 2:30PM

Location: Big Horn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 11/04/2026 Photo Album

As I scanned the weather map for Wednesday, November 4, 2026, I noticed that the high temperature projected for Canon City, CO was 61 degrees. This was quite favorable compared to Denver, where the high was expected to only reach the mid fifties. Before committing to the trip to the Arkansas River; however, I checked the stream flows, and I was amazed to discover that the flows in Canon City were in the 700 CFS range. Could this be right? The meter at Parkdale, CO was not generating readings, so I was unable to double check flows in lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon. The flows at Wellsville, CO were in the upper 300’s, and Salida registered 250 CFS. I decided to take the safe bet and made the drive to the Arkansas River between Salida and Wellsville.

Best of the Day

When I arrived, I checked the river, and it was a bit elevated with a murky tinge, but the edges were clear, and I deemed the visibility acceptable for fly fishing. The air temperature was 46 degrees, so I wore my Columbia long sleeve undershirt, a fishing shirt, my fleece hoodie and my rain shell. I was comfortable during my entire day of fishing. The air temperature peaked at around 55 degrees, so it was definitely a chilly day. I set up my Sage One five weight rod and hiked on a worn path to the edge of the river and then worked my way along the south bank a ways.

In Front of the Rocks

To begin my day of fly fishing I decided to experiment with streamers. I tied a sculpzilla to my line and then added a trailing black ghost on a twelve inch dropper. I worked the tandem from 11:00AM, until I paused for lunch, and I tallied for bumps and connections, but no landed fish. I was pleased with the action, but I was frustrated over my inability to close the deal. After the second momentary hook up, I made a long cast, and I heard a plunk near the far bank. I stripped in my line and discovered that the plunk was the sound of my beadhead sculpzilla landing in the river, after it somehow separated from my line. I rigged anew with another sculpzilla and black ghost.

Wet Streamer

After lunch I continued with the streamer tandem, and I finally managed to land a thirteen inch brown trout. I also felt a solid take, as I stripped, and the opposing forces caused two more streamer flies to be donated to the river gods. I persisted with the streamer for a bit longer, but my mind began to wander with thoughts of a dry/dropper nymph arrangement. After six hits and one landed fish, I made the switch and converted to an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, an iron sally, and an olive perdigon. On one of the fly shop fishing reports I read that golden stonefly nymphs were producing, thus the iron sally.

Nymph Eater

Between 12:30PM and 2:00PM I worked my way upstream at a fairly rapid pace with the dry/dropper, and I landed three brown trout in the eleven to twelve inch range. Two snatched the olive perdigon, and one grabbed the iron sally. The fishing was actually slower than the streamer experiment, as I made a ton of unproductive casts. Places that were normally certain producers yielded only empty drifts.

Prime Water

At 2:00PM I decided to give streamers another trial. I dug out another sculpzilla style fly and added a Mickey Finn trailer, and I tossed this combination for twenty minutes, before I quit. Once again I endured a pair of bumps, but no landed fish. The bait fish imitations seemed to arouse attention, but only tentative eats. Did I have the wrong flies, or was my retrieve too slow or too fast? I’ll never know the answer to that.

I ended my day at 2:30PM and climbed the bank and returned to the car. Six hours of driving resulted in four brown trout in the eleven to thirteen inch range. It was not a very efficient day, and I used an abundant quantity of gasoline and time. Nevertheless, I logged a day of fishing in November, and I caught some fish, and I was reasonably comfortable. A day outdoors in Colorado was a win in my book.

Fish Landed: 4

South Boulder Creek – 10/28/2026

Leave a reply

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 10/28/2026 Photo Album

After a rough day on Tuesday, and with another decent day weather wise projected for Colorado, I completed another day of fly fishing on Wednesday. Before I departed on Wednesday morning, I checked the flows, weather and traffic. The flows on South Boulder Creek remained at 66 CFS, and this level existed for at least a week. I like stability of stream flows for my fly fishing outings. The high temperature in Pinecliffe, CO west of my destination was 54 degrees, and the high temperature in Eldorado Canyon to the east was 61 degrees. I assumed that the high in South Boulder Creek Canyon would be in the upper fifties. Traffic was relatively normal for a weekday. I made the short drive to South Boulder Creek.

A Handful

The temperature at the parking lot, when I arrived was 53 degrees. I wore my Under Armour insulated undershirt, fleece hoodie and raincoat; and this layered approach kept me comfortable during my time on the stream. I fit together my two piece Loomis five weight, as I like the shorter length rod on the relatively small South Boulder Creek.

Spots Everywhere

When I arrived in the parking lot, I parked next to a Denver Water ranger pick up truck, and after I completed my usual routine in the driver seat, I moved to the tailgate to continue preparation to fish. Once I was outside my car, a young lady from the ranger truck opened her door and approached me and asked me to show her my fishing license. Fortunately I had not yet pulled on my fishing backpack which contained my license, so it was easy to extract it from my pack. She was satisfied with my compliance, but another angler approached, and he volunteered to produce his license as well.

