Monthly Archives: August 2026

Clear Creek – 08/12/2026

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Time: 10:00AM – 12:00PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 08/12/2026 Photo Album

I checked the flows on South Boulder Creek, and they remained at 69 CFS. I knew from prior experience that this level of release was very favorable for fly fishing, and I sincerely desired a day in South Boulder Creek Canyon. Unfortunately the weather report was concerning. A relatively high probability of thunderstorms were predicted from 1:00 PM until the early evening, and I did not wish to risk being caught in the canyon with a challenging uphill exit climb during heavy rain, lightning and thunder.

I shifted my attention to Clear Creek, and thunderstorms were predicted there as well, although the probability was slightly lower. More important from my perspective, the creek runs right along US 6, so a quick exit was a strong possibility. Also, the drive was shorter, and in the event that I cut my day short, I was not wasting as much time or fuel.

Caddis Adult Eater Was a Beauty

I arrived at Clear Creek at 9:30AM after waiting at a construction stop for fifteen minutes. I fit together my Orvis Access four weight, and I chose wet wading, since the air temperature was already at 83 degrees at 9:30 in the morning.

I hiked down US 6 for .2 mile, and then I negotiated a steep and rocky bank to the edge of the creek. Flows were in the 56 CFS range, and the stream was very clear. I took the water temperature at 10:30AM, and it was 62 degrees.

The Path Ahead

I began my fly fishing day with a peacock hippie stomper trailing a salvation nymph. This combination worked well on Tuesday, but it was totally ignored by the trout of Clear Creek. I observed a few flashes to the hippie stomper, but that was the extent of the action in the first thirty minutes. I paused to consider alternative approaches, and I removed the salvation nymph and replaced it with a size 16 deer hair caddis with a tan body. When I resort to a double dry, I usually attach the trailing fly on a twelve to eighteen inch dropper, but in this case I kept the 2.5 foot leader from the dry/dropper in place.

Acceptable

The shift in approach was effective, and I landed three brown trout by 11:00AM. The second fish was a very nice brown in the thirteen inch range, and it smacked the trailing caddis in a nice riffle over moderate depth. In spite of my improved results, I remained dissatisfied with the effectiveness of the flies. The leading hippie stomper was in many cases attracting the attention of the trout as evidenced by refusals or brief looks. I wanted a fly that either resulted in an eat, or one that simply served as an indicator with the caddis becoming the main attraction.

Dwelled Along the Bank

It was around this time that the wind began to gust at high velocity, and I wondered if perhaps terrestrials were a factor. I snipped off the hippie stomper and replaced it with a size 14 Jake’s gulp beetle, and I added a smaller size 16 light gray deer hair caddis as the trailer. These flies would remain on my line, until I paused at noon, and they delivered three very respectable brown trout. All three inhaled the beetle, and I also missed a couple more that escaped, before I could corral them in my net. These three fish were also fine wild fish in the twelve to thirteen inch range. It seems that I’ve been catching larger brown trout on Clear Creek during my last two visits than I caught in previous years. Hopefully this is a permanent trend.

Big Spots

I discovered that fishing a beetle requires constant focus. The beetle rides very low in the surface film, and the trout dart quickly to the surface and snatch it while making minimal disturbance. I was rather pleased with my quick hook sets on the beetle takes.

Little Foam Nook Produced

By noon some dark clouds gathered in the southwestern sky. I was developing a rhythm with the beetle and caddis, and I hoped to delay my lunch until at least 1PM, as I prospected the left bank at a rapid pace. However, the weather had other ideas. A streak of lightning and the sound of thunder added to the black sky, and I decided to exit and climb the steep, rocky bank before the storm rolled in. Perhaps it would pass during my lunch, and I could resume afterwards.

And Yet Another Clear Creek Beast

I downed my lunch in my car, and when I opened the door to inspect the sky, the dark clouds were closer and rain seemed imminent. I decided to call it a day. I removed my wet wading clothes and stowed my rod and gear, and just as I sat down in the driver’s seat, rain drops appeared on my windshield. I once again stopped for a flagman and single lane traffic due to construction, and while idling in line, the rain intensified as if to confirm my decision to quit.

Next to Rock on Left

Six fish in two hours was very respectable, and finding success with a foam beetle was very rewarding. As I mentioned, the average size of the brown trout in Clear Creek Canyon seems to have grown compared to outings in previous years. Hopefully I can return in the near future for a more extended outing.

Fish Landed: 6

 

Moose Creek – 08/11/2026

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Time: 10:45AM – 3:15PM

Location: National forest

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.

