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South Boulder Creek – 05/04/2025

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Time: 11:15AM – 3:00PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 05/04/2025 Photo Album

I normally avoid fly fishing on weekends, but on Sunday, May 4, 2025 I made an exception. The weather forecast for Monday through Wednesday of the upcoming week portended adverse fishing conditions, so I made the trip to South Boulder Creek. I kept my eye on the flows below Gross Reservoir, and they remained steady at 45 CFS for more than a week. These flows are a bit low for my preference; however, I have enjoyed success at even lower levels. The high temperature in the canyon was forecast to reach the mid-sixties, so that also played into my decision.

By the time I made the relatively short drive and jumped into my gear and hiked to the creek, my watch displayed 11:15AM. My trip through Flagstaff Mountain Park was slowed by a caravan of cyclists climbing the steep and winding road. Kudos to all the riders who finished the ascent.

Covered in Spots

The parking lot at the Walker Ranch Loop Trailhead was nearly full, but I lucked out and found a recently vacated slot. I wore my fleece hoodie, but I avoided my long sleeve undershirt and stuffed my raincoat in my backpack. The temperature at the parking lot was 61 degrees. I have been using Pinecliffe, CO in Weather Underground as my proxy for weather at South Boulder Creek, but I concluded that the higher elevation mountain village probably understates the air temperatures in South Boulder Creek below Gross Reservoir.

Narrow Ribbon of Fishable Water

To begin my quest for trout I began with a peacock size 14 hippie stomper and then added an olive perdigon on a three foot dropper. Beneath the perdigon I knotted a size 20 salad spinner midge pupa imitation, and I began to probe the likely fish holding lies. In a short amount of time I landed a small brown trout barely longer than my six inch minimum, and it grabbed the perdigon.

Stripe Separate from Cheek

As I began my move to the next attractive spot, I noticed two anglers not more than thirty yards above me. I did not pass another fisherman during my entire inbound hike, yet two competitors showed up within a stones throw of my position! Needless to say I was disappointed, so I stripped in my line and secured it and circled around the invaders of my sacred space.

A Brown Joins the Fun

I hiked .25 mile to give them space, and then I angled back to the creek in a place where I enjoyed decent success in the past. I once again began to probe the pockets, runs and riffles; and I added three rainbows to bring my fish count to four by lunch time a bit before noon. During this time I abandoned the salad spinner and replaced it with a beadhead hares ear nymph and a bright green caddis pupa, but all the action came on the olive perdigon and hippie stomper.  I quickly munched my sandwich and carrots, and then I resumed my prospecting, but guess who I spotted thirty yards above me? It was my nemeses. I saw one of them look back, and they spotted me, so they quickly moved out of sight. I made a mental note of where they were first noticed, and then I fished to that spot and pondered my next move.

Nice Bankside Run

I suspected that they exited and left the next stretch undisturbed, but I could not be sure, so I once again cut over to the trail and worked my way up the path. I found them just downstream of my favorite pool, so I stealthily bypassed them and hoofed quite a distance before re-entering the creek. I estimate that I hiked at least half a mile to allow them space.

As I recall, the fish count was now at six, and during the remaining time on the water, I elevated it to seventeen. The hares ear and caddis pupa failed to generate any action, so I replaced them with a sparkle wing RS2, and I kept the hippie stomper, perdigon, RS2 combination in place for quite a while.

Scene of Rising Fish

At 2PM I approached a gorgeous long pool with a deep run flowing down the center. Just before arriving, I experienced quite a few refusals to the hippie stomper, so I decided to remove the nymphs and transition to a double dry with the hippie stomper and a size 16 olive-brown body deer hair caddis. The caddis fooled one fish, before it created some refusals, and I began to spot a few random rises. My hunch told me that blue wing olives were emerging, so I replaced the caddis with a CDC blue wing olive.

Brilliant

I persisted with the double dry for the next hour, and I added four more trout to bring the total to seventeen. For some reason the stream residents began to smack the hippie stomper, when it was combined with the tiny CDC BWO.

The Workhorse Fly on Sunday

By 3PM I once again bumped up against a trio of anglers, so I decided to call it a day, and I completed the arduous one mile steep ascent from the creek back to the parking lot. The weather was perfect, and I landed seventeen fish, so I cannot complain. Nevertheless, the size of the trout was lacking, with the largest perhaps in the eleven inch range. Oddly the ratio favored rainbows with probably seventy percent of the pink striped variety. The rainbows more than made up for their lack of size; however, with their brilliant colors and spot patterns. I must admit that the competing anglers were a pain, and I missed my normal solitude enjoyed during weekday stream visits.

Fish Landed: 17

Arkansas River – 05/02/2025

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Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Buena Vista Area

Arkansas River 05/02/2025 Photo Album

As I contemplated options for a day of fly fishing on Friday, May 2, I could not erase thoughts of the Arkansas River caddis hatch from my memory. My young friend, Ben, and I visited lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon on 04/25/2025, and although we had decent success, we did not witness the massive caddis event that we were seeking. We saw two caddis during our entire day on the river. Were we above or below the main emergence, or was the caddis hatch perhaps a non-event in 2025?

Clear Conditions

The cool weather early in the week confined me to short trips to the Front Range, so I was open to a longer drive on Friday. The forecast for Friday was only moderately more favorable with highs in the mid-sixties for Denver. I searched around for possibilities, and I identified the Arkansas River with highs in Salida in the low sixty degree range.

Not a Bad Start

Next I researched the DWR site for flows, and the Nathrop gauge registered 360 CFS. That was encouraging. Finally I visited the fly shop web sites, and the local experts suggested that the main body of the hatch was between Big Bend and Rincon in the Salida area. I like the river structure in the Buena Vista area, and the fly shop reported clear conditions, so I decided to make the drive. Buena Vista is a bit closer than the Salida stretch, and I speculated that perhaps the caddis would advance to Buena Vista, and I would miraculously hit the leading edge of the hatch. One can always hope.

Salivating

I departed on Friday in a westward direction and made the drive on US 285 to the Buena Vista area. When I arrived at my chosen pullout, the air temperature was 53 degrees, and the wind was a very significant factor, and it would remain one throughout my day. Unfortunately it was a headwind, and this played havoc with my upstream casts resulting in significant neck and shoulder fatigue by the end of the day.