Rainbow Home

As the license check was taking place, I realized that my magnifiers had broken. I had a backup pair in my tote bag, so I retrieved them, but they were confined to one of those annoying plastic packages with no apparent means to break the seal. I mentioned this to the ranger, and she offered to provide some scissors. While she retrieved her scissors, I pulled out my small Swiss army knife, and I used the small pocketknife to poke a hole and cut the plastic. The ranger offered her scissors which were part of a Leatherman tool kit, and I gave them a try, but the pocketknife was actually more effective. Once I had my magnifiers in hand I thanked the Denver Water ranger, and the young lady departed.

Love the Stripe and Cheeks

On Wednesday I decided to stay relatively close to the trailhead, so I hiked for fifteen to twenty minutes, and I found myself positioned next to the creek ready to cast by 11:00AM. Much of the section that I fished before lunch was encased in shadows, and this made tracking my fly difficult. I began with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, 20 incher and olive perdigon. This has become my standard starting lineup during the fall fly fishing sessions.

The three fly combination failed to excite the trout, so I stopped for lunch on some large boulders in the sun. While eating, I pondered my next move, and I decided to hike farther downstream to an area, where there was more direct sunlight. In my new fly fishing section I continued with the three fly dry/dropper, but once again the trout were uninterested. I decided to try something different, and I converted to a Jake’s gulp beetle on top trailing a sunk ant and a salvation nymph.

Lots of Glare

These flies created some positive results, and between 12:30PM and 2:45PM I advanced the fish count to six. Two of these fish were rainbows that approximated eleven inches, and the remainder were small brown trout that were smaller than the rainbows. The beetle produced one actual eat and many refusals. One fish snatched the sunk ant, and the rest nabbed the salvation nymph. In an effort to combat the beetle refusals, I swapped it for a hippie stomper, and one of the rainbows smashed the attractor dry fly. I also experimented with a double dry fly that featured a black parachute ant and little black stonefly paired with the hippie stomper, and one small trout grabbed the little black stonefly. I spotted a few small stoneflies drifting skyward, and this prompted the move.

I decided to call it a day at 2:45PM, but on my way back to the car I paused at a huge delicious pool. I immediately I observed a pair of decent trout finning at the tail of the pool and occasionally rising to sip something from the surface. I could not resist the dry fly activity in front of me. The trout were having none of the hippie stomper and little black stonefly, so I snipped them both off and knotted a single mole fly to my line. I also added an eighteen inch section of 5X to create a more flexible leader for the small dry fly presentations.

Quite a few fish began to sip throughout the lower section of the pool, but tracking the small earth-toned mole fly in the low light and glare was a difficult challenge. I spite of this hardship, I managed to land a small brown trout and another eleven inch rainbow. I have to admit that in both cases I set the hook, when I spotted a rise in the vicinity of where I estimated my fly to be. I never saw the fly being eaten. When the fish continued rising and ignoring my mole fly, I swapped it for a soft hackle emerger fished as a dry, but this offering failed to generate interest, so I hooked my fly to the rod guide and hiked back to the car at 3:30PM.

Eight fish on Wednesday was not hot fishing, but at least I generated some action on a fall day in late October. The fish were small, and I worked hard. Landing two on the mole fly was gratifying. My season could be winding down, and I suspect that brown trout spawning activity is reducing the population of hungry fish at my disposal.

Fish Landed: 8

Eagle River – 10/27/2026

Leave a reply

Time: 11:30AM – 3:15PM

Location: Between Wolcott and Avon

Eagle River 10/27/2026 Photo Album

It had been a week since I last fly fished, so I designated Tuesday as my first day to fish during the week of October 26, 2026. I considered the South Platte River, Arkansas River, South Boulder Creek and the Eagle River; and the air temperature was a prime consideration. As it turned out, the high temperatures in all locales were comparable, so because I experienced an excellent day on the Eagle River on 10/20/2026, I made that river my destination.

Ready to Run

A two hour drive enabled me to arrive at my favorite parking lot by 11:00AM, and the dashboard thermometer registered 46 degrees. It was a bit chilly with the high expected to peak at 55 degrees. I prepared for a cool day on the river by wearing my Under Armour long sleeve shirt, my fleece hoodie and my raincoat. I was comfortable for most of my day, although I had the hoodie pulled up over my mesh hat the entire time.

Nondescript Home of the Rainbow

As usual, I chose my Sage One five weight, and I hiked to a favored starting point and began casting by 11:30AM. My beginning configuration was an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher, and an olive perdigon. Does it sound familiar? It has become my go to fall lineup.

Whew. Torpedo.

I fished for fifteen minutes, before I broke for lunch, and I landed a stunning, deeply colored rainbow of fourteen inches on the olive perdigon. I was happy to break for lunch, as my wet hands were stinging severely after handling the fish and plunging them into the ice cold river.

