Monthly Archives: July 2024

South Boulder Creek – 07/30/2024

Time: 10:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 07/30/2024 Photo Album

Today can be described as a day with a close encounter, equipment failure, and a fantastic day of fly fishing. Let me explain.

I fished four out of five weekdays during the previous week, but three days of grandson and grand puppy sitting had me craving another day for fly fishiing. Wednesday and Thursday were already booked with non-fishing commitments, so Tuesday was a day available to fish. I cashed it in. The flows of South Boulder Creek below Gross Reservoir were listed at 165 CFS, and that level was maintained for three days. I have had success in the past at flows as high as 180 CFS, so I decided to give it a try. I was also curious to discover whether green drakes announced their presence on the small Front Range tailwater.

Because of the work expanding Gross Reservoir, I was forced to drive through Boulder and then over Flagstaff Mountain to the Walker Loop Trailhead. Traffic was heavy on the Boulder Turnpike, but I used my Express Pass to avoid the worst tie ups. Tuesday became a more expensive fishing day with express toll usage required on both my outbound and inbound drives.

Four or five cars preceded me to the parking lot, but as best as I could tell, none seemed to be fishermen. The sun was pounding down on the car, as I prepared to fish, and the dashboard informed me that it was 81 degrees at 9AM. I debated whether to hike in to the creek in my waders, or whether to wear my wet wading pants and boots and carry my waders in my large backpack. I chose hiking in the waders, since it seemed far less hassle. For my casting tool I chose my Loomis two piece five weight.

Roughly half way down my descent of the Walker Loop Trail, my left foot seemed to be looser than normal. I stopped to examine the cause and discovered that the Boa cable on my Korkers had broken. Needless to say, I was not happy about this development. I was too far along to return to the car, and was unsure if I had a means to repair it in any case. I plunged ahead and racked my brain for some sort of temporary fix. The best I could concoct was to find a vine and wrap it around the wader boot and secure with a knot. It never happened, and I hiked in and out and fished for five hours with a very loose left wading boot. I made sure the wader cuff remained in place, and I was able to manage through the Boa failure. When I returned to the car, I noticed that the cable on the right boot was also frayed, so I scheduled time to replace both Boa cables. I have done it before, and I have several backup cables in my fly tying desk.

Prime Rainbow Spot

As I strolled along contemplating a boot fix, I heard a loud clop clop sound, and I instantly froze. I spotted a glimpse of movement in the trees ahead of me, and then I heard a splash, and a huge antlered moose stood in the middle of South Boulder Creek and stared back at me. I concluded the clop clop sound was the hooves of the moose striking rocks. I backtracked a short distance to an opening next to the creek, and I frantically pulled out my camera and snapped a photo. Next I hit the video button, and the moose decided I was not a threat, as it waded downstream and then crossed the other half of the creek to the opposite shore. I kept my camera out and proceeded down the trail a short distance to another opening, and I recorded another clip of the moose, as it meandered out of sight into a grove of evergreen trees. My heartrate was quite elevated after this encounter.

Moose Crossing

In spite of the loose boot, I arrived at my chosen starting point along the stream and began fly fishing by 10:00AM. I began with an amber ice dub body size 8 chubby chernobyl trailing a size 14 prince nymph and a size 14 iron sally. During the morning session between 10:00AM and noon I landed twenty trout. One grabbed the iron sally, four attacked the chubby, and one snatched the salvation nymph, after I swapped it for the iron sally. The remaining fourteen gobbled the prince nymph. All my action came from slower moving pockets, riffles and runs near the right bank. A few trout under six inches were also part of the morning, and refusals to the chubby were a frustration. I must admit, however, it is hard to be frustrated with twenty fish in two hours, although the size of the fish was somewhat lacking. I did manage one thirteen inch brown with dark spots, but most of the catch fell within the six to nine inch range.

Morning Brown Trout

Nice Spot

During lunch I observed quite a few yellow sallies floating skyward, so I decided to switch tactics, and I converted to a size 14 yellow stimulator and a size 14 peacock hippie stomper in a double dry fly configuration. The combination met with decent success, and I boosted the fish count from twenty to thirty. The trout ate either the stimulator or hippie stomper in roughly equal proportions, but the trailing stomper seemed to generate a larger number of refusals.

Love the Pattern on This Rainbow

Excellent Brown Trout

The thirtieth fish was a stunning thirteen inch brown trout, but then I once again experienced refusals, and I began to wonder, if the trout were seeking green drakes and perhaps the hippie stomper was a close but not close enough approximation? I replaced the hippie stomper with a parachute green drake, and I managed a few small brown trout, but the paradrake was an overwhelmingly excellent refusal generator. I returned to the hippie stomper, and eventually I raised the fish count to forty-one. Number thirty-nine was a gorgeous rainbow trout of thirteen inches and perhaps the best fish of the day.

