Monthly Archives: April 2026

Arkansas River – 04/15/2026

Leave a reply

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 04/15/2026 Photo Album

After a disappointing outing on the Roaring Fork River on Saturday, I picked up a sore throat and spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday loading up on daytime and nighttime cold medications. By Wednesday I was feeling well enough to embark on another spring fishing outing. I was anxious to revisit Bighorn Sheep Canyon, so I checked the status of the 24 Fire, and I was pleased to learn that the fire was 85% contained, and CO 115 was open for travelers. I made the Arkansas River my destination on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. My federal and state taxes were filed, so I could relax and celebrate with a day of fly fishing.

No. 1 Was This Pleasant Surprise

I arrived at my chosen pullout by 10:30AM, and this allowed me to be poised along the bank of the river ready to cast by 11:00AM. The temperature at the start of my day was in the upper fifties, so I wore a long sleeved Brooks undershirt and my raincoat. Once again I was armed with my Sage One five weight in case of large fish and to combat the predicted double digit wind velocity.

Decent Clarity Although Somewhat Stained

When I arrived, my car was the only one in the vicinity, but as I prepared to fish, another angler parked forty yards farther west along the highway. He was ready before me, but fortunately he grabbed a spot directly across from his car, and I was not planning to fish that area. Instead I crossed the highway and began along a high bank across from my car. I chose an olive perdigon and a bright green go2 caddis pupa to begin my search for trout. in the first twenty minutes I managed to land a chunky rainbow trout in the sixteen inch range. When I scooped it in my net, I found the go2 caddis embedded in its lip. Needless to say, I was very pleased with this early success.

Peek-a-Boo

After I covered the attractive pockets and slots, I found a place to cross the river, and then I ambled down the river for .1 mile to another favorite spot, where I could work some deep seams. I was getting no action on the olive perdigon, so I substituted a 20 incher and kept the go2 caddis on the point. Before I adjourned at noon for lunch, I added three brown trout to my count. One was shorter than twelve inches, but the other two were very respectable wild fish in the thirteen inch range. All three grabbed the 20 incher, thus, validating my switch from the perdigon.

Murkiness Evident in This Productive Pool

I ate my lunch along the bank thirty feet above a goose that was sitting on a nest. Several other geese were in the vicinity, and they honked and carefully watched me, while I ate. I suspect they were the security guards for the young mother.

Nesting Mama Goose

After lunch I continued up the river for .3 mile, and I built the fish count from four to eleven. Number five grabbed the bright green go2 caddis pupa, and was another husky rainbow. I estimate it was in the seventeen to eighteen inch range and very plump. Number six was a fifteen inch brown trout that smacked the 20 incher.

Another Bow in Excess of Fifteen Inches

It took an hour to add the two fish after lunch, so it was rather slow going. I did observe three refusals to the chubby Chernobyl, and I shook loose a decent number of caddis, as I waded along the willows. I decided to give a double dry approach a try, so I knotted a peacock hippie stomper to my line and then added a size 14 olive-brown body deer hair caddis. I began prospecting with the dries, and within minutes I landed a small brown trout that recklessly crushed the caddis along the left bank. I directed my casts primarily to the edge of the river along the left bank; however, I did cover very attractive pockets and seams toward the middle of the river. Unfortunately the dry fly experiment did not pay additional dividends, so I abandoned it, as I approached a nice section with deep pockets and runs. I did see two or three fish elevate to inspect the caddis, but they never closed the deal with an eat.

Rainbow Lived Eight Feet Out from Center-Right Bankside Rock

I returned to dry/dropper fishing, and during this go round I utilized a yellow fat Albert followed by a 20 incher and several nymphs. I started with a beaded soft hackle emerger, but it did not yield results, so I swapped it for a hares ear. The 20 incher produced a much appreciated fifteen inch brown trout for number eight, and then I suffered through a bit of a slump. I landed three additional trout that gobbled the beadhead hares ear, but they were on the small side, and I was spoiled from my earlier catches. In addition, I experienced a streak of long distance releases and foul hooked fish, and of course these felt like larger fish.