Very Respectable

Above the Water

I wore my Brooks long sleeve undershirt and added my fleece hoodie and rain shell. For head gear I wore my billed hat with earflaps, and the choice suited me well, when the wind blasted in my face. I strung my Sage R8 four weight, and I ambled downriver for .25 mile. Along the way I saw a large tent, and this caused me concern that I would be sharing my section of the river with another fisherman or group of fishermen.

Slow Current and Depth Were Key

When I arrived at the edge of the river, I tied a size 8 yellow fat Albert with missing legs to my line. I was using the fat Albert as a strike indicator, so I was not concerned about the missing appendages. Beneath the foam hopper I knotted my 2025 favorite, the olive perdigon, and below that fly I added a bright green sparkle caddis pupa. In the first deep run where I cast, I momentarily hooked up with two fish, but then I persisted and nailed a pair of brown trout, before I found a nice lunch spot. One of the morning browns nabbed the caddis pupa, and the other snatched the perdigon.

On Display

After lunch I continued up the river, until I was just beyond my parking space by 3:30PM, and I boosted the fish count from two to eighteen. By 12:45 I concluded that the caddis pupa was not effective, so I exchanged it for a size 22 sparkle wing RS2, and the fat Albert, olive perdigaon and sparkle wing RS2 remained in place as my offerings for the rest of my time on the river.

Portends Success

Of the eighteen fish landed, one crushed the fat Albert, one grabbed the bright green caddis pupa, and four chased and nipped the sparkle wing. All the remaining trout favored the perdigon, and it was a testament to how effective the simple tungsten bead fly has become to my spring time success. All but one of the trout were browns. The average size of the trout in this section of the river was smaller than that which I experience downstream; however, I did land a couple thirteen inch browns. Most of the other browns and the single rainbow were in the ten to twelve inch range.

Nice One

Surprised by One from the Narrow Space Between Exposed Rocks

What sort of river structure produced trout? By far the best places were deep slots and troughs where currents merged or cushions in front of rocks at the tail of pockets or riffles. I wasted a lot of time fishing marginal spots along the bank, but the fish seemed to place a premium on water depth. I saw only a handful of caddis, so I concluded that the main hatch had not yet reached the Buena Vista area. I did spot a few blue wing olives, but the hatch, if there was one, was very sparse and failed to initiate any surface feeding.

Spots and Colors Superb

I encountered one other angler, and I mounted the steep bank and circled around him. When I approached the tent that I noticed on my inbound trek, I realized that the inhabitant was a gold prospector. We exchanged nods, and he did not seem to care about my presence near his campsite.

Riffle Section

Friday was a fun day, and I was pleased with my destination choice. Did I encounter the famed caddis hatch? No, I did not. Did I experience hot surface action to blue wing olive mayflies? No, that circumstance did not develop as well. In spite of this, I methodically worked my way along the right bank of the river and probed likely spots with my dry/dropper and netted eighteen wild fish. That, in my book, is an enjoyable day, and I beat the onset of snow melt.

Fish Landed: 18

 

Clear Creek 04/29/2025

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Time; 1:00PM – 3:30PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 04/29/2025 Photo Album

Weather was the main consideration for my choice of a place to fish on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. The high in Denver was projected to reach the mid-sixties, and that translates to frigid temperatures at higher elevation destinations. My choices were confined to the foothills and lower elevation locations. After three long drives during the previous week, I was reluctant to undertake another lengthy trip. In 2.5 hours on Monday I experienced decent success in Clear Creek Canyon, so I decided to take advantage of the short drive, and returned to the nearby stream.

Curved Position

The high temperature in Clear Creek Canyon was forecast to reach 61 degrees, but wind was a factor, and rain and cooler temperatures were expected to predominate from 3:00PM onward. I decided to forego morning fishing, and instead I headed to Prospect Park with Jane for some pickleball. I packed the car with everything I needed for an afternoon of fishing, and I departed the park by 11:15AM and arrived at my chosen parking lot by noon. The wind was gusting, and I decided to take advantage of the car and downed my lunch before gearing up and departing for Clear Creek.

Pocket Water

I swapped my pickleball shirt for my long sleeved Under Armour thermal undershirt, and then I slipped on my light down North Face and added my raincoat as a windbreaker and protection from the forecast rain. Once I was prepared, I hiked along the path for .2 mile, and then I crossed the creek at a wide tail section to reach the south bank. I began my day at 1:00PM with a tan mini chubby, an olive perdigon, and a sparkle wing RS2. I began working my way westward along the left bank, and I tossed the dry/dropper in likely locations.

Stretched Out

Nice Pool

I persisted with this style of fishing for the next 2.5 hours, and I landed nine trout. Two were rainbows and the remainder were browns. I never observed a rising fish until the last twenty minutes, when the wind kicked up, and a huge black cloud began delivering rain, sleet and snow. My hands were too cold to change to a double dry, so I continued with the dry/dropper and landed two decent trout. One of the late trout snatched the olive perdigon, and the other crushed a yellow fat Albert on the surface.

A Bit Larger

After building the fish count to five between 1PM and 2PM on the strength of the tan mini chubby, the olive perdigon and the sparkle wing; I encountered an extended lull. Two of the first five landed fish took the mini chubby, one nipped the sparkle wing RS2, and the other two gobbled the olive perdigon. During the lull, however, the resident trout began to refuse the tan chubby, so I made a change.

Productive Water

One of Two Rainbows

I substituted a yellow fat Albert for the mini chubby, and I replaced the sparkle wing RS2 with a psycho prince. The dry/dropper clicked for two trout, and eventually I replaced the psycho prince with another sparkle wing, when I spotted a few rising fish during the onset of the extremely foul weather.

Raised Up

Tuesday was a decent day on Clear Creek, although I never encountered a decent hatch similar to that which entertained me at the start on Monday. I worked hard for nine trout and covered a decent amount of stream real estate. The mini chubby produced a few fish, and that lured me into staying with it longer than I should have, even though it was the object of refusals during the second hour. A blustery storm that caused a rapid drop in temperatures, chased me from the creek when my hands began to sting.

