Arkansas River – 06/03/2026

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Time: 11:15AM – 3:30PM

Location: Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 06/03/2026 Photo Album

My confidence was at a low ebb after getting skunked on the South Platte River in Waterton Canyon. This was the second zero fish day delivered by the South Platte River sections downstream from Cheesman Dam in the last month. As I surveyed options for a day of fly fishing on Wednesday, June 3, 2026; I was intrigued by the Arkansas River. Yes, it was a long drive, but the flows were at a reasonable 320 CFS at Salida, and the fly shop reports were very encouraging. The report from the fly shop in Salida mentioned late blue wing olives, golden stoneflies, caddis and pale morning duns. It also emphasized that the fish were spread out and feeding. All of this at the beginning of June, when the river is usually crashing along at 2000 CFS and discolored. I had to test it out.

But wait a minute. My last trip to the Arkansas River on 5/11/2026 yielded two small fish. Would Wednesday be a repeat? I decided to gamble on the Arkansas, since many of the other options were more impacted by the weak early run off of 2026. However, instead of visiting the river in the Buena Vista area, I opted for Salida.

Number One

I made the long drive from Denver to Bighorn Sheep Canyon below Salida, I arrived at 10:45 AM, and this put me on the water by 11:15AM. The temperature was in the low seventies, as I prepared to fish, so I wore no extra layers, but I stuffed my raincoat in my backpack in case of afternoon showers. When I gazed at the river from high above at my parking spot, I noted that it was indeed very clear and flowing at very favorable levels.

Narrow Ribbon Along Bank Produced First Fish

I hiked along the highway for .3 mile, at which point I found a nice angled worn path that led me even farther downstream, but the slope was mild and very agreeable to this aging fisherman. I immediately rigged my line with a tan chubby Chernobyl trailing an olive and a black Pat’s rubber legs. The first bankside pocket failed to deliver, but when I delivered my first cast to a marginal ribbon of slow water along the bank, a fish attacked the olive rubber legs, and I played and landed a fourteen inch brown trout. What a start to my day!

Rubber Legs Duo

I continued up the river through a section with very deep slow moving pools among huge rocks, and my flies remained unmolested. As I progressed, I noticed a couple pale morning dun size naturals, and a few blue wing olives, and more golden stoneflies, as they soared upward from the river. The rubber legs were not attracting attention, so I swapped the black model for an iron sally which imitates the nymph of a golden stonefly.

Amazing Black Spots

Bingo. The iron sally was popular, and I landed two more fine brown trout in the thirteen to fourteen inch range, before I paused for lunch at 11:45AM on a sandy beach inlet next to the river. My first half hour was quite productive, and I was encouraged by the success of the iron sally. I was even more pleased that I spotted natural golden stoneflies and selected a nymph imitation that matched the hatch.

Sweet Run

After lunch I continued up the river with the three fly dry/dropper combination, and I added two very nice browns to the count. One crushed the chubby Chernobyl, and the other grabbed the iron sally. These trout were respectable fish in the thirteen to fourteen inch range. By one o’clock some heavy dark clouds rolled above me, and I heard some distant thunder. I had the foresight to wade to the shore to pull on my raincoat, before conditions deteriorated.

Wide Riffle Section

As luck would have it, I foul hooked a nice fish, and it twisted my line into several overhand knots, and I struggled to untangle the mess. Of course this was the very moment, when the wind kicked up, and the rain began to splash down. I retreated to some slanted vertical rock walls and cottonwood trees while holding the tangle, and then I performed line repair while waiting out the storm.

Gentle Release

Fortunately it was very brief, and I was able to resume with my flies and line in their proper arrangement. At this point I began to witness repeated refusals to the chubby Chernobyl. I suspected that the trout were tuned into golden stoneflies, and my tan size eight chubby was close enough to entice them to look, but at the moment of decision on whether to eat, it was too large. I contemplated my options, and I remembered the mini chubbys, that I carried in my box.

Love the Curl

I replaced the top fly with a tan mini chubby, and below it on a four foot leader I knotted the iron sally. This combination enabled me to boost the fish count from six to ten, and similar to earlier trout, these were respectable brown trout. One smashed the mini chubby and the others nabbed the trailing iron sally.

Deep Slot

The weather cleared, and although I only landed one trout on the mini chubby, it seemed to not attract the many refusals that resulted from drifting the larger chubby. I saw a few more larger gray mayflies, and I began to wonder, if pale morning duns were present. I stripped in my line and added a supernova PMD imitation to imitate the nymph of a PMD.

Net Overhang

For the remainder of my time I persisted with the mini chubby, iron sally and supernova; and I increased the fish count from ten to nineteen. This was easily my best action of the day. Numbers eleven through thirteen were sub twelve inch fish, but fourteen through nineteen were very nice brown trout in the thirteen to fifteen inch range. The iron sally continued to produce, but the supernova chipped in with four landed fish, and these trout seemed to respond to movement of the supernova nymph in the form of swings and lifts.

Perfect Pocket

By 3:30 I reached a point, where I was “walled out”, so I retraced my steps to an easy exit point. Walled out means that I faced a huge boulder, and the water was deep and swift next to it, so it was impossible to progress without climbing a very steep bank back to the highway to circle around the barrier. At 3:30 in the afternoon I was not prepared for this arduous task. In addition the sky was once again threatening.