From the Top

Ugly 20 Incher Saved the Day

By 3:30PM I covered my targeted section of the river, so I hiked back to my crossing and completed my day. I achieved double digits and six of the landed fish were in excess of the twelve inch standard including two rainbows that exceeded fifteen inches. I have to admit that I was disappointed with the lack of dry fly action. I was convinced that prospecting with a deer hair caddis in the early afternoon would produce some results; but, alas, that was not the case. I spotted one blue wing olive, so perhaps it was too sunny, bright and windy, or I was on the downside of the baetis hatch. I suspect that another trip to the Arkansas River would take me upriver to the Salida area or above.

Fish Landed: 11

Roaring Fork River – 04/11/2026

Leave a reply

Time: 12:30PM –  3:00PM

Location: Near Carbondale

Roaring Fork River 04/11/2026 Photo Album

Jane and I spent the weekend with our daughter, Amy, in Carbondale, CO; and I was free for some fly fishing on Saturday. I checked the conditions on the Roaring Fork River and the Frying Pan River, and the flows on the Frying Pan were quite low at 47 CFS. The Roaring Fork flows were 275 CFS, and since we were staying in Carbondale, I was easily able to observe the excellent clarity of the river. Based on this evaluation and the close proximity of the Roaring Fork given my limited window of time, I chose to drive to the Roaring Fork River.

The temperature was in the low seventies, as I prepared to fish, but dark and threatening clouds appeared on the western horizon, so I pulled on my raincoat as a windbreaker and in case of rain. I assembled my Sage One five weight, and I immediately paid a visit to the large pool just down the river from the parking lot. I experienced quite a bit of success in this area on a previous visit during a blue wing olive hatch, and I was seeking a similar result on this Saturday visit.

Another angler occupied the very top of the huge pool, so I ambled to the tail and paused to observe. I saw no rises, but I decided to give a double dry fly configuration a try just in case. I tied on a peacock hippie stomper for visibility and added a mole fly on an eighteen inch dropper. I waded to the middle of the river, so I could make some long casts to the bottom corner of the pool. I paused again to observe, but no heads were showing, so I made some prospecting casts and hoped for some surprise takes. After twenty casts, I concluded that my approach was futile, and I decided to move up the river to some faster sections.

I hooked my fly in the guide and hiked along the path for .3 mile, whereupon I cut down a path to the river and resumed my attempt to land a Roaring Fork trout. The section I entered consisted of many long, deep troughs and pockets and runs. In short, this was the type of water that typically produces results with a dry/dropper approach. I removed the double dry flies and replaced them with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, 20 incher and olive perdigon. I felt a renewed confidence in my chances for success.

I drifted the three fly offering through some very attractive spots, but the fish were not interested, and my recent optimism quickly faded. After covering quite a bit of prime water, I cast to a narrow seam that suggested it was probably too fast for a trout to hold, but much to my surprise I saw the chubby dive, and I quickly set the hook. Instantly a torpedo of a rainbow trout streaked down the river. I allowed the bullet to run, but then it leaped above the surface and tossed aside my fly. Based on my brief glimpse of the fish, I guessed that the rainbow was in the fifteen to eighteen inch range. I paused to allow my heart beat to return to normal, and then I resumed my upstream progression.

Only Fish of the Day from This Area

After a short interval I came upon a place where some riffles of moderate depth ran along the left bank. There were some tree branches protruding over the water by a foot or so, and I began to cast directly upstream with a concerted effort to avoid the tree branches. On the third drift I spotted a flash to my fly, and I set the hook. A brief struggle ensued, as a fifteen inch brown trout battled for its freedom. In this instance I was able to land the noble foe, and the skunk was off.

