St. Vrain Creek – 07/08/2026

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Time: 10:15AM – 2:30PM

Location: National forest land

St. Vrain Creek 07/08/2026 Photo Album

I had a great day of fly fishing on Tuesday, and with another open day on Wednesday I committed to another fishing trip. I was reluctant to drive two plus hours as was the case on Tuesday, so I chose a relatively close destination. On Friday, July 3, 2026 I enjoyed quite a bit of success on St. Vrain Creek. The size of the fish was somewhat lacking, but the western green drake hatch was the attractor. Could I hit it again? Read on.

New Lace for My Simms Wading Boot

Wednesday was forecast to be another hot one, and indeed, by the time I quit at 2:30, the temperature spiked into the eighties. I repaired my wading boot BOA lace on Tuesday evening, and I am happy to report that it worked perfectly. Wading in a tight fitting boot is more comfortable that shuffling along in a boot that resisted tightening. For Wednesday’s action I rigged my Orvis Access four weight. This is my lightest fly rod, and I felt it was appropriate for the small stream.

Early Brown Trout

From 10:15AM until 11:45AM I fished a section that was characterized by a lower gradient than the stretch that I visited on Friday, July 3; however, it was still flowing at an above average speed. During the 1.5 hour morning session I failed to land a single fish, and I sensed that the day was going to be a challenge. I began with a peacock hippie stomper and trailed a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. The stomper provoked a couple refusals, and that was the extent of the double dry fly action.

Parachute Green Drake Along the Bank

In a state of disbelief, I changed tactics and adopted a dry/dropper approach. In this instance I used a tan body mini chubby and an ultra zug bug as a single nymph. After failing to interest any stream residents, I suspected that maybe I was not drifting deep enough, so I added a hares ear nymph. Two momentary tugs were all I had to show for my dry/dropper test, and the nips were so subtle, that I may have imagined them.

Aligned

After lunch I decided to move upstream to the high gradient canyon section that rewarded my difficult wading on Friday. I used the change in location as an excuse to switch from my Orvis Access to my Loomis two piece five weight, as I need more backbone to punch casts into the wind.

Nice Spot

When I arrived at my second destination, I decided to try a parachute green drake. After all, my main motivation to return to St. Vrain Creek was my previous success with green drakes. The size 14 parachute green drake fooled three small brown trout to place me on the scoreboard, but then a string of refusals returned me to a state of frustration. I swapped the parachute green drake for a user friendly version, and that imitation created one or two refusals. Maybe the fish wanted a sparser profile? I switched again to a green drake comparadun, and it also prompted a refusal, but then it ceased to be relevant, and it was difficult to track, so I abandoned the green drake gambit.

Steep Gradient

As I mentioned earlier, the wind was ridiculous, so why not try terrestrials? I knotted a classic Chernobyl ant to my line and trailed a Jake’s gulp beetle on an eighteen inch dropper. Once again a couple splashy rises ensued, but the fish were being highly selective.

I abandoned the terrestrial trial and returned to aquatic insects, and in this instance I chose a size 14 yellow stimulator as a yellow sally imitation and a size 16 deer hair caddis with an olive-brown body. The olive-brown representation of a caddis failed to connect, and I replaced it with a size 16 light gray comparadun. I landed a decent brown on the stimulator, but then another lull developed. I was about to quit at 2:00PM, when another decent (for St. Vrain Creek) brown smacked the pale morning dun fake. I continued for another thirty minutes and added a sixth brown trout on the stimulator.

Better Focus

At 2:30PM I approached a segment characterized by whitewater, narrow chutes and huge boulders; and I was not up for the task of negotiating the tricky wading and hiking. Some large black clouds were building in the west, so I scrambled through some brush and climbed some rocks and returned to the car.

Such a Pretty Pool

The fish count was only six and the size of the fish was six to nine inches. The temperature was hot, and it was a struggle to entice fish to feed. I never saw a green drake, and my green drake flies worked only marginally. Nevertheless, I was in a stunningly gorgeous canyon environment, and I had the entire place to myself. I did not break any equipment, and I did not injure myself. Any day with those attributes is a success in my book.