What a day! My slump was left behind. I landed nineteen gorgeous brown trout. Three were less than twelve inches, two were roughly a foot long, and the remainder were in the thirteen to sixteen inch range. One brown was sixteen, and a couple were fat fifteen inch prizes. On the day two trout ate chubbys, one grabbed the olive Pat’s rubber legs, four nipped the supernova, and the remainder attacked the iron sally. Hooray for the iron sally; the fly of the day.  Hopefully I can make another trip to the Arkansas River before the flows drop and the water temperatures warm.

Fish Landed: 19

South Platte River – 06/01/2026

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Time: 11:00AM – 1:00PM

Location: Waterton Canyon

South Platte River 06/01/2026 Photo Album

I set several goals for my fly fishing expedition on Monday, June 1, 2026. First, I planned to get exercise, and this was fulfilled, as I cycled nine miles on my roundtrip to my fishing destination and back. Second, I hoped to see wildlife, and on my return trip down the canyon I encountered two bighorn rams and paused to grab some photos. Third, I hoped to avoid some serious thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon. I made it back to the parking lot, before overhead dark clouds produced rain or hail. And last, I hoped to catch a few fish.

I chose the South Platte River in Waterton Canyon, after I reviewed all the flows on all the Colorado Rivers that I frequent. Several surprising options appeared that required longer drives, and I was not up for that, so I focused on nearby alternatives. South Boulder Creek was flowing from Gross Reservoir at 142 CFS. That level is a bit high for my tastes, but I have successfully fished SBC at flows up to 180 CFS.

The fishery that jumped out at me was the South Platte River in Waterton Canyon. Releases from Strontia Springs Dam were reasonable at 130 CFS, and the drive to that destination was forty-five minutes. Reaching the upper special regulation water, however, required a bike ride, but I viewed that as an opportunity for exercise. I made the commitment to fish the South Platte River in Waterton Canyon. It had been at least two years since I last visited the waterway in southwestern Denver.

In addition to my normal checklist of fly fishing gear, I added a backpack and mountain bike. I threw everything in the back of the Telluride and arrived at the designated parking lot by 10:30AM. The sky was bright blue and nearly cloudless as I prepared to fish. I followed my normal routine, but when I arrived at putting on my waders, wading boots, backpack and frontpack, I packed them in my backpack. My fly rod and wading staff and reel and net also found a spot in my pack.

I maintained a moderate pace, as I cycled up the gradual grade of the dirt road that used to serve as a train bed. Eventually after 4.5 miles of pedaling I arrived at my chosen base camp spot, the Rattlesnake Pavilion, but another angler occupied my preferred spot. I performed a U-turn and found a picnic table next to the river just above a bridge. I cabled my bike to the picnic table and prepared to fish by pulling on my waders and wading boots and all the other gear that was required for fly fishing.

Downstream from Start

Once I was properly geared up, I hiked down the road for .5 mile, and then I angled down a short but steep bank to the river. The rest of this story is rather brief. I fished upstream from 11;00AM until 1:00PM through prime water, and I failed to catch a single fish. In fact, I never saw a fish. There were no rises, no fish darting from a clumsy wading step, no looks, no refusals and no takes.

130 CFS

I led with a tan chubby Chernobyl trailing an olive Pat’s rubber legs and bright green caddis pupa, but I quickly switched the caddis pupa for a black rubber legs. This setup matched that which delivered excellent results in recent outings. After the futility of the rubber legs, I swapped the black version for a beadhead hares ear. My results did not improve, and then I replaced the olive Pat’s rubber legs with an olive perdigon. I wanted additional weight for deeper drifts with a small footprint, and the perdigon met those requirements.

I sought the seams and deep runs at the tops of the pools as well as deeper pockets, but none of these locations yielded results. I hoped that these locations were less pressured, and the faster current spurred the fish to react without much time to study the flies. It was a solid thought, but it did not produce.

At one o’clock I was wading along the edge of the river, and I placed my right foot on a slippery angled rock. I leaned all my weight against my wading staff, which I believed to be solidly anchored, but suddenly the stick slid. I placed even more weight on the staff, and it was trapped beneath a rock ledge. I heard a snap, and the wooden rod broke one-third of the way from the top. The inertia of my lean continued, and I tipped over on my right side briefly, which allowed a small amount of water to spill over the top of my waders.

Snapped in Two

Had the fishing been average, I could have continued, but given my lack of success, I chose not to undertake the risky path of fishing without a wading stick. I was a bit wet, and some dark clouds were sliding across the sky just south of my position.

I gathered my rod and my broken wading staff and returned to my base camp at the picnic table. I quickly removed my gear and stashed it in my backpack, unlocked the bike, and coasted back to the parking lot. Along the way I encountered two rams on the side of the road next to the river. I assume they were making their way to the river for liquid refreshment. Up close they impressed me with their thick size and large horns. I took a movie and snapped a couple photos and moved on.

Back to Calm Along the Road

I finished loading the SUV before some drops of rain appeared on my windshield. When I returned home, I was met with the aftermath of a significant thunderstorm. Leaves were everywhere, and piles of marble size hail balls filled the raised beds and patio landscape. I quickly inspected the carnage in my garden, and it was not pretty.

After I unloaded the car, I began the task of replacing my wading staff. I had another wooden rod that I purchased at Home Depot, so I cut it to size. Next I drilled two large holes that could accept the nylon rope at the top of the staff. My final production step was to attach a rubber knob to the bottom of the wooden rod. Of course, I grabbed the the rubber knob that I miraculously recovered on a recent fishing trip. For this wading staff I attached the rubber knob with two wood screws instead of one. I am now prepared for another fishing trip, hopefully this week.