Nice Brown Trout

Once again I moved up the river, but the signs of trout disappeared. During this dry/dropper period I cycled through a classic RS2, an emerald caddis pupa, a hares ear nymph, and a salvation nymph, but none of these offerings were winners. I passed a section where whitewater entered a long section of pockets and runs, and then I circled around a wide shallow area. Eventually I reached another more attractive riffle and run stretch, but I encountered a no trespassing sign, and this forced me to retreat.

I ran out of public real estate, so I retreated back to the pool near the parking lot. By now four anglers had arrived, and they were spread out through the pool, although I could have occupied the lower fourth. I keenly observed for a bit for a hatch and rises, but seeing none, I decided to explore downstream. I hiked a well worn path, and in short order I faced a sign that said no hunting, trapping or horses; but it did not mention fishing. I continued on my walk, and after another fifty yards, I encountered another white and red sign that warned against trespassing. In this case it mentioned the same outdoor activities not allowed including fishing, but fishing was scratched out. Was this legitimate or an act of vandalism? I concluded the latter and turned around. Another clue was that the next section ran across a property, where the ground was cleared of the typical woodland debris in a quasi yard.

I returned to the pool, and I once again I observed for rises, but none were forthcoming. The last of the four pool occupants had slid down the river a bit, so with no hatch in progress, I was not going to risk crowding him. I decided to move up the river to another public area.

I drove another four miles to a bumpy parking lot and retrieved my gear. The sky was still threatening, and I was pleased to be wearing my raincoat. I hiked down a path and found my way to the Roaring Fork River downstream from a section I fished on a prior visit. I was covering new ground, or should I say water, once again. I cherry picked some very attractive runs and seams, until I came back to close proximity of the trail; but, alas, this period of fly fishing in a new locale yielded no fish. By now my watch was showing 3:00PM, so I climbed the bank and returned to the parking lot.

2.5 hours of fishing yielded one landed fish, albeit a very respectable brown trout. I tangled briefly with a very nice rainbow trout, but I saw very little in the way of insect activity. I was perplexed by the lack of blue wing olives given the very overcast conditions. Baetis typically love cloudiness for their emergences. Not every outing can be a roaring success, and Saturday certainly was a bit disappointing.

Fish Landed: 1

South Boulder Creek – 04/07/2026

2 Replies

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 04/07/2026 Photo Album

Not all outings can be as rewarding as those that I experienced early in the 2026 season. Tuesday qualifies as a disappointment in my book. Flows on South Boulder Creek were held steady at 90 CFS, and I knew from previous visits that flows at that level were very conducive to fly fishing. The high temperature in Eldorado Springs was expected to reach 61 degrees, so I decided to make the trip.

Upstream

I arrived at the Walker Ranch Trailhead parking lot and quickly prepared to fish. The dashboard temperature was 51 degrees, and that was surprising since the reading was in the thirties as I passed through Boulder, CO. I pulled on my fleece hoodie and stuffed my raincoat and a long sleeve undershirt in my backpack along with my lunch. I selected my Loomis two piece five weight for my casting tool, and I departed on the one mile downhill trail. I knew I would pay for the downhill on the return, but that is part of the South Boulder Creek bargain.

First Fish of the Day

I began my day with a peacock hippie stomper and size fourteen deer hair caddis on the off chance that the fish would be looking up. No dice. After twenty minutes of inaction, I converted to a dry/dropper configuration that included an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl and a psycho prince. The combination was equally ineffective, so I swapped the psycho prince for a regular prince, and the pairing was ignored. I suspected that I was not drifting deep enough, so I added a second nymph in the form of a hares ear. Once again no response was forthcoming. Finally before lunch I swapped the hares ear for an olive perdigon to gain depth, but my morning ended with a fish count of zero. I did note a refusal to the chubby Chernobyl, and I temporarily hooked a fish on the chubby as well.