Deep Body Color on This Rainbow

Top Notch Brown

The most productive areas were riffles of moderate depth and medium current velocity. Trout seemed to appear out of nowhere in these spots, and this was especially true, while I had the prince nymph on my line. Short deep pools and shelf pools were consistently unproductive, and I am unable to explain that circumstance.

Shelf Along the Far Bank Yielded Two Nice Rainbows

At forty-one I was satisfied with my day, and my watch indicated that it was 3PM, so I hit the trail with my loose left boot. I was concerned about hiking out with the loose fit in the afternoon heat, as the return hike involved a one mile climb up a steep hill. I took my time and drank an abundant quantity of water and reached the parking lot by 4:00PM. I passed three other anglers in the creek on the way back, and two fishermen arrived and were preparing to fish, as I removed my gear. When I removed my right wader leg, I discovered that my hiking sock was saturated with water to the point, where I could wring it out. I added wader repair to boot repair on my list of Wednesday afternoon activities.

Pretty in Pink

Wide Pool

Tuesday proved to be an eventful day on South Boulder Creek. Landing forty plus fish is always rewarding, but seeing a wild moose within casting distance was easily the highlight of the day. My ability to enjoy a successful outing while dealing with a broken boot was also a noteworthy accomplishment. I spotted one solitary green drake, so they are imminent, but the fish are not yet tuned into the large western mayflies.

Fish Landed: 41

 

North Fork of Ten Mile Creek – 07/26/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: National Forest land

North Fork of Ten Mile Creek 07/26/2024 Photo Album

My fly fishing friend, Nate, was in scooter/bicycle accident that resulted in a broken ring finger on his left hand. He is right handed, and like many of us, is a fly fishing fanatic. Unfortunately, his recent visit to the doctor resulted in a large cast on his left arm that stabilized his wrist and entire hand except for his index finger and thumb. His devotion to fly fishing was so intense that he attempted to fish a couple times, and he managed most of the necessary actions. The one activity that was difficult to perform with one hand was netting a fish, removing the fly and releasing the fish.

I fished for three consecutive days at the beginning of the week, but I was not satiated, so I offered to accompany Nate on a fishing trip. I suggested that we could fish together and alternate pools, so that I would be nearby to assist should he hook and land fish. Initially Nate rejected my offer, as he felt that fishing was too big a risk for his recovery, but eventually his strong desire to fish during one of the prime seasons of the year trumped other concerns, and we planned a day on his off day of Friday.

Charcoal Body on This Brook Trout

For a destination I suggested that we visit the North Fork of Ten Mile Creek. I fished there nine days ago with great success, and it met the criteria of a small stream with lots of fish that required anglers to alternate pools. Nate and I met at the Woolly Mammoth parking lot at 8AM, and we arrived at the North Fork parking lot by 9:00AM. After a rest stop break and assembling our gear, we hiked along the trail and approached a nice section of the creek for dry fly fishing. I chose my Orvis Access four weight and stuffed my raincoat and lunch in my backpack, The temperature at the start was a cool 61 degrees, even though the high in Denver was projected to hit 91 degrees.Corner Pocket

I began my day with a peacock hippie stomper, and Nate and I began alternating, as we progressed methodically up the creek. We failed to generate interest in the first four glassy smooth pools, but eventually we began to meet with success, I added a  hares ear nymph on a dropper, and this move resulted in two landed brook trout. By lunch time Nate recorded seven landed brook trout, and I notched five. We only counted fish over six inches, but very few sub-six inch fish visited our nets during the fly fishing prior to lunch. Nate was remarkably self sufficient in one-handed mode, but I did assist with a few hook removals and releases.

Pastel Hues

By lunch time some dark clouds obscured the sun, and the wind kicked up even more than what we had already experienced, so I dug out my raincoat for warmth and as a windbreaker. I was pleased with this move, as the rain shell remained in place for the remainder of our time on the water.

Nate Threaded the Needle Here

For some reason the fishing slowed considerably after lunch. We agreed that some of this was attributable to the quality of the water. Most of our action originated in deeper water next to faster currents, and the early afternoon featured numerous glassy smooth pools and shallow riffles. We approached these locales with stealth, but the number of darting fish was significant. Even relatively long casts with soft landings sent the wild trout scurrying for cover.

Clear and Smooth

In response to the slow action I added a size 16 light gray comparadun on a twelve inch dropper, and the comparadun accounted for a pair of trout. As more time elapsed, however, the hippie stomper once again began to dominate the appetites of the trout, and the trailing comparadun was a nuisance, so I removed it and fished the stomper solo.

Nature’s Palette

By 2:15PM the sky darkened, and a light rain descended. Nate was very concerned about getting his cast wet, so he retreated among a dense stand of tall evergreens for cover. As I mentioned, I was already cloaked in my raincoat, so I persisted through the rain and ramped up my fish count to eleven. After fifteen minutes the rain stopped, and the sun reappeared, and Nate resumed his fly fishing adventure. I relinquished my casting turns, and Nate upped his fish count to ten, so we called it a day and hiked back to the car.