Fish Landed: 0

South Platte River – 05/29/2026

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Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 05/29/2026 Photo Album

I finally found myself with an open day on Friday, May 29, 2026, so I decided to log another day of fly fishing. As I surveyed my stream fishing options, I noted that Front Range streams were gradually rising and reflecting some level of run off. I settled on the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon, as the flows were running in the 220 CFS range. This level is higher than I favor as a result of moving water from Antero, but the fly shop reports were encouraging, and I knew from prior experience that 220 CFS was manageable.

I arrived at my chosen parking area at 10:00AM, and this enabled me to wade into the river to begin fly fishing by 10:30AM. The air temperature was in the upper fifties with quite a bit of cloud cover, so I wore my raincoat for warmth and in case of precipitation. As the day progressed, I wore my raincoat the entire time; and, in fact, I weathered three periods of brief rain showers. On several occasions I was actually chilled and contemplated returning to the car for my fleece.

Wide Section

The day actually broke down into three separate sessions. Between my start and noon, when I broke for lunch, I netted nine trout. During this time I utilized a dry/dropper set up with a leading tan chubby Chernobyl followed by an olive Pat’s rubber legs and then a black Pat’s rubber legs. This combination has been a recurring theme during my recent stream visits. In this case the approach worked but not as convincingly as was the case on South Boulder Creek and the Eagle River. Surprisingly, three of the trout crushed the chubby Chernobyl and four nabbed the black Pat’s rubber legs. Two consumed a beadhead hares ear nymph, after I swapped it for the black rubber legs. Two browns extended to twelve inches, and the remainder fell beneath the one foot standard.

Held Out for Display

After lunch a couple appeared thirty yards above me. They did not spot me at first. I worked up the river a short distance, until I was within twenty yards, and I landed two small browns in the process. I approached a spot where the river ran tight to the thick vegetation, so I exited and fought my way to the road and walked upstream a short distance, before I cut back to the river. I had some attractive water ahead of me, but I worked my way downstream to the top of the braid along the road assuming I would work my way upstream to the nice smooth side channel, where I normally encounter rising fish.

Inviting

Guess who made another appearance? Yes, the fishing couple stationed themselves in the area that I coveted. In a fit of disgust, I climbed the bank and hiked .2 mile back to the car. I moved the car back up the river to a pullout next to another section that I typically enjoy. There was a red Jeep SUV parked there as well, and when I started to walk down the bank, I noticed a female angler. I quickly reversed my direction and walked up the road a bit, before I cut back down to the river. I was set to cast, and I glanced downstream and spotted the male member of the fishing couple.

Deep Pocket

In a fit of frustration I once again climbed to the road, and continued upstream a short distance to a long pool section. I made some backhand casts to the pool with no results, but I discovered that I could cross to the opposite side by wading through some moderately deep but slow moving water at the tail of the pool. I completed the crossing, and that secured my fly fishing solitude for the remainder of the day.

Fine Rainbow

Between one o’clock and 2:30PM I progressed up the river and fished some very enticing pools. I abandoned the dry/dropper configuration in favor of a double dry that featured a peacock hippie stomper and a mole fly. The mole fly accounted for a few small fish, but a lull in action ensued, so I replaced it with a light gray size 16 deer hair caddis. The caddis gained some favor with the trout, particularly when I twitched or lifted the fly. The fish count elevated from eleven to eighteen during this double dry fly episode. A few trout clobbered the hippie stomper, but the caddis was responsible for the remainder.

Another Rainbow in the Net

Throughout the early afternoon I experienced showers. The second brief downpour actually caused rain droplets to bead on my new raincoat. Early in the afternoon I spotted a handful of blue wing olive mayflies, and this coincided with my success with the mole fly. Each time the sky darkened with heavy clouds, I noted a few mayflies in the air. In fact, I rarely saw a caddis, so perhaps the trout were taking the size 16 hackled caddis adult as a large baetis? Quite a few refusals were interspersed with the takes, so the downwing vs upright wing may explain the reluctance to eat my fly by some of the stream residents.

Long Pool Next to the Bank

By 2:30PM I suffered through another fish catching drought, so I reverted to the dry/dropper. Once again I opted for the chubby Chernobyl, but for nymphs I tied on a bright green sparkle pupa, and I added a salvation nymph on the point. I worked these flies through fishy runs, pockets and troughs and boosted the fish count to twenty-three. Movement was key, and several fish smacked one of the nymphs on the lift or twitch.

Pretty Pattern

At 3:30PM I neared another long smooth pool section, and I was reluctant to fish it with the dry/dropper setup, so I called it a day and found my old crossing point, before I returned to the car. Friday was a fun day. I landed twenty-three trout, although size was somewhat lacking. One rainbow extended to thirteen inches, and another three fish measured twelve inches with the remainder in the six to eleven in range. I am obviously spoiled by the Eagle River, but given the time of year and the onset of run off on many streams, I was pleased with the results. I managed to escape my nemesis, the fishing couple, and captured a bit of fly fishing solitude. The weather was quite variable, but I suspect the cloud cover was favorable for the trout.