Fish Landed: 9

Clear Creek – 04/28/2025

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Time: 1:30PM – 4:00PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 04/28/2025 Photo Album

As I looked ahead at the last week of April, the weather forecast was not conducive to fly fishing across much of the state. In addition, I tested the air conditioning system on the Saturday, when the high temperature poked into the upper 80’s, and the unit was not cooling the house efficiently. The HVAC repairman visited on the following Thursday and ordered a replacement part, and he was scheduled to return on Monday morning.

I checked weather reports in towns near possible fishing destinations, and I concluded that I could sneak in a few hours on Clear Creek, if the wind was not overly onerous. The section of Clear Creek that I targeted is only 45 minutes from my home, so it was a viable option for a half day after the HVAC experts were finished.

Theo’s Thing

By 11:00AM the two man crew departed, and Jane returned from pickleball, so I downed my lunch and departed for Clear Creek Canyon. By the time I made the drive, pulled on my gear, assembled my Sage four weight, and hiked and waded to the creek it was 1:30PM. I decided to test the streamer fly that I freelanced, while my grandson, Theo, looked on. In honor of Theo’s input I named it Theo’s Thing. I flicked the streamer through a long but relatively narrow pool along the left bank for ten minutes, and I actually observed a trout, as it followed the baitfish imitation; however, it did not seal the deal.

Early Success

I circled around a pair of wading anglers and another fisherman seated across from the parking lot, and moved upstream along the left bank. I was considering a change to another more proven streamer, when I noticed a couple rises in a nice deep shelf pool across from my position. I considered abandoning my streamer project, but I was hesitant to spend time switching out my line configuration. The trout made my decision for me, as at least five or six began to sip something tiny from the surface in a fairly regular rhythm.

Many Rising Fish in the Pool Behind the Exposed Rock on the Left

I snipped off the streamer and tied on a peacock hippie stomper and trailed 5X tippet off the bend and added a CDC blue wing olive. I began lobbing casts across the swift center current with reach casts, and I managed to land four small brown trout in the nine to eleven inch range over the next hour. The shelf pool featured some funky currents with an eddy at the top and then a long wide glide at the tail. It was difficult to produce a drag free drift with the conflicting currents, and the strong wind was not aiding my efforts. In addition to the landed trout I endured a few momentary hook ups, as tracking the tiny olive was a challenge even with the leading hippie stomper.

Grand Colors

Eventually the sun peaked out a bit, and the hatch waned, so I moved upstream to some riffles of moderate depth. A pair of fish refused the hippie stomper, but their reckless behavior allowed me to spot their holding positions, and a bit of persistence resulted in two more blue wing olive eaters.

The Bubbles Held a Rising Fish

Another move brought me to a nice shelf pool that resulted from man-made stream improvement structures, and it was here that I lost my awareness and hooked an overhanging tree. My flies dangled up high and out of reach, and I lost the hippie stomper and CDC BWO to a limb.

Not Bad

I concluded that the dry fly action was over, and the creek structure ahead featured much faster water and pockets and was not conducive to dries, so I made another change over to a dry/dropper arrangement. For this session that extended to the end of my day I knotted a tan mini chubby to my line and added a 3.5 foot 4X tippet connected to an olive perdigon. Another 1.5 feet below the perdigon held a size 22 sparkle wing RS2. If this sounds familiar, it was, as the perdigon and RS2 combination have evolved into a favorite offering this spring.

Mini Chubby Eater

Fly Removed

The revised lineup produced, and I doubled the fish count from six to twelve over the remaining time on the creek. Much to my amazement, two browns smashed the mini chubby. One grabbed the RS2 on the swing and the others nabbed the olive perdigon. My last fish was a twelve inch rainbow; the only ‘bow to rest in my net on the day.

Eager to Cast Upstream Here

Monday proved to be a nice outing with twelve fish landed in 2.5 hours of fishing. The wind was rather strong at times, but I was able to wait out the worst gusts. Hitting a blue wing olive hatch was unexpected but much appreciated, and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of fooling small browns on tiny dry flies. Once again the tungsten bead perdigon did the heavy lifting, and the sparkle wing RS2 complemented it nicely. Two fish on the mini chubby was a total surprise. The flows ranged from 65 -75 CFS during my time on the creek, and the air temperature peaked in the mid-fifties. The creek was a bit tinged, but it did not seem to bother the trout.

Last Fish Was a Rainbow

Monday was one of my better days on Clear Creek in recent years, and I am contemplating another visit before the snow melt takes charge.

Fish Landed: 12

Arkansas River – 04/25/2025

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Time: 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 04/25/2025 Photo Album

Last summer I made a couple fishing trips with the grandson of a friend from Bucknell. Ben acquired some used fly rods from a co-worker of his father, and he was very interested in learning the art of fly fishing. Ben turned out to be a quality young man and an avid student of the sport, and I was interested in following his evolution in the world of fly tossing. I contacted Ben’s mother and asked if he had any weekdays, where he was free from school, and she replied with a couple dates. One of them was April 25, so we scheduled a fishing day for that Friday.

I have lived in Colorado for thirty-five years, and each year at this time I make the drive to the Arkansas River in search of the fabled Mothers’ Day caddis hatch. In Colorado the hatch actually commences around tax day and moves up the river at a variable pace, until it ends around Mothers’ Day on the upper river. The hottest fishing occurs at the leading edge of the hatch, as massive quantities of insects emerge, and this event brings the spectacle of hungry fish slashing on the surface. Caddis burst out of their pupa rapidly, and if the wind is strong, they skitter across the surface. Unlike most fly fishing scenarios, drag actually becomes a positive presentation technique. During all my years of chasing this hatch, I hit it two times, where I experienced crazy fishing to caddis adults. It is very difficult to locate the sweet spot, while living 2.5 hours away.

I have, however, on many occasions, arrived at the river in places behind the leading edge of the hatch. These instances are also quite an event to experience. Adult caddis fill the willows and bushes along the river, and a few constantly leave their perch and dap down on the surface for a quick drink. In the morning hours, I have had success picking off a few trout by prospecting the water along the banks with size 16 deer hair caddis. If the conditions are favorable, the caddis leave their roosting spots in the early afternoon and swarm above the river and fall to the water. The trout capitalize on this opportunity, but my fly is one of hundreds, and it takes an extreme amount of luck to fool a trout into taking an artificial over the dense quantity of naturals.