Handful

Short Pool

Nate and I agreed that the biggest difference between my visit of 07/16/2024 and Friday, 07/26/2024 was the decrease in flows. Clearly the lower volume of water along with extreme clarity made the fly fishing significantly more demanding. The conditions dictated long casts and light deliveries. The difficulty was enhanced by the strong wind that made delivering a fly to a tight spot an extreme challenge. Placing casts in narrow slots beneath bushes and along the banks was frequently a risk of a snag or errant cast. In spite of these drawbacks we persisted and logged a fun day. Above all it was a pleasure to fish along side Nate. His fly fishing abilities have progressed significantly since we last met on a stream. Hopefully his recovery is rapid, and he is able to participate in some outstanding fly fishing over the remainder of the summer and fall.

Fish Landed: 11

 

Beaver Creek – 07/24/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: National Forest

Beaver Creek 07/24/2024 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

Great Place to Start

After two days of non-stop action with small brook trout, I was anxious for something different, and Wednesday proved to be the answer. I fished Beaver Creek previously, so I knew it was primarily a brown trout fishery.

Off and Running

I arrived at the small parking lot at the trailhead by 10:00AM, and the dashboard thermometer registered 71 degrees. The sky was devoid of clouds, and I was certain that Wednesday would be a hot one. I grabbed my Sage R8 four weight and prepared it for a day of fly fishing. I replaced some missing salvation nymphs and beadhead hares ear nymphs in my fleece wallet, and I departed for the creek.

Wide Section

As I surmised, my hike generated quite a bit of perspiration, but the cold water was very welcome. I began my day with a size 8 tan pool toy hopper, a beadhead hares ear nymph and a salvation nymph. In the early going I landed two brown trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range and another smaller brown. The largest of the trio crushed the hopper, while the others snatched the hares ear.

Pleased with This One

Another Brown Trout Prize

After my initial run of success, things slowed down, so when I reached five trout landed, I switched to a dry fly approach. Initially I utilized a size 12 yellow stimulator, and it delivered some smaller brown trout, but I prospected some very attractive pools with no results, and i lost confidence in the stimulator. I decided to continue with a dry, so I added a twelve inch dropper and attached a purple haze. The haze nabbed another small brown, but then both flies went unmolested in several nice pools, so I replaced the purple haze with a size 14 parachute green drake. Once again I was disappointed with the results, so I paused for lunch on a nice wide log next to the creek.

Quite a Pool

While eating lunch I pondered my next move. Clearly the fish were looking toward the surface for their source of nutrition, so I swapped the double dry for a peacock hippie stomper. The stomper is always reliable, so why not on this creek? I did not persist with the nymph earlier, so I decided to give it a second chance. I added a 2.5 foot 5X dropper and knotted a beadhead hares ear to my line.

Deep Frothy Hole

Tough Wading Ahead

The stomper/hares ear combination stayed on my line for the remainder of my time on the stream, and it produced outstanding results. The fish count ascended from seven to twenty-eight, and quite a few of the afternoon trout stretched the tape to twelve and thirteen inches. Of course, some small brown trout also found my net, but the average size of the trout was clearly superior to the morning session. Both flies yielded positive results, but I estimate the the hippie stomper accounted for roughly 70% of the fish; whereas, the hares ear was nabbed 30% of the time. One ten inch rainbow mysteriously landed in my net, and all the other fish were brown trout. As always, refusals and temporary hook ups were part of the equation, but I simply shrugged them off and moved on at a steady pace knowing that some of the trout would recognize my offerings as food.

Best on the Day

Nondescript Home of Best Fish of the Day

I clocked my return hike on my activity tracker, and I covered .5 mile while fly fishing. Wednesday was an enjoyable day in an utterly spectacular setting. The creek was clear and cold, and enough fish favored my offering to produce quantities of trout. My final fish was a fourteen inch brown trout that crushed the hippie stomper from what appeared to be a marginal location. I also tallied a thirteen inch brown in the early going, and quite a few spunky twelve inch fish were in the mix. Catching brown trout in small mountain creek was a nice break from the repetitiveness of catching small brook trout. Of course, I will never turn down brook trout, however, adding different species is always fun.

Fish Landed: 28

 

Hunter Creek – 07/23/2024

Time: 11:00AM – 3:15PM

Location: Upstream from first footbridge

Hunter Creek 07/23/2024 Photo Album

Hunter Creek was another small stream on my list to explore. After a day on this mountain stream, I am able to check it off. Similar to Cross Creek, I landed 100% brook trout. I counted 41 that met my minimum length standard of six inches, but I probably had an additional twenty that did not make the cut. The brook trout that made my fish count ranged between six and nine inches, but the numbers were heavily weighted on the six inch side.

Indian Paintbrush in Abundance

Lots of Pocket Water in This Creek

Early in my day I fished a fat Albert with a beadhead hares ear nymph, and I managed to land five on the nymph, but I quickly learned that the dry/dropper approach was too cumbersome for the tight quarters of Hunter Creek. The dropper was constantly grabbing branches, and the small trout created some nasty snarls. I decided to try a Chernobyl ant solo. The all foam fly required no backcast to dry, and the yellow indicator foam was relatively visible. Most importantly the trout liked it, and I moved the fish count from five to thirty. The Chernobyl was not perfect, as the many hookups were accompanied by refusals and premature releases.