Fish Landed: 23

South Boulder Creek – 05/23/2026

Time: 11:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 05/23/2026 Photo Album

With commitments stacking for the week after Memorial Day, I was anxious to squeeze in a day of fly fishing, so I settled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. It was risky, but my concerns turned out to be unfounded. I chose South Boulder Creek as my destination, because the flows at 70 CFS were advantageous compared to other Front Range streams, and I was averse to making another long drive, particularly with labor day traffic heading into the mountains.

For Show

Early Take Site

I arrived at the Walker Ranch Trailhead parking lot on Saturday morning and prepared to fish. The lot was overflowing, such that cars were parallel parked along the entry/exit road, but I lucked out and found a spot in the lower lot relatively close to the trailhead. I was concerned about fly fishing competition, but I eventually learned that most of the visitors were cyclists, hikers and dog walkers.

Workhorse Pat’s Rubber Legs

The temperature was in the upper fifties, but when clouds blocked the sun, a chilly wind blew through my shirt. I knew I would overheat, if I wore an extra layer, so I stuffed my raincoat in my backpack as an insurance policy. I quickly assembled my Loomis two piece five weight, and I was on my way. All this preparation enabled me to arrive next to the creek to begin my quest for trout by 11:30AM.

Deep Trough

Broad Shoulders

After experiencing excellent success on Tuesday on the Eagle River with two Pat’s rubber leg nymphs, I was curious to discover, if the same flies would produce on the small tailwater of South Boulder Creek. I began my day with a tan chubby Chernobyl trailing a medium olive-black Pat’s rubber legs and a coffee and black rubber legs as the end fly. I never switched flies as the day progressed, so I can report that the smaller fish of South Boulder Creek relish the Pat’s rubber legs just as much as Eagle River rainbows. The creek was tinged a bit, so I suspect that the black rubber legs contrasted nicely and caught the attention of the resident trout.

Nice for SBC

Between 11:30AM and 1:10PM I racked up fifteen trout. A bit past one o’clock I stepped in a spot that was deceptively deep. My right foot searched for bottom, but never found it, and consequently my entire body spun, and I tilted backward, until I was on my back in the creek. Ice cold water rushed over the top of my waders. before I could right myself. After uttering quite a few loud expletives, I debated whether to begin my return hike or continue. The sky was quite cloudy, and the lack of sun and cool breeze was not helping my soaked state. I decided to continue, until I hit twenty and then return regardless of the time.

Deep Run

I fished on and built the fish count to twenty-one, even though my feet were transforming into cold stumps. Sloshing water pressed my long underwear against my legs, and that was not a comfortable feeling. Nevertheless, persistence enabled me to boost the fish count to twenty-one, and then I climbed the bank for my return hike. Surely the one mile hike up the steep incline to the parking lot would warm me up.

Stretched Out

Shelf Pool Deluxe

In spite of my soggy state, I stopped at two favorite haunts on the return hike, and I added two more fish including a nice twelve inch rainbow. A twenty-three fish day in three hours of fishing was certainly respectable. I was pleased to net some decent trout for South Boulder Creek in the 12 – 13 inch range, I estimate that sixty percent of my catch were brown trout with the remainder rainbows, and as usual, the rainbows ran slightly larger on average than the browns. Roughly five of the landed fish grabbed the olive Pat’s rubber legs, while the remainder inhaled the coffee-black version.

Pastel Rainbow

I am unable to suggest a favorite water type that yielded fish. I cast across the creek to slower moving shelf areas and allowed the flies to drift downstream and swing, and quite a few fish reacted favorably to this approach, However, Upstream casts to deep areas produced as well, typically as the flies reached the tail out section. A few trout smacked one of the rubber legs almost the instant they hit the water. On Saturday the best approach was to cover the water, but move quickly after three to five casts. Most of the fish reacted to the first or second cast, so stealth and accuracy were critical.

My experiment of fishing the same lineup of flies that worked on the Eagle River was successful. I am rather psyched to implement the same strategy on another stream in the near future. It does seem that run off is in the early stages, although I expect it to be short lived. Tailwaters or lakes are probably the best bet for the next several weeks.

Fish Landed: 23

Eagle River – 05/19/2026

Time: 10:30AM – 4:00PM

Location: Eagle, CO to Gypsum, CO

Eagle River 05/19/2026 Photo Album

The Eagle River once again yielded a best of 2026 experience. This spring has produced several exceptionally fine days of fly fishing on the Eagle River, and Tuesday, May 19, 2026 was no exception. In fact, it was probably the best.

The Launch Site

As I documented on this blog previously, I choose a couple dates each year to join my friend, Dave G,, on guided float trips in Colorado with guide Reed Ryan through Cutthroat Anglers. Tuesday was the first such outing, and what a day it was!

Large Royal Chubby

I stayed at Dave G.’s house on Monday night, and we drove to the Eagle fairgrounds on Tuesday morning to meet our guide. Reed tested a new shuttle methodology, as he unloaded the raft into the river at the launch ramp and left us by the boat, while he drove his SUV and trailer to the takeout. He scheduled an Uber, so after twenty minutes, an Uber driver arrived and unloaded Reed. I was surprised there were Ubers in Eagle, CO.

Brown-Yellow Pat’s Rubber Leg

We launched and began fishing by 10:30AM. It was quite chilly at the outset, so I wore my fleece and light down, and Reed provided fingerless gloves. The gloves stayed on for a half hour or so, before they were removed. We shed one layer in the late morning, but clouds rolled in, and the wind kicked up in the early afternoon, and we pulled our jackets back on. The weather was actually quite ideal with an overcast sky and cool temperatures, and the wind was reasonable for most of the day.