Fish Landed: 6

South Platte River – 07/07/2026

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Time: 9:30AM – 2:30PM

Location; Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 07/07/2026 Photo Album

For the week beginning on Monday, July 6, 2026 my calendar was open for Monday through Wednesday. Guess what I did? I went fly fishing on Tuesday. The weather forecast suggested hot temperatures with highs in the nineties in Denver; however, Monday was the hottest of the three days. I played pickleball on Monday morning and remained inside handling chores for the remainder of the day.

Tuesday was forecast to be moderately less hot, so I made it my first fly fishing day of the week. I decided to make a longer drive and chose the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. Flows out of Eleven Mile Dam were in the 105 CFS range, and I was optimistic that these bottom releases would be enough to buffer the warm air temperatures. As an insurance policy, I prepared thoroughly the night before, and this enabled me to depart by 6:45AM, and the early departure in turn delivered me to my chosen pullout along the South Platte at slightly after 9AM.

Starting Run and Pool

The air temperature was in the upper sixties, as I geared up and fit together my Sage R8 four weight. For the first time I wore a hooded sun shirt that my son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas. As I pulled on my wading boots, I discovered the one glitch of the day. The cable lace on the BOA system had broken, and I was unable to tighten the left boot. I had no choice but to tolerate the loose fitting boot, and I now faced the task of repairing the lace on Tuesday evening for a day of fishing on Wednesday.

Stunning Rainbow Trout

The river looked amazing, as it chugged along at 106 CFS, and it was very clear. To begin my day, I deployed a double dry fly system with a peacock hippie stomper and a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. I began casting at 9:30AM, and my earlier than usual start paid dividends, as I landed three brown trout in the first thirty minutes. Two trout nabbed the caddis and the other one smashed the hippie stomper.

Poised Torpedo

Unfortunately the hippie stomper began to provoke refusals and tentative bites, so I moved the caddis to the forward position, removed the hippie stomper, and added a size 16 light gray comparadun. I was anticipating an earlier than usual pale morning dun hatch. This two fly combination produced, and the fish count surged to seven by 10:30AM. The additional four trout that landed in my net nabbed the caddis, and the size of these fish improved over the earlier catches.

Long and Deep Pocket

Between 10:30AM and 11:00AM I elevated the fish count from seven to eleven. I remember thinking to myself that I had eleven by eleven! Again most of the action was on the caddis, but the comparadun contributed a fish or two. Refusals continued to be an issue, but the takes were frequent enough to offset any frustration, and the size of the fish seemed to improve.

Covered in Ink Spots

By the time I broke for lunch at 11:45, the fish count rested on seventeen. Even if I failed to catch more fish, I deemed Tuesday to be a success. The caddis continued to be the main attraction; however, the comparadun accounted for a few, and it seemed the comparadun attracted larger than average fish. I noticed caddis dancing along the banks, and a few sporadic pale morning duns confirmed my hunch that they were present. I also noticed a few yellow sallies. This observation became a factor later in the day.

Home of Beast Brown

After lunch I continued my upstream migration, and the fish continued to mash my flies, although it seemed the gaps between trout interaction lengthened. The fish count mounted to twenty-two, and among this group of landed fish was a stunning eighteen inch brown trout. It was deeply colored in gold with black ink spots. What a specimen!

Pink Cheek

By now the sun was very bright, and the fishing action slowed significantly. The yellow sally sightings prompted me to replace the light gray caddis with a size 14 yellow stimulator, while I retained the light gray comparadun. The original comparadun lost most of its deer hair wing during one of my hook removal procedures, so I replaced it with a fresh version with a thicker wing.

Rock Garden Ahead

For the remainder of the day I once again experienced steady but slow action, and the fish count lifted from twenty-two to twenty-six. It seemed like I attained the best results in the afternoon with long upstream casts and dead drifts. Across and down casts were not effective, and this is very unusual, since I have experienced many days, where this was the most effective technique.

Bankside Home

Tuesday was a banner day. The early start paid off with extensive morning action. The early afternoon was definitely slower, and I executed many more futile casts to places that appeared to be very attractive. The caddis was easily the most effective fly with smaller contributions from the comparadun, stimulator and hippie stomper. The size of the fish was satisfactory, with many trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range. Of course I also registered six smaller brown trout. The eighteen inch bruiser brown was a highlight of the day. It sipped the compardun from a relatively shallow lie just below some overhanging branches. As long as flows remain above 100 CFS, I plan to make additional visits to the South Platte River.