Scene of Rainbow 2 Take

While consuming my lunch, I removed a bandana from my wader bib pocket, and I stuffed it inside the bib to serve as a drying rag, should I be fortunate enough to land more fish. After lunch I returned to the pool that yielded the nice rainbow, and during the next thirty minutes I netted two more rainbow trout. The first after lunch fish was a marvelous fat rainbow that exceeded fifteen inches, and the second one was also fine specimen of around fifteen inches and also quite thick. The second fish of the day nabbed the olive perdigon, but number three chowed on the 20 incher.

Lovely Pink Stripe

I continued up the river, until I ended my day downstream from a bridge, and I landed one more trout, a twelve inch brown. As you can imagine, this was a rather disappointing end to my day. One fish in 2.75 hours does not constitute hot fishing. It wasn’t even lukewarm! I covered a lot of water and confined my casts to places with depth and moderate current velocity. I was certain that additional rainbows would savor my flies, but I was wrong.

Number Three From Here

During the last thirty minutes I replaced the olive perdigon with a size 20 sparkle wing RS2. Two rises and sighting a single blue wing olive prompted the switch, but the tactic did not yield the intended results.

Smaller Than Rainbows, but Still Nice

I have to admit that Tuesday was a bit of a disappointment, in spite of landing three very respectable rainbow trout. The quality was present, but quantity was lacking. The other factor contributing to my disappointment was the timing of the landed fish. 75% of the action occurred in the first hour, and this left the last 2.75 hours as a long period of futility.

Fish Landed: 4

Eagle River – 10/20/2026

Time: 10:45AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Wolcott and Avon

Eagle River 10/20/2026 Photo Album

A day that began as a fall back, after water flows scuttled my plans, evolved into one of my best days of the year. I worked hard to carve out a fourteen fish day on Monday, and I was unsure whether my body could endure back to back days of fly fishing. The flows on the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon were steady at 69 CFS, and fly shop reports documented decent fishing using small flies. I decided to make the two plus hour trip to Eleven Mile.

Quite a Fatty

Unfortunately, when I checked the flows on Tuesday morning, I discovered that the tap was partially closed, and the flows dropped to 49 CFS. I concluded that this would dictate tough, technical fishing, and I shifted my thoughts to the Big Thompson River. I opened the DWR site, and I was again surprised by the resulting chart. Flows on the Big T were elevated to 153 CFS. I knew from experience that this quantity of water flowing through the Big Thompson Canyon created difficult fishing conditions. What was I to do?

Major Girth

I grumbled to my wife, Jane, and she suggested the Eagle River. I experienced a so-so day there on 10/12/2026, so I was reluctant to return, but the shifting releases along the Front Range left few options. I decided to make the drive and fish the Eagle River.

A Third Large Trout from the Pool

Head of Pool Produced the Fat Brown

The two hour drive was uneventful, and I arrived at my chosen parking lot by 10:15AM. The air temperature was a chilly 46 degrees with a moderate breeze, so I pulled on my Columbia long sleeve insulated undershirt and then added my fishing shirt, my fleece hoodie and a raincoat. I slid my fleece lined long underwear beneath my waders, and I was very comfortable during my day on the river, when the temperature rose to the upper fifties.

Love These Markings

I began my day at a huge pool, where I historically encountered some very nice blue wing olive hatches. Since I began before the typical hatch period, I decided to deploy a three fly dry/dropper set up that included an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and an olive perdigon.

Exposed Rocks and Pockets

As I was configuring my line, another angler arrived. He was perplexed that I was there, since his car was the only one at his parking pullout, so he asked where I parked. I told him my alternative spot. He was from Glenwood Springs, and he labeled himself a dry fly purist, and he made the drive to the Eagle to seek a blue winged olive hatch. I was ready before him, so I claimed the entering run, but I invited him to fish the bottom three-fourths of the pool. My plan was to nymph the head of the pool until lunch and then circle back to the tail, if a hatch developed. If a hatch was not forthcoming, I planned to migrate up the river toward the place where I parked.

Oh My. Another Big Boy.

Bank Side Dweller

Well, what transpired in the hour before lunch was a pleasant surprise. If my day had ended at lunch, I would have been very pleased. I landed four trout and three of them were spectacular beauties that stretched between fifteen and twenty inches. The three large trout were thick slabs, and I was in total amazement. Three of the morning catch were brown trout and one was a torpedo of a rainbow.

Football

North Bank Run

I retreated to a bench overlooking the pool to eat my lunch, and my new acquaintance waded to the shoreline and complained that he was cold and not adequately dressed. As I ate my lunch, I noted a few very sporadic rises in the lower two-thirds of the pool but not enough to entice me to stay; and besides, the other gentleman was present, and I invited him to fish there. It would have been impolite to reverse my offer at that stage.

Near the Boulders

I moved back to the top of the pool, and I landed another fifteen inch brown trout, as I prospected the small yet deep pockets above the long pool. In addition to the fifteen inch brown, I netted a couple browns in the twelve to thirteen inch range. For the remainder of the afternoon I progressed up the river while tossing the three fly combination in all the likely fish holding spots.