Black Pat’s Rubber Legs

I provided my Sage One five weight and Scott six weight for the outing. Reed rigged the five weight with a double dry set up that included a purple craze and a size 18 blue wing olive imitation. By the midday time frame we spotted a couple rises, so we gave the dry flies a test in a relatively wide pool section that looked ideal for dry flies. Dave G. generated a look, but otherwise the tactic was unsuccessful.

Fairly Typical Catch

The workhorse set up for the day was the six weight rigged with a large royal chubby Chernobyl and trailing two Pat’s rubber legs. The top nymph was a medium olive color, and the bottom nymph was black. The fish loved the rubber legs. We tossed the ugly chenille bugs all day long, and we never suffered through a lull in action. I landed twenty-six gorgeous trout on the day, and a ridiculous number were in the fourteen to eighteen inch range. In my case, all but one were rainbow trout, and they were fresh and energetic and put up great battles.

Another Prize Rainbow

Reed did his usual yeoman job of positioning the boat and keeping pace with the river to allow long drag free drifts. He expertly directed our casts, as we sought green water which indicated depth. The river was rolling along at close to 500 CFS and exhibited excellent clarity for the early stages of run off, assuming that the low snow pack will actually deliver snow melt. The places that produced trout were typically deeper than those that yielded at higher flows, when the fish are pushed closer to the banks.

Edna Being Patient

What a day it was! I was dumbfounded by the willingness of the Eagle River trout to inhale the Pat’s rubber legs. Reed released most of the fish, but I noted that the trout that I released were grabbing the olive and black in roughly equal proportions, so that was likely the case overall. I plan to tie some of the medium olives (brown and yellow) and blacks for my own wade fishing adventures. The quality of these fish was unsurpassed. It seems that the Eagle River is going through a cycle of large healthy fish, and I was a beneficiary. Hopefully the trout are not adversely affected by the low flows anticipated from the low snow pack this summer.

Fish Landed: 26

South Platte River – 05/12/2026

Time: 11:00AM – 2:30PM

Location: Deckers

South Platte River 05/12/2026 Photo Album

After a long day on Monday, I was reluctant to tackle another long drive on Tuesday. Flows on the South Platte in Eleven Mile were elevated perhaps due to transferring water from Antero Reservoir to downstream dams, so I was averse to making that my destination. The South Platte below Cheesman Dam, however, was chugging along at 100 CFS, so that settled it. I decided to visit the South Platte at Deckers, even though my track record for that stretch has been abysmal over the last several years.

Bringing Up the Rear

Tuesday was a gorgeous day with temperatures poking above eighty in Denver. This translated to seventies in the Deckers area. I fished with no layers, and I was actually quite warm at certain times in the early afternoon. I rigged my Sage R8 for the first usage in 2026, and by eleven o’clock I was poised next to the stream.

I began my quest for trout with a tan size 8 pool toy hopper, a salvation nymph and an orange scud. Years ago when I fished the South Platte in the Deckers section I enjoyed considerable success with a pheasant tail nymph, so the salvation was a close approximation. Likewise, the orange scud was a winner in the May time frame, thus that choice. I fished the three fly combination for forty-five minutes, until I broke for lunch at 11:45AM, and I failed to land a single fish. In fact, I saw no evidence of fish in the section that I covered. Along the way I swapped the orange scud for an olive perdigon, but that move had no impact.

Nice Deep Run Near the Start

After lunch I progressed a bit above where my car was parked, and the futility continued, so I stripped in my line and threw my rod in the car along with my gear and drove to the catch and release section close to Deckers. I was shocked by the number of cars occupying pullouts and the number of anglers present in the prime fishing spots.

Finally I spotted a pullout just before the last bridge before reaching Deckers, and I grabbed it. With my rod already rigged and my waders in place, I was prepared to fish in a short amount of time. I crossed the road and hiked along a well worn path to an area that offered some gorgeous long glides and troughs. I made a short cast to get some line out of the guides, and I was shocked to witness a decent fish, as it slowly finned to the surface just below my pool toy hopper. I think it actually pressed its nose against my fly, but then it descended without eating. This only exasperated an already slow day. At least I saw a fish.

Looks Fishy

I resumed fishing, and I spotted a decent number of tiny caddis buzzing about as well as a very occasional blue wing olive. The perdigon was simply dead weight, so I replaced it with a beadhead hares ear nymph. The salvation and hares ear did not click. Having seen caddis I replaced the salvation with a bright green caddis pupa. Again action was non-existent. Finally in desperation I swapped the hares ear for a beadhead classic RS2, since I saw a few BWO’s, and the sky clouded up a bit. All my efforts were futile.

Fish Rose Just Above the Last Point on the Right

I reached the bridge and crossed over the road and replaced the RS2 with an ultra zug bug to imitate egg laying caddis. For the next thirty minutes I prospected the pockets and runs on the north side of the river. At a spot next to a vertical rock wall, I noted a rise to the hopper and set the hook. I never felt weight, but when I brought in my line, it was devoid of flies. I suspect that I reacted to a refusal, since there was no weight, and the trailing nymphs snagged on something causing the bad knot to unfurl. The nymphs were constantly snagging in green moss, so in addition to not catching fish, I was constantly picking slime off my flies.