Orange and Yellow Dominate

One of the better Pools

After I notched number thirty, I decided to experiment with a size 12 yellow stimulator. This fly was also effective, as the fish count climbed to forty-one by the time I quit at 3:15PM. Just before I quit, one of my wading boots slid on a slimy underwater branch, and this sent me into a pirouette that ended with my wader bib dipping beneath the surface of the creek. It actually felt refreshing on a warm July day, and the water never trickled to my lower legs and feet.

Pastel Colors

Another Prime Pool

Brook Trout Perfection Here

Once again I experienced a fun and active day catching an abundant quantity of small brook trout. Similar to Cross Creek, I am not sure the small trout justify the hike and difficult wading. In fairness to Hunter Creek, the wading was far less challenging. The main obstacle to movement was the thick trees and bushes that reached over the water and prevented upstream movement on land. I was forced to execute some extreme body contortions to climb over large rocks and fallen logs, and this is always a challenge for a 73 year old angler. I now know what Hunter Creek has to offer, although I may never fish it again.

Fish Landed: 41

 

 

Cross Creek – 07/22/2024

Time: 11:15AM – 2:45PM

Location: National Forest land near Minturn

Cross Creek 07/22/2024 Photo Album

I finally pulled together everything necessary to visit a new stream. I was headed to this particular creek, when I was forced to postpone due to a screw in my tire. On Monday I was not victimized by any auto issues, although I was delayed by a flagman within four miles of my destination due to highway construction.

After a relatively rough drive of a mile on a dirt road, I arrived at the trailhead; and, of course, in spite of it being a weekday, all the spots in the lots were full. I negotiated a turnaround and parked along the shoulder downhill from the parking lots. The temperature was in the upper sixties, and I fit together my Loomis two piece five weight for the day’s action.

As I prepared to fish, another car arrived, and the solo occupant began chatting with me. He was also planning to fish, as he tossed waders into his daypack. He suggested that I was a bad ass, because I was hiking in my waders. I took this as a compliment, and I stopped next to him on my way to the trailhead. We were both ready at the same time, and he had fished the creek previously, so we made the hike together. I was pleased to accompany someone, who knew their way around. My new acquaintance’s name was Judge, and he was a retired airline pilot from Georgia. We shared much more information on our inbound hike, but for the sake of privacy, I will omit it from this blog entry.

Best Pool I Saw

Eventually we reached a place where some large elevated rocks overlooked a stunningly attractive pool. Judge was familiar with this obvious fish hole, but he insisted that I fish it first, since he needed to put on his waders and assemble his rod. I reluctantly acquiesced, and I carefully slid down the curved boulder and entered the stream. I began with a peacock hippie stomper solo, and I blasted out some long casts to the slow moving lower section. My casts were rather exemplary, if I may brag a bit, but they generated no interest. I slowly edged my way to the sweet spot below a beaver dam, but nary a trout even looked at my fly. How could this be? Maybe the trout were looking for food beneath the surface? I paused to add an eighteen inch dropper and attached a beadhead hares ear nymph. I lobbed ten casts along the current seam that curled next to the rock along the opposite bank. I was perplexed by my lack of success, and I surrendered. Judge watched me for awhile and then disappeared.

Productive Spot

The obvious trout honey hole looked like it hosted a lot of traffic, perhaps anglers and swimmers, so I attributed my absence of success to pressure. I decided to move upstream, but the large beaver pond looked like a dicey wading enterprise, so I attempted to hike around it, but I got stuck in a tough section of forest with dense deadfalls and thickets that grabbed my fly line and limbs at every turn. Eventually I stumbled across a faint path that aided my progress and led me back to the creek above the beaver pond.

I maneuvered myself into the creek, so that I was able to cover some nice pockets and shelf pools, and I landed three brook trout including a stunning ten incher. The first two snatched the hares ear, but the largest of the three smacked the hippie stomper. The counted fish were accompanied by several sub-six inch dinks, and this trend would continue throughout the day.

Lower Gradient Section

I was contemplating lunch, when Judge reappeared. He was now in his waders, and he was in the process of switching his tapered leader, as it remained configured for Euro nymphing. Judge suggested a nice cleared area for lunch, and I joined him. After lunch we split. I continued upstream, while he intended to move back down. I suspect he had his sights set on the initial pool that failed to deliver for me.

Decent

From 12:15 until 2:45 I worked my way upstream, and I boosted the fish count from three to sixteen. I probably had ten or more dinks that did not reach my arbitrary six inch minimum. Fifteen of the landed trout were brookies, and I was fortunate to net one gorgeous cutthroat of nine inches.