I planned to make a trip to the Roaring Fork Valley this week, and I eagerly anticipated fly fishing the Frying Pan River with its cold bottom releases during the drought and heat that affected the 2026 summer. My daughter advised checking the flows, before I advanced my plans too far, and her suggestion proved to be prescient. The water managers increased the flows to 509 CFS due to downstream water demands, and prior experience told me that anything above 400 CFS was very difficult to fish. I needed a new plan.

Glistening Brook Trout

On 08/03/2026 I experienced a magnificent day on Moose Creek, so I decided to give it another trial. The flows were strong and the water temperature registered in the fifties. By the time I drove to the parking lot and rigged my Orvis Access four weight and hiked a moderate distance, my watch displayed 10:45AM. I began my day with a peacock hippie stomper, since that was the fly that fueled my fun day on 08/03/2026.

Red Spots Amid Blue Halos

The first hippie stomper was in a mauled state with minimal tail fibers, broken foam and compressed hackles; so I swapped it for another after ten minutes of fishing. The second hippie stomper lasted until lunch, but it was also not in the best of shape. In spite of my dissatisfaction with my hippie stomper choices, I landed five brightly colored brook trout, before I broke for lunch at 11:50AM. Five fish in one hour of fly fishing was a decent morning; however, I sensed that I was passing through attractive areas that failed to yield fish.

Big Jaw

I debated whether to add a second dry fly behind the stomper or try a dry/dropper. The latter won out, and I attached a beadhead salvation nymph on a two foot dropper. It was a small stream, and I suspected that the fish were not hugging the bottom, thus, the short leader.

Tilted to View Belly

The ploy produced beautifully, and I ratcheted the fish count from five to thirty-eight, before I quit on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Initially it seemed that the salvation was the favored fly, but over the course of the afternoon, the hippie stomper rallied, and roughly 70 percent of the added trout grabbed the attractor dry fly. The salvation, however, earned its keep, and it seemed that the nymph eaters were slightly larger brook trout.

Stretched Out

Over the entire day thirty-seven of my catches were brook trout with one twelve inch brown trout joining the mix. One brook trout stretched the tape to twelve inches, but most were in the six to eleven inch range. Six brook trout measured in the upper portion of that range.

Impressive Brook Trout

I covered the creek thoroughly, however, marginal lies were not very effective. It seemed that the trout density in my chosen stretch on Tuesday was lower that that of the previous week, and consequently most of the catches emerged from deep pools and pockets. Depth along the bank or next to large exposed rocks was an obvious feature that yielded trout.

Amazing Body Color

Once again the real story on the day was the vivid colors of the brook trout. Many possessed bright orange bellies, white borders on the fins, and deep gray backs arrayed with dense spot patterns. Catching each gem was truly a thrill.

Fish Landed: 38

 

 

South Boulder Creek – 08/05/2026

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Time: 10:15AM – 2:30PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 08/05/2026 Photo Album

A projected high temperature of 89 degrees in Denver had me once again seeking cold water options on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. The flows on South Boulder Creek dropped from 73 CFS to 63 CFS for five days and then increased to 69 CFS. This is well within what I deem the ideal range, and the water released from the bottom of Gross Dam is very cold, so I made the small Front Range tailwater my destination.

Likely Spot

Two cars preceded me in the Kayak parking lot, and a couple more arrived, while I prepared to fish. I grabbed my Loomis two piece five weight and descended the steep trail to the creek. The stream was indeed flowing at a nice level, and it was crystal clear.

Nice One

I passed one other fisherman and continued another .2 mile beyond him, and I began my quest for trout with a tan pool toy hopper and a size 12 prince nymph. Neither fly attracted attention in the early going, so I added a salvation nymph to attain greater depth on my drifts. This paid dividends, as I recorded seven landed trout in the 1.5 hours, before I broke for lunch. Two fish nabbed the salvation and the others grabbed the prince, but I covered a considerable amount of stream real estate in order to net the seven fish. Many attractive locations failed to yield any form of attention.

Pretty Rainbow

After lunch I decided to experiment with a double dry arrangement. I placed a peacock hippie stomper in the forward position and trailed an olive-brown deer hair caddis. The caddis was on the menu for the resident trout, and I landed three to increase the fish count to ten.

Rainbow Territory

At this point I was rather pleased with my fish count, but the hippie stomper was generating a lot of refusals. Could the fish be looking for green drakes, and the hippie stomper was close enough to attract interest but not close enough to eat? I knotted a parachute green drake to my line, but it was totally ignored. Maybe the fish desired a different version of the western green drake? I replaced the parachute style with a comparadun. The creek was devoid of action.