I had enough by 2:30PM and decided to make an early departure for my return drive. My confidence is at an all time low, and I will not be returning to Deckers in the near future. Why were there so many anglers there, if the fishing was so slow? Were they doing something different? I plan to take a break until next Monday. I have a guided float trip on the calendar for next Tuesday, so hopefully that will allow me to escape my slump.

Fish Landed: 0

Tarryall Creek – 05/11/2026

Location: Cline Ranch State Wildlife Area

Time: 2:45PM – 3:30PM

I abandoned my efforts on the Arkansas River and decided to visit the Cline Ranch State Wildlife Area on my return trip. The area is right off of US 285 and along my return drive, and I pass it quite often. I was curious to scout out the area. I pulled into the tight two-track lane and after a short drive arrived at a parking area. There were four designated parking spaces, and each displayed a sign assigning a fishing beat. I was the only car there, so I’m sure I could have parked in any space and fished in any beat, but I chose to park in the beat 2 space.

I was still wearing my waders, so it did not take long to prepare to fish, although I packed away my five weight, and this caused me to have to assemble my Sage four weight. I used the narrow opening to circumnavigate the gate that blocked the continuation of the two-track lane, and I was confronted with a sign pointing to the left for beat one and right for beats 2-4. I chose right, since I was parked in the beat 2 slot, and I was new to the Cline Ranch experience.

I hiked down the lane for .4 mile or so, and I began to wonder how far it was to beat 2. After all, I was only planning an hour or so to sample the new area. Another sign pointed me farther along the two-track to beats 2-4, so I decided to just cut across to the stream. Shortly after beginning my unsigned detour, I found a fisherman access sign and followed a trench-like path to the creek. Actually I first hit a braid off the main steam, and I followed that for a bit, until I realized that it was not the main branch.

Eventually I arrived at an area littered with small beaver ponds. I do not like beaver ponds. Some beaver ponds contain large fish and some contain stunted fish and some are barren of fish altogether. I had no knowledge regarding these ponds, so I decided to skip around them in search of a moving creek.

Before long I found such a segment, and I prospected it with a Chernobyl ant trailing a beadhead hares ear nymph. I managed to momentarily hook a tiny brown trout, but that was the only fish I saw. The moving water section was very short, and then I encountered another series of beaver ponds. The other reasons I hate beaver ponds is because of all the trenches, holes and tunnels along with the mucky bottoms. These features make fishing beaver ponds very dangerous for a 75 year old angler.

I was not impressed with the Cline Ranch area, so I bushwhacked my way back to the lane and returned to the parking lot. The lane was littered with deer and elk waste, so apparently the local herds love Cline Ranch.

As I was removing my waders, a Tesla arrived on the other side of the gate. An older gentleman emerged and opened the gate and drove through and then closed the gate again. I chatted briefly with him, and he said beats 2-4 were 1.5 miles up the two-track lane. He also said that the entire area is filled with beaver ponds, although in normal years snow melt breaks things and converts the area into more normal stream fishing. Because of the low snowpack that is unlikely to happen in 2026. I crossed Cline Ranch off my list of small streams to try on future trips.

Fish Landed: 0

Arkansas River – 05/11/2026

Time: 11:00AM – 2:00PM

Location: Buena Vista area

Arkansas River 05/11/2026 Photo Album

If one fly fishes as much as I do, one is bound to experience disappointing days every now and then. Today, May 11, 2026 was one of those days. After a spectacular day on Friday on the Eagle River, I ached to return on Monday; and, in fact, it was my intention to make the drive until Monday morning. That is when I reviewed all my data points, and the stream flow graph depicted an increase in flows from 200 CFS on Friday to the 300 CFS range on Monday morning. 300 CFS on the Eagle River is a manageable level; however, the trend line is what spooked me. Most of the increase occurred within the last two days, and the normal trough in the evening was minimal with the curve bending upward. I decided to not make the two hour drive and instead pivoted to the Arkansas River.

The DWR chart for the Arkansas River at Wellsville and Nathrop presented relatively flat volume in the mid 200 CFS range. The flows remained low and the trend line was stable, thus suggesting nice clear conditions. I made the drive to the Arkansas River in the Buena Vista area, where I experienced decent success in past years.

I arrived by 10:30 and geared up with my Sage One five weight. I always prefer my five weight on the larger rivers in Colorado. The temperature was in the upper 50’s, so I avoided extra layers and stuffed my raincoat in my backpack just in case. I hiked for approximately .2 mile to the river, and I was prepared to cast a bit before 11:00AM. I began with my workhorse lineup of an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, 20 incher and olive perdigon. The nymphs extended three and a half feet below the surface offering.

First Fish

I spent forty-five minutes before my lunch break working my way upstream through some very attractive deep pockets and pools around large exposed boulders, and I managed  to land one small brown trout. I exchanged the perdigon for a sparkle wing RS2 and a bright green caddis pupa, but the only fly that produced was the 20 incher. I did, however, notice three fish that elevated to look at the chubby Chernobyl, before they rejected my fly and returned to their holding lie.

One of Two

The looks and refusals prompted me to move to a double dry fly arrangement that included a peacock hippie stomper and size 14 olive-brown deer hair caddis. I concentrated on the edge of the river in slow moving shelf pools and riffles that bordered large exposed rocks. I assumed that the bright and sunny conditions forced the trout to seek protection from the bankside structure. I landed one additional small brown trout on the trailing caddis, but then a long period of refusals and momentary nips ensued.