Fish Landed: 26

 

St. Vrain Creek – 07/03/2026

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Time: 10:15AM – 3:00PM

Location: National forest land

St. Vrain Creek 07/03/2026 Photo Album

I fished for a couple hours during our trip to Steamboat Lake State Park, but I was anxious for another outing. We had grandson kid sitting duty on Thursday with another session scheduled for Saturday, so I felt the need to take advantage of an off day from sitting on Friday. I was not up for a long drive, so I surveyed the options near Denver and settled for St. Vrain Creek. It had been awhile, since I fished the St. Vrain, so I was uncertain how my day might develop.

Early Brown Trout

I arrived at my chosen destination by 10:00AM, and I was next to the stream ready to cast by 10:15AM. The air temperature was in the low seventies, and I chose my Orvis Access four weight for the small Front Range creek. I did not have a source for the flows, but the creek was chugging along at a decent pace. Clarity was perfect, and the water felt cold, and I was sure the fish were appreciative.

Attractive Section

My day can be broken down into three segments. Initially I tossed a tan pool toy hopper, a hares ear nymph and an ultra zug bug. This combination resulted in three landed fish with one small brown trout nipping the ultra zug bug and two browns grabbing the hares ear nymph. The pool toy hopper was noticed by the fish, but it only produced looks, refusals and very brief nips. The action stalled, and I broke for lunch stuck on a fish count of three.

Decent Hole

I reacted to the signals from the fish, and I replaced the dry/dropper rig with a double dry configuration that featured a peacock hippie stomper and size 16 light gray deer hair caddis as the trailer. This was the second portion of my day, and the double dry approach commenced after lunch. The caddis produced a pair of trout, and the hippie stomper yielded two, before the action once again stalled with the fish count at seven. Although a few fish nailed the hippie stomper, it created two refusals for every eat, so I swapped it for a size 14 Jake’s gulp beetle. Almost instantly the beetle duped a trout in a nice riffle of moderate depth, and that action was followed in short order by a grab on the light gray deer hair caddis.

Very Nice Pool

The fish count rested at nine by one o’clock, and while moving upstream to a new location, I spotted a western green drake, as it slowly floated above the creek. Would the trout favor a green drake imitation? July 3 is very early for a green drake emergence. I eventually saw a second natural, and that was the total observed on the day, but it was enough to prod me into switching to a green drake dry fly.

High Gradient

I removed the beetle and caddis and knotted a parachute green drake to my line. Clearly the trout were aware of green drakes, as instantly my fly became the object of their desire, but not quite. I endured a flurry of refusals and uncertain nips to the parachute green drake. This lasted for twenty minutes, as I persisted with the parachute style drake knowing that it is typically my top producer during western green drake season.

Prize of the Day

Finally I acknowledged that the paradrake was not what the trout desired, and I switched to a user friendly green drake. This fly contains a foam strip that aids in floatation, and consequently it requires very little in the way of prep and care to maintain its buoyancy on the surface. The user friendly clicked, and I advanced the fish count from nine to sixteen. The bushy drake imitation fooled many fish, but it was also refused. For some reason casts across the creek accompanied with a downstream drift seemed to entice takes. I am not sure whether to attribute this to the fly entering the trout’s window ahead of the line, or whether it was a function of fishing the less pressured opposite bank from the road.

Very Promising

Once again a lull occurred, and the user friendly failed to attract looks or refusals, so I made another change. In this instance I introduced a green drake comparadun size 14, and the third green drake imitation fooled one trout, before I called it quits at 3:00PM.

One of the Better Brown Trout

Friday evolved into a fun day. I landed seventeen brown trout with the last eight attempting to eat a green drake. I love fishing the large bulky green drakes, so hitting a sparse hatch in early July on a seldom fished creek was very rewarding. The day was not without challenges. The section I fished consisted of a steep gradient, and this in turn resulted in some very challenging wading. Actually it was more like rock climbing than wading. The relatively high flows tight to the bank and steep gradient created numerous situations, where I was forced to leave the creek and carefully climb around huge streamside rock obstacles. Many times I was forced to put down my fly rod in order to utilize two hands to pull myself up and over barriers. The fast flows also reduced the number of fish holding lies, and this in turn dictated longer than normal moves between casting spots.