Another View of My Favorite Pool

The sun was out bright, so I removed my fleece hoodie and knotted it around my waist under my waders. It worked, but the fit was rather tight. It was obvious that the trout were not interested in nymphs, so I abandoned that approach and returned to a double dry fly gambit. I pulled a classic Chernobyl ant from my box and placed it in the first position, and then I added a deer hair caddis. Between 12:30PM and 2:00PM I cycled through a number of dry flies, but I could not unlock the code. There was the hippie stomper, a yellow stimulator, a size 14 olive-brown deer hair caddis, a size 14 gray stimulator, a black parachute ant, and a Jake’s gulp beetle. The stimulators and caddis provoked refusals, but my fish count remained mired on zero.

Handful

At this point I encountered a gorgeous pool; my favorite on the stream. The hippie stomper and beetle remained on my line, but the shutout continued. I swapped the beetle for a size 16 olive-brown deer hair caddis, and I nicked a small trout, but then the creek residents once again ignored my offerings. I waded to the tail of the pool below the right bank, where some side channels fed into the pool in some short runs. I could see quite a few trout in front of me, and they were rising and sipping something small on a very irregular basis. I tried an ant and a CDC BWO, and I was able to monitor the reactions of three very respectable trout to my right. They ignored my offerings. Finally I decided to try the new kid on the block, the mole fly. Guess what?Two trout charged to the surface and smacked the mole, and I was on the board with two landed fish.

Home to a Lot of Fish

I persisted with the mole fly for another fifteen minutes, but it was treated like inert flotsam. I cycled through a soft hackle emerger fished dry and a tiny CDC BWO, but those flies were ignored, so I moved above the pool. The next set of attractive pockets were much faster moving, and the tiny baetis imitations seemed futile without actually seeing rising fish, so I reverted to the size 14 olive-brown body deer hair caddis. Once again I only exercised my arm, so I exited and began my arduous return hike.

Take Two

When I reached a spot, where I was forced to wade along the edge to progress back to the car, I paused to make some casts, and much to my amazement, I landed a small rainbow and a small brown trout. This lifted the fish count to four, and I was very thankful for that meager tally. I returned to the fishermen path and hoofed back to the car. During the one mile uphill I paused every .3 miles to drink water, catch my breath and rest my muscles. I made it.

Wide Pocket Yielded

Tuesday was a very slow day. There were very few insects present, and that may explain the lack of action. I tried quite a few flies and methods, but none delivered consistent results. I will probably give South Boulder Creek a rest before I return.

Fish Landed: 4

Eagle River – 04/06/2026

Leave a reply

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Near Avon

Eagle River 04/06/2026 Photo Album

From March 27, 2026 until April 6, 2026 the Eagle River dropped from a peak of 470 CFS to today’s flows of 187 CFS. I contacted an Instagram friend, and she informed me that the river was clear, so that cinched my decision to pay a visit. Temperatures were projected to peak around 61 degrees, and I deemed the weather to be tolerable for spring fishing.

I arrived at my chosen parking space, and the temperature on the dashboard was 46 degrees. I wore my Columbia long sleeve thermal undershirt, fleece hoodie, North Face light down, and my raincoat to begin my day. Yes, I was quite bundled up. I rigged my Sage One five weight, and I ambled to the river.

Whoa! What a Start!

To start my day I chose to fish the head of a long pool with my favorite dry/dropper set up. It consisted of an amber chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher, and an olive perdigon. I covered the upper one-fourth of the run with high expectations for twenty minutes, but disappointment was the only result. I migrated up the river along the right bank, and by the time I broke for lunch, I registered five very respectable trout. The morning catch included a thirteen and fourteen inch brown trout, a couple twelve inchers, and a stunning football of a rainbow. I do not believe it extended to twenty inches, but it made up for that with an abundance of poundage. The width of the monster far exceeded my hand. I suspect the length was around eighteen inches.