Another Fine Rainbow

What were the fish looking for? I decided to revisit the dry/dropper, since I was approaching some faster water that contained deep runs and plunge pools. I went with the tan pool hopper, the prince nymph and the salvation once again. Almost instantly after the change, a nice rainbow trout crushed the hopper, and what a pleasant surprise that was. Shortly thereafter, a brown trout grabbed the drifting prince, and I thought I was in the money.

Wide Slick Behind Boulder

Alas, that was not the case, and I suffered through a long fish catching drought. While I was in this lull, I spotted three yellow sallies, as they hovered above the creek, so I swapped the salvation for a hares ear nymph. The move produced another brown trout, but then futility once again became my companion.

Speckles Galore

In a last ditch effort to add to the fish count, I reacted to the observed yellow sallies, and I cycled through a size 14 yellow stimulator and a small deer hair yellow sally imitation tied like a deer hair caddis. These ploys failed to arouse interest, so I hooked my fly to the rod guide at 2:30PM and hiked back to the car.

Moderate Riffles

Wednesday was a fair day on South Boulder Creek. I took the water temperature at 10:30AM, and it was 53 degrees. My hand actually got numb while holding the thermometer underwater for a minute. Before I quit at 2:30PM, I once again recorded the temperature, and it remained at a very cold 53 degrees. This was a very impressive example of holding the temperature steady. Of course the air temperature, where I was fishing, stayed in the mid-seventies, so there was less solar heating of the water column. Thirteen fish was respectable, and the largest was probably a thirteen inch rainbow. I was disappointed to once again fail to interact with green drakes. Hopefully the water managers keep the flows in the same range for awhile, and the green drakes make their annual appearance.

Fish Landed: 13

Moose Creek – 08/03/2026

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Time: 10:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: National Forest

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.

Once again temperatures were forecast to exceed 100 degrees on Monday, August 3, so the name of the game was finding a cool high country stream. I succeeded.

One of the Better Brook Trout

I arrived at my chosen destination by 9:40AM, and the air temperature was already 71 degrees. I changed into my wet wading clothes, and then I assembled my Orvis Access four weight. I was fishing another high gradient creek in tight quarters, so I favored the short and light rod. I began my hike, and after 1.1 mile I veered off the trail and cut to the creek.

Beast

To begin my day I used a clinch knot to tie a peacock body size 14 hippie stomper to my line. Other than a brief period toward the end of my time on the water, when I tested a parachute green drake, the peacock hippie stomper stayed on my line. There was no reason to switch, because the small stream residents simply craved the hippie stomper.

Best of the Day

I moved upstream for .4 miles and cast the highly visible and buoyant attractor to all likely spots, and it was rare that a fish did not engulf the fly. Between 10:30AM and 2:30PM I landed an abundant quantity of trout. All but two were brook trout, and the outliers were a twelve inch brown trout and a thirteen inch rainbow. As I expected, most of the brook trout fit within the six to ten inch range, but I was pleased to net a monster thirteen inch brookie and quite a few that stretched the tape to eleven inches. Many of these char were brightly colored with orange bellies, white edged fins and an amazing iridescent body sheen. Their natural beauty more than compensated for their lack of size in my estimation.

Cannot Get Enough of These Beauties

Shortly after I began casting, I paused to lower my stream thermometer into the creek. I held it a foot below the surface for 1.5 minutes, and it registered 54 degrees. I was pleased. My hands were actually turning numb. Just before I quit at 2:30PM I once again paused to record the temperature, and the thermometer displayed 58 degrees. This small mountain stream is holding up well during the summer of heat waves, drought and wildfires.

Outlier Brown Trout

Where were the fish? Everywhere. I probably wasted time casting to less than marginal spots, but even those yielded the occasional fish. Moderate riffles were money in the bank, but deep pockets and pools also produced.

Another Surprise. A Rainbow Trout.

What a day! Monday was my new personal best fish count. Of course most of the fish were small, but I still relish the surprise take and the deep bend in my small rod. The only fly I lost was the original hippie stomper which became so mangled, that it began to lose its attraction. The diminished state of the stomper was the reason I replaced it with a parachute green drake, and the drake accounted for one fish, before another brook trout took the leader under a rock. I slowly approached and attempted to free the line, but the fish spooked and darted way and broke off the parachute green drake in the process. Although the green drake was generating some interest, it did not live up to the hippie stomper, so I replaced it with a fresh version. Immediately brook trout began to hammer the new hippie stomper.