I have three open days next week after the Fourth of July, and I am already considering options. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 17

Elk River – 06/30/2026

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Time: 3:15PM – 4:30PM

Location: National Forest

Elk River 06/30/2026 Photo Album

Jane and I completed a long but beautiful hike on Tuesday morning, and that opened a short window for some fly fishing. The streams that we passed on our way to our hike were flowing at decent levels, so we stopped at a dirt parking lot, and I geared up and assembled my Sage R8 four weight.

Prime Lie

Once I was prepared, I hiked for .4 mile, and then I cut down a relatively steep bank to the river. Once I arrived, I realized that it was flowing above the level that I am accustomed to, when I fish this same stream in early August. The air temperature was in the low seventies, and I was rather tired after our 5.8 mile hike and the added .4 mile to my chosen river starting point.

Silvery Brook Trout

I began my quest for trout with a peacock hippie stomper, a beadhead hares ear nymph and a beadhead bright green caddis pupa. The hares ear and hippie stomper produced two small fish each in the early going, but the caddis pupa was ineffective. I only used it because it was attached to a length of tippet that I used for my final dropper section. Since the caddis pupa was not effective, I swapped it for a black sunk ant. On our hike I spotted numerous large black ants crawling on tree branches and logs, so it was a good bet that they frequently blundered into the water.

Just Above the Angled Log

The ant never produced a fish, but the hippie stomper generated quite a few refusals, so I decided to counter with a double dry set up. I retained a hippie stomper but switched to a purple body, and then I added a light gray size 14 deer hair caddis. These two flies remained on my line for the remainder of my time on the water, and I built the fish count from four to nine. Two of the last five landed fish snatched the light gray deer hair caddis, and the remainder smashed the purple hippie stomper.

Pleased with This Catch

The section of the stream that I covered was narrow with a high gradient, and this made wading quite a chore, as I was forced to scramble along the edge and in some cases bash through thick vegetation to advance upstream. After 5.8 miles on the trail, I was absolutely bushed, and I began to be concerned about my safety. I found a steep but relatively clear path that enabled me to climb the steep bank back to the hiking trail and returned to the parking lot.

Brown Trout Lair

Jane and I agreed to meet at the lot at 5:00PM, and I was a bit early, so I crossed the dirt road and hiked a short distance below the bridge. I found a nice deep shelf pool, where the stream curled along a jumble of logs, and I made a series of downstream drifts in the slow water next to the logs. On the second pass I noticed a fish that flashed at the hippie stomper, but on the third float the fish smacked the dry attractor. This fish topped off my day at nine, and it was a very fine brown trout of twelve inches.

I marched back to the parking lot, and Jane was present, so I removed all my gear, and we headed back to camp. I fished for 1.25 hour on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, and I landed nine trout. One was the twelve inch brown I just described. I also netted two shiny brook trout that probably measured ten inches. Two small browns just over six inches and four small brook trout in the six to eight inch range capped off my count. The river was higher than I was used to, and the fish were smaller, but I actually experienced decent success for only being on the stream for 1.25 hours. I would not mind returning in a couple weeks, but I suspect that will not be in the cards.

Fish Landed: 9

Steamboat Lake – 06/29/2026

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Time: 7:45PM – 8:30PM

Location: Meadow Point

Steamboat Lake 06/29/2026 Photo Album

Jane and I drove from our campsite at Arnica Loop to Meadow Point after dinner. I was not certain I would fish, or whether I would simply observe the beauty of the area. When we arrived, the wind was blasting quite a bit with a chill. Initially Jane and I attempted to sit on a bench and observe the cove, but the wind forced us back in the car. After fifteen minutes, the wind died to a breeze, and I made my move.

Meadow Point

I skipped  waders and simply wore my front pack, backpack, and net. I rigged my Sage One five weight and slowly strolled through the tall grass to the edge of the lake. Three anglers were below me toward the main body of the lake, and they were flinging long casts with fly rods.