In preparation for a day of fishing with Ben, I researched the 2025 caddis progression. The flows on the Arkansas River were favorable, and clarity was optimal according to the fly shop narratives. The two main fly shops near the river cited hatch activity in Canon City and through lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon as far as Texas Creek. The shop in Salida actually had it extending as far as the Vallie Bridge closer to their shop, of course. These ranges were so broad that they were not very useful in pinpointing the emergence. Finally, I checked the weather reports, and I discovered that Friday was projected to have a high temperature of 54 degrees in Canon City with light rain in the morning and overcast skies all afternoon. These were not the conditions that provide a catalyst to heavy caddis emergence. Caddis like sunny days that warm the river temperature to ideal levels in the mid-fifties.

Baetis, on the other hand, love chilly and overcast conditions. I concluded that I would introduce Ben to the Arkansas River caddis hatch, and the blue wing olives would be a solid fallback. Even if we were unable to find the leading edge of the caddis, he could witness the swarms of the tent-winged adults populating the riverside bushes and rocks.

Ben arrived at my house by 7:30, and we transferred his gear and made the drive. Ben was sporting new stocking foot waders and wading boots, and he was quite excited for a day of fly fishing. We drove through rain, mist and fog, until we exited Canon City, and the low clouds shifted into higher gray masses but lacking descending moisture. During our day on the river the sun barely appeared, and we only felt a light mist a few times.

Already on Its Way

The coolness and dampness prompted me to wear my long sleeved Under Armour undershirt and light down North Face coat with an outer layer of my rain jacket. I snugged on my billed hat with earflaps. I was pleased to have these layers for my entire day on the river. For my fly rod I once again pulled out my Sage One five weight. I was hopeful to need the extra strength of the five weight to handle larger fish.

Center Trough

By 11:00AM we were positioned along the river ready to find hungry and willing trout on the Arkansas River. As we bashed through willows and bushes near the river, I carefully observed in order to assess the status of the caddis hatch in our location. I saw none. Normally the adult flies flush into the air in abundance, when I disturb their habitat, but that was not the case on Friday.

Look at the Load on Ben’s Rod

To begin our day we chose dry/dropper rigs. We both applied chubby Chernboyls as our top flies. Ben added a go2 caddis pupa on a four foot dropper, and I chose an olive perdigon as the top fly and placed a g02 caddis beneath as my bottom nymph. We fished some attractive deep runs, and I managed to hook and land a nice thirteen inch rainbow, while Ben notched a refusal to his chubby.

Brown Trout Success

For the next hour we progressed up the river and shared the left side. I directed Ben to make some longer casts to a shelf pool on the other side of the swift center current, and he executed perfectly. His casting capabilities have advanced admirably since our two outings last summer.

Pocket Water Paradise

By lunch time, noon, we had covered the better water on the bottom of our beginning stretch, so we paused to eat. My initial rainbow trout was the only landed fish in the first hour. After lunch we continued in the same manner as the morning. Given the overcast conditions, I switched the go2 caddis for a sparkle wing RS2 in case the baetis nymphs became active. Ben began changing out flies as well, and at one point he added a sparkle wing RS2 as well as a third fly. Casting three flies is an invitation for tangles, and although he paused to unravel a few, his casting technique avoided the worst.

Covered with Ink Spots

Between 12:30PM and 3:30PM we prospected the most attractive water of the day. The sky remained dark and cloudy, and the wind kicked up from time to time. but we never saw fish rising to blue wing olives. Ben pointed to a pair of small insects at one point, and I identified them as BWOs, but we persisted with our dry/droppers through the sparse hatch.

Deep Slot

Over the course of the afternoon I landed seven additional trout to boost my fish count to eight. All except the first trout were browns, and I gripped a couple in the twelve and thirteen inch range. I estimate that the seven browns were evenly split between the olive perdigon and the RS2. In addition to the netted brown trout, I connected momentarily with four fish that were clearly larger rainbows. In each case the hook held fast long enough to feel the weight, and then the impulsive eaters turned their heads, and my fly catapulted free. I suspect they were on the tiny size 22 RS2 with the small hook gap.

Ben Focused

Ben meanwhile generated many opportunities, but he was unable to slide his net beneath them. I watched him play a very respectable brown trout for a decent amount of time, but when he extended his net to gather the bruiser, the net rim hit the brown, and it splashed downstream to freedom. According to my rules, this counted as a catch, but Ben lives by a stricter code.

I Love This View

In other cases he hooked wild rainbows, and these hot fish streaked about and eventually powered into downstream rapids and broke free. In a few cases the hooks remained, but Ben also broke off three sets of three fly rigs. It had to be frustrating for him, but even so, I was pleased that he encountered numerous opportunities throughout the day.

Late Afternoon Cloud Cover

As we ambled back along the river at 3:30PM, we paused at a long narrow shelf pool next to some fast moving current. As we gazed at the bubble line, we spotted several rises. Ben’s hands were stricken by stiffness, so I tied on one of his chubbies along with a prince nymph and sparkle wing RS2, and I observed, as he worked the seam with expert backhand casts. After quite a few casts, he connected with a fish for a moment, but once again it broke free. In this case I think it broke off the subsurface flies. I replaced them, and he resumed casting, while the rising trout continued to tantalize us with sporadic rises in the bubble line. After a few minutes Ben lifted his flies to make another backhand cast using the current drag to load his rod, and at that very same moment a fish grabbed the chubby Chernobyl. Needless to say the two opposing forces resulted in a another severed monofilament. Ben stated that he is going to purchase a new spool of tippet.

Ben Wading Deep

Friday was a fun day on the Arkansas River. Once again I failed to meet the Arkansas River caddis hatch, and Ben did not see the spectacle, as I had hoped. In fact I saw only one tiny caddis over the course of the day, and then one appeared in my car on the drive back to Denver! We did see some baetis and a few rising fish, but not enough to convert to dry fly fishing. On a positive note, we enjoyed lots of action, and Ben was introduced to fishing a large powerful river. Hopefully I imparted some additional tips and wisdom that he can deploy in his ongoing fly fishing evolution. The weather was as forecast, and we endured, and Ben’s waders did not leak, and he was satisfied with his new gear.

