Monthly Archives: July 2025

Willow Creek – 07/08/2025

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Time: 10:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: National Forest

Willow Creek 07/08/2025 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.

Poised to Return

I sensed that the declining flows on the major freestone rivers meant that high country streams were down to fishable levels, so I decided to pay a visit to Willow Creek. My disclaimer explains that this is not the real name of this stream. I experienced some superb days on this small stream in 2024, so I was anxious to return.

Solid Prospecting Spot

I arrived at my chosen parking space by 9:30AM, and I fit together my Orvis Access four weight. This is my smallest rod, and I reserve it for small stream fishing. The air temperature was in the low sixties, as I began my hike to the creek. When I arrived beside the stream, I knotted a peacock hippie stomper to my line, and I began to prospect likely places. The stomper proved ineffective, so I added a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis, and only a few random refusals to the stomper resulted from the addition. The section of the creek where I began was dominated by a series of slow moving pools created by small beaver dams. I must admit that I scattered every fish except for the ones that refused the double dry. I made very long casts and concentrated on shooting high to allow the flies to flutter down, but darting fish were my reward.

Pretty Section

After an hour of frustration I approached a section with a higher gradient and more current, so I switched to a dry/dropper with a classic Chernobyl ant and a trailing beadhead PMD supernova. The combination clicked in the fast currents, and I built the fish count to five, before I broke for lunch. Three of the five were brown trout, and these would be the largest fish of the day. Of course, that was a low bar, as the longest brown may have stretched to ten inches.

Huge Spots on a Small Fish

I continued after lunch with the dry/dropper; however, the nature of the creek shifted to long glides and smooth pools. I concluded that the beadhead nymph and foam attractor were spooking the trout with their splash down, so I once again made a change. This time I opted for a double dry that consisted of the return of the peacock hippie stomper and a purple haze. The white wing of the purple haze was extremely visible, but it instantly became a magnet for trout refusals. At least the surface flies were prompting attention, so I removed the purple haze and replaced it with a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis.

The Type of Water That Produced Brook Trout

Finally I had a winning combination. I moved up the creek and executed long casts and built the fish count to eighteen. The downside was that all the netted fish in the afternoon were small six and seven inch brook trout. The action kept me focused, and fortunately I deployed my lightest fly rod, but size was not a factor. Clearly the most productive spots were long riffles of moderate depth and the tails of pools. Once I learned that many trout hovered at the tail, I exercised considerable caution in my approach.

Flaming Orange

Tuesday on Willow Creek was very different from my visits in 2024. The quality of the fishing fell short compared to last year. The fish were far more selective, and there was an absence of above average size brown trout. I noted quite a few footprints in the morning section as well as a worn area that was perhaps a disbursed campsite, so increased pressure may explain the change. Also the beavers have been very active, and much more of the stream was converted to ponds and slow moving pools. Will I return in 2025? I suspect the answer to that question is no.

Fish Landed: 18

Eagle River – 07/07/2025

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Time: 10:00AM – 3:45PM

Location: Between Avon and Edwards

Eagle River 07/07/2025 Photo Album

My last outing on the Arkansas River was mildly disappointing, so I shifted my fly fishing horizons to other options for Monday, July 07. Jane and I played pickleball on Friday and Saturday, so I was interested in returning to a Colorado River or lake to start the week. I considered some small streams, but after I checked the DWR web site for the Eagle River and noticed that the flows remained at a robust 400 CFS, I decided to pay the river near Avon another visit.

I got off to a nice early start, and the traffic was surprisingly light in Denver, thus allowing me to pull into my chosen parking space by 9:30AM. The air temperature was in the seventies, and as mentioned earlier, the flows were in the 350 – 400 CFS range and very clear. Once I was prepared to fish with my Sage R8 four weight, I marched directly to the river, and I rigged with a yellow fat Albert, iron sally and salvation nymph. From 10AM until 11:45AM I worked my way up the river prospecting with the dry/dropper arrangement, and I netted six fish. Several thirteen inch brown trout graced my net along with a chunky and slightly longer rainbow. Half the morning count fell for the iron sally and the other three nipped either the salvation nymph or a PMD supernova that replaced the salvation nymph, when the salvation was lost in the process of playing a fish.