Very Respectable

Other than a lull from 1:30 until 2:30, the fishing was magical. It did not match the morning, but I boosted the fish counter from four at lunch to sixteen by the end my day. I circled around a wide and shallow riffle section and did the some for two slow moving pool areas. I was anxious to cover the narrow section with numerous deep runs and pockets, but that section coincided with my dry spell. It seemed that the fish were already seeking slower moving shelf pools and long seams between faster water and slower side pools.

Seam Inhabitant

By the end of my day I landed sixteen trout. Six stretched the tape to lengths in excess of fifteen inches, and those six were not suffering from malnutrition. They were healthy slabs that displayed the physical attributes of footballs. Two of the big ones were rainbows, and four were portly browns.

Ending the Day on This

The olive perdigon seemed to be the hot fly in the morning and early afternoon session, but the 20 incher came on strong after the afternoon lull. I estimate that half the trout nabbed the 20 incher and half grabbed the olive perdigon. By the end of the day the 20 incher was deteriorating, as the copper wire unraveled and broke off, and the peacock herl body was in a state of shredded fibers.

Tuesday was a total surprise. I was concerned that the brown trout were in spawning mode, but judging from the number of large browns of spawning age that I landed, I am certain that spawning is over or has not yet transpired. Sixteen fish made my day excellent, but six fish in excess of fifteen inches and another half dozen in the twelve to fifteen inch range moved the needle from excellent to outstanding. I suspect the number of larger fish landed on Tuesday was my best ever on a solo fishing trip in Colorado without a guide. If the weather cooperates, I will return.

Fish Landed: 16

 

South Boulder Creek – 10/19/2026

Time: 11:15AM – 3:00PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 10/196/2026 Photo Album

I had my eye on South Boulder Creek for two months, while the water managers released flows from the dam at a ridiculously low 4 CFS. Finally I saw a post on Instagram from one of the Boulder fly shops showing that the flows were increased to 66 CFS. I opened the DWR web site and confirmed that flows were at a steady 66 CFS for the last three days, so I made plans for a day of fly fishing on Monday, October 19, 2026.

Lovely Pool

Leaving the house at 8:30AM enabled me to drive to the parking lot, gear up, and hike to my chosen starting spot by 11:15AM. The temperature in the parking lot was 51 degrees. I knew I would perspire on my inbound hike, so I stuffed my long sleeve Columbia undershirt in my backpack along with my lunch and raincoat, and I tied my fleece hoodie around my waist under my waders. I rigged my Loomis two piece five weight for a sturdy, slow action dry fly casting rod.

Another Fine Rainbow Trout

When I arrived streamside, I shed all my layers and swapped my damp short sleeve undershirt for the Columbia version, and then I layered on my fishing shirt and my raincoat. I never resorted to the fleece hoodie, but I was pleased to have the safety net of another layer.

Left Side Pool

To begin my quest for trout I configured my floating line with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl and a 20 incher. These flies remained on my line for thirty minutes, until noon, when I paused for lunch. The 20 incher accounted for a small brown trout, but the chubby Chernobyl was attracting refusals. Given the interest in my surface offering, I opted to go with a double dry in the form of a peacock hippie stomper and a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis.

Ooh. Nice Brown Trout

The hippie stomper followed in the footsteps of the chubby Chernobyl, as I enticed looks and short strikes but no eats. The caddis also coaxed a splashy refusal. The morning was sending out ominous vibes, as I sat on a large rock to consume my lunch and ponder my next move.

Bank Side Pool

I landed one trout on a nymph, but all the other action was initiated by dry flies. I concluded that the trout were primarily looking toward the surface. However, as I observed the stream, I noted a few tiny mayflies, as they floated skyward. In order to cover my bases, I knotted a size 12 Jake’s gulp beetle to my line and followed it with a sunken black ant. For dessert in response to the sparse blue wing olives, I added a  third fly in the form of a size 20 sparkle wing RS2.

The Eye Broke Off from the Shank. A First for Me.

These flies allowed me to boost the fish count from one to fourteen by the time I exited the stream at 3:00PM. The beetle induced four trout to snatch it from the surface, while the RS2 tempted four additional fish into grabs. Five additional stream residents could not resist the tumbling sunken ant. Two of the ant eaters were respectable rainbows in the thirteen inch range, and I felt like the ant attracted larger fish than the other offerings. The fish that nipped the RS2 seemed to react to movement in the form of lifts and swings. The beetle eats were impulsive takes soon after the terrestrial splashed down in the creek.

Excellent Brown by SBC Starndards

I was paused on twelve fish, when I exited the creek and climbed the steep rocky bank to the path. I hiked back toward the parking lot for .5 mile, until I reached my favorite pool. Here I waded in at the tail and landed two additional trout to boost the fish count to fourteen on the day. A fine twelve inch brown trout nabbed the beetle, and a similar sized rainbow was duped by the RS2.