The Cove

I began with a peacock hippie stomper, a beadhead hares ear nymph, and an olive bead midge larva. I made short and longs casts in various directions and allowed the flies to drift in the wind, but my efforts were not rewarded. After a fair trial I replaced the midge larva with an olive balanced leech, and while this fly was present on my line, I executed some hand twist and slow strip retrieves. Once again futility was the outcome.

Mirror Smooth

Shortly after 8:00PM the wind subsided, and the surface of the lake became mirror smooth. I switched to a double dry caddis approach with a size 14 light gray caddis and a size 16 olive-brown caddis. Some sporadic rises commenced, and I sprayed casts to the vicinity, but once again I failed to instigate action. At 8:45 as dusk settled into darkness, I stripped in my line and returned to the car. Once again Steamboat Lake Issued me a fishless evening.

Fish Landed: 0

South Platte River – 06/23/2026

Time: 10:30AM – 2:00PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 06/23/2026 Photo Album

I was disappointed with my day on Monday, June 22, and I was reluctant to spend another day on the Arkansas River, even though I was strategically camped right next to it. I pondered my options and concluded that my chances of success were much higher on the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. The last time I looked, it was sluicing along at 100 CFS, and in fact, now that I looked at the graph, it was in the 80 CFS range on Tuesday. The South Platte River became my destination on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Of course, June 23 was my wedding anniversary, so I was conscious of the need to be home at a reasonable time.

Mt. Princeton

Before I leave the Arkansas River, however, I should comment that I enjoyed a beautiful evening. The campground was less that half full and, therefore, relatively peaceful compared to the normal June whitewater rafting crowd. After dinner I grabbed my stool, iPad, and a dessert snack and moved to the beach at the end of the boat launch ramp. I sat and read my latest book for a couple hours, as the sun set behind the collegiate range. Between 8:15PM and 8:45PM the daylight waned, and the river came alive with rising fish. The surface action was very sporadic and not consistent enough to spur me to return to the car for my fly fishing gear, but the activity was a far cry from the doldrums experienced during the afternoon, Caddis appeared to be the main attraction for the eagerly feeding fish.

Great Start

After packing up my tent and gear on Tuesday morning, I made the one hour and thirty minute drive to my chosen spot in Eleven Mile Canyon. The temperature, as I prepared to fish, was in the low seventies, and it was clear that Tuesday would be another hot one. I fit together my Sage R8 four weight and departed for the river. I was reluctant to use my Sage R8 early in the season on some of the larger rivers, in case I tangled with larger fish that required the extra leverage of my five weight, but what a pleasure it was to cast the R8.

Promising Pool

I began the day with a peacock hippie stomper and size 16 olive-brown body deer hair caddis fished in a tandem dry fly rig. The results were immediate. I landed four trout in the first pool, and all snagged the trailing caddis. Yes, three were on the small side, but one brown stretched to twelve inches. Compared to Monday, however, the action was red hot.

Evidence of a Double

The Larger of the Double Featured

Before I broke for lunch at 11:45AM, I built the fish count to nine. Among my landed fish was a double; I hooked and landed two fish at once. The larger brown of thirteen inches smashed the hippie stomper, and while I played it to my net, a small brown trout slashed at and grabbed the trailing deer hair caddis. It is always interesting, when this rare feat unfolds, and I believe even rarer, when it happens with two dry flies.

Riffled Surface

After lunch I continued upstream, and the hippie stomper became a bit of a distraction, as refusals to the larger lead fly became frequent. I made a change and placed a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis in the upper position and trailed the size 16 olive-brown version of the deer hair caddis. This ploy produced positive results for a bit, and the fish count climbed to twelve, before fish began to look and drop or refuse the caddis. What now?

A Fine Rainbow Joins the Party

During the early afternoon I noticed a few size 16 mayflies, which I assumed were pale morning duns. Maybe the fish were attracted to the gray body of the caddis, but then retreated, when they failed to observe an upright wing? I replaced the olive-brown caddis with a size 16 light gray comparadun.

Looking Ahead

The rest is history. I increased the fish count from twelve to twenty-one, before I quit at 2:00PM. It seemed that the average size of the trout landed during the pale morning dun event were larger. A fourteen inch brown trout was the prize of the day, and two rainbows in the thirteen inch range graced my net as well. The trout consumed the comparadun with confidence.