Shimmering

I covered .6 mile of the stream, and this was quite an accomplishment. Cross Creek crashed downhill at an alarming rate, and I moved around two waterfalls and numerous whitewater cascades. Steep banks and tight walls made wading akin to a gymnastics session. I sought only the slow moving and deep pools and pockets, where fish could seek refuge among the thunderous, crashing water volume.

Rare Shelf Pools

Wild Roses

After .4 mile I reached the bridge, where the main trail crossed the creek. I looked upstream at the unending whitewater plumes through the narrow canyon, and I realized that, if I continued, I might be forced to retrace my steps in order to exit. I decided to give it a cautious try. I progressed another .25 mile, and amazingly the gradient increased beyond that which I endured earlier. The catch rate waned, and my fear of the crashing water and my presence in a remote wilderness environment superseded my desire to catch fish.

One Cutthroat Among Many Brook Trout

Cutthroat Came from Deep Along the Whitewater Seam

I mounted a ridge of large round topped boulders and slowly worked my way back to the main trail and eventually visited my Telluride. There I discovered a hand printed note from Judge, who landed thirty fish. He attached the foam body yellow Sally that generated the success as well a new one to contrast the damage absorbed by his workhorse fly, I wonder if his fish came from the monster pool that skunked me?

I am pleased that I explored Cross Creek. The weather was perfect, and I landed sixteen wild jewels. I am not sure, however, whether I will return. The effort of the hike and rock and log scrambling did not justify the small brook trout that landed in my net. Perhaps the high gradient stream is more productive at lower flows. I will keep Cross Creek in mind for future trips, but I suspect there are better options when other streams are low as well.

Fish Landed: 16

 

Eagle River – 07/22/2024

Time: 3:45PM – 5:00PM

Location: Upper river south of Minturn

Eagle River 07/22/2024 Photo Album

As I slowly bounced down the pot holed dirt road after fishing Cross Creek, I decided to experiment with the upper Eagle River south of Minturn. I found a nice wide pullout, and I remained in my waders with my fly rod already strung, so I charged immediately down a path to the river and began casting. The hippie stomper from earlier remained on my line, and it trailed a size 16 light gray comparadun.

Seam Along Whitewater Produced a Nice Brown Trout

Nice Catch after All the Small Brook Trout

Another Nice Catch

In the early going the comparadun duped an eight inch brown trout in some moderate riffles, but I also endured quite a few refusals to the stomper and the comparadun. I replaced the comparadun with a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis. These two flies clicked with the trout, and I progressed along the left bank and landed five additional brown trout including a surprise thirteen incher and a respectable twelve inch fish. All the trout materialized from slow and deep water tight to the bank or exposed rocks. By 5PM I reached a narrow section with fast chutes and tumbling pockets, so I retreated to a location somewhat upstream from my original crossing point and moved back to the roadside bank.

Marginal Bank Pocket Produced a Surprisingly Large Fish

Another Typical Productive Pocket

I was pleased with the results  of my 1.5 hours of fishing on the upper Eagle River. All the brown trout except the first were larger than my largest brook trout on Cross Creek.

Fish Landed: 6

Willow Creek – 07/17/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 3:15PM

Location: National Forest land

Willow Creek 07/17/2024 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

A friend of mine from college asked me to mentor his grandson, who displayed a new interest in fly fishing. My friend’s sixteen year old grandson, Ben, lives in Golden, CO, and he recently took up fly fishing. I eagerly agreed to the proposal, as I am a proponent of introducing young folks to my favorite pastime. Increasing the participation in fly fishing can only help promote conservation efforts and the health of our fish stocks and waterways. With the serious threat of climate change more advocates to protect the environment is a necessity.

I communicated with Ben’s mother, Alison, and we arranged to meet on Wednesday morning at 8:30AM. Ben’s house was along the route to the stream that I chose, I provided a list of essentials for a day of fly fishing to Alison, and when I arrived at their house Ben was prepared and eager.

We made the drive to a pullout near the stream, and Ben prepared to fish, while I did the same. A coworker with Ben’s father gave him two fly rods, and Ben assembled his 8.5 foot two piece six weight. I did not plan to fish, but I built my Orvis Access four weight just in case. The only gear that I provided was a small net with a retractor and clip.

Prime Pool

Once we were ready, we hiked down the road a short distance, and then we cut to the creek. I asked Ben to make some casts, and he displayed some of the typical beginner faults such as moving the rod tip too far between the forward and back casts. I offered some tips for improvement, and by the end of the day, Ben was tossing fifty foot casts to target areas. Once I was convinced that Ben was able to target casts that would generate positive results, we launched our day.

My Client on Wednesday

Between 10:30AM and 3:15PM we covered a significant amount of stream real estate, and Ben landed nineteen wild trout. In his words, he quintupled his lifetime number of fish landed! He was a quick study and greatly improved his ability to cast, read the water, and strip line to eliminate slack before setting the hook. He also improved his ability to handle fish, remove the fly and keep his catches wet.