Slick Produced

I exited the river and found the path back to a bench overlooking the long pool, where I began. I munched my sandwich and warmed my feet and observed the pool, and I immediately noted sporadic rises in the lower half. I was now overheating, so I removed my raincoat and stuffed it in my backpack, as I formulated my afternoon plan. I decided to once again prospect the top one-fourth with the olive perdigon and a sparkle wing RS2. I hoped that the trout would key on the subsurface baetis nymph. If not, I was prepared to removed the three fly dry/dropper and switch to a double dry with a mole fly on the end.

Zoomed

Phase one of my plan proved to be ineffective, as no fish attacked the nymphs, even though I executed some expert drifts through the gut of the entering run. In short, the river structure looked spectacular, but my flies were not favored. I moved to the midsection and removed the dry/dropper configuration and replaced it with a peacock hippie stomper and a size 20 mole fly. I tied five additional mole flies on Sunday night in preparation for this very happenstance.

Better Sense of Width

The wind by now was gusting periodically and riffling the surface, but flurries of rises seemed to follow the gusts. The rises were fairly splashy but also sporadic. I was unable to spot a consistent feeder. I began firing downstream casts, and in a short amount of time, two fish flashed at the mole fly, but they elected to refuse. Uh oh. I have witnessed this scenario many times. Finally I made a cast and allowed the stomper and mole fly to drift downstream toward the tail, and I spotted a bulge near the hippie stomper. I quickly set and found myself attached to a very respectable fourteen inch brown trout.

Home of Brute Rainbow

My confidence in the mole fly soared, but that was the extent of my dry fly success. I spent close to an hour attempting to tempt additional risers, but I finally concluded that dwelling in the pool was a waste of time. I stripped in my line and waded to shore and climbed the bank to the path. I moved up the river and found my exit point from before lunch and cut to the river. My line still contained the double dry setup, so I quickly hiked to a wide slow moving section and paused to inspect for rises, but none were evident. I bit the bullet and returned to the dry/dropper. I retained the chubby Chernobyl and olive perdigon, but I placed a silver bullet in the upper nymph position.

The Large Pool

For the remainder of the afternoon I deployed the three fly system, and I boosted the fish count from six to eleven. At one point the flies got lodged under a large boulder, and I was unable to rescue due to unsafe water depth, so I snapped the nymphs off. If you are counting, that was two lost tungsten beads. I opted to replace the silver bullet with a beadhead hares ear and knotted a new olive perdigon to the line. The afternoon action was slow, but I did manage to land five trout. Three were under twelve inches but another chunky rainbow graced my net. This one was slightly shorter than number five, but it was also very husky. The afternoon rainbow emerged from a swirly eddy area behind several exposed boulders.

Perfect

At 3:30PM I was quite weary, so I found a path and climbed the bank and returned to the car. Monday’s outing was satisfactory, although the action was not as hot as several of my March stream visits. Nevertheless I reached double digits and two of my catch were spectacular rainbows in the sixteen to eighteen inch range and very thick. I also netted a pair of hard fighting brown trout in the fourteen to fifteen inch range. I enjoyed a bit of dry fly action, although my success rate was lacking. This was the first instance that the mole fly did not exceed or even meet my expectations. Was a size 20 too large? Perhaps I need to tie some 22’s.

Swirling Area Behind Exposed Rock Produced

Will I be able to fish the Eagle River again before run off commences in earnest? I will keep my eye on the weather and the flow charts just in case.

Fish Landed: 11

Arkansas River – 03/31/2026

Time: 11:00AM – 3:15PM

Location: Between Granite and Buena Vista

Arkansas River 03/31/2026 Photo Album

After a productive day on the South Platte River, I stayed in a motel in Salida rather than make the drive back to Denver and then return on Tuesday. My plan included another day on the Arkansas River, but rather than detour around the 24 Fire through Pueblo again, I decided to fish the upper Arkansas.

The Scene at the Start

I stayed at the Woodland Motel in Salida on Monday night. This little motel has been a favorite of mine over the years, and it changed ownership since my last visit. Apparently a family now owns and manages the enterprise, and I noted many nice improvements to the room. The Woodland Motel remains my preferred option, should I wish to stay over in Salida to fish the Arkansas River on back to back days.