Home to a Trout

The trout were mostly refusing both flies, so I implemented a series of changes that included a smaller size 16 caddis, a gray body caddis, a Jake’s gulp beetle, and an olive body size 14 stimulator. Most of these flies induced a refusal or two. Another long period of inactivity caused my confidence to plummet, and I was bored with the situation. There were virtually no insects to spur feeding, and my mind drifted to thoughts other than fly fishing. I decided to cut my losses and ended my day by 2:00PM.

I hiked back to the car and packed my gear and headed to a new spot that I pass every time I journey to the Arkansas River. Monday on the Arkansas River was dead, in spite of what appeared to be ideal spring conditions. The negative was the bright cloudless sky and the absence of insects. I was surprised to see minimal adult caddis activity in the area. I know from past experience that the section contains plenty of trout, but they were not hungry on Monday, or at least they did not like what I placed on the menu.

Fish Landed: 2

Eagle River – 05/08/2026

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Wolcott and Avon

Eagle River 05/08/2026 Photo Album

The euphoria still lingers, as I prepare to log my outing on the Eagle River on May 8, 2026. I was anxious to return after a superb day on 04/20/2026, and Friday became that day, and what a day it was! An appointment on Monday prevented me from making a fishing trip, and adverse weather on Tuesday and Wednesday inhibited thoughts of fly fishing. Thursday was our day to watch the grandsons, so that left Friday. My daughter was visiting from Carbondale, and I was torn between spending time with her or fly fishing. Her visit extended into Saturday, so I opted for the trip to the Eagle River.

Productive Area

When I checked the flows, they were holding around 200 CFS, so the area was probably not affected by the same amount of snow that we received in Denver on Tuesday and Wednesday. The high temperature was projected to peak in the low sixties, so I deemed conditions perfect for a spring outing on the Eagle River.

Amazing Girth

As I have noted many times in this blog, expecting a repeat from a prior visit was unrealistic; but those thoughts were admittedly in my head. I arrived at my designated parking pullout by 10:00AM, and after my usual preparation and a short hike to the river, I was prepared to launch my fly fishing day. The temperature was in the upper fifties, so I pulled on my fleece hoodie and raincoat, and these layers served me well until lunch time, when I removed the raincoat and stuffed it in my backpack. In order to battle larger than average fish, I chose my stout Sage One five weight.

Tail Droop

To begin the day I rigged my line with a three fly dry dropper. My choice for the surface fly was an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, and below it I strung a 20 incher and an olive perdigon. My approach never deviated from these three flies and the dry/dropper methodology over the course of my day on the river, which evolved into 4.5 hours.

Lots of Troughs in This Area

Between 10:30AM and noon I advanced up the river for .1 mile and passed through some moderate riffles and glides, where the river widened quite a bit. I was somewhat skeptical about this structure, but I landed six trout in the morning session. Two of the fish were beneath twelve inches, but four were substantial fish, that I was proud to guide into my net. The best was a slab of a rainbow that probably approached twenty inches, but its weight and girth were more notable than length. A sixteen inch brown was also part of the morning net haul.

Another Model Rainbow

As I advanced up the river, I noticed another angler eighty yards above me, and by noon three other fishermen joined him. I decided to continue up the river to within forty yards of them after lunch, but before I could enact this plan, they departed.

Promising

After lunch I resumed my prospecting, but when I came within forty yards of the area occupied by the fly fishing party that recently departed, I exited the river and walked along the path, until I was above the area they disturbed. At least I thought I was, although I never tracked the three other anglers that were not with the individual that was first evident.

Workhorse Perdigon

My concerns about disturbed water were overwrought, as the pace of action accelerated from the morning. From 12:30PM until 3:30PM I advanced up the river and tossed my dry/dropper in all the likely fish holding structures. During this window of time I observed a number of small blue wing olives but also some gray mayflies that were a bit larger than the tiny BWO’s. I estimate that they were size sixteen. I never saw a single rise, but the trout were quite active on my underwater offerings.

Perfect Fish Home

I elevated the fish count from six at lunch to twenty-five by the end of the day. Five of the landed trout consumed the 20 incher, and the remainder grabbed the olive perdigon. What a workhorse fly! The simple green thread body fly with a copper tungsten bead gets my nymphs in the feeding zone quickly, and the fish loved it.

Big Flipper

A very effective technique was to swing the flies near the end of the drift, particularly after an across river cast through a glide or run of moderate velocity. The trout aggressively grabbed the perdigon, as it began to lift and swing at the tail of the run. I also caught trout with upstream casts, but the across and down was probably the most productive. I probably had another five to ten very brief connections, when the trout grabbed and spit the flies on numerous occasions.

Pretty Fish

What about the quality of these fish? That is what created my euphoria. I already documented the size of the netted fish prior to lunch. The trend continued in the afternoon with numerous trout in the thirteen to sixteen inch range. On the day I estimate that only six out of twenty-five landed fish were beneath the twelve inch threshold. The quality of fish mirrored my 04/20/2026 outing on the Eagle River.

Found It 18 Days Later!

Several outings ago I lost the rubber knob on the end of my homemade wading staff. It was attached with a wood screw, and the screw apparently worked its way loose. I did not realize the loss, until I returned to the car at the end of the day. Toward the end of the day on Friday I was wading along the bank to approach a new position for a cast. I glanced down to safely place my wading boot on a solid spot, and I saw what appeared to be the rubber knob from my wading staff. I attempted to stab it to bring it to the surface, but it was solidly wedged between two rocks. I rolled up my left sleeve, reached down and retrieved the object, and sure enough, it was my lost rubber knob. It still had the wood screw in it. What are the chances of this happening?