Fish Landed: A lot

Clear Creek – 08/02/2026

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Time: 9:00AM – 12:00PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 08/02/2026 Photo Album

Temperatures were once again spiking in the 100’s in Denver, as I contemplated another fly fishing outing. I was somewhat burned out from playing pickleball early and in the heat on Friday and Saturday, and wet wading struck me as a refreshing option on Sunday, August 2, 2026. I decided to make a trip to nearby Clear Creek Canyon, as I did not wish to invest a lot of drive time. Clear Creek was tumbling along at 66 CFS at Lawson, and this represented decent flows for the nearby Front Range waterway. I made it my choice.

Another Fine Trout

In an effort to combat the heat I departed the house early, and this delivered me to my chosen pullout by 8:45AM. The air temperature was a mind boggling 82 degrees at 9AM, so I chose to wade wet, and I selected my small Orvis Access four weight. I was not expecting monsters from Clear Creek, and there was virtually no wind; only heat.

Moderate Riffles Produced

To begin my quest for Clear Creek trout, I tied a peacock hippie stomper to my line. I replenished my fly box with four new stompers after losing four the previous Wednesday, and the initial hippie stomper that I utilized was one of the new arrivals in my box. I prospected my way upstream through some fairly attractive pockets during the first fifteen minutes, but I never witnessed a sign of fish. I paused to reevaluate. While I considered my options, I decided to take the stream temperature. Perhaps the creek was too warm, and that explained the lack of action. I held the thermometer beneath the surface a foot or so for less than a minute, and it dropped to 62 degrees. I suspect it may have been another degree or two colder, but 62 satisfied my need to know, and I moved on.

Another Likely Trout Home

I decided to add a size 16 light olive deer hair caddis behind the hippie stomper, but this simply elevated my frustration, as the fish now refused the first fly, the hippie stomper, and ignored the caddis. My solution to this problem was to remove the stomper entirely and fish the small caddis solo. I did observe a few caddis, as they fluttered about near the streamside rocks.

Brown Emerged from Angled Current Seam

The solitary caddis performed as expected, and I landed three brown trout that materialized along the bank to grab the small sparsely tied caddis adult. I was pleased to be on the board, but catching three brown trout required quite a bit of casting and and steady progression. It seemed that I was bypassing quality fish holding locations with no interest.

Quality Clear Creek Fish

I once again adjusted my approach, and I positioned a Jake’s gulp beetle in the front position and trailed the caddis twelve inches behind. This improved my success rate, and the fish count moved from three to five. The two additional trout grabbed the beetle, but I was plagued by refusals and a couple momentary connections, when it seemed the trout were reluctant eaters.

Moderate Riffles Yielded Here

The caddis fly was irrelevant, perhaps because the fish saw the beetle first. Terrestrials seemed like a solid option during the hot summer, so I removed the caddis and added a black sunk ant on the one foot dropper. I was gambling that the fish were looking toward the surface, and the ant could drift high in the water column.

Very Fine Clear Creek Brown Trout

In a nice deep pool and run two fish refused the beetle, but then I noticed a fish moving toward my flies at the lip of the pool. I was not sure, if the fish took my low floating beetle, so I set the hook and discovered that it nabbed the nearby sunk ant! I suspected that I was on to something, but that proved to be the only ant eater.

Sunk Ant in Lip

I was stuck on six, and I began to limit my casts to three maximum for any likely fish holding lie, but I was mired in a lull. I was weary of tracking the small size 14 beetle, so I decided to return to the highly visible white wing of the hippie stomper, and I retained the sunk ant. Why did the hippie stomper suddenly become a desirable food source; whereas, it was spurned earlier in the morning? I do not have an answer, but I boosted the fish count from six to ten, before I quit a bit before noon. All four of these fish crushed the hippie stomper, and they gobbled it with confidence. Three of these brown trout were very respectable fish in the twelve to thirteen inch neighborhood, and they represented some of the largest that I ever caught in Clear Creek.

Shelf Pool

I had an afternoon appointment, and I had a few things to attend to before that, so I hooked my fly to the rod guide and carefully climbed a very steep and rocky bank back to the highway. Ten fish in three hours of fishing was very satisfying, and as I mentioned, I was surprised by the size of several of the browns. Clear Creek is notorious for having small and very picky brown trout. I am almost certain that the 100 degree day elevated the water temperature to levels unsafe for fishing during the afternoon, so my three hours of morning fishing were the ethical choice.

Fish Landed: 10