Brook Trout Netted

Ben was the perfect guiding client. He said thank you to me for everything I did. He was attentive and accepting of instruction and polite to the extreme. He even pretended to be interested in my fish stories.Pretty Fish

I managed to land a couple brook trout along the way, but I mostly assisted and avoided fly fishing for one day. Over the course of the day Ben landed eighteen brook trout and one brown trout. He was rather excited to net the brown trout, and we both agreed that he hooked two additional browns that he failed to land. The brook trout were splendid fish, and they splashed all the colors of the rainbow. Ben could barely contain his admiration for the small jewels that rested in his net. Most of the trout crushed the hippie stomper, although a beadhead pheasant tail yielded a few in the early afternoon, and in the late going he nabbed a few on a yellow stimulator and olive-brown size 16 deer hair caddis. Ben got a taste of dry fly fishing, dry/dropper and double dry approaches.

Quick Release

Promising Spot Ahead

I was very proud of Ben’s improvement and accomplishment. Hopefully he gets additional opportunities in the near future to reinforce his newly acquired skills. I would be open to additional fishing outings, although in the future I would not be the guide, but instead I would be a fishing companion.

Fish Landed: 2

North Fork of Ten Mile Creek – 07/16/2024

Time: 11:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: West of Frisco, CO

North Fork of Ten Mile Creek 07/16/2024 Photo Album

If you read my last report, you know that I dipped into my bag of good fortune, when I recovered my lost wading staff on Bear Creek. Apparently I used up my good luck. Let me explain.

For Tuesday I planned a trip to a new stream that I never fished previously. I prepared my lunch on Monday and allowed my gear to remain in the car from Monday’s trip. I woke up earlier than normal, and these actions paid off, when I departed from the garage at 7:00AM. My destination required a two hour drive and a forty-five minute hike, so an early start was essential, and I was excited. I drove for one block, when I noticed a red warning light on the dashboard that informed me that the tire pressure in the left rear tire was low. In fact, it was 18 PSI. I immediately returned to the garage, and I dug out the small air compressor that I carry, and I inflated the tire back to 35 PSI. Needless to say I was very frustrated. Not being able to fulfill my planned day on a new creek was a bitter pill to swallow. I went online and learned that the local Les Schwab tire center did not open until 8:00AM.

As I was inflating the tire, I noticed that fluid was dripping from beneath the engine, and this raised additional concerns. I waited until 7:45AM, and I made the short drive to Les Schwab, and the nice lady at the counter put me on the schedule for a morning tire repair. I asked if the mechanic could look at the dripping fluids and give me an opinion on the source. I asked how long I needed to wait, and she replied an hour, so I made a cup of coffee and settled in a chair in the waiting area to ponder the daily Connections puzzle. After a short wait, Josh called my name, and he informed me that the dripping resulted from condensation from the air conditioning unit. This was a huge relief.

In less that an hour a young lady appeared, and she announced that my car was ready. The tire specialist found a screw in the impacted tire and repaired it for no charge, and I was free to go. I returned home and pondered my next move. One option was pickleball, but I still clung to the fly fishing option, so I decided to explore a different stream that required a shorter drive. I restored my lunch, pretzels and tote bag to the car, and I was on my way to the North Fork of Ten Mile Creek. I hiked this trail several times, but I never fished it, but I put it on my list of small streams to sample.

When I arrived at the trailhead parking lot, it was full, so I turned left and went under the highway to a larger lot on the east side of Interstate 70. This lot was also full, but I found a wide shoulder along the short entrance way, and I designated it as my parking spot. There were no signs, and another car was parked in a similar fashion right behind me.

I cycled through my normal preparation, and after checking the relatively normal flows of the North Fork next to the parking lot, I chose my light Orvis Access four weight. I crossed the exit ramp and the entry ramp and hiked up the North Fork trail, until I reached a section that appeared to be prime for fly fishing. The gradient was reduced, and there was adequate space for backcasts.

Along the way I passed a man in a national forest uniform, and he was not very forthcoming with information, When I asked if the small stream contained fish, his answer was, “one or two”. Next I passed a woman, and she saw my fly rod, and she volunteered that there were an abundant quantity of brook trout a short distance ahead. I was encouraged by this information.

Number One

Smooth

Within thirty minutes I reached the area that I targeted, and I tied a peacock hippie stomper to my line and began to lob long casts to the relatively smooth water. I began fishing at 11:30AM, and by the time I paused for lunch, the fish count rested on five. All were brook trout, and all consumed the solo hippie stomper.

Brilliant

Distracted from Fly Fishing by Wildflowers

After lunch I continued my upstream migration, and the success of the first thirty minutes repeated itself, until I foolishly roll cast the hippie stomper into a dead tree limb higher than my reach. This was my second hippie stomper, as the hackle collar unwound on the first peacock version after being mauled by thirteen brook trout. The second one and the one lost to the tree limb contained a purple body.

Very Dark Coloration

Gorgeous Run

The fish count was twenty-nine, and I was unwilling to risk another hippie stomper, so I experimented with a lime green trude and a Jake’s gulp beetle. The trude was ineffective, and the beetle enabled me to increment the fish count to thirty-one.