Not Bad for Early

When I reached six fish landed, I encountered a gorgeous long run and pool. Two young anglers were in the process of taking positions at the tail of the pool. I asked if I could move on to the top, where the main center current created a nice shelf pool, and they agreed. By now it was 11:50AM, so I found a large flat rock and ate my lunch, while I observed the river. As I gazed at the splendid pool, yellow sallies popped off the river in heavy numbers, but I never witnessed a single surface take. In addition to the sallies I noted caddis and one or two pale morning duns. I also noticed that one of the pair of young anglers was driving long casts across the river to the opposite side, and during one of these casts, he hooked a dead tree limb. It was obvious that rescuing the fly was not an option, and sure enough he popped off his fly and returned to shore to reconfigure. I was baffled by the long casts, but who am I to critique?

Deep Slot

Once my lunch was completed, I began casting the dry/dropper from the midsection to the entering run, and I foul hooked a splendid rainbow trout in the process. I suspect it rose to the fat Albert, and I set the hook and dragged the trailing nymph into it. Once I covered the top third of the run and pool, I decided to revamp my offerings. Even though I did not see rises to the yellow sallies, could the fish be opportunistic if confronted with a yellow sally imitation? I decided to give it a try, I knotted a size 14 deer hair yellow sally to my line and then added a light gray size 14 deer hair caddis on an eighteen inch extension.

A Rainbow Joins the Catch

I prospected the same section of the run and pool that I covered with the dry/dropper with the double dry flies, but I achieved the same result; zero fish. Before I entered the pocketwater zone, I once again changed my approach. I replaced the deer hair yellow sally with a yellow size 14 stimulator, and I trailed the same gray deer hair caddis. I prospected this duo through the fifty yard pocketwater section, and I doubled the fish count from six to twelve. Quite a few of these fish were exceptional wild trout that put up very valiant battles. Two of the landed fish were rainbows, and the remainder were brown trout. Four of the six fish were healthy twelve and thirteen inch fish. The caddis accounted for all but one, and the outlier smashed the stimulator. I also endured a few long distance releases.

Pocket Water Bonanza

By 2:15 I reached the point, where I typically end my day, but given the early afternoon time, I decided to drive upstream to another favorite spot. By the time I hiked back to the car and drove a couple miles and hiked back down to the river, it was 2:45PM. Once again I chose a section that was mostly comprised of pocketwater, and the higher than normal flows restricted me to the right bank. I was actually skeptical that I would have success in the late afternoon.

Thick

However, some large clouds slid across the sky to provide intermittent shade, and PMD’s and caddis remained in play. I observed more pale morning duns, than I spotted at the earlier location, so I swapped out the caddis for a light gray size 16 comparadun. Between 2:45PM and 3:45PM I moved up the river along the right bank and probed all the likely riffles, seams and pockets with the two fly combination. Was my lack of confidence reinforced by the late afternoon results? No. I upped the fish count from twelve to twenty-one, and these were all very nice fish. The catch included several brown trout that extended the tape to fourteen inches along with several feisty rainbow trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range. I had a blast.

Promising

The comparadun worked for a couple fish, but then I suffered through a lull, as I moved through some very attractive water, so I replaced the comparadun with a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis. The caddis seemed to meet the needs of the hungry trout. The takes were actually difficult to see, as the trout barely disturbed the surface to snatch the food morsels. Glare was also a problem, and I shifted my position several times to place myself in more advantageous lighting.

Showing Off Color

My day ended with a disappointment. I cast the double/dry up and across the stream and then allowed the flies to sweep along some overhanging branches. Sure enough, after a five foot drift, a large nose surfaced, and I set the hook. Immediately I could see the side of a substantial brown trout perhaps in the fifteen inch range. It dove to the left, and I stripped in line, but then it headed directly across the current toward a cluster of overhanging dead branches. I knew that the game was over, if the robust fighter attained the shelter of the sticks, so I maintained steady pressure toward the left. This ploy lasted for a second or two, before the line popped free. I stripped in my line only to discover that it was devoid of flies, and this offered the perfect excuse to call it a day.

Beauty

I landed twenty-one healthy wild trout on the day, and this easily surpassed my expectations. The dry/dropper fishing was passable, but the highlight of the day was the double dry fly action. In spite of the warm air temperatures, the high flows kept the river residents in fine fighting condition, and they took advantage of the abundant aquatic insect supply. I matched their appetites and enjoyed superb dry fly fishing. I hope to return to the Eagle River again within the next couple weeks before the dog days of August arrive.

Fish Landed: 21

 

Arkansas River – 07/02/2025

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Time: 10:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: Buena Vista area

Arkansas River 07/02/2025 Photo Album

Having fished the Eagle River on 06/26/2025 and 06/30/2025, I was kind of burned out on the dropping freestone along Interstate 70. I was, however, interested in pursuing a freestone in declining stages, where the flows remained comparatively high. The Arkansas River was my answer. The flows at the Nathrop gauge remained in the 750 CFS range, and I knew this would be manageable for wading in pursuit of mainly edge fishing. I made the trip.