Behind the Boulder

Hopefully we can meet again this summer for some new adventures.

Fish Landed: 8

 

South Platte River – 04/23/2025

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Time: 10:45AM – 4:00PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 04/23/2025 Photo Album

I should have returned to the Eagle River. Well, not really, but Tuesday failed to meet my high expectations. I marked April 23 as an Eleven Mile Canyon day, after I noticed that the high temperature in Lake George was forecast to be 65 degrees with wind speeds in the upper single digits and fairly heavy cloud cover in the afternoon.

I arrived at my standard parking place a bit after 10:00AM, and the dashboard temperature displayed fifty degrees. I was wearing a long sleeve thermal undershirt, and I added my fleece hoodie and my rain jacket as a windbreaker. My Sage One five piece was once again chosen as my casting stick.

A Good Place to Start

As was the case during my last visit to Eleven Mile, I decided to focus my energies on the pockets and faster sections between the pools, until I observed consistent rising fish. In response to this strategy I began fly fishing with a size 8 gray-bodied chubby Chernobyl and trailed a 20 incher and olive perdigon. I prospected the deep pockets and runs around exposed boulders for the first 1.25 hour, but I failed to coax any action.

By noon I encountered another angler in the long smooth pool with a high vertical rock wall along the west bank, so I circled around him and found a nice rock to perch on, while I consumed my lunch.

This Area Yielded Two Trout

After lunch I decided to change up my flies, as I felt I was packing too much weight with the 20 incher and perdigon, and this was constraining the movement of my nymphs. I replaced the 20 incher with a size 16 beadhead hares ear nymph, and I retained the perdigon. After this change, I landed a rainbow and brown trout in the riffles leading into a nice pool. These fish were in the ten to eleven inch range, but they were much appreciated nonetheless.

Pretty

Next I moved upstream, and I traveled quite a distance with no fish to show for my persistence. I fished some pockets and then the entering runs in two attractive pools, but the fish were apparently suffering a case of lockjaw. The sky darkened at 1:00PM, and I was certain that the chaos of a hatch was imminent.

Produced the Best Fish of the Day

Not wishing to miss out on nymph activity prior to the hatch, I once again revised my lineup, and I switched the olive perdigon to the upper position and replaced the hares ear with a sparkle wing RS2 size 22. Finally in the long riffle section on the western braid above the bend pool, the chubby dipped, and I found myself linked with a hard fighting rainbow trout. I battled the pink striped warrior for a few minutes and eventually slid my net beneath a chunky specimen in the fifteen inch range. The RS2 was tucked in the outer cartilage of the mouth, and I felt very fortunate to land the fish of the day.

Very Pleased with This One

Early Release

My expectations elevated with this catch, but I proceeded to endure another long dry spell. The sky continued to alternate between brief periods of sunshine and longer spans of dense cloud cover. I was perplexed by the lack of baetis action in spite of the near ideal conditions for a mayfly hatch. I persisted with prospecting the dry/dropper arrangement in likely holding lies among the exposed boulders and pockets, and I managed to finally up the fish count to five with two twelve inch brown trout.

Once again, however, I suffered an extended drought, and the RS2 was not receiving attention, so I decided to test the waters with an orange scud. Why? Many years ago orange scuds worked on the South Platte during the late April and May time frame. Eleven Mile Canyon harbors dense aquatic growth, and scuds favor this type of environment. The flows recently increased, so this suggested scuds were dislodged. Although I did not witness any spawning rainbows on this trip, I did see some on April 11, and I theorized that the orange scud could also imitate a rainbow trout egg.

Not long after my fly change, the chubby dipped, and I set the hook, and I was connected to a very vigorous and hard fighting rainbow trout. It jumped several times, and during these aerial acrobatics, I could see that the orange scud was the food of choice! My thought process paid off, but unfortunately this would be the last trout that feasted on the orange scud.

Lowered

I continued drifting it below the olive perdigon, and the perdigon added another fish to boost the fish count to seven. Two anglers approached me from downstream, and another blocked my progression upstream, and it was 3:00PM, so I decided to call it quits. However, instead of mounting the bank with a very dangerous steep lip at the top, I followed the path along the river.

Long Run

In doing so, I revisited a nice long run that fed a deep pool. I skipped this location on my way upstream, since another angler that was working downstream had recently disturbed the area. I paused to observe and immediately spotted a few sporadic rises. I decided to invest more time in pursuit of the risers with dry flies.

Sleek

I removed the dry/dropper paraphernalia, and I tied on a size 20 soft hackle emerger and applied floatant to the body. On the second cast a twelve inch brown trout smash the emerger, and I thought I was in the money. That proved not to be the case. The remaining sporadic risers refused the emerger style fly, so I made yet another change. I added a size 14 peacock hippie stomper and added an eighteen inch 5X leader to the bend and knotted on a size 22 CDC blue wing olive. The ploy worked, and I landed another small trout from the long run, and then I moved downstream to the next extensive pool and fooled two more trout in the entering riffle area. What an ending to my day!

I managed to land eleven trout on the day, and this included a fat fifteen inch rainbow, a feisty fourteen inch rainbow that ate an orange scud, and three respectable brown trout in the twelve inch range. A late and very sparse blue wing olive hatch finally generated some surface feeding, but it was very spotty, although I did manage to capitalize with four trout on a dry fly. The weather was rather nice for the normally icebox-like canyon, and I covered quite a bit of river real estate. It was a slow day, and the expected dense baetis hatch never materialized, but I made the best of it.

Fish Landed: 11

Eagle River – 04/22/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Between Wolcott and Avon, CO

Eagle River 04/22/2025 Photo Album

My niece and friend from Philadelphia visited Jane and I last Monday through Wednesday, so I avoided fly fishing to devote my attention to help provide them with a Colorado experience. Of course, on Thursday we babysat our grandsons, and then adverse weather settled in Colorado thus preventing any fly fishing on Friday or the weekend. Needless to say, I was quite anxious to log some fishing trips, and the weather forecast was favorable for the week beginning on Monday, April 21. I researched stream flows and weather in several favored locations, but I settled on the Eagle River for my first outing of the week on Tuesday, April 22. I ruled out Monday mainly due to high wind speeds across the state.