One More Gem

Tuesday was a fun day. For the most part the creek allowed for adequate backcasting space. I was able to launch long casts, and the brook trout were quite hungry. In addition to the thirty-one trout that I counted, I probably landed another fifteen small ones beneath my six inch cut off. All the trout were in the six to nine inch range with possibly a few ten inch monsters. I moved at a steady pace, placed upstream casts in the likely spots and enjoyed the colorful fighters on the end of my line. I salvaged an enjoyable day of fishing after the low tire fiasco. My original plan remains a near term objective, but I discovered another high country option for hot summer days.

Fish Landed: 31

Bear Creek – 07/15/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: Between Morrison and Evergreen

Bear Creek 07/15/2024 Photo Album

I had a commitment which required me to leave our house in Denver by 5:00PM, and additionally I needed time for a shower, a change of clothes and time to pick up dinner. In order to complete this timeline, I needed to quit fishing no later than 3:00PM. This constraint, in turn, dictated that my fly fishing outing on Monday needed to be nearby. With high temperatures projected to reach 95 degrees, the Front Range offered few good alternatives.

My friend, Nate, provided some positive reports on Bear Creek, so that became my choice. I arrived at a small pullout along the winding road beyond Morrison at 10:15AM, and this enabled me to approach the creek by 10:30. The temperature, when I began, was 86 degrees, but I decided to bypass wet wading, because I was unsure of the terrain and vegetation. I was a bit warm during my time on the creek, but I was not unreasonably uncomfortable.

Clear and Moderate Flows

For my rod I selected my Loomis two piece five weight, as I expected to toss dries and dry/dropper, and I like the slower action for that chore. The Loomis is also 8.5 feet long, and I viewed that as advantageous in the narrow confines of the canyon with an abundant quantity of  overhanging branches.

To begin my search for trout I chose a peacock hippie stomper trailing a beadhead hares ear nymph. In the early going I covered a significant amount of stream, and I landed two small brown trout. One took the hares ear and the other smacked the stomper. I also noticed a couple swirling refusals to the hippie stomper. Most of the action was on the surface, so I swapped the hares ear for a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis.

Unfortunately for me, these flies were not attractive to the fish, if in fact there were fish in the stream. I say this because I observed very little evidence of trout in the form of looks, sightings, or refusals. After an hour of fishing, I encountered a waterfall, so I climbed the north bank and circled above the falls. I gazed upstream, and I was faced with a narrow canyon with rock walls on both sides. Should I attempt this section? I decided to give it a try and figured it offered the advantage of light pressure, as most anglers would not undertake the difficult wade.

Narrow Canyon

I carefully edged along the rock wall using small ledges for foot placement, and I survived the riskiest portion of the upstream migration. Once I was on solid ground, I evaluated the creek structure, and I concluded that the narrow streambed created deep runs and plunge pools, and my small dry fly offerings were probably not the proper choice. I sat on a rock and re-rigged with a size 8 pool toy hopper, beadhead hares ear, and beadhead salvation nymph.

I worked my way upstream methodically and generated a pair of refusals to the hopper, before I made an errant back cast and snagged a tree limb. The branch that possessed my flies was higher than I could reach, so I unhooked my wading staff from my belt to allow extra extension. I used the staff to strafe the branch a couple times, but it was not moving or hooking the fly, so I dropped it, and resorted to tugging on the upper nymph, and this in turn snapped off the salvation nymph. But wait a minute, did I say I dropped the wading staff? Remember it was no longer attached to my wading belt. Upon realizing my mental lapse, I saw the wading staff bobbing down a white water cascade thirty yards downstream. I swore at my stupidity and began the mental task of making the best of a lost wading staff. I was already resolved to quit fishing in order to construct a new staff during the afternoon, since I planned to fish again on Tuesday.

Recovered Wading Staff

I was not about to undertake additional challenging wading in the narrow canyon without a staff, so I ascended a steep bank and walked back along the road to the car. Could the staff have gotten lodged somewhere between my exit point and the car? it was a long shot, but I now had the rest of the afternoon available, so I decided to complete a search. I stuffed my rod in the car and scampered down the dirt path and followed the fisherman path along the creek. Along the way I found a branch of the correct length and commissioned it to walking stick duty.

I constantly inspected the banks and scanned for my wading staff, particularly where I noticed a collection of natural branches. Eventually I arrived at the waterfalls, and just below the falls there was a huge jumble of sticks and branches collected from the high flows of run off. I did not see my staff among them, but I was unable to view the collection above some large rocks near the opposite bank. I marched up along the shoreline for a short distance, and I spotted the end of a long cylindrical object. Could it be? Yes, it was my wading stick. I used my makeshift staff to cross the creek and carefully negotiated the stick jumble, until I could retrieve my three dollar broom handle. I was elated!