Beast of the Day

By 1:30PM the PMD action subsided, but I continued prospecting with the caddis and comparadun tandem hoping that some opportunistic trout would search for stragglers. Alas, that was not to be, and I ended the day with twenty-one after a futile last half hour. The temperature, as I exited the canyon, was 85 degrees, so I suspect that the bright sun and warming water temperatures sent the trout to the bottom for coolness.

Rainbow Trout Lurking

Tuesday was a fine day on the South Platte River. I landed twenty-one trout, and all responded to dry flies. Caddis and pale morning duns were the ticket. Camping near Buena Vista proved strategic, as it allowed me to arrive earlier, than when I commute from Denver, and the best part of the day was late morning and early afternoon. I am very concerned over the water situation in Colorado, as fishing levels compare to early August in the middle of June. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 21

 

Arkansas River – 06/22/2026

Time: 11:15AM – 4:00PM

Location: Buena Vista area

Arkansas River 06/22/2026 Photo Album

I was rather excited to make my first fly fishing and camping trip of 2026. The excitement lasted, until I broke for lunch at 11:45PM with three small brown trout to my credit. Monday, June 22 was mostly a dud from a fishing perspective. The camping was fun.

Starting Point

The temperature registered in the low seventies, as I set out at 11:00AM, but once the few clouds cleared, and the sun did its work, the temperature quickly climbed to the eighties. The flows were probably in the 300 CFS range, and the river was very clear. I certainly thought that I was destined for a decent day on the Arkansas River.

Foam Is Home

As mentioned earlier in this report, I landed three small brown trout between 11:15AM and 11:45AM. Little did I know that this would be the best action of the day. I began with a tan pool toy hopper, a 20 incher, and a hares ear nymph on my Loomis two piece five weight. All three fish grabbed the beadhead hares ear nymph. Quite a few refusals to the hopper persuaded me to change tactics after lunch.

Small Jewel

I scuttled the dry/dropper and migrated to a double dry. The first duo was a peacock hippie stomper trailing a light gray deer hair caddis. The hippie stomper increased the quantity of refusals, but it did contribute one sub twelve inch brown to the fish count. Another trout slashed a yellow sally after I replaced the caddis, and I boosted the fish count to five with the largest catch possibly measuring nine inches.

Promising Water Ahead

The refusals convinced me that dry flies were the ticket, if only I could find what they wanted. I chose the path of cycling through flies, and it was not pretty. Flies that maintained a presence on my line were a size 12 yellow stimulator, an olive-brown stimulator, an olive-brown deer hair caddis, a yellow sally, a Jake’s gulp beetle, a classic Chernobyl ant, and a tan mini chubby Chernobyl. Some were totally ignored, and a few initiated looks and refusals. It was rough. Even the looks and refusals came from small fish. Where were all the decent fish in the river?

Best Fish of the Day

At 2:00PM I encountered a couple and a young girl. The man tubed down the river, and the girl appeared to be readying an inflatable raft. I chose to exit and hiked back to the car. The poor fishing did not justify circling around the tubers to undisturbed water.Center Run

I kept my waders on and drove to another favorite spot in the area, but the change of scenery had no impact on my bad luck. I revisited the dry/dropper for a short while using the tan mini chubby with an iron sally, but this seemed even more futile than the double dry approach.

Yellow Sally

I returned to a black body elk hair caddis and an olive-brown deer hair caddis, and futility continued. The black caddis created a few looks and refusals, but I quit in frustration at 4:00PM and returned to my campsite.

Prickly Pears Were in Bloom Everywhere

Gnarly Beauty

Monday was a tough day on the Arkansas River. I landed five small fish and never dialed in a productive fly, and the fish that I caught or enticed to look at my flies seemed to be smaller than average. I am already planning to visit a different river on Tuesday.

Fish Landed: 5

Eagle River – 06/17/2026

Time: 11:15AM – 3:00PM

Location: Between Wolcott and Avon

Eagle River 06/17/2026 Photo Album

After touring the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday, I decided to return to flowing water on Wednesday. Originally I planned on taking a break from fishing on Wednesday while returning to a stream on Friday, but another personal commitment blocked that intention. Wednesday was my final chance to fish for the week, so I jumped at the opportunity.