High and Clear

The air temperature, as I embarked on my day of fishing, was around 74 degrees with highs projected in the low eighties. It was a hot one. Very little cloud cover developed to mask the sun’s intense rays. For a fly rod I chose my old Sage four weight. I did a ton of casting on Monday on our float trip, and I selected a lighter rod in order to provide some relief to my elbow and shoulder joints and muscles.

Typical

To begin my day I rigged with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, coffee and black size ten Pat’s rubber legs, and an iron sally. A dark olive rubberlegs was effective on the Eagle on Monday, thus my choice of that fly, and I was certain that yellow sallies would make an appearance which led to the iron sally.

Next to the Large Round Rock

The river was in fantastic shape, as I plunged into my day of fly fishing. Flows were indeed high, but the river was exceptionally clear, and the left bank provided numerous spots, where the river residents could escape the faster mid-river currents. Unfortunately my three fly offering went unmolested in the early going, so I revamped the lineup. I removed the rubberlegs and switched the iron sally to the top fly and added a salvation nymph as the bottom fly. Finally the flies clicked, and I built the fish count to six, before I broke for lunch at 11:45. The action was decent, but the size of the fish was disappointing with no brown trout exceeding eleven inches. The salvation nymph did most of the damage, with a fish or two showing a preference for the iron sally. The chubby was an obvious distraction, as quite a few fish surfaced and refused the large attractor.

Nice Close Up

After lunch I removed the iron sally and replaced it with a beadhead hares ear nymph, and this combination resulted in a couple more smallish fish. The frequency of refusals increased, so I decided to respond to the signal being provided by the trout. I removed the dry/dropper configuration and converted to a peacock yellow stimulator trailing a gray size 14 deer hair caddis, It was a double dry set up in response to observed yellow sallies and sparse numbers of caddis. The duo enabled me to increase the fish count by a few, but the yellow stimulator seemed to be close to the preferences of the fish but not close enough, thus a flurry of refusals.

Slots to Explore

It was during this time that I made a downstream drift to the deflection off an exposed boulder, and a fish grabbed the trailing caddis. I set the hook, and the fish was instantly gone. I was confused over what transpired, until I tried to strip in my line and discovered that the only remaining component was my fly line. Apparently the loop I tied on the end of the seven foot tapered leader slipped out, and the entire tapered leader was now absent. I was not a happy camper. Fortunately one nine foot leader with 5X at the end remained in my front pack, so I took the time to unravel it and completed a loop to loop connection to the fly line. In this case, the leader came with a loop already tied by the manufacturer, so hopefully it will be more trustworthy.

Fourth Double of 2025

Once I was back in business, I used the break to substitute a classic size 10 Chernobyl ant for the yellow stimulator. I was going for buoyancy and visibility, and I allowed the deer hair caddis to remain on my line. This combination yielded one trout on the caddis, but then a long drought ensued. I once again swapped the top fly, and in this case I replaced the plop-generating Chernobyl with a peacock body hippie stomper. These flies enabled the fish count to climb to fourteen by 2:30PM, and most of the trout favored the caddis with only a couple trout hungry for the hippie stomper. Toward the end of this period, I broke off the deer hair caddis, and I replaced it with a size 16 deer hair yellow sally. The yellow sally, however, did not prove productive.

Second Click

Along the way I leaned on my newly constructed wading stick with all my weight, and one foot of its length broke off. It did not break off clean initially, so I continued to use it with the end protruding outward at a 90 degree angle. Eventually the entire section broke off, and I was forced to used a short stub for stability. It was better than nothing, but it prevented me from getting into my normal rhythm. I am once again in need of a new wading staff.

Nice Water Ahead

Wednesday was an average day of fly fishing; however, it fell short of my expectations for edge fishing, under what I felt were favorable conditions. I lost my tapered leader, and I felt worse about the fish attached to a seven foot length of monofilament. I broke my natural branch wading staff. The size of the fish was subpar, with no fish stretching the tape to twelve inches. The air temperature was toasty, and I was hot and weary by mid-afternoon. I probably should have returned to the Eagle River, where I knew decent insect activity prompted the fish to feed. It’s early July, so additional opportunities will likely present themselves. It seems that everything is two weeks ahead of schedule in 2025.

Fish Landed: 14