Likely Trout Home

Monday was a fun day on South Boulder Creek. I would characterize the fly fishing as steady. I covered quite a bit of water and endured a large quantity of casts. Unlike other outings on the small tailwater, I often made five or more cast to attractive places, before a fish grabbed my fly. During the warmer months, my chances of hooking a fish decline significantly after three casts, so Monday was different in that regard.

Handsome

I was quite pleased to earn success from my sunk ant. On my return hike I bumped into another angler, and I tried to show him the sunk ant pattern, but when I held it out for his inspection, I realized that it was simply a bare hook with the hackle for legs still attached. Somehow in the process of casting or landing fish, the two bumps got destroyed. I wonder how many more fish I would have caught, had I not been fishing with a bare shank, naked ant?

Secondary Run Was Productive

A fourteen fish day in late October is respectable in my book. The other angler showed me a perdigon that worked well for him, so if I return this season, I might offer an olive perdigon along with the ant. Hopefully the weather holds, and I can bank another day on South Boulder Creek.

Fish Landed: 14

Eagle River – 10/12/2026

Time: 11:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Between Wolcott and Avon

Eagle River 10/12/2026 Photo Album

After spending Wednesday through Sunday in the Flattops with only 1.5 hours of fishing, I was anxious to hit a stream on Monday, October 12. Adverse weather was predicted for Wednesday and Thursday, and a dermatology appointment on Tuesday confirmed that Monday was my fishing day for the week.

Mayfly at the Start of My Day

I checked out the weather report for the Eagle River, the Arkansas River and the South Platte River; and the Eagle River appeared to be the most favorable. The stream flows remained below seasonal levels at 55 CFS, but the river seemed very fishable during my visit on 10/02/2026. In order to finalize my decision, I reviewed blog posts from the Eagle River from previous fall seasons, and I was pleased to discover that I fished the Eagle on 10/13/2025, and I landed sixteen trout. This sealed the deal.

Leaf Grip

I departed Denver by 7:45AM, and I arrived at my destination parking lot by 10:30AM. The temperature was 56 degrees, so I pulled on my long sleeve Under Armour insulated shirt under my fishing shirt and then added my raincoat for warmth and as a windbreaker. For the most part I was dressed appropriately for my day on the river. I assembled my Sage One five weight for dealing with the wind and handling larger fish, should I be lucky enough to tangle with one.

Deep Pocket Delivered

By the time I hiked to the river to fish, my watch displayed 11:00AM. I began my fly fishing day with an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl, an olive perdigon and a salvation nymph. During the one hour, before I broke for lunch, I landed one brown trout that was beneath the twelve inch measurement. I limited my casts to places with depth and moderate current, and this strategy in turn required that I hike or wade around some wide and shallow areas or slow-moving pools.

Pleased

I was disappointed with my results in the morning hour, so after lunch I jettisoned the salvation nymph and replaced it with a 20 incher. I maintained the olive perdigon in the upper position and attached the 20 incher on the point. These flies remained in place for the remainder of the day, although I exchanged their positioning at 1:30PM, and for the last hour I swapped the perdigon out for a return engagement with the salvation nymph.

Deep Run Was Home to a Brown Trout

How did I fare? It was a very slow day. After lunch I landed two twelve-inch brown trout. One snatched the perdigon and the other nabbed the 20 incher. I covered a huge amount of real estate and made an abundant quantity of casts, but the fish for the most part were not, where I expected them to be. I tried upstream casts with a lift above exposed rocks. Another ploy was to cast up and across at forty-five degrees with a swing and lift at the end. None of these tactics produced consistent results.

Beast of the Day

Two bright spots highlighted my afternoon. I tossed a short cast to a deep hole above an exposed rock, and I observed a sudden grab almost instantly. I set the hook and found myself attached to a marvelous, deeply colored rainbow trout. When I slid it into my net, I estimated it to measure around seventeen inches, and it carried quite a bit of weight through its girth.

Large Rainbow Materialized in Front of the Exposed Rock

A bit later I noted a snatch of one of the nymphs, as they began to swing at the end of a drift through some riffles of moderate depth. This rainbow stretched to fifteen inches, and it was also a brightly colored wild fish.

Another Large Rainbow Graced My Net

The two rainbows made my day and raised the fish count to five. For the last half hour, I focused on prime spots, and I returned the salvation to my line, but the fish were uncooperative. I saw very little insect activity, and that probably explains the slow action. Also, the absence of larger brown trout suggested that spawning sessions were in progress, although I never actually saw spawning fish.

Seam Right of Center Delivered

Monday was a slow day, but I managed to land five trout, with two being prime rainbows. I will most likely be out of action for the remainder of the week, but next week’s weather forecast looks encouraging. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 5

North Fork of the White River – 10/08/2026

Time: 4:00PM – 5:30PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 10/08/2026 Photo Album

Jane, Amy and I completed a never before done hike on Thursday on the Wall Lake Trail. We did not hike to Wall Lake, but we did reach a no name lake at the junction of the Wall Lake Trail and Oyster Lake Trail. By the time we returned to our Cedar Cabin at Ute Lodge it was 3:00PM, and I quickly devoured some snacks and headed out for a short stint on the North Fork of the White River.