A Bit More Chunk

On Tuesday morning the temperature hovered in the upper thirties, so I took my time getting prepared to fish. I departed the motel at 9:00AM, and after a thirty minute drive I arrived at my intended destination. Well, actually I did not, as the road to the river had a sign informing the reader of seasonal closure until April 15. This forced a revision in my plan, and I circled around and crossed the river and visited another favorite spot. By the time I began my preparation the temperature was 46 degrees. I was wearing my Under Armour insulated undershirt, and I added my fleece hoodie and raincoat for wind protection. Because the river was running low and clear, and I knew from previous experience that the fish were not as large as farther downriver, so I elected to use my Loomis two piece five weight.

Side Channel

I hiked along the trail from the parking lot for .7 mile, and then I slid down a long steep bank to the river. I launched my day on the river with a gray chubby Chernobyl, 20 incher and olive perdigon. Between 11:00AM and noon I managed to land three brown trout in the eleven to twelve inch range. All three grabbed the olive perdigon. I was feeling rather toasty sitting in the newly arrived sun while eating my lunch, so I removed my fleece and tied it around my waist under my waders. It was a tight fight, but I made it work. I maintained the rain shell to block the wind and provide an element of warmth during overcast periods.

This Area Yielded Quite a Few

Between lunch and 2:30 I worked my way along the right bank of the river, and the action was extremely slow. In fact all three landed fish during this time period came from one area. The river widened, and a nice long and slow moving area was directly across from me. The main center current split the river, and after I fished the right shelf pool with no luck, I turned my attention to the slow area of moderate depth across from me. In order to get drifts through the target section, I needed to execute long casts, but trees obstructed my back cast. I resorted to an array of roll casts with a large quick mend to combat the swift run in the middle of the river. It was a lot of work and a strain on my shoulder, but I landed three nice brown trout, and had two additional escapees. I used the snap-T cast with some effectiveness, but I also allowed the line to straighten below me and then did a back hand sweep. All the trout that I connected with snatched the olive perdigon, as it began to swing toward the bottom of the pool.

One of the Perdigon Chasers

The fish count was mired on six for quite awhile, so at 2:30PM, I decided to deploy a new tactic. I removed the dry/dropper set up and replaced it with a double dry. The reliable peacock hippie stomper was the lead fly, and I trailed a size 14 olive deer hair caddis. I was skeptical that dries would entice the fish to the surface, but I was stationed at the base of a nice pool and riffle section. I was shocked, when I duped four brown trout in this area. Three attacked the caddis, and one smacked the hippie stomper. Needless to say I was quite pleased with this turn of events. I also noticed a couple refusals, and I added a couple momentary hook ups.

Long Middle Pocket

Of course, this proved to be the end of the dry fly action. Toward the end of my fly fishing day, some dark clouds slid across the sky, and this prompted a sudden flurry of surface feeding. At least four fish slashed at the surface across from me, as the wind kicked up. I swapped the caddis for my new friend, the mole fly, and almost immediately I connected, but the fish quickly escaped. I inspected my line and discovered the telltale curly pigtail suggesting a poorly tied knot. By the time I tied on a new fly, the rising action slowed to a sporadic cadence, and then I lost another mole fly. I am not sure what caused the loss of the second fly, but the surface action only lasted for ten minutes and then ended. I spent most of the time tinkering with my flies.

Caddis Worked Along the Bank

At a bit after 3:00PM I called it quits and hiked back to the car. The temperature chilled significantly, as the wind exploded, and I could see some menacing dark clouds moving across the Collegiate Peaks.

Tuesday was a so-so day, as I landed ten fish in four hours of fishing. Three periods of decent results saved my day, and these time frames were bracketed by a lot of futility. Nearly all the trout were browns in the eleven to twelve inch range with a couple that stretched the tape to thirteen. I am spoiled by all the great days that I enjoyed earlier in March.

Fish Landed: 10