I returned to the car, and now that I had my safety net to lean on, I decided to explore a different section of Bear Creek. I continued west through the canyon, and I was blown away by the number of pullouts occupied by fishermen. I had no idea that tiny Bear Creek receives such an enormous amount of pressure. I can always tell a heavily fished area by the extent to which the paths are worm, and heavy usage was definitely evident, where I fished.

Same Stream, Different Look

Best Fish of the Day

After a short drive I found a parking space, and I grabbed my rod and gear and ambled directly to the creek. I sat in some tall grass next to Bear Creek and downed my lunch, and then, since I lost the salvation nymph on my dry/dropper, I converted back to a hippie stomper and deer hair caddis. I progressed upstream for the next two hours and managed to land four additional trout to up the fish count to six. One of the trout was a rainbow, and the other three were browns. Midway through this period, the stomper dominated with refusals, so I exchanged it for a size 16 light gray comparadun, and this combination did the heavy lifting. Of the four landed after lunch, one smacked the comparadun and the other three gobbled the caddis.

Next to Grassy Clump Was Brown Trout Home

Camouflage

On this hot day in July, the recovery of my wading staff was easily the highlight. My largest trout was probably the eight inch rainbow, so size was not a positive. But given Nate’s recent skunking, I felt somewhat relieved to catch a few fish under very difficult hot and sunny conditions. It is only the middle of July, and I am already considering limiting my fishing to higher elevation streams and tailwaters. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 6

Competing Angler

Willow Creek – 07/12/2024

Time: 11:30AM – 4:00PM

Location: National Forest

Willow Creek 07/12/2024 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

Start of Lower Gradient Section

A high of 102 degrees was predicted for Denver on Friday, July 12, 2024, so I sought a fly fishing destination at high elevation. My friend, Nate, told me about one such place, so I decided to make the trip. I love exploring new fly fishing destinations, and visiting a place that provided cooler temperatures was icing on the cake.

Greedy Brook Trout Were Prevalent

I arrived at my chosen parking space by 11:00AM, as the Friday traffic was already heavy at the usual choke points. The dashboard temperature read 72 degrees and the sky was bright blue and absent cloud cover, and the weather would remain the same during my afternoon on the creek. I chose my Sage R8 four weight, and once I was prepared, I hiked down the road for .2 mile and then cut perpendicular to the stream.

Undercut Bank Produced a Gorgeous Brown TroutUndercut Bank Brown Trout

For a start I knotted a size 14 olive body stimulator to my line. I was hoping that the large bushy attractor would pound up some fish, but after twenty minutes of inactivity, I had nothing to show for my efforts. The section I chose to launch my day in was relatively narrow with a high gradient. The creek seemed higher than average, but it was crystal clear, so in retrospect, my lack of action was probably attributable to water type more than fly selection.

Very Pretty and Very Productive Pool

Loved These Occasional Brown Trout

By noon, when I broke for lunch, I swapped out the stimulator for a size 10 Chernobyl ant trailing a weighted 20 incher, and the Chernobyl ant prompted a take for my first trout, a small brook trout, but it also was accompanied by some refusals. At least I discovered the presence of fish in my newly explored fishery.

Another Respectable Small Stream Brown Trout

Shelf Pool Produced

I downed my lunch quickly and resumed my progression, but now the terrain shifted to a more moderate slope, and this in turn, evolved into an increased number of spots more conducive to trout holding lies. The Chernobyl was not clicking, and the 20 incher was too heavy, thus causing snags and a lack of movement. I made yet another change, and in this instance I replaced the Chernobyl with the ever-present peacock hippie stomper and a beadhead hares ear dropper.

Resting Brook Trout

This adjustment proved to be the ticket, and I increased the fish count from one to thirty-five between 12:30PM and 4:00PM, when I quit for the day. In short, I had a blast. Most of the trout snatched the trailing hares ear on the drift, but a fair number also rose to inhale the reliable stomper, as it bobbed along on the current seams. Slower moving shelf pools, current seams, tail outs at the end of a pool, and slow moving sloughs along undercut banks were the locations, where my flies brought success.

Aggressive Brown Trout

I reveled in the fast paced action, as I moved quickly from promising spot to promising spot. I probably covered .4 mile of stream real estate in the course of my day, and the only downside to the experience was the wind, which whipped incessantly down the valley. The rushing air, in turn, caused numerous difficult tangles, and why is it that the strongest blasts coincide with attempting to perform a delicate unraveling operation?

Brook Trout Haven

What sort of fish were attacking my flies? Most of the landed fish were colorful brook trout in the six to nine inch range, although I estimate that eight were very nice browns in the twelve to thirteen inch size slot with one fourteen inch outlier to my credit. I love catching trout that surpass my expectations in a small stream environment, and Friday’s outing certainly qualified in that regard.

Other than the wind, it was a nearly perfect fly fishing outing. Temperatures were in the seventies, the creek contained an abundance of hungry fish, and a sprinkling of above average size brown trout kept me focused. Given the wind, it was fortunate that minimal streamside vegetation existed to snag my flies. I look forward to another visit to this newly discovered fly fishing playground.

Fish Landed: 35