Soft Grip

The weather at my destination was expected to be a high of 61 degrees with wind in the 10-12 MPH range and significant cloud cover for most of the afternoon. These were all reasons for optimism, in my mind. My concern was stream flows, as I saw a report of ten inches of snow in Vail on Friday and Saturday. Could the recent snow melt and raise water levels and reduce clarity? I checked the DWR stream flow data for the Eagle River, and it displayed flows in the 260 CFS range. On my previous visit on April 9, the flows were 200 CFS, and I enjoyed a very successful outing. Between April 9 and April 18, the graph depicted rising flows, until they peaked in the 460 CFS range. The arrival of the cold winter storm, however, caused the flows to drop to 260 CFS. I decided to make the drive to hopefully sneak in a solid day with blue wing olives hatching, before the run off commenced in earnest.

Emerged Above the Flat Submerged Rock Just Right of Center

I arrived at my targeted pullout a bit before 10:00AM, and this enabled me to begin fishing by 10:30AM. The dashboard temperature was 55 degrees, so I pulled on my Brooks long-sleeved undershirt and added my fleece hoodie and a rain shell. I pulled my Sage One five weight from its tube, and that became my fly fishing wand for the day.

On Display

A short hike took me to the massive pool that I fished on April 9, but my plan was to work my way upstream from the pool through pocket water. On April 9 I covered fifty yards of this area with decent success, and this prompted me to explore it farther.

Lavender

I began my quest for Eagle River trout with a size 8 gray body chubby Chernobyl, and beneath it I attached a brown size 12 2XL nymph with rubber legs and an olive perdigon. I began at the very top of the large pool in the deep entering runs and troughs, but the flies failed to deliver. I advanced to the first set of pockets, and I paused to adjust my offerings. I replaced the brown nymph with a 20 incher, and I kept the olive perdigon as the end fly. I also extended the leader with the hope of generating deeper drifts.

Looking Ahead

The move paid dividends, as I landed eleven trout between 10:30AM and 12:30PM, when I broke for lunch. My feet morphed into icy stumps, so I walked back along the path to the bench overlooking the gargantuan main pool. While eating my lunch I observed the pool, and I noticed sporadic rises, although the activity was not nearly as intense as the scene I witnessed on April 9. I decided to hit the head of the pool once again with my rig designed for deeper drifts, but the return visit failed to yield results.

I Approve

I exited the pool and ambled back along the paved path to my exit point before lunch, and I continued my journey up the river. In a short amount of time three fish smacked the olive perdigon in a tailout from a long riffle. The fish count ballooned to fourteen, but then I experienced a bit of a lull.

I adjusted my lineup by moving the olive perdigon to the upper position, and I knotted a size 22 beaded classic RS2 to the point. These flies remained in place, as I continued my upstream migration and incremented the fish count to 25. The fish population shifted to mostly brown trout during this phase of my day. I landed several decent browns in the thirteen inch size range, but most were smaller.

Beefy Brown

For most of the day the most productive spots featured tailouts at the end of long runs and riffles with moderate depth. Casting from the side and allowing the flies to lift and swing generated positive results.

Good Depth

As best as I can recall, the 20 incher nailed two trout, the RS2 accounted for two, the chubby Chernobyl attracted one, and a soft hackle emerger fooled a small brown at the end of the day in the large pool. The remaining netted fish were fooled by the olive perdigon. What a fish catching machine! My one regret is that I did not lengthen the leader during the final phase of my day. I wonder if a longer leader might have resulted in larger fish from some of the deeper runs and seams.

Tuesday was a fun day. I explored new water on the Eagle River and achieved positive results. I learned that the fish population in the area, where I fished, is healthy. I prospected with my dry/dropper, and I built the fish  count to the highest total of 2025 so far. Although I did not fish dries to the BWO hatch, I suspect that the nymphs were very active, and this explained my success with the olive perdigon and RS2. I may have threaded the needle with a successful day just before snow melt resumes in a significant way.

Fish Landed: 26

South Platte River – 04/11/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 04/11/2025 Photo Album

I had my eye on Eleven Mile Canyon with the anticipation of intersecting with a decent blue wing olive hatch. In past Aprils I enjoyed some excellent days on this river with the benefit of abundant quantities of the diminutive mayflies. Early in the week the weather suggested highs in the low seventies with partly cloudy skies for most of the afternoon. The temperature aspect of this forecast remained in place; however, the cloudiness was replaced with bright sunshine and clear skies. I decided to follow through with my commitment, and I made the drive to Eleven Mile Canyon on Friday, April 11, 2025.

Next to the Rocks

I arrived at my usual pullout by 10:00AM, and the dashboard temperature displayed at 51 degrees. In response to the chill, I pulled on my Under Armour long sleeved thermal undershirt, and then I added my fleece cardigan and my raincoat as a windbreaker. It is always windy in the spring in Colorado. For a casting tool I chose my Sage One five weight.

Love the Deep Water Next to the Large Rock

Given the weather forecast and the absence of clouds, I expected very little surface feeding; however, I surmised that baetis nymphs would be active. In response to this thought I began my day with a size 8 chubby Chernobyl trailing a size 16 olive perdigon and a size 22 classic RS2. I also adopted a strategy of skipping the pools in favor of pocket water, moderate riffles and deep current seams.

Perfect Water for My Tastes

In the 1.5 hours until lunch at noon, I managed to land three rainbow trout in the ten to eleven inch range. I also connected momentarily with several fish, and I foul hooked a rainbow that was my best fish of the morning. I might have hooked it in its mouth, but in its efforts to escape, the fish may have shed the upper nymph and been snagged by the trailer.

Melon Color

I adhered to my strategy and skipped around five pools, before I paused for lunch on a nice large and flat rock at noon. After lunch I progressed up the river and skipped around  three additional pools, and several were occupied by other anglers, so that worked out nicely. The other fishermen favored the pools, and they left the intervening pockets for my prospecting.