I rigged my Sage One five weight and followed a short path to the edge of the river. The North Fork was flowing at decent levels as a result of a series of rain storms in September and October.

Nice Start

I began with a tan chubby Chernobyl trailing a 20 incher, and I persisted with these flies for thirty minutes, before I added an olive perdigon. Toward the end of my time on the river I exchanged the olive perdigon for a salvation nymph.

Product of Riffles

During my 1.5 hours on the North Fork I landed five rainbow trout. The best was a solid fourteen inch fish, and it was joined by a pair of nice twelve inchers. The other two that visited my net were on the small side.

Half In, Half Out

The section of the river that I fished contained a large amount of wide and shallow riffles and areas, where the river split into two braids. For the most part I skipped around these sections. I was very selective and focused my efforts on places with depth and slower, but not too slow, currents.

Narrow Band Along the Rocks Delivered

By 5:30PM I decided I needed to begin my return hike to the car, but the exit proved to be quite an adventure. The river bank was lined with thick, woody bushes; and at first I attempted to blast my way through, but my rod and line were continually grabbed by the stiff branches. I was totally thwarted, when the salvation nymph that was hooked to my rod guide snapped off, and I saw no opening to proceed. I retreated to the edge of the river and moved upstream, but I fell into the same trap a second time. In this instance I followed some beaver paths and trenches, but they ultimately ended in a thick grove of the menacing bushes, and I once again retreated to the river’s edge. Finally I arrived at a large bend in the river, and I mounted a steep bank. Here I encountered a relatively open area with some evergreens, and I was able to weave through the trees to a pullout and eventually the road. When I returned to the cabin, I discovered that my Loon floatant was missing, as it apparently was torn off my frontpack during the melee with the branches.

Five fish in 1.5 hours was a decent outing. Three rainbows over twelve inches was respectable. Hopefully I will be able to sneak in a few more hours on this Flattops trip.

Fish Landed: 5

South Platte River – 10/05/2026

Time: 10:45AM – 3:00PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 10/05/2026 Photo Album

With a non-fishing trip planned to the mountains later in the week, I felt I needed to take advantage of Monday, October 5, 2026 with another day trip. The South Platte River was running at a steady 67 CFS, and fly shop reports indicated that tricos and pale morning duns were still present along with early stages of fall blue wing olives. That information was enough to convince me to make the drive to Eleven Mile Canyon.

Love the Look of the Water In the Background

I arrived at my chosen section of the canyon at 10:15AM, and the dashboard temperature was 56 degrees. Much of the stretch that I was about to fish was covered with shade, so I decided to wear my raincoat for warmth. I wore it the entire day, although there were a few times, when I was in full sunlight, and I was overheated. My fly rod of choice was my Sage R8 four weight, since I love casting it, and the wide open South Platte River is a benign environment for a fly rod.

Rainbow Haven

By 10:45AM I was perched along the bank, and I began my day with a size 8 tan pool toy hopper, a salvation nymph and an olive perdigon. In the first hour from 10:45AM until 11:45AM, when I broke for lunch, I landed five trout. Needless to say I was rather pleased with this result. The first fish was a surprise thirteen inch rainbow that slammed the hopper. The remaining four were brown trout, and they all snatched the olive perdigon. I saw two tricos, but a surface feeding trico spinner event never materialized. I suspect one needs to be in the first couple miles below the dam for a true trico experience.

Trough Productive

After lunch I continued with the dry/dropper, and I raised the fish count from five to nine with nearly all the takes attributable to the olive perdigon. There may have been one salvation customer.

Flabby Belly

By 1:30 I began to see a few random blue wing olives in the air, but no surface rises were evident. I decided to test a RS2 which imitates the nymph state of a blue wing olive. I moved the olive perdigon to the upper position, and I found a 20 incher with a one foot section of monofilament attached. I knotted the mono to the eye of the olive perdigon, and rather than remove the 20 incher in favor of the RS2, I decided to give the large stonefly imitation a trial.

Prime Run

It did not perform well, and it seemed to be snagging and creating an unnatural drift, so I finally conceded to my initial inclination and tied on a size 22 RS2. The RS2 worked its magic, and I landed three trout on the tiny nymph to bring the fish count to thirteen. All the RS2 takes were associated with a swing or lift at the end of the drift, so the trout were attracted to an emerging or escaping nymph.

Another Fine Bow

At 2:30PM I arrived at a gorgeous pool with a center cut current that fanned out into a nice long pool. The pool was not entirely smooth and contained small swirly surface riffles. I began to see sporadic rises among this perfect pool environment, and more tiny blue wing olives were present than earlier.