Upstream from Start

I evaluated three options; the same three that I tend to gravitate to. The South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon was a strong option with flows lowered to 110 CFS, now that Antero Reservoir had been drained. The Arkansas River was tumbling along at a very favorable level in Bighorn Sheep Canyon at 330 CFS. Finally, the Eagle River near Avon was flowing at 300 CFS, which is very low compared to historical levels at this time of year, but actually a bit high compared to my take on ideal. I decided on the Eagle River, because the window of opportunity could close quickly for the freestoner given the hot weather system over Colorado. My thinking was also influenced by the string of excellent days that I experienced on the Eagle River earlier in the 2026 season.

Scored

I managed to get an early start, but traffic conditions did not cooperate. Heavy volume created bottlenecks in the Denver metro area, and then two crashes forced stoppages, as I ascended Interstate 70 in the Genesee area. Adding to my frustration was a twenty minute stall at the top of Vail Pass due to rock scaling. All of these situations extended my drive by thirty minutes and negated my early start.

Comma Formation

In spite of my traffic bad luck, I arrived at my chosen destination and prepared to fish. The temperature was in the upper seventies already at 10:30AM. I assembled my Sage One five weight and hiked a short distance to the river and then followed a pathway down the river a ways, before I cut down a bank. To begin my day I tied a tan chubby Chernobyl to my line and added an iron sally and bright green caddis pupa. Reports I read announced that caddis were present and attracting the attention of the fish population.

A Nice Run Ahead

Well, the caddis failed to generate interest, so I swapped it for a brown perdigon. I tied brown perdigons over the winter to imitate pale morning dun nymphs, and the fly shop reports informed me that pale morning duns were starting to hatch. I broke for lunch at 11:45AM, and I only had one temporary hook up to show for my efforts.

Took Me Through Some Rapids

After lunch I continued to work my way up the river, but the flies were not creating action, so I made an adjustment. I lengthened the leader between the chubby and the top nymph to four feet, and I swapped the iron sally for a green-black Pat’s rubber legs and replaced the perdigon with a hares ear nymph. This move paid dividends, when I connected with two substantial fish; however, both escaped after a very brief battle. Finally a fourteen inch brown trout grabbed the hares ear nymph, and I assumed that the puzzle was solved.

Home of Nice Brown Trout

In spite of my newfound optimism, another lull occurred, as I covered some very attractive runs and pools with only unproductive casts to show for my effort. By 1:00PM I noticed some pale morning duns in the air, so I switched the hares ear for a salvation nymph,. This move paid dividends, as I moved the fish count from one to five over the remainder of my time on the river. This is a relatively low fish count for me, but the quality of the fish was outstanding. For the last forty-five minutes I switched to a double dry featuring a peacock hippie stomper and size 16 cinnamon comparadun. I noticed sporadic rises, and I thought perhaps I could generate interest in the PMD dry fly imitation. Early on after the change in approach, a couple decent fish refused the comparadun, but I never succeeded in landing a trout on one of the dry flies.

Turned Around

Two fifteen inch browns rested in my net as well as the fish of the day…a fat eighteen inch rainbow. All of the afternoon fish grabbed the salvation nymph. Some responded to a dead drift, and several reacted to a swing and lift.

Another Fine Brown Trout

By 3:00PM I bumped into a trio of anglers 75 yards upstream, so I exited the river and hiked back to the car. Although the fish count was low, I appreciated the size of the fish, and I was challenged to solve the riddle of the hatch. I also noted a few golden stoneflies and yellow sallies, but caddis were virtually absent. Hopefully I can return to the Eagle again before the heat and lower flows make it off limits.

Fish Landed: 5

 

Curtain Ponds – 06/16/2026

Time: 2:15PM – 4:30PM

Location: Ponds near Copper Mountain

Curtain Ponds 06/16/2026 Photo Album

As luck would have it, I would pass the Curtain Ponds on my return drive to Denver. I fished there numerous times with decent success, albeit small brook trout, but I was in need of a confidence boost, so I stopped there.

Near the Beginning

My rod was rigged with the slumpbuster and black leech, so I made a few casts with the double streamer in one of the ponds, but I was concerned that the flies would sink and snag in the aquatic growth, since the ponds are fairly shallow at many locations. I removed the streamers and moved to a double dry with a peacock hippie stomper in the first position and a size 14 stimulator trailing.