Will I return before the run off kicks in for good? I checked the flows today, and they increased from 200 CFS to 250 CFS. There is clearly a run off hump in the river flow graph. The outlook will depend on air temperatures over the next week, but I am certainly on the lookout for another fabulous day on the Eagle River.

Fish Landed: 25

Clear Creek – 05/03/2026

Time: 11:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 05/03/2026 Photo Album

Once again I had difficulty dialing in the fly fishing on a nearby Front Range Stream. Jane and I hiked the newest section of the Peak to Plains Trail on Friday afternoon, and it served as a scouting expedition for this avid angler. I spotted quite a few spots along the newly opened trail that appealed to my fly fishing instincts. With nice weather projected for the next two days, I planned to make a longer trip on Monday, before bad weather arrived on Tuesday and Wednesday, but then a scheduling conflict resulted in a change in plans. Sunday became my alternative to Monday, and Clear Creek and the short drive made sense.

I completed my workout and some gardening chores, and I departed my house in Denver by 10:40AM. I arrived at one of the Peak to Plains parking lots a bit after eleven o’clock, and this enabled me to stand along the edge of the stream ready to fish by 11:30AM. The air temperature was in the upper sixties, so I simply wore my fishing shirt, but I stuffed my raincoat in my backpack in case of cool cloudiness. My classic Sage four weight was assembled and served as my fly rod on Sunday. The canyon was alive with all manner of outdoor enthusiasts including anglers, dog walkers, walkers, runners and cyclists. I am certain rock climbers were also in attendance, but I was not near a popular rock climbing destination.

First Fish Landed

On my hike on Friday I picked out a prime spot to begin my test of new water, but when I arrived a father and daughter were tossing rocks in the creek right next to the large series of pools that I targeted. The dad announced that they would be leaving shortly, so I waded along the north bank downstream for fifty yards. I concluded that I was beyond the impact of the stone tossing crew above me, and I could fish the lower portion of the attractive stretch and then skip the recently disturbed section.

Caddis Eat in This Area

I began my day with a gray chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and a bright green sparkle caddis pupa. I quickly moved through the section of moderate riffles, long pockets and deep runs; but no evidence of trout made an appearance. When I arrived at the top of the area, where the rock hounds had been situated, I attempted a backhand cast and snagged a tree limb. I waded out a bit and made an attempt to bend the small tree down to rescue my flies, but the fly grabbing branch was too stiff. Seeing no way to unsnag the flies, I grabbed the line above the chubby Chernobyl and applied direct pressure and snapped off the 20 incher and bright green caddis pupa. I berated my lack of awareness and decided to change my approach.

Rare Brook Trout from Clear Creek

I observed one refusal to the chubby Chernobyl in the early going with no action on the nymphs, so I decided to alter my approach. My early session in recently disturbed water was perhaps not a fair test, but I had a hunch that dries might produce more action. I opted for a peacock hippie stomper and a size 16 olive-brown deer hair caddis, and I began to work upstream at a decent pace while prospecting the caddis in likely holding lies. It worked, sort of.

Brook Trout Came from the Slick above the Whitewater Near the Far Bank

I landed five trout on the double dry lineup with one smashing the hippie stomper and the others rising to crush the deer hair caddis. I actually deployed three different caddis dry flies, as the hackle on the first one got cut by the teeth of a trout, and I switched out the second one to go with a gray body instead of olive-brown. During the main portion of my fishing day, I discovered that I could generate interest by skating the flies on the surface. I cast across and then executed abrupt mends that jerked both flies upstream in an erratic manner. This worked best, when I cast across the creek to some slow moving water along the opposite bank. I admit that this method encouraged a large number of slashing misses or refusals, but I did hook and land two with the skating caddis methodology.

Some Heft to This One

For the last half hour I switched back to dry/dropper mode with a tan pool toy hopper trailing a size 14 prince nymph and a size 16 ultra zug bug. I saw a fair number of caddis flitting about, so I surmised that perhaps egg layers were present, and the prince and ultra zug bug tend to mimic egg laying caddis. I did not take the time to lengthen the dropper, and I was fishing a dry/dropper rig that only extended around three feet deep. I did land one brown on the prince nymph for my only subsurface eat of the day, and that advanced the fish count to six, but I probably should have extended the leader for more depth.

Skated the Flies Under the Branches

I continued a bit longer after fish number six, but then my watch reminded me that it was 3:00PM, and my flies were not clicking in spite of some very attractive water, so I stripped in my line and called it a day.

Size 14 Olive-Brown Deer Hair Caddis

Fortunately I was near a break in the high fence that separates the creek from the trail, so my exit was straightforward. I landed six trout in three hours of fly fishing. Two of the landed fish were browns of around twelve inches, and those were fine catches for Clear Creek. I probably should have skipped the section disturbed by the rock tossers, but it looked pretty amazing. I landed four brown trout, one very small rainbow trout and a ten inch brook trout; so I was a cutthroat away from a grand slam. I suspect the brook trout was the first that I ever landed in Clear Creek. I was outside on a nice spring day with cool temperatures, and I landed some fish. It was a satisfying day for this angler.

Fish Landed: 6