Juicy Spot

I concluded that I should commit to dries, so I removed the dry/dropper rig and converted to a peacock hippie stomper and a mole fly. I waited until I spotted one of the random rises in order to locate a fish, and I began popping the double dry to the vicinity of rises. This approach entailed a fair amount of waiting, as the rises were spaced out time wise, and prospecting seemed futile. Eventually I popped a cast toward the swirly center section, and a brown trout pounced on the mole fly.

Pool Had Rising Fish

I thoroughly dried the mole fly, so that it would float and be visible, and after quite a few casts, I tossed one to the entering current right above me, where I had seen a solid rise. Wham! A solid thirteen inch rainbow clobbered the hippie stomper and increased the fish count to fifteen. In the process of landing the rainbow, the mole fly broke off, so I replaced it with another, but the rainbow that ate the stomper would be my last catch of the day. I swapped the mole fly for a soft hackle emerger fished dry for the final fifteen minutes, but I quickly ended up with a tangle, and that ended my day.

Fifteen trout on a section of the South Platte in Eleven Mile never before fished was a success in my book. I landed a fourteen inch brown trout before lunch, and three chunky rainbows in the thirteen inch range joined the parade. Add a few twelve inch browns and a remaining population of sub-twelve inchers, and that equals a fine day of autumn fly fishing. I would not mind returning on a cloudy day to see, if the BWO hatch intensifies.

Fish Landed: 15

Eagle River – 10/02/2026

Time: 10:30AM – 3:15PM

Location: Between Minturn and Edwards

Eagle River 10/02/2026 Photo Album

After a successful day on Thursday on the Frying Pan River, I was undecided on my fly fishing option for Friday. The action on the Frying Pan heated up late in the afternoon; and I would, therefore, want to remain on the river until late in the day. However, Friday was my getaway day, and I faced a three hour drive back to Denver. From the upper miles of the Frying Pan the trip was closer to four hours. My alternative was to test the Eagle River. It was along my homeward drive, and it actually reduced my trip home by an hour or more. I made the Eagle River my destination.

Surprised by This Hopper Eater

Hopper Take in Current Seam Along the Bank

I experienced quite a bit of success on the Eagle in the spring of 2026 and during the fall of 2025, so I was guardedly optimistic that I could recreate some of that good fortune. I arrived at my chosen parking space by 10:00AM, and by the time I geared up and hiked to the river, it was 10:30AM.

Nice Little Run Boulder to Boulder

I selected my Sage One five weight for Friday duty. The Eagle River was one of the rivers that experienced voluntary closure during the hot summer months, so I was concerned about the stream level for this October visit. Once I returned home, I discovered that the flows were between 65 and 70 CFS during my stay on the river. Clearly these were low flows, but the river seemed to be quite fishable. I adjusted my approach by focusing my efforts on sections of the river, where the riverbed narrowed thus creating deep pockets, slots, riffles and oxygenated whitewater.

Different Light

I cast a three fly dry/dropper throughout the day, and only varied the offering a few times. Initially I presented a tan size 8 pool toy hopper and trailed an olive perdigon and salvation nymph. One hungry brown trout crushed the hopper early in the game, but that was the extent of the action between 10:30AM and 11:45AM. The brown was a spectacular specimen, as it probably measured in excess of fifteen inches.

Behind the Large Exposed Rock

After lunch I contemplated a change, and I did, in fact, adjust my lineup. First I shortened my dropper to three feet, and then I replaced the pool toy hopper with an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl. I was opting for the improved visibility offered by the two white poly wings of the chubby. I knotted a 20 incher in the upper nymph position, and I moved the salvation to the point. These flies allowed me to move the fish count to three, but it took quite a while.

Held Above the River

I was drifting flies through all the likely structure that delivered excellent results in previous visits, but the fish were not readily cooperating. At some point I replaced the salvation with the olive perdigon, and the chubby/20 incher/olive perdigon yielded the best results. I finished the day with nine trout landed, and I felt this was actually rather commendable after the woeful start.

Another Bank Eater

Although the fish count was on the low side for nine hours of fly fishing, I did land some fish that were above average in size. There was the pool toy savoring brown trout in the early going, and I netted a second brown of at least fifteen inches late in the day on the olive perdigon. A thick slab of a rainbow crushed the chubby Chernobyl in the two o’clock time frame, and fish number eight was a superb rainbow that grabbed the 20 incher in a deep slot. Number eight was a muscular torpedo of a fish that probably measured sixteen inches, but it’s girth was very impressive.

Quite a View

On the day I landed three rainbows, and the remainder were brown trout. Two trout smacked dry flies, as I mentioned, and the remainder of the fish were split among the nymphs. I recall one fish taking the salvation, two gobbled the 20 incher, and the rest grabbed the olive perdigon.

Rainbow Home

I noticed virtually no insect activity. There were a few sparse tiny caddis buzzing about, but they were not on the water enough for the fish to waste energy in pursuit. I was hoping for straggling pale morning duns or early blue wing olives, but neither made an appearance. I’m pretty sure I will return again to this destination in October, but Friday was a tough day. Large fish always offset any disappointment, and that was the case on October 2, 2026.