Riffled Surface

Once again the wind was gusting with abandon, and I had to position myself to avoid casting into the wind. The hippie stomper and stimulator enticed a wave of refusals, so I downsized the stimulator to a size 16 deer hair caddis. Once again refusals ruled, but I did manage to end the skunk and pulled three colorful brook trout of eight inches into my net. They all crushed the hippie stomper, and I was bewildered with why a few fish ate it, and the majority rejected it.

Lovely Colors

I speculated that perhaps a midge larva dangled below the hippie stomper might be effective with the constant wave action, so I replaced the deer hair caddis with a size 22 olive zebra midge. The olive midge never produced, but as I mentioned the hippie stomper yielded some positive results, allowing the fish count to reach three.

Along the Bank

I stood on the bank and pondered the situation. As I stood there, blue damsel flies fluttered about in great numbers. It seemed kind of early for damsels to hatch at the high elevation, but the evidence said that it already happened. I scanned the reeds along the pond for olive colored nymphs, but I never saw any. Nevertheless, I replaced the olive zebra with an olive balanced leech with no bead. This fly can also imitate a damsel nymph.

Spectacular Scene

I turned my attention to the next door pond, and suddenly I began to generate results. Over the remainder of the afternoon I landed an additional twelve brook trout to up my total to fifteen on the day. It was a much appreciated salvage job. For some reason the fish in the next pond were far more responsive to the hippie stomper than the first pond that I fished.

Easily Best of the Day

It seemed that a fish quickly reacted to my cast or the flies failed to attract attention. I adopted the approach of recasting in a fan from my position and ceased waiting and counting down and stripping. Two of the landed brook trout nabbed the trailing damsel nymph. I would have thought that they responded to movement via a slow hand twist retrieve, but that was not the case. They attacked the damsel, as soon as it entered the water. All the other brook trout hammered the hippie stomper, and of course refusals remained an issue, although the ratio of landed fish to refusals improved measurably.

Rich with Vegetation

Fifteen fish in a bit more than two hours of fishing is respectable. The wind remained a significant nuisance, and the fish were small with most being in the eight to nine inch range. I did land a gorgeous and colorful eleven inch brookie near the end, and that was very rewarding.

Fish Landed: 15

Black Lake – 06/16/2026

Time: 1:00PM – 2:00PM

Location: Eastern end of Black Lake

Black Lake 06/16/2026 Photo Album

I abandoned Clinton Gulch and decided to explore the Black Lakes at the top of Vail Pass. It was only a short drive back to Interstate 70 and then up the eastern side of Vail Pass to reach the Black Lakes. I read about them in the Flyfisher’s Guide to Colorado’s Easy Access Mountain Lakes, and it seemed like a decent nearby alternative.

I arrived at 12:30 and parked in a dirt lot high above the lake and consumed my lunch. I actually drove past the lake looking for the second one, but my path was blocked by a gate across the road below the first Black Lake, so I turned around and settled in the upper lot.

A View of Black Lake

The wind was gusting furiously, but I grabbed my already strung rod from Clinton Gulch and carefully slid down the steep bank and crossed a tiny inlet creek to arrive on the south side of the lake. The water was low and revealed a muddy beach, and I carefully walked across the packed mud to a small point.

Once again the wind was blasting from the west and creating waves and small whitecaps on the surface. I tossed the three fly dry/dropper across the wind and allowed the flies to float with the direction of the wind, and I persisted with this approach for ten minutes, before I deemed it unproductive.

Perhaps the fish were deeper, and I needed to strip streamers? I reconfigured my line with an olive slumpbuster and trailed a black beadhead leech. I spent an additional ten minutes stripping the streamers using forty foot casts, but I never felt a bump. My confidence was shot, and I was in a state of frustration. The book said the lake was mainly home to stocked rainbows, and I never saw the Black Lakes on stocking reports, so I was essentially fishing for holdovers. I deemed my probability of catching a fish low, so I once again called it quits and climbed the steep bank back to the car.

I am not sure I would return to the Black Lakes, although I am curious to know where the second lake is. I suspect one needs to park above the gate and hike down the cycling road to encounter Black Lake number two. It was an interesting exploratory detour, but I was still fishless. I decided to try a third option.

Fish Landed: 0