Humpback Brown

At one o’clock  the drifts that were previously ignored suddenly began to attract attention. Trout began to attack the nymphs especially on the lift and swing. I continued migrating up the river, and I landed an additional seventeen trout to boost my fish count from three to twenty. I would not characterize the action as intense, but it was steady. Three of the landed trout were rainbows in the thirteen inch to sixteen inch range, and I was quite pleased with these catches. Another four were respectable browns of twelve to thirteen inches, and the remainder were beneath the twelve inch threshold.

Seam Produced

Both the perdigon and RS2 delivered results, but the RS2 probably accounted for a higher ratio of netted fish, and that split could have been even greater had the tiny fly held on more temporary hook ups.

Number 19, Best of the Day

I moved at a fairly fast clip and did not dwell in any particular location. In most cases I executed five casts with several being a dead drift and an equal number activated with lifts and swings. The dead drift seemed to work on a directly upstream cast, while the swing and lift were effective on casts across and down.

Angling Competitors

In spite of the lack of clouds, Friday was a splendid day. I hit a new high for a day of fly fishing at twenty landed. The quality of the fish was satisfactory, although the average size was less than Wednesday’s haul, and it fell short of spring trips to the South Platte in previous seasons. I covered .8 mile of the river and adhered to fishing the faster water, and it paid off with solid results. I will continue to look for cloudy, cool days in Eleven Mile Canyon in order to experience the frenzy of a dense hatch and hot dry fly fishing.

Fish Landed: 20

Eagle River – 03/09/2025

Time: 11:30AM – 5:00PM

Location: Between Avon and Wolcott

Eagle River 03/09/2025 Photo Album

I considered options for fly fishing on Wednesday, March 9, and eventually settled on the Eagle River. The main factor that swayed my decision was a weather forecast of a high of 59 degrees with partial cloudiness most of the afternoon. I was seeking blue wing olive action. Did my decision to fish the Eagle to hit a baetis hatch pan out? Read on.

On Tuesday evening, as Jane and I were returning from dinner with friends in southeast Denver, we hit a curb with the left front tire. The blowout was nearly instantaneous, but the stretch of highway offered no place to pull over for a tire change, so we limped across a bridge and settled in a parking space on a side street. Of course, by now it was dark, and that only added to the challenge ahead of us. I got out of the car and examined the left front tire, and I discovered a four inch gash on the sidewall. The tire was toast.

We opened the hatch and emptied the rear of the car of its contents, which happened to be quite a bit, and then we lifted the floor covering and found the jack. I used my phone to search for how to release the jack, and that met with success; however, we were unable to find the toolkit that included the lug tool. We bought the Tucson three years ago used, and apparently the previous owner kept the tire changing tool kit!

We locked the car and walked back to our house, which was about .5 mile, and we climbed into my Kia Telluride equipped with a screwdriver and flashlights. Fortunately we discovered that the Telluride tool kit was present, and the lug wrench fit the nuts on the Tucson. We quickly installed the temporary spare, and returned to the house.

I planned to leave the house for fishing by 8:00AM on Wednesday morning, but I was not comfortable leaving Jane with a car in need of a new tire and possible alignment, so I delayed my departure. We made the short drive to Les Schwab Tires, and we were near the front of the line. The sales counter person assessed our tire needs, and set everything up for tire replacement and alignment test during the day on Wednesday. I drove Jane home, and I now felt comfortable continuing with my fly fishing plans.

I departed Denver by 8:40AM, and I arrived at my favorite pullout along the Eagle River a bit before 11AM. The sky was very overcast, and the wind was bustling, so I bundled up with my Columbia long sleeved undershirt, my light down coat and my rain shell. I was comfortable for most of the time except after long periods standing in waist deep water. I selected my Sage One five weight to counter the wind, and in case I tangled with tough fish.

Not a Bad Start

Once I was prepared, I hiked a short distance to the river. Another angler occupied the spot that I intended to fish, so I cut downstream a bit to give him space and fished some water that I never sampled previously. I began my day with a size 8 gray-body chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and a size 16 olive perdigon. I fished for the next hour through some moderate riffle sections and then the tail of the long pool that was occupied by the other angler. I landed one twelve inch brown trout on the perdigon, and I connected with two additional fish briefly.

Rainbows Became Prevalent

By 12:30PM my feet were crying for relief, and my stomach was growling, so I retreated to the bank and downed my small lunch. After lunch I carefully waded across the tail of the pool, and quite a few rises materialized, so I changed tactics. I swapped the chubby for a peacock hippie stomper, and then I added an eighteen inch dropper and knotted on a CDC BWO. I began casting to rises, and eventually I landed a small brown trout on a downstream drift. I had swapped the CDC BWO for a soft hackle emerger fished on the surface, and it was this fly that duped the small brown. I thought I solved the riddle, but I soon discovered that I was sorely mistaken.

Sweet Spot Yielded Quite a Few Nice Fish

Between 12:30 and 1:30PM I did what Deming warned against. I continued doing the same thing expecting different results. The fish rose in waves, and I repeatedly plopped casts with my CDC BWO or soft hackle emerger above the sighted fish, but my flies were totally ignored. I began to despair that I was going to fish through an intense baetis hatch with only two small fish as my reward.

Jen and Dave Focused

Over the last several years I became acquainted with a friend on Instagram, @jenmenke. She is a fly fishing woman, fly tier, and gardner, and we occasionally exchanged comments. I knew that she and her husband lived in the Eagle, CO area, so I mentioned that I was making the trip on Wednesday, and she replied that she would like to meet up, so I told her where I planned to fish. This all coalesced, when Dave and Jen arrived at my fishing hole by 1:30PM. I quickly waded to shore to greet them, and we chatted for a bit, and then we each waded into the pool. I returned to the tail, while Dave took the midsection, and Jen angled toward the top area.

Stunning

My frustration continued, as I continued to deploy the double dries. The wind gusted and clouds scudded across the sky, and for brief periods fish rose to voraciously feed on what I believed were blue wing olive mayflies. Dave was in shouting distance above me, and he managed to land a trout on a dry that was sort of a classic Adams. I felt a tickle on my ear, and I reached to scratch it, and suddenly I discovered a small size 18 black stonefly in my hand. Could this be what the fish were eating and not blue wing olives? I was skeptical that stoneflies would hatch in dense numbers to create intense feeding, but maybe it was worth a try. I tied on one of my small stonefly imitations, and I gave it a ten minute test. Nothing. I was in a state of frustration, so I waded to shore and decided to circle around Jen and Dave and move into new water above the pool.