Fish Landed: 9

Frying Pan River – 10/01/2026

Time: 10:00AM – 5:00PM

Location: Between MM10 and Ruedi Dam

Frying Pan River 10/01/2026 Photo Album

When I arrived at my chosen pullout, the temperature was 51 degrees with a stiff breeze. I was chilly. I pulled on my Under Armour long sleeve insulated undershirt and then added three layers; my fishing shirt, a fleece hoodie, and my rain shell. I was comfortable.

I decided to devote the first hour to tossing streamers, so I dug my sink tip line and reel out of my backpack and attached them to my Sage R8 four weight. I was using a five weight line on a four weight rod, but chucking weighted streamers is an inexact science, and I did not notice the line to rod mismatch.

The river was chugging along at 125 CFS, and it was tinged with an olive color. I knotted an olive articulated streamer with a skull head to my leader as the lead fly and followed it with a size 8 Mickey Finn. I persisted with the double streamer for an hour, and I landed a thirteen inch rainbow on the Mickey Finn and experienced two momentary grabs. I moved up the river at a steady pace and experimented with casts in all directions and a variety of retrieves.

Streamer Eater

By 11:00AM I reached the top of a long run and pool, and I was roasting under the overhead sun, so I retreated to the car. I stripped down and shed the Under Armour and replaced it with a high tech short sleeve undershirt. I also dumped the fleece, and I rolled up the raincoat and placed it in my fishing backpack. In addition, I reeled up my line and swapped my sink tip line for my floating four weight. By the time I completed all these adjustments and hiked back to slightly above my original starting point, thirty minutes elapsed.

Respectable

I resumed fly fishing with a size 8 tan pool toy hopper, a 20 incher, and a salvation nymph. Between 11:30AM and my lunch break at 12:15PM, I added two twelve inch trout to the count. One was a rainbow, and one was a brown, and one ate the 20 incher, and one consumed the salvation. I ate my lunch at 12:15PM with the fish count paused at three after 1.5 plus hours of concentrated fishing. Several severe snarls caused by foul hooked fish also necessitated some unproductive maintenance time.

Right Braid

After lunch I progressed up the river along the right bank, and I increased the fish count from three to eight. This period featured some nicer fish in the thirteen to fourteen inch range, and the salvation became the desired food for the trout. This was by no means hot fishing, as I covered a lot of water and generated an abundant quantity of casts.

Dipper Nest

I anxiously anticipated cube rock pool, but when I arrived there, it was occupied by another angler. I retreated to the bottom of the island and waded up the pitifully low and unfishable left braid, until I reached the deep pockets above the split in the river and the angler blocking my upstream migration.

Big Grip

It was around 3:00PM, and a few PMD’s, BWO’s and caddis were present, and I observed a handful of sporadic rises. I was not tempted to switch to a dry fly, and I continued to fish the three fly dry/dropper. The salvation began to out produce the 20 incher, and eventually I swapped the 20 incher for a brown perdigon. The perdigon/salvation combination performed slightly better than the 20 incher/salvation alternative.

Pleased

I continued fishing the pocket water in the narrow section that is usually too fast and marginal at higher flows. On this day, however, many more fish-holding lies appeared, and I moved the fish count from eight to sixteen. Eventually I encountered another angler in a prime pool, and I watched him land at least three fish.

Next to Exposed Rock Produced

I climbed the bank to an angled pool and eddy just below a large exposed rock that jutted at a right angle into the river. I spotted several rising fish, so I very stealthily shed the dry/dropper and tied on a cinnamon comparadun. After an inordinate number of casts to rises, an eleven inch brown sipped the comparadun.

Fish of the Day

I decided the fish were eating something different, but it must have been quite small, because I observed no food source in the air or on the water. I decided to try a CDC BWO, and to ease tracking I combined it with a hippie stomper. Nothing. The fish were still rising, so I cycled through a tiny size 18 caddis with a beige body and a light gray size 18 comparadun. Again the fish voted no. Next I selected an Adams, and it was also rejected.

Eddy Home of Large Brown

Quite a few caddis danced about, so I tried a size 16 gray body deer hair caddis. This move paid dividends, and I landed three browns to move the count to twenty. Icing on the cake were a sixteen and twenty inch brown among the final three.

A small fish was rising next to the jutting rock at the core of the eddy, and I decided to try for it. On the third cast the trailing caddis inched toward the vortex, and suddenly a large mouth appeared, and the caddis disappeared. What a pleasant surprise to slide a twenty inch brown into my under sized net.

In the end I managed a twenty fish day, but the path to that accomplishment was not without challenges. I expected more hatch activity including green drakes, but most of the day was spent tossing the dry/dropper. Nevertheless, five very fine trout in the thirteen to twenty inch range found my net, and that was quite rewarding. The Frying Pan River remains a favorite for this avid angler.

Fish Landed: 20