Moving Up the River

As I stopped to talk to Jen and Dave, Jen announced that she had several hits on a black RS2, and she landed a couple nice rainbows. This information prompted my to switch back to my dependable dry/dropper method. Once again I tied on a gray chubby Chernobyl, and then I brought back the olive perdigon, and I added a size 20 classic RS2 with a silver bead. I waded in to the very top of the run that entered the vast pool, and I began working the deep runs and pockets in that area. Voila! Even though I spotted many rising fish around me, the fish were also tuned into drifting nymphs. Between 2:30PM and 3:15PM, when Jen and Dave departed, I landed four trout, and they were very nice chunky rainbows in the thirteen to fourteen inch range. I was more than ecstatic with this positive turn of events. I was making ten to fifteen drifts for every successful hit, so it was not easy by any means, but persistence paid off. I also imparted movement in the form of lifts and swings, and several of the trout responded to these tactics.

Decent

I waded to shore and said my goodbyes to the fly fishing couple, and then I resumed my fly fishing progression. As planned, I moved up the river and flicked casts to likely spots where there was moderate depth and holding lies. In each case I spotted rising fish, but with persistence I was able to hook and land quality fish. By the time I reached fourteen trout, I was fifty yards above my starting point, so I exited the river and ambled back along the concrete path.

More Pockets

When I arrived back at the pool, I decided to cut back to the section at the top. When I arrived, fish continued to rise, and I could not ignore the pull of the hatch. I decided to take one last shot at dry flies, as many fish continued to feed on the surface. I tried the CDC BWO and the soft hackle emerger, and I managed to land one trout on each by casting across and allowing a downstream drift to the point were the fish were rising. The sky was dark and the wind continued to gust, but the fish seemed to revel in the adverse conditions for human beings.

Splendid Colors

What a day! The Tucson was ready for pickup by early afternoon. I met two new friends that share common interests, and hopefully there will be many more meetings in the future. And through the experience of Jen, I utilized an RS2, and it led to solid success over the course of Wednesday afternoon. Was I able to cast dry flies and fool fussy trout? No, but with the help of Jen, I resorted to a baetis nymph, and I enjoyed an amazing 2.5 hours late in the afternoon. This was perhaps my best day of 2025 so far, and I look forward to more such days before run off kicks in during May.

Fish Landed: 16

Love the Body Color on This Rainbow

St. Vrain Creek – 04/07/2025

Time: 1:00PM – 4:30PM

Location: Town of Lyons

St. Vrain Creek 04/07/2025 Photo Album

After a solid day on the Arkansas River on March 31, I found myself stuck inside for most of the following week. A brief but potent shot of winter weather rolled across Colorado and pushed me off the water and into the indoor pickleball courts. Not the worst trade, but I was itching to get back on a stream.

Monday, April 7, changed that. A warming trend rolled through Denver, and with the forecast topping out around 70 degrees, I couldn’t resist. I packed the car with gear for a proper spring doubleheader—pickleball and fly fishing—and headed out. I kicked off the morning at Prospect Park for a few hours of pickleball, while the air temps played catch-up from an overnight chill. By noon, I was driving north toward my ultimate destination: the Town of Lyons and the nearby stretches of the St. Vrain Creek.

Start Here

After pulling into a small parking lot, I quickly downed my lunch and suited up with my trusty Loomis two-piece five weight. The creek was trickling along at 18.8 CFS—very low and very clear. I expected a technical afternoon, and that’s exactly what I got. For my rig, I went with a classic: a peacock hippie stomper with a long (four-foot) dropper. Below that I trailed a beadhead hares ear and an ultra zug bug. This setup stayed on for most of the afternoon, although I swapped the zug bug for a supernova nymph during the final hour, after the first one unraveled.

Whopper

The fishing was tough. I covered water steadily for 3.5 hours and managed to net seven trout—six browns and a single rainbow. All were small, ranging from six to nine inches. Honestly, nine inches might be generous. The low water and gin-clear conditions demanded long, delicate casts and careful movement. Even then, I still sent plenty of fish darting for cover. Most of my success came from the rare runs, riffles, and pockets with a bit of depth and current—habitat that was surprisingly sparse in this stretch. Much of the creek was wide, shallow, and easily skipped.

Attractive Section

One small highlight was the one that got away. I came upon a series of short pockets, where the creek narrowed considerably. I considered skipping the area entirely, but in a fit of thoroughness, I executed a short cast to a narrow deep pocket  between a pair of exposed boulders in the middle of the stream. Suddenly a nose appeared by the hippie stomper, and I was instantly attached to a trout that was much larger than any others encountered on Monday. I played the hard fighting brown for fifteen seconds, and then it rolled on the line, and suddenly, it escaped. I am not certain whether I foul hooked it, when it refused the hippie stomper, or did I hook it in the mouth, and then it freed itself via the rolling action. Nevertheless, this was the thrill of the day.

Best Fish of the Day

One interesting observation: as I reached four fish, each of my four flies had accounted for one fish—the hippie stomper, hares ear, ultra zug bug, and supernova nymph. Clearly, the trout weren’t keyed in on anything specific. Later in the afternoon, I spotted two size 18 blue wing olives drifting by, but no risers materialized. Final tally: hares ear (3), supernova (2), hippie stomper (1), ultra zug bug (1).

A Bit of Depth Here

It wasn’t a banner day in terms of fish size or numbers, but the weather made up for it. By the time I headed out, Lyons was basking in 70-degree sunshine. I wore my Under Armour long sleeve and a fishing shirt, but even that combo left me a bit warm in the afternoon heat. Hard to complain about that in early April.

Despite the slow action, the day stirred up my fly fishing appetite. With good weather lined up for Wednesday and Friday, I’ve got my sights on another outing—or two. Hopefully, the next batch of trout will bring some heft and put a real bend in